#tqlewvithurstuff

It was that time of year again, and Lewis knew that there was still much to do.

He still had to pick up gifts for Belle and Cayenne, had a few things to get for the restaurant, and had to make sure everything was ready to go for when the relatives showed up...all on top of his usual waiter duties.

Yes, it was a busy time of year, but he wasn't to be deterred.

"Mom, Dad?! I'm going to the store: was there anything else you needed?!"

"No sweetie," came the tired voice of Mrs. Pepper, busily cleaning up the kitchen after a long day of feeding the hungry public...and enjoying the shock on their faces at the spiciness of her dishes.

"No, thank ya' son!" yelled Mr. Pepper just after, returning to his work preparing some of the components for the next day's sweets and confectionary catering orders, a great accumulation of sweat on his brow.

There were few times of year as busy as this: everyone in town was looking to impress their friends and families by bringing something from Pepper Paradiso to their table...

Lewis nodded to himself as he passed the kitchen, making his way down the hall and poking his head into each of his sister's rooms, checking in with them as well, making sure they didn't need any help with anything, all of them responding with a resolute no...well, save for Paprika, who shoved him out of her room quickly, loudly telling him not to look, bits of wrapping paper and tape stuck to her fingertips.

Certain that everything was at least moderately handled here, Lewis turned towards his room, determined to get ready and head out to the mall, knowing it'd be open quite late at this time of year...and needing to get everything done before his tired body and mind caught up with him.

As he entered his personal space, he went through a ritual that was as second-nature to him as breathing, these days: he knocked, waited a moment, then sloooowly opened the door, staring around the room.

First, he looked down, making sure they weren't at his feet, then to his desk, then to his bookshelf and chair, then to the bed...

And ah, THERE they were, or, should he say, just one of them.

"Heya Lew!" Arthur chirped as the towering human approached him, the usually skittish borrower not even phazed by the tremors of Lewis' footfalls as he got close, nor the rush of air that washed over him as Lewis knelt down beside the bed, offering Arthur his hand as he spoke to his diminutive boyfriend:

"Hey Artie...where's Vivi?"

"Up on the rafters, last I heard: she wanted to talk to your Mom about something."

The tiny borrower hopped up onto his partner's hand, Lewis bringing him in close to his chest, fingers gently arched around him as Arthur pressed up against him.

Arthur couldn't exactly talk to anyone outside of Vivi, Lewis, or this house about it due to the inherent taboo, the deep horror it would surely cause any outside borrower hearing about it, but...he couldn't quite describe what it was like, being held by a human you trusted.

It was one of the most soothing experiences he had ever experienced, and even as Lewis walked around the room, pulling his winter jacket out of the closet and gathering up a few of his things with his free hand, Arthur couldn't help but feel safe, warm, and secure in his towering boyfriend's grasp.

He and Vivi saw so little of Lewis at this time of year: he was always so busy with work and family stuff. Arthur and Vivi's best bet to get ahold of their human bae was usually to wait until the end of the day, when Lewis would come in (and promptly fall asleep) or try to catch him during his breaks during the day...the later of which usually didn't go well, what with all the bustle in the kitchen and all the work needing to be done.

As an alternative, Vivi liked to go up to the rafters and watch the restaurant during the day, trying to catch Lew's eye when she could, but Arthur didn't particularly like joining her up there. Just the thought of being in a big room, full to the brim with hungry humans, the thought that any of them would spot him up there, or that he'd fall and end up on one of their tables...

He shuddered: what a terrifying thought.

The borrower was startled out of his thoughts as he was gently placed back down onto the bed, Lewis sliding on his coat as he explained:

"Well, I hate to cut this off early Artie, but I gotta go to the store."

"The store? This late at night? What for?"

"Last minute stuff: gifts, supplies for the restaurant, that kind of thi-"

"LEWWWWWW!"

The bean turned just fast enough towards the sudden voice to catch Vivi as she jumped down off of one of the rafters, the man letting out a startled squeak as the woman smiled, carefree, up at him, Arthur rolling his eyes from the bed...

No sense of fear, that woman.

"What's that you were saying, Lew?" inquired the blue-haired borrower, "You're going to the store?"

"Yea," Lewis explained, gently putting her down next to Arthur, "I hate to leave you two alone again, but I have to get this stuff done while I have time..."

The two borrowers watched as Lewis did up his jacket, wrapping his purple scarf around his neck, sliding his gloves on, checking his pocket for his wallet again...

Meanwhile, Vivi turned silently to her borrower partner, and what followed between them was a series of silent nods, hand motions, and worried and determined expressions, respectively, exchanged between one another...

