Nerves had been buzzing through Tom's body the entire day. Strange that he could speak in front of thousands of people at comic cons no problem, but the thought of being reunited with you sent his stomach plummeting, heart racing, and palms sweating. To be fair, they were mostly the good kind of nerves—excitement would be more accurate. Really terrifying excitement that made him want to both run to and away from you. Seeing you again for the first time in months, although amazing, came with so much pressure. Would you still like him? Would your chemistry still be there? Had he built up what he'd had with you in his mind so that once you were together again, it would only be disappointing? What if you'd changed your mind about him?

Even though his brain kept spinning with thoughts and questions, all that noise was overshadowed by the overwhelming feeling of...something. Tom couldn't quite place what this overwhelming feeling was exactly. He'd never experienced anything like it and couldn't pinpoint when he'd started feeling it. Like a thought that had been nagging at the back of his brain. He wasn't consciously thinking it, but it was still there. Then one day, something kind of clicked, and suddenly he was aware that it had been there the whole time and now he couldn't stop thinking about it. This feeling had been dormant inside him, and now, mere hours from seeing your face again, all his doubts and worries were dwarfed by this Feeling.

Harrison poked Tom's side, startling him from his thoughts. "Oi, mate—you alright? Been awfully quiet...."

Tom straightened up in the backseat of the car. "Yeah, yeah 'm fine. Just have a lot on my mind I guess."

"Y/N?"

Tom's stomach churned at your name, a small smile appearing on his face almost reflexively.

Harrison smiled smugly. "I see...so when you said you weren't nervous, you were taking the piss." His voice softened. "You've fallen for this girl haven't you?"

Tom started to disagree, but Harrison cut him off. "Don't, don't even. It's all over your face, innit? I've never seen you like this, but I have to say it's a good look on you. Falling in love suits you."

Tom's eyes widened. "L-love? I'm not in love, mate...I can't be. I've only known her for what, a few months...and most of that time we haven't even been in the same city. No man, I'm not in love." A nervous laugh escaped him.

Harrison raised his eyebrows but didn't say a word. Best to let Tom work it out on his own, at his own pace.

A few minutes passed in silence as the car worked its way through the heavy New York traffic, but before too much longer, Tom's hushed voice broke the quiet, "Hey, so...how do you, er, how do you know if you're in love?"

Harrison tried to maintain a serious face. "I mean, I think it's different for everyone...so I can't tell you what it feels like for you. But what I can say is that I can always tell when you're thinking about her. It's like Y/N has changed you in the best way possible."

"I hear her name, and something inside me bursts." Tom's voice was timid but gained more confidence as he continued. "Her voice sends my heart soaring, and when she smiles...I feel like I can do anything. She makes me invincible. I know this sounds ridiculous...but I've never felt more myself than when I'm with her. Like I didn't know I was missing something until we met, but now that I know her, now that she's part of my life, I can't remember how I existed without knowing her." Tom's cheeks flushed, and he shook his head, curls falling across his forehead. "That's stupid, I know. How could I possibly feel all that in such a short period of time?" He sucked in a big breath, puffing up his cheeks, then let it all out in a huff. "I've just built this all up in my mind, I know it. It's not possible to feel like this so quickly."

"Maybe, maybe not." Harrison shrugged. "But you'll know in just a few minutes, I think we're almost there."

The knot in Tom's stomach tightened. It was going to be fine, yeah? He'd explained why he couldn't be in love, so he just had to breathe and think logically. No need to be nervous, this was all casual...just seeing where things went.

The car pulled up outside of your apartment building, and Harrison nodded reassuringly to Tom. "You've got this, mate. Go see your girl. I'll meet you back at the hotel."

Tom hopped out and headed to the building's main entrance. A man exited just as Tom approached, so he snuck in without needing to call for you to buzz him in. He made his way up to your apartment, heart pounding. When he made it to your apartment, he stared at your door for a few moments trying to work up the courage to knock. Finally, he raised a shaky fist and pounded it against the wood.

