#munsrequests

“C'mon Artie, jump in!”

Arthur stood, his feet stuck in the sand, waves lapping up to just about under his knees, his arms crossed over his chest.

The sound of people talking and kids playing and splashing farther up the beach mingled with the calls of seabirds and the crash of the waves…

…and out in the water stood Arthur’s boyfriend, motioning for him to join him.

Arthur frowned and took a deep breath, going to take a step forward then hesitated, staring down into the clear, cold water, then out at Lewis, then back down again.

He…didn’t want to go in.

“Eheh, not right now Lew!” he yelled out to his bae, “Maybe later!”

He stepped away from the water’s edge, letting out a shaky, relieved sigh, plopping down under his umbrella and returning to his book, safely away from the crashing waves. He hoped Lewis was having fun, and maybe he’d go back into the shallows later, after lunch. Maybe.

Arthur was reading along quite comfortably when the sunlight filtering down from above dimmed, the confused mechanic looking up, expecting to see a cloud obscuring the sun, but instead saw Lewis, standing in front of him, water dripping off of him, a cunning smile on his face.

“Oh, hey Lew, you come in for lunch?”

“Nope,” he replied, bending down, gently taking Arthur’s book out of his hands, grabbing them half a second later, exclaiming: “I came back for YOU!”

Arthur squeaked with suprise as he was quickly pulled to his feet, Lewis moving back towards the water, tugging Arthur along with him.

Realizing what was going on, Arthur stuttered:

“L-Lewis, c'mon man, it’s almost noon and-”

“Aw, come on Artie, the water’s great! I saw you starting to come in earlier and-”

“L-Let’s just go back and eat, eh?”

“C'mon, it’ll be more fun out here with the both of us…”

Arthur suppressed a whimper: he was up to his waist in the water now, and with Lewis continuing to pull him in, the waves began lapping up against his stomach and now towards his chest and-

“LEWIS, STOP!”

Lewis immeadiately released Arthur’s hands, his magenta eyes widening with terror, the man obviously startled by Arthur’s sudden outburst:

“Holy crap, I’m sorry Artie! I didn’t hurt you, did I? Did you step on a rock or-”

“N-No, no…”

Lewis looked into Arthur’s eyes, the spiky-haired man looking away from him a moment later as a slight red flush began creeping across his cheeks.

“I…I don’t know how to swim.”

They were both silent for a moment before realization crept across Lewis’ face and he spoke, his tone full of apology and concern:

“Holy crap Arthur, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Arthur waved his hand dismissively.

“No no, it’s fine. I should have told you a long time ago, big guy.”

Lewis was silent for a moment, then suggested:

“…let’s head back in.”

Arthur shook his head.

“No, I mean, you can stay out here. I don’t wanna put a damper on your fun. I’ve got a book and maybe I’ll wade through the shallows or something later.”

Arthur gave a reassuring smile, but Lewis frowned: he knew EXACTLY what Arthur was trying to pull.

He stepped forward and gently held one of Arthur’s hands, cupping the side of his much shorter boyfriend’s head with the other. Arthur didn’t look up at him, but did nuzzle into his hand a little, his fingers tightening around Lewis’.

“It’s okay, Arthur, really,” Lewis explained, smiling down at him: Arthur always put such a burden on himself, always felt that he was doing something wrong…

Lewis leaned down, planting a kiss on Arthur’s forehead and pulling him into a gentle, loving embrace.

“Let’s go back in and have lunch, okay?”

“…no.”

“What?”

Lewis looked down, seeing a bright spark of determination lighting up in Arthur’s eyes, the mechanic sounding suprisingly certain as he demanded:

“Teach me how to swim!”

“What?”

Arthur puffed up his chest a little, continuing:

“I’m out here, I feel like doing it…w-we better do it now before I change my mind.”

Arthur gave an affirmative nod, looking up with a slightly worried expression. Lewis tilted his head, then smiled, chuckling good-naturedly, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

He forgot how brave Arthur was at times, and hoped Arthur would come to understand that himself one of these days.

“Alright, first thing’s first,” Lewis said, releasing Arthur’s head and hand, putting on his best teacher voice (or at least, his best impression of what he thought a teacher voice should sound like) and beginning his lesson: “treading water. C'mon.”

Lewis nodded out towards the sea, stepping backwards as Arthur followed, motioning for him to stop and wait a good 10 feet back from him as the water started to get deeper and darker.

“Okay, watch me first.”

Lewis moved back, feeling his feet slide off into the short drop off where the sandbar ended and the open ocean began, gently kicking his legs and moving his arms slowly back and forth, keeping his head above water, explaining as calmly and clearly as possible:

“You kick your legs a little underneath you and move your arms straight out to your side and then back in again, close to your chest, and keep repeating both those motions on a loop: if you do that correctly you’ll keep your head above water, even if you’re in water that’s deeper than you are tall.”

“Re-Really?”

“Yep!”

Lewis swam back to the shallows, planting his feet on the sandy bottom, and approached Arthur, who seemed to understand where this was going…

He shuddered, staring at the vast, wavy sea.

One foot at a time, Arthur said in his head, staring at the spot ahead of him where he water got darker, kick your feet, move your arms back and forth…

“I’ve got you.”

Lewis’ voice right next to his head and Lewis’ hands next to his waist gave Arthur what he needed: he stepped off the edge of the sandbar and-

Panic.

His feet were no longer on solid ground, only cold, dark water, deeper than he’d ever been in before, his eyes snappig shut out of fear, gasping for air. Stay calm, stay calm…

Kick your feet, move your arms. Kick your feet move your arms. KICK YOUR FEET, MOVE YOUR ARMS!

…he heard splashing.

“Whoa, Artie: slower on the arms and make sure you keep ‘em a little below the surface, okay?”

A little below the surface, got it. He felt Lewis’ hands on the sides of his chest now, obviously keeping him in check, afloat. Gotta stay above water: you can do this Artie, he assured himself…

You can do this.

All of a sudden the splashing stopped and he felt his body sink a little. He gasped, opening his eyes: his head was above water, his hands just below the surface, his feet gently kicking, and his body moving fluidly up and down with the small, gentle waves.

“Lewis, am I doing it righ-”

He turned his head, and saw Lewis standing back on the sandbar, an arm’s reach away…his arms at his side.

Arthur’s eyes lit up again.

“I’m doing it?! On my own?!”

“Yep, you’ve got it!”

“OH MY GOD I’M DOING IT!”

Arthur let out a wildly bright and happy laugh, Lewis looking on with an equally bright, exclaiming:

“Told you you could do it.”

“H-How do you swim, though?”

“Whoa, um, okay: one second.”

Arthur moved himself back a bit in the water as Lewis swam in next to him, explaining:

“Okay, so basically what you’re gonna do is take your legs and angle them so they’ll push your body forward in the water…”

“Okay.”

“…then you’re gonna take your arms and do kind of the same thing, but put 'em in front of you and kind of, kind of, um…you know how Mystery swims?”

“Yea, kind of.”

“Just do that.”

“Okay.”

Arthur angled his body in the water a bit, fear creeping up in his eyes for just a moment as a wave crept up his face, close to his mouth, but as it passed he focused again, determined.

Kick your legs, angle your body, swim like Mystery does. Move forward, keep your head above water…

Splish, splash, splish, splash.

Lewis watched, a bit befuddled: Arthur was swimming alright, but had gone so far in emulating Mystery’s swimming gait that he was lifting his hands out of the water and slapping them back in with every stroke.

He coasted up next to Arthur, smiling over at him.

“You don’t have to lift your hands up out of the water every time, just keep going and keep your head above water.”

Arthur kept his head turned forward, adjusting his strokes as Lewis suggested, when he heard something: screaming kids? Close by?

He looked towards the beach, and was awestruck: Lewis’ and his umbrella was far behind them, and they had gone past at least three other groups up the beach, Arthur stopping to tread water and stare.

Lewis floated over to his side, casually planting a little kiss on the side of his boyfriend’s head, chuckling a little at how the water had made Arthur’s spiky hair droop a bit (not that his pompadour was faring much better at this point).

“So, you did it, huh?”

Arthur…slowly came out of his daze, turning to Lewis.

“…yea, I guess I did.”

Lewis smiled, opening his mouth it speak, but whatever he was going to say turned into a loud squeak as a Arthur gave him a little smooch on the nose.

“Couldn’t have done it without you, LewLew.”

Lewis let out another little squeak, ducking his head down into the water to hide his blush as Arthur chuckled.

The two swam side by side for a good long time, and when they finally did get back to their umbrella, they collapsed on top of one another in a big, wet pile, Arthur lazily reaching for their cooler and pulling out him and Lewis’ lunch sandwiches, the two of them eating and relaxing, watching the waves crashing, going out and crashing back in as they curled up under the umbrella, draped in towels and bordering on falling asleep.

“Thanks, Lew,” Arthur mumbled, nuzzling the side of Lewis’ head as they snuggled.

“No problem Arthur, but don’t sell yourself short: what you did today was on your own, I just gave you some direction.”

