A/n: Can y'all please keep your rude comments about the reader to yourself? I'm tired of deleting hate comments on this chapter. Consent is important, and not just about having sex. Please respect that?

As the party came to an end, your family and family friends had completely warmed up to Tom. It seemed the only person who still wasn't a fan was your dad but you pushed it to the back of your head. The rest of the important people in your life liked him. They liked him and it seemed so easy.

It's something special when your family genuinely likes someone. To say it warmed your heart, would be an understatement. And truthfully, it just made you fall harder for Tom. Everyone's opinions, especially your mom's, made you think he's not such a flight risk anymore. He's a safe-bet. Safe and stable, stable enough to fall head over heels for without a second thought.

You got back to your apartment complex and you were going to go to yours but as you were starting to walk past Tom's door, his hand grabbed your arm and a smirk crossed his face as he pulled you back. He pressed you against the door and brought his lips to yours, you're caught off guard but quickly pick up and kiss him back.

"Care to come in?" Tom asks, pulling away, adornment in his eyes.

"Am I ever going to sleep in my own bed now?" You quip.

Tom shrugs one shoulder. "Not if you don't want to." His voice drops down to hushed whisper and your breath hitches. How can he make you feel like you're on the verge of a panic attack and an adrenaline rush at the same time? "'M kidding, darlin'." Tom chuckles. Your cheeks burn as you glance down and brush your palms against Tom's chest, smoothing down his coat. "Don't have to if you don't want."

You look up and give him a cornered smile before pushing against him, sticking your hand out. Tom quirks a brow but all you do is glance to your hand and back to him. Tom laughs and digs out his key for you. You unlock his door and allow the both of you inside before handing him his key back.

"What'd you want to do?" You ask, innocence in your eyes.

"Usual?" Tom asks, hope in his eyes.

You shake your head and bite your lip. "Okay."

"Should I get you pajamas?" Tom asks as you take your coat off.

"At this point I think you're not going to have any left. I still have to return your other pair." You giggle and Tom's brows wiggle, a devilish smirk crossing his face. "What?" You quirk a brow.

"Nothing, keep it to myself." Tom chuckles, his cheeks a soft shade of red as he moves to go down the hall.

"Tell me." You say, following Tom to his room.

"Was gonna say that wouldn't be such a bad thing." He turns to face you, the smirk on full display as he looks you up and down.

You sigh as you try to bite a smile back, getting where his mind was. "Good job on not blurting that out."

"It was truly hard." Tom quips, sarcasm in his voice.

You shake your head. "I'm sure it was."

"It was." Tom sticks out his bottom lip as if to be acting sad.

"You're a dork." You giggle as Tom's arms come to wrap around you.

"Maybe." Tom's chest rumbles with a chuckle as your forehead presses to his chest.

"No, you are." You look up, taking notice in the faint freckles that decorate his face like lost constellations in the midnight sky. "But you're cute." You say quietly.

Tom kisses your forehead softly. "Yeah, so are you." His voice is gentle and the smirk is gone as his hand moves to your chin, tilting your face up. Tom's lips press softly against yours, but only for a few seconds.

"That's addicting," You state as you both pull away and Tom's hands rest softly on your hips.

Tom's eyes scan over your face and yes, he loves kissing you. He could kiss you all day long and his mouth would go numb and his cheeks would ache while his lips became swollen but that'd be more than okay. But, for the first time in a long time, it's not about something physical. His heart just beats for you and while it'd crush him if this was your last kiss, if that meant he'd still be able to see you and hear your laugh, he'd never even think to complain. You're in his blood.

"You're addicting." Tom whispers and moves his hands from your hips, one going to the small of your back to lead you into his room.

All you can do is shake your head. You can't come up with anything to counter that with, you can't even find yourself able to agree but maybe that's because by the tone of his voice, you know he's not just being cheeky. He's not just saying something to challenge you. He's being honest and if you were to turn around be honest with him, you'd be saying the exact same words.

Tom grabs the last pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt he knows you're only going to be wearing under his hoodie and hands them to you, grabbing himself a pair of grey sweatpants. You roll your eyes but go to his bathroom to change. By the time you're done, Tom is in the kitchen grabbing two water bottles for each of you. A soft but proud smile forms on your face with the sight of a water in Tom's hand rather than a beer. Every time you've been in his apartment, he always reaches for a beer first. This was new, an improvement possibly.

