Chapter Text
Riddle did not know what fate had in store for him.
The boy decided that, since he was the house warden after all, he could indulge in one – a single one, not more or he would be falling into the territory of being too self-indulgent and thus break a rule – luxury.
The house wardens’ bath.
Every house warden had their own bathroom, a little separate from the communal ones in the dorms.
They had a small mirror in their houses that only they – and people that they had given the key to – could access.
Usually, Riddle wouldn’t let anyone else use it, not being a big fan of germs and granting his protégés wishes, but there was one exception.
Trey Clover.
His vice house warden.
And childhood friend.
And maybe, just maybe, he was one of his crushes.
Riddle didn’t like thinking about it too much.
His mother had drilled it into him since he was a child. Love was dangerous and a distraction.
Still, he fell for his friend.
His friend, who baked strawberry treats just for him, if he noticed Riddle starting to skip meals or was stressed.
Trey, who never truly badmouthed him and indulged him in his wildest whims.
Trey, who didn’t tell the teachers when a flamingo snuck into Riddle’s room to cuddle, and he didn’t have the heart to send it away.
There were so many occasions that the red head could think of that made his heart swell and butterflies erupt in his belly.
So when he’d asked if he was allowed to use the warden’s bathroom because the communal one was too noisy, Riddle didn’t think anything of it.
He was actually glad that Trey trusted him enough to ask him for something like this, revealing vulnerability.
But now he was regretting it.
He was just stepping inside when he heard the noise.
Some wet sound.
Riddle couldn’t really categorize it.
At first he wanted to shrug it off, preparing to ask if it was Trey and if everything was alright, but then a voice spoke up.
“Cater.” That was Trey. There was no mistaking it.
“Mhm?” That was Cater.
Riddle’s heart hammered in his chest.
Cater.
Here.
In the wardens’ bath corridor?
In the Heartslabyul private bath?
“We need to stop.”
“I know.”
Another noise.
Then the words that made Riddle’s word fall apart.
“What if Riddle comes in? He doesn’t know I brought you here.”
“What of it?”
Another noise and now he could finally sort it into a category.
That was kissing.
And not just the innocent pecks Riddle gave his hedgehogs or flamingos.
This was making-out-kissing.
His stomach turned and bile rose in his throat.
“I want to tell him myself.”
“Why? If he sees us, he sees us.”
“But it could make him uncomfortable.”
“True, but just one more.”
Riddle took a step back.
Then another.
A weird sound left both the boys.
The suggestiveness of it all made him want to curl up.
Tears welled in his eyes, and he had to keep his scent from getting lose from under his used patches. They weren’t allowed to notice him being there.
He’d ruin everything.
They were obviously together, even if he wanted to be a part of their relationship, wanted to be wrapped in Cater’s lemon, sunshine and leather as well as Trey’s Christmasy spice and cedarwood scent, they obviously didn’t want him.
A cruel laugh bubbled in his throat, but he kept quiet.
His mother was right.
Who would want him? He was too rough, too high-maintenance. He demanded a lot from the people around himself and even more from himself. He covered his scent unless he was completely alone and never let anyone else close enough to get to know it or his second gender. Not even Trey or Chen’ya. Vil was an exception, but he found out about Riddle's second gender through rather unfortunate circumstances.
Who would want a failure of an omega like him?
Trey and Cater were strong alphas. They were so much more mature, they’d probably want someone soft, someone mellow, who knew how to care for people without showing thorns. Someone that could care for them in the way they needed them to.
Water sloshing ripped him out of his head.
“Come on, it’s getting late. We’ve been here for hours.”
Cater groaned. “As if you didn’t enjoy my kisses.”
“It’s not like I didn’t, but if Riddle catches us, it’ll be off with our heads.”
The red head swallowed. Was that what they still thought of him? Even after he improved after his overblot?
Cater chuckled. “You’re right, wouldn’t want him to go all cray-cray on Cay-Cay, would we?”
Riddle turned around and ran.
Down the hall, past the doors.
There was a staircase at the end of the wardens’ bath corridor that led to the roof.
He needed air, needed to disappear.
Then he ran into something solid, almost falling.
Hands caught his arms, keeping him on his feet.
His skin crawled at the contact.
Ripping himself away, he stumbled back.
His body didn’t even register anything, but alpha for a moment.
Then the scent hit.
Rain and wet dark forest.
It could only be one person.
His face whipped up to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.
His heard stopped.
Malleus Draconia.
He couldn’t even apologize, because the only sound that would leave him, if he opened his mouth, was a sob.