Lewis gently held Arthur’s hand, giving him a little kiss on the cheek.

“You’re so brave, Arthur. I love you.”

Arthur kissed him back, nuzzling into him more.

“I couldn’t have done it without you, big guy. Love you too.”

Lewis was in shock, to say the least.

Before he could even react he was toppled onto the floor, piled on top of by his lovers, Vivi showering him with tons of little kisses on his neck and face, Lewis catching his breath as she hopped off of him, only to have Arthur flop on top of him next, the man clutching him close and giving him a long, passionate kiss that left Lewis just as winded and flustered as Vivi’s smooches had.

Lewis stood up as Arthur got off of him, looking over at the two former borrowers as they stood next to each other, holding hands, smiling with absolute delight as they yelled in unison:

“Suprise!”

The purple-haired man looked from Vivi, her head level with his chest, he’d guess, to Arthur, who came up to his shoulders, with absolute disbelief, stuttering as he exclaimed:

“H-How?!”

“Weeeeell…”

Vivi rocked back and forth on her heels, smiling:

“I might have actually used a spell from one of those old spellbooks you have, LewLew.”

“And it worked?!”

“Well, obviously, man,” Arthur chimed in, trying very hard not to burst out laughing at Lewis’ current expression: he looked pretty ridiculous with his mouth hanging open like that.

The duo looked a little confused as Lewis reached out, cradling the sides of their heads, one in each hand, the transformed borrowers watching as a few small tears rolled down Lewis’ cheeks.

“This is real, oh my god this is real…”

Before either Vivi or Arthur could react their boyfriend swept them up into his arms, pulling them up into a big, loving hug: they’d always known he was ridiculously strong, but strong enough to lift both of them up simultaneously like this? Consider them impressed.

Lewis let out a joyous laugh as he held them up, continuing:

“Oh my god, I always hoped we’d find a way to do this, all of us here, the same size, oh my god and…and…are those my dad’s clothes?”

Lewis gently put them down, Arthur and Vivi dressed in clothes that were clearly Mr. Pepper’s.

“Well, um” Arthur started, blushing, “our cl-clothes didn’t grow with us, and your dad is the closest to our heights, so…”

Lewis smiled, responding:

“No problem: C'mon, let’s go talk to him and get you some properly fitting ones, okay?”

—

All things considered, this would probably go down as one of the best days of their lives.

Arthur and Vivi not only got to snuggle and nuzzle and kiss Lewis on his own scale for once, but also got to meet Lewis’ parents formally and get outside and see the human world without fear.

Lewis took them pretty much anywhere they wanted to go: the bookstore, museums, the aquarium, three different restaurants, an arcade, the mall…

Lewis couldn’t hold their hands or show his affection much in public, considering that after this spell wore off he’d have to go back to hiding his relationship with Vivi and Arthur, but the sheer joy they showed all day, the little nudges and nuzzles they gave him when they could, it was more than enough.

He was so happy to share his world with them, finally.

As the day wound down, the three of them collapsed onto a bench in the park, watching as the sun disappeared over the horizon and the stars started to come out. Arthur and Vivi curled up against Lewis as he sat between them, holding his lovers close now that the park was practically empty.

“You guys have fun today?” He asked after a few long minutes of snuggling in peaceful silence.

“Uhuh,” Arthur murmured, very tired but still smiling, reaching his arm across Lewis to hug Vivi too.

“Today was amazing, babe,” Vivi added, snuggling herself closer against Lewis, allowing Arthur to hold her closer as well, an absolutely content, tired smile across her face as she fought her drooping eyelids.

“I love you guys,” Lewis whispered, fighting a few small tears of joy welling up in his eyes, “I’m so glad I could spend this day with you guys out here…”

A quiet sob shook his form, illiciting instant nuzzles from the borrowers.

“I’m happy I get to spend every day of my life with you two.”

His hug tightened, his lovers tightening their grip around him too in turn.

“I love you guys so much. ”

“Love you too, Lew” added Arthur.

“Wouldn’t trade either of you for anything,” Vivi chimed in, reaching up to gently brush some of Lewis’ tears away.

The trio sat in silence and peace again for a time, a peace quickly broken when Arthur suddenly sat up, staring over at Vivi:

“When’d you say this spell wears off?”

“Uhhh,” she wondered, opening her eyes and scratching her head, “sundown?”

All three of them were quiet for a second, then practically leapt off of the bench in unison.

“We gotta get home!”

“Shit, sorry, I should have been paying attention!”

“Guys, it’s okay, just stay calm-”

“WHERE DID WE PARK THE CAR?!”

And so it went, with Lewis chasing after Vivi and Arthur as they took off towards the parking lot, him quickly falling behind: dang, he forgot how athletic they were sometimes.

Much to his suprise, however, he began gaining some ground, and before long he heard Arthur cry out, seeing him trip. Lewis ran over to where Arthur had fallen onto the ground, Vivi and him helping the spiky-haired man up.

“You okay Artie? What’s wro-”

It became pretty apparent what was wrong as Lewis helped Arthur get to his feet proper…and the shirt Artie snuggly fit in this morning sagged on his shoulders.

“…oh no.”

Lewis quickly got to work, lifting Arthur and Vivi up in his arms as the spell began to wear off, and, realizing he was too far away to hope to get to the car (without catching the attention of the few other people still in the parking lot, at least) before the spell wore off completely, ducked behind a stand of trees and gently placed his lovers’ shrinking forms and billowing clothes onto the ground.

Once they were settled, Arthur was the first to speak, snapping at Vivi:

“You didn’t REMEMBER when this was gonna run out?!”

“I did! I just, lost track of time…”

“And let me guess, you didn’t pack clothes for us to change into either?”

“Well, no, I expected us to be home by sundown…w-we got caught up in things and…”

Arthur immeadiately pulled himself out of the billowing shirt he was in and scrambled over to Vivi as tears began to roll down her cheeks, holding her close and apologizing:

“Oh my god, I’m sorry Vivi. It’s alright, really…”

Vivi sobbed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she explained, Lewis listening very closely as his lovers’ voices got smaller and quieter, as well as keeping watch to make sure no one stumbled across the three of them.

“No, i-it’s really not, Arthur,” Vivi continued, “this kind of spell can’t be cast often, and we had a great day today b-but I had so much more planned. I wanted us to trying cooking and meet the girls and snuggle Lewis again bec-because every time he’s sad all we can do is just be there and like this we could have done more and-”

“Oh, Vivi…”

The two borrowers, getting closer to their actual height now, stared up at Lewis as he smiled down at them, bringing his hands close and gently petting them, the man radiating the sweetness and love he showed them every day he spent together with them.

“Listen: you ‘just’ being there means more to me than I could ever express with words. I love every moment I spend with you, and every hug, kiss, snuggle and nuzzle you give me, whether I’m feeling bad or not, whether you’re big OR small, means everything to me, Vivi.”

He brought his hand in closer to her, gently squeezing her dwindling form with his fingers in what they had begun to term as a “hand-hug,” Vivi nuzzling into his grip and holding a few of his fingers in turn. His gentleness always stunned her: years upon years of borrower legends and fables of vicious humans and how they’d crush, mangle, or eat you without a thought had long since been replaced with Lewis’ gentle touch, always just the right strength, always when she or Arthur needed it most…

She understood what Lewis meant now: him just being here for her and Artie meant so much to her too, big or small.

“We did so much stuff today and as for all the other stuff you had planned…” continued Lewis, leaning down, planting a small kiss on the tiny woman’s head, continuing to lower the tone of his voice to the usual volume he used with them as Vivi and Arthur finally finished shrinking to their usual heights:

“…there’s always another day. I don’t plan on leaving you guys any time soon, so don’t worry about that, okay?”

Vivi kissed Lewis on the nose, smiling.

“How do you always know what to say, big guy?”

Lewis chuckled sweetly, bringing his hand up to hold Arthur and Vivi close as they stood near his face. He had meant every word: he loved them with all his heart.

Now…how to get back to the car?

Lewis leaned back at bit, looking them over, glancing over at the parking lot as the two borrowers suddenly realized that oh, right, they kind of were naked now, weren’t they?

They blushed deeply, as did Lewis a little as he turned and looked back down at them:

“Okay, things are looking pretty empty in the parking lot now: I think I should just carry you guys and your clothes back.”

“Yea,” Vivi agreed, “but maybe we should hide somewhere, just in case.”

Lewis nodded, motioning to the many pockets on his outfit just before Vivi proceeded to scramble up his leg, arm, and neck, right up into his hair, hiding herself in his purple locks.

“Uh…you sure you’re out of sight up there babe?”

“Yep!”

“…and you’re not gonna fall out, right?”

“100% LewLew.”

“Alright.”

Lewis looked back down in time to see Arthur scrambling up his arm too, this time stopping at his chest and dropping himself into Lewis’ chest pocket, poking his arm out of said pocket to give Lewis a thumbs-up once he was settled.

Content that they were safe and comfortable, Lewis gathered up their clothes and proceeded to head out to the car…

—

“Lewis.”