The two of you make yourselves comfortable on the couch, Tom's arm wrapped around you with the usual grey, fuzzy blanket covering you. You listen to Tom's heart thump while he turns on where you left off at on Lost. One of your arms is draped over Tom's torso and his hand is rested over your arm, his finger lightly grazing over your skin absentmindedly. You're both engrossed in the show, but you're also focused on the warmth and comfort of each other. Well, mostly.

Tom's attention was also focused on the time. As episodes passed, he knew midnight was approaching and that'd be the tell-all. He'd have to ask and see exactly what you felt, what your intentions are. He won the bet. He proved himself and Tom is proud of himself but there's this voice in the back of his head that's questioning if it was worth it, if you're just going to leave. You're only around because of the bet, so why would you stay after it?

But, there's another voice, a softer one Tom wants to listen to as he presses the softest kiss to the top of your head. It tells him that if you wanted to leave, you would have. You never would have flat out told him that you like him or even brought him to meet your family. His self-doubt gets the best of him but that little, softer voice, that's the one he needs to listen to.

Tom checked his watch for what felt like the billionth time in the few hours you'd been back but, it was finally just after midnight. It's been two weeks and one day. Tom's mouth goes dry as he clears his throat, his heartbeat picking up with the smallest touch that the loud voice is right.

"Hey." Tom says, tapping your arm.

"Hm?" You hum, half asleep.

"Been two weeks, bet's over." Tom whispers.

You look up to him, your eyes drenched with tiredness. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Tom takes in a deep breath, clearly holding something.

"What's wrong?" You ask, your eyes widening a little.

"Just, uh, ya know, well, bet was braggin' rights and I won," Tom pauses and scratches his nose. "Wanted to know what that means for this." He says, his voice remaining still but you see through him, seeing the hope and anxiety in his eyes.

"Um, w-what do you want it to mean?" You stutter.

You assumed it wouldn't matter. You didn't care about the bet anymore, you only care about him. But, you have to question why he'd ask that kind of question. You don't want this to change, in a good or a bad way. You don't want a relationship or to just jump into anything but you don't want to stop whatever it is you're doing. You like this. It's comfortable and safe.

Tom licks his bottom lip and shrugs. "Nothing changes, between us. We just, ya know, keep doing this." The arm wrapped around your shoulders squeeze you gently.

A relieved smile comes to your face. "I'd like that."

"Yeah?" Tom's eyes widen.

"Mhm." You hum and kiss his lip softly. "I like this."

"Thank fuck." Tom chuckles, his chest finally expanding correctly with the relief of your words.

This is safe territory for him. Not a relationship but still having the girl as if it was. Relationships, labels, they make things official and that's horrifying. He's simply not ready to put that part of his heart out there yet even with the small voice telling him it's okay. But then again, it probably helps you're on the same page.

"I'm, uh, I'm not big on labeling things." You admit. "They're a lot so is this really okay?"

"More than okay." Tom says quickly, his hand cupping your face with sincerity in his eyes.

"Okay." You lean into his touch, your perfectly soft smile making Tom just melt into her.

God, she's perfect.

And just like that, the two of you kept yourr friendship without question. You spent more time at Tom's apartment than you did your own and you can't say you complained much, especially with your growing feelings for him. And Tom was so okay with this because, even though you didn't know it, you were healing these parts of him he never thought he'd get back. You were fixing the scary and scarred parts of him. Memories etched the back of his head but you smiled and suddenly, he knows it's okay again. They're memories for a reason. It's the past and the past doesn't have to repeat itself, you prove that. And Tom feels like he's soaring.

Tom feels like he's soaring and you understand him better than anyone else does. Time goes by and you never once ask about a relationship even though you act like a couple. Harrison has started seriously seeing the girl from the coffee shop so you and Tom get invited to go on double dates. The two of you go and you always seem like you're together, so much so, elderly couples have pointed out how you remind them of them when they were young. Waitresses have referred to you as a couple when bringing you food. You both always corrected them, restating you were just friends even if your fingers were intertwined because you were just friends. Tom wasn't ready and you weren't ready. Not then.

But, two months have gone by and there's an ache in Tom's bones when he hears you deny you being a relationship. He no longer corrects people and at first, he told himself it was because it was just easier but now he can't deny the pull in his bones or the rush in his veins when you're around. He can't deny the soft sting every time you deny a relationship. You've put pieces back together and now Tom is ready in a way he's not quite sure how to handle, so his mouth stays shut. It stays shut, even while you're on this date with Harrison and his girlfriend and it kills him.