After a few seconds, the door swung open, revealing your beaming face. Your hair was pulled into a messy bun, a few strands had pulled out, now framing your face. Even in sweats and a big t-shirt, you took Tom's breath away. Tom stood frozen, unable to murmur even a hello. Seeing you in person wiped every anxiety from his mind, warmth spreading through his chest as that overwhelming Feeling pulsed within every cell of his body. In the instant your eyes met his, everything clicked into place, and Tom knew he could no longer deny it.

There he was, finally. When you'd opened the door and saw Tom standing there, the moment felt surreal. You'd been yearning for this day for so long, and it was finally here, and yet, all you could do was stare at him, a mushy smile plastered on your face. A rush of relief flooded your body—the same kind as when you'd come home after a long trip. That warm feeling when you flop down onto your bed and sigh happily at the comfortable relief of being back in familiar surroundings. Staring into Tom's eyes was exactly like that, but better, and it dawned on you that somehow your sense of home had shifted. Somehow, home had become a person. It had become Tom.

"Hi," your voice was barely above a whisper. You clung to the door, holding on for support as you didn't trust your legs just now. Your head so fuzzy and full of happiness made you feel like you'd collapse at any moment.

"Hello, darling. I missed you." His smile was a sight for sore eyes. It didn't translate properly over a screen, but in person, there wasn't anything like it. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, uh, yeah of course. Sorry!" You grabbed his hand, leading him inside. Once the door had closed, Tom wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight. You buried your face in his chest and inhaled his scent. Smelled like home. Untucking your face, you peered up at Tom, and he leaned his head down to kiss you lightly.

"How's my favorite girl been?"

"She's been missing you." You stretched up to catch his lips for another, deeper kiss. "I'm so happy you're back. So happy to be in your arms again."

A heart-meltingly beautiful smile spread across his face. "I've never missed someone like I missed you. I feel like nothing and everything has changed. I still see your gorgeous face and my heart lights on fire, but at the same time, I feel like we are different. Like I'm different. Because when I was away from you, I realized that somehow you've become the center of my universe." The words kept tumbling out of his mouth. He was terrified to be confessing how hard he'd fallen, but looking at you, there was no way he could keep it inside. He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, brushing your cheek with his thumb tenderly. "You're the sun, and I'd be lost without you...I love you."

Your heart had stopped beating. You heard what he was saying, but words had lost their meaning. Slowly, your brain caught up. Tom loved you, was in love with you. A giggle bubbled up inside you, spilling out in blissful joy. "Tommy, I love you too." Your eyes clung to his, drinking in every detail of the moment. "Being away from you was driving me insane, and I know being with you means I'll have to deal with time apart, deal with some loneliness while you're working, but there's no doubt in my mind that I love you, and that makes it all bearable."

He kissed you again, more urgently this time, then kissed his way across your jaw and down your neck. Fire burned beneath your skin, and every touch made your body ache with desire. You knew Tom and you were on the same page...he was only in town a week, and you didn't plan on wasting a second of it.

*****

Tom and Harrison hung out at your apartment whenever they had time off that week. Their schedule was always hectic, but after they'd finished work for the day, they usually ended up at your place. Tonight, you'd ordered Chinese takeout and the three of you were piled in your small living room watching a movie, but Harrison was really the only one paying attention to it.

You and Tom were cuddled under a blanket on the sofa, your body slotted in between his legs, laying on top of him with your head against his chest. Harrison sat on the floor, back against the sofa. Your eyes were trained on the tv screen, but you kept getting distracted by Tom's touch. His hands wandered across your body, leaving light trails of heat. As his finger's moved lower, you glanced down to Harrison, who seemed oblivious.