Mrs. Pepper greeted her son with a confused tone as he stepped in through the door of Pepper Paradiso, closed for the night, holding the clothes his (usually) little lovers had borrowed this morning.

“Oh, hey mom.”

Lewis put the clothes on a nearby table, chuckling as he saw his father, passed out asleep, in the chair on the other side of it.

“You guys haven’t been staying awake this whole time waiting for us, have you?”

“Well of course, dear,” his mother smiled, “we wanted to make sure you and your sweethearts got home before that spell you told us about wore off…seems you didn’t quite make it in time, though.”

“Y-Yea.”

Lewis very gently reached up into his hair, retrieving Vivi’s sleeping form, and did the same for his chest pocket, Arthur grumbling in his sleep as Lewis retrieved him.

“Did they have fun today?” Mrs. Pepper asked, trying to get off the topic of the borrowers’ obvious nakedness.

“Yea, we all had a really good time…”

As Lewis recounted their day to his mother, Mr. Pepper yawning, stretching and stepping  groggily over to his son, planting a hand on Lewis’ shoulder as he tiredly mumbled:

“'Ey, how wuz yer day, Lew?”

“Very good, dad.”

“Your boyfriend and girlfriend like it?”

“Very much, dad.”

Mr. Pepper glanced at the pile of clothes on the table for a moment before returning his attention to Lewis:

“They go to bed already?”

“Well, kinda.”

Lewis held his hands out to his father a little, curling his fingers up and around the borrowers to hide them partially, Mr. Pepper letting out a loud yell of suprise, quickly putting a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise, composing himself before continuing:

“They’re THAT small?!”

“Mhmm!” Lewis nodded.

“And you’ve been dating them for…”

“Over a year, dad.”

Mr. Pepper gave a nod then just…kind of collapsed back onto his chair. He was quiet for a time before speaking with a somewhat serious tone:

“Well, um, tell them I’m glad they had a good time. It was great meeting and talking to them this morning and uh, let them know when they wake up that I was happy to finally meet them and they’re more than welcome in our home, and shouldn’t be strangers when it comes to talking to us, okay?”

Lewis nodded and, upon seeing his mom smile and tilt her head towards the door leading back into the rooms behind the restaurant, darted off towards his beroom to get Vivi and Arthur somewhere more comfortable.

He gently rested them on the pillows on his bed, covering them up with the edge of his bedspread before going back out to the dining room to say goodnight to his parents and thank them for their help today.

As he went to step in, however, he stood in the doorway, overhearing a rather interesting conversation:

“They’re so small!”

“Well, yes, they did tell us this morning they were that tiny, dear.”

“I mean…I guess I didn’t believe them.”

Lewis heard his mother chuckle.

“You can tell they love him, though.”

“Well, obviously: you saw how they doted on him this morning, holding hands with him whenever they could, nuzzling and cuddling him…I dunno, maybe I’m just put off by this whole borrowers and spellbooks and magic thing. He’s always loved all that stuff but maybe I’m worried he’ll get into trouble?”

Mrs. Pepper chuckled again.

“I doubt he will, but even if he does, he has two very kind little sweeties to take care of him.”

“Hmmm, I suppose you’re right.”

That seemed to put Mr. Pepper at ease, Lewis waiting a few moments before striding back into the room.

“They’re safely asleep now: thank you guys for all you did for them today. It really meant a lot to them to finally meet you guys in person and that you’re so accepting of them.”

Mrs. Pepper smiled.

“No problem.”

“Yea, no problem, sonny.

Lewis turned to his father, who, upon realizing his son’s attention was on him, spoke quickly:

"I’m glad you had fun today and, uh, if you or your boyfriend or girlfriend need anything you know you can come to us, right?”

Lewis smiled: his parents had completely accepted Vivi and Arthur. He couldn’t be happier.

“Of course, dad.”

Mrs. Pepper stepped forward, her husband quickly following suit as they came in and hugged their son, Lewis returning their embrace with great strength and vigor.

“Well, uh, I think I should be getting to bed.”

Mrs. Pepper patted Lewis on the shoulder.

“Get some rest, Lewis.”

His father nodded, agreeing:

“Yes, we need your help putting in the new toaster oven tomorrow so get some sleep, sonny.”

“Will do.”

Lewis gave them one more little hug before heading off to his room.

—

When his parents passed by his bedroom a little later on, they found him curled up on his bed, two small figures snuggled up against his chest, his hand draped over them like a blanket, all of them at peace, comfortable and resting, safe in each other’s presence.

She kept her bow trained on him, hands trembling.

The creature moved swiftly, strongly, long tail sliding along earth, bony claws supporting tons of muscle, shadow, and flame. It was unlike any dragon she had ever seen before: skeletal, yet cloaked in darkness, a fiery magenta crest rolling down the back of its neck…but it was its voice that stopped her still.

“Vivi?! Vivi please come out, please! I’m sorry!”

She resisted every urge to reply, respond to that shaky, tearful call. She kept her bow aimed, but slipped back between the trees, away from the towering, panicking creature.

As she made her way for home she wondered…

Where had she gone wrong?

—

She found him…amusing in his awkwardness. He wasn’t a nobleman, he wasn’t a scholar, a knight, or a mage…but he was cute. Very cute.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, muscled, and had an odd pair of eyes: dark sclera and bright magenta irises. Cursed, maybe? Some apprentice conjurer that had messed a charm up? She wanted to know.

Sliding up to him at the bar, she introduced herself: Vivi, founder, owner, and operator of the only slaying service this side of the mountains. She jangled her necklace a little, showing off the claws, fangs, scales, and other little trophies of victory that hanged off of it.

He seemed…intimidated as opposed to attracted, which disappointed her. He introduced himself as Lewis, commoner, drifter, looking for work.

She asked about the eyes. He responded with a chuckle and a story about stumbling across an angry old witch. Vivi laughed, and paid for his drinks.

She didn’t buy that story for a second, but was intrigued, and needed someone to help around the house anyway.

If he was looking for a job, she could certainly help him on that front.

—

Introducing Lewis to Arthur and Mystery had been a bit nerve-wracking: they were all outcasts, after all, and she was still unsure if Lewis could be wholly trusted.

Arthur tried to hide the wolfsbane petals in his pocket and the silver chain around his neck, but Lewis had seen werewolves before, there was nothing to hide. He treated him kindly.

Mystery refused to approach him, a look of concern and fear in the canine’s eyes. The shapeshifter only ever spoke to Lewis once, late at night, when the others were sleeping:

“I know what you are, and you should go. She’ll kill you: she despises your kind the most.”

Lewis stayed: with nowhere in particular to go, and with people, misfits or no, who treated him with kindness, he stayed.

He took care of cooking and cleaning, fixed up the house, a small place full of shelves of spellbooks, charms, Arthur’s many mechanical gizmos, Mystery’s many toys and bones, and Vivi’s weapons and trophies.

Vivi would often leave during the day, with Arthur and Mystery in tow, and return by nightfall with a trophy of some kind: a jawbone, a claw, some gem or other valuable, sometimes even with an entire head of a beast, which she would quickly dart away with into her trophy room, a space Lewis was not permitted to enter, and was locked most of the time.

“Trust me,” Arthur told him once, “you wouldn’t want to go in there anyway.”

As time passed, Lewis became more and more integrated into the group: he was there to help subdue Arthur on nights of the full moon, was kind to Mystery despite the shapeshifter’s continued suspicions towards  him, and Vivi had only grown more curious about him with time…not to mention attracted.

She talked with Lewis at length, finding out more about where he was from: he had traveled far, from the frozen tundra of the deep south, through the deserts of the west, past the cities on the other side of the mountains, until he had reached her.  

He spoke multiple languages, had a fondness for small, fluffy animals, big fluffy animals, and seemed to like shiny things just as much as some of her targets did.

He had one shiny thing, in particular, that was his favorite, and he showed it to her only once: a gem, shaped like a heart, easily the size of his hand, that glimmered like gold, a rare, uniquely cut, yellow diamond. It was beautiful, glimmering, worth easily a couple million gold pieces easy, and he had trusted her enough to show her…

She supposed that she should return the favor.

—

One night, she unlocked the door to her trophy room, and showed Lewis inside.

It was a big room, and the walls were nearly covered from ground to floor with mounted heads, wings, and claws.

Almost all of them were dragons.

She pointed one of them out in particular, a large, aged, sharply-fanged firedrake with a large cut running down the center of its skull.

“That thing burned my village down when I was 5. I trained for years, came back when I was of age, tracked it to its lair, and shot it in the heart.”

She clenched her fists, obviously fighting tears.

“I cleaved its head, but not before making it suffer, making it cry and scream for mercy, mercy it never gave my family, and friends. I took up hunting after that, using some of its reclaimed horde to buy this building, recruit some allies…Arthur and Mystery were the only two that stayed, the only two who weren’t cowards and fled.”

She crossed her arms, leaning against Lewis’ side, continuing to pour her heart out: “I started to get jobs right away, small things at first: minor demons, trolls, rabid werewolves. I only kill when necessary, and with time I started only getting called in when situations were hopeless…”

Vivi gulped, staring around the room as Lewis continued to support her against his side.

