Office Hours || Professor Tom Hiddleston x Reader

intermission part i - holidays and birthdays

"O-Oh no. You don't have to do that."

"No. I will. You don't know my mom. Her and my grandmother will set me up with about three weeks worth of leftovers before I leave on Saturday. No way will I eat all of it before it starts going bad."

You heard Tom let out a breathy laugh.

Opening your mouth, you were just about to stay something else when the door to your bedroom burst open, and you caught a glimpse of your little cousin right before a soaking wet paper towel was flung directly at your face.

"HEY!" You shouted, ready to chase the little monster out of your room, but before you could even get off the bed, he was running back down the hall, slamming your door behind him, "Uh, I think I've got to go."

"I imagine so, what was that?"

"Oh, you know, family torturing family."

"Right. Well.." Tom paused and you heard what sounded like him taking in a deep breath through the receiver, "Well, I'll see you in a couple days. Have a good evening, Darling."

You hesitated as well, "You too. See you when I get back." As you offered him your good-byes, your voice lowered, and your little cousin the last thing on your mind as you tried not to let the disappointment over the end of your call linger.

However, as you took the phone away from your ear and pressed the 'END' button, you were quickly dragged from your sadness when the little monster ran straight back into your room only to repeat the same actions as before.

"HEY!" And with your face and the collar of your shirt now soaking wet, you chased him back down the hall.

-Christmas-

"It's not fair." You pouted, flinging yourself down onto Tom's bed.

"What's not fair, Darling?" Tom asked as he continued to fold his clothes and pack them away in his large suitcase.

"It's just... you're gonna be a whole-" you paused to count on your fingers, "-six, SIX hours ahead of me now, for a month. We won't even be in the same country."

"Darling..."

"Yeah, I know, I know. We both have stupid families." You muttered under your breath.

"Need I remind you that I'm only going to be gone until just after New Year's? And that you're going to be back in your own hometown for the whole of break? That's 4 hours away that you'll still be when I come back. I'm not the only one who's leaving. We have our cellphones, love, we'll be okay."

Despite the way your stomach swooped, as it always did now at the pet name, you kept up the deep pout on your face, "I know. It's just... I don't know. It feels weird."

You knew you were being... ugh, clingily and juvenile, but the day you'd feared about since the start of your relationship had come. You'd been scared that the end of the semester would mark the end of your relationship. That the separation of winter break and the subsequent separation due to you no longer being his student, would change things between the two of you for the worse.

It was at this that Tom hesitated, pausing in the middle of folding one of his shirts so that he could turn to face you. His brow furrowed and he opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to decide what to say as he watched you focus on picking at the skin around your thumb nail, clearly anxious. Clearly trying to avoid saying what you were truly feeling. Yet, it was, finally, after a few moments, that he set the shirt down and moved closer to you.

Seating himself on the edge of the bed, he leaned over you, his forearm pressing against the mattress above your head as his other hand captured both of yours and forced them out of the way. Before you could say anything he was pressing his lips to yours, swiftly getting rid of your former frown and he pushing as much longing and emotion as he could into that single submission.