ethereal | tom riddle.

sickness

a/n: I was gonna make this morning sickness but then I don't want everyone to run away, bc not what you think it is; i find this cringe like the first half but like oh well also a reminder for the voices in your head to be British

Eliza was feeling better by the end of the week. When Tom deemed her well enough to attend classes, she had a sinking feeling of not wanting to fine. She liked when he came up every break to see her, gave her all that attention and kissed her every once in a while.

Eliza had gone down to the library to catch up on her studies by reading the notes that Tom had written for her. Poppy Parkinson was at the entrance just leaving the Great Hall from dinner when she saw Eliza heading back.

"I heard you were sick." Poppy started off as she stood in front of her little group, all the girls looking Eliza up and down and whispering to each other. Poppy leaned in close to whisper in Eliza's ear. "Morning sickness?" Parkinson tilted her innocently, as though genuinely concerned.

"What?" Eliza frowned. "Why would I be sick in the mornings?"

Poppy gave her a slow look up and down, and then said, "You tell me." Her group following her, they left, and Eliza remained confused.

Thinking it was rather rude of Poppy to say something so strange to her, she went back to the Slytherin common room and then straight into Tom's dorm. She walked in to see Theo, Rosier, Orion, Zabini, Brax and Tom having one of their meeting. They boys stopped their intense discussion as she came in.

"Oh good, you're all here. Poppy just said the strangest thing to me." Eliza sat on the bed as they all turned to look at her. Unbothered by the fact that she had interrupted their meeting, she continued as the boys looked at Tom to make sure that it was fine. He didn't look at them, and they all took it as a hint to pay attention to Eliza. "I was walking in the corridor, minding my own business perfectly fine, and then she comes up to me and asks me if I had was sick in the mornings."

At this, the boys exchanged a look with each other, a sudden awkward feeling settling as they realised where this was going.

She, however, continued without realising. "And she did it in the strangest way, leaning in all whisper-y. And then I asked her why she would ask me that, and then she looked me up and down and said 'you tell me'. Like if I could, I would not have asked?" Eliza let out a frustrated huff, finally looking around the room to see the expressions of their faces. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Theodore sighed, a pitying look in his eyes as he looked at Eliza. "Okay, there has been a rumour of sorts going around school that-," he paused, looking at Tom, who's face remained expressionless looking at Eliza as Theo spoke. "That you are- uh- with child."

Eliza's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" As it usually did when she was confused or shocked, her voice went higher.

"And when a woman is with child," Orion went on, clearing his throat. "Then, she tends to have morning sickness."

"Like sick in-," Eliza began to ask, but Rosier interjected.

"Sick as in throwing up in the morning."

Eliza just sat there looking at their faces in some level of confusion and also slight fear about having to throw up all the time when with child. Tom remained silent, and she looked up at him as though wanting to make sure that they were not playing a cruel joke on her.

"Love, it's alright. It only goes on for around a month or two." Abraxas said, in a pathetic attempt to be reassuring.

"TWO MONTHS?!" Eliza screamed.

"Alright, everyone out." Tom sighed, instructing the rest of them to leave so he could deal with her alone. "Even you, Abraxas."

They gave her one last look before leaving the room without another word.

Tom came and sat in front of Eliza, who was watching the boys leave the room one by one until the door finally shut. She turned to him, her forehead tense. "Why are you so worried about this now?" Tom asked, his voice gentle as it gets.

"Well, I do want children, Tom. Eventually, at least."

This was not the conversation Tom was prepared for, being something he disliked talking about more than marriage. "Are you sure? They are ridiculously agitating."

"I want children." She said again but slower this time, more like a plea as she held his gaze. "I will do everything on my own, you wouldn't have to care for them. But, please."

"Darling, it's extremely perilous a task. The morning sickness is not even close to the worst of it."

"I do not care. I will make peace with whatever it is I need to do. Not right now, but eventually. Please." She was nearly begging him now, as he held a hand of hers, looking down.

"You would not reconsider." He didn't ask it as a question, but rather saying it as a realisation.

"I would not reconsider." She said without any hint of doubt.

"I suppose our children could be made tolerable." He said finally, sighing in defeat he wasn't used to facing.

Eliza nearly cried in joy, throwing her arms around him, hugging him tighter than she'd ever hugged anyone before. Tom found himself reciprocating the hug just a little- wrapping his arms around her waist and putting his chin on her head. She felt safe there, believing that there was no greater compromise a person could make.

"Thank you." She smiled pulling back to see his face.

"I would not do this for anyone else." Tom responded.

Hearing him say that fixed back her day, making her even more excited that she would be with him of all people.

He was her future and she loved that.

*
a/n: i feel like most Wattpad readers ive seen absolutely dislike the idea of children but babies are so cute

(please don't attack me)