“Lewis, I really wanted to believe that there were good dragons out there, I hate having to think of any species as irredeemable, I live with Arthur and Mystery, for Pete’s sake…but dragons have no good in them: they’re raised to kill and think only of greed…”

She nuzzled into his side, letting her words flow:

“I hate them Lewis, I hate them so much. I only take trophies from truly evil creatures, ones that can’t be helped, and I usually hate my job, but with dragons, I find solace, peace in knowing that there’s no redemption for them, that I’m destroying something that’s evil…but at the same time, I sit back sometimes, and I see this room, and I wonder if I’m not a-”

Lewis jumped as she suddenly sobbed, shifting her body, clutching his shoulders burying her head into his chest.

“…I wonder if I’m not a monster too.”

She sobbed, her tears easing slightly as Lewis held her close.

At the time, she smiled, hearing his heart race, assuming it was because he felt her pain, thst he liked holding her close…but if she looked up, she would have seen his eyes wide in terror, dribbling tears as he locked eyes with every single dead, mounted head in the room…

—

Vivi took Lewis with her on this job. She felt it was about time, and after sparring with him a few times, she was certain of his strength in battle. She got him a broadsword, a shield, and what armor she had that fit him.

They traveled deep into the woods along the mountain paths, Vivi reaching for Lewis’ hand at times, looking back at him reassuringly. She hadn’t told him what monster they’d be facing, but he was terrified of the possibilities.

He had been wondering now if he had been an accomplice to murder all these years, that although Vivi was good at heart, her rage, her prejudice had blinded her…

He didn’t have much time to ponder that as a shadow suddenly passed over them from above, Vivi and him separating, dodging for the shadows as orange flames engulfed the space where they had just been standing.

Soon, the earth shuddered and a firedrake landed amidst the blaze.

“Come to spoil my fun?” It growled, cackling. “Hmph, no doubt a part of me should be HONORED that the great Slayer Vivi has come for me, hmph!”

Vivi had her bow trained on the creature, aiming for a shot at its chest or underbelly, anywhere where she could pierce its heart, but kept an eye out for Lewis.

She locked gaze with him across the flames,  frowning as she saw the fear in his eyes: she expected him to be spooked, but not this badly, and…why was he staring just as intensely and with such fear at her as at the dragon?

Her momentary confusion cost her: the beast swung its head through the undergrowth, the wind knocked out of Vivi’s lungs as curled horns impacted with her side, flinging her out into the open, her bow clattering away.

The firedrake laughed.

“What, didn’t see that coming? Ha! Pathetic!”

The beast lumbered forward, raising a claw over Vivi as she tried to regain her breathing, the firedrake chuckling as it brought the sharp digit down and-

“AUGH!”

It let out a bellow of pain as its claw was cleaved cleanly off, watching in confusion as a man, holding a now bloodied broadsword, darted to stand between the beast and the Slayer.

“Ha, what fool is this-”

The dragon fell silent as it locked eyes with Lewis, flinching slightly as the man proceeded to hiss, a hiss that to all dragons was recognizable as their own, but of a breed thst even the mightiest of firedrakes feared.

“Haha!” nervously chortled the beast, attempting to regain its composure: “where did you find such a curiosity, Slayer Vivi? A man that growls like a beast of the undead south, what a novelty-”

“Back. Off.”

Even Vivi felt uncomfortable now, Lewis’ voice sounding…louder, less human-like. She grabbed her bow, training it on the dragon, who continued to recoil, back away with each step Lewis took forward.

The dragon hissed, pathetically:

“C-Call off your little attack dog, Slayer! This is hardly a fair fight-”

“Shut up.”

The dragon let out a bellow of frustration as the man continued to emit that horrible, ungodly aura: how a human had learned to smell, talk, and have a presence like an undead drake of the southern tundra it didn’t know, but it was getting ANGRY.

“Ugh, I’ve had enough of this! Have at you!”

The beast lept over Lewis, just in time for Vivi to miss her shot, bounding down towards her, pushing her back towards the distant cliffside, chuckling.

“Oh, you’re so strong when you’re at a distance with your little bow, aren’t you?”

Vivi showed no fear, drawing her sword, ready to carve into the creature’s eye or neck as it continued its monologue, as all their arrogant kind always did, but screamed as the dragon lunged, slamming it’s snout into her, sending her reeling, closer to the cliff’s edge.

“Well, I’m assured of one thing, Slayer: you, and your companion, can’t fly!”

It lunged again, Vivi dodging its jaws, wondering where Lewis and his supposedly scary glare were now…

Her answer quickly came. A voice from the shadows called to the beast, with commanding power and presence:

“She is mine. Retreat, or I will finish her job for her, RUNT.”

The dragon growled, albeit somewhat submissively:

“Hmph, I know not where you have gained your powers, mortal, but I won’t be fooled again! Flee now and I may spare you out of respect!”

Lewis’ voice chuckled in the darkness, even Vivi now feeling the overwhelming dark aura pouring from there.

“Where are my powers from? Allow me to SHOW YOU!”

Vivi recoiled as a massive, black shadow slammed into the firedrake incerdibly fast, the two creatures crashing back through the woods, Vivi trying to follow, see what was happening, bow drawn, her sword put away…

Even with her eye trained on both, she could barely see anything through the trees and the shadows of encroaching night and a cloudy sky: she heard the firedrake roar, threaten, then begin to beg, scream as bursts of magenta flame overtook bursts of orange fire, a chillingly familiar voice responding with contempt and anger…

She almost screamed as she saw the firedrake, wings torn to shreds, arms and legs, belly and back cut, burned, magenta embers still clinging to it, tossed over the cliffside, a resounding snap filling the mountainside air…

She dared to look over the edge: seeing the firedrake, impaled on rocks far, far below.

Then she felt the earth shake, retreating back into the trees, seeing a silhouette of the towering, undead beast that had saved her.

Its skeleton was visible through its shadowy flesh, magenta flames for a crest, bony claws caked in blood…and that familiar, heart-like gem resting against its breastbone within its chest…

When it began to call for her, call for her in that familiar voice, she couldn’t take it anymore.

She kept her bow trained on it until its calls became mere echoes off the mountainside, then put all her energy into fleeing…

She cried, her usually sure steps faltering, weak.

She had been betrayed.

Betrayed by a man she loved.

—

When she got home, Vivi said nothing to Arthur and Mystery, just went into her trophy room, locked the door, and began to painfully sob.

A thousand emotions swirled in her head: she had been saved, Lewis had done his job, but…he was…he was a dragon, there was no getting around it, she had felt his presence, had seen him, if only for a moment, had seen one of the fabled undead dragons of the tundra, creatures only of legend…

He had been one all along, had killed one of his own to protect her, had lied to her, all these years…

Had called her “mine.”

When the front door slammed open, Vivi could hear Arthur, Mystery, and…Lewis talking, then arguing, then pleading…

She stood, eyes puffy, face soaked with tears, and drew her sword.

Lewis didn’t have time to react as Vivi burst from the trophy room, darting past Arthur and Mystery, tackling the disguised dragon to the ground through the front doorway, pinning him to the ground, pressing the blade against his throat, staring him deep in the eyes.

He was crying, tears mingling with the rain that was beginning to fall from the cloudy, quickly dimming sky above.

His irises glowed slightly, something she hadn’t noticed in years of him living in the brightly-lit house.

She kept her face and voice emotionless, not letting the slightest weakness show in her face.

“You are a dragon.”

“Yes.”

“You have been all these years.”

“Yes.”

“Why did you lie to me?”

Lewis sobbed, his tears growing stronger, Vivi fighting the urge to do so herself by tightening her grip on her sword. She couldn’t permit herself to be weak right now.

“…I thought you’d kill me,” he said, quickly glancing at Mystery, standing back near the house, “…or worse, make me leave.”

Vivi tilted her head, ignoring his glance.

“Explain.”

Lewis shuddered, gulping, trying to keep calm enough to speak through the tears.

“I’m an outcast, especially among dragons: I was born dead, in the tundra where souls can’t find their way to the Underworld through the ice and blinding snow. Undead dragons grow and become more powerful, not bound by a physical form: we can summon more fire, more power than any other breed, shift our form as needed-”

“If you’re dead, why fear me? I can’t kill you if I tried.”

“Correct you can’t kill me, by conventional means…but I showed you my one weak spot.”

Vivi kept her blade trained on him as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his heart-like gem.

“Undead dragons become attached to their first piece of hoard, and it defines them. I took this from a treasure ship that crashed in an ice storm…it was part of a locket…as such, I became more compassionate than most drag-”

“Enough.”

Vivi pushed the blade down harder, puncturing his skin slightly.

“You were foolish to show your weakpoint to me, dragon, but you still haven’t answered my question: why would sending you away be a worse fate than killing you, here and now?”

Lewis smiled, slightly, giving Vivi the most genuine look of love, kindness, and sorrow look she had ever seen in her life.

