You've Only Just Arrived (a Tom Hiddleston fan fiction)

Part 21

The week has passed far too quickly. When Tom shifts to begin to extract himself from the bed you lift your head from the pillow to watch him sit up. You had spent your last night in London content to merely sleep beside him. Every time one of you shifted in the night the other would reestablish contact with the slightest movement of an arm or leg. He takes a breath and murmurs to you. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

Like hell. Your flight out isn't until midmorning and scheduling won't permit Tom to see you to the airport. With certain indoor scenes finished, production has moved on to work in the select outdoor locations that are needed and there is a limited window of time for them to get everything shot. The bed shifts when he stands and starts towards the bathroom.

Just because you'd said your goodbyes last night doesn't mean you're willing to let him leave this morning without interacting with you. You stifle a yawn unsuccessfully, "Mmmmnope. Hang on...." You reach over to turn on the bedside light so he won't stumble in the darkness. Tom stops his progress across the room to give you a curious look. You grin at him. "Ok, keep going."

He almost turns back to the bed but he merely laughs – that full-body burst of laughter that you adore – and walks into the bathroom. His reply echoes around the tiled room, "I'll be out in a minute." 

While Tom showers you kick off the sheet and retrieve your phone to check in for your flight and make sure Mark knows the flight details. You drop the phone onto the bed beside you and lay back to stare at the ceiling. You had delayed taking on the next project for so long that the change of pace will surely take some getting used to. Mark now has several things lined up, commercials, interviews, and appearances, in addition to the movie you'll be jumping into immediately upon your return to California.

You flick your eyes towards the bathroom before tracking them back to the ceiling. The next time one of you visits the other it needed to be a planned holiday.

After the mostly-rainy day touring around London you had spent the majority of the remaining days with one or the other of Tom's new two-man security team. Tom, ever the romantic, had gotten into the habit of leaving you notes around his place for you to find throughout the day. Upon prying, he revealed that he had been writing them during his down time. How he had found time to them hide them from you once he got home was a secret he refused to reveal.

The water shuts off and you open your eyes to watch Tom reemerge from the bathroom with a towel clutched around his waist. He plucks up a choice few pieces of clothing to change into and seats himself at the foot of the bed to get dressed. He reaches back to find your foot and gives it a playful tug between putting on his underwear and pulling on a pair of jeans. "I can feel you watching my every move."

You nudge him in the back with the foot he doesn't hold hostage. "You'll have the place to yourself again soon enough."

Tom stops getting dressed, turning halfway around so he is looking at you. "I'm going to miss having you here."

"And I'll miss being here but..." Your heart skips when he pulls you down the bed towards him. The chill to his skin makes you jump. "God Tom, you're freezing!" You pull yourself up into the sitting position to flatten the palm of your hand against his bare back.

"Cold shower to help me wake up." He chuckles at the face you make in response, "You're not a fan of those, I know. Sometimes, though, they're necessary." After a moment's pause he blinks himself free of his thoughts and releases your ankle. "And if I don't get up and out of arm's reach right now I won't be ready when Bruce arrives."

You grin and scoot back to the center of the bed as he stands. You wait until he has pulled his shirt over his head to speak again. "Are you sure about today? I am the master of taking quick showers."