tom holland imagines

lullaby

Hearing Olivia call out from the top of the stairs once more, you let out a heavy sigh and pushed yourself off of the couch with some effort. Tessa was hot on your heels, wary of danger, as you made your way up the stairs, floorboards creaking under your weight. This was already the fifth time she'd called for you in the hour since you'd put her to bed, and you wanted to be mad. In fact, you could feel the frustration building as you climbed the steps. However, as soon as you saw your little girl, all of the anger and frustration washed away.

She was standing at the top of the stairs, arms clutching the teddy bear that her daddy had gotten her, big tears rolling down her pink cheeks. Her sobs were silent, her little body shaking as she held one arm out to you. She was wearing one of her daddy's shirts, and it was much too big on her, falling down past her knees. You had a feeling you knew what the problem was, but that didn't stop your heart from splintering into a million pieces at the sight of her so upset.

You quickly scooped her up in your arms carefully and cradled her against your chest as best you could, making your way back to her room. Nudging the door to her room open with your foot, you kept stroking her hair gently as you laid her down in her bed. Though she had upgraded to a "big girl bed" when she turned four, it was still cramped as you got in next to her, letting her cuddle up to you. She continued to cry, and you let her, her tears soaking into your shirt.

After a few minutes, you brushed your thumb across her cheeks as you gently lifted her chin so she was looking at you, "Why are you so sad, lovie?"

The question started the waterworks again (which you had expected), and it took a while for her to choke out between sobs, "I-I m-mi-iss Daddy!"

Your suspicions had been right. You knew she'd been missing her dad - you both were missing him. It'd been a while since he'd gotten some time off between filming, and it was hard not having him home, especially this time around. Olivia was a good kid, she really was. But she often started acting up when the missing got too much... which explained the constant getting out of bed. It also explained when, earlier in the night, she'd given you the puppy dog eyes - the same ones her dad had - as she asked if she could "pretty please wear daddy's shirt tonight." It was something that she did sometimes when he was away.

"Oh, baby," you cooed, pushing the hair that was sticking to her cheeks off of her face, "I know. I miss him, too. But Daddy's going to be home so so soon, I promise."

Giving you those eyes once again, she looked up at you and sniffled, "C-can we call Daddy?"

You wanted to say no. You knew Tom was busy with filming, and the faster he shot the movie, the sooner he could come home. And you tried to not to call him during the middle of his day unless it was something important. You wanted to say no, you really did. But with those big brown eyes of hers staring up at you, you just couldn't. Letting out a quiet sigh, you nodded, "We can try, baby. But Daddy might be working, I don't know if he can talk." This seemed to appease her, though, and she sniffled a few more times but snuggled into your side as you took out your phone.

—

It was still early afternoon for Tom. They'd been shooting since the sun had come up, but there were still several hours left in the day. He sighed as he leaned against the wall, trying to listen to what the director was saying. He really wanted - needed - a break, but he knew he wasn't going to get one soon. He loved his job, but it got to be really hard. There were so many long days, and it was hard being away from his girls for so long. He'd done it before, but it never got any easier.

A buzzing in his pocket brought him out of his head. At the first buzz, he ignored it, thinking it was just a text. But then as the buzzing continued, as if getting a call, he slipped his phone out of his pocket. His wife's name was on screen, causing him to get anxious. She typically wouldn't call in the middle of one of his shooting days unless it was something important.