A New Leaf (Eddsworld Tom x Reader)

Chapter 3: The Storm

   As I got myself ready, I briefly considered the possibility that Matt or Edd would be joining us to quell my nerves. Tom had never mentioned if it would be just us or a group, so I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. Being preoccupied with tying my shoes, I wasn't able to ask Tom as he walked out the door. I stood up, straightening my sweater as I suppressed my anxiety. Tom wanted to make an effort to be nice by inviting me out, right? I should have nothing to worry about as long as other people were there. With my newfound confidence, I stepped outside into the humid evening and closed the door behind me. Tom was leaning against the wall, waiting alone.

"Ready?" he asked, pushing off the wall. I just nodded in response, too afraid of overthinking this little 'outing' we were having.

---

  We walked through the city together mostly in silence, but I didn't mind. Although it was a warm day, it was nice to see the city in the peachy evening light. I was admiring the orange hue cast on a park when Tom unexpectedly decided to break the veil of awkwardness that accompanied the sudden lack of talking.

"So... You're new here, right? Why'd you decide to move here?" he asked.

"School, mostly," I replied, perking up a bit, "I go to the university here."

"Oh, so does that mean you're moving back home once you're finished?" he looked over at me.

"Not necessarily," I answered. "So far its been pretty nice here, so I might stick around." Although I hadn't been here for long, I had already met a few people here and there, and honestly it was quite nice to live in a different city. But regardless of the scenery, the people, or the academics, I really was just looking for an escape from my old life. New memories in different places easily replaced old ones. High school had been absolute hell for me, and I would go anywhere to get away from my ex boyfriend. Being in a new city, although unpredictable, was helping me heal from my past. And, in a way, Tom and his roommates were helping me too. But having only met them a couple hours ago, it was probably best for me to just keep that to myself.

We finally arrived at the bar. It was actually a lot nicer than I had predicted, with large, glass windows to watch the daily bustle of the city. Tom and I sat down, him (unsurprisingly) ordering vodka and me requesting a tall glass of water. He looked at me quizzically, giving me a strange look.

"I don't drink," I explained, trying not to say anything more. I had some bad experiences with alcoholics, but Tom didn't need to know that.

He just shrugged. "Okay then." I appreciated his respect, even if unintentional. The last thing I wanted was to have to come up with shaky excuses that barley explained my avoidance to alcohol. It felt nice to just be accepted without question.

We chatted for a while, not on any one particular subject. Mostly we just talked about music, which was fine with me. It was nice, talking to him about something he was obviously passionate about. It was so different from his usual monotone, blunt way of speaking. I was surprised, too. Tom didn't drink a whole lot while we were there, unlike while we were at the house. As he rambled on about some music artist he absolutely hated, some guy took a seat next to me. I didn't mind, though, and continued to listen to Tom. However, the man took one glance at me and decided to interrupt my conversation.

"Hey beautiful," the man smirked. I ignored him, and continued talking to Tom. The stranger rest his hand on my shoulder, and it burned into my skin as memories came rushing back. I tried to stay calm.

"Please stop," I asked politely, gently lifting his hand off of my body. I only then noticed that Tom was glaring quite angrily at the man.

"Anyway I-" I tried to ignore him before quickly being interrupted again.

"Oh come on, sweetheart," the man said, putting his hand on my body once more. I tensed under his touch, and felt extremely uncomfortable. I didn't know what to do.

Tom suddenly stood up from his bar stool and faced the man. "She said stop, you asshole," he half-yelled. Shock flooded through my entire body as my face turned red. Everything quieted down in the bar as people stared. The man looked at him, his face slowly contorting in rage.

"You little-" he was cut off by burly security guards grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him away.

Thank god, I thought in relief as I watched him being tossed out.

Tom sat back down next to me as the people resumed talking. 

"You okay?" he asked, concern highlighting his voice.

"Y-yeah I'm fine," I assured him. "Thanks." I didn't really know what else to say. I don't know what I would've done if Tom wasn't here. It was difficult for me to focus on our conversation as I replayed the image of Tom standing up for me. I cursed myself as I blushed slightly.

No one has ever done something like that for me...

---

Tom and I decided that it would be better to leave earlier than we had planned, as a thunderstorm seemed to be brewing quickly. It was already getting pretty late, and the sky was nearly pitch black. I could feel the air around me sweltering with heat and water, and we quickly picked up our pace. Unfortunately, as we were about a block away from his house, the storm began in full force. Warm summer rain mercilessly poured down, and I was soaked to my bones almost instantly. We raced back to the house as fast as we possibly could, careful on the slippery concrete. When we finally walked onto the house's porch, the light illuminated both of us. My eyes scanned Tom, and I giggled as I noticed how ridiculous his hair looked matted to his head. Tom was confused at first, but then began laughing at himself when he realized. He stopped to look at me.

"Hey, thanks for hanging out today. I had a lot of fun with you," he said, genuinely. I smiled, blushing a dark pink, and was suddenly grateful for the dimness of the porch light.

"Yeah, we should do it again sometime," I replied.

"Definitely," he grinned, and my heart fluttered.

I bid Edd, Matt, Tom and even Tord farewell. I was completely exhausted after those few hours of walking. A comfy, warm bed was exactly what I needed right now. As I started to step down the stairs of the porch, my cellphone buzzed in my pocket. I held it to my ear and heard the frightened voice of my roommate.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked in anticipation. My roommate rarely spoke to me unless absolutely necessary, so this was quite unnerving.

"Y/n, the house is flooded!" she said, her panic practically radiating through the phone. "You'll have to find somewhere else to stay. I know it's your first full day here; I'm really sorry."

"What?" I couldn't believe it. Did I mishear her?

"When will it be fixed?" I asked, calming myself down. Maybe I could just stay at a hotel tonight.

"They said two or three weeks," my roommate answered. "Apparently were not the only ones with house problems."

"Okay well, thanks for telling me." I said shakily, hanging up.

I tried not to completely panic, but I seriously had no idea what I was going to do. I didn't have the money to stay in a hotel for a few weeks, and I didn't know anyone well enough to crash at someone's house. 

What the hell was I going to do?