"Will you take it?" Travis asked.
Tom glanced around the place, grimacing and screaming "NO" in his head. The apartment was small, he's seen playhouses bigger than it. It had 2 bedrooms, no bigger than the size of a closet. The bathroom reeked of a foul smell similar to death. The kitchen and the living room were in a room the size of his bedroom in London.
"How much did you say again?" He asked.
"750, utilities included. Power, water, and cable." The man kept looking at Tom with a desperate expression. He nodded hesitantly and shook the man's hand. He followed him out into the hallway and watched as he knocked on the door next to his. "Robert, come meet your new neighbor!"
A brown-haired man opened the door, looking rather thin for his age. Tom noticed the sweet smell of vanilla as he opened the door.
"Hello, I'm Thomas Hiddleston, Tom," he introduced himself, reaching his hand out to shake the other man's. Robert shook it, but looked at him strangely.
"Robert Downey Jr," he said. He looked Tom up from head to toe, examining the suit he had on. Tom heard a muffled sound from inside his apartment, sounding like someone was talking.
"Is Travis here?" A young teenager asked, walking up to the door. He looked no older than 16, and had nothing on but a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He looked thin for his age, something Tom noticed about both of them.
Robert nodded and put his hand on the boy's back. "Someone's moving into 16," he stated. The boy nodded and looked at Tom.
"Hi I'm Tom!" He chirped, waving his hand. Tom smiled and slightly waved back.
"You 2 share a name," Travis said with a chuckle. Younger Tom smiled and looked at his dad.
Tom smiled at them as the eldest shut the door. He could hear the sounds of multiple locks locking before muffled talking. He walked to his car, which had been his house for quite awhile.
Tom did work as a doctor in a hospital in London, but was laid off by his boss. The woman had lied to him and said he had a job in America waiting for him. He packed his things and moved to where she had told him to go, but when he got there he realized there was no job waiting for him. He stayed in his car, nowhere to go and not wanting to waste his money on multiple hotel rooms. It took him 2 weeks to find a place to live in a decent price range.
He started carrying the few boxes and bags he had to the upstairs apartment. On his second trip, the younger Tom had offered to help him carry stuff up the stairs. Tom watched the boy as he picked boxes up with ease, but now that he saw the boy from a different angle, he could really see how thin he was.
"What made you choose the bottoms?" The teenager asked as Tom sat a box down on the ground. He looked at the boy confused.
"Bottoms?" He asked.
"You're really not from here are you," teenage Tom said, looking at him with seriousness. Tom shook his head. "Just a heads up, lock your doors and never keep things outside." He looked around anxiously.
"How long have you lived here?" Tom couldn't help but ask, it sounded like he had a faint British accent.
"Almost all my life," he looked around the few things Tom had had. "Is this all you own?" He asked as Tom started opening one of the duffle bags.
Before he could answer the boy, he heard a deep Australian accent from the hallway.
"Oh Robbie. Little Tom!" They called. Tom watched as the teenager's eyes lit up and he flew out of the room. Tom followed him, watching as he hugged a tall, built, blonde man.
"Uncle Chris, someone moved into 16!" He cheered. Chris looked up at Tom who stood in the doorway. "And he has the same name as me!" Chris smiled and kissed the boy on the head.
Tom noticed something seemed off with the man. "Hey yo Hemsworth, I ain't got all day!" Someone yelled as they walked up the steps. The man reeked of alcohol and looked like he hadn't ate in days. Tom stepped out into the hallway, curious as if he needed to protect the teenager or not.
Tom let go of Chris, knowing what to do. He gave Chris a high five before going back to Tom.
"You need to watch out for him," he whispered as the man and Chris went into the apartment at the end of the hall, "he'll steal everything you got." Tom looked worriedly at him.
Robert opened the door with a worried expression, looking up and down the hall. "Tom, you know not to stay in the hallway when Chris has people over!" He exclaimed as he walked towards the 2.
"I was warning him about Crazy Bill," he motioned towards the older Tom. Robert looked at him sadly.
"Where are you from? You seem too polite to be from here," Robert asked.
"I'm from London, Mr. Downey," Tom stated. "I've only been here for about 2 weeks. I came in search of a job, but I'm not having any luck," he explained with a chuckle. He didn't want tell him about him getting laid off and lied to.
"Good luck with that," Robert said with a chuckle. "I've been working at the same place for 10 years and I barely make enough to survive."
Younger Tom ran towards apartment 20 as the door opened. "Uncle Chris, can I come in?" Tom called as the 2 walked out. The 'visitor' took a few steps away from him and started pulling something out of his pocket. Robert took a step towards him, knowing what he was going to do.
"Aye, not in front of the kids!" Chris explained, harshly jerking the man's hand. The man glared at him and stormed off down the steps. Younger Tom slowly grabbed onto Chris' arm, obviously a little scared. Chris wrapped his arms around his shoulders and smiled, acting like nothing had happened. He looked at the new Tom. "Go on bud, but please don't go near the room," he said the last part more quietly, still looking at Tom. The small boy ran into the apartment.
Chris walked towards Robert and Tom, smiling. "Why all dressed up?" He asked, leaning against the door frame. Tom finally noticed what was off with him, he was high on something other than marijuana. Tom awkwardly and uncomfortabaly fixed his blazer.
"He's not from here, Chris," Robert explained. Chris looked confused and glanced into his apartment.
"Where you from? I've never seen someone that dressed up living in the bottoms," he said.
"I'm from London, I've only been here for a few weeks," Tom explained. Chris' eyes widened and he stood straight.
"Well boy, you're a long way from home. How about you come over to my place to have tea?" He said mockingly. Robert elbowed him as he started snickering.
"I would love to come to your place, with or without tea," Tom said politely.
Chris couldn't help but smirk the man was quite cute, and attractive.
