Chapter Text
Malleus had a problem. A Riddle Roseheart shaped problem. Now that he agreed to help the omega in front of him, Malleus had a conundrum. A small problem one might argue, but as far as Malleus was concerned it was the biggest problem that he had come to face in his time here as a Night Raven student.
He had absolutely no clue what one was supposed to do to help an omega in heat. Malleus may have been 178 years old, but he still only had the most surface level knowledge of omegas from a tome he had read in his family’s library that he was almost certain was older than even his grandmother.
Lilia kept promising to finally explain to him the big deal with heats and ruts, but Lilia had always seemed to clam up and scurry off uncharacteristically whenever Malleus started asking too many questions. It wasn’t as if Malleus had even the first signs of his first rut just yet so it wasn’t as if he needed to know of such matters as they pertained for himself just yet.
However, Malleus felt himself wishing that he had pressed Lilia more for the answers to the questions he had.
Wish he had looked for more recent books.
Wish he actually knew how to help.
Malleus reached out, carefully pulling the shivering omega into his arms; Malleus was surprised Riddle let him. If there was one thing he knew from the few house warden meetings that people had bothered to remember to tell him about it was that Riddle had a pride to rival even his own.
Malleus let his instincts lead him for now, they rarely steered him wrong and it was those instincts that had led him here after all. Malleus winced as he felt how cold Riddle had become during just the few short minutes of their conversation, the flames in his stomach rising up to flicker under his skin without even a thought from him in an attempt to try and warm the shaking omega in his hold.
"You’re cold, are you supposed to be cold? What made you wander outside anyways? If I’m not mistaken, proper protocol during a heat is for one to remain with their pack? From what I have read it is a pack’s duty to aid an omega through their heat and provide them with a safe haven during their heat?” Malleus questioned.
Malleus couldn’t help but give into the instinct as he gently ran his hands through Riddle’s hair as he waited for him to answer, his nails sharpening against his behest into sharp claws that much more suited the beast that lurked inside him than the form that he currently held caged inside him.
Malleus frowned, Riddle’s silence prickling at his nerves. “Do you wish for me to bring you to Clover? That Vice-House warden of yours is part of your pack is he not?”
"No!” Riddle snapped. Malleus felt his shoulders sag as he finally got a response from Riddle, unable to help the way his heart spluttered.Very few ever talked to him like that before without finding themselves set a blaze, but for whatever reason he couldn’t help but find the rudeness endearing coming from the fiery tea-pot tyrant.
Malleus knew Lilia would have his hide for it, but he couldn’t help but want to make off with the short red-head and keep him all to himself. To smother the omega and keep him from ever feeling cold again. To make him the crown jewel of his hoard.
Malleus sighed, he was doing that thing again. Humans didn’t understand matters of the fae, they didn’t understand and Malleus couldn’t just kidnap every human that caught his eyes like he had Lilia, Silver, and Sebek as Lilia often had to remind the young dragon.
"Okay. I don’t know why you don’t want the help of your pack, but if you do not wish me to bring you to them then I shall respect those wishes. Please, just tell me how I can help,” Malleus said quickly as he realized the silence had probably dragged on too long. Malleus couldn’t help but scold himself.
Stop plotting to kidnap people who have captured your curiosity, especially someone you just promised to help, and focus on actually helping them!
Malleus hated how useless he felt. He wanted so badly to help. Malleus had never felt so out of his depth before. Malleus didn’t know how to help, but he wanted to so badly it made his chest burn.
Malleus stared down at Riddle, feeling more like the useless overgrown lizard that Leona often called him with every passing moment. Riddle remained quiet, seemingly deep in thought as he tugged at his pajama shirt like he wanted to tear it off, his pajama robe long having slipped off.
“I need you to get me away from here. You have to make sure… make sure that no one sees me like this. No one can know, they can’t. Promise me?” Riddle hissed demandingly, grasping onto Malleus shirt tight enough it probably would have tore if it had not been made out of Briar Valley linens made to withstand a dragon’s temper.
Malleus nodded, but internally he was sighing. Malleus was going to have to break another promise to Lilia.
It was times like this that Malleus was glad his human form didn’t have his tail; it would probably be busy embarrassing him right now with how much it would be wagging if it was visible right now.
Malleus was a dragon after all, and dragons never let their treasures go once they get them. Especially when the treasure was begging him so adorably to be taken away and hoarded like all treasures should be.
He knew Sebek would have a stroke, but Malleus thought he’d be quite happy to let this fiery tyrant of hearts tell him what to do. It was rare after all that someone was so blase about ordering him around like this without a hint of fear. Riddle may not have known it yet, but Malleus was keeping him; Riddle was just too cute not to keep.