"So, what are you guys doing tonight?" Sebella, Harrison's girlfriend, asks.

You looked to Tom as he sipped on his milkshake before looking back to Seb. "Not sure." You shrug.

"You've still got writing you wanted to do, ya?" Tom quirks a brow, pulling away from his drink.

"Yeah, I do." You nod in response. "Laptop's at your place." You giggle.

"Half of your shit is at my place at this point." Tom retorts with a soft chuckle.

"You never complain." You point out as you give Tom a soft smile. He returns it, his expression softening as he nods.

"Yeah, I know."

"Here is your food." A waitress says as she starts putting warm plates in front of the four of you. Tom moves your plate in front of you but only after stealing a few fries with a smirk, earning him a nudge. "You two are adorable." The waitress says.

"Oh, no." You shake your head. "We're not together."

Tom takes in a deep breath through his nose, straightening his posture as he looks away from you, glancing at Harrison who's brows were furrowed by Tom's sudden change, knowing how he feels.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You guys just seemed...like you were." The waitress says, clearly embarrassed by her mistake.

"It's okay." You give her a reassuring smile before she dismisses herself from the table.

Tom cleared his throat as his hands went palm down on the table. "Be back." He mumbles as he gets up, the rest of the table watching him walk through the crowded diner.

"I should go check on him." You sigh, knowing Tom well enough to know something was off in the tone of his voice.

"I got him." Harrison offers, already getting up.

"You sure?" You ask.

"Yeah." Harrison nods and sends a quick smile to Seb before leaving.

"What's going on?" Seb asks bluntly, taking over Harrison's milkshake.

"I have no idea." You sigh. "He's been weird lately, I guess." Seb chuckles, sipping on the frozen drink. "What?" Your brows furrow, sensing Seb knows more than what she's letting on.

"Nothing." Seb shakes her head, before moving on. "So, why aren't you together? It's not like you guys don't act like it, just the other day H and me walked in on a pretty heated make-out session." Seb states.

Sebella is more than blunt. She says it how it is and doesn't hold back at all but she doesn't intend for it to be mean even though it sometimes comes off that way. She simply doesn't see the point in holding back if she has something to say. Of course, she can sensor herself and knows when and where not to say something but it's been a few months and you and her have become quite a bit acquainted. She doesn't need to hold back.

"Uh, I-I don't know." You shrug, taking a sip of your water. "Not into the whole relationship thing."

"Yeah, but why? There has to be a reason. Is it you or is it him? Do you not trust him or are you scared he'll turn out like someone you don't talk about?" You just stare at her for a few seconds before Seb gets the point. "Hey, I'm just curious. You don't have to answer."

"Has anything new really come from you and Harrison making things official?" Your voice contradicts Seb's, your voice soft and drenched with curiosity.

Seb shrugs a shoulder and goes back to Harrison's milkshake. "Alright, you got me." Seb laughs. "We've gotten closer but yeah, maybe that would have happened anyway."

"Exactly." You say. "So, why does there have to be a label?" Your voice is quiet and Seb's face drops, questioning what could possibly be going through your head.

"There doesn't. I wasn't trying to pry, really."

"No, I know." You nod quickly, brows furrowed. Your conversation comes to a halt as Tom and Harrison walk back in.

"That's mine." Harrison chuckles as he slides in next to Seb, taking his milkshake back.

"What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine, babe." Seb smirks making Harrison laugh and grab the extra straw for her.

"You okay?" You whisper to Tom as he slides in beside you.

"Fine." He says and he smiles at you but it's the fakest smile you've ever seen.

You glance to Harrison while Tom swirls his straw in his milkshake. Harrison just shakes his head, mouthing to leave it be.

The rest of the double date went by and it mostly went well expect, there was a tension between Tom and you. Normally when you're out, Tom always has a hand in yours or a hand on your thigh, wrapped around your waist, something. It's like he always has to be touching you but once he got back to the table, it seemed he had no interest in touching you. He didn't make much conversation with you, instread, he kept up conversations with Harrison and Seb. You couldn't help but notice and it hurt. It hurt for Tom to be acting this way. You missed his touch and the soft smiles, even though he was right next to you. But, maybe what hurt the most was the thought of the inevitable conversation you'd be having when you go back to your apartment complex.

