Where dinner had been whatever Tommy could scrape together, set on plates, and eaten in his mother's room in silence, now they were different. Now it was almost a dinner party, Tommy and Melody perched at the end of his mother's bed, knees touching, conversation a pleasant hum in the air. Even the dim light seemed brighter, smiles and laughter filling the room. There was a small part of him that begrudged Melody this, disliked the disruption of what had been his sanctuary, but then she'd smile at something he said, or make his mother laugh, and the feeling dissipated like smoke. Even the food was better, though not through any marked improvement of Tommy's cooking, her parents occasionally sent over a meal for them to share.
At first it had sent Tommy into a rage, hoarsely whispering to Melody as she stood on the front porch with the tupperware in hand, stomach twisting at the courteous gesture. He didn't want hand outs, hated the very notion so much his body shivered with it. But Melody won out, his mother an unsurprising ally, making the compromise that Tommy would do some kind of yard work to pay for the fancier cooking. Half the time he wasn't even sure what he was putting on his fork, his attention caught by the happier look on his mother's face, the way Melody would tickle the arch of his foot when she wanted him to hand her something. He even found a small clinic that would let him do payments, obtaining mediocre but welcome health care that had his mother looking better than she had in months.
"Thomas!"
Head jerking up, his spoon going still, he smiled at his mother until he realized that his name hadn't just been a bid for his attention but that he was actually in trouble. Tossing Melody a sour look, he resolutely shoved a bite of whatever was on his plate into his mouth as he waited. Part of him was glad that he was finally going to find out what he'd done to piss Melody off, the rest of him was sullenly accepting that there really had been no avoiding this.
"Well?" He drawled after they were both quiet, shoving another bite into his mouth and working on it until he could talk around it. "What's the lecture?"
"Do you even know what that boy said to you?"
Thrown off balance, realizing he'd missed the lecture and jumped right to the end where his mother started reading him his last rights, he went back to eating, gaze dropping to his plate as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Nope."
"And you just started swinging anyways? Are you trying to get expelled?" When he shrugged again his mother threw a small pillow at him, Tommy exclaiming when it almost landed in his dinner. "Melody's already told me you don't plan on going to college, is this your way of making sure you can't change your mind later?"
"No." Glaring daggers at Melody, he started grouping what was left to one side of his plate. "I just didn't like him talkin' sh- I could tell he was bein' rude."
"But you don't know what it was."
"It don't matter! He shouldn't of opened his fat mouth and started talkin' 'bout Mel, I bet he don't even know her." The soft snort he heard from his left, made him angrier. "And if he does know her, then he knows he shouldn't be sayin' nothin' bad 'bout her!"
"You didn't have to break his nose because of it."
"I should have broken his jaw..."
Whatever else his mother said was lost as his head filled with static, his hand aching where it clenched around the spoon's handle, nodding occasionally before abruptly moving off the bed and slamming the door behind him as he left. He didn't have a destination in mind, tossing his plate into the sink, listening to the spoon rattle around the sink before settling half tucked beneath the plate's rim. The inspired idea of hiding out on the roof was quickly dashed, as was barricading himself in his room, his feet carrying him out the backdoor and to the small shed in the back yard.
His shoulders were aching by the time Melody found him, his fists repeatedly slamming into the multicoloured heavy bag he'd rescued from the curb, head throbbing from his temper and how tightly he was clenching his teeth. Ignoring the hushed inquiry she made of his name, he continued to swing, varying the angle of each. It grew harder and harder to concentrate when she started humming, items falling off the shelf as she made room to hop up, her legs swinging slowly.
"Can you stop that?" Tommy finally snarled, glaring at her out of the corner of his eye. "It's fuckin' irritatin'."
"Which part?" Lifting a hand from the shelf she slowly ticked them off. "Is it the legs swinging, the staring, the silent prodding or-"
"You're not silently anythin', you're hummin'."
"So it's my humming? I thought you liked my humming, and my singing." He watched as she hopped off the shelf, going stiff when she wrapped her arms around his middle from behind as her cheek rested between his shoulder blades. "It's a song that makes me think about you."
Tommy almost asked, his mouth opening before snapping shut, hands shoving at her arms to pull loose and create some distance. Curling and uncurling his hands into fists, he stared down at his reddened knuckles as he put the heavy bag between them. Melody was humming again, leaning around the bag as she smiled at him.
"My friend Tabitha came over to spend the night and she brought this movie," circling the bag, she trailed her hand along it as she followed Tommy, chuckling when he continued to keep the distance by moving too. "I don't think you'd watch it, but I liked it, the songs were awesome."
