Some Unholy War // Tom Holland

sixteen

The fight was in five days when Tom had sparred with an actual lightweight champion, an old friend of his who showed Tom no mercy. As Tom laid on the ground, he knew he wasn't ready, but he couldn't back out now. Chris gave him an ice pack for the shoulder that Tom threw out while fighting. Tom's mouth bloody and eyebrow busted open, bleeding down the right side of his face, which happened to be swollen. He didn't continue his training after that, he just got cleaned up and went home where Y/N was cooking dinner for the two of them.

He limped through the door with his arm in a sling and an ice pack still pressed to his shoulder.

"Hey, darling!" Tom yelled hoarsely from the door, putting his keys on the table. He heard her humming to music that played faintly through the kitchen as the gas stove clicked. He walked around through the living room and into the dining room, watching her gracefully move to the smooth music playing out of her phone as she seasoned whatever was in the pan she was stirring. He walked up behind her and pulled his right arm against her diaphragm, resting a head on her shoulder. He kissed her neck softly as she giggled, vibrating Tom's lips as he pressed tender kisses to her throat.

"Hello to you too." She smiled and spun around, taken aback by the current state of Tom's figure, hunched over in pain, dried blood on his forehead. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Just some sparring." Tom shrugged.

"Tom, that's not supposed to happen in sparring, aren't you supposed to be wearing a padded helmet when you spar?"

"Yeah, but Chris and I agreed that no helmet would help out with my blocking." He moved away from her and picked up a tortilla chip from the bowl on the counter.

"Whatever. Go get cleaned up. Dinner's ready." Y/N said as the clicking stopped, Tom's shoulders relaxed as the noise halted and he trudged out of the kitchen.

When he came back downstairs in his sweatpants and t-shirt, arm still in a sling, with his face washed, Y/N was already sat at the table, waiting for him. She sipped on her wine as Tom sat down across from her.

"Looks wonderful, darling." Tom smiled, looking up at her. "And the food looks good too." She just rolled her eyes at him.

They barely talked for the rest of dinner. Tom tried to keep the conversation off of the fight coming up in the next few days, because he knew it made her angry.

After dinner, Tom helped her wash the dishes without a word, they had already used up the small talk and there was nothing else to say. Y/N wiped her hands off on a dish towel when they finished and looked at Tom.

"Who did you spar with today?" Tom met her eyes for a second and then looked to his bare feet on the white marble, his pale skin growing paler as he continued to stare.

"Derek." Tom said softly.

"Tom! You've gotta be kidding me! Seriously? Do you not see the problem with this? Derek hasn't professionally fought in two years, and if he can do that to you---when he's not trying to kill you if I might add---imagine what Flemming can do to you? You're not ready to fight lightweights, Tom, can't you see that?"

"I don't have a choice, Y/N!" Tom yelled stomping off to the living room.

"You do have a choice, Tom! We all have a choice! Look at you, you're already hurt."

"You don't understand, Y/N, I can't just back out! Do you know what that'll do to my fucking reputation?" Tom yelled again, Y/N looked at his with tears in her eyes and walked to the door. His eyes followed her into the hallway as she picked up her purse from the floor.

"It's either me or this fight, I can't stand here and watch you get destroyed like that." He stayed silent, standing in the entranceway of the living room. "Okay. Goodbye, Tom."

"No please don't leave me." He begged and she turned to look at him, tears in his eyes. "I love you."

"You don't know what love is Tom, the only thing you've ever 'loved' is fighting, and that's not even for you."

"T-That's not true, the only thing I've ever loved is you. You make me feel like—I don't know—like I want to be better, like I'm my best self when I'm with you."

"How is that possible when you almost killed my ex-boyfriend, who—thanks to me—didn't press charges. How is that your best self?"

"Because of what I'm doing it for." He mumbled, playing with the item in his pocket. "All of that was for you, everything I do is for you, I am in love with you, the way your eyes sparkle in the moonlight and the way your skin looks so soft in the morning and the way you smile with everything in you. You make me feel at home,Y/N, because whenever I'm with you I am home."

"Just stop! I can't stay if you're going to keep walking into that ring every other week. I can't watch you almost get killed out there. So, it's me or the fight, it's up to you."

Tom still couldn't say anything, fighting was his life but he loved her, how was it possible for him to choose.

"Okay." She nodded, a tear prickling in her eye. "Just one last thing, Tom," she said softly as she opened the door, he looked into her eyes for the last time that night. "it's okay to submit. Your dad will always be proud of you no matter if you win or not."

Then she walked out the door, leaving Tom a heaving mess. He tried to scream but no sound came out and he paced around the room, running his hand through his hair. He sat down on the maroon couch and clutched the item from his pocket in his fist tightly before opening it to take a sorrowful look at the diamond ring delicately sat in his palm.

The next three days, Tom didn't leave his house, he spent most of his time wallowing in self-pity and the scent of her body becoming fainter as the days progressed. Harrison came by his house two days before the fight to check on him, Chris had said that he wasn't showing up for training.

The door was open when Harrison arrived, so he took it upon himself to walk in, the house was silent.

"Tom! Where are ya, man?" Harrison yelled as he walked up the stairs. "Tom?" He yelled again as he walked into the his bedroom to see the man sitting on the floor with his back against the bed.

"She's gone." Was all Tom could say as he clutched a t-shirt that she left, she had picked up her things the day after she left while Tom was sobbing in the shower. Harrison knew exactly what happened, Y/N had been staying in his guest bedroom for the last three days until she got back on her feet. They had gotten quite close after Las Vegas and she considers Harrison to be one of her closest friends. Harrison would never tell Tom what he was doing for her, however, he knew they both needed time apart to work this out.

Harrison was never good with his feelings or making people feel better, but he tried for Tom. He rubbed his back lightly and told him that everything would be okay. It didn't help Tom very much, but he was able to leave his house the day of the fight.