“Rosehearts? Are you alright?” the alpha’s hands extended once more, but Riddle evaded them, stepping back.
The other house warden bent down, trying to see his face.
Riddle tried to quickly dart around him, but the fae stepped in his way once more.
“Hey? What happened?”
The smaller boy made a pivot and managed to slip under his arm, sprinting down the corridor.
Only to find green flames flaring up in front of him and his way being blocked by Malleus once again.
He looked over the taller’s shoulder.
The door was only a few metres away.
“What is going on here?”
Hot savannah scent washed over him, added with a small pinch of spices.
Leona Kingscholar.
Not another one. Riddle lamented.
“Something is wrong.” Malleus took his eyes off him for a second, his gaze darting to the other warden.
Leona stepped closer, trying to see through Riddle’s hair covering his face.
The only sound that left him was a small sniffle, but Leona heard it.
The older boys’ eyes met, and Riddle took that moment to escape, darting between them towards the door.
A hand slammed into the wall next to his head and the next thing he knew was that he was cornered.
His back was curled into the corner next to the exit and another warden’s bathroom.
A whimper left him.
Why couldn’t they leave him alone? Could they not let him overcome his misery on his own?
Then their questions started.
What happened?
Was he alright?
Did someone do something?
Were his hormones jumbled?
Was a spell on him?
Was someone in his bathroom?
Did someone invade his space?
Did someone try to do something while he was-
Someone cleared their throat behind the two alphas and their heads snapped around.
Vil was standing in the middle of the hall behind them, wrapped in his purple bathrobe. His arms were crossed, his hip cocked to the side and his expression was murderous.
“Can someone explain to me what is taking place here?”
Malleus was the first to answer. “Something happened and he won’t tell us what.”
Vil huffed, his arms gesturing around in the air. “Of course he won’t! Do you even see what you’re doing? You’re basically suffocating him with your alpha scent! Not to mention your position. How can you not see what this looks like?”
Leona got defensive. “If something has happened, then we need to know. He tried to run and we just followed him to make sure he’s okay.”
“Really? Because to me it seems like two grown alphas are cornering a defenceless person that is already in distress.” Vil’s expression was hard, his gaze lethal.
They all knew that Riddle could take them on and that he was everything but helpless, but at a moment of emotional agony none of them could have used their magic at their usual level.
Both alphas looked at each other before slowly turning to the boy they’d cornered.
The redhead was obviously having such a moment.
Riddle had slid down against the wall, pressing his back into the corner and curling up tightly. His knees were close to his chest, and his arms were covering his head. His face was buried in his knees and his elbows rested on them, covering every vulnerable part of himself.
Vil carefully went closer, Leona and Malleus taking a step back to let him pass. The older omega sat down next to Riddle, but didn’t touch him, staying out of his space.
It was obvious that Riddle was in distress, his responses more instinctual and his usual composure nowhere to be seen. The only thing the blonde could do was make sure that he didn’t drop.
Something had happened, but this was not the time to figure it out.
Vil looked him over.
He was obviously preparing to head to the baths, wrapped in his Heartslabyul bathrobe and his feet bare. He must have lost his slippers while running.
Vil gave the alphas a hard look. “Leave.”
“Look-”
“Listen. We-”
Both began to explain themselves, taking a step closer.
But it was too close for Riddle.
A fearful whisper rang out. “Off with your heads.”
A small tinkling sound filled the hallway.
All three older house wardens paused.
Vil stared at the two standing students.
Leona and Malleus turned to look at each other, then, very slowly, tilted their heads down and brought an arm up to touch the collars now adorning their necks.
Vil also gazed down, but only the other two had received Riddle’s signature spell. It seemed that since he was an omega as well, Riddle didn’t perceive him as a threat. He was glad that they’d built enough trust during the last year that the younger boy didn’t collar him as well.
“Leave.” He repeated. Vil had enough on his hands with calming the younger boy down without two alphas staring down at them.
They seemed to now understand that Riddle was in a state where he couldn’t differentiate perceived threat from real threat and slowly walked backwards.
Vil sighed in relief when they were out of sight.
He gasped when a small green flame burst to life in front of their feet, but quickly calmed when it vanished, leaving a small red, black and white bath basket and Heartlabyul slippers in their wake.
A small smile made its way onto his face before his gaze returned to the boy at his side.
“Riddle? Sweetheart?”
Silence.
Carefully, Vil slid himself closer, lifting a hand towards Riddle.
He made sure to always have his hand in his field of vision, not wanting to surprise him.
His hand made contact and the other didn’t react badly.
A sigh of relief left him.
