Chapter Text
"Are you still going to eat that?"
"Huh?" Tom moved his eyes off his phone and realized that Chris was pointing at his sausage. "No, go right ahead." He watched Chris taking his plate and transferring its contents to his own. "Oh god, that is so domestic." He had to laugh.
Chris hesitated, his fork hovering over his prize. "You said you didn't want it any more?"
"By all means, have at it. I can't eat another bite."
"And I'm still really hungry." Chris blinked at him.
"Another egg over toast?" Tom put his phone aside without having had a chance to look at his messages.
"Would you?"
"You could even have two."
"That would be perfect."
"No problem." Tom got up from his chair and tussled Chris' hair affectionately as he passed by him on the way to the stove. He turned on the oven and pulled over the pan, then cracked another two eggs into it. While they started to sizzle, he retrieved two slices of toast and popped them into the toaster, humming all the while, a happy smile stealing itself on his face. Tom couldn't remember the last time he'd been so content; feeling as if all was right with his world, and he wanted for absolutely nothing.
After having made love twice this morning, they'd taken a shower, during which he had introduced Chris to the body wash he had bought for him... rather intimately. Chris had had to swat him off playfully because he was so oversensitive that he started to laugh each time Tom touched him, and it had ended up in somewhat of a water fight, which had been fun. After the shower, Chris had then applied the lotion but held him at an arm's distance with a stern brow and a raised finger, not trusting Tom that he wouldn't escalate the situation once more. Tom had to admit that if he had been allowed to spread that lotion on Chris' absolutely perfect body, he wouldn't have been able to guarantee for anything, so he just watched Chris do it. Tom had then been allowed to ascertain that the lotion was performing as expected: softly kissing Chris' neck and shoulder, he had made sure it tasted good (it was actually rather sweet on his tongue), smelled really good mixed with Chris' natural scent, and made his skin feel like silk. It had been so hard to hold back and not escalate the situation once more, but Chris had jokingly begged for mercy, and then kissed him sweetly for about ten minutes, making Tom feel as if his chest was going to burst with happiness.
Then Tom had started their (very late, again) breakfast in the kitchen while Chris proved to be the perfect housemate. He cleaned up after them in the bathroom and changed the sheets on the bed. Their assorted lubes, condoms, massage oil and a new set of washcloths had stood at attention like little soldiers on the nightstand when Chris proudly presented his work. After, Chris had first fixed Tom's tea and then had a cup of coffee on the stool by the island, watching Tom flipping sausages and frying eggs while juggling toast and cutting tomatoes. The scene was so achingly domestic yet so bliss-inducing that Tom had joked about developing cavities from how sweet this all was. That was before Chris slid off his stool and decided to attach himself to Tom's back while he was getting things done, his gentle touches not at all conductive to concentrating on preparing the food. But the sentiment, how truly and deeply Chris was in love with him, that did not go unnoticed. At all.
"You're wearing me out, you know," Chris said now from the table.
"Uh-huh." Tom threw him a look, finding Chris smiling insolently at him, and laughed. "I'm not a bit sorry," he said. His eyes fell on the other pan. "There are some tomatoes left...?"
Chris was by his side in a flash, plate in hand.
"How does anyone afford to feed you?" Tom mocked him gently.
"The studio does," Chris said, fishing a tomato out of its pan and eating it right off the fork. "I haven't been eating enough yesterday. Need to keep up my weight."
"Do you need to work out today?" Tom wanted to know.
"Nope." Having finished the tomatoes, Chris put his plate aside and just stood with Tom, one hand resting on Tom's hip, and his chin on his left shoulder. "Sunday is my rest day, thank god." He squeezed Tom's hip. "Though you keep me pretty busy."
"Do I hear complaints there?" Tom turned his head, spatula in hand.
"No." Chris nuzzled his ear. "But I don't think I've had this much sex in so short a time in..." He looked at the ceiling, thinking hard. "… ever, honestly," he concluded. "Once the last night, one time yesterday morning, in the cab, by the door, in the shower, on the sofa," he counted, completely missing Tom's ferocious blush, and ignoring his attempts to shush him. "And then twice this morning within half an hour... how much is that?"
"You're asking the Classics major?" Tom said, not sure if he should laugh or cry. "I'm still counting on my fingers."
"Eight times," Chris concluded. "Eight. Fuck." He looked at Tom with new respect. "I think I need some more bacon."
Tom laughed. "I'm sorry, honey, I really don't have any left." The toast popped up and before he could do anything about it, Chris had snatched it and eagerly put it on his plate. "But you're welcome to raid the fridge, see if there's anything more in there for you to eat."
"This'll do," Chris said easily. "Though I wonder what's for tea at your Mum's."
"About that." Tom sighed, scooping a fried egg with his spatula. Chris was virtually shoving his plate under it, so he only had to drop it on the toast, then do the same thing with the other egg. He turned off the plate and wiped his hands on a towel before joining Chris at the table again.
