Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Pairing: Tom Petty x Fem!Reader

Genre: Fluff + Angst

Summary: When y/n wakes up in Gainesville, Florida in 1966, she meets someone she never expected to see face to face. 

Additional info:

reader is from L.A., both characters around 16 years old

Chapter Text

Tom's POV:

He heard her before he saw her. Walking down a quiet street he didn't expect to see someone come rustling out from someone's hedge, but out they came. She seemed close enough to his age, maybe around 15, with messy hair and a dazed look on her face. The strange girl looked around as though she didn't know where she was or how she got there. 

"And her clothes are funny, too," thought Tom. She had on some rumpled flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt, like she had just woken up. As he was looking her over, she turned and saw him.

"Oh, hi," she started, obviously nervous, "so uh you saw me come out of there didn't you."

"Erm yeah, guess I did"

"Yeah so, uh about that, um I'm a little lost, you see," she spoke quickly, trying not to seems suspicious, but it wasn't helping. "See I don't really know how I got there, right? And like, if I'm being honest with you I don't know where we are."

"Huh?" was all Tom could think to say. The stranger was acting, well, strange. Very strange. What was she going on about? Gainseville wasn't a particularly big place. Surely she would at least have some idea of where she was?

Y/n's POV:

Y/n was panicking. All she could remember was waking up in someone's back yard and trying to get out without being noticed. The only way that could be accomplished was, unfortunately, through the hedge. When she emerged from the leaves, there was a boy standing on the sidewalk, looking at her as if she had two heads. For a minute, she felt a little offended that he would look at her like that, and then she remembered they just crawled out of someone's bushes in her pajamas. That'd explain it.

The first thing y/n noticed was how similar the boy looked to a young Tom Petty. She had seen pictures of him from his junior year, and the resemblance was uncanny. He seemed to be around 16 years old, with striking blue eyes, blonde hair that was just getting long enough to no longer be considered short, and a kind of crooked smile.  Y/n was a huge Petty fan, and the resemblance was all she could think about until she realized she needed to explain what the guy just saw.

"Oh, hi" well that was a shitty start. Y/n had a habit of speaking rather quickly when nervous. And she was sure as hell nervous right then. 

"Oh fuck I look ridiculous," she thought, "What is he gonna think of me now? I don't think this is salvagable." For whatever reason, y/n hated the idea of the Tom-lookalike leaving. Something about him was just so... She couldn't put their finger on it, but something about him was different, in a very good way. And she wanted him to stay.

"So uh you saw me come out of there didn't you.", she continued.

"Erm yeah, guess I did" he replied. His voice was kind of quiet, almost awkward. Y/n figured he was maybe a bit shy. 

"At least he's still here," y/n thought, hoping for the best, "Maybe he'll be too confused to leave? Like this is a mystery he wants to solve?" It was worth trying. To be fair, it was a mystery to y/n, so any help solving it would be nice. Maybe Tom 2.0 would be willing to lend a hand.

"Yeah so, uh about that, um I'm a little lost, you see," she continued on. "See I don't really know how I got there, right? And like, if I'm being honest with you I don't know where we are." Maybe if he understood how confused y/n felt, the boy would want to stick around. It was worth a shot.

"Huh?" he replied. 

"Fuckkk" thought y/n. She was just about ready to die. This wasn't looking good. 

"Uh, haha, yeah so like," she laughed to try to release the tension but it just felt too awkard, "where am I? Or we I guess. Wait no that would be are. Wait ok so, where are we?"

Just for a second, something flashed across the boy's face. Something between a smile and a look of confusion that settled into a small crease between his eyebrows. 

"Uh, the street sign is just up there," he said slowly, unsure. He pointed vaguely to his right, and y/n turned to look to see if she could recognize the name. She didn't.

Tom's POV:

As he pointed to the street sign, Tom noticed the sun beginning to set over the roofs of the houses. He began to panick slightly as he realized his dad would be expecting him to be home when he got back from work. Tom was supposed to have been home hours ago, seeing as school had let out early this Friday, but with his dad in a particularly bad mood that morning he had decided to stay out longer. If Earl Petty got home before Tom, he'd have hell to pay for it.

A voice asking him another question brought him out of his train of thought.

"I'm sorry, I just don't think I recognize that name. What part of the city are we in?"

"Oh yeah sorry, uh we're on the west side, by the resevoir."