Sliding his hand from his shoulder to his back, he rubbed his hand up and down the smaller omega’s spine.
There was still no noise.
Sighing, he placed a spell on the items in front of him to float after them. Then he slid his arms around Riddle and lifted him up.
Vil hated it, but due to Riddle always being high-strung and putting duty before health he often skipped meals, making him easy to carry. This was the first and last time that he would be grateful for that.
He stepped into his bathroom, walking deeper inside until he reached the daybed on the far side of the pool. Thankfully the curtains were open, so he only needed to place Riddle inside the nest he’d built there.
Turning around, he headed to the door once more, intending to close it.
That’s when he heard a noise in the hall.
Peeking his head out, he saw Trey just rounding the corner to the mirror that was the exit.
He narrowed his eyes, knowing that something with that clover must have been the trigger to Riddle’s state.
Closing the door, he returned to his friend’s side.
Vil didn’t bother with logic and let instinct guide him.
He embraced Riddle from behind, wrapping his arms around his curled-up figure. Then he hooked his chin over his shoulder and gently nuzzled his cheek, lightly scenting him in the process. Apples and violets washed over them in a comforting hug.
Then he noticed that Riddle still wore his patches and collar hidden under his uniform.
He wouldn’t remove them, since it could trigger him dissociating, but he’d have to after he got the boy out of distress.
Vil stayed like that, not moving.
After what felt like hours a small whine left Riddle.
The blonde froze for a moment before nuzzling him and starting to hum and sway.
A whimper.
Expected in this scenario.
Then the first deeper breath, a sign that Riddle’s consciousness returned and the instinctual state was slowly dissipating.
“Vil?”
“Rosebud.” It was one of Vil’s nicknames for Riddle after they’d gotten closer.
The redhead turned around, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his shoulder.
The blonde wrapped one arm around his back, pulling him closer, and the other around his shoulders, resting a hand on the back of his neck and head, his fingers carding through the soft, red hair.
“I got you. Just don’t drop.”
“I won’t.”
“I know.”
It was rare that they could allow themselves to be this soft. Especially as house wardens.
The only other times Vil allowed himself such behaviour was with his boyfriend, Rook.
But since they were the only two omega house wardens – even if nobody knew Riddle was an omega –, they had a special connection.
Riddle had just become house warden when Vil found out that he was an omega as well. It was an accident. Some alpha of Heartslabyul was flaunting his scent among his friends and claiming that he could get anyone on their knees.
Riddle had run, since he, of course, would fall under an alpha command. Nobody was allowed to know.
He’d collapsed in a corner of the school where people usually didn’t pass by. It was a staircase to the old astronomy department.
He was breathing heavily, trying to keep the whine building up in his throat in.
His head tilted down and he was clutching his neck. Why was he getting cramps? It didn’t make sense. He was on suppressants and his heat had fallen into the last holidays. A whimper left him.
Pathetic. That’s why mother always tells you to work on your self-discipline! Can’t even withstand one alpha command. What are you? Some weak damsel in distress?
He might not have been a damsel, but he sure felt very distressed.
Steps were heard, but he couldn’t find the energy to move. His body felt heavy and his belly told him that if he dared to try and straighten up, he would pass out from pain.
“Oh.” A soft voice reached his ears.
Looking up, he was met with Vil, the Pomefiore house warden.
It only took the older boy a second to understand the situation and he quickly wrapped his outer coat around Riddle.
“I don’t need your help.” He gritted through his teeth.
Vil only clicked his tongue. “You are barely out of being a pup. Stop acting so high and mighty and let me be generous.”
The blonde somehow managed to usher him into one of the empty rooms along the staircase, quickly locking the door.
“A mirror. A mirror.” He looked around. “Ah. There.”
Vil quickly hexed it, using it as a portal to his personal chambers.
Lifting Riddle, who was concerningly light now that he was thinking about it, he stepped through.
The first thing he needed was additional blankets and scent cleanser. The poor boy reeked of alpha, and not the pleasant kind. It was a mix between old gasoline and burning flames fuelled by chemicals. The only reason he was even able to identify the stench was because he was excellent when it came to chemistry and potions.
How had Riddle not thrown up already?
Spraying the smaller omega – because Vil was sure that he was one as well – he quickly got him out of his stuffy uniform and left him in his pants and long undershirt.
Next he prepared some cotton pads with block-remover. He needed to get it off of Riddle’s scent glands before they either got infected or they’d make his distress worse.
“Riddle? Little rose, I have to touch your neck now, okay?”
Slowly, he brought his hand closer, but the moment the cotton pad touched his neck he flinched away violently and started shaking.