"Fine. What movie was it?"
"Footloose."
"What kind of name is that for a movie? That sounds stupid." In spite of himself, he felt himself getting curious, his lips twitching as she leaned on the bag to smile at him around it. He didn't want to smile, he was still annoyed that the two of them had ganged up on him, that his mother had taken someone else's side. "I bet it was stupid."
"No, it was really good! It was about these teens who lived in a town where dancing was against the law because of some car accident or something."
"Yeah, like I said stupid."
"You liked Dirty Dancing." She reminded him, rolling her eyes at the look of disgust on his face. "I know you did! I wasn't the one who rewound the tape and restarted it."
"I thought it was somethin' else when we were watchin' it so I had to watch it again to even pay attention." That was a lie, but he hadn't enjoyed the movie, he'd enjoyed having Melody curled up next to him in the couch, and listening to her hum along with the songs she'd liked. The movie itself could fall into a pit and never come back if it hadn't been for that. "It's called Dirty Dancin', you'd think there'd have been... You know, somethin' dirty."
"Uh huh."
"If you were a guy, and your girl said somethin' like that you'd think that's what it meant too!"
"So what did you think Footloose was about?" She'd moved from behind the bag now, her arms loosely crossed over stomach, eyebrow arched as she stared at him. "I'm dying to know."
"I don't know, just thought it sounded stupid, and after what you told me I'm pretty sure it is." Tommy's eyes narrowed at her when she started to smirk, his head shaking slowly. "One girly movie a lifetime, Mel, I ain't watchin' Footloose. There ain't nothin' you can do that'll change my mind."
"I'm sure there are a few things."
He almost fell taking a hasty step back, forcing himself to stand still as she moved closer, her hands resting on his chest as she stared up at him through her lashes. Pulse racing, Tommy skimmed his tongue over his lips and tried to remember what was at stake. Dirty Dancing had been alright, but Footloose was a step too far, several steps too far. Almost jumping out of his skin when her hands started sliding downwards, he stared at her with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Melody's lips were soft on his, her fingers wrapping around the waistband of his sweats, and he was pretty sure his heart was going to stop.
"I'll give you the answers to the next three tests in Mrs. Blair's class."
The whispered words didn't translate at first, every ounce of his focus locked on just where the band of his sweatpants were situated, half wanting her to dip inside, half terrified at the thought.
"Wait. What?" Grabbing her wrists, he pulled her hands away and stared at her confused as his mind frantically tried to catch up. "Tests?"
"Well you suck at Biology, so if you watch Footloose with me-"
"Tests."
"I'll give you the answers to the next three of them." She finished like he hadn't just repeated himself again, kissing him again and swallowing the laughter in her throat when he belatedly moved to kiss her back. "What'd you think I meant?"
"Well you had your fingers in my fuckin' pants, what do you think I was thinkin'?" Flustered, he glared at her, letting out a soft noise of disgust. "You can't just do that to a guy, it's mean. Jesus... I thought you meant-"
Tommy trailed off at the amused look on her face, his brow furrowing before clearing as he took a step forward to crowd into her space, pleased to watch the amused look fade away into one of apprehension. It was only fair he returned the favor, smiling when she took a step back to mirror the next he took forward. His hands wrapped around her waist, lifting her to sit on the shelf once they reached it, his hands cupping her calves and slowly pulling her legs apart to settle her knees on his hips.
"Tommy?"
Instead of answering, he slowly slid his hands upwards, his thumbs kneading, leaning forward to stop just shy of kissing her as he held her gaze with his. Curling his hands around her hips, he dragged her forward, his eyes flicking down to her mouth as she leaned away from him, her breathing irregular as she stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Fingers moving upwards to dip beneath her sweater, he stroked the skin with his thumbs, closing the distance to kiss her, teeth closing on her lower lip to play with it. He pulled back when her arms moved to drape over his shoulders, grinning when she pulled herself closer to him as her eyes fell shut. Melody's fingers tangled in his shirt when he didn't deepen the kiss again, a frustrated whine escaping her when Tommy kept it to soft brushes.
"What was the song?"
"Hmm?"
"The one you said made you think of me." He enjoyed the shivers that chased over his skin as his lips moved over hers, flicking the tip of his tongue over her lip, grinning when she made a move to chase it. "What was it?"
"Let's hear it for the boy?"
Her eyes opened slowly, her hands stilling where they'd been playing with the short hair that covered the curve of his skull. When she noticed he was smiling, the blissed expression faded into confusion, Melody's body leaning away from his before scowling. Hand smacking his chest, she shoved at Tommy to try and push him away.