"Resevoir? I hadn't heard of one, I'll have to check it out. What's it called, the L.A. resevoir? The names here are so boring," she began to laugh.

"L.A? What do you mean?" This was getting weird. Hell, it was weird already! She showed up out of the fucking bushes! But now she thought she was in L.A? This girl was really strange.

"Uh yeah L.A. Why? Are we," she paused, now it seemed to be her turn to think he was weird, "not in L.A?"

Chapter Text

Tom's POV:

"No, we're in Gainesville, Florida" This was getting confusing, and Tom knew his dad wasn't getting any further from his home. He had to hurry this up. Suddenly another thought struck him, "If she doesn't even know where she is, how will she have a place to go?" Tom almost didn't recognize the thought as his own. Sure, the girl was nice enough it would seem. And he had to admit there was something charming about the way she looked, even with her hair and clothes all messed up. But still, she was weird! But she was interesting. But weird! But...

Tom didn't really know how or why, but somehow the combination of his increasing anxiety and intrigue with the strange girl led him to decide that if she had no place to go, she could go home with him. Not like that of course, just for a place to stay. There was a room that could be made up to be a small guest room not far from his own. No one would even have to know she was there, he could just sneak some food to her after everyone had gone to bed. And if she wasn't signed up for any school then she couldn't be called in absent.

In the few seconds it had taken him to come up with his plan, the girl had begun pacing quickly.

Y/n's POV:

"No, we're in Gainesville, Florida," said the boy. His face was unreadable, but his tone carried everything y/n needed to know. She could tell he was almost as confused as she was, but she could see that he was genuinely concerned, maybe he even cared a little. Though his expression was unclear, she could see in his eyes that the gears inside his head were working full speed. 

"What is he thinking?" she wondered. Maybe she'd never know. 

"Hell, what am I thinking?" she realized all of a sudden that she'd been so wrapped up in trying not to seem insane that she hadn't taken a moment to think over anything herself.

That was when the panic set in. Her chest felt tight and it was harder to breathe. She could've sworn her heart was beating loud enough for the Tom doppelgänger to hear. Y/n felt as though standing still for any longer would kill her. So she began to pace. Back and forth, over and over. It helped her feel a little better, but she realized it probably didn't help her look any more sane.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tom v2 asked, pulling y/n out of her thoughts. His voice shocked her back to the reality that was the two of them standing out on the street. She was pretty sure she was okay...but was she really?

"Yeah of course," she replied quickly, before she could think too much about it and change her mind. 

"Okay well I just thought maybe like," he continued, "Well" he paused. She realized he didn't know her name. "Shit, I have 0 manners, huh."

"Y/f/n Y/l/n" she responded, trying not to make it awkward somehow.

"Well, Y/n, if there's anything you need some help with, I could maybe lend a hand. If you want." 

Tom's POV:

"Yeah of course," she replied too soon.

Tom knew her hasty answer wasn't true. Sure, he hadn't known the girl for very long, but he could just tell. How, he had no way of knowing. While Tom secretly prided himself on his ability to remain unreadable (he thought it made him more cool and mysterious), he had a way with understanding people. When she had turned from her pacing to respond to him he could see in her eyes that everything was not okay. Not that it would've taken a genius to figure that out. Her gait was stiff, her jaw clenched, her eyes slightly wider than before. He knew that feeling, that deep-seated fear, all too well; he'd felt it before more times than he could count. Which reminded him that he was still running late. At this point he'd have to practically run to get home in time. If he was ever going to offer the girl help he knew he would have to do it then.

"Ok, it's now or never Tom," he thought, "be cool, be nice, don't be creepy."

"Okay well i just thought maybe like. Well," he paused when he realized he didn't know her name. Luckily she caught on practically right away.

"Y/f/n Y/l/n" she said softly, as though trying not to embrass him.

"Well, Y/n, if there's anything you need some help with, I could maybe lend a hand. If you want" he said, a little faster than he'd meant to.

"Oh yeah that was great, reeeeeal cool" 

She paused for a moment. Maybe this wasn't the most well-thought-out plan. Maybe she had everything under control after all and didn't need him or his help. Maybe she would just think he was a creep and tell him to fuck off.  Maybe she could smell his fear. Wait no, that's weird, what? He really needed to calm down. 

