every step of the way // tom holland

can't sleep

Being pregnant wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Now that you were almost seven months along, it was getting so much harder to do normal, day-to-day stuff. The worst part was that you always had trouble sleeping. You were constantly tired, and you tried to sleep when you could, but the night was when your baby was the most active. There was constant movement, constant kicks and pushes. And the fact that you were up to pee practically every other hour didn't help any.

One night, as you were laying in bed next to Tom, you were having a particularly hard time getting to sleep; it seemed your butterfly was wide awake. Staring up into the darkness at the ceiling, you could hear the soft breaths leave his lips. Normally, the sound of his quiet breathing could lull you to sleep, but every time you were on the edge of sleep, there'd be another kick. Your head turned, cheek pressing into the soft pillow as you watched Tom sleep.

You watched his chest rise and fall with each breath, and you noticed the way a few strands of his soft hair had fallen into his face. You had to refrain yourself from brushing them back and out of his face; you weren't getting any sleep, but that didn't mean he shouldn't get some sleep. He was constantly doing stuff for you, constantly making sure that you were okay, and he deserved some rest. His leg was resting over yours; he always had to be touching you in some way. You honestly didn't know what you'd done to get so damn lucky. You were pregnant with your best friend's baby, and by some miracle, you'd fallen in love with each other.

Scooting in closer to him, you slid your arm across his torso, turning your head and nudging your nose into his shoulder. Tom didn't move, so you snuggled in closer, trying to fall asleep. And yet, snuggled up next to your boyfriend, you still couldn't sleep.

Sighing to yourself, you slipped away from Tom's embrace, moving as carefully as possible so you wouldn't wake him up. You struggled to get up for a few seconds before swinging your legs over the side of the bed and hopping out. Tom shifted a little and you paused, tucking the covers back around his body and leaning over the best you could to press a kiss to the top of his head.

After wandering around the house a bit to grab a glass of water and something to eat, you found yourself in the newly decorated nursery. You turned on one of the lamps placed near the rocking chair, lighting up only the corner of the room that the chair was in, as you sat down in it. Grabbing the blanket hanging over the back of your chair to lay it over your lap, you let your eyes close in hopes of falling asleep there. Nothing you tried was helping.

Sliding your hand across the still-growing stomach, you sighed and silently prayed for your baby to calm down even just a little bit so you could fall asleep. Your feet pushed off of the floor, making the chair rock a little, thinking that maybe that would calm the baby. Minutes passed, but your baby didn't let up. Just as you were about to give up and watch TV downstairs in the living room, there was a knock on the doorframe. You jumped a little bit in surprise as your eyes shot up to meet Tom's.

He was wearing only a pajama shirt and a pair of boxers that sat low on his hips. His hair was a complete mess, pieces of his brown hair sticking up in every direction. Honestly, the "barely awake" look was a good one on Tom; it made him look so soft and all you wanted to do was wrap him up and tuck him back in. The corners of his lips tugged up into a tired smile and he let out a yawn before making his way towards you. "'M sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. Why ya up, babe?"

"I can't sleep," you sighed as Tom stopped in front of you and crouched down. Your hand was in one place on your stomach, but your fingers brushed back and forth lightly against the fabric of the cotton t-shirt that you'd plucked out of Tom's drawer. "Our baby here doesn't seem to want to let me sleep. Constantly moving, our little butterfly."

His lips pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, trailing a line of small kisses down your nose, and placing one last one against your lips. You smiled against his lips, your free hand moving up to tangle into his hair gently. Both of Tom's hands came down to your stomach, resting on either side of your hand. Your fingers combed through his hair lightly as you watched him, and you leaned back in the rocking chair to get a little more comfortable. Tom looked up from where he was and gave you a warm smile, his pretty brown eyes sparkling a little in the dim light of the room. Lifting your hand away from the bump, you placed it on Tom's jaw, pulling him up for a soft kiss.

Breaking away from the kiss, Tom's head dipped down closer to your stomach. You took the other opportunity to thread your fingers of your other hand into his hair as well. His lips touched the t-shirt, his fingers tracing soft shapes. The feeling of his fingertips made you shiver a little, and you twirled a strand of his soft hair around your finger. A small smile graced your lips as you watched how carefully Tom was choosing his actions. His lips pressed against your stomach as his fingers slid down, slipping underneath your shirt. He pushed the shirt up over the bump, his fingers skimming across your skin.

"Tommy," you breathed out with a soft laugh, "what are you doing?"

"Lovin' on both of my babies," he replied without missing a beat, his eyes flicking up to yours. The look he gave you made your heart melt, and a cheeky smile found its way to his lips before he dipped down again. The feeling of his fingers dancing across the skin of your stomach, his lips making their own path on your skin, made you laugh, your head tipping back as you let out a few quiet giggles.

After a few moments, his hands stopped on either side of the bump, and he leaned down again. His voice was so quiet that you almost didn't hear it, but you were able to catch most of what he was saying, "-gotta be nice to your mama, little love. She really needs some sleep, so it'd be great for all of us if you could just settle down a bit." Your fingers ran through his soft hair a few times, causing your boy to look up at you. They stopped and caught gently in his curly hair, pushing some strands away from his face, as you gave him a smile back.

Your eyes closed, and your thumb brushed over Tom's cheek as he bent down once more. "Mama and daddy are so excited to meet you, butterfly. We can't wait to hold you and kiss you and love on you. We love you with all of our hearts, with everything we have to give. Your mum is my best friend in the whole wide world, and if it wasn't for you, it would've taken me so much longer for me to admit that I was in love with her." Though you tried to push them back, tears welled in your eyes, threatening to spill down your cheeks as you listened to Tom. He was right; if you hadn't gotten pregnant, you wouldn't be with him now.

It was silent for a few moments and you opened your eyes just as Tom was tugging your shirt back into place. He stood up with a smile on his face, his hands outstretched to yours. Grasping onto his hands tightly, you let him help you up. His nose nudged into yours as you leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips, whispering an "I love you" against them.

By the time you'd made it back into bed, all of the kicking had calmed down a little bit, and you burrowed yourself underneath the pile blankets, trying to get comfortable. Just as you were getting comfortable, Tom ripped the blankets back from your body, causing you to huff loudly in frustration. You pouted up at him, about to complain, when he leaned down once more. "Hey, butterfly. It's your daddy again. Like I said, it'd be really great if you could let your mum get some sleep. Sweet dreams, little love. We love you so much."

Tom sat up, tucking the covers back around you as your hands came up to cup his cheeks, pulling him down to you for one more kiss. He smiled as he pressed a soft kiss back to your lips before laying down. His head turned, cheek resting against the pillow, "Feeling any better?"

You nodded, your hand making his way to his under the blankets, fingers entwining. "Yes, much better. I think I'll be able to fall asleep soon."

"Good, you need it," Tom whispered, squeezing your hand in his.

Just like you hoped, it wasn't long until you'd fallen asleep. Tom stayed awake until he was sure you were asleep before drifting off, too, your hand in his the entire time.