Tom and Loki one-shots

Tom

Lightning shattered the darkness outside my window, momentarily giving things odd dimensions and shadows. I was curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and a blanket hoping that this storm would pass soon.

Just as I reached for the book on my side table that I had been reading, lightning struck again and the lights in my house flickered before going out completely.

I fumbled around in the dark for a few moments before finding the penlight on my keys by the door. Using the feeble beam I guided myself through the house until I had amassed a small armada of candles and a half-used pack of matches. I placed the candles all around the house in an effort to illuminate the oppressive, heavy darkness that had settled.

When I had finished, I walked back to the couch but was interrupted by a knock on the door. I froze. I hadn't called the power company and everyone in their right mind was inside waiting for the storm to blow over. I crept cautiously to the door, silently thanking whoever the previous tenant of my flat had been that they had installed a peephole. I took one quick look before wrenching the door open.

Tom was standing on my doorstep, soaked to the core and out of breath. "Tom! What are you doing here, come in you'll freeze like that!"

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry I j-just wanted t-to make sure y-y-you were ok-kay, I h-heard there were p-p-p-power outages."

I was touched by the gesture but if I let him stand there like that, he'd not only ruin my floors but also probably catch pneumonia. I escorted him into my bedroom and pulled out a tshirt, a pair of briefs, and a some sweatpants my brother had left after his last visit. Tom's lips were practically blue and he was shivering almost spasmodically. His fingers worked to try to undo the buttons on his shirt but his shaking made it difficult. I reached over to help him, brushing his hands aside. The cold of his skin bit into mine. "God Tom, you're frigid. How did you get here anyway? I didn't think cabs would be running in this weather."

He let out a shaky laugh. "T-they weren't. I r-r-ran."

"Tom, you live halfway across the city, what were you thinking?"

I felt his icy fingers graze mine. "I t-told you, I w-wanted to make s-sure y-you were okay."

I undid the final button on his shirt and peeled the soaking fabric from his skin. Ducking into the bathroom, I grabbed a towel and handed it to him, allowing him to dry himself off before he shrugged into the shirt. Next, I handed him the underwear and sweats before going to the kitchen to make some tea and give him a little privacy.

A minute later he joined me, arms crossed tightly across his chest, chills standing out against his pale skin. As soon as I had set the kettle on the stove, I grabbed the blanket from the couch and wrapped it around Tom's shoulders, rubbing his arms in an effort to get him warmed. "Come here."

I led him into the living room and, not believing I hadn't thought of it before, lit a fire in the fireplace. "Sit. Warm up."

He gave me a grateful smile and stretched out his hands toward the flames. The kettle whistled in the kitchen and I went in to fix the tea. Tom's blue eyes lit up when I came back into the living room toting two steaming mugs and I was happy to see that he was no longer shivering and some color had returned to his cheeks.

I sat next to him and for a while we sat in total silence, watching the flames shift and change. "Tom," I asked without taking my eyes from the fire, "Seriously, what were you thinking running all the way here? Something could have happened to you!"

He took sip of tea before answering me. "I was watching the news and they reported power outages and some damaged flats in this area. I got so freaked out that I convinced myself it wasn't that far to get here. I was so worried about you, I don't know, I guess it corrupted my logical reasoning skills."

I smiled chidingly, "You're a lunatic. I mean, thank you, but you're a lunatic." He chuckled. "But really, I was fine. I feel bad that you almost froze to death and nothing was really even wrong."

His eyes were soft when they found mine again. "Well, at least this is better than a night alone. Besides, I couldn't bear the idea that you might not be safe."

Suddenly the warmth emanating from the fire place was too much, the closeness and realness of Tom was more than I could handle. I sat frozen in place, as though his words had hardened my muscles to stone.

Time slowed to a crawl in our little pocket of warmth. We had created a separate world in which only we existed. Minutes, seconds, lifetimes had no meaning here while everything outside continued on just as it had before. I wouldn't have cared if the room had caught on fire (and maybe it had, who knew?) because right then his fingers intertwined themselves with mine. I stayed still, hardly daring to breathe lest I somehow wake from this dream state.

He waited a few seconds and when I didn't pull away, I felt his body move toward mine slowly, inching closer as if allowing me time to refuse. But I didn't. There was no part of me that even entertained the thought. I'd never thought of Tom romantically but God he was so close. His hand cupped my face and I closed my eyes. He stopped for a few seconds, his mouth hovering mere centimeters from my own, and just when I thought I couldn't stand it any longer, his lips touched mine once, twice, and then all at once we were kissing.

My hands wound their way through his damp curls and his hands pulled my hips to rest against his. He held me against him and I felt whole. Tom lifted me onto his lap and I locked my ankles around his torso. His lips moved to my neck and throat, before capturing my mouth again. He tasted like tea, warm and enticing, but also like home, safe and familiar.

I never wanted that moment to end, and I thought I could feel in the way Tom held me and the way his mouth moved against mine that he didn't either. This stormy London evening was only the beginning of a story I was desperate to start reading.