After thinking for a second, a smile found its way onto her face. Tom couldn't help but realize that she looked rather pretty like that, with her eyes creased in the corners and her soft features lit up. He could get used to her smile.

"That's really sweet of you," she paused, "wait I'm sorry I don't think I caught your name."

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that, it's Tom," he rushed out, how the hell did he forget to even tell her his name?!

"Well, then, thanks Tom," she replied, her eyes narrowing just a tad. What did that mean? Why would she do that? Why on earth was he panicking at her every move? He couldn't believe how stupid he was acting.

"Hey, you know who you look just like?" she continued, "Tom Petty!"

"Oh well yeah that'd make sense, seeing as that just happens to be my name," he laughed. How did she know him?

She began to laugh. "Fuck that's cute," he thought. He really needed to snap out of it.

"That's great," she continued laughing before resuming, "what's your favorite song?"

"Oh probably 'Johnny B. Goode,'" he responded. That was kind of a random question.

"No, no, sorry I meant your favorite Tom Petty song."

"I don't have any songs, yet."

Chapter Text

Y/n's POV:

"I don't have any songs, yet," he responded, the crease between his brows returning. Y/n paused for a second to reciprocate the look, unsure what to do.

"Hey y'know what, you've probably just got me confused with another guy, 's alright," Tom said, trying to play it cool. "What is he thinking? Did I say something wrong?" she thought. If she had, she didn't know what it could possibly be. "Maybe he just wasn't a fan of Tom Petty? But then why would he make a joke that he is Petty? Wait but does he think I think he's actually Tom Petty? Does he not know who that is?"

"Wait dude what? You don't think I mean you are Petty, do you? He died in like 2017," she responded, trying to keep her voice from sounding mean somehow.

"What the fuck do you mean he died? I'm right here?" he retorted, his voice raising a notch.

"Woah calm down, I think we're both kinda confused here," y/n tried to reconcile with him. Obviously something she had said seemed to tick him off, but what?

Tom's POV:

"Hey y'know what, you've probably just got me confused with another guy, 's alright," Tom said. He tried to play it off, but it seemed a bit obvious he was upset. "Shit" he thought, "now she's gonna think something's wrong." He fidgeted with the end of his hair a bit to seem uninterested. Maybe if it seems like he doesn't think it's a big deal it won't turn into one. Something was wrong though. She obviously got him confused somehow. Not the best way to make an impression with someone. From now on he'd never be Tom, he'd be the guy that looked like...whoever it was she thought he looked like. 

"Wait dude what? You don't think I mean you are Petty, do you?" she responded, her voice sounding condescending. Who did she think he was? He just told her his name after all. Did she think he was lying? What right did she have to tell him he wasn't who he said he was?

"He died in like 2017." Tom was through listening to any more of her bullshit. The words "he died" set him off, and he didn't hear anything past that. After years of being told he might as well have never been born, he sure as hell was going to make it clear that he was alive.

"What the fuck do you mean he died? I'm right here?" he said. He didn't mean to raise his voice, but when he noticed that he had, he figured he might as well. As far as he knew, it would only help drive his point home. Unfortunately, his accidental plan backfired. Her already uneasy demeaner turned frightened. "I'll be damned if I'm gonna scare her away now" he thought. But how could he fix this. 

"Woah calm down, I think we're both kinda confused here," she replied, her voice trying to be calm. 

"I'm calm, I'm calm" he said, looking down at the ground. He was telling the truth, sort of. He wasn't as upset, but he knew he wouldn't be able to calm down completely if he kept looking into her eyes like he had been. The reason being simple, they told everything. "What do you think is going on here? Because I don't know what you're thinking."

"Look, all I said was that you look like Tom Petty," she said, just above a whisper, "I mean I didn't mean it as an insult or anything." She laughed a bit to ease the tension. It didn't work.

"Well, I know that. But I am Tom and I don't know why you're saying I'm dead," Tom questioned.

"But," y/n started, beginning to look just as confused as Tom, "you aren't Tom. Can you be honest with me? Otherwise this isn't going anywhere and I might as well leave now."

"What no, I am Tom, why are you so convinced I'm not?" he asked, his tone darkening again.

"Dude what the hell do you mean? Even if you somehow weren't aware of the fact that he died about 5 years ago, you at least know he's old. He would've been turning 72 this october," she continued on. "Why does she sound so sure of herself when she makes no sense?" he thought.