"What's wrong, Mel?" He teased, twisting beneath her hands before leaning in to kiss her again, his lips curling into a smile against hers when she growled at him from behind her closed mouth.
"You're a bastard." Melody hissed, turning her head away when he tried to kiss her again, curling up on the shelf to try and kick him away. "That wasn't funny!"
"And actin' like you were goin' to be doin' somethin' you weren't was?" Tommy let out a soft grunt when her heel caught his hip, his leg giving out for a moment before he snatched her off the shelf, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.
"Put me down." Her fingers dug into his shoulders, eyes going wide as the intimate press registered, though her leg's grip didn't loosen. "Please."
"One kiss." He swallowed thickly, his fingers digging into her hips at the rush of heat that rolled through him. "Kiss me and I'll put you down."
He hadn't actually thought the move through, he'd just meant to avoid another kick that might have hit him in a more tender place, but now that he had her there he was loathe to bring the closeness to an end. Slowly moving one hand up and beneath her sweater, he smoothed his palm over her lower back and up her spine watching her shiver as the cold air brushed the skin he was exposing as the fabric lifted. Tommy wasn't entirely sure he'd let her down even if she did kiss him, letting out a slow breath at just how good it felt to have her like she was.
It felt even better when she kissed him, her hips grinding lightly as she shifted, mouth slanting across his as her arms wrapped around his neck to keep herself from falling. Her mouth opened slowly, her tongue slicking his lower lip before he opened his to taste her, the low sound that vibrated between them making his fingers dig in deep enough to bruise. It wasn't until the shed door banged open, the sound sudden and sharp, that they stopped, her forehead resting against his as they both tried to catch their breath.
"I should go home." Melody finally said softly, her arms loosing their hold but not making any effort to put her feet on the ground. "Snow's supposed to be falling soon."
"You could stay the night."
"Oh my God, no, my papa would kill me."
Tommy shivered when she rested her head on his shoulder, her lips mouthing at his neck lazily before she nuzzled her face into the crook of it. He'd been half joking when he'd blurted out the offer, but the more he thought about it the more he liked it, wrapping his arms around her waist to steady her.
"He could try." He shot back, grinning at the groan the bragging got in response. "Your old man wouldn't know what hit him if he tried."
"I would, and I'd make you regret it."
Melody's reluctance to unwrap her legs was making it harder for Tommy to concentrate, his mind going fuzzy when she finally slid down, a soft sound catching in his throat at the sensation. It'd be worth Melody throwing a fit over him knocking out her father if it meant she didn't have to go. Before she could say it again, he kissed her, the constriction of his arms forcing the air from her lungs. She didn't seem to mind, and he didn't mind that her nails sank into the back of his neck trying to pull him closer, his head jerking upwards at the sound of a car horn.
"I think it'd be worth knockin' your old man on his ass, I really do."
"Shut up, Tommy." Kissing him again, she squirmed loose and tugged her sweater down, evading him when he reached out to pull her back. "Stop it!"
"Just one more, okay?" He stared at her confused when her face turned red, eyes flying up to his before moving to stare at something over his shoulder. "What?"
"It's one thing to- I mean, God." Clearing her throat, she tugged on the sleeves of her sweater.
"What're you- Oh." Tommy smirked, tucking his thumb into the waistband and toying with it. "You want to see it?"
"Ye- No! Oh my God just stop."
"C'mere."
"No! Just- You have to stop, I'm going home."
Tommy caught her before she made it out of the shed, pulling her back against him and burying his face in her hair as her struggles caused her to grind back against him. It almost hurt, feeling that good, until he saw Melody's father climbing out of the car and walking up the drive to go to the front door.
"Stop, just- Fuck, okay, okay." His voice was rough, his hand splaying across her stomach. "Give me one more kiss and then go home, I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," Melody turned her head to kiss him quickly, before breaking loose and almost flying across the yard to run in the back door.
Slower to follow, Tommy tugged his shirt lower before closing his eyes and carefully moving the band of his sweatpants over the head of his cock to try and hide the erection. Coughing, he groaned, hunching over and making his way into the house to say good night to his mother before retreating to his room. It took a surprising amount of time to take care of that particular problem, staring up at the ceiling after he'd cleaned up any mess and tried to avoid another round in lieu of going to sleep. He lost that round, biting on his lower lip against the groan he almost let out at the phantom sensation of her kiss, and the way her legs had felt wrapped around him struck him like a sucker punch.