The drive back was silent besides the music Tom had put on. The silence remained even through the elevator ride up to your floor. Tom unlocked the door and allowed himself in first, you following and shutting the door behind you. You stand in front of the door, watching Tom drop his keys on the table and running a hand through his hair.

"What's wrong?" You ask softly, scared of his response.

"Nothing." Tom mumbles, his back still to you as he goes to the fridge.

"Something's wrong. You can tell me." You press but keep your stance, assuming Tom is going to tell you to leave just by his distant behavior. He doesn't want to be around you and all you need is the word.

"Not like it fuckin' matters, ya know?" Tom grits his teeth, turning to face you, arms crossed over his chest. "Not together."

"Is that why you're angry?" Your brows furrow and all you can process is the look of annoyance in every line of Tom's face.

You swore you were on the same page of keeping whatever you are, exactly that. Whatever you are. No label, just the two of you. Labels are complicated and scary. They make feelings real and you can't just turn back when things get rough. You swore Tom was with you with on this.

"Of course!" Tom yells. "I fuckin' get it. We're not together but you don't need to say it every damn time."

"When someone assumes we are, I should let them think we are?" You challenge, trying to see where Tom was headed with this.

Tom scoffs, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Why aren't we together, y/n?"

"I thought...I thought we were on the same page of just not labeling this." Your eyes scan over Tom's face as your voice is delicate and confused.

"Why?" Tom presses, taking a few steps forward but there's darkness in his eyes with the question. "Why? Because it's been months."

"Why does it matter so much, Tom?" You ask as your heart beats in your chest and a lump forms in your throat.

"Are you that thick?" Tom shakes his head, taking a few more steps toward you. You remain silent, waiting for him to continue. "I'm in love with you." Tom's voice comes down to a whisper and his brows are knitted together. His voice is strained and his eyes are glossed over. Tom's mouth is in a straight line while his forehead wrinkles and it's almost like it physically pains him to say those words out loud and it scares the hell out of him.

"I told you not to fall in love with me." You say, your voice just above a whisper as your heart stops dead in your chest.

Tom scoffs and runs a hand through his hair. "Bet's over, has been for months."

"I still told you-"

"I don't fuckin' care!" Tom raises his voice and his arms outstretched with his words. "I don't' fuckin' care what you told me. You can't-" Tom licks his lips and shakes his head, his voice coming back to a tlaking level. "You can't just tell someone not to fall in love with you as if it's some fucking choice like picking a damn film."

"I-I just I told you not to..." Your voice come to a whine and tears threaten to brim before Tom cuts you off.

"I love you. I'm so in love with you, it fuckin' hurts. Every damn day, I look at you and I'm in love with you and it fuckin' hurts. I tried not to, I did, alright? But fuck." Tom groans and his hands rub his face before he gestures one out. "I can't fucking help it and it's scaring the fuck out of me."

Tom might be angry but he's angry because of everything that's happened to him. He's angry that he swore he'd never put himself in a position like this again but it's true what they say, no one chooses who they fall in love with. He tried and he did anyway and now there's nothing he can do but try and get you to grasp how scared he is and how big this is for him to admit without having to tell you every detail of his life. You get him on levels no one else does. He doesn't have to tell you things because you just understand and he's praying to anything that you will get this. This one thing, you need to get because he'll break again if he has to tell you why he's terrified.

"You don't have to love me even though I think you do. But for fuck's sake, if you don't and I'm wrong you have to tell me 'cause I can't fucking do this anymore if you don't. I can't keep my mouth shut and act like we're friends and I can't do this anymore! So, now or never. I love you." Tom swallows a lump in his throat as his mouth presses into a worried line, waiting for a response, already regretting every word that's left his mouth.

You're just as afraid of that tiny four-letter word as Tom and for good reason. You can put on a brave face with everyone about everything and you do an excellent job of it, even around Tom, until now. You're fucking scared because love is a dangerous play and you don't know what to do. Can you handle it again? Go through that again? Can you really put Tom through that? Your heart aches at the thought of the pain either of you could go through but you're looking at Tom's big brown eyes that are silently begging you to say you love him, too. And your mind goes back to when he first admitted he liked you and his voice was a plea for you to like him back. And then, while you don't know what is going on inside his head or what lead him to you, you get it. You understand the plea. And you're so fucking in love with him that it hurts.

"Prove it." You say, your eyes locked with Tom's, sharing the same fearful stare.

"What?" Tom's voice falls to a soft whisper, disbelief in the word.