"No the fuck I'm not, both I mean. Like I'm not old, and I'm not dead either. And why do you know when I'm born?" his voice kept gettin deeper and his accent stronger as he argued.

"Y'know what, fuck this I'm done. You're not taking me seriously so I'll just leave," y/n muttered. She turned to walk away, and Tom was painfully aware she had nowhere to leave to.

Y/n's POV:

"No the fuck I'm not, both I mean. Like I'm not old, and I'm not dead either. And why do you know when I'm born?" Tom said. His voice was darkening, and it scared her. He seemed so nice before, but what now? Would he reach his limit and do something to hurt her? Y/n knew she was in an unfamiliar place with a strage boy and was sure she couldn't have been more scared than she was right then. She decided the best strategy was to remove herself from the situation.

"Y'know what, fuck this I'm done. You're not taking me seriously so I'll just leave," she said, quietly so as to not escalate the situation. She had really thought Tom seemed nice, it sucked to be leaving. Chances were she'd never see him again. But what outweighed her dissapointment in the lost possibility of friendship was the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. Tom had said they were in Gainesville, but now she didn't know if she could trust him. After all, it might have just been part of his whole "I'm Tom Petty" shtick. That was, until she saw a sign for a bus stop a few feet away with the city name on it.

"Hey, Y/n, wait!" she heard Tom call out after she had only taken a couple steps. When she kept walking, he added, softly, "Please."

Y/n couldn't help but stop in her tracks. She was angry with him, that was for sure. But he sounded so genuine, so hurt. "But you're hurt! He's the one messing with you!" she thought, "But you can't leave him like this either, did you even hear how he sounded?"

She decided if she wouldn't continue walking away, she would at least keep her dignity by not turning around to face him. So she came to a stop, and looked at the floor in silence. Hoping, he would make the first move. Apparently noticing she was sticking around a bit longer, he quickly solved that problem. He came around in front of her and sat down on the ground with his legs crossed. 

"I do take you seriously, y/n, please don't leave," he said quietly, "I just don't understand why you won't believe me."

Y/n sighed before responding, "Because Tom Petty is dead. It's 2022, and he died in 2017." Hearing her answer led him to clench his jaw, obviously frustrated, but trying his best to keep cool.

"It's not 2022, and I'm right here," he said. His voice was calm, but he was clearly struggling to keep it that way.

"Alright then Mr. Petty, what year is it?" she asked, sarcastically. Her arms were crossed and she avoided eye contact with him. In a way, she feared what he might say. He had been right about where they were, and that was crazy enough. Maybe he wasn't lying about ...everything else.

"Well Ms. Y/l/n, it's 1966," he stated, "and I should know because I turn 16 this fall and I was born in 1950." 

"Mhm, and I just won the lottery for a million bucks," she replied, not satisfied with his answer, "Sorry bud, but im not buying it." He laughed. He fucking laughed.

"And I'm supposed to buy that you're from 2022?"

Chapter Text

Tom’s POV:

“And I’m supposed to buy that you’re from 2022?” He laughed, only half joking. When y/n simply scowled in response he realized maybe she wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

“Yeah, smartass, because you know it’s true,” she replied. Her voice was painfully monotone.

“I think the problem here is that we both think we’re telling the truth, so the only way to really decide this,” he paused for dramatic effect, “is to prove our points somehow.”

“I’ll go first!,” she burst out, “Now where did I put my phone?”
“Phone? What do you mean?” Tom asked, confused…again. How did she carry it with her? Where was she planning on putting the chord?

“Yeah my phone. Oh! I put it in my back pocket,” y/n said, “here we go.” She pulled out her phone, to the utter bewilderment of Tom. He knew what a phone was, and it definitely was not that.

“Whatdya call that? Weird lookin’ phone if I ever saw one,'' his confusion soon twisted into curiosity, “Where’s the chord?” It looked like no other phone he’d ever seen.

“Ha ha very funny,” she said, obviously not convinced he didn’t know what her phone was, “now here take a look at this calendar.” She took the weird box thing she said was a phone and turned it to face Tom. He looked, and sure enough there was a screen showing a calendar with the year labeled ‘2022.’
“Uh ok yeah that’s pretty good evidence actually,” Tom said slowly, “but the only problem is that I’m still sure I’m right.”

