Hiddlesworth - Always
Chapter one
TICKLING
It was an almost welcome 12-hour flight for Tom who lately found himself getting so little sleep that he felt like passing out any second, as soon as he sat down. He did not feel bad though, exhausted yes but not bad at all. This trip would be more like the vacation he needed than the work it was.
After they had finished filming for the latest part of the Avengers movies, their promotion tour had taken them all over the world and Tom felt a little stressed by now. He loved to interact with fans and press and to watch their movie with his fellow colleagues and friends. This time even Robert came along and Chris did not want to miss the opportunity to visit his family back in Australia.
He was flying alone though, Chris and the others were in Munich still, to promote their little team of super heroes he, as a major villain, did not belong to. 'Not yet' he thought with a smile on his lips.
The ending of Avengers 2 was certainly promising, redeeming Loki in ways he had always hoped for. What would he do without Loki anyways? This role was more than just the break-through job of his career. He was a constant companion. Four movies already starring him along with the people he had come to call his friends. People he would miss so much once this was over. So he kept hoping it would not end so soon. Loki had a great deal more to offer, rising from the ashes - interesting new perspectives.
Still, the worst thing to imagine was the time he would not spend with Chris anymore. Ever since he and Chris got to know each other there was not a year in which they did not spend months and months of filming together. They were so close, and even though they could still meet up in privacy it would not be the same anymore without their roles as Norse gods.
Tom knew best how full of work an actor 's schedule was. When they were shooting for other projects, they barely had the time to call, let alone meet each other on a regular basis. It would be frustrating, sad even but Tom thought maybe, just maybe it could also help him to get over everything, too. Over all those feelings that hurt him more than anything.
Chris was his best friend, he would never want that to change because of a silly thing he might do or say accidentally. He was so happy around him, he smiled and laughed heartedly ever so often and Chris was just the same. 'Get over it Tom, its silly. You should not be dreaming about something that will never happen.' But it had been there for so long already, love, deep and consuming and strong. 5 Years and nothing changed for him.
People began asking him why he still was single and he just answered with one of his shiny smiles that he would focus on his career entirely. It was true but sometimes he felt so lonely. He could not take another girlfriend for it was too unfair and despicable in his own eyes. No matter how hard he tried to forget he had those feelings for his friend and being with someone else was just a big lie. He did not want to hurt anyone again like he had hurt Susannah when they broke up because of the very same reason. She did not know that of course.
The clouds were fluffy and white and they were flying right into the sunset. Tom closed his eyes again, no one sitting beside him, he himself having a lot of space since he flew first class. He didn't always do that even though he could afford it but it was a very long flight to Australia and he wanted to get some sleep. He smiled to himself about how much he cared for being relaxed around Chris and he was fine with sleeping two hours a night during their promo trip. This would be nice, Tom was sure of it.
Chris had planned a long weekend for them with his old trailer. Out there in the wild together with bonfires and grilled food. Sleeping in tents together, visiting Chris's favourite places. When he was in Sidney with Chris two years ago they had pranced through town after work but their time had been shortly measured so Chris was very happy to offer them the little trip this time. They would not be alone and Tom was sad and glad about it at the same time. Having Robert, Mark and Jeremy around would keep him distracted for a while here and there and besides that, he liked those three.
The stewardess did not wake him for dinner and when Tom opened his eyes he could see the sun rise again. He was wondering if he had slept at all but judging his tired limps and the thin blanket that had been placed across his legs he assumed they were going to land in Sydney soon. He yearned for a nice long shower and decided to at least give himself a little cat lick in the planes bathroom.
Looking into the mirror, the dark rings beneath his eyes had gone and his eyes were shining brightly. They always looked so much brighter when he had the raven black hair to play Loki. He was also neatly shaved because he looked strange with his reddish blond beard in contrast to his dark hair. It made him seem a lot younger as well. Adorable, his sisters used to call him when he came home like this.
A soft knock to the bathroom door made him turn away from the small sink. The soft voice of a stewardess advised him to take his seat and fasten his seatbelt again for they would begin their descent to Sidney airport in a few minutes.
Tom felt a little tang of happiness in his tummy. While he had been in Spain and France with Chris Evans, Joss and Scarlet, the others were in Germany for separate premiers and that meant he hadn't seen Chris for quite a while and he was looking forward to chat about experiences and new encounters.
