summary: inspired by "must have been the wind" by Alec Benjamin. Tom worries about the girl across the hall. hearing yells and fights every night. until eventually he has enough and does what should've been done already.
tw: discusses domestic violence and abuse
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This is the fourth time today that Tom's heard yelling from the apartment across the hall. He usually kept to himself on the subject, but lately it's been difficult not to notice every little sound.
Maybe the British actor is biased. He's seen the young woman living in that apartment, and she wasn't exactly horrible to look at. The complete opposite, in fact.
But every time Tom tries thinking about her flawless beauty, he remembers how he noticed a pattern in her wardrobe. It's never changed. She's consistently covering her arms and legs. Higher cut shirts that don't show any chest.
At first he concluded that she's probably just the modest type. Which was one of the things that made her alluring to Tom. There aren't a lot of modest women in his bigger name community.
Finding a girl who's conscious of what parts of her body she's showing was a rare occurrence.
However, with the girl's consistent hermit-like behavior and the yelling and crashing he heard every night forced him to come to another conclusion.
Maybe the poor girl was stuck in a dangerous situation she couldn't get herself out of. It would make sense, all of the little mental notes he'd made since he first laid eyes on her added up to his conclusion.
So, when he'd finally mustered up the courage to speak to her, he walked across the hall and knocked on the door of her apartment. He waited in the hall, wiping sweaty palms on his jeans until the door opened.
The gorgeous girl was wrapped in an oversized hoodie with the hood halfway up. It covered her neck and she clutched the end of the sleeves in her small hands. Tom couldn't help but notice the dark bags under the girl's green eyes.
She looked exhausted. And it hurt his heart.
"Hey, I'm... Tom. I live across the hall, there," Tom gestured to his apartment behind him. The girl's eyes laid on his door, then back to his brown eyes. "I was just... a little worried. I don't mean to intrude. I've just- heard loads of yelling and crashes the past couple of days. I-I wanted to check and see if everything was okay?"
The girl seemed shocked that someone had noticed. Finally noticed. But the fear of her situation and likely painful punishment awaiting her should she give up her partner kept her from saying anything.
Instead, she forced a tight lipped smile. "Oh! Yeah, sorry. I've been babysitting little ones for a family member. They can't seem to understand that other people live around here and they shouldn't be too loud. Thank you for caring, though. It's... nice to meet you...?"
"O-oh, Tom," He nodded, trying at a sympathetic smile. He wasn't sure what to say in response to her obvious cover up, but what he managed to come up with shocked him. "I um... I'm always available across the hall. Just- knock and ask for a tea. You can come in and we can... get to know each other or something. I'm... always here."
Tom could've sworn he saw the girl's eyes water. She was very quick to blink them away and fake a yawn. She's done it before. It was almost a reflex. Looked way too recited to be fake.
Tom knows good acting when he sees it. He's been in the industry long enough to spot the differences.
"Thank you," The tight lipped smile on her face seemed to soften. Like she finally relaxed and allowed herself to show some kind of true emotion. "I'll... have to take you up on that sometime."
"Can- can I get your n-"
The girl shut the door in his face before he could finish his sentence. He just wanted her name.
Maybe his trip for answers wasn't entirely a failed mission. He got even more clues to the likely possibility she's in a domestic abuse situation. But yet again, that's all he has. Clues.
Later that night, Tom made himself a cup of his favorite tea and settled in front of the television to watch his newest film. Remembering bloopers from finished scenes of a movie has always been his favorite.
Anything to get his mind off of the girl across the hall. But as soon as his movie came to an end, and Tessa wasn't awake to distract him or request his attention for pets, his thoughts drifted right back to her.
Just as Tom was setting his mug in the sink to take a shower, he heard it again. All the crashes and the yelling. Only this time he heard crying. He heard screaming. Feminine screaming. It sounded like the girl was in pain. Like her partner was hurting her.
Before he knew it, he was watching police officers escort a clearly drunk man out of the girl's apartment. He'd called law enforcement. He wasn't sure how much he'd be able to do himself, but he was tired of hearing the poor girl get abused.
What Tom had assumed was a paramedic then escorted the girl out of her apartment. A potent mix of anger and heartbreak filled Tom at the sight of her. She was finally wearing a short sleeve shirt. He could see it all now.
Bruises littered her skin. There was blood trickling from her nose and she had a rather painful looking bruised left eye. Tears were in her tired, bloodshot eyes. Fear blanketed her entire aura. She tightly wrapped her arms around herself and walked with shaking steps.
As the girl passed by Tom, her eyes met his and for the few seconds they held eye contact, she said in her expression more than her words could. Especially at that moment.
It was over. Well, the worst of it.
The poor girl would likely be facing a load of therapy after this. Just because her abuser was finally being removed from her life doesn't mean the trauma had gone anywhere.
With an aching heart, Tom shut and locked his apartment door for the night. As he showered, he felt guilty. Not like he'd done anything wrong, but guilty because he wished there was more he could do.
He thought he'd feel relieved and accomplished once he'd gotten rid of the girl's violent partner. But the nagging feeling in his gut hadn't left.
He lay awake in bed that night. Even after taking a probably too large dose of melatonin, he barely shut his eyes for longer than ten minutes. The apartment was way too quiet for his loud thoughts.
In a last ditch attempt to quiet his head, he sat out on his balcony with yet another cup of tea. A decaffeinated version of his favorite. He didn't need to fuel his body's lack of rest with anti-sleep juice.