True to form, Vivi couldn't and wouldn't be dissuaded by Arthur's warnings, and, true to form, Arthur wasn't about to let her do something this reckless alone.

None the wiser to his baes' plans, Lewis headed out the door, his mind much too focused on the task at hand (and keeping himself awake long enough to complete it) to notice that his scarf felt a little heavier around his neck than usual...

---

Lewis sighed, working his way through the grocery store, making a mental note of everything he had picked up already.

He'd stopped at the craft store, grabbing a new set of friendship bracelet supplies for Cayenne, and a big construction set for Belle.

He'd picked up the extra catering boxes, parchment paper, decorative sprinkles here already, and baking chocolate for the restaurant...

And now for the last part of his trip, and the LONGEST: picking up groceries for the big family dinner in a few days.

He sighed, the muscular man leaning down against his cart, yawning and scratching at the bags under his eyes, waiting for an opening to get down the overcrowded aisle, full of people bustling about, grabbing last minute ingredients, attempting to quickly toss together a meal that they hadn't expected the in-laws to show up for, grab something else to serve after messing up the main dish...

And so on and so forth, a loud, clattering crowd of tired, stressed people and their carts between Lewis and the stuff he needed to pick up so he could go home and get some rest...and even then, the line at the register was going to be loooooong.

Lewis sighed again, running his fingers through his hair as he blinked, tiredly, shuffling his cart down the aisle the first opening he got and-

Immediately getting run into by another shopper...and receiving all of the yelling and discontent that came with them:

"HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU BIG GALOOT!!!"

Lewis flinched back at the woman's yelling, holding up his hands as he meekly replied:

"Miss, I'm sorry, I-"

"YEA, YOU BETTER BE, YOU BIG, CLUMSY, STUPID-"

"HEY!!!!!!"

Lewis flinched at the sudden, familiar voice, the woman's eyes going wide as Lewis felt something shift against his neck...

Vivi popped up out of his scarf, loudly berating the woman, shaking her tiny fist as she hollered:

"YOU RAN INTO HIM, YOU JERK! BUZZ OFF BEFORE I SOCK IT TO YA!!!"

"..."

The woman looked from Lewis to the borrower and back, then quickly and silently fled away with her cart, not looking back once.

Meanwhile, Lewis stood there, eyes wide, trying not to panic.

He quickly shuffled out of the way to the aisle farthest back in the store, assuring multiple times that no one was nearby or headed his way before carefully feeling along his neck, pulling his hands back when he felt a couple of familiar pairs of hands press against his fingers. Bringing his hands in front of him, the human bean looked down at his two tiny partners, absolute shock in his eyes. Meanwhile, Arthur crossed his arms, shooting Vivi a glare before casually stating to his towering boyfriend, matter-of-factly: "This was Vivi's idea." Vivi huffed loudly, protesting: "Oh, c'mon Artie-" "Vivi." The woman turned from Arthur to Lewis as the human spoke, noting the worry in his big magenta eyes as she looked up at him. "C-Can you, uh, ex-explain?" Vivi smiled up at the bean, gently patting one of his fingertips. "Well, Lew, you were stressed, had so much stuff to do, and you were sad you didn't get to see us...soooooo I figured we'd solve all of those problems at once. We'd come with you, help you with your shopping, help you relax a little and keep you from passing out and-" "AND THEN get stuck hiding for HOURS because there are beans literally EVERYWHERE," chimed in Arthur, arms still crossed, "she FORGOT about that part." The two borrowers clung tightly to Lewis' fingers as he slowly sunk to the ground and sat down, still a bit flabbergasted. "...are you two okay?" "Yep!" "Yea, mostly." Lewis let out a sigh of relief, gently bringing his partners in close, planting a few small kisses on top of their heads. "I'm glad you're both okay, just...let me know next time you pull something like this, okay?!" He let out a shaky little chuckle, smiling as he felt his baes kiss him back, taking a moment to gather his composure and tackle the situation at hand. "Well, now that we're all here, we need to come up with a strategy: I can't just walk around with you out in the open, not with all these people around..." Arthur chimed in again, raising a cautious hand as he suggested: "How about you finish your shopping first, then we can regroup. Besides..." Lewis blushed slightly as he saw Arthur pull one of his fingers closer to him, planting a small kiss on top of his fingertip. "...we'll be here to help you get through the night, big guy." Bolstered and re-energized knowing that his partners were here for him, Lewis nodded and stood back up, gently bringing Vivi and Arthur back up to his scarf, resisting the urge to giggle as they wiggled their way back into the fabric, tickling him a little as they got settled. He addressed them one last time as he started pushing his cart back towards the busy area of the store: "Alright, you two, I'm gonna get going again: I'll let you know when the coast is clear." --- It was a bit past midnight when Lewis placed his grocery bags next to the bench on the second floor concourse of the mall, overlooking the atrium below. The mall was still open for a few more hours, and although it was mostly cleared out now a few people still made their way, weighed down with bags and heavy eyelids, through the bright, festively-decorated lobby below.