“Riddle, it’s me, Vil. It’s okay.”
“No. Please.”
Vil huffed. Riddle was obviously out of it, not feeling safe.
The blonde decided to take the risk and came closer with his wrist, holding it under his nose. Apple and violets flowed freely around them, and he shushed the smaller boy softly.
“It’s okay. You’re here, you’re in my nest. You’re safe.”
Something seemed to shift in those grey eyes and a wave of relief washed over Vil when he sorted it. His consciousness came back from its drawn back state during distress.
Slowly he brought the cotton pad closer again and successfully wiped the cream away and took off the collar.
The scent of wild roses and strawberries greeted him. It wasn’t like the contained ones the school had, no, Riddle smelled like the truly wild ones that could only be found in untouched nature.
Even Vil’s body unconsciously relaxed into it, now truly sure that the redhead wasn’t a threat and instead someone that needed help of a more experienced omega.
“What did that beast do to you?”
“Alpha command.”
“What?” Vil froze. An alpha command? On school grounds? But wasn’t that prohibited?
Rage bubbled in him, but he squashed it down. This was more important.
No wonder Riddle was in such a state. From what he could tell that alpha first used his scent to make the people around him pliant and then used a command to truly make them submit.
And poor Riddle was caught in the crossfire.
“I got away before it took hold. It wasn’t even aimed, just bragging among alphas.”
That made it worse. Resisting, especially when recently presented, was difficult and often painful, particularly if there was not a close person that could override it. Vil had Rook, who regularly scented him and they were in a relationship, so Vil had a shield against such instances, but Riddle? He had no one. Trey and Cater were too distant for something demanding as much trust as that.
“You need to submit now, or the cramps will worsen. Your body will go into drop.”
“What?!” grey-blue eyes shot to him, but he could only nod.
“Do it now, you’re safe with me. Then everything will be fine.”
Riddle took a deep breath, his whole body tensing before he let the force overtake it.
His knees dropped from his chest, his shoulders sank from their raised position, his chin lowered and his head turned to the side, fully baring his neck.
Vil’s stomach turned. He hoped nobody else was caught in that net like Riddle was.
A few seconds passed and then it happened all at once.
Riddle’s muscles unclenched and all tension drained from him.
He dropped to the side, completely limp.
Vil bent over, careful to not be directly above the redhead, and looked at his face.
His expression was empty, devoid of everything.
Then a whisper reached him.
“Mother was right. I am pathetic.”
His heart dropped.
What did that woman tell Riddle?
He scooped the other boy up, brushing his hair out of his face.
“That was good. It’s over now. Let’s get you back to your dorm and to your nest.”
Riddle tensed.
Then he looked around, as if only now noticing where they were.
“You have a nest in your dorm, right?” Vil asked. A foreboding feeling bubbled in his stomach.
Riddle looked down, as if ashamed, and shook his head.
“I don’t.”
“But- You have one at home, right? You have some scented stuff from your friends and family in your room just in case and some blankets for a makeshift one.” The blonde was incredulous.
“No. My mother forbids it.”
“WHY?” Vil wanted to rip his hair out. Even the thought of not having one distressed him.
“Mother says that listening to my biology is weak and that I shouldn’t pamper myself, lest I grow lenient and self-indulgent. She says that just because I am an omega does not mean I can have extra luxuries.”
But a nest wasn’t a luxury. A luxury was a special bed or a separate room, but not one in and of itself.
Vil wanted to say something, but it seemed like an invisible wall had been broken down.
“Mother says that the craving for comfort that I experienced after I entered puberty was just a figment of my imagination and that I am being dramatic. She says that I am an omega just like in those horror stories – needy, whiny, dramatic and self-absorbed. She says I can’t ever find a mate, because it distracts me from my studies and will make me fail in life. Romance is not something that I should be aiming for, since it will only disappoint me. Not to mention that a mate would want pups, but I don’t like intimacy in that way. Further, she says that I am a horrible son, since she prepared everything for me being either an alpha or a beta, but I had to be an omega. Someone who leeches off the emotional stability of their surroundings and is controlled by emotions – not that I think that’s true, I think alphas are the ones truly led by emotional outbursts, but mother says I am too impulsive and break rules too often, like to not make noise when I have cramps or I am sick.”
Vil didn’t even want to know what his home life was like. The stories the redhead told him turned his stomach.
The blonde didn’t know how long they’d sat there before Riddle suddenly straightened up, his posture returning to his usual straight back and squared shoulders.