He took out his smart phone to look up the Hotel's name again once he had hired a cab. Chris chose it for them. It was close to the theatre they would visit tonight.
Chris had written a short message during his flight informing him about his own landing time and the room number he had, with a smile he noticed that Chris's room was on the same floor, next to his own. So Tom had a few hours left to rest and take the shower he wanted.
His voice was shaky, when he yawned and stretched his muscles. Chris didn't like to go by plain all night long just to get from one place to another. Of course he always loved his job, doing promotion tours and all, but now he felt like he really needed to get some time for himself. And there was the fact that he didn't get much sleep, too these days, and the rings beneath his eyes where darker than usual making him seem a bit unhealthy.
"Maybe you should have slept a little" Mark sighed, but Chris shook his head, smiling softly.
"I can't" he said and rubbed his eyes to get a better sight again. His view seemed to get blurry sometimes when he was that tired. But no, he couldn't sleep at all. There wasn't much time left till they would arrive in Sydney and he would see… His beloved country again, of course. The other men just looked at him and shook their heads, as if they knew something he didn't.
Just half an hour later he took a deep breath of the well known warm air, a wonderful and unexpected scent of flowers and the smell of the hot streets. The sun had almost reached the horizon again, setting slowly and sending a light of pretty, warm orange to bathe this amazing planet with. Robert and Jeremy helped the cab driver to put their luggage into the trunk and then got inside as well.
Chris took his mobile phone and shot a quick glance at the display. Maybe Tom was waiting for his friends already and was walking up and down his room. The blonde man smiled softly and wrote him a message. "Guess who will be there in some minutes…!?" He started to grin some more and waited for an answer, till they reached their destination.
A pretty lofty and noble hotel, bathing in the yellow and white shine of flood lights. The Australian could hear the noises of other guests, which where in the backyard, he thought.
Their first way, of course, lead them to the receptionist to check in and get their keys. A page took their luggage and the actors followed them up to their rooms.
Chris did not head straight to Toms room like he was tempted to do, because he wanted to take a hot shower first. On the other hand he couldn't deny, that he had missed the currently black haired man for all these weeks of their separation. Of course he was his best friend. The one who spend even more time with him then his own wife when they were working on the same project. It was also a little sad if he thought about the amount of time he could not spend watching his little girl grow up.
The Aussie sighed softly and shook his head. No, he shouldn't waste his time regretting his own decisions. Elsa did know that he would travel around the world to do his job from the beginning. So many of these jobs with Tom that he couldn't be happier. She also knew, that it wouldn't least forever, would it? But when he was trying to be honest to himself - he wouldn't let her take away his time with him even if she objected. A thought that made his heart go faster…
"Just come over when you're ready, Tom - taking a shower before we leave for the big party!" Chris typed in between undressing his coat, shirt and pants. He took fresh clothes from his trunk and placed them onto the bed before grabbing his wash bag. Five minutes later the shower was causing him goose bumps while the water slowly heated and washed tenderly over his tanned skin. Chris closed his eyes letting his mind go blank while he just enjoyed, humming quietly.
Meanwhile Tom had dressed up for the evening. The very last premiere, the very last pile of interviews to be done. He chose a black suit for tonight and a bow tie. He already had a large bag packed with clothes and necessary stuff for their trip through the outback separately and stuffed it into one of the large wardrobes.
Just a little longer and he would enjoy his free time before he had to focus on his next project which would split the group, mainly him and Chris, for an uncomfortably long time. But he would not let his mood be ruined by those thoughts yet. This was going to be fun.
He had plugged his Ipod into the speaker station and listened to Timberland, posting the rather cheery tune on Twitter to reassure his fans he was feeling quite well and suggesting them to listen to the same song with him.
When he received Chris's message he didn't even realize he was grinning with such radiance it could have lit the room all by itself. He was nervous but in a good way, wanting to see him again as soon as possible.
He went into the bathroom again to check his back-combed hair and the position of his bow tie and then went outside to tweet some more for the time being. Chris should really get an account but then again postings could be seen by everyone and Tom wasn't sure if he was able to refrain from spamming his friend constantly.
When the second message came Tom smiled and typed an answer: 'I'll be right there mate. Black is tonight's colour.' He smiled pleased when he pressed the 'send' button and waited some more minutes before he got up from his armchair to go and knock at Chris's door.