"Y-you said that you love me and you think I love you, too. Prove it." You're nearly holding your breath with your words, knowing that there's no coming back from this.

Only a few beats pass before Tom moves forward and collides his lips against yours, pushing you completely against his door. His hands cup your face and yours go to Tom's shirt, tugging him flush against you and you can feel the lump building your throat, burning behind your eyes while your heart sings. Tom's mouth moves in sync with yours and he loves you and the kiss is needy and nervous, scared of making the wrong move but it just gets more heated with every passing second.

You're pulling apart, pushing away your fears and catching your breath but only for a second before your mouths collide again and Tom's moving his hands to your hips, trying to somehow pull you closer to him. Your chests are heaving and your hands are snaking up just above Tom's hips and under his shirt, feeling his warm skin against your cold hands. Tom lets out a soft moan with the touch. His hands move under the hem of your shirt, his hands grabbing your sides.

"Tom?" You pull in a breathy whisper. He eyes meet yours, lips swollen and glossy. Tom's heart starts plummeting to the pit of his stomach as he waits for you to continue. You look like you're on the verge of tears and you are but not because you're sad or mad but because it's a lot and he's all you've ever wanted without ever knowing. He knew before you did. "It's..." You take a deep breath, your mouth hanging slightly ajar. "It's okay that I love you, too?" You ask.

Tom's eyes are broken in a way you've never seen before but without hesitation, the words fall from his mouth. "Please, love me, too." And his voice cracks with the plea.

"I love you so freaking much." You admit and the softest smile comes to Tom's lips before he attaches his mouth back to yours.

Tom's arms wrap around your torso, picking you up and a squeal escapes your mouth as you pull away. You giggle as Tom carries you down the hallway, your hands going to the back of his neck and playing with the little hairs before kissing his cheek. His arms are warm and sturdy around you and, just like every other time, it's the safest place in the world.

Tom drops you on the bed, hovering over you as his lips go back to yours. You tug at his tousled hair, granting you a slight moan. Tom's hand go to your leg and around your thigh, pulling it up to get a better position, helping to move you both further into the middle of his bed. Tom bites your bottom lip, pulling away and you whimper, opening your eyes to be met with a smirk before Tom goes to your neck. You gasp from the open-mouthed kisses on your smooth skin, your hand instinctively pulling Tom's head closer to your neck. A soft chuckle falls from his lips as he barely bits on the excess skin, lightly sucking.

Tom moves his hand to the hem of your shirt under your hoodie, his hand slowly moving under the fabric. Goosebumps rise to your skin and you feel like you're on fire in the best way. His hand moves further up your torso until his fingers are just under the wire of your bra. They dance beneath the wire as if making sure it was okay, Tom still conscious of never overstepping. But, you move your hand from his neck and put it over his hand.

"I, uh," You stutter, Tom moving from your neck to look at you with soft eyes. "I've never, ya know, done this." You wince with the words and Tom's eye widen in surprise.

"Oh." He says. "We can stop-"

"No," You say quickly and the corner of her mouth tugs into a smirk, your eyes glancing down Tom's body and back to his eyes. "I just want you to know."

Tom chuckles and nods, pressing his forehead against yours. "If you wanna stop, just tell me." He whispers and places the most gentle kiss to your lips.

"Okay." You whisper through a smile before your hands move to the hem of his t-shirt.

You pull it over his head, exposing him to the warm air of his bedroom. His chest and abs define with every breath he takes and while you've seen him shirtless before, this feels different. It is different because he's not bloody or beaten or bruised and broken. He's just there and he's in love with you.

You bring your hand to the back of Tom's neck and push up to attach her lips to the side of his neck, making sure to leave the same mark he left on you. Tom's jaw falls open and his eyes close, his breath hitching as you leave a bright red mark for the world to see. You trail kisses up his neck and under his jawbone, back to his lips. Tom's tongue slips inside your mouth and it's just heavy breathing, trying to keep up with each other. Your hands go to Tom's back, gripping at his muscle that's flexed, Tom smiling into the kiss.

He sits up and moves his hands to the hem of your hoodie, gripping the hoodie and the shirt underneath, slowly tugging it up. You sit up and allow him to take it off, Tom discarding the clothing somewhere across the room. But, then he freezes. You lay back down and all Tom can do is stare at your chest. His heart stops and anxiety trickles through his bloodstream. Your cheeks heat up with his stare and you want to crawl under a rock, terrified he'd have this reaction.