"About that?" Chris asked, his mouth full.
"Would you mind terribly if we didn't go?" Tom clasped his tea mug in his hands and took a tentative sip, watching Chris very carefully.
"Um... why?" Chris asked. His brow furrowed.
Tom leaned back in his chair and fondled Chris' calf with his foot. "I'm kind of... kind of worn out," he said hesitantly. "First your parents this morning, you weren't feeling good about me going out of the house without telling you, and... and you still have to call Elsa." He grimaced. "Which can't be pleasant at the best of times. I'm... I feel like I've had enough for a weekend."
"Your family loves you," Chris said. "They're so much fun."
"Yeah, but..." He put his mug on the table. "I'd have to hide how I feel about you, and I'm kind of done with that. So if we don't hide, I'm sure someone picks up on what's going on, and I'd have to deal with coming out to a whole bunch of people in one sitting... I don't think I can manage that today."
"Okay, sure." Chris said lightly, but Tom could see that it wasn't sitting well with him.
Tom sighed, the last thing he needed was Chris thinking he was ashamed of being with him or some other nonsense. "Okay, let me tell you a couple of things about my family," he said. "I love my Mum, and I'm sure she loves me, but she will absolutely not approve of my being with you."
Chris was just opening his mouth for another bite, but he dropped the fork and looked at Tom. "Why? Because of the whole gay thing? Trust me, your Mum loves you. She's so proud of you, do you really think that would make a difference? Besides, she likes me." He flashed his most fetching grin.
Tom twiddled his spoon in his hands. "No," he said, "I'm sure she'd get used to me being with a man, but probably not with you."
"Why?"
"Because she raised me to be a better man," Tom said, each word having to be forced out. He didn't want to hurt Chris. "She'll definitely not talk to me for a while if she finds out for the simple reason that I'll... that we're cheating on Elsa, and that us being together will mean the two of you are breaking up."
Chris' expression was confused. "I'm... okay." He was befuddled.
"The whole reason my parents split up was over my father getting involved with someone else," Tom said, his heart clenching very uncomfortably. "I'm my Mum's last hope for decency in... well, mankind."
Chris put his fork down, his food forgotten. "Are you telling me that if we go official, your Mum is seriously not going to talk to you any more?"
"I'm fairly certain about that." Tom picked at the crumbs on his plate. "And I just don't have the wherewithal to deal with that today."
"Tom, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I... you're losing your wife, what's a few relatives compared to that."
"What do you mean, a few?" Chris reached over the table and captured Tom's hand. "Hey. I had no idea, okay? I thought you two were getting along so well, this wouldn't be much of a problem."
"They're not your parents," Tom said pensively. "I guess that's why... why I came out to yours this morning so easily. You'd already cleared the path and told me they were okay with it, and..." he sighed. "I just wanted to have at least one good experience with this before I moved on to..." he grimaced... "the pit that would be my family."
"What about your sisters? Your Dad?"
"Actually, Dad's going to..." He blew out a breath. "He won't be happy with me, but let's be real, my Dad loves success. He loves to brag with me. As long as I bring in the cash, get him in touch with celebrities, and stay successful, he'll get over it sooner rather than later." He shrugged. "That's just my Dad."
"And Evie? Sannah?"
"Evie's going to laugh herself silly, I'm sure." Tom found himself smiling fondly when he thought of his younger sister. "But she'll be fine with it. She'll tease me to no end but she knows you and loves you and she'll understand. Sannah..." he furrowed his brow. "To be honest, I think she'll be a bit gleeful over the Golden Boy not being quite so golden any more."
"How's that?"
Tom shrugged. "She really got the short stick when my parents split up. She didn't even try to fit in or arrange herself with the situation. Didn't go to a posh school, married young, and an Indian, to boot. She couldn't get out of the country fast enough, away from all this." He pushed his plate away from himself. "She hated me for trying to do right and gain everyone's approval."
"Well, if one thing, once she's calmed down, she'll probably make a good ally," Chris suggested, pressing his hand. "She's had the most experience with Mum's disapproval?"
"Being the pariah, you mean? Yeah. I'm sure she'll be quite thankful to get rid of that mark for a while and climb up the social ladder." He felt that he was getting upset after all.
"Tom?" Chris was getting up and took the chair beside him. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Tom tried a brave smile. "Not your fault." He shrugged. "I guess it's past time I'm emancipating myself. Been on mum's apron strings long enough."
Chris let his hand rest on Tom's knee and rubbed it with his thumb. "So no tea at Mum's today?"
"No." Tom leaned forward and rested at Chris' shoulder for a while, thankful when Chris' hand started rubbing his back. "Actually... what I'd like to do is just... pretend everything is normal for a while. I won't lie. If she asks who I'm spending my time with, I'm going to say it's you. I don't want to hide you, that would be really silly seeing as you make me pretty happy."
