Chapter Text
Tommy hates Brighton so far. Everything about his first flat was.. pretty shit, to say the least. He couldn’t stay there for the first week because of some chemical leak, and once it was cleared, he was evicted after just three days for “Excessive Noise and Disturbance”. So yeah, he fucking hates it.
He found his way into a new place a few days later, and it’s better, but he still doesn’t exactly love it. To start, none of his electricity works. They’re doing some kind of building maintenance, and won’t turn on his power until it’s over. He gets enough natural light to function, but he’s sick of having to run to the nearby cafe to charge his phone and laptop. Plus, he could really use some air conditioning in this weather. And the balcony is tiny. He was excited to hear that there even was one, and then he got there and realized a few things.
One, that the balcony has about enough room for a small chair and just a bit to spare space for someone to stand. So, not what he’d envisioned, but it’s okay.
Two, there’s no view at all. There’s a building right across from him, and his flat is in the center of the block, so he’s just surrounded by other terraces. He supposes it’s nice to get some air, but why even have it there? He could just as easily open a window.
Three, and this one didn’t hit him for a few days, that the deck directly across from his actually belonged to someone. He wasn’t sure why it never occurred to him that, yes, of course someone actually lives there, but he wasn’t happy about it.
The first time Tommy saw the man from that balcony was an accident. He was taking a break from unpacking on his second day there, just sitting in his single plastic lawn chair and drinking some lukewarm lemonade (damn his useless fridge), when he saw that the window directly across from his own kitchen was open. The blinds were up, too, and he could just barely see inside.
He wasn’t trying to be nosy, that’s not how he is, I swear, he was just studying the inside of the flat. He could only see a cluttered countertop, a stove, and a closed doorway.
Maybe he stared for too long, or got lost in his thoughts, and after a few moments (maybe too many, who’s to say?), someone walked through the door into the kitchen. He was fairly tall, definitely a few inches over Tommy, and he couldn’t see his face through the window. The man ruffled through his cupboards before pulling down a can and pouring the contents into a bowl. He stood in front of the microwave for a few minutes, and Tommy broke his gaze to scroll mindlessly on his phone. By the time he looked up again, the man was gone.
The second time he sees him, it’s Tommy’s third day in the flat. He’s unpacked most of his things, spare some small items still sitting untouched in boxes on his bedroom floor. He’s taking yet another break on his balcony because god, it’s fucking hot in that flat.
He’s spaced out for a while, and is brought back from his thoughts when he hears a sliding door open. He looks up to see the man from the day before walking out onto the deck, carrying a plastic container.
“Hey,” The man says. “I’m Will.”
Tommy’s fucking stunned. He’d never really put a label on his sexuality before, but seeing this guy now, he swears he could be as gay as it gets. He’s beautiful.
Somehow getting away with wearing a thick jumper in this heat, Tommy can still see a rough outline of his frame. His collarbones show just above the neckline, and his brown hair falls in a mess over his eyes. Tommy doesn’t know what’s so enthralling about him, but he’s speechless.
“Hi,” He stutters back. “I just moved in, I’m Tommy.”
Will smiles. “Yeah, I know. I saw all the boxes piled up to your door the other day.” Tommy feels a rush in his cheeks at the idea that Will had been looking through his windows, too.
“Be careful, Tommy, I hear the last guy died in there.” Will says sternly. “Think it might be haunted.”
“Wait, what?” Tommy, caught off guard, stands from his chair. He tries to ignore the way his thighs peel off of the seat.
“I’m just fucking with you,” Will laughs. “That place has been empty for a few months, the last people were a couple who bought a real house.”
Tommy pushes his hair out of his face with one hand. “Oh, thank fuck. I’ve already gone through one shitty apartment in like, a week. Don’t need any more.”
“Should I be worried?” Will teases.
“It wasn’t my fault! It was just a horrible place. Squishy walls n’ shit.”
“Gross. I’ll take your word for it. Anyway, I brought you some biscuits as, like, a housewarming gift.” He holds the plastic container over the railing of his balcony, and Tommy moves closer to take it from him. “They’re from last night, and they’re much better warm, so you might wanna heat them up first.”
“God, no. I cannot take any more heat right now.”
“You don’t have any cooling in there?”
“No, they said this building’s got something wrong with it. Think they’re trying to fix it, but it’s pretty miserable to be moving boxes in there. Plus, none of my kitchen stuff works yet, they won’t turn it on until the other stuff is resolved.”
Will lets out a pity laugh. “Fuck, dude, I’m sorry. Do you wanna come over here? I’ve got AC, and working appliances.”
Tommy looks at him skeptically.
He’s hot, but he could still murder me. But cold air…
“Or I could just bring you some ice water, if it helps.”
“Do you mind if I come over there? Just for a bit, I’m boiling in mine,” Tommy would never ask if he wasn’t genuinely a few degrees away from moving to the fucking poles.