Taking a few more glances around him for good measure, Lewis flopped down onto the bench, letting out a tired, exasperated sigh, enjoying a moment of peace and stillness after so many hours of shopping and being up on his feet...

"Alright you two: coast's clear."

He felt the scrambling of tiny hands and feet against his neck, trying not to move as his boyfriend and girlfriend made their way down from his neck, the both of them moving down to stand on top of his leg, looking down at the vast atrium.

Lewis softly smiled down at them and their wide-eyed wonder at the bright display below: he forgot at times just how isolated from the wider world they were, always living in the walls of his home, relying on him and his family for food and shelter, having to remain hidden from the entire world, just to survive...

They had probably never seen a big indoor space like this before, let alone one all dolled-up for the holidays: full of twinkling lights, big, tinsel-ladden trees, and bright baubles everywhere.

"This is so beautiful," Vivi exclaimed, leaning over the edge of Lewis' knee a little, Arthur looking over her, noting how the light radiating up from below reflected off her face, caught on her glasses and eyes, illuminating the face of the woman he loved with a soft, golden glow...

"Yea," he cooed, smiling, "it is."

The borrower tilted his head back, his gaze locking with that of Lewis, the human glancing down at the diminutive man...

Gosh, it must have taken so much for Arthur to come out here and be with him today: Lewis had never gotten it out of him himself, but Vivi had alluded to Arthur having a pretty traumatic event happen in his childhood involving humans, and Arthur himself had admitted to losing his parents at a young age...not to mention all the moments, early on in their relationship, where Arthur had struggled with being close to him.

There had been a lot of fear, a lot of discussion and practice and slow, careful trust-building, but in the end...

Arthur was a much braver soul than he or Vivi gave him credit for, Lewis concluded, watching as the borrower approached Vivi, gently looping his arm over her shoulder, Lewis grimacing slightly as the light filtering up from below glinted off of Arthur's mechanical hand...

He looked away from his lovers for a moment, seeing that little piece of machinery: call him dramatic, but to this day he still worried about hurting them.

He was the reason why Arthur had needed that hand, after all...and even if it was due to an accident he hadn't directly caused, it was still a reminder that, as a human, even a small mistake on his part could be devastating for his partners.

"..."

The man's eyes narrowed as he continued this train of thought, worry growing in Lewis's mind that he thought he had long since buried, panic rising in his tired mind, realizing that his partners were indeed out in the open right now, far away from home, relying on him and-

"Hey, Lew! Don't go falling asleep on us yet!"

"?!!"

Lewis shook his head, pulling himself away from his negative thoughts as Vivi yelled up at him, Arthur's head tilted back to look up at him too, giving Lewis a small, concerned, and loving smile...

"..."

Lewis closed his eyes, letting out a long, relieved sigh, his worries melting away at the sound of his partners' words and the sight of their smiles: how did they always know what to do make him feel better?

"Heh, don't worry, I won't."

He watched as the borrowers turned away from him again, settling down top of his leg, holding each other close, Lewis following their gaze to watch the bustling people below.

Call him sappy, but despite all his worrying, he knew his partners had his back, and he had their's...

And he wouldn't trade having them in his life for anything else in the world.

---

When they got home, Lewis put away the supplies and food in the kitchen, checked on his father, hid away the gifts he'd bought for the girls in the back of his closet, took off his coat, stretched...

And then promptly collapsed onto his bed, scarf still wrapped around his neck as he let out a low, exhausted groan.

It wasn't long before the human had maneuvered himself under the covers, weakly sliding his scarf off once he felt Vivi and Arthur clamber out of it, the towering man letting out a tired sigh as he felt the two borrowers moving around on the pillow next to him, getting settled themselves.

"Thanks for the help today guys," murmured Lewis, "it means a lot."

"No problem Lew," purred Arthur, lying down next to the human's face, letting out a content sigh himself as he stretched, then allowed his eyes to slide shut.

Vivi, on the other hand, wasn't so fast to get settled.

She stood on top of the pillow, looking across it at her two baes, at Arthur flopped out next to Lewis' face in particular.

Arthur was quickly falling into unconsciousness, his characteristically loud snoring cueing up as his legs and hands twitched, the skittish borrower still ever the active one, even as he fell asleep...