“Because I’d rather die than be apart from you.”

Vivi shook, the sword in her grasp rattling.

He meant it, he meant it with all his heart. She couldn’t believe it, refused to believe it, and yet wanted to, so, so desperately…

She got off of him, refusing to lock eyes with him, pointing her blade to the wilderness beyond her home.

“Go. I can’t look at you, you make my heart weak and my resolve shake…”

As Lewis stood, she locked eyes with him, her gaze communicating what she couldn’t say in words: I love you too, but I can’t forgive this deception…not yet.

Lewis nodded, and held his gem out to her.

“Take this. Do with it what you will, when you are ready.”

She lowered her sword, taking it, staring the man down as he turned and walked back into the woods, and out of sight.

The rain began to fall in earnest, Arthur and Mystery darting over to her as she felt faint, falling back into their arms as she screamed her sorrow into the night, a draconian shadow taking off into the dark, rainy sky above.

—

It took two years to track him down.

He was elusive, swift, ever shifting, ever moving like the shadow he was.

When she found him, she shot an arrow past his head, chasing him through the woods until she had him, cornering the dragon in a cave where he couldn’t hope of flying away.

He was silent, magenta eyes staring, magenta crest flickering, a hollow in his shadowy chest in the shape of a heart…

“Well…what have you decided, Vivi?”

She beckoned for him to bring his head down, the dragon obeying, Vivi approaching him, staring deep into those inhuman eyes.

She put her bow over her back, and reached out, touching his snout, suprised by how warm his shadowy flesh was, tracing her fingers along his fanged jaws, gently moving her hand up to touch the tip of his curved horns.

“Viv-”

The dragon let out a small squeak of suprise as the woman leaned forward, kissing his snout, whispering:

“C'mon Lewis, let’s go home.”

She stood back, holding his heart gem out to the beast, who quickly shifted to his human form, pulling her into his arms, crying tears of joy and kissing her, Vivi responding in kind.

After a few moments, Lewis smiled, whispering:

He leafed through the comic book half-heartedly, his metal arm creaking slightly as he leaned against a nearby shelf and sighed: honestly, anything beat being at home right now and dealing with Vivi and Mystery.

Ever since the night in the mansion, ever since the encounter with Lewis and their escape, Vivi had been asking endless questions…and Arthur had avoided them like the coward he was, resigning to the fact that once she found out the truth, once his crimes were laid bare, his sins made clear, she would never want to see him again…

“Arthur? What brings you in today?”

Arthur nearly dropped the book he was holding as the voice suddenly cut through the air, him turning to see Vivi’s creepy boss staring him down.

“Oh hey, uh, uh…”

“…Duet.”

“Duet, yes. Hello, Duet.”

Arthur couldn’t help but gulp nervously: this guy always gave him the major creeps, and with Duet just glaring at him, unblinkingly, from under his weird hat, Arthur was getting more uncomfortable by the second.

“Why are you in today, Arthur? Vivi’s off today, you know.”

“Y-Yea, I know…just trying to get out of the house, y'know…”

Duet rose a multicolored eyebrow, watching Arthur with frightening attention, the spiky-haired man trying to put the comic he was holding back on the shelf, robot arm rattling slightly: Duet hadn’t so much as blinked since he started talking to him.

“…well, you’re more than welcome here, Mr. Kingsmen, Vivi on shift or no. Don’t forget that.”

And with a slight bow of his head, Duet strode away, leaving Arthur alone with the books and his thoughts, trying to stop his rattling arm and racing heart…

—

It continued for well over a month: on Vivi’s days off Arthur would slip into Tome Tomb and leisurely read away, occasionally greeted by Chloe, and having creepy, cryptic conversations with Duet. The bookkeeper  was still scary and off-putting as hell, but as time passed Arthur found Duet’s words less and less threatening and more and more welcoming.

He was starting to wonder why Duet was interacting with him so much at all, but certainly didn’t mind the bookkeeper’s kind words, considering the rising conflict at home…

They interacted only in short conversations, passing glances, and words across shelves, a silent alliance growing stronger by the day, even if Arthur still didn’t know Duet’s intentions, his full story, or even if Duet was human. Arthur may not have been too keen on being a paranormal investigator, but he had learned much, and Duet was…OFF in ways that made him nervous…

—

4 months in, and Arthur decided to confront Duet, waiting until the bookkeeper was alone before casually hinting that he suspected that Duet wasn’t human.

“Well of course not, Arthur, I figured you knew that.”

With a chuckle, Duet had walked away from him, and Arthur was filled with both relief and dread.

—

5 months in, and Arthur, having had a bad fight with Vivi and Mystery, showed up at Tome Tomb, kicked out of the apartment, with nowhere else to run to until Lance could get out there in the morning and get him. Duet let him stay the night.

Arthur didn’t sleep, and instead knocked on the door to Duet’s office in the dead of night, proceeding to pour his thoughts out, telling the mysterious bookkeeper about the cave, Vivi’s lost memories, the demon, his arm…about the mansion, the ghost, the fire…

Most importantly, he told Duet about his guilt, his cowardice, and his deep self-loathing.

“I don’t deserve to live after what I’ve doe, Duet…but I’m too scared to die either, so I’m just sitting around, making everything worse…what the hell am I gonna do? What the hell CAN I do at this point to make ANYTHING better at all? I’m a complete utter failure: to Vivi, to Mystery, to Lance, my family…and especially Lewis. I just don’t know what to do.”

He let out a ragged sigh, resting his head on the desk in front of him, Duet silently, unblinkingly, watching him from his seat across the table.

Arthur jumped when something warm touched his face, Duet cradling his head in his hands, looking deep into his eyes, and, Arthur realized, crying, golden tears rolling down the bookkeeper’s cheek as he spoke:

“Oh, Arthur: I’m not supposed to get this close to a human, but you’ve made me so proud. You have already done so much, gotten so far, admitting your sins, making an attempt to move on from them…that’s more than most people ever attempt…”

Duet swept Arthur up into an embrace, nuzzling and holding him tight.

“I’m so proud of you, Arthur.”

Arthur returned the embrace, and, for the first time in many long years, he felt no fear.

—

The year dragged on, and Arthur moved back in with Lance, moving his things out if Vivi’s apartment, returned to the life of a mechanic, Duet growing closer to him with every phone call, every text message, every visit they shared.

It was December when they started going out in earnest, January by the time Duet finally started opening up about themselves a bit, revealing more of their inhuman identity as time passed.

It was February when it all clicked in Arthur’s head: the golden tears, the strange feeling of feathers on his skin when he and Duet snuggled, despite no such plumage being visible when he opened his eyes, the endless little hints Duet dropped, the ceaseless talk of virtue and sin, talk of humans and their high place above the “unholy” monsters that prowled the world, the way Duet always worried they were overstepping their bounds and assigned role when they got particularly close to Arthur, the genderless pronouns Duet had humbly requested Arthur to call them by behind closed doors, their knowledge of the demon the had possessed him, and of the monsters Arthur had faced before…

Arthur didn’t say anything, though. He didn’t want to panic his lover, after all…he made it clear that he knew, however, and promised Duet he would tell no one…

—

Sitting on his favorite couch in Tome Tomb, nestled comfortably in Duet’s private office, Arthur turned and nuzzled his lover, planting a kiss on their exposed cheek.

You let out a sigh, on the edge of sleep, and felt his arms tighten around you.

“(Name), go to sleep.”

A light kiss was placed on your head, and he gently held you against his warm body, a slight purr rising out of him as you relaxed a little, hearing his heart thud in his chest as you rested against him…

—

You couldn’t forget it, forget the car crash, the confusion, you stumbling into his mansion, bleeding, a myriad of ghosts telling you to run, your legs not being strong enough to carry you out of his range, certainly not after he tracked you through the woods, thinking you were safe behind a tree until he literally tore it out of the ground, looming, cackling above you…

You had begged for your life, and as giant, clawed fingers went to close around you, you screamed, SCREAMED  for him not to do it…

You waited for the inevitable, but no crushing digits grabbed you, no evil laughs filled the air, no flames or violent threats curled around you: you had broken something in him, your begging had snapped him out of it, and he, in turn, begged for your forgiveness.

And for a few weeks you thought you’d be free of him forever: he took you back into town on request, and you got medical attention, got the crash sorted out, life continued as normal…at least until little things started to appear.

In the hospital a small alpaca plushie joined the legion of teddy bears and get-well cards left for you by family and friends, at home you found gifts on your windowsill, notes in scribbly handwriting asking for forgiveness, continuing for well over a month until you couldn’t take it anymore.

