Pairing: Uni!Tom Holland x Reader
Warnings: Fluff, a little bit of awkwardness I guess, more fluff
Summary: You're somewhere between friends and more than friends, how some coffee, some snacks, and a lake changes everything
A/n: Thoughts are in bold italics!
The library is quiet, unsurprising with the Friday night, most students either attending a party or catching up on lost sleep from the week. It's actually why you like coming to the library on Fridays after you've attended your classes. Quiet, not super crowded. Overall, it's a pleasant environment. So, you've got your earbuds in, the music quiet while a book is open in front of you and your laptop open to the side for you to type out any notes. The comfort of your study session is almost relaxing and there's only one thing, person, that could make it better.
Tom.
Walking in through the library with a navy blue backpack and two coffees in hand is Tom. He's wearing the usual black t-shirt with jeans that are a little too low, his Calvin's would definitely show if he lifted his arms even the slightest bit. A snapback hat is backwards, hiding the mess of curls from the long day of classes. A chord to his earbuds stick out from the collar of his shirt, one earbud still in his ear and when he sees you staring, he gives you a quick smile, one that makes your heart skip.
Here we go.
Tom takes a seat opposite you and slides you your coffee, your usual, something he definitely knows off the top of his head now. You thank him quietly, taking a sip of your beverage. Tom leans down and opens his backpack, grabbing a book and a notebook followed by a metallic red bag of unopened Teddy Grahams. The bag of snacks is put right in between the two of you for easy access and it always floods your chest with warmth at the offer.
"How's studying?" He asks, opening his textbook and flipping through pages.
"Boring." You huff with a smile as you reach for a few Teddy Grahams.
"Better now that I'm here?" Tom asks flashing you a cheesy grin.
"Yeah, you brought coffee and snacks." You tease and heat creeps up the back of your neck as you bite your lip.
"Mm," Tom hums, leaning over to grab a few Teddy Grahams. "That all I am? Coffee and snack provider?"
"You said it, not me." You quip and Tom gasps maybe a little too loud, hitting his chest over his heart.
"I'm hurt."
"Yeah, you hit yourself pretty hard."
Tom's nose scrunches and his eyes start to crinkle, his head tilting back as he tries not to laugh too loud and disturb the few students around. "Probably gonna bruise."
You match his laugh, covering your mouth with your hand. "Tom." Your eyes widen with his name, Tom's heart skipping a beat and his cheeks tinting a rosy pink.
"Y/n." Tom mocks.
"Study." Your voice is showing mock-sarcasm as you shake your head.
"Alright, alright." Tom puts his hands up, a pretty smile not moving.
Tom looks down to his book and finds the page he was originally looking for, opening his notebook right after. Your eyes look over to see the words that are barely legible and roll your eyes, a grin coming to your lips. Tom can feel you staring so his eyes meet yours and he sends you a quick wink followed by the scrunch of his nose. Heat rises to your cheeks as you shake your head and go back to your own studying.
He's so cute.
You met Tom a few months ago at a party. The intentions of the night were not to end up spending most of the night splitting a bag of Teddy Grahams and talking to a random boy with chestnut hair and chocolate eyes but that's exactly what happened.
Your friend had gone off with someone and Tom's friends were all busy either with girls or one of the few drinking games that happened to be going on. It's how you two ended up being the two people alone in a kitchen surrounding by pairs and trios.
It was a little awkward, you standing with a red cup in hand, barely taking drinks and Tom on the other side, every now and then you'd make eyes contact. How could you not? He's gorgeous. But, it was a little awkward randomly making eye contact with a stranger from across the kitchen. Luckily though, Tom had gotten up the courage to finally approach you and introduce himself.
He was sweet and kind with his airy words but his cheeks were that blushed tint and his eyes sparked under the dim lights of the kitchen. He ran his hand through his hair and spoke with his hands, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Nervous.
He was nervous and he was never nervous around anyone but there's you with pretty eyes and a gorgeous smile. But that didn't stop him talking and eventually, you two got tired of being bumped into and interrupted so Tom offered to go outside with you. He said he had snacks in his car which, for some reason, happened to be a selling point for you.
Maybe you were just hungry and bored of the party, or definitely, you just wanted to keep talking to the boy with pretty eyes and a nice jawline.
