Forget-Me-Not (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

(32) This Means War

Tom barely had time to think of an answer, due to him being put on the spot slightly, before Nina's phone rung again, seeming to vibrate quite violently in the short silence. Her worried eyes never left Tom's as she got out the phone and answered the call. "Hello...?"

"Nina!" Kyle's tone was sharp and she knew that this wouldn't be a 'let's get Nina in the palm of my hand'. Oh, no, this was a 'let's yell at Nina until my vocal chords fail' kind of call. Knowing Kyle, he'd be trying to start World War 3 by now. "What are these images online?! Who's this Tom Hiddleston you've been sleeping with?"

Tom's ears seemed to perk up at the mention of his name, whereas Nina's stomach went in the opposite direction; down, down so far it had probably reached Australia. "Kyle, I haven't slept wi-"

"You haven't slept with him? Ah, but you've still been seeing him, haven't you? Am I not good enough? I'm not the one who's traveled miles away for some pathetic job, am I? You should be here, supporting me!"

"What if I don't want to support you?" Nina's voice was barely above a whisper.

"That's not an option, Nina! And you're still not denying your love for this Tom guy! What happened to us, Nina?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Nina tore her eyes away from Tom and turned slightly staring over at the fields beyond, but she could sense that Tom was still there, watching her every move.

"This isn't working, Nina! You're being too dishonest!" Kyle growled.

"Oh, I'm being dishonest?" Nina felt a sudden surge of confidence, perhaps fuelled by her anger. Her free hand rested lightly on her hip as she took a step forward, now scowling at the scenery in front of her. "One word. Marie."

"At least Marie is willing to give me what I want. I don't think I need you any more, Nina. You can pack your things and move out when you get back." Kyle replied, and Nina's jaw involuntarily dropped a little. Had he just broken off their broken relationship?

"What am I, a replaceable object?" Nina muttered, kicking a stone across the floor in front of her. She heard a soft yelp as it presumably hit Tom, but she was too busy focusing on the conflict happening in her ear.

"You are replaceable, Nina. And so are all your belongings. I could easily sell them whilst you're gone, you know." Kyle sneered.

"You wouldn't dare."

"You dared to have an affair with one of those actors you promised me you wouldn't kiss."

"I didn't have an affair, Kyle! We're just good friends, okay?"

"What a load of crap, Nina. That's it. Don't bother coming back to the apartment. I know when you're due back home. I might leave all your stuff outside. But..." He seemed to deliberate over something before finally finishing his sentence. "I'm selling the piano. It's just a piece of junk anyway."

"No..." Nina tried to form more words but nothing came out. In one phone call she'd just lost three of the most prized things in her life. Her piano. Her home. Kyle. The call was ended by Kyle with a harsh bleep and Nina's hand went slack, the phone falling and cracking slightly on the hard ground.

Tom was the first to react, jumping up and pulling Nina into an almost bone-crushing hug. Nina winced slightly, her whole body slightly limp, but she relaxed against Tom, all of her willpower completely and utterly drained. Tom knew nothing better than to just let the poor girl cry, and to just be her shoulder on which to do so.

Whatever solid awkwardness there was had dissipated completely as the two of them stood completely still. Tom had heard everything but it wasn't his job to start talking about it, even if he was careful with his words.

Eventually Nina pulled back, now vaguely resembling a panda, and she looked up at him, her weary-looking eyes peering out from the black mess around them. "I'm homeless." Nina spoke quietly, and that was all she could manage before tears dripped softly from her eyes once more. She turned away, not wanting to smudge her make-up all over Tom's costume, but one of Tom's slender fingers curled underneath her chin, turning her head gently back to face him.

"Hush now, love." He pushed away the strands of hair stuck to her damp cheeks, offering her a somewhat comforting smile. "No, you're not. I'm not letting that happen."

"Where am I going...going to...sleep? In your...door...doorway?" Even in her current state, Nina couldn't resist a sarcastic remark when the opportunity arose, even if she did have to pause for deep breaths throughout.

"I have a spare room. And you still have Annie. And Molly. And your parents. And you know you have me. Even if I do mess up every now and then." Tom and Nina both knew what he was referring to, and it had been all but forgotten. "Ohana, Nina. Ohana."

"Ohana." Nina repeated quietly, her arms tentatively snaking around Tom, as if he'd give her an electric shock any moment. She tilted her head to the side, still being careful of her make-up, and rested her head gently on Tom's chest, looking out at the fields, at the blue sky, at the sun shining without a care in the world.

Then nausea decided to strike at the worst moment possible. One of Nina's hands suddenly flew to her mouth, and she looked at Tom apologetically before dashing off to the nearest WC, only to be intercepted by Spielberg himself.

"Nina! I just wanted to ask you if..." He carried on talking but Nina was focusing on one mantra in her head, repeating it over and over. Don't be sick on Steven. Don't be sick on Steven. Eventually he finished and he looked at her expectantly. "So, are you going to be attending?"

"What? Mm. Yes." Nina mumbled, having absolutely no idea what she was agreeing to.

"Great! I'll pencil you in." He shook her hand that wasn't covering her mouth, giving her a slightly odd look as she broke off into a run. After all, it wasn't every day that he saw an emotional panda running through the streets of Devon.

[A/N] boom! plot twist (that secretly, we all kind of wanted to happen)! it took me so long to write this but i hope it was worth it. one vote = one more member of the 'lets go and slap kyle' brigade. raising awareness one vote at a time.
yours truly :) x