Gosh, Artie must be so exhausted after today: she knew how much being around humans stressed him out, and spending hours tucked away against Lewis, nowhere near solid ground and surrounded by beans in all directions...

Yea, maybe he'd been right about this being a bad idea.

She carefully made her way across the pillow, kneeling down next to him, gently draping his outstretched arm over his chest: knowing him, he'd end up with a sore shoulder if slept completely flopped-out like that.

Certain that Arthur would sleep peacefully now, the tiny woman stepped over him, walking up to Lewis, feeling the rush of his warm breath over her as he snoozed...

Staring up at the bean, she tilted her head: how many times had she been told as a child that getting this close to a human was dangerous? How many times had she been warned that if you felt a human's breath on you, you were as good as dead?

"Hmmm..."

Hmm, she couldn't remember...but it had certainly been a lot.

She glanced behind her again, looking down at Arthur, then back at Lewis, before promptly settling down where she was, happily sandwiched between her two baes, content.

She could hardly think of anywhere else in the world she'd like to be right now, a thought that, thinking about it, kind of shocked her.

She had spent years adventuring, always taking the biggest risks, the hardest missions, and scoping out the most dangerous of bean residences, seeing if and where her fellow borrowers in the area could settle safely...

Reminiscing as she sat here, Arthur's snoring to her right, Lewis' breath washing over her from the left, the tiny woman feeling perfectly safe and beyond comfortable, she thought back to the early days. She remembered how much she and Arthur had argued at first, being paired up to scope a few places out: his overly cautious attitude rubbed her the wrong way continuously, and he had screamed at her so many times that she was going to get herself killed, or worse...

And then she'd found out about his childhood, and, well...she had kind of regretted everything, hadn't she? Every little angry snap she'd had at him, every argument and petty squabble: he'd only  been trying to protect her from a threat that was not only very real to him, but that he'd experienced in the past.

"..."

Reaching out in the dark, she clutched Arthur's hand, feeling the cold metallic surface of his mechanical fingers subconsciously twitch against her's, the woman continuing to delve through her memories as she grew more and more tired, remembering...

Lewis.

She had to admit, she'd only really gotten to know this family because of Lewis: she was a big proponent of understanding the beans you borrowed from. Sure, it was risky eavesdropping, getting close enough to them to overhear their conversations, observe their habits and work around them instead of just waiting for the dead of night to take what you needed...

This time, she decided she wouldn't bother with all that, though: the Peppers had several kids, and they lived attached to their restaurant business, the building always bustling with humans, day in, day out. It was too risky trying to investigate them further...but Lewis, well...

He'd changed her mind.

He was such an odd, endearing fellow: kind and sweet, a bit of a dork and a dreamer, his head always in a book of fairytales, a tome about mythology, or Sailor Moon manga, all while still caring for and looking after his family, his kind, innocent, and loving nature in stark contrast with his hulking, powerful physique...

He was a mystery, too: the Peppers had adopted him, didn't know where he was from, and Lewis didn't seem to remember himself, either.

He had been an enigma to her, a mystery to be cracked, and all her training, all her patience and risk-taking and careful planning had fallen apart as she had watched him, followed him, understood him and his family more and more...

She had broken one of the fundamental rules of borrowing, had gotten emotionally involved with the beings she was borrowing from...and had fallen in love in the process.

Turning to him in the dark, Vivi reached out towards Lewis's face, gently resting her fingertips against his cheek, feeling the human's warm skin against her's, any and all fear that had been instilled in her from birth long since forgotten...

So much so that when a tired, lazy, and gigantic hand reached up from beneath the covers, draping over the two borrowers, gently holding them close, neither stirred nor flinched away, Lewis letting out a low, content sigh as his barely awake mind registered the tired, tiny movements of his lovers against his fingers as they got settled, the three of them nestled in close together, warm against the cold and rising holiday hustle and bustle outside, if only for a few peaceful, quiet hours before sunrise.

Yes, if you were to ask any of them, their answer would be quite clear: despite all the troubles they had faced, the hurdles they had tackled and the ones they still had left to conquer...

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.

Lewis flopped down onto his bed, exhausted.

Weekends were always busy at Pepper Paradiso, but this one had been particularly hectic: too many customers, too many things going wrong, and not nearly enough rest for ANY of the employees, himself included.

He was beyond tired, beyond drained, and desperately needed to unwind...

Thankfully, his baes knew exactly how to aid him in that department. When he felt a tiny hand brush through his bangs in a very familiar manner, a smile crept across his face.

"Hey, Vivi."

The blue-haired borrower smiled in unison with her bae, his loud voice reverberating through her as she stood close to him. She moved back a little as he lifted his head up, frowning as she saw the dark bags under his eyes. Poor sweetie.