The fall was turning into winter so the air was crisp when you had exited the crowded and heated house, walking to Tom's car. You shivered and without even thinking, he offered you a coat he had in the back of his car. You'd taken it shyly and it smelled of fresh cologne but had a boyish scent you couldn't pinpoint as anything in particular, turns out, it's just Tom.
He'd grabbed a bag of Teddy Grahams from his car and the two of you sat on the hood of his car with the music from the house echoing in the background, just talking for hours. The two of you ended up so enthralled in getting to know each other, you went through two bags of Teddy Grahams, the cold became irrelevant, and the party started to die down. It was then Tom offered you a ride back to your dorm.
When you got back to your dorm, you swapped numbers and you asked if he wanted to get coffee the following day, continue to get to know each other. And that was the start of the routine of sharing the snacks with a coffee.
Now, an hour's passed and Tom looks up to you. His eyes soften as he sees you concentrating on working between your book and your laptop, your only focus on your studies. Every part of him just turns soft and he can't really peel his eyes off of you as you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.
Truth be told, he's been into you since the night of the party but it's college and neither of you really explicitly stated if you really liked each other even though it's obvious. And neither of you really ever said if you wanted to be dating. You said you were both single but that was pretty much as far as the conversation ever went. The two of you have hung out and you've held hands, had a few movie nights that definitely ended in you falling asleep on his chest or shoulder once or twice, and you've definitely attended a party or two together. But you're totally not actually dating. But you're more than friends. Complicated but neither of you complains. You just look up and Tom immediately looks back down, blushing furiously while you smile to yourself.
Tom lightly kicks your shin from under the table, not enough to inflict pain, just enough to get your attention. When you look up to him, he's got a cornered smirk and his eyes are glued to his notebook while his pen glides across the paper. Your eyes narrow before you do the same gesture, not hard to inflict pain, just enough to grab his attention.
"What?" Tom asks innocently, big brown eyes looking to you with brows pinched together and a soft pout coming to his lips.
"You kicked me." You let out a mixture of a huff and a laugh.
"No, I've been studying, see." Tom says, twisting the notebook around so you can see the sorry excuse for handwriting in blue ink.
"You kicked me, Thomas." You say again and Tom laughs.
"Why would I do that," Tom keeps up the innocent act. "Y/n?"
Your eyes go wide while your cheeks start to ache from smiling, Tom nudging your leg with his again from under the table. His laugh is quiet, muffled by his hand before you grab a Tedd Graham and toss it at him, hitting him in the throat. Tom coughs and it's your turn to laugh now, Tom fumbling for the small snack and finding it on his lap before tossing it into his mouth.
"Wasn't nice of you. Could at least aim for my mouth next time." Tom quips.
"Your mouth was covered, smartass." You reach over and toss another one at him, hitting his nose before he catches it with his hand.
"You're not very good at this." Tom remarks, shrugging his shoulders and the two of you go to reach for a Teddy Graham at the same time, fingers brushing together and suddenly his cheeks are bright red and you feel the heat creeping up to yours.
"Sorry." Tom mutters through his blush, letting you have the bag.
"It's okay." You bite your lip and grab a Teddy Graham. "Ready?"
Tom grins and leans back a little. "Go."
You toss the mini snack and Tom catches it in his mouth this time. His eyes shoot open and his arms fly into the air, eliciting a laugh from you that's way too loud to be in a library. Tom's nose scrunches again as he tries to hold back his laughter and he just watches as you slap your hand over your mouth after gaining a few glares and "sh"'s from the nearby students.
You're incredible.
You turn around and apologize the students behind you and Tom does the same to the ones on the other side before the two of you look back at each other. You stick your tongue out at him and get Tom to stifle a laugh before he shakes his head, the stubborn stray curl falling in front of his forehead.
The two of you get back studying over the next two hours. And every now and again, there are a few stolen glances with heated cheeks and bitten lips to conceal smiles. His eyes are always soft when he looks at you as you work, admiring you and just being happy this is how he spends his Friday nights. With you, some Teddy Grahams, and some coffee. Others might want to be at parties or catching up on sleep and yeah, Tom would like either of those two things, too but they don't beat hanging out with you. They don't even come close, not the same playing field.