“Vil-senpai, I am incredibly sorry that you had to witness my state. I will get out of your hair now. I would be grateful if you would be so kind and keep my status as omega a secret and would also ask you to refrain from mentioning anything of this incident ever again.”
The redhead was just turning to make his escape, when he grabbed his arm.
“Not so quickly.” He softened his strict tone, something in him telling him to be careful about his next words. “Do you even have a safe space?”
Vil didn’t want to offer his own, they weren’t that close, but he also couldn’t let the young boy rush off and not have a private, reassuring area where there was little risk of anything distressing him.
“I have my room.”
He rolled his eyes. This wasn’t what he meant and Riddle knew it.
“Do you have something even close to a nest or that does the same thing?”
Grey eyes looked at him in puzzlement. “Mother says I don’t need a nest. It is a liability and makes me dependent. She didn’t raise me in such a manner.”
Just what had that woman told him? Vil really was tempted to take his shoulders and shake him.
“A nest is not a liability; it is a necessity. It helps us regulate our hormones, our emotional and psychological well-being. Not to mention that our bodies can unconsciously register it as safe space and reduce stress and risk of dropping or going into distress when we are in it.”
Riddle still seemed hesitant.
“Come on, let’s go to your room and we’ll see what we can work with. I’m sure you have some form of nest, even if you don’t know it.”
Vil was sure that on some subconscious level Riddle had built one in his dorm. It was natural for them after all.
But when they stepped inside, the room seemed almost sterile. Everything was neat and tidy, books stacked, folders sorted, even the pencils were perfectly aligned in their cases.
There was not a single picture on the walls.
Not a single plant.
His eyes fell on the big fauteuil in the corner of the room, next to the giant bay window that had a big space in front of it.
If this was Vil’s room he would have already built one there, but when he looked at it, it was empty. There wasn’t even a cushion to sit on, only the wood of the windowsill – or rather window board.
The soft plush chair had a single pillow on it and the bed had one pillow and blanket.
Not even a stuffed animal was in sight.
It was almost uncomfortable with how impersonal it seemed. If someone new moved in tomorrow they wouldn’t even know that someone else had been living here.
He hesitantly turned to the smaller boy. “Riddle?”
“Hm?”
“Please tell me that you have an extra blanket somewhere. Or a stuffed animal. Or anything soft.”
Riddle blushed and reluctantly opened his wardrobe.
A single, baby pink hedgehog plush was pulled out.
It was the perfect size for Riddle to curl around it.
Vil smiled. At least an item of comfort.
“I only ever take it out when I have thrown up because of cramps.”
The blonde’s smiled dropped as fast as it had appeared.
“Why?”
“If my mother knew that I kept this, she would throw it away. She also sent the hedgehogs that I kept in the garden away.”
Years ago, Riddle had found one of the hedgehogs, seeing that it was injured. Since his mother was a doctor, he had some medical knowledge even at a young age. He quickly wrapped the small animal up and made a makeshift house for it to lay inside until it was able to go off alone once more.
Turned out his generosity made the whole family of the animal visit and soon one of them got hoglets. He was somehow dubbed the honorary grandmother of them. They even followed him around, if he was out tending to the flowers.
Then his mother found out and yelled at him for so long that he wished he was never born.
Vil once again asked for the reason.
Mrs Rosehearts seemed to deem any emotional connection as a liability that could stop her son from achieving things academically.
It was sad to hear.
Especially since Vil’s father and grandfather were very doting on him, celebrating his puberty instead of seeing it as a burden.
“My father gifted me this one after I cried myself to sleep that night. He said that I should be able to keep at least one. The one I rescued-” the younger boy seemed to hesitate, stuttering through his words and his eyes darting from Vil to the plush “it- it had the same colour. A soft pink. It wasn’t quite grown yet, but I could tell that even after it would grow into an adult, it would not get the strong pink of most other hedgehogs.”
Vil smiled. Riddle seemed to really care for them.
Then he thought of something he’d heard Cater and Trey say. “Is that why you tend to the flamingos and hedgehogs at the Heartslabyul dorm?”
The redhead nodded.
It was sweet.
He seemed to really have a heart for animals.
Vil put a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll propose something. If it doesn’t work out or you don’t like it, then you can throw all of this out the window or flush it down the drain later on but hear me out.”
The blonde could see Riddle’s scepticism. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t let himself be deterred.
“We build a nest.” Seeing the other open his mouth, he quickly continued. “Together. I will show you how it works. If you don’t like it at the end, then I’ll personally help you tear it apart and put everything where it was.”
Riddle still looked hesitant, fidgeting with his gloves.