Just as Tom's hand grazed your hipbone, Harrison blurted out, "Would you two please get a room?!" He stood up, muttering, "Think you're so sneaky." He turned back towards you two and rolled his eyes. "You lovebirds make me sick. Can you please just go public already so I don't have to be cooped up with you two all the time? Maybe if you were surrounded by actual people, you'd be able to keep it in your pants."

Tom laughed and threw a pillow at Harrison. "Mate, you didn't have to come tonight. Coulda stayed back at the hotel."

"Whatever, but yeah, think I'm gonna head out. Leave you two...to it." He winked and his mouth curved into a knowing smile.

The mood broken by Harrison, Tom took the opportunity to get some more food. Harrison picked up an eggroll on his way out, mumbling a goodbye with his mouth full.

Tom brought a plate back to the couch, setting it on the coffee table in front of him. "So, as much as I do love keeping you all to myself...what would you think about making us public...? I want to be able to live life with you, and right now, it feels like we're hiding. I want the world to know I'm taken with the most incredible girl."

The corners of your mouth turned down slightly as you thought it through. "I want to be able to live life without worrying about people seeing us...and if that means going public, then I guess why not?"

Tom took your hand in his, running his thumb across your knuckles soothingly. "Well, see that's the thing. There are a lot of reasons not to. Going public is a big deal, and I don't want to lose you because of it. The reality is that my life isn't always just mine, and it's definitely not always private, so making us official would mean your life isn't necessarily private either. Media, fans, paparazzi...they all play a pretty big part in my life, and if you were to publicly come out as my girlfriend, they'd be part of yours too." His voice was tinged with anxiousness. "I want you to really understand what that would mean for you, and for us, because I do love you...and I want this to work more than anything. But I also realize that my lifestyle won't make it easy on you, and I don't want you getting hurt. It would tear me apart if anything happened to you."

You stroked his cheek and kissed him lightly. "I want to be with you more than anything. I understand that we can't be like a normal couple—you're not a normal guy, after all, movie star. But we'll make it work, I promise." You smiled encouragingly and leaned forward to rest your forehead against his for a moment. You kissed his nose and sighed. "So how does one make a relationship official when you're Spider-Man?"

"Just leave it to me...but you might want to make your Instagram private."

For the next half hour, you debated with Tom about what photo to post. He, of course, wanted to use a photo of you both, but you just weren't ready for that yet. Tom had millions of Instagram followers. That's millions of people to judge you and decide whether or not you were good enough to be dating a mega-famous actor, and you had a feeling that most people would decide you weren't. Yeah, in general, you were relatively confident, but being put on display for that many people to judge, it definitely sparked some anxiety.

Tom tried to reassure you of how beautiful and perfect you were, but you knew the rest of the world wouldn't see it that way. People bashed incredibly gorgeous models all the time, so of course, they were going to say negative stuff about you. You were no Ashley Graham, and you were ok with that. It would just take some time to warm up to the idea of letting Tom post your photo for all his fans to see.

"We can always just wait to make it official, love...no need to rush."

You kept scrolling through his camera roll. "No, no. I want to do this...posting a photo without me in it is more like an intermediary step...with the right caption, it'll show you're taken, but I won't feel quite as exposed. It'll be perfect, you'll see....ah! This one, what do you think?"

He leaned over to look, and nodded, "Yeah, I love that one."

The photo was a grainy black and white shot of Tom, half his face out of frame. You'd actually been trying to take a selfie together, but Tom had poked you in the side at the last second, causing the phone to jolt. It was one of your favorite photos of Tom and a reminder of how happy he made you.

Tom typed out a caption, showing it to you for approval (and to check his spelling). "Perfect—ok, let's do this."

Tom hit the 'share' button, and within a few seconds, your phone blew up with notifications—mostly fan accounts requesting to follow yours. You opened Instagram to see Tom's post, the first in your feed.

Looking at it, you were scared shitless at what the future would hold and what this would mean for you, but you glanced up to Tom's face and knew that whatever happened, that man right there—the one who made you cry from laughter and your heart soar from happiness—was worth it all.