The Role Of A Lifetime

A/N: The prompt was “how much did you drink?” and “how did you get in here?” for Beth and Tom.

***
It’s a bit crowded and also very, very loud in The Abbey Tavern Pub in Kentish Town. Tom, Beth, Matt, Steph, Liesa, Daniel and Will may have something to do with it. It’s been a bit of a crazy night that will certainly turn out to be a special one. A night they’ll always remember. Okay, maybe it won’t be as special as their wedding night – at least that’s what Beth hopes – but it’ll possibly be a night Tom will later tell everyone about. Remembering who he spent it with and how it’s all started. That is, of course, if the movie turns out to be a success.

Wow. Loki. Beth can’t really believe it. Doesn’t really know what to make of it, either. A comicbook-movie, Tom’s told her, when he went to Los Angeles for the castings. Apparently, it’s been a good thing he basically spent all of 2008 with one Kenneth Branagh.

They’re all in the pub together, initially to distract Tom from worrying about the role too much. They’ve already been several drinks in when Tom’s phone rang. And then he startled everyone in the pub with a loud shout, an actual “Whoop” with a fist in the air and all. It’s been apparent what happened. He got the role. They all began shouting then, hugging him close – every one of them at the same time – and after a few minutes Tom grabbed Beth by the hands and dragged her outside. They didn’t do much there, just sat together on the sidewalk, the occasional giggle leaving them. They held hands, snuggled against each other, kissed, whispered “I love you”s and then eventually went inside again.

Beth hasn’t seen Tom since.

“Where’s that husband of mine? The big Hollywood actor, the famous one?” she asks a dancing Steph and Liesa on the makeshift dancefloor, after she’s come back from the loo. They giggle together, still unable to actually believe this.

“Haven’t seen him!” Liesa shouts back. “But if you go looking for him, can you search for Daniel and Will as well?”

With a nod Beth turns. One hand raised she makes her way to the backrooms. There’s not much there, but the boys – yes, on nights like these they’re definitely boys instead of men – have to be somewhere, right?

And there she spots them, Daniel and Will, but without Tom. So much for that. They don’t recognise her and there are several people between them, so she doesn’t have the chance to stop them. But they’ve made their way from the door she’s pretty sure leads outside. Whatever the hell they’ve done there.

But outside she’s not greeted by much. Then she sees the shed, bins and empty bottles in front of it. The door is slightly ajar, and Beth sighs. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she mumbles under her breath and opens the door wide when she reaches the small outside room made of wood.

There he is. Sat on top of three beverage crates, his feet tapping on the ground, humming a song that’s only in his head. She shakes her head. That might have been one or two drinks too many.

“Libbyyyyyy!” Tom shouts when he sees her in the shed, but he doesn’t make any efforts to stand up. Probably better.

“How did you get in here?”

He opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it again. And then, finally, he just shrugs. “I have no idea whatsoever, lovely lady.”

She snickers. “Tom, love, really now?”

“Yup.” He nods. Then nods some more. Then holds onto the top crate beneath him, and groans. “Really what now?”

“You’re a bit silly right now.” Beth approaches anyway. Of course, she does, how could she ever not? He might be drunk and silly, but he’s her drunk and silly husband. And he’s not just that. He’s also adorable.

When she’s reached him, just in the moment she stops in between his legs and smiles at his attempt at a seductive glance her way, and just when his large hands grab her hips and pull her closer, Beth’s phone beeps with an incoming message.

‘He’s in the shed’ is the helpful hint she now gets from Liesa.

‘I know. Found him. We’re going to leave now.’

That’s the plan anyway. And they’re going to go. Really. As soon as Tom lets go of her hips, and as soon as she gets him to stand and then actually walk. Goodness. This is going to be a journey.

***
And what a journey it is. “Jesus, Tom. How much did you drink?”

It’s been an hour since they left the pub, and just now Beth manages to put Tom to bed. He’s still in his t-shirt and socks (and boxers, he’s left the jeans somewhere between the living-room and the bedroom), and he’s murmuring. Beth doesn’t fully understand everything, but she’s given up to actually make sense of it sometime during the cab ride.

He’s been cute. And cuddly. Beth managed to tell the driver their address and from then on she resigned herself to a lot of hot breath against her neck, much hand holding and the odd ‘Loki…I’m Loki’ and ‘I love you’ in between.

“Lost count,” he finally answers and then just falls backwards. Thank goodness she’s already put the covers aside. “Come to bed? ‘m Loki.”

Beth smiles, though Tom can’t see it, his eyes are already closed. “Coming in a minute. And I know. You’re Loki, and I’m proud of you. I’ll miss you, though,” she adds and she has to admit she’s glad he probably won’t remember the next morning. Hell, probably not in five minutes. She can’t tell him she’s going to miss him. He’ll know anyway, and Beth knows he’ll miss her too. So right now, she’s happy for him. And the rest will show.

“Hm-hm. Miss you.”

See? There it is.

Beth gets ready quickly, before she gets to bed herself she puts a bin next to Tom’s side, though. She has a feeling he’ll need it. As soon as she’s pulled the blanket up to cover both of them, tom moves closer to her, a light snore already on his lips. He hugs her from behind, and Beth hooks their arms together.

“Go to sleep, Tom.”

“Yeah. Love you.”

She smiles. All will be fine, if they love each other, right? “Love you, too.”

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