It was obvious that he was fighting with himself to break this nonsensical rule of his mother’s.
“Okay. Let’s start small. I need you to gather everything that makes you feel safe or that gives you some form of comfort.”
Grey-blue eyes darted to the work desk, the bookshelves and his bag.
That wouldn’t do and he knew it.
That was why he didn’t say anything, Vil realized.
Riddle didn’t know comfort in the way he did.
For him comfort was routine, work, progress and rules.
But discipline couldn’t be made into a safe space.
Vil sighed softly.
Usually that would have earned a scathing comment from him, asking if Riddle was constipated, but he saw the gravity of the situation.
“Your bed. Does it make you feel safe? I mean the pillow and blanket.”
“I guess.” Riddle dragged out, obviously not sure himself.
Vil knew what he did next usually wouldn’t be considered proper, but he was generous.
Swishing his wand, he summoned his stored nest materials.
“Sometimes my family gifts me things and I redo my nest here at school. These are things I bought myself but never ended up using and that I have stored just in case.”
Riddle nodded, gazing at the pile at their feet.
Vil gave him a small shove and nodded his head towards it. “Go on. Look through it. Whatever you like, take it out and put it aside. We’ll use it later.”
The redhead slowly reached towards it, before pulling his hand back. Vil was ready to shove him into the pile if he was going to argue again, but then he took off his gloves.
The first touch was careful, almost reverent.
Riddle obviously knew just how much this meant.
With slow movements, it was probably the first time Vil would describe Riddle as insecure and hesitant instead of precise and collected, he pulled the fabrics apart and grazed each of them.
It took a while.
But then Riddle folded the first small blanket to put aside.
It was a fluffy, dark red blanket, something between wine and blood red depending on the lightning. Vil had decided that it didn’t fit the aesthetic of his nest, clashing with the other red pieces.
But Riddle’s eyes shone when he touched it.
Next was a small, heart shaped pillow. It was red as well, but softer. The shape was ideal for laying down and using it as cushion to read without neck pain.
An oddly shaped, black and red blanket followed.
Only when Riddle held it up did he realise that it was the shape of a rose. The black parts were the shadows of the petals, making it seem like a real flower.
He set it aside as well.
A white, soft duvet cover caught his eye. It was a cover for his normal one, but the fabric was soft in a way that was usually reserved for old family quilts that were used in the deep winter due to their comfort and safe feeling.
Vil watched as Riddle sorted through his unused materials but noticed a pattern.
The colours were strictly Heartslabyul colours.
Red, white and black.
Not a single other colour was in sight.
Then he saw it.
Riddle’s eyes darting to a deep turquoise blanket. It was beautiful.
A slight shake of the head from the younger boy.
Vil silently pulled it out of the discarded pile and snuck it between the already selected pieces.
A nest was intuition, not strategy, not control or rules. It was meant to be what made them feel safe.
If it was turquoise, then that was that.
Another pillow, this time in the shape of a water lily caught his attention. Riddle’s face tilted to him, as if asking if what he was doing was correct.
Vil gave a single nod in response.
Riddle put it next to the heart pillow.
The blonde noticed that the other tended to let his gaze linger on softer colours. Pastels and the like.
But he never selected them.
His gaze softened.
“Riddle?”
The back of the smaller boy snapped ramrod straight. He seemed to expect punishment.
“You know this is not a school assignment? Whatever feels best for you is what you should select. Not what fits with your status, your dorm or whatever. Just what feels right.”
“But how do I know what feels right?” Riddle whispered defeated. He was watching his hands intently, not looking up.
Vil kneeled down next to him.
“My nest here in Pomefiore is all shades of purple and red, with green accents. It matches our mascot, yes. But that is purely coincidental. Let me tell you a secret.”
He leaned closer, brushing their shoulders. “At home, my nest is an explosion of colours.”
Finally Riddle looked at him. His eyes were wide with disbelief and wonder. “Really?”
Vil smiled. “I wouldn’t believe it either, but I come home to the monstrosity every semester. Every time I see it, I think it looks like a rainbow had had an overblot and a tornado threw it around during it. But it makes me feel safe and at home. Even if I can change it, I don’t want it to be anything different. I want it to look like that, even if it isn’t stylish or perfect. It’s warped, a beast of colours, misaligned in some places and looks like it needs therapy-” a small laugh left both of them “but it is my safe space. The one that gives me the most comfort. So you see – it doesn’t need to follow any logic or what people expect of you. It just has to feel right. And if that is something different from your usual habits or patterns, then it can be. There is no pressure.”