"Hey," Tom taps your hand with a pen, you looking up to him with raised brows and a hum. "Uh, you 'bout ready? Getting kind of late." Tom shrugs, giving you a nervous smile that tells you he's probably just tired of studying but he doesn't wanna leave without you.
You look at the time and see it's just after eleven. "Yeah, I could shower and sleep." You sigh, closing your laptop.
The two of you work on packing up all of your things, Tom grabbing the empty bag and empty coffee cups to toss in the trash before coming back to your table. By the time he gets back, you've got a light jacket on and your backpack hanging off of one shoulder as you push in your chair.
Tom slings his own backpack over his shoulder and meets you at the end of the table before the two of you head out but as you start walking, Tom reaches over to you and takes your backpack from you. He smiles shyly, shugging it on the same shoulder as his backpack and you bump him lightly before cautiously and carefully reaching between the two of you and brushing your hand against his.
It's like a bomb of butterflies explodes through Tom's stomach with the brush of your hand as he looks between the two of you. He reaches for your fingers and interlocks them, connecting your hands with the same caution you used. When he feels your chilled fingers wrapped around the front of his hand, he lets out a shallow breath and smiles to himself and then at you.
The walk is quiet besides your footsteps a few crickets in the background allowing for a nice walk. Tom's thumb rubs over the back of your hand and you have to smile, it's like a reflex now. He does anything and it makes you smile ear-to-ear and your stomach twists and turns with butterflies. There's just something about him that pulls you in.
"Hey..." Tom starts running a hand through his hair as you two reach just outside your dorm building. "A-are you busy tomorrow?" He asks, biting his bottom lip and his brows lift with hope.
You look to your shoes and back to him, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as best as you can. "No, I was probably going to read, catch on shows. Maybe. Why?" You ask and there's hope rising in your chest too.
"Well," He rubs the back of his neck. "A few of my friends are goin' to the lake and I was wondering, if you wanted, maybe you'd go, too?" Tom asks and normally his words flow like a slow current of a river but right now, his words are like raging rapids. Uneasy and nervous.
Say yes, please. Please, say yes.
"Um.." You start but Tom cuts you off.
"You can--" Tom sucks in a breath, realizing his sentence was going to come out too fast. "You can bring a friend...if you want." Tom offers, hoping that if you could bring a friend, maybe you'd feel more comfortable to be around him and his friends. You haven't really hung out with Tom and his friends before, not a group anyway. You've met most of them but not in anything bigger than a group of three.
"Will Harrison be there?" You ask.
Tom nods, and his heart sinks a little. "Yeah, yeah he will be."
"I'll bring my roommate if she isn't busy." You give Tom a smile and suddenly, his heart is in his throat and are you saying you're going to come? "She thinks he's cute."
"So, you'll go?" Tom asks and his eyes are brighter than the moon above you with the question.
You nod quickly. "Yeah, sounds fun." You chew your bottom lip and Tom looks like he's going to shoot out of his skin.
"Cool, awesome. Yeah." Tom says quickly, making you giggle. "I'll see you tomorrow then, I'll text you the time." Tom rushes, before he starts to walk away, completely ecstatic you said you'd go.
"Tom?" You stand there, pointing to him.
"Yeah?"
"You have my backpack."
"Oh!" Tom says, quickly coming back and returning your backpack to you. "Sorry."
"It's okay." You lean up to him and kiss his cheek before turning to the door, tugging it open. "Don't forget to text me the time."
Tom's eyes are wide and the spot where you kissed him is warm, his cheeks about as red as a fire engine and his stomach is swarming while he's completely giddy with excitement.
"Okay." Tom says, trying to keep his cool before you enter the building.
Once the door is shut, Tom starts to walk off, looking to the sky and he does a little twirl in the grass before it turns into a small few second dance with each step. He doesn't know it, but you definitely saw it through the window, leaving you laughing to yourself and for some reason, it makes you like him even more than you already do, if that's even possible.
Dork.
-------
The next day comes around the sun is already high in the sky, temperatures reaching well into the eighties with high humidity making it feel hotter than it actually was which only made it a better day to spend at the lake. So, Tom's there with a group of his friends, all of them besides him and Harrison having someone on their hip, and he sets up a towel for himself and his things, a small cooler sitting at the edge.
