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

Part 40

Tom's flight back to Hawaii is scheduled to depart all too early the next morning. He pauses after reaching over you to silence the alarm on his phone, giving you a light kiss on your temple. "Good morning gorgeous. How does it feel to be another year older?"

You stretch, letting the words escape in a prolonged release of breath, "Exhausting..."

He settles onto his side, delaying leaving you and the comfort of the bed a few moments. "I'd tell you to go back to sleep but I know you're going to ignore me if I do."

"Yep." You smirk sideways at him, delighting as he leans to peck your lips with his. This calls to mind the mornings during your visit to London so many months ago. This go-round you're not battling back nerves that resulted from the fledgling relationship.

When Tom slips from the bed to retrieve his bag you spend a second sending Richard a text before you get up and head into the bathroom. Just before you turn the water on for the shower you hear him call out to you, "_______? Where did you go?"

"What's that?" Your reply echoes around the room along with the sound of running water.

He tries again. "What are you doing?"

You bite your lip to hold back your laugh and then call back. "Sorry! Can't hear you over the running water." You start to undress – he'll get the idea when he stops puttering around with his bag and joins you in the bathroom.

You turn to watch his expression as he walks into the bathroom. His sentence trails off the moment he walks into the room. "Sweetheart? I might need to take the first shower. My flight is in..." His eyes stall on your pyjama pants that are in a heap on the floor and then drift quickly up to your face.

"I was thinking about getting Richard to drive us, if you don't mind my tagging along." You reach over to test the temperature of the water and find it still a little cold.

Tom drops his bag onto the counter. He smirks at you, "I was thinking I'd take a page out of your playbook and call a taxi. Wouldn't mind company in the shower though."

You have your shirt lifted halfway up your ribcage and pause, "Well I don't know – if I'm not going with you there's no need to shower."

His eyebrows raise and he takes the few steps to close the distance between the pair of you. "Your logic is flawed, darling." He slips one hand under your shirt and up along your spine while stretching out the other to test the water temperature. "You still have to go in to work today. Might as well get ready now."  

"Hmm," you hook your finger in the collar of his shirt and tug him closer to you. "Glad you see it my way. I already sent Richard a text to let him know."

Tom laughs and shakes his head. "Of course you did." Satisfied that the water is at a decent temperature he wipes his hand on his shirt before reaching back and pulling it over his head. "Better get started then..."

Tom's clothes end up getting wet where they'd been cast aside next to the shower. If he took them with him everything in his bag would mildew during the flight and it would potentially ruin the small leather suitcase.

You hold up your hand to stop him from shoving the damp shirt and boxers into inside his bag. "Unless you absolutely need those few pieces of clothing, just leave them here." He looks momentarily uncertain prompting you to add, "I'll bring them with me when I visit you in London."

He grins as he drops the clothes into the nearby laundry bin. "You just want one of my shirts to wear around the house, don't you?"

You put your hand over your heart, holding the towel in place while you mock an innocent expression, "The thought hadn't occurred to me until you said it."

The conversation continues while the pair of you are getting dressed. "It won't smell like me once you've washed it though."

"Right now you smell like me. Sorry about the lilac scented shampoo..."

He chuffs out a laugh, "A price I'm willing to pay."

You don't bother with makeup or really worrying about your hair. Tom had been correct before, you do have to go in to work today and there's no reason to add additional time to the makeup chair. "The bed will still smell like you."

"Until you wash that as well."

You've fallen into the habit of washing your bed linens once a week. You still had a few days left. "Then you'll just have to be sure to come back soon – or tell me how to bottle a bit of that masculinity."

He's half dressed, his shirt undone and hair still mussed from drying off with his towel. He pauses to eye you, "I hope you're talking about my cologne. Eau de Hiddleston isn't something that can be bottled."

"That... makes it sound thoroughly creepy. It's not how it came across in my head." You scrunch up your nose. The best part about having short hair was that you didn't have to worry so much about drying time. Just like Tom, you're nearly ready to go when Richard knocks on the door.

You accept Richard's offering of coffee once the three of you are settled into the car. Tom is on his phone, smiling at the screen – probably checking in on his flight and making sure Bruce will be at the airport in Hawaii. You can't help but smile also. Tom's outpouring of joy is simply contagious.

He glances up to find you watching him and quickly pockets the phone again. He snags the cup of coffee from your hands to steal a sip, after swallowing he raises his eyebrows at you. "Interesting flavor combination."

"Flavored coffee with a different flavored creamer." Richard explains over his shoulder. "I'd give you more details than that on the combination but she's got something worked out with the barista that just hurts my head when I try to understand the reasoning behind it. Oh – plus a double shot of caffeine."

You shrug at Tom's expression. "A deal to try all the possible flavor combinations."

He laughs. "Oh darling, that was easy to guess. That look was for the double shot."