The Monsters in Our Heads || Tom Riddle x Reader

THE BEGINING

Wool's Orphanage, Autumn, 1934, Tom

                         The autumn winds were cooler on the edge of the cliff. They could smell the salinity of the ocean as the cliff they sat on overlooked the deep sea. Tom only saw this place from afar when he's 'thinking' in the attic and the attic only presented him a yellow-blurred image of the scenery. He stooped over the edge to peak at the jagged rocks that the waves break upon, the details of the scenery that was dulled by the attic. He observed the lattice of black rocks built up into architectures of boulders as it stands against the ocean.

The clashing of waves that once choreographed Tom's thoughts now drew him in every time as he watched the swirls, foams and crashes. His urge to jump into the dark abyss strengths as the sounds of the roaring waves echoed in his mind. Tom imagined the serenity if he jumped into the waves, how the cold body of water would warm his cold heart. How he, and the ocean, will become one as the water-filled him up, taking away all his senses and rendering his body as a shell of all things miserable. His burning pains along his arms would heal and the chemical that pools under his skin would leave his body as he drifts along with the movement of the sea.

Tom looked to the side and saw the silver-haired girl staring into the same ocean he was staring at. Y/N's little hands were warm in his little hands as they sat on the grassy cliff. She'd been quiet since they got to the cliff, she asked about the scars prior, and he refused to tell her.

"You shouldn't show your powers in front of the other kids," she finally muttered but she didn't look at him. Tom continued to stare at her features, her blue eyes were dark like sapphire and it slowly started to swirl back into a pale blue. Her silver hair was softly blown back by the winds and her slightly curly bangs framed her rounder face. And her face, although lively, was always devoid of colour. Tom and Y/N can clearly be identified as the same type of people by the others, how they are at a similar height, fair with charming features and how both their hairs are styled to be parted on the side. They were two pretty besties—"did you hear me, Tom," she repeated, now she turned and gave him a stern look.

"What can they prove? That I can throw people around with my mind?" Tom gently chuckled as he breathed. "Mrs. Cole would deem them mad."

"Tom," one of her eyebrows shot up as she glared at him.

"What?" He laughed.

"Please, they could send you away." Tom's softly smirk slowly drew back to a soft smile as he shifted himself completely to face the girl who pleaded.

"Why would that matter to you?" His lips arched again as he questioned. He always wondered anyway, what is his place in her mind?

"Why would you ask such stupid questions, Tom Riddle?"

"Because I want to know, Athanasia L/N," she starred back at the sea and Tom saw her eyes glisten as the tears pooled up again in her large eyes. It always puzzled Tom, he could never read her. She would laugh at things that most children cry at, and cry at things to which most children smile upon.

"Would it matter to you if I...left?" Y/N was normally a bit sadder than the other kids at the orphanage but Tom just took it as adjusting to parentless, just like all the new kids at the orphanage. 

They all look miserable and Tom was glad he didn't have to go through that, he can't even remember the face of his mother. Tom wasn't confident with what she's miserable about either, it had been nearly a year and, what could she possibly have at home that's not as good as the company of Tom Riddle...right? 

This time, Y/N was a bit different from the usual sad, as her eyebrows drew together again...it was a frequent expression she drew when she was puzzled or saddened and Tom noticed, but he was a bit more bothered about how she didn't answer his question.

"Why didn't you answer my question?" His voice wasn't as friendly as it would normally be. "Where would you go without me anyway?"

"I'm not going anywhere without you, you know that."

"I just wanted to hear it," he smiled weakly, it was what he wanted to hear... but his lips didn't automatically bounce into a smile like he always would. The strings that held up his heart snapped as his heart sank deep down his stomach and this dreading feeling made Tom feel pathetic. 

It wasn't the feeling he thought he would feel. Y/N looked sadly down at her legs as they both sulked in silence. She didn't follow up on her question and Tom was glad...he wouldn't have known what to say. 

Wool's Orphanage, Autumn, 1934, Y/N

                                 Y/N's forehead grew sore as her eyebrows drew together from confusion. Tom's scars seemed strange and foreign...she couldn't help but wonder about what the muggles were capable of...and why, of all people, are they hurting Tom. Is it because they knew he was magical? It frustrated her that Tom doesn't want to tell her anything...and how if she wanted to find out anything about him, she had to use methods. 

She let out a sigh and fell softly down onto his lap. His small yet slender fingers stroked softly through her silk hair as she stared up at his now relaxed eyes. Tom's slender eyes smouldered from the sun as he bent closer to her face, tracing her eyebrows with his fingers, smoothing both of their chaotic minds. The wind gently messes up Tom's hair as he shielded the wind for her, and she looked up at his honey eyes that shined a shimmering gold.

Seeming to sense that Y/N was cold, Tom pulled Y/N into his arms as they both laid down. Tom knew she would be too proud to say she needed him. At this moment, they felt as though they were in the centre of the universe and things would form around them.

Y/N liked it when Tom became the one stationary element that keeps her grounded from her thoughts. How things ordinary and extraordinary would stretch Y/N's conscious thoughts into abstract forms, yet Tom would always be here...on this cliff that foresees the ocean, nagging her about how she 'should've worn more clothes, otherwise, she would catch a cold...."

However, his mocking smirks flashed back into her mind as his replies echoed in her head.

"Where would you go without me anyway?"

His lips were curved into a smirk with his words but his eyes remained cold, to cover the fact that he's scared perhaps, but to also project his worry, anxiety and most importantly, his threats.

"If you really want to know what he's thinking, I can teach you," the soft words of Siri flowed through Y/N's mind, causing her body to tense and the back of her hair to spike up. "Only you can hear my whispers, my lady." Y/N slowly looked back up at Tom to check and Tom hugged her tighter, thinking she was seeking his warmth. "The skill is called legilimency, it's a skill that is ought to be taught to you," Siri continued.

"We'll start tomorrow morning," Y/N gently replied in her head, to which, Siri beamed.

In all honesty, Y/N didn't want to look into his mind. Of course, she needed to know who was hurting him...but she wanted Tom to want to tell her.

She didn't want to get to know Tom too well either. 

Caring for Tom felt like she was setting herself up for heartbreak because there's a possibility that Tom can't come with her when she leaves. All the plans that she brainstormed can't ensure Tom's safety.

So what's the point of caring so much about him when I'm going to leave him?

Tom's only an equipment of entertainment in this cold orphanage...someone to accompany her at times...right?

Y/N's eyes started to tingle from the winds so she turned around and pressed herself into Tom's chest. As her grip around his shoulders tightened ...she didn't know that her eyes would hurt this much when the icy cold winds blew into her extra-watery eyes...