Work Text:
Yūken gazed up at the night sky while humming, trying to calm the agitated thoughts in his head. He gripped the windowsill he was sitting on tightly and sighed.
Behind him, inside the room, Grim had just fallen asleep, breathing calmly. Yuken smiled as he turned his head slightly to look at him, unable to help but feel a little peace at the sight of his companion.
"Huh, isn't it a little late for you to be awake?" Yūken heard a voice behind him, so he slowly turned around until he saw Malleus, hanging upside down from the top of the window.
"Good night," the housewarden of Ramshackle replied before asking: "What are you doing here?"
"You know I like to wander around here at night. What are you doing awake?" Malleus stood up straight before sliding down the roof tiles, landing next to Yūken on the windowsill.
"Couldn't sleep," Yūken grimaced before glancing at Malleus's broken horn. "I've had too much on my mind lately. I thought some night air would do me good."
Malleus sighed as he relaxed his shoulders, looking sadly at the housewarden of Ramshackle. When he went to ask what was wrong, however, he heard Yūken humming a melody that left him frozen in place:
"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam," Yūken sang in a whisper, his gaze fixed on his shoes. "And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do...", Yūken took a deep breath before finishing the verse: "You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream".
Meanwhile, the fae listened intently, treasuring every part of the song, which was a beautiful soound, an enchanting melody. Malleus pressed his lips together, and when Yūken started humming again, the housewarden of Diasomnia turned to him and asked,
"What are you singing?"
Yūken interrupted himself, blinked, and answered,
"Nothing, it's just a song I heard when I was little. Why?"
"It's just that...", Malleus looked down and whispered: "It was very much like a lullaby I thought I'd forgotten. I last heard it in person a long time ago, because the last time was truly in a memory, in a shadow of the past", the fae sighed as he brought his knees to his chest, looked sideways at the younger boy and added: "I remember the lyrics differently, but I'm sure the melody was the same. Please, sing it again, Yū".
He tilted his head before smiling and saying:
"How cute. Okay, Tsunotaro, I'll sing again."
"Tsunotaro? You already know my name is Malleus, no need to keep using a nickname."
"Shall I tell you a secret? I've always known your name," Yūken confessed. "Ever since I arrived here, I've heard about a certain 'Malleus Draconia,' belonging to the Diasomnia dorm. When you first started visiting me, I noticed the color of your vest and your mannerisms, so I started putting the pieces together in my head, and when Lilia, dressed in a vest just like yours, offered me your congratulations, with your initials at the end of the letter, I knew it was you, without a doubt. Still, I continued calling you "Tsunotaro" because you liked that nickname, and it made you happy to hear it."
Malleus stared at Yūken in disbelief before he began to sing again, causing the fae to purse his lips and rest his head on the edge of the human's shoulder, careful not to poke any part of his body with his horns. Malleus closed his eyes and smiled, reassured, and unknowingly, having managed to calm Yūken down a little.
-MGGBBRAE