Chapter Text
The rest of the meeting had gone…fine, Malleus supposed. It was mostly just checking in with everyone before final exams started, but every time anyone had gotten too off track, especially if it was about Malleus or his house, Yuu had reigned the culprits in. Sometimes with a pointed remark, occasionally with just a glare, and once by texting Shroud’s brother to mute his microphone. It had made the whole experience surprisingly bearable. The bigger surprise was after meeting, when Rosehearts had come over to “apologize for his previous negligence,” and to invite him to the next week’s meeting. Malleus had already received over a month’s worth of invitations from Yuu and told Rosehearts as much. He nodded, looking completely unsurprised, and turned back to scold Yuu over some rule involving their tie. That was the last time Malleus had seen them, and it was almost a week ago.
He had tried to visit them the next day, but he just couldn’t shake his younger guard, who had glued himself to his side and wouldn’t stop yelling about having the honor of escorting the great Lord Malleus. Malleus probably could have tried to see Yuu anyway, but, well–that would mean subjecting them to Sebek, and anyway the invitation had been for “Hornton,” not for “Lord Malleus.” Then there had been the exams, and after that the inevitable group of freshman who had been taken in by Ashengrotto’s promises and now insisted on trying to get him to intervene somehow. Malleus didn’t think Yuu had signed anything, if for no other reason than because they had no magic to offer as collateral, but he couldn’t help but ask his petitioners if they had seen Yuu at the café anyway. He mostly got responses like “Who?” and “Was you-of course I was at the café! Don’t you see the stupid anemone!?” Eventually, though, someone seemed to know who he meant.
“Wait, you mean that unmagical nutcase who fought the Savanaclaw housewarden, don’t you? Eek! I-I mean-yes! Uh-no! I’ve seen them, I don’t know if they have a contract!” Once he amended his question to ask about “that nonmagical freshman from the Spelldrive tournament” almost everyone in the dorm knew who he meant, whether because of their role in saving Diasomnia’s team from the stampede, or for standing their ground against the Overblotted Kingscholar, or just for getting knocked out by a stray disk in the exhibition match. Yuu certainly had a reputation, though Malleus struggled to define it as good or bad. Eventually he managed to gather that no, Yuu didn’t have an anemone, but their cat did, and they seemed ready to fight someone about it. Probably Ashengrotto. Finally, almost two days after the exam, Malleus was able to make time to visit Ramshackle House and talk to Yuu himself.
All the lights were on for some reason. The dorm was busier than he had ever seen it, and for a moment he wondered if Yuu was too busy with whatever this was to humor him, until he heard slow footsteps behind him. “Oh hey, evening, Malleus. Haven’t seen you around!”
“It’s Hornton, actually. Malleus is back at Diasomnia.” The instant the words left his mouth he winced at the obvious lie. He could feel Yuu’s eyes searching his expression for…something–he wasn’t sure what–until they responded.
“Okay… Well, evening Hornton. I would invite you in, but I kinda can’t use the dorm right now, I just came here out of habit. Lucky I ran into you, huh?”
As Yuu launched into an abridged telling of how, exactly, they came to bet their house on being able to rob a museum, Malleus took the opportunity to look Yuu over. He had missed it at first, but they looked exhausted, swaying slightly on their feet. That might have also been due to blood loss, since at some point the gash on their forehead from the exhibition match must have reopened, and now their forehead was covered in dried blood. They were also covered in long white hairs, smelled somewhat like the ocean, and were sporting a new bruise on one cheekbone, just under their left eye. “Did the eels do that too?”
“Which? Oh, no, that was some Savanaclaw douche. Leona made me fight a whole bunch of them before he’d let me crash in his dorm. Shoulda just taken Ace’s floor…” Malleus was struck by a sudden urge to invite Yuu to stay in his dorm instead, but he swallowed the offer before it could pass his lips. Who knew how they would react to something so forward? In any case, it would immediately expose the bizarre lie he had just told about his “twin.” On the other hand, they obviously disliked their current situation, and them sleeping on the floor of Heartslabyul rubbed him the wrong way. He could definitely think of something to maintain the ruse. “So after sunset tomorrow, you’ll need a more permanent residence…” Almost immediately Malleus could see he’d said the wrong thing. Yuu glared up at him, offended into alertness.
“Excuse you! I’m not losing Ramshackle! I just need to think of something!”
They probably could do it, had achieved even more impressive feats not too long ago even, but they would need to think of something clever in less than a day, with very little rest. Malleus was reasonably sure he knew exactly what It’s A Deal’s weakness was, but would just telling Yuu also offend them? He had offended a fair number of dorm mates trying to tell them what they needed to do since becoming housewarden, and this might be no different. He cast about for a more subtle way to alert them, and his gaze fell on Ramshackle House’s gargoyles. Perfect. “Incidentally, the walls of this dorm sport some impressive looking gargoyles…”
Later, after Yuu had left, Malleus wondered if maybe his analogy had been too subtle. They were very sleep and/or blood deprived. He attempted to find them to try again, but he had scarcely approached Savanclaw when he was met by the sound of someone very enthusiastically belting out showtunes. Yuu could figure it out on their own. Probably.