"W-what is that?" Tom's voice is weak and his brows furrow as one of his fingers comes to the middle of your chest and traces down a rough scar. The scar starts where your sternum starts and ends just below your the end of your sternum, splitting your entire chest in two.

"A scar." You say, following Tom's gaze to the faded skin, his finger now tapping it.

"What happened?" There's panic in his voice and he hates how loud his heart is getting in his ears like it's his owrst nightmare.

Your mouth is dry and you hate feeling so exposed. You should have thought about that little detail before when Tom said you could stop or even before he took your shirt off. It's not you don't see it every single day. You've had to look at that scar everyday for six years. You wear t-shirts that come close to your neck, making sure the scar can't be seen. You stick to pull over hoodies because they cut closer to your neck than zip-ups do. You've taken every precaution you could, making sure Tom wouldn't see it. But, in this moment of love and lust, you forgot. You forgot the broken bit of you and for the life of you, you hate that part of you is happy you did.

"I don't want to talk about it." You say softly.

"Y/n..." Tom's eyes say everything he's scared to ask.

"Tom?" You move your hands to cup his face. His eyes lock with yours, they're glossed and scared. "It's fine."

Tom leans into your touch. "Are you?" He asks and he's pleading again, begging for the truth but begging that the truth is that you're really okay.

"Yeah, I'm okay." You lean up and press a soft kiss to his lips. "I'm okay, Tommy. I promise." You kiss his cheek and rub your thumbs across his cheeks.

He bows his neck to kiss yours, his arms wrapping around you but in a swift and quick movement, Tom was turning you both over so you could straddle him. You yelped with the sudden movement but quickly recovered and Tom laid under you, his hands gripping your hips firmly.

"Please, tell me." He says and how could she denied him an answer.

Your hands lay flat on his chest, the firmness of his muscle moving your hands up and down with every breath. "I had to go in for heart surgery when I was younger and they had to crack my chest because they couldn't get my heart to start beating again." You rub your thumbs across Tom's skin while his thumbs rub over your exposed skin, his eyes looking between the scar and your eyes. "They fixed it and I'm fine." You skimp on the details for Tom's sake and the sake of your own sanity.

"You're fine?" Tom checks again and you cock your head to left.

"Yeah," You say quietly. "Why are you so worried?" Your voice is gentle while you move a hand to his hair and brush it out of his face.

He's silent, just staring at you while he allows the relief of you being okay to settle in his bones.

"I can't lose you." Tom reaches for your hand that was playing with his hair and brought it to his mouth, pressing soft kisses to the skin.

"You're not gonna lose me."

"Promise?" Tom whispers.

"I promise." You nod and lean down to press a kiss to his forehead. "You're stuck with me, Holland." You lean up and smirk.

"Make it sound like a bad thing, love." The nickname rings in your ears and your heart starts to flutter.

"You're right." You scrunch your nose. "I'm stuck with you." Your eyes widen with the remark and Tom narrows his eyes.

It's heavy seeing a scar and seeing you dodge questions. But, you haven't lied to Tom before so he's going to take your word for this. You're smirking above him and he's in love with you. So, he shakes his head and pushes the heavy topic away, locking it away in a part of his head to bring up at another time when maybe you're more comfortable talking about it.

"Damn right." He licks his lips and wraps his arms around your torso sitting up and attaching his lips to your collarbone. Your hands go to his back, nails just brushing his skin as you close your eyes. "Somethin' tells me ya don't mind." He pulls away and there's a smirk playing at his lips.

"No." You shake your head and you look at him like he holds every single star in the sky. "I don't." You kiss Tom's forehead before pushing him back onto the bed. "So, I think we were in the middle of something." A teasing smirk crosses your face and Tom bites his lip, wiggling his brows as one hand comes up and undoes her bra in a split second. "Okay." You say flatly, unimpressed.

-

"We were in the middle of something." Tom quips but he has a proud smirk.

"You think you're so good, huh?"

"You're not complaining." Tom chuckles as you finish taking your bra off.

"Okay." You say softly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Tom's lips.

Tom pushes up and deepens the kiss. One of his hands comes up to cup your breast, kneading it while his thumb brushes over your nipple. You gasp softly into Tom's mouth with the movement. Tom moves his other hand to your other breast and follows the same movements causing a rush to run through you and your heart to beat as if it were on fire.