It was rare that Vil admitted being anything less than perfection personified. This little, intimate detail was something he extended in turn for Riddle’s trust and the vulnerability that he’d shown him today.
And so, they reselected.
The mountain of fabrics was rejumbled instead of being separated by colours and Riddle, while keeping the ones he’d already sorted to the side, chose the ones that made something inside himself feel drawn towards them.
A white blanket with different kinds of flowers on it.
A baby blue pillow with yellow, small birds on it.
A pastel pink blanket and pillow set with white stars.
A pale green cushion that was shaped like a leaf.
A pastel purple and white striped square blanket that had flowers embroidered at the edges and along the sides.
Vil noticed another pattern. Riddle gravitated towards flowers and animals. Nature. Softer colours instead of bright ones, deep instead of intense. Things that didn’t scream, didn’t demand attention or seemed strict or controlled, but that were easily overlooked, that were easy on strained eyes and too loud minds. That wouldn’t overstimulate. A balance between pastel and deep. Something that comforted, when the world consisted of plans, logic and discipline. A counterpoint that didn’t demand. That invited without asking and drew in without falling, but with a current that caught and cradled.
At long last they had selected enough.
The next time Riddle looked at him with the helpless gaze that asked if he needed more, Vil shook his head.
“That’s enough for now.”
They stood up and the redhead waited for his next instructions.
It would have been adorable if it wasn’t as sad.
“Where do you like to sit or rest?”
“At my worktable?”
Vil was seconds away from slamming his head into the wall. The only thing keeping his composure was that he was not ruining his impeccable hairstyle. Rook had worked on it for over an hour, and he would not destroy that.
“Where else? What spot do you like to use when you read your favourite books or-” an idea came to his mind. “If you have cramps, where do you curl up? When you get sick and have your hedgehog in your arms.”
Riddle gazed at the bay window corner.
Vil had to admit he had good taste when choosing a spot.
“Great. The window board it is!” he clapped his hands, throwing the materials on the edge of it and hopping up.
He looked at the younger boy expectantly.
Riddle followed slowly, as if unsure of every action.
“Now you take a duvet, in your case the spare one in the closet for when it gets colder. It’ll be the base – that means a cushioning that will soften the bottom. Then we’re going to place, weave and stack all of the things we set aside in a way that feels good to you.”
They laid out the winter quilt and Vil showed Riddle the first steps by taking the biggest selected cushions and blankets and carefully building the side walls.
The smaller omega only watched him at first, but at a prompting look after the first two outer edges were built he carefully also took a blanket and imitated him.
When they were done with the base Vil sat back and just gazed at Riddle, who scrutinized their work.
Then a hum left the redhead.
He leaned forward, fluffing up a pillow to raise the height.
Afterwards he softened the edge, rounding it out and weaving the corner of the base blanket between the folds to not have a single corner stick out.
Vil watched him letting his inner wish for comfort and safety guide him and rearrange it in a way that made it feel like a space just for him.
Riddle switched a light blanket with a darker one.
The base consisted of the deeper colours, like an ocean pulling the spectator into the depths, cradling them safely.
After he was done, he cocked his head to the side, waiting for instructions.
“Good. Now we layer. It isn’t anything grand. Reinforce the walls, cushion a side more, heighten a barrier there. It should feel good. If something feels off, we switch materials or move. The base holds everything together, everything after that is up to you and your preferences of arrangement.”
Riddle nodded, before slowly placing a pillow here and there, putting a second blanket over the far side, keeping the wall by the window rather low in order to be able to look outside, even when laying down, but not be visible from the outside.
Vil worked in sync with the younger omega, adjusting to his patterns of placing his blankets and pillows.
At long last they were almost done.
They carefully climbed out, scrutinising their work.
Riddle bent over, shifting a blanket into a nook that hadn’t been visible before.
Then the redhead went to the bed and retrieved the hedgehog.
The blonde’s eyes softened when he saw that he placed it carefully in the centre of the nest. After positioning it Riddle once pushed his flat palms against the air, as if it was a gesture to say that it would stay there for now.
Taking a step back Vil froze in shock.
They hadn’t just built a cozy little nest in a window nook.
No.
It wasn’t just in any shape.
The nest had the form of a rose.
Riddle Rosehearts had built his first nest in the shape of the flower hidden in his name.
Said boy slowly stepped back to stand beside him and gasped.
When Vil looked down, he saw glassy eyes that, for once, couldn’t hide his emotions.
Riddle was moved.
But then hesitation fell over his features.
It took him a second to understand.
Then he followed his gaze.
The window.
Of course.
Riddle would feel vulnerable if his nest was for everyone to see.