"I'm following your lead," Chris said. "Okay?"
"We'll have to be by her house today, though. Pick up some keys."
"Keys to where?" Chris leaned back to be able to see Tom better.
"I thought we could use some other sight than this old flat here," Tom said. "My family's got a summer home up close to St. Alban's. It's really quiet and private so we can go for a walk and practice your lines and just hang out undisturbed."
Chris nudged at him until Tom gave in and straddled his legs.
"I only care that we take enough to eat," Chris pointed out.
"I'm fairly sure Mum will pack us some of that tea," Tom said, easily resting his lower arms on Chris' shoulders. "She does love you and will pinch your cheeks and feed you to within an inch of your life."
"I do like your mum."
"I like her, too. We're just not living up to her standards, and oh, the scandal this will be in her circle." Tom crunched up his nose. "Not looking forward to that."
"Who would." Chris just wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, and Tom thankfully sank into the embrace. "I love you."
"Hmmm. Love you, too." Tom found himself rubbing noses with his lover, enjoying very much how easy things were between them right now. "Are you gunning for number nine?" he teased.
Chris laughed, rocking Tom in his lap. "I just barely ate enough to replace all that energy I keep putting into you," he said. "You really are insatiable, Hiddleston." He didn't seem to mind too much.
"Hm, long distance runner," Tom grinned, waggling his brow. "Emphasis on the 'long distance'."
"You'll be the death of me," Chris smiled. "And oh what a death that will be."
"I hope not." Tom brushed his lips against Chris'. "I want you around a little bit longer."
"You'll have it."
They kissed leisurely without escalating their kisses, just enjoying each other's company.
"Do you need help with the dishes?" Chris murmured.
"No. I need you right here." Tom trailed his fingertips along Chris' neck, making the other man shiver appreciatively. There was something about that expression in his blue eyes that made Tom begin to believe in romance again, and in the kind of solid, dependable, yet deeply appreciative relationship that he'd always sought but never found. He was still falling in love with Chris, insatiably so, but under that he could feel the foundations of something so much more, of someone he would happily spend the rest of his life with, someone he could grow with, and grow old with. "I'm so glad..." he started, then laughed. "Nevermind."
"Hm?" Chris smiled.
"That I've found you," Tom said. "Sorry, just thinking a bunch of really sappy stuff right now."
"Sappy is good." He felt Chris' hands contract around his hips. "Glad I'm not alone with that." His nose crunched up in that adorable smile of his. "If they made what I'm thinking right now into a movie, no one would want to see it for all the fluffy hearts floating around. Everything's tinged in pink." He chuckled at himself.
"Hm... me, too." Tom connected their foreheads. "Still falling in love with you," he murmured. "Thank you so much for not giving up on me, love."
"Never." Chris kissed him, his large hands running up and down his back gently. "So worth it."
"Hm..." Tom allowed himself to just wallow in this cloud of bliss surrounding them, his heart so light. "I can't decide if I love this more or when we make love."
"Both," Chris murmured. "Both is good."
"God, we've got it so bad."
"Oh yeah." Chris rested his head against Tom's shoulder, cuddling into him, humming contentedly at Tom letting his hair slip through his fingers and tracing his neck. "I love you."
"Love you, too." It was so simple as they basked in this, and for a split moment, Tom asked himself why on earth everyone made such a big deal about what gender anyone else's partner was. Love was love, pure, trusting, giving, wanting to keep your partner from harm, all of that didn't differ one iota whether he loved a woman or a man. All those differences that people made were silly and stupid. He loved this man, and this man loved him back. There was absolutely nothing subversive or dirty about it. He arms slipped around Chris' neck and he just held him tight.
"Are you getting hard again?" Chris asked bemusedly.
"Honey, do I have to explain to you how men work?" Tom said. He kissed the crown of Chris' hair and made him look up. "You don't have to look at it."
"Uh-huh." Chris gave him a cocky grin. "You'll have to get that under control when we're out in public," he said.
"I can't help finding you the hottest ass in the universe," Tom kidded gently. "I guess I have a lot of catching up to do and my cock is not taking no for an answer right now."
"Mine, unfortunately, is." Chris said regretfully. "It wants to get really excited about you and then, it's just... ouch." He kissed him. "Apparently, you can overdo it."
"It's probably for the best that we take a break," Tom smiled. "But I have some aloe vera gel that might help...?"
"That would be perfect. I'm definitely not done with you yet." The way Chris' broad hands slid up his sides made Tom realize exactly how much passion for him was still smoldering under that calm exterior. It didn't help his own excitement at all.
"Let me get it for you, then," Tom said.
"So eager." Chris gave him a gentle swat on the ass.
"Not done with you, either," Tom promised him. "Trust me, not by a long shot."
Chris beamed at him in anticipation, then grimaced. "Ouch."
Tom laughed and slid off his lap. "I'll be right back."