“Hey I know how we can settle this! I’ll ask someone else,” she paused to make annoyingly judgmental eye contact, “someone unbiased.” Tom shrugged and stood up. Appearing to take this as a sign of agreement, Y/n started off towards a young woman with a stroller who was just down on the next block. This was sure to be interesting.

“Excuse me ma’am,” she said, “I’m so sorry to bother you but my friend and I are having a little trouble agreeing on something.” Did she just call him her friend? Hooo boy, was he in it now.

“Of course sweetie, how can I help you?” the young woman replied. She was sweet, and somehow unbothered by their shenanigans. All of a sudden Tom recognized her as a friend of his mother’s.

“Well, this sounds really silly I apologize, but we can’t seem to agree on what year it is,” Y/n said, her face reddening slightly. Tom was proud of his work, he had officially gotten her into an uncomfortable situation- sort of a rite of passage with him. He decided it was an alright time to walk over and join in the conversation now.

“Oh that is a funny argument, it’s 1966 dear,” the woman replied, trying not to laugh. “Oh hi there Tom! How’s Mrs. Petty been? I haven’t heard from your mother in the longest time.”

“Hey Mrs. Jones, my ma’s alright, how’ve you and the baby been?” he replied, ever the gentleman. By the look on her face, he could tell his politeness surprised Y/n.

“Thank you so much for your time ma’am,” she said quickly, “again, I’m so sorry to bother you.” Parting from the woman, Y/n seemed to go through the 5 stages of grief twice. Tom had certainly noticed she was stubborn, and it would seem he would get the pleasure of seeing just how sore of a loser she was.

“So Ms. Y/l/n,” he started, a stupid grin spreading across his face, creasing the corners of his eyes and raising his eyebrows slightly, “how does it feel here in 1966?”

“Shitty,” she responded before mocking, “Mr. Petty.”

“Ah yes, a double win,” he sighed in content. For that he got an elbow to the rib.

“More like double homicide,” y/n huffed, “So I’m in the past, in a different state, with a young Tom Petty.”

“As opposed to an old me?” he quipped.
“As opposed to a dead you,” she deadpanned back. Tom’s joking around wasn’t making her feel any better. He understood why though. She did seem to be very confused. In a weird place and apparently weird time (he figured he’d leave that for later, she had a lot on her plate) and though he wasn’t sure why she was so confused about who he was he could see it was making her upset.

The distant hoot of an owl brought him out of his head and reminded him, once again, of the trouble he was now sure to face at home. Checking his wristwatch, he realized his dad would be home in 10 minutes, and he was a 15 minute walk from home. He’d better leave, and now.

“Look I know you’ve got a lot going on,” he started uneasily, now that the time had come to ask her to go with him he found it very hard to do.

“Oh really?”

“Not now y/l/n. I wanted to ask, since you don't seem like you have anywhere to go and I’ve got to get running home, if you maybe wanted to rent a room at my place for say like $0?” he began to ramble now before she could say no, “See we’ve got a guest room you can use and nobody’ll even know you’re there and I’ll bring you meals, all secret and stuff and we can hang out at night if you get lonely and it’ll be somewhere safe for you to stay. Oh and we have an AC!” Halfway through his rambling a smile found its way into her lips. “Finally,” he thought.

“Tom, as frustrating as you are, you also might just happen to be a lifesaver,” she laughed. Tom thought he could die happy if he just heard her laugh again. It was the. best. sound. ever.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, wanting to make sure.

“Tom, are you kidding me? Of course it’s a yes!”

Chapter Text

Y/n's POV:

"Tom, are you kidding me? Of course it's a yes!" she exclaimed. Now that she had confirmed that Tom was in fact Tom Petty, she could hardly contain her excitement. He was her idol, the man she looked up to most and longed to be like. And now he was here? Her age? Inviting her over? She beamed at him and could see the sentiment returned in his equally large smile.

"Really?" he asked, grinning like a madman. He looked so sweet with his lazy blue eyes brought to life in his excitement. Why he was so excited, she had no clue. She knew why she was happy, but he remained a mystery.

"Yes, really," y/n laughed. Tom just continued to smile back as he put out his hand for her to take (which she did in an instant, afraid the offer might pass) and began to take the first few steps still facing her. A bird flying overhead caught his eye and he seemed to remember something as his smile fell.