“We can hex the windows to show your empty room instead of what’s truly inside. It will also give you privacy if you want to change quickly and forget to go behind the screen.”
The redhead nodded and let Vil show him the spell before performing it himself.
After that the blonde noticed how something loosened in his shoulders.
It was obvious that something had settled within Riddle.
Vil put a hand on his shoulder and turned to leave, when his voice rang out.
“Thank you.”
He stopped, surprised by the honesty.
He had done something generous, he was aware. Nevertheless, it was something that was almost natural.
That in itself made him pause for a moment.
Natural?
Had he, in the few hours that they’d known each other and got closer, somehow imprinted on Riddle? Marked him as his? It couldn’t be, could it?
But over the course of the next few days Vil would notice how he instantly searched for Riddle when they were in the same room. How he would almost unconsciously let his wrist drift over his shoulder to scent him.
And Riddle?
It seemed to annoy him, but he liked being under Vil’s wing. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to be self-sufficient, independent and confident. But now he was almost relying on the Pomefiore house warden and enjoyed being cared for by him.
Both understood the other’s struggle and didn’t mind the other’s limits.
Vil understood that Riddle acted proper and like he didn’t like his treatment on principle, but the way his breath came just a touch lighter told him the truth.
A week after their encounter he ‘accidentally’ dropped his clean, soft sweater into the younger house warden’s finished laundry basket.
Riddle, on the other hand, showed his care with little gestures. He told himself he was following the rules by repaying kindness with kindness and not owing anyone anything. But the truth was that he also cared about the blonde.
Sometimes Vil would wake up to a small, freshly painted red rose next to his mirror or a new tea blend that was excellent in his opinion and perfectly suited his tastes.
Neither acknowledged the small gestures, but both knew they were there.
❦❦❦
That was how their friendship started.
They were rather distant, small gestures of care hidden under the name of curtesy. Pride had kept them quiet.
After the overblots things changed.
Both learned to express themselves better.
Riddle learned to be softer, even if he only allowed himself to be vulnerable with a select few people.
Vil learned that perfection was not always required, that he was allowed to just be himself without worrying about his image or reputation. That there was beauty in the ordinary and dishevelled.
When they had a moment to themselves after the mess that was the house wardens’ overblots, they were just hugging for a long time. Vil was curled around Riddle, both of them shaking, processing the shock of what had happened. Both cried, but neither admitted it. That was also the first time Vil smelled Riddle’s true scent without blockers, distress or any foreign ones clinging to him. It was still wild roses and strawberries, but there was something beneath it. It took a second before it registered, but it made him smile instantly. Vanilla. It somehow fit. While wild and regal, underneath was something soft and vulnerable.
When it was time to go home again the Pomefiore house warden used a mirror to leave a small gift.
A single, small plush flamingo that had a strawberry hat and vest, along with a small basket of plush strawberries that was strapped to its back and could be taken off.
In return, right before he turned to leave for the holidays, a small, violet teddy bear that had a crown and a cape, along with a hair pin tucked into the collar of it, had appeared on his table.
Vil knew who it was from.
Neither said a word nor acknowledged that the stuffed animals were scented.
Now Vil was sitting with Riddle in his nest in the warden’s bathroom.
The redhead still only had one, but Vil liked to have a small safe space wherever he went, and his private bathroom was not an exception. Also, it was gigantic. Who wouldn’t use the couch put in it to make themselves comfortable?
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Riddle took a shaky breath before nodding.
Vil let him turn around and they sat face to face.
The younger boy’s grey-blue eyes were fixed on his hands fidgeting in his lap.
“I- I like someone.”
He waited, knowing there was more to it.
“Or rather someones.”
Vil nodded, having anticipated that.
“I- I wanted to take a bath. And when I entered there were noises.”
A gasp left the blonde and he put a hand in front of his mouth. He had a hunch and was fearing it becoming reality.
“I- I wanted to call out, not sure who it was. But there is only one person that has a key, other than me. Trey. My- my vice. And my best friend. But then I understood what those sounds were and there were voices. Trey and Cater. And they were kissing. Saying that they needed to stop in case I came and that I would go crazy if I saw them. Not to mention them wanting to keep their relationship from me.”
The older omega already felt awful. Walking in on two friends was never pleasant. He couldn’t even fathom how Riddle was feeling, hearing them joke about his overblot and issues after trying to help him overcome them. It was unlike them. Even if they didn’t mean it, the damage was already done.
Winding his arms around him tighter, he pulled Riddle into his chest.
The boy let him.
Curled into him even tighter even.
It broke his heart.