Your breathing gets heavier and you guide your hands to the button of Tom's jeans, feeling him growing hard under you. You kneel just above him and work on the button of his jeans as your kissing grows sloppy and inconsistent, your minds more focused on your hands.

You get the button undone, the zipper following. You tug at his jeans and Tom bucks his hips up to help you get his jeans down. You break the kiss first, you sliding down his body and pulling his boxer briefs down with his jeans. Tom watches you with a heaving chest, his hands desperate to get to back to you.

"There's no sexy way to take pants off." You state, feeling under pressure with him staring at you.

"Pretty sexy when you do it." Tom licks his lips as he pulls you back to him.

You shake your head as you lock your lips with his. Your dominant hand trails down Tom's smooth skin until your fingers just graze his throbbing dick. Tom's mouth fumbles against yours with the soft contact. A smile forms on your face with his reaction. You take that as a cue to wrap your hand around him and start pumping him.

"Christ." Tom grunts into your mouth.

You giggle in response. "Is it okay?"

"Uh-huh." Tom breaths, trying to control his voice.

Tom goes to focus his attention on the button of your jeans, easily getting them undone. He chooses that time to flip you back over, hitting his head against yours in the process. You both laugh in response as Tom rests his head in the crook of your neck.

"Ow." You laugh, moving your hand to his bicep.

"'M sorry, love. You okay?" He asks, picking his head but he's trying to suppress a laugh.

"Nope. I'm hurt, now." You say sarcastically, sticking out your bottom lip.

"Poor you." Tom mocks, knocking his forehead against yours softly.

"Meany!" You stick your tongue out and Tom nearly collapses onto you in a fit of laughter.

"God, I love you." He says as if it's a reflex and the second it leaves his mouth, his heart stops but then his head comes up and you love him too. Your eyes are bright and happy and you love him, too.

"I love you, too." You grin and you swear it's like you jumped out of a plane for the first time and your parachute deployed, helping you land safely, It's such a dangerous adrenaline rush but he's there and he's catching you and you're catching him and it's like fucking magic.

Tom attaches his lips back to yours and his hands go back to working on taking your jeans and underwear off. You lift your butt as Tom starts tugging the fabric away, his lips detaching from yours to remove the clothing. Heat rushes to your face as Tom pauses for a few beats, taking you in and you feel self-conscious, remembering the amount of times you've been woken up because of him having sex with other women. And you have to question if you're what he expected or if you're good enough but just as quick as the thoughts enter your head, they disappear when Tom kisses his way up your thighs, avoiding her core, and up your stomach.

"You're beautiful, you know?" Tom says, a delicate kiss pressed to your lips.

"Really?" You ask, your voice showing your disbelief.

"Of course." Tom says, no hesitation.

"Thank you." You say softly, your fingers coming up to ghost over his shoulders.'

Tom's eyes are half-lidded but soft and filled with absolute and utter adornment. His lips move from her mouth to your jaw and back to your neck, surely to make another mark. Tom slides his right hand down your side and moves to your center. His fingers tease your slit, your mouth opening in response, your hands gripping Tom's shoulders in anticipation. Tom doesn't let you wait too long before he's working your core and slide a finger inside. You gasp and your nails dig into the skin of his shoulders.

"Okay?" Tom asks, his hand slowly pumping in and out of you.

"Uh-huh." You manage to get out, a rush forming in the pit of your stomach. "Keep going." You mumble as you slide your hand back to his dick, pumping him in sync with his hand.

Tom lets out a breath with the contact, dipping his head slightly, the cold metal of his necklace connecting with your chest. Your arousal builds with every movement Tom makes causing him to insert a second finger. You grip on him rightens just for a split second as you let out a soft moan. Tom grins while moving to kiss along your jaw.

"Still good?" He asks between kisses.

"Mhm." You hum weakly. "Just...don't stop." You get the words out shyly and Tom nods, his heart jumping into his throat, happy you want him to keep going.

"Okay," He whispers huskily into your ear before moving his thumb to your clit, rubbing soft circles.

You buck your hips up with the new wave of pleasure that flows through you. Your breathing hitches and you whine out Tom's name. Tom's confidence builds with your moans and he goes back your mouth, the kissing deep at first but soon turns sloppy as you pump him harder an faster. There's a coil building in the pit of your stomach as you grind your hips up to meet Tom's movements.

"Tom.." You moan softly into his mouth. The look of lust and need tell him all he needs to know as he pulls his hand away making you whimper in response.

