Dancing with Love (a Tom Hiddleston fanfiction) -Book 1-

mother's Intuition

His mother, Diana, worried for him. Since his early teenage years, he's always been an optimistic, bright person and led quite a successful, healthy life. But these past few weeks has left him utterly drained and emotionally spent. She feared, he might retreat to himself once more, as he had done during his childhood, locking himself away from the world, lost in his own lonely, dark thoughts.

Memories flooded her mind of those nerve wracking moments from his youth when he would lock himself in the bathroom and stay there for hours, silently sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

Diana was scared to death when this happened for the first time. Her little boy was only five years old and sought solace behind the closed bathroom door. It was a memory that chilled her to the bone.

Following Tom's third "breakdown", he went to the doctor with both of his parents, seeking guidance and understanding.

A week later, the results came back, causing James, Tom's father, to distance himself from his oldest son, what later led to nasty disputes between the man and his wife.

Alice, the eldest sibling, kept Tom with their younger brother, Samuel, distracted in the playroom throughout the rocky period of their parent's marriage.

But the arguments were just a start. Later, James started spending his evenings in the pub with his friends as Tom's mental health got worse.

When Tom turned eight, everything fell apart. One friday evening, his parents called the three siblings into their bedroom and explained what's going on between them. They got divorced a couple of months later and the children went to live with Diana and their grandparents.

After years of therapy, traveling across the country to different doctors and for various types of medication, Tom got better. He was eleven when the family agreed to let him go to the boarding school.

And now, many years later, Diana worried it would all come back. He's been working nonstop and hasn't called her for two weeks. Usually he'd contact her at least twice a week or warn her that a lot of work came up and he won't have any spare time to call. Maybe he was just too busy, forgot.

_____(lunch time)_____

Diana was overjoyed for Tom when his excited voice rang through her phone, telling her all about his new role, Hank Williams. But that was months ago. Now, she needed to sent Samuel to check up on him, because she didn't know anyone else working on this film, nor in that country.

Diana settled in her plush armchair with her freshly made cup of herbal tea in hand and dialed Sam's number.

"Hi, mom! Everything okay? I was planning on calling you this evening." Her younger son's voice spoke through the speaker as she took a sip from her cup.

"Hello, darling. I'm not interrupting, am I? I can call you later if you're working."

"No, no, that's alright i'm on my way home right now." Sam assured her, little concerned - his mother never called, she was afraid his phone would start ringing during some important meeting. She rather waited till they called her.

"Oh, okay. Well, I just wanted to ask... if you have some free time, could you go check up on Tom? He hasn't called for weeks and i'm getting a little worried. You know how engrossed he gets in his work, sometimes he forgets to eat. I've seen the photos from the set in the newspaper. He's so thin!" Diana spoke rapidly, her nerves buzzing.

"Of course I'll go mom. Don't worry i'm sure he's alright, he's just been very busy." Samuel said as he opened the door to his flat and took off his trainers. He had a long day at set today, doing makeup for the extras—on the film Tom was working on— alone since his teammate, Viola, called in sick yesterday. "I'll stop by his hotel on my way to dinner tonight and call you after. Alright?" Sam said as he opened the door to his hotel room.

"Yes! Thank you, dear." Diana said somehow relieved and hoping that older son is okay. "And how are you, darling? How's work been?"

"I'm done with work for this week. I might go see you next Thursday if everything goes as planned." Sam picked up a TV remote and took a bite of his apple.

"That's great! Should I prepare something? Lunch or dinner?" His mom asked excitedly.

"It's not definitive, mom. I'll call you Monday morning if I'm able to take a few days off." He said turning on the news channel.

"Okay than, I love you, hope to see you next week."

"Love you too, mom. Bye." Sam hung up and propped his feet onto the coffee table.

—☆★☆—
(Tom's morning- the same day)

Tom's day at work started like most others had recently—exhausting and emotionally draining. As he stepped into his trailer, he glanced at his reflection in the small foggy mirror above his messy desk. The extreme dieting plan had hollowed out his cheeks, and his eyes looked sunken and lifeless. He had wanted to embody Hank Williams to the fullest, to capture how frail and vulnerable the legendary singer was in his final years. But the toll it has taken on his body was severe. He moved mechanically, feeling every bone in his body ache as he slipped into the character's vintage suit.

His co-star, Elizabeth, was waiting outside his trailer, a concerned look on her face.

"Tom, you don't look well. Are you okay? Are you sure you're up for today?" she asked, her voice filled with genuine worry.

Tom forced a weak smile, trying to brush off her concern.

"I'm fine, Lizzie. Just a bit tired. This scene is important, you know? Today's the perfect weather for it." he replied, his voice sounding raspier than usual. Lizzie frowned but nodded, knowing how dedicated Tom was to his craft.

They walked together to the set, where  the director, Martin, was already pacing back and forth, stormy expression on his wrinkled face.

"Tom! What the hell took you so long?! We have to shoot before it starts raining!" Martin barked the moment they approached. "We're already behind schedule, and I need you at your best, not dragging your feet like some damn zombie!"

Tom winced at the harsh words, feeling a rush of anger and shame. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Martin cut him off. "Just get in position. We don't have time for your excuses."

The scene they were about to shoot was particularly emotional one, requiring Tom to pour out every bit of his remaining energy. He pushed through, despite feeling dizzy and nauseous. The lights were blinding, the camera intrusive, capturing every nuance of his frail figure.

As the scene reached its climax, Tom's vision blurred and he felt the world around him spinning. He heard Elizabeth calling his name, but it sounded distant, almost like an echo. His knees buckled, and before he knew it, he was collapsing to the ground, everything going black.