His eyes peered out over the railing at the city below him. Sounds of road traffic, sights of all different kinds of lights and people everywhere. Despite it being late, the night life of the city never ceased. Busy nights just turned into busy days. An endless cycle of nomadic behavior. As if people couldn't bear sitting still for an hour or two.
With where his apartment was positioned on the front side of the building, he could see the cars coming in and out of the garage. Which meant that he saw when a cop car returned to the apartments. He noted there weren't any lights and the vehicle wasn't in any rush.
That funny, nagging feeling came back. It pulled hard on his heartstrings, telling him it was the girl returning to her apartment. Tom debated paying her a visit, but figured since it's so late, the girl probably needed rest. She likely would just want to enjoy her first night without her abuser.
With the little bit of peace he gained with the knowledge of the girl being back home safe, he set his cup of tea on the counter in his small kitchen, and made his way back to his bedroom.
Tessa squirmed awake when Tom returned. "Hush, darling. Sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep."
Tessa, seeming to understand what her human father had said, returned to noisily snoring in the bed next to Tom.
A matter of maybe twenty minutes passed before he heard a soft knock on his door. Puzzled but housing an odd feeling, he made his way to the front door. He peeked out of the small, circle window to see who was there.
Tom opened the door the second he saw the girl's tired looking frame behind the door.
"Hey, I'm um... I'm sorry," The girl spoke with a very unsteady voice. "I don't... wanna be alone."
Tom felt for the girl and invited her in.
"Yeah, yeah, come in."
The girl entered his apartment gratefully, but stood awkwardly in the entryway after he shut the door.
"Thank you..."
Tom barely heard her mumble, but still knew what she said. Even if he hasn't heard her at all.
"I knew it was you," She continued, her green eyes reuniting with Tom's brown ones. "I can't... even begin to tell you how thankful I am for you doing that."
"You don't need to thank me. Someone should've done it before now. I know... it can be difficult to say anything on your own. I just had a funny feeling something was going on."
"Three years," The girl's emerald eyes dropped to her feet. A pair of red, old, beaten up high top Converse. "He'd been doing that for three years."
It was then that Tom realized just how big of an impact his actions were. He quite literally saved her. Like a superhero.
"My god, I'm sorry," Tom wanted to rope her into his arms and tell her that everything was gonna be okay now. But he didn't know what kind of things she was and wasn't okay with.
He didn't wanna hurt her further.
"I um... I know you," The girl said, trying to lighten the conversation a little. "You're the actor behind Spider-Man. Right?"
"Yeah, and... a few other things," Tom chuckled, but remembered the conversation is about her.
"I didn't wanna say anything, to you especially," She told him. "I didn't know what kinds of things you'd heard from crazy fans in public. I didn't... want you to think I was crazy too. You're... the first person to ever notice anything was wrong."
In three years? He was the only person to notice? Anything?
"Wow, well, I'm- really happy I could help," The caretaker side of Tom took over. "Do you wanna sit down? I can make you a tea?"
"That sounds really nice."
Tom led the girl to his couch and helped her settle. Then left to his kitchen to make her a small mug of tea. A calming blend. One with lavender and chamomile. Touches of vanilla and honey.
The girl was quiet. Like she always had been. But it was a different kind of silence this time. It was peaceful. A calm quietness. Something she probably craved.
Tom sat next to her and watched as her shaking hands lifted the mug to her lips. Her green eyes fluttered closed and she sighed deeply in relief.
Her entire physique seemed to calm. The tension left her every muscle. She practically melted into the couch. It made Tom's heart happy. Seeing the girl relax was relieving that nagging feeling he'd been battling for weeks.
The girl was safe and comfortable in front of him. In his apartment. Away from the man who was hurting her. He can protect her now.
The two remained in the calm silence as she finished her tea. He saw the exhaustion in her eyes. She yawned heavily but blinked repeatedly to keep herself awake.
"Would you like a blanket? Or- you could take my bed. If you'd like. I don't... know if that's weird. It's probably weird."
"A blanket sounds nice," She told him with the first genuine smile from her he'd ever seen. So, he quickly retrieved a blanket for her.
Once she'd tucked herself in and settled back on a throw pillow, she looked up at him. "Thank you, Tom."
He smiled warmly at her before heading to bed. "You're more than welcome. I'm just down the hall if you need anything."
Once again, only minutes after Tom had settled and just began drifting off to sleep, he heard his bedroom door creak open.
Not wanting to startle the girl, Tom faked asleep. But he couldn't help his quickened pace when she cautiously climbed into his bed. He watched her get comfortable and softly sigh in content. After a few minutes, he whispered.
Tom cringed when she jumped a little.
"Sorry," He whispered. "Are you okay?"
"I um... I didn't want to be alone," She admitted sheepishly. "Nightmares. I can't sleep."
"Oh. Yeah, well, as long as you're comfortable here. I won't... touch or anything."
The girl reached back and grabbed his hand when she found it. Then slowly pulled it over her and hugged it to her chest.
"Please," She said, her voice cracking with tears. It took her a moment to gather herself before she spoke again. "You make me feel safe."
With that information, Tom gently wrapped his arm around her waist and carefully pulled her close, her back against his chest.
The girl gasped softly at the warmth and safety completely enveloping her body. Tom did his best to make her feel safe, and that's exactly what he'd done.
The both of them finally found their peace in each other. In being in each other's arms. Like the two magnets finally snapped together.
Neither of them had any idea where this was going. But neither of them could afford losing it either.
For now, they'll remain wrapped up in each other. Comfortably resting in the embrace of warmth and peacefulness.