You returned to the mansion. You knocked on the door. You were greeted by one of the other ghosts, who explained that the master of the house was out. You needed to speak to him, and you were invited in to wait. You learned a lot about him, the other spirits trying to explain his actions towards you…and pity began to grow in your heart. Suddenly all those gifts, delivered so far from home, so near civilization and all the temptation for him to rampage, to destroy those innocent lives seemed worth something, all those notes scrawled out by a spirit trying to reclaim his severely broken, corrupted humanity seemed so much more sincere…

When he finally floated in, he was covered in blood, and you understood now, noting the tears in his eyes, the hollow way he moved past, not even noticing you, the euphoria of murder fading and the cold realization of his actions sinking in…

Eventually he came to speak to you, and you made your demand clear: he needed to stop sending you things, leaving notes. You forgave him, understood him now…

His pride was obviously injured, being asked to stop what he thought was the noble, correct thing to do, his attempt at reconciliation denied…but he understood, and the notes and gifts stopped.

—

You startled as Mallew mumbled something in his sleep, pulling you tighter against him. You ran your hand through his hair, shooshing him. He whimpered in his sleep, shaking.

—

You returned, months later. You spoke to him again, thanking him for the gifts, making it clear that despite your insistence that he stop, you had, in fact, liked them.

He smiled, and said he was happy you had liked them. You nodded and left, trying to convince yourself that you wouldn’t return.

—

Your hand traced along the ghost’s chest, feeling for his locket until you found it, a soft purr escaping him, his arms relaxing around you as his anchor lightly clanged in your grip, his nightmares retreating at your touch.

—

You knew you should have stayed away, stop coming here.

You knew you were in trouble, in too deep when he had his first breakdown in front of you: you had returned with a few alpaca-themed gifts to finally tie up the whole ordeal, and had found him shaking, muttering to himself about sins, murder, revenge, how much it hurt, how he couldn’t trust himself around anyone, how he wouldn’t ever be good enough for anyone ever…

Anyone with half a brain would have just left the gifts and walked away, left this monster to wallow in his own misery and doubt…but you approached him, took his trembling hand in yours, and told him, earnestly, that it would be okay.

—

“Mi amor?”

His voice was a whisper, and you answered him, asking what was up, why he’d woken up. He sighed, repositioning you against him a bit, trying to get himself sitting up and awake enough to speak…

—

You visited him often and just listened to him talk, gave him your time, your affection, and in turn he gave you his.

After months you began to notice little things about him: the purring, the nuzzling, the way he squeaked when he was suprised, the way he avoided eye contact with you when he was hiding something, most likely a new body dragged down to his basement…

He asked you one day, after a few good weeks of letting him cuddle you, hold you, hug you, if you were in any way afraid of him, asking you to be completely honest with him.

You said yes.

He kissed you, and whispered, half in tears:

“Thank you.”

—

Mallew finally got himself sitting up, looking over at you with groggy, dim magenta irises.

“It’s past midnight, right?”

You nodded.

“Yes.”

He suddenly shifted violently, pulling you up in the air with him…

—

It was not easy: his breakdowns were frequent, he needed pretty much constant attention and comfort, and you had to learn how to work around his emotional defenses, be there for him, ease his pain whenever it flared up…

…but when he asked you again, after months of painstaking effort, of trust and shared sadness and joy, if you were still afraid of him, you answered, clearly and without doubt:

“No.”

He threw himself in your arms, this time speaking in a voice you hadn’t heard from him before, a quieter, calmer, so much more loving, almost human voice:

“Thank you, (Name), thank you…”

—

Mallew chuckled as he threw you into the air, standing up and catching you bridal style before giving you a long, passionate kiss, sweeping you up into a tight embrace, heart beating away.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, love.”

He kissed you again, gently, sweetly, and you reciprocated happily, the both of you smiling and laughing, soaking up each other’s presence.

It would not be easy, it would never be easy to be with Mallew, but in that moment you were certain…

Arthur moved among cobwebs, slunk along walls with caution...or, at least, as much caution as he could in his current state. The spiky-haired Borrower was soaked to the bone, exhausted from outrunning the storm outside, and a small amount of blood was dribbling down his arm from several considerable gashes and punctures in his flesh...His village, hidden deep in the woods, had been destroyed when a twister came through, scattering him and just about everyone else in his clan across the miles upon miles of trees and hiking trails in these dark, gnarled old woods. He clutched his bloodied arm as it spiked with pain: he'd landed on it bad, ending up in a pile of debris, badly cutting it and puncturing it, and Arthur winced as he finally got out of the space between the walls and into the main living space of this building...It was a big house, even for a human: long halls, a grand foyer, and at least one library, from what he saw...yup, definitely a lavish place, even if it was pretty deserted...weird. Whoever owned this place must be rich out of their mind, and building this mansion deep in the woods probably meant that whoever owned this place didn't want many visitors...Nice, that's meant less humans to deal with, even if this home was a bit of a mess and a tad...ominous, a word that only seemed to suit the place more as Arthur whimpered, jumping at the loud creaks and general settling noises against the storm the home made as he looked for a suitable place to settle and tend to his wounds. Arthur got quickly situated in the space between the walls of the kitchen and one of the many living rooms in the building, getting as comfortable as he could, cleaning out and tending to his arm as he began to fall asleep, the thunder outside crashing, roaring every once and a while, the constant pitter-patter of rain filling him with dread, thinking of what might have happened to his friends and family...Arthur's dreams gave him no respite from such worries...but at least his body got the rest it needed as he lost consciousness.---"Wha҉t̀ ̨i̡s h͞e?͞"͞"̧I ̵d̢u̧nǹo̶, ͡h͟e's ki̵nda̴ sma͜l̨l, ̛hu̷h́?"̡"K͢inda,̕ ͏reàl̶l͜y? ̢Look̀ ̵àt hi̷m̕, ͘h̢ȩ's̡ ̧t̵i͏n͠y!"̢̢̀"Śh̨oosh̛,̕ y҉oų'll̸ ͢wak̀e ͏h́im͏ up͘!"Arthur heard several, child-like voices echoing around him through his hazy thoughts, and for a second he believed that said voices were just a part of his quickly ending dream...If only he had been correct.Arthur awoke screaming, four big, purple faces staring down at him, glowing, yellow eyes staring at him from above, from what appeared to be a group of...gh-ghosts!"͏I͞ toĺd ̢you͠ he͏'d̵ ̨wàk̵e up!"͡"H͞e͞ ͡w̶as ̀gonn̕ą ̀w̷ak͡e͟ ҉up ͟a̧n͡yw͡ay̧,̴ ͟s̕he͘e̴s̸h!"҉"͡He҉y͘a lit͏tle͘ m̶i҉st͞er!"One of the looming spirits turned its attention to him, the Borrower scuttling away as it called over to him:"Oh ̸c͢om̨e o͟n! Do͞n'̡t ͢r̶un, ̸we do͏n't ͢b̛i͠te! W͘hat̀ ͘ar̶e͢ y̢ou, ̴whe͟r̛e̸'re ͝y͜ou ̸f͟r̡o͡m͝?̶! C̀'m̡o̵n̵, t̨e҉ll̸ us̸sssss̨!͞"Arthur didn't respond, just bolted out of the kitchen and down the hall, scrambling across and down the counter with surprisingly agility, especially considering his injuries...and immediately had to duck into the shadows as two more spirits floated by, one of a man in a fine, maroon suit, the other of a pretty, purple-haired lady in a beautiful dress."What are all of you up to in here?""W̷è ̢śaw͏ ͢a ti̢ǹy͜ ma̷n͠, ͘l̷i̛k̴e̡, b̴u̕ǵ-̶t͝i͘n͏y̵!̴""What, what do you mean?""̸He̵ ͡ran a̵wa͡y, h̛e's͢ go͟t̕ t̸o̡ b̵e ̧ar͜oun͠d som̵e̴w͟he̕ŕe̵!"̛Andddddd that was Arthur's cue to get out of there: the Borrower ducked back into the space between the walls through a nearby mousehole, not once turning back to listen in on the arguing spirits...no wonder this house was deserted: ghosts, GHOSTS for crying out loud...

