Chapter Text
Yuu stepped nervously through the mirror, looking around at Diasomnia’s dorm. It had been a warm, sunny day back on campus, but here the wind pulled at their uniform jacket with the force of impending rain. Yuu hadn’t gotten used to the strange feeling of taking a single step into a totally different climate and suspected they never would. They looked down to tuck the paper they were carrying into the inner pocket of their jacket just in case, and immediately walked straight into someone. “Ow! Uh, sorry I wasn’t looking where-hey wait a minute! I’d recognize those horns anywhere! Hornton!” The tall and somewhat bewildered looking boy looked down at Yuu, opening and closing his mouth.
“I-you-What?” He eventually managed.
“Remember the other night? You were lurking outside my dorm and you said to call you whatever I wanted, so I’m calling Hornton. Unless, of course, you want to share your actual name?”
“…Hornton is fine. Is there something you need here?” Nodding vigorously, Yuu pulled the paper they had just finished tucking away back out.
“Yeah, actually. I got a schedule of the next few housewarden meetings and I wanted to give them to Malleus since he’s apparently missed a bunch of them, do you know where he is?” Hornton, who had just managed to regain some of his composure, lost it again.
“He’s-uh-he’s out. I can take a message?”
“Oh, I’d rather give it to him directly, will he be back soon?”
“No! I mean, no. He’ll be gone all day. You shouldn’t bother waiting. You could give the schedule to the vice housewarden though?” Yuu looked where Hornton pointed, and recognized the young looking junior from the Spelldrive tournament.
“Thanks, I’ll do that!” Yuu jogged over to Diasomnia’s vice housewarden, schedule in hand. “Hey, VanRouge, right? I have the schedule for the next few prefect meetings, can you give them to Malleus for me?”
Lilia looked at Yuu, then at the schedule, then at Hornton, then back at Yuu. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like I’m too old for this and took the paper. “Very well. I’ll be sure to deliver this.” Lilia looked like he was trying to make up his mind whether to question any of this, but Yuu was already running back toward the mirror before he could decide.
“Bye, Hornton, I have other stuff to do, but we should totally hang out some time! You’re always welcome to lurk outside my dorm if you like, by the way!” Lilia watched the human go, and resolved to ask anyway.
“So, Housewarden…What on Twisted Wonderland was that about?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out myself…”
The next day after class, Yuu went straight to the housewarden meeting. Headmage Crowley had initially protested, but as Yuu had pointed out, if he made Yuu the Ramshackle Housewarden By Default in order to foist more work on them, that meant they had a right to attend the meetings with all the other prefects. In the end, he stopped complaining when Yuu turned out to be just as good at forcing people to cooperate in meetings as they were in life-or-death situations, and Crowley had started actively inviting them.
That was how Yuu had got the schedule to give Malleus. They weren’t entirely sure how or why everyone kept “forgetting” to invite him to these things, but it was getting ridiculous and it was going to stop. It would have stopped a lot sooner if they had any idea what the Diasomnia housewarden looked like beyond “tall” and “intimidating.” They hoped that his vice wouldn’t forget, but from what they remembered of him, he seemed responsible enough.
Yuu’s musings were interrupted by footsteps, and a collective sharp intake of breath around them. Malleus must have arrived. They looked up to greet him, and startled when they noticed a familiar face underneath familiar horns. “Hornton!?”
Riddle choked on his tea next to them. “Yuu!? What are you- That’s Malleus Draconia! You can’t just- Hornton!???” He stopped, as if deciding he didn’t actually want to know Yuu’s thought process, and took a deep swig of tea. Around them, Yuu noticed the other housewardens reacting with varying levels of shock. Kalim seemed as sunny as ever, and Leona was asleep, but everyone else seemed to be frantically trying to figure out who had invited Malleus, occasionally attempting to be discreet about it. Even the headmaster looked discomfited. So much for “forgetting.”
As for Malleus himself, he looked disappointed, in the familiar way where Yuu could tell he was probably as upset for expecting any better as he was for the rude reception. They had been planning to force everyone to sit down and move straight on to the meeting before they could collect themselves, but now they felt bad for subjecting Malleus to this. They remembered similar experiences all too well not to feel the secondhand sting of rejection. Yuu recalled how reluctant he had seemed to divulge his identity, even in the face of the stupidest nickname they could make Grim come up with, and noticed how he avoided their eyes now that all the cards were on the table. They couldn’t fix this entire situation, but they could try to give him an out on the Hornton thing.
“GASP! Hornton never said you were his identical twin brother!”
Riddle choked on his tea again. Ok, so maybe not their best idea. This definitely wasn’t going to-“Uh, yes. You must be the one my…brother…met a few nights ago. I apologize on his behalf. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Huh. So maybe this could work.