“Of course, man. Come on,” He holds out an arm.
Tommy sets the pastries on the edge of his railing, confused. “Sorry, what?”
“Come on, just hop the fences. You can make it.”
Tommy’s just met this man, and he’s already invited him to his home, offered him food, and now wants him to hop over the gap between them, which is at least far enough a fall to seriously injure him. Red flags all over. Still, Tommy hikes one leg over his railing, and then the other. The space isn’t that far to cross, it’s only about the size of a normal step anyway, but the height adds a strange shakiness to his legs and he can’t bring himself to move. He feels his fingers slipping from their position on the barrier, and he wishes it wasn’t so fucking hot and sweaty.
Will must sense his nerves, or maybe Tommy’s just really obvious, because he takes one of Tommy’s arms into his grasp and steadies him. “You’re halfway there, mate. Just step across. You won’t fall.”
Tommy makes the step, and immediately feels stupid for even worrying about it. “Thank you,” He mutters sheepishly.
“Don’t worry about it,” Will laughs again. The only word Tommy can think of to describe him is bright. Tommy grabs the container and follows him inside.
As soon as he’s inside, Tommy’s in heaven. He’s hit with a strong wind of cool air, and it smells amazing in this room. “Someone looks happy,” Will jokes.
Tommy takes in his own position, arms out and head back, and giggles along with him. “Feels so good. You have no idea, I’ve been suffocating in there.”
“I bet.” Will turns away in favor of tidying his living room, picking up a few dishes.
“Is it always this cold in your place?” Tommy asks. After the initial adjustment, he realizes this level of cool air would get just as terrible pretty quickly.
“I keep it pretty cold in here. I can’t stand sleeping in the heat, and being sweaty has got to be one of my least favorite feelings in the world.”
Tommy nods in agreement. “Fair.”
“You can take a seat, or help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” He points to the open doorway, and Tommy sees the familiar counters from before. “I have some work to do, but I’ll be right there at the table if you need me.”
Will disappears into what Tommy assumes is the dining room, and the teen sneaks a water bottle from the refrigerator before going back to the living room. He finds himself getting almost cold now, so he wraps himself up in a purple blanket and lays down on the sofa. He feels very intrusive and out of place in this stranger’s house, but also somehow like he’s at home. Something about the brunette is so warm and inviting, so comforting, that he lets himself relax in the strange environment. After all, so much has happened in the last week, he deserves a minute to feel at ease, doesn’t he? The soft sound of typing echoes through the home and sings Tommy to a new kind of sleep.
When the blonde wakes, the first thing he notices is the time. He can see that it’s now dark, so it’s got to be about 9:00, and he came over here about 3:30. He adjusts himself, uncomfortable in his stiff jeans and t-shirt. His phone is digging into his side through his pocket, and he wonders how the hell he fell asleep in the first place.
Will is sitting on the floor, leaning against his coffee table as he watches a movie. Tommy feels a pang of guilt when he realizes he’d been taking up the sofa, and he sits up to wipe his eyes and stretch.
“Oh,” Will says softly. “Good morning. You worried me a bit, thought we might actually have someone die here.”
Tommy smiles at the reference, and yawns. “Yeah, thank you. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“No worries, I can tell you needed it. And you’ve probably got a lot on your plate right about now.”
Tommy nods, because really he does. He’s moving quite far from home for the first time, and it’s going horribly, not to mention how badly work is going. He’s worked from home for a few months now, and they just happened to raise the workload by a ton as he’s making a huge life change.
“I appreciate it a lot, though. Haven’t been able to get any fuckin’ sleep at mine.” He wonders for a second if maybe he shouldn’t have sworn right now, but the man seems unfazed.
“You’re welcome to stay out here if you need. Or take some water, or anything you need.”
Tommy can’t fathom why Will is being so kind to him. He’s never been treated like this.
“Okay,” Tommy says. “I’ll let you know.”
“Do you want my number in case anything comes up, or you need something?” Will looks desperate. Does he… want Tommy to stay?
“Sure,” He agrees, handing over his phone. “Just add yourself.”
Will takes the phone and types something out, then gives it back. “I’m sorry if I’m coming on a bit strong, I promise I’m not, like, a weirdo. You just look stressed, and honestly I could use the company as well.”
“Oh, I’m not- I didn’t think that,” Tommy laughs. “But yeah, I’ve been swamped recently. And if you ever want the extra visitor, I work from home, I’d be glad to hang here. There’s enough of me to go around.”
Will brings that smile back out, and Tommy’s heart flutters a bit. “That sounds really nice.”
They make small talk for a while, the film filling in the conversation gaps, until Tommy decides to head back to his own home. He needs a shower, and Will looks exhausted. They say their goodbyes, and Will helps Tommy balance as he crosses back to his own place.
For the first time in a while, Tommy falls asleep with something on his mind other than his worries.