He had to get out...and he seemed to be pretty close to doing so when the ground suddenly gave out underneath him, the Borrower turning his head back for one second to see if he was being pursued, only to see the gaping hole in the old, rotted-out floorboards that he had fallen into, plummeting down into the bowels of the mansion...---The fall had been light, Arthur falling miraculously slowly...but the shock of the initial hole in the floor had been enough for him to pass out, or, at least, black out for a bit, and when he awoke he was no longer in a lavish hall or cozy kitchen: he was in a cool, stone crypt, a lone coffin standing like a monolith behind him, the magenta skull pattern on it seeming to glare ahead with endless wrath.The Borrower whimpered, stepping towards the far door of the room, and away from the coffin...A shame he didn't get far, though, the Borrower screaming and falling to his knees as a heavy impact hit the ground, Arthur looking back to see...oh no.The coffin's lid had slid open, had slid to the side and fallen to the ground, the being within stumbling out of it in a haze, having been awoken by the loud gaggle of his underlings arguing and desperately searching for something upstairs: he'd have to go up there and give them a stern talking to about letting him get his rest.Arthur watched in terror as the skeletal spirit strode out of his coffin, fixed his ascot and muttered to himself, skull rattling a little with his words, a bright, golden heart locket floating over his chest, beating like an actual heart...What a strange being...strange and terrifying: even at this distance Arthur could feel the power this spirit had, the sheer presence he kicked out, and he wasn't sticking around to have this guy mess with hi-Arthur squeaked with surprise and ducked into the shadows anew as the purple-haired woman and maroon-suit guy came floating into the room, both bowing their heads to the skeletal spirit before speaking:"Master Lewis! The Deadbeats, they found a tiny man in the kitchen wall!"The skeleton ghost tilted his floating head, although Arthur didn't see much as he attempted to scoot towards the door without being seen."A...what?""Tiny man, Sir. Apparently some sort of small, injured human-like being...I speculate it might be a fairy."The female spirit spoke again, her tone full of concern:"Whatever he is, he must be lost, and probably quite scared: we should find him and help him, if that's alright with you, Master Lewis.""...have either of you seen this 'tiny man'?"The two spirits looked away from their master, their heads hanging a little."N-No, Sir."The skeletal ghost sighed, Arthur freezing up a little as he got very close to the door, Lewis shooing his apparent servants, stating:"Continue your search, then: I'll be up there in a bit to look too...oh, and do try not to give this tiny guy a heart attack if he actually exists, huh? I want him alive.""Yes, Sir.""Yes, Master Lewis."And with that, the two spirits floated away, leaving Arthur alone with this Lewis guy and another few feet or so until he was out the door.The nimble Borrower waited for his opportunity, seeing the ghost look down to fix his cuffs, and he darted for the doorway...and in his haste miscalculated his trajectory. Badly. His arm slammed into the side of the doorframe sharply, making his wounds ache, and he screamed out in agony, turning back in terror and-Oh god.The skulls sockets were focused on him, the spirit's entire head tilting slightly as he peered down at the tiny man."Well, what do we have here..."Arthur broke out into a run, but it was hardly any use: the spirit was bigger and faster than him, and it wasn't long before he almost ran head-long into the spirit's foot as it came down in front of him, blocking his path."Hey! Hold still for a second..."Arthur didn't dare to look up, knowing that that towering monstrosity was over him, glaring down at him with those empty sockets......and that information alone was enough for him to pass out again, the ghostly master of the house reaching down, taking the limp Borrower in his hand, and then turning his skull upward to the continuing clamor of his underlings searching above...Time to go break the news to them.---When Arthur woke up, he found himself on top of a comfy throw-pillow, his arm done up in a loose bandage, rubbing his eyes and cracking his neck as he yawned, sitting up and-"Ah!"Sitting on the couch next to the table his pillow was on, Arthur saw none other than that Lewis ghost guy, just casually reading a book and looking over to the Borrower as he stated, quite nonchalantly:"Ahhh, you're awake. You should be grateful: I had to fight off my underlings a bit once I found you, all of them wanted to poke and mess with you...”"I-I'm absolutely grateful, Mister Le-Lewis, Sir...th-that's is your name, ri-right?! I just overheard it I am SO sorry if I got it wrong, eheheheh..."Lewis' head tilted, eye sockets perking up in shock: he hadn't even considered how scared this guy would be of him...wow, he felt a little bad now, actually.

"Yes, my name is Lewis...may I ask your name?""Ar-Arthur Kingsmen, at your service!"Lewis' eye sockets furrowed down slightly, still focused on the look of terror in the tiny man's amber eyes..."Hmmm, nice to meet you Arthur...now I'm sure you know what I'm going to ask next: where are you from and wh-""I'm a-...well, I'm a..."Arthur was struggling with this: Borrowers were always meant to keep their existence a secret, at any cost, even told to lie if they were ever captured...he was struggling to come up with a good lie, though."I'm...I'm...shit, one second..."Lewis just sighed and stated, dismissively:"Nevermind, the important question is why are you here?""...to get out o-of the storm, Sir.""Hmph, fair enough...what happened to your arm?""I-It got hurt when I got tossed up in the w-wind, earlier...m-my village got hit by a tornado, deep in the woods..."It was apparent from Arthur's downcast look and the way he gently grabbed his arm that he was more than a little concerned about the situation, most likely thinking about his village as well, Lewis’ normally stone-cold heart thumping a few times out of pity."...I-I don't know if everyone's okay, o-or if the village is still there, I'm lost a-and...and I'm sorry for trepassing, I really, REALLY am! I promise I'll leave if you just...god, please don't hurt me!"Lewis watched the tiny man fall to his knees, begging and crying, hoping for forgiveness...normally he didn't permit intruders to stay...but, considering Arthur's unique stature and pitiful circumstances, perhaps he could make an exception."Very well, Arthur Kingsmen: you are free to stay here until your wounds heal and you can return to what's left of your village: I'll go alert my underlings of the situation and ask them politely not to mess you...let me know if you need anything else."With that the ghost stood up, Arthur keeping his head and stance low, staring up at the terrifying, yet generous being before him...perhaps stumbling across this mansion hadn't been a bad thing, after all...---It took a good long time for Arthur's wounds to heal, what with there being no medicine on hand and having to clean and stitch up the wounds himself (try as the deabeats might to help him, or at least offer to help) and the realization only hit him once his limb finally began to function normally again...He would have to leave, soon.Lewis had been more than hospitable to him, providing Arthur with his own room next to the library, pleasant conversation, and even the occasional violin song, when he could be bothered for one...and yet the skeletal ghost himself had remained something of a mystery to him.Arthur had spoken to the other ghosts about the master of the house, and it had taken several weeks for them to finally crack and relent, explaining Lewis' backstory to the best of their knowledge: from what they knew, Lewis had apparently been a paranormal investigator prior to his death, and had a slip-up in a cave that led to a very painful, spiky end, impaled on stalagmites, leaving his coworker and dog behind. He wanted desperately to reunite with them, rekindle his love for the woman he worked for, Vivi, see her again...but it seemed like he may never get the chance...Arthur was filled with pity towards the ghost after hearing that, pity that ran deep, made him spend more time with Lewis just to talk to him, share stories and interests to give the poor guy something to distract him, someone to talk to, try to cheer him up before the Borrower’s inevitable departure...and for the most part, it seemed to work: Lewis seemed calmer, happier, more relaxed, especially when he was around Arthur, some of his old wounds starting to heal......although, it wasn't long before new ones took their place.---It was late one night, Lewis staring out the window of his mansion, watching the building storm outside, seeing lightning flash and hearing thunder growl...he hadn't sent Arthur away yet, had he?This realization hit him suddenly, and his heart locket slammed loudly once with surprise and confusion: when did he become so soft, letting one of the living remain in his domain? Sure, Arthur was good company, but he had an image to upkeep, and Arthur had his village to go find, and...and...He didn't want him to go. He really, really didn't want him to go.Lewis popped his locket open, staring down at the picture within: him and Vivi, together...At one point, all he had wanted in his life was her, just her: with Vivi, he'd never be alone again, never be afraid or weak. She gave him strength, gave him motivation, gave him passion...so why did his heart slam around Arthur as well? Was he going mad? Was he really that lonely?The ghost sighed: he was losing sight of his vision, his mission, his need to see Vivi again...he was lovesick over some tiny stranger, for god's sake...lovesick and alone...The thunder grumbled, making Lewis lift his skull to face the darkness and the rain outside.Arthur had to leave. Now.---It was a bittersweet farewell, Arthur exchanging few words throughout the day as he said his goodbyes, the Deadbeats hit the hardest by his departure, all nuzzling and begging the Borrower to stay...Lewis stood in the doorway of his mansion, not even stepping outside to say his farewells, just holding his heart in place and it shuddered and thumped with one hand, waving to Arthur with the other, wishing him luck on finding his village and family......and with that the doors closed, and Arthur strode away, as if that whole place had been some illusion, some dream from which he had finally woken...woken, and was never to return again.---The village was a mess: over half the buildings were broken, torn apart by the winds and/or crushed by debris, and what few survivors had returned to the secret refuge were beyond overworked trying to get the place up and running again.Arthur proved to be more than helpful to his clan, doing a lot of mechanical work and repairs as things were rebuilt, even building some muscle as he helped with construction...despite all the work, however, and the promise of a restored, happy town, the Borrower couldn't help but feel homesick, staring out his window, watching the bustling village streets below as he ran his hand through his hair...Homesick.Homesick despite being home..what was wrong with him?---It rained the next day, and as such work slowed to a crawl, Arthur sent home as conditions got too slippery to work, the Borrower curling up with some tea and a blanket, staring out into the woods, as if watching, waiting for something to come find him. The hot liquid seared his mouth as the rain outside cooled the air and darkened the sky.Violin music echoed through his mind as he let himself fall into a tired, shivery sleep...---He had been playing for over an hour now, longer than he had in years: they were starting to worry about him.Ever since Arthur left, Lewis had been no different than usual, his gruff but caring nature still present, his demeanor by no means morose or violent......but still he played his violin like he was rehearsing for a performance, watched the woods through the windows with an odd, expectant glare...the master of the house had even stepped out into the rain a few times now, letting the water douse his flames, staring skyward as if awaiting answers, answers that never seemed to come.He was a hollow, quiet shell of a spirit, keeping up an act of calm and charisma...even as his heart broke again, and again, and again...---Months passed and Arthur felt sicker than ever: not even the return of his uncle had dampened the blow of his pain: it was only to Lance that he spoke about his experiences with Lewis, knowing that only his gruff, tough uncle would believe a tale as tall as that. The stout, strong Borrower was quite surprised, but, more importantly, concerned for his nephew:"And he never hurt you?""No, not once.""Arthur..."Lance strode forward, placing a tough, muscled hand on the spiky-haired Borrower's shoulder:"...I'm glad you're safe, but you really shouldn't have tangled with a monster like that: spirits're volatile, fed by emotion and unstable...glad you're okay."Arthur just...nodded, the two talking about other things for a while before Lance left to go help a few of the other guys to bring some building materials into the village...Afterwards Arthur just sat in his kitchen, watching Lance walk away, his eyes unfocusing as he watched the hustle and bustle occurring outside: the village was almost completely rebuilt, and soon there would be much celebration and jubilation, all their suffering over...Arthur just sat there, and fought back the tears and sobs as they attempted to claw their way out him.---"Master Lewis?"Silence."Master Lewis, are you alri-""I'm fine, Duchess."The female spirit floated into the dark room, seeing Lewis staring out the far window into the grey, overcast sky, heart thumping slowly, quietly, almost painfully as she approached."Is there anything we can do for you? We're worried, Lewis, very worried..."The skeletal ghost sighed, turning to look at the woman with dim, flickering magenta irises: he had been crying, or, at least, the closest thing he could do to crying, little wisps of magenta flame sliding out of his eye sockets as he turned from her."Just give me some space...I need some time to think about some things.""Of course, Master."The female spirit curtseyed, floating away as Lewis clenched his fist, his heart shuddering again as he felt his mood shift...This mansion, much like his heart, felt empty without a certain person here...and it would until he fixed it.---It was the day before the festival: all the buildings had been restored, remodeled, and remade, a grand celebration was in order, food and drink and merriment almost ready to be unleashed. Lance strode into Arthur's house, calling out to his nephew, needing some help with some cooking and preparation for tomorrow...and got no response. The stout Borrower searched the home, finding several of Arthur's things displaced: clothes drawers flung open, bookshelves a mess, all his bags and satchels gone...and one note, waiting for him on the kitchen table...it only took one read-through for Lance to know where his nephew had run off to.He prayed for Arthur's safety, prayed for his soul: that boy was chasing monsters, and he could very well end up as dead as the spirit he sought to see again...---Arthur found it hard to move through the woods when he had so many bags with him...but he intended to make this move permanent, provided that Lewis would let him back in: the spiky-haired Borrower couldn't fight it anymore, couldn't live in a village that now felt like a foreign land to him.