"Dammit," he muttered, before looking back at y/n, "Look I'm so sorry but we've really gotta go fast or my dad's gonna kill me." Y/n had learned enough about Tom to know his dad was bad news. If he said they needed to walk faster, she was going to walk faster. Still keeping his grip on her hand, Tom started off speed-walking in the direction of his house, the two kids soon beginning to jog down the street. When they finally arrived at his place about 15 minutes later, there was an old blue car pulled up into the driveway. Y/n wasn't sure if it belonged to Earl Petty, but when she heard Tom curse under his breath once again, her suspicions were confirmed. He pulled his hand to his side to cross his arms in thought.

"Ok y/n, here's the plan. My parents can't see you here, at least my dad. I'm gonna go inside first, and when they're distracted by me, you come sneak in alright?" he asked.

Y/n nodded before asking, "Ok, but where should I go?"

"Now that's a good question," Tom smirked, making her almost certain he was about to tell her to head to his room, "you can just head straight down the hall to your left, and at the end there's a door you can open up and you'll be in the guest room." When y/n nodded once again, Tom patted her shoulder in a very awkward, but somewhat encouraging way. She noticed that he was as lanky as he seemed in pictures and couldn't help but laugh a bit to herself. She stopped though when she saw Tom giving her a funny look. He headed up the walkway to open the door. Sure enough, just as he'd walked inside (leaving the door a smidge open for her to sneak in through), he received a barrage of yelling.

"Tom there you are! It's 6:30 already, what're you thinking staying out so late?" a man's voice rang out, "I thought I told him to be home hours ago, didn't I Kitty?" As much as Y/n wanted to go inside and help Tom, she knew it'd be best to just follow the plan. Especially now, when Earl seemed to be at the height of his distraction.

She quietly walked through the door and shut it, hopping out of sight when she caught a peek of three figures in the family room ahead of her.

She went to the left, just as Tom had said, and there at the end of the hall was the door he had told her of. She was just about to open it when she wondered to herself which of the other 2 doors in the hall belonged to Tom. Finding that one of them seemed to sport a significantly larger amount of various scratches and nicks in the paint, she guessed that the one closer to her was his. This gave her some comfort as she walked in, sounds of arguing still coming from the other room.

The guest room as Tom had called it wasn't much of a bedroom. It seemed to be used more as an oversized closet, with an old twin size bed nestled in the corner, surrounded by various pieces of old furniture and a bookshelf covered with nicknacks. It was dark and dusty inside, seeming to show that nobody really ever came in. Y/n opened the shutters just enough to peek outside. Feeling it was safer to keep them closed, however, she put them back as she'd found them. Having a seat on the bed and looking through an old cook-book she'd found among a stack of chairs, she waited out the evening. For a while, the angry voices kept coming from the family room, but soon enough (after what sounded like dinner), they migrated to the other side of the house.

As the place quieted down, she heard a door opening and careful footsteps coming towards her. She sprung up from the bed and went to hide behind an old armchair, when her door opened revealing a very tired looking Tom. He had a plate in his hands, with what seemed to be the leftovers from dinner. Standing up from her hiding place, y/n went over to him and whispered her thanks to him. He let out a small smile in return, though it was clearly pained. She wondered just what had been said earlier. Nevertheless, she figured it was best to let him be and sat down to eat. He sat down across from her in the armchair, silently waiting as she ate. Looking up every so often, she could see his eyes meeting hers, but quickly looked away each time. She wondered why.

As she ate, Tom's silence felt more and more her fault. Although she knew he was out late even before they had met, she was aware that their arguing had kept him even later. Maybe if he'd never met her, he wouldn't be in this trouble. On the other hand, she knew of his father and that he'd just get in trouble for something else at some other time. Still she felt terrible for causing him so much trouble. He was being so nice to her - giving her a place to stay, even getting her food - and what had she done in return?