Meanwhile, you're on your way with your roommate who's maybe just as eager to see Harrison as you are Tom. It's a good thing the lake isn't too far off campus so the drive is short and you're there in no time.
Your roommate parks the car and the two of you walk across the small graveled lot and into the grass where most everyone has a towel set up for themselves and mini coolers besides them. Tom spots you immediately and his cheeks flush as he waves, mentally kicking himself for actually waving but you wave back and head over to him, your roommate wishing you luck and heading off to Harrison who's with a couple.
"Hey." You greet and take your towel from underneath your arm and set up beside Tom's.
"Hey." Tom smiles back, watching you and helping adjust your towel from where he's sat. "Drive okay?"
"Yeah, yeah." You nod, taking a seat beside him. "Mostly listened to music."
"Cool." Tom says and it falls silent between the two of you.
You both look out to the lake where a few of Tom's friends were standing about knee deep, the guys trying to get the girls, presumably their girlfriends, to come into the water farther. Their laughter and teasing pleas echoed around the water and through the trees around the lake. Tom glances at you and he needs to say something, anything at all. He can usually find something to say but it's just a little different right now. Everyone is kind of paired off as couples, besides Harrison and your roommate but that might change within a few hours anyway, and then there's you two.
In between.
"Are you hungry?" Tom asks, breaking the silence as he leans forward for his cooler.
"Do you have Teddy Grahams again?" You ask, a teasing smile coming to your face while Tom opens the lid.
He pulls out the silver and red bag flashing you a cheesy grin. "Always." He says smoothly, handing the bag to you before going back to the cooler. "I made sandwiches." Tom's smile turns more nervous than teasing. "You said this was your favorite."
You blush, taking the sandwich wrapped in cling wrap from him, seeing that it is your favorite. "Thanks, Tom."
Tom nods with a gentle smile while he reached for his own sandwich and follows it with two bottles of water, one for you and one for him. You take yours gratefully and the two of you start on your lunch.
You didn't really think he'd pack a lunch. You expected Teddy Grahams since it's almost a joke between the two of you but he pays attention to the things you like. The table in the library, your specific seat at that table, the sandwich you almost always have for lunch when you eat together, your coffee order and where you get your coffee from. Tom pays attention more than you really thought he would and again, it's just making you fall harder for him.
And the conversation between you starts to pick up. Tom mostly asks about your summers and you do the same, finding out Tom spent a lot of his summers doing everything and anything. Traveling, time spent on the soccer field, skateboarding on occasion, a lot of swimming, surfing if he happened to be vacationing somewhere that made it possible, nights spent with friends at lakes and in fields drinking. It's been obvious he's not a homebody exactly but he definitely does a lot more than you expected and if you could sit and listen to him talk about every story he has about his summers, you would. And he would do the exact same, him hanging onto every word of your previous summers.
By the time you're both done eating, Tom's friends and your roommate are egging the two of you to join them in the water. There's a bit of hesitance but you both agree, but only after sunscreen is applied.
Tom offers to rub some onto your back, around the straps of your swimsuit once you've taken off your over your shirt. His hands are careful and gentle across your skin, making sure not to miss a spot and not overstep even though it's just sunscreen.
"Think you're good." Tom says, leaning of your shoulder with a soft smile.
You turn your head to look at him and suddenly your faces are only a few centimeters away from the other and there's that moment where you both aren't breathing. Your breath is held and your hearts thunder like a midnight storm in your chests. Tom's eyes look between yours and your lips and he's so close to asking, leaning in and then you're pulled away by yelling.
"Come on!" Harrison yells. "Get on with it!" Harrison chortles, earning a light smack over his shoulder by your roommate.
You look back to Tom and he hangs his head with a soft laugh, trying to brush off the anxiety of him almost kissing you. "Ready?" He asks looking back to you.
"Sure." You brush it off as well and Tom helps you to your feet, the both of you walking off to the water.
The water is cold but it doesn't take long to get used to. And before you know it, there's laughter with the entire group of people, you and your roommate merging right in as if you'd been friends with everyone the whole time. Eventually, it leads to a few games of chicken, you on top of Tom's shoulders and your roommate on top of Harrison's. You definitely won most of the rounds but the few that you didn't win, you couldn't very well complain.