Before Lewis even got the chance to speak she was showering him with kisses and little nuzzles against his face, stopping after a little while to properly greet him:

"Hey hon," she chirped, reaching out to touch his fingers as he slowly lifted his hand and brought it close to her, Lewis a little too tired to actually sit up and hold her just yet, but wanting some physical contact anyway.

Vivi smiled again: she always found it so cute that Lewis, a towering man even by human standards, felt such a need for and responded so immeadiately and lovingly to her tiny little touch every time...

She continued to pet his fingers, and Lewis rested his head back down against the sheets, enjoying Vivi's company and petting...only to lift his head back up a few moments later, asking, groggily:

"Where's Artie?"

Vivi looked up and chuckled: as if on cue, Lewis felt something shift and move across his shoulder blade, then his neck, Arthur's face dropping down into Lewis' line of vision as the borrower leaned over the edge of his head.

"Hey," Arthur said, quite casually, noting the slightly bewildered look in Lewis' eyes and explaining:

"I've been on your back for, like, five minutes man. You must be really tired not to notice."

Lewis flushed red in embarassment, immeadiately apologizing for not noticing him and appearing quite worried: he could have put Arthur in danger and-

"Ohhhhh shoosh, Lew. I can handle myself, and considering how tired you are..."

Arthur gently reached forward, petting Lewis' forehead a little through his bangs.

"...you aren't a threat to anybody."

That seemed to calm Lewis down a little. Arthur hopped down from Lewis' head, standing next to Vivi as they pondered what to do with their big, tired bae. Vivi was the first to speak:

"You wanna do anything tonight to relax, Lew?"

He shook his head.

"I dunno: I'm just kind of out of it, to be honest..."

Arthur spoke next:

"You wanna watch a movie or something?"

Lewis shrugged.

"Maybe? I dunno..."

Arthur frowned, then quickly came up with a compromise:

"How about you get out of your work clothes and get comfortable first and we'll go from there?"

Lewis nodded, and Arthur and Vivi watched as he slunk back off the bed, the two borrowers turning and talking to each other as Lewis got changed.

"Poor Lew," Vivi said, frowning, "They really put him through a lot this weekend."

Arthur nodded.

"Yea: dealing with all those customers AND taking care of the girls couldn't have been fun...I kinda feel bad we weren't there for him."

Vivi rose an eyebrow and chuckled at that, prompting a frown from Arthur.

"What?"

Vivi just snorted, adding:

"Wow Artie, look at you: not too long ago you would have been hiding in deepest, darkest corner of the building on a busy day, and now you feel bad for not being out there with LewLew, surrounded by people who could potentially see you..."

Arthur was about to open his mouth and retort when Vivi leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, adding:

"You're such a sweetheart, Artie, and brave as Hell. I love you, and Lewis does too, with you being there for him on a busy day or not."

Well, that got Arthur a little blushy, the spiky-haired borrower squeaking:

"Th-Thanks...l-love you too..."

The duo quickly scooted off to the side as Lewis sat back down on the bed, now in a comfy t-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts. He yawned and blinked tiredly before looking down at his lovers and placing his hand down, palm facing up, next to them.

There was no hesitation as they both climbed on, Arthur staying, sitting down on Lewis' palm while Vivi darted up his arm and sat down on his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck a little; their two favorite spots to relax when they were with Lewis, respectively.

The purple-haired human moved back a bit, sitting with his back against the wall, getting comfortable before gently tilting his head to nuzzle into Vivi a bit and bringing his hand closer against his body, gently curling up a few of his fingers to pet Arthur.

Even when he was exhausted, Lewis was always gentle, careful, and affectionate with his lovers. It meant so much to Lewis that Arthur and Vivi trusted him enough to let him interact with them like this on a regular basis, and it meant so much more in return to them that Lewis was so gentle, so aware and so considerate around them. They all felt perfectly safe, and perfectly loved, when they were around each other like this.

"So," Lewis asked, "is there any movie or anything you guys wanna watch tonight?"

Arthur and Vivi looked at each other, both nodding at one another, and although Lewis couldn't see Vivi, he could feel her gaze on him...and from the look Arthur gave him, it was quite clear that they were both leaving the decision to him.

And that they knew EXACTLY what he wanted to watch.

Lewis blushed a little as he got up and put the TV on, and before long the Sailor Moon theme song filled the air, Lewis sitting back down on the bed.

The two borrowers squeaked as their lover suddenly moved the both of them, bringing his hand with Arthur close to his face and gently picking Vivi up with the other, planting a little kiss on each of their heads.