O R P H I C. [Tom. R × Reader]

32. Bandages.

=🌿=

After we reach it back to Hogwarts, Xander says that he's going to go up to see Professor Dippet, so I reluctantly wave him off as we part ways on the moving stairs. I'm surprised he even still remembers his way around.

Tom stands beside me. I don't know where we're going, and I'm not sure if he has a particular place in mind either. Although, now that Xander's gone, the awkwardness between us has finally set in. I went from never wanting to see him again, to spending almost two hours hiking through a forest with him.

"Is there any place you wanted to go?" Tom asks quietly. "If you're busy, I'll walk you to wherever you need to be... if you want to" He mumbles the last part.

Even though Tom is a stone-faced bastard, for some reason I can't stay mad at him. Something about his oblivious ignorance is flatteringly adorable... even though he's destined to become the ugliest, mercilessly-killing asshole in the Wizarding World.

I think I'd really like for him to just stay Tom. Forever.

"I don't have anywhere I need to be" I mumble, hesitantly taking his hand as we step off from the moving staircase before it moves again and takes us somewhere else.

Tom's blank expression seems to light up a smidge into a little bit less of a blank expression as he looks down at me, squeezing my hand with the embrace of his fingers.

"Would you like to come down to my room, and we can fill eachother in on what's happened? The colossal squid has been hanging around near the Slytherin windows recently" He offers nonchalantly. I look up at him.

"... I missed you." I murmur, he looks down at me, no expression making itself known.

"Don't practice your comedy on me." He snaps. I roll my eyes, letting my hand slip from his.

"Go to hell" I growled. Walking the opposite direction, away from the dungeons. He grabs my wrist, stopping me from leaving his side.

"And leave you here all alone?" He taunts. My jaw tightens and I shake my head.

"Nevermind, I take back what I said. I didn't miss you. I could never." That was a complete and utter lie. Something about my egotistical, chaotic mind is somewhat addicted to this man's toxicity.

He smirks.

"Liar."

"Nevertheless, I think that we should head to the hospital wing to get your wrist redressed. You'd be a bit useless with only one hand" He says, not letting me reply before he pulls me along the corridor to some not moving stairs.

We spent a good amount of time descending swiftly down the stairs from the seventh floor to the first. He leads me down multiple corridors before I speak up.

"You should also tell her that you fainted" I point out. He doesn't even spare me a glance before replying.

"Don't you dare fucking bring that up" He threatens.

"Blimey, fine then. Calm your tits, man" I retort.

"God, do you ever shut up?" He complains, irritated.

"Unfortunately not." I grin. 

I begin to slack behind, having let go of Tom's hand. The exhaustion from the walk all the way out to the greenhouse and back has finally started to get to me, and so is the realization that Juniper is now gone. Already. I wasn't with him for very long, but I managed to create an emotional attachment anyway. The joints in my legs burn as I fall further behind.

"Come on.." Tom sighs, placing a hand at the small of my back as he ignores the questioning glances from the surrounding students. He leads me down from the seventh to the to the first floor, and along to the infirmary. 

The madame welcomes us in, and sits me down, Tom, refusing to sit beside me, stands near the foot of the bed as the matron carefully unwraps my wrist of the dirty, already-unraveled bandages. I gape at my red wrist. It looks as though it's recovering from a bad sunburn. The skin is blistering and peeling. It honestly looks disgusting. 

I see Tom in my peripheral vision leaning to get a good view of the wounded area. It wasn't long before it started to burn viciously, and the peeling skin began to flake rapidly. I hiss as she hurriedly re-wraps my wrist up, secure and tight.

"There we go." Madam grins, looking proud of her work. Tom takes my uninjured hand loosely.

"Ah, I see you've been taking good care of yours, Mr. Riddle" She reaches to take his bandaged hand, but he pulls it away from her reach, tucking it behind his back, before casually carrying on the conversation.

"When do you think these will be fully healed to the point where we can remove the dressing?" He asks, his voice void of emotion, as usual.

"I couldn't attempt a guess! Only time will tell" She replies, I can feel the irritation in his tense grip on my hand before it loosens again.

"Anywho.. any news on your circumstances?" The nurse asks, sitting on the empty bed across from us. I begin to speak, but Tom immediately cuts me off.

"No. Thank you." He says coldly, pulling me to my feet.

"O-oh.. okay then. See you, dears!" She smiles kindly as Tom pulls me back towards the exit.

"Thank you, Ma'am. Goodbye" I call before the doors close behind us and Tom drags me down to the ground floor, slowing as we approach the entrance to the great hall.

"Did you want to eat anything before we go down?" He asks, looking down at me as we come to halt.

"Not really..." I rub my arm, even though I'm hungry, I don't feel like entering a hall full of watching eyes at the moment.

"It wasn't a question." He mutters. I glare up at him.

"It literally was a question." I retort sourly.

"Well it's not anymore. I can even go in and grab something, you can wait here" He offers, I grip his hand as a burst of newfound anxiety courses through my veins. A new fear of being alone engraving itself into my brain. I don't want Tom to leave me here by myself. I don't want anything like that to happen again.

He must sense my hesitation as he sighs, gripping my hand back, and using his other to pull out his wand, uttering the accio spell under his breath as a random plate flies towards us, stopping in front of me.

A yelp of protest can be heard as a sixth year female jumps up, her gaze shooting around looking for her plate.

"Tom!" I hiss, attempting not to giggle as I desperately pull Tom away from the entrance, and out of her view with her food in hand.

"Hurry, let's go" He mumbles, as though he didn't just steal someones food. I scoff, trying not let out my laughter as we head to the dungeons.

=🌿=