Tom's POV:

As she looked up at him, Tom noticed something in her eyes, something resembling guilt. He couldn't imagine why she should feel guilty, so he figured he must be wrong and continued instead to sit in silence with her. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't even want to be there with them. He could hardly talk to her, but at least he could sit with her. He tried so hard to keep up his tough cover, and he didn't understand how his dad could get to him so much. He despised him, for what he did to him, for the way he didn't really care about any of them there in that house, for knowing just what to say to rile him up. And when Tom got upset, the barrage of words grew stronger against him. He was stuck in this loop: get in trouble, get angry, get in trouble. As big as he felt he could be, inside it broke him a little every time his father reprimanded him. Words clouded his head, "useless," "worthless," "pathetic." As the storm in his head grew, he began to believe it. With each day the walls he built were shot down, and he had to go right back to building them up. But this time, this time he felt different. His barriers were down and his emotions scattered, but he didn't want to wall himself in. Not this time. Not with her. It scared him, shook the core he'd taken so long to create, but for whatever reason he knew if he was ever to come undone, he'd want it to be with this new friend. He barely knew her, they'd just met that day after all, but he felt like he'd known her for his whole life. Sure he had a house, but she was a home to him. He was confused. After all, he didn't know a thing about her. What he did know, however, was how she made him feel. Safe, comfortable, maybe even cared for. No, that was going too far. He was getting his hopes up. Tom was sure as soon as she got to know him, y/n wouldn't want to have anything to do with him.

Soon enough she finished her plate, setting it down on the bedside table. Looking back at him, she patted the bed next to her to ask him to sit with her. He did, and instantly regretted it. She was so close, too close. Hadn't he wanted to be close to her? He did, he knew he did, but still he was scared. If he got too comfortable he was liable to break. He had to stay strong, had to stay alert.

This didn't last long, though, when he saw her eyes well up with tears. "Oh no, why is she upset? What did I do?" he worried to himself. She put her head down and tried to discreetly dry her eyes with her sleeve, but Tom beat her to it. He took her hand as she was raising it up and with his other hand he gently turned her head towards him again. Using the sleeve of his shirt he dabbed at her eyes, careful not to press too hard. In the midst of this he didn't notice thetears pricking at his own eyes. But she did. And she gently pushed his hands down to take his face in her own hands.

"Tom," she whispered, "I don't know what he said to you but it doesn't matter." When she saw the puzzled look in his eyes she continued to explain, "I know more about you than you think, and you're one of the best people I know, Tom. You're real good people, don't forget that." At this he felt his last defenses shatter. The tears he'd been holding back began to spill down from his eyes, their clear blue skies becoming dark and stormy. Y/n instantly pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him and rubbing his back like she never planned on letting him go. For the first time in years, he was being held like he'd needed to be for so long. He wrapped an arm around her waist and the other he brought up over her shoulder, keeping his face buried in the crook of her neck. They sat there like that for what felt like forever, but forever had to end and soon enough Tom's tears ran out and he sat back up. Embarrassed by his sudden display of emotions he stood up and faced the wall, unable to look her in the eyes.

"Sorry," he mumbled, feeling gross from crying. She seemed to sense this and stood up as well.

"Tom, do you want to go to sleep now?" she asked, her voice as soft as ever, "You need some rest." He didn't want to leave her now, she was the only thing keeping him from crying again in his room. But how could he stay? Suddenly he remembered the armchair.

"I guess so, but you do too," he started, "Are you gonna be alright? I didn't get to help you, I should've but..." he trailed off. She seemed to know what he meant and frowned slightly at him.

"Tom I'm alright, you weren't, and that's okay," she said, "Right now you're priority #1." As sweet as she was being, she wasn't working with his plan.

"Sure, but I still should've helped you out, are you sure there's nothing I can do?" he asked. He didn't want to sound pushy, he just wanted to stay.

"Tom, you're doing so much for me already," she replied, chuckling a bit.

"Not enough," he said, "Look, how 'bout I stay here with you in case you decide you do need me?" He hoped he wasn't being too forward. From her smile, though, he felt he'd done alright.

"That's alright by me," she mused, "As long as you're comfortable here." He nodded, maybe a bit too quickly, and sat down in the chair. She got in bed and seemed to fall asleep right away. He sat with her for a while more before falling asleep himself.

Y/n's POV:

"That's alright by me," she said, "As long as you're comfortable here." She wanted him to stay, and something told her he wanted the same. He nodded and sat himself down in the armchair by her bed. Laying down in bed, she closed her eyes right away. She knew it would take her a while to fall asleep, but soon she heard Tom's soft snoring and drifted off herself. Her mind was filled with thoughts of time, places, and people. And though it was all very hazy, one thing remained clear. With Tom by her side, she was alright for now.

Chapter Text

A/N: i would like to note that i realize the music would not work without wifi so ignore that ok that's all hope you enjoy!