Tom presses a kiss to your nose. "Reach behind you in that drawer." Tom says soft, jerking his head to his nightstand before he places a few kisses to your collarbones.

You open the drawer and grab a little square package. You hand it to Tom and he tears it open with his teeth. You chuckle and shake your head.

"What?" Tom asks.

"I didn't think people really opened a condom with their teeth."

"Easier." Tom shrugs one shoulder, a sheepish smile on his face. Tom adjusts himself as he rolls the condom onto himself, you watching his movements carefully, taking a mental note for future reference. "You sure you want to? We don't have to if you don't want to." Tom says and the smile is gone, showing his sincerity and wanting to make sure you know there's no pressure.

"I'm sure." You smile wide before Tom lines himself up with her center. "But wait." You say and Tom freezes, his arms holding him, tense but all you do is reach up to take his necklace off. It's something he wears all the time and you don't want it to get tangled. You reach behind you and rest on top of his nightstand.

Tom blushes but smiles, falling harder for you with the simple gesture, knowing it means something to him. "Thanks." You nod in response, a shy smile on your face. "If it hurts, lemme know, ya?" Tom asks.

"Okay." You say, your hands hold the sides of Tom's back to brace yourself.

Tom slowly pushes inside you, careful not to go too fast. You squeeze Tom's side, your core trying to adjust to him. Tom grunts when he feels himself bottom out and his head bows into your shoulder for a few seconds, allowing you to get used to the feeling.

"Still good?" He asks, looking back to you.

"Good." You say, one hand rubbing up his back, feeling the muscles that were sticking out.

"Okay." Tom brushes his nose against yours.

Tom starts thrusting his hips against yours and the room is soon filled with moans and grunts from the both of you. And this is unlike any sex Tom has had before. It's a cliche, really, that sex is different with someone you really love but this wasn't that. Yes, Tom loves you and he'd do anything in the world for you but you're the first one in a long time. You're the one who loves him through the bad, the good, and the ugly. You've seen him broken, beaten, and bruised and still chose to stay.

Tom's right. People don't choose who they fall in love with but people choose if they stay and you might be terrified, just as terrified of love as Tom is but you stayed. You stayed and cared for him and loved him when other people wouldn't. You proved to him that he's not hard to love. He's worth more than what other people did. The guilt he feels, it's okay because everyone carries guilt and it doesn't matter. You love him anyway. You fell in love with him at his worst and you're going to love him through his best.

This isn't just a one night stand, this is something he wants for the rest of his life. Because it's heated and needy and the window of Tom's room might as well be steamed but you're knocking teeth and you're laughing. You're nipping at each other's skin and claiming each other as the other's. There's whispered 'i love you's' and whispered compliments. His forehead is pressed against yours, sweaty and warm but your both breathing into each other's mouths and it's perfect. It's not just sex. It's never going to be just sex. Because he loves you and you love him.

-

You both finish nearly at the same time, both of you sweaty and breathless messes with lopsided smiles but it's okay and it's perfect. The two of you only waited in a bed a few minutes before cleaning yourselves up but you didn't put on your clothes after. Tom grabbed you a pair of his pajama pants that you definitely borrowed before and a t-shirt. You both get comfortable in Tom's bed after you're both dressed.

"So," Tom starts, him on his side facing you while you laid on one of his arms, facing him. "Was it okay?" There's no arrogance in his voice this time, just curiosity and hope.

"Yeah, you were great." You giggle, feeling heat come to your cheeks, as your fingers softly fiddle with the silver necklace he put back on, the cold metal contrasting the warmth of his bare chest when your fingers brush over his skin.

"So, you feel alright?" Tom questions, his free hand rubbing the scar that peaks out of the top of the shirt he'd given you.

"Yes." You laugh, turning your attention to his eyes. They're consumed in softness. It's as if every soft gold speck that complimented the dark brown of his eyes shined brighter than they had before, like the north star waiting to lead you to Neverland, to your happily ever after home, with him never leaving you for even a second.

Tom lets out a sigh of relief, shaking his head into your shoulder. "Good."

"Was I okay?" You ask softly.

Tom looks up and gently places a hand on your cheek. "Perfect." Tom says, kissing your nose softly. "Does that mean...you'll have me as your boyfriend?" He gains a bit of a cheeky smile, but there's a little hesitance in his voice, like he's thinking you'll actually tell him no.

"Yes, yes it does." A giggle leaves your lips as you move impossibly closer to him, Tom letting out a sigh of relief.