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"Now Malleus, we don't bite." Lilia scolded gently. Malleus never had a tendency to bite when he was younger. No, he usually attempted to use fire to solve his problems. Lilia supposed there was a first time for everything.
They were currently sitting on the bed in Malleus' room, somewhere they were sure not to be disturbed. The only people that would dare knock were Silver and Sebek, but they were at Equestrian Club at the moment.
"I don't think my hair is very tasty." Lilia continued, pulling his hair out of Malleus' mouth.
Malleus puffed his cheeks out and blew out a small cloud of fire. Ah. There it was.
"I don't think fire's very good to use, either." Lilia said, poking his son on the nose, which unfortunately did nothing to lessen his cute pout.
If this were just about him, he could handle a little fire, but he didn't want to risk Malleus accidentally setting his brother or Sebek on fire. It could also potentially be bad if he set his room on fire. That wouldn't exactly be good for getting Malleus to be more comfortable regressing around him.
It was quite an adorable coping mechanism, Lilia was honored to be included. He wished Malleus had told him sooner. He was always happy to dote on his family.
He missed being able to take care of his family like he used to. What he really wanted to do was make a home-cooked meal for them, but for some reason, they insisted he didn't. The school also didn't seem too fond of his cooking. Was it really a crime to be creative in the kitchen? The recipes he found were never nutritious enough for his family. If he found one that was suitable he would be happy to follow it like Silver kept insisting.
"Gao gao." Malleus said, still sporting a pout. He wasn't very talkative normally, but even less so when he was feeling small.
Lilia chuckled. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were growling at me."
"Gao gao!" Malleus said in frustration, reaching towards his desk.
"I'll get your pet, my little dragonfly. But you can't bite him, alright?" Malleus seemed determined to bite everything he could get his hands on when he was little. It didn't seem very healthy. Lilia would have to figure something out, maybe his cooking could help the issue somehow.
Malleus pouted again, but nodded. He seemed to do that quite a bit whether he was little or not.
Lilia floated over to Malleus' desk and got his virtual pet out of the drawer. Really, Lilia didn't expect him to keep it for so many years, it was honestly a bit touching. He had gotten it since Malleus had always been lonely, even as a child. That, and it would be good for him to learn how to take care of something.
Lilia sat back on Malleus' bed and went to hand him Gao-Gao Dragon-Kun™, but he then saw Malleus start to open his mouth. Depending on how Lilia handled this, there might be a thunderstorm today.
"You can't bite your pet, you don't want to hurt him, do you?" Lilia tried.
That may have not been the right choice, considering Malleus started tearing up. Much worse than a thunderstorm in Lilia's opinion.
"Come here, dragonfly." Lilia gathered the fae into his arms, who immediately started chewing on his hair. Lilia didn't have the heart to tell him to stop this time.
"I'm not going to tell you to stop, but hair tastes a bit icky, doesn't it? I think it'd be best if I find something more suitable to chew on." It would definitely have to be something sturdy to stand up against Malleus' sharp teeth.
He did have teething toys specifically made for fae when he was young, but he didn't think they had those anymore, and the people at the castle might ask questions if he were to ask for them. He'd just have to find something else.
Suddenly there was the sound of loud footsteps in the lounge, causing Malleus to stop chewing on Lilia's hair and stiffen.
Ah, it seemed Sebek was back from Equestrian Club. Silver was sure to be with him.
"Silver and Sebek won't be bothered by you being like this, Malleus." Lilia was trying to ease him into the idea of telling them, but he wouldn't force him. He just didn't want Malleus to have to feel ashamed of himself or think that they wouldn't accept him.
When Malleus didn't show any signs of replying, Lilia offered, "I can stay a bit longer if you'd like, I don't mind." Usually, Malleus only liked to do this when Sebek and Silver were out, having Lilia leave as soon as they came back. But there was no rule saying it had to be that way.
Malleus sat up and straightened out his uniform. "No need. I'm not in the mood for that sort of thing anymore. You may go greet Sebek and Silver in my stead." Lilia heard 'They'll be wondering where you are.' even if Malleus didn't say it.
"Alright, I'll see you later then." Lilia went to pat Malleus' head, but the latter moved his head away. Really, Malleus was too stubborn sometimes.
It seemed like Lilia had quite a few problems on his hand, but he's dealt with worse before. He was confident he could deal with this, especially if it was for his son.