Y/n's POV:

The sun poking through the blinds on the window warmed y/n's face and convinced her to wake up. She was cozy in bed and the last thing she wanted was to get up, but the sound of people moving around the house kept her from falling back asleep, try as she might. From her room she could hear voices chattering, likely eating breakfast. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes and began to recall the events of the previous day. As vivid as her memories were, she had a hard time believing they were anything more than memories of some strange dream. But when she finally opened her eyes and looked around, the unfamiliar surroundings reminded her that it was all very much real. Glancing at the clock that sat on the shelf, she became aware of two things: it was 8:45a.m. and Tom was nowhere to be seen. Figuring it was probably already passed time for school to start, her confusion dissapated. Soon it was replaced with thoughts of how to spend the day alone in the room. Maybe she'd try to find some cloth and dust a bit? Then after that perhaps she'd pick a book from the shelf (she considered herself very lucky it was so packed with nicknacks) and spend some time reading? As she continued brainstorming, slowly the doorhandle began to turn. She didn't have enough  time to hide before it opened and revealed a disheveled Tom peaking in with one hand over his eyes.

"Hey, are ya decent?" He whisper-yelled. As he stood there, his hair was very much not brushed, the button-down he had over his t-shirt was falling off of one shoulder, and his shoes were untied.

"Uh, yeah, but are you good?" Y/n asked, matching his volume, "No offense Tom, but you look like you just came out of a hurricane." Seeming to understand what she meant, he nodded his head quickly and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah whatever, I was in a bit of a rush to get back here," he replied, his tone easing into teasing and a smirk appearing on his features.

"Ok then, why were you in such a rush? And why are we whispering?" She continued to question. He stepped in the room and closed the door behind him carefully, as if preparing to share his deepest, darkest secrets with her. Stepping gingerly across the creaky floorboards, he took his seat on the bed next to y/n. All the while, his smirk turned into a cocky smile.

"I thought it'd more interesting that way. And, well, if you really hafta know," he said, "I'm skipping school right now."

"I know, Tom," she began to return his smile, "it's almost 9."

"Oh," he said, looking first at the clock and then down at his feet before mumbling something under his breath.

"Well, uh," y/n continued, "is there a reason you're skipping?"

"Oh yeah, uh I want to know why you didn't know what year it was yesterday."

"Well I don't know the answer to that either. I thought it was 2022."

"I- well I did tell you it's not."

"Yeah I know. And I believe you, too. I mean, you wouldn't be here if it was," she laughed. Tom didn't seem to get the joke.

"No but, there's gotta be a reason," he sighed, "Look I don't wanna start saying anyone needs to get their head checked or anything, but 2022? It's just a bit of a stretch y'know?" Y/n understood what he meant. If she had been in his position, she would have felt the same. She moved her gaze away from Tom, the questions in his eyes keeping her from organizing her own thoughts. Why did he have to be so goddamn distracting? 

"I know, I get what you mean," she said, pausing before she continued, "But I know that I'm not going crazy."

"Hey now I never said you were!" He said, raising his hands.

Y/N laughed, "I wish I could just prove it to you somehow."

"That'd be nice, that's for sure."

"Well," y/n glanced at her phone, "now that I think about it, maybe I can." Tom watched as she tapped and swiped at the device, making the display show all sorts of different things. Soon enough, he recognized the faces of the Beatles.

"So if it's '66 now, then I'll bet you've never heard this one!" She said with a proud smile as music began to come out from her device. Tom was shocked. It certainly sounded like the Beatles, he knew that much. But the song was completely unfamiliar to him.

"What...what song is this?" He asked tentatively.

"This is 'A Day in the Life' from Sgt. pepper," Y/N answered.

"Oh, I thought it was the Beatles."

"It is! This album isn't out yet for you, but I thought maybe that might prove I'm from later on." Tom couldn't argue with her logic, it seemed straightforward enough. Now came the hard part: what to do with a time traveler?

Y/N seemed to read his mind, "I know, now you see why I've been so confused."  Tom just nodded, still processing everything. A million questions were racing through his mind, too fast for him to catch. Suddenly one thought become clear to him. "Does she know about my future? The band's future?" He was dying to ask, so he did.

"Well, since you know more about the future than I do..." He started.

"Tom I think I see where this is going-"

"What happens to me?"

"Tom-"

"Do I make it?"

"Tom I can't just-"

"Please? What about my band?"