You were first into the water, Tom right after you and he came up, shaking his hair, droplets of water falling down his muscular chest. The sight was very pretty and you had half a mind to keep losing to keep getting the sight but you figured maybe that's a little mean. But it's a nice thought.
Eventually, the sun starts to set and the day of lake fun comes to an end. Tom's friends all pack up, one-by-one and soon enough, your roommate is asking if it's okay if she takes Harrison back and you can ride with Tom. It's an easy decision to which she quickly thanks you for and her and Harrison are off to her car, Harrison's arm draped around her shoulders.
"In the mood for coffee?" Tom chuckles as he nudges your shoulder with his, the two of you off to his car.
"I'm always in the mood for coffee, haven't you figured that out yet?" You tease.
"Oh, my apologies, miss." Tom dramatically moves both of his hands to his chest, fluttering his eyes at you.
"Shut up." You roll your eyes but nudge him back, cheeks aching from smiling.
The two of you pile into Tom's car, him resting your things and his in the back. He lets you choose the music to which you just choose one of Spotify's "what's popular" playlists and let the music fill the car.
Tom's fingers tap to the music and every and now and then, he glances over at you while you're looking out the window, watching the sun finally disappear. The lights going back to campus illuminate your face and it sends heat up Tom's neck and to his cheeks, his stomach fluttering and all he wants to do is really ask you to go a real date with him. To be something more than just this in between. It's great and he's fine with it, but he wants a little more. He wants you if you'll have him.
Tom swings by one of your favorite coffee shops and gets you both your usual before you head back to campus and instead of dropping you off at your dorm, you ask if he wants to walk. If you're being honest, you just want to spend more time with him and it's so nice outside, on a Saturday night. There's no harm in asking and Tom nearly completely jumps at the opportunity wanting to spend more time with you, too. So, Tom drives to the parking lot he uses and the two of you grab your things and make the walk to your dorm, your fingers interlocking with his just as they did the night prior.
Unfortunately, the walk back to your dorm seemed to be much quicker than usual. Maybe it was the constant conversation the two of you maintained and the laughter, Tom teasing you and nudging you while you squeezed his hand. Or maybe it was the new found energy from the coffee in your hands. Or maybe it's definitely that you don't want to say goodnight.
"So," Tom sucks in a breath, standing in front of you, your eyes spotting the light bit of sunburn on the bridge of his nose. "Was fun today." Tom says.
"Yeah, I had fun." You give him a wide smile. "We should do it....again?" You leave it as a question, making it his choice to finish it, hoping that he wants to.
"Yeah, for sure." Tom nods quickly before looking to his shoes, nerves building in his body as he tries to build up the courage.
Ask. Just do it.
"Um," Tom looks back up to you and you can see the nerves written in the creases of his forehead. "I really like you." Tom's words are breathy.
"I like you, too." You respond and you want to completely combust. It was obvious you both liked each other but the verbal confirmation just relieves so much pressure from both your shoulders and his shoulders.
"You do?" Tom asks, his face softening and his brows raising.
"Yeah!" You giggle.
"Well," Tom takes a step forward, sucking in a breath of courage. "I've wanted to kiss you for...." Tom trails off, his eyes looking to the side before they meet yours. "A long time, since we met, I think." Tom lets a chuckle come from the back of his throat. "Could I kiss you?"
You don't answer. Instead, you close the distance between the two of you and connect your lips to his. He tastes like a mixture of espresso and chocolate, lips warm but a little chapped but it's more than what you had imagined. And Tom leans in closer to you, using the hand that doesn't contain his coffee to grip your hip and bring you flush against his body. It's like a firework store completely explodes through Tom's entire body with your lips finally against his and he needs to pull away, just for a second.
"Wow." He whispers, his forehead resting against yours.
"I wanted...to do that, too." You whisper back, biting your lip.
"Wanna go on a real date? Just me and you?" He asks, eyes so soft you could melt into them.
"I'd like that." You nod against him before Tom presses his lips against yours once more, this time the kiss deeper and hungrier than the one before. And you both know this is the start of something incredible.