Aka Vivi starring in "The Bae and The Boo"

Mystery Skulls Ghost
OT3 fanfic of introspective Fluff
Lewis/Arthur/Vivi

Lewis has always been a patient person. In death, he's even more-so. Some of his thoughts on an unaware Arthur.

Arthur, Lewis thought, was completely captivating when he was unguarded. It happened so rarely, that it was always a shock to see his face smooth of worry lines, body limp and lax in a graceless sprawl. He lay there now, flat on his back on the bed where he'd keeled over waiting for Vivi to return from whatever errand she'd been at now. Lewis honestly couldn't remember, just that she'd walked out the door with a loud, "Be right back guys!" She'd taken Mystery with her (It was just good sense to move in pairs, in their job, and the habit carried over even when they weren't actively investigating), which had left Lewis and Arthur alone in their little motel room.

That had been over an hour ago, and Arthur had dozed off where he lay. It didn't look terribly comfortable to Lewis, what with Arthur's legs hanging off the bed, but that didn't seem to matter as his friend was deeply asleep. Lewis didn't mind that he'd been left, essentially, on his own. It gave him time to trace the lines of Arthur's face, the gentle brush of his vibrant hair on the dull blue blanket (such a contrast), the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply, rhythmically, in slumber.

Perhaps it was because he no longer needed to do so himself, or something to do with being not-quite-alive, but breathing now fascinated Lewis. He found himself tuning out sometimes, just to watch Vivi or Arthur's chests move as they performed that simple, human requirement. Vivi had once called him on that, teasingly asking what he'd found so interesting on her chest, but Lewis hadn't felt any embarrassment over it. Arthur had flushed bright red when Vivi had offered to do an up-close comparison of their chests (sans clothes) so Lewis could pick which one he liked best. He'd flushed even darker when Lewis had said he liked them both just the way they were.

So Lewis had indulged in his new favorite pastime, just watching Arthur live. It was different when he was still, though. Arthur wasn't normally a quiet sleeper. He tossed and turned, kicked the blankets off, woke up long enough to bundle himself in them again, curled on his side, even talked in his sleep on occasion. Lewis had discovered long ago that it was because, even in sleep, Arthur couldn't get his mind to quiet down. Sometimes from nightmares, sometimes from excitement, but most often it was just spinning thoughts that had no output.

The only times he rested quietly were when he was overly exhausted (the times when he worked himself passed endurance and collapsed wherever he was), or when he felt completely safe. He hadn't done anything recently to warrant the former, had in fact slept well with Vivi curled against his back, and him curled against Lewis' side as he watched over them. So his impromptu nap was the result of the rare chance to lie in, which Arthur was quick to take advantage of.

Even after—especially after Lewis had returned from death, he found he cherished the moments when Arthur was still, not subject to his normal twitches or fidgeting, or his grand gestures and quick movements.

Perhaps it was the 'patience of the grave,' as Arthur had teased him once. That had been a good day. Just knowing Arthur was forgiving himself, even a little, enough to joke about Lewis' current state of unliving...well, it made bearing with it easier for Lewis, too. The relief of moving on past the anger, of regaining a piece of the calm he once boasted, and the simple joy of being able to continue his existence with the ones he loved. He didn't want Arthur to feel guilty forever.

(They all were at fault, in some way, for how long it had taken to work things out. Lewis' anger, spirit-fed though it was. He should have known something was wrong, should have believed in the Arthur he knew. But he'd allowed pain and revenge to consume him, nearly destroying everything in his rage. Arthur's guilt and fear that caused him to flee instead of standing to explain. The fear that had kept him quiet when he'd felt left out, alone, that left him vulnerable to what lurked in the cave. Vivi's tendency toward ignoring problems as if they weren't there, pretend everything was normal because it hurt too much to think it was unfixable….)

The silence of the motel room was only broken by the distant sound of cars passing by, an intrepid bird singing lustily somewhere outside the window, and the even, slow breaths of Arthur. Lewis himself didn't make any noise, in these moments of calm. There was none of the crackling that accompanied a flare in his aura when he got excited or riled, there was no underline hum of spirit energy in the air; just Lewis, perched on the edge of the desk where he'd sat to better watch Arthur sleep. He hadn't bothered with a human disguise yet. It was unneeded in the room, and took concentration he didn't want to spend.

A moment