His home was back where magenta candlelight lit the halls, where paintings sprung to life, and where a lone ghost held his attention above all others.He loved Lewis, and that simultaneously hurt and excited him. Love, he was in love...with a skeleton ghost. With fire for hair. The Borrower chuckled to himself as he continued on: his uncle had always said he had strange taste in men...---Lewis laid in his coffin, eye sockets shut, although sleep evaded him, as it had these many months.He remembered the Borrower's voice like some siren's song calling out to him across the void, still saw that tiny little face staring up at him in terror...and how that fear had melted into compassion and companionship with time, despite all odds... He loved Vivi, he loved her so, so much...and yet his heart shook and ached for another as well, hungered for the presence of the man he had sent far, far away from him...He shuddered as the word crossed his mind, bones rattling and heart thudding:Love.He was in love.The ghost let the tears flow: if only he could could see him again, if only once...If only once.---Arthur found the mansion through the darkening shroud of nightfall as he found his way back into the space between the walls, eventually finding a spot to put his stuff down as he dared to venture out into the dark, oddly quiet mansion.For a moment, Arthur suspected the worst: there were none of the other ghosts to be seen, no candles lit or eerie, haunting voices echoing in the distance.Was Lewis...gone?He let himself fall through to the basement of the home again, landing on his feet and finding Lewis' coffin closed, a good sign that he might be within, but...What if he wasn't?Arthur shook his head, trying to dispel that horrid thought: it wasn't true, couldn't be true...r-right?Tap tap tap."Lewis? You in there?"Arthur knocked on the coffin lid again, calling upwards at the towering casket:"I came back! Please let me stay, I...I can't stand being back in the village again, it feels wrong!"---Was this a trick? An illusion? A dream? Lewis was slow to move, slow to react to the familiar voice calling up to him from outside his coffin, almost as if he didn't want to see the Borrower again, for fear of what it may do to his already damaged, thumping heart...this had to be a dream, had to be.---"Lewis?! Come on, I know you're not a heavy sleeper, don't ignore me! D-Did I do something to anger you?! If I did I'm so sorry and I'll make it up to you, I swear! Just come out, please!"---Go away, just go away. How could they make this work? How could he forgive himself for pursuing someone else when he still loved Vivi? How could he possibly feel this much love for two people at once, and feel it so genuinely? It was wrong, so so wrong----"Lewis, Lewis even if you're not going to open up I have something I need to say! I...I...oh god dammit LEWIS I LOVE YOU!"The Borrower went silent, hands pressed against the coffin as he stared up at it, tears starting to roll down his face...and as seconds ticked by he thought that maybe he should just leave-"Eep!"Arthur squeaked with surprise as the coffin lid rose, floating off to the side as he darted back, giving Lewis some room as the spirit exited his resting place, the Borrower scared for what might happen next...Lewis felt nothing at first just a hazy, incoherent daze: had he heard that correctly? Arthur...Arthur loved..."You...love me?"Lewis stared down at the Borrower, who nodded through the tears and smiled up at him."Y-Yea, c-can't lie about that, eheh."The ghost rose a hand to his skull, hollow body shaking silently, Arthur growing more concerned by the moment: for all he knew, Lewis could fly into a rage over this news, stomp him flat right then and there, Lance's words echoing in his head..."Oh my god..."The ghost's words were choked with sobs, small wisps of magenta flame sliding out from his sockets, even as he tried to cover his face with his hands."...you love me...you love me too."Arthur's heart skipped a beat as he heard the ghost's voice."You...love me too?"Lewis just sobbed, nodding."Holy shit..."Arthur was beyond words, just smiling wide, tears of joy streaming down his face as he darted over to Lewis, hopping up on top of his foot and hugging the ghost's leg, not particularly caring about the absurdity of the situation, just the elation that was in his heart...Lewis, on the other hand, was much more apprehensive, just crying and sobbing and internally cursing this whole situation: there was no way this could work, Arthur was surely terrified of him, being a monster and all...and he'd kicked him out for god's sake, how could he ever forgive him for that?...but then came Arthur's embrace, the tiny man so unafraid of approaching him, so at peace with the whole situation, nuzzling and holding his leg...Arthur squeaked with surprise as Lewis' hand gently pried him off his leg and lifted him up, bringing him close to his face and-"Wah!""What's wrong?! I didn't hurt you did I?!""No, it's just...you look...fleshy, man."The ghost was confused, but then brought his free hand up to his face and-...and didn't feel bones, but instead the contours of his flesh, as it had been when he was alive...had his emotions altered his form?"...and I’m not gonna lie, either: you're as handsome as I imagined, too."That made the spirit blush, his cheeks filling with a slight magenta glow as he glanced off to the side, more than a little flustered..."Hey, Lewis.""Y-yea?""Bring your hand a little close to your face, I wanna see something.""Al-Alright..."The spirit brought his hand closer, eyebrow raised slightly as he wondered what Arthur was up to...and felt a tiny little kiss on the tip of his nose as the Borrower stuttered:"Th-There, eheh, our first kiss."Lewis blushed again, silent for a moment before speaking:"Well, it's not our first kiss yet, Arthur...""Oh, why no-?!"Arthur's voice cracked as he yelped in terror, suddenly shifted closer to Lewis' mouth as the ghost-...as the ghost gently pressed his lips against Arthur's head and neck, the Borrower quite surprised by his new boyfriend's gentleness."There, now we're even."Lewis chuckled sweetly at the bright red blush that was currently across Arthur's cheeks, the two proceeding to move up to the ground floor of the mansion, Arthur grabbing his things, Lewis and his underlings setting up Arthur's room again, the two lovebirds returning to each other's side as they stared out the window together, Arthur sitting on Lewis' shoulder as the two talked:"I can't lie, I feel like I've come home, in a weird way, like I've just been wandering forever and now I'm just...here, you know?""Yea..."Lewis gently reached up to the Borrower, petting the tiny man a little, Arthur responding by nuzzling and holding onto the ghost’s fingers a little."...this mansion has felt empty for a long time to me, honestly...but with you here, I feel, well, alive, if that makes sense...I feel less dead, how about that?"The Borrower chuckled, holding onto Lewis' fingers as he spoke:"Sounds good to me...”

The duo stared out the window, silent, Lewis listening to Arthur’s quiet breathing, Arthur listening to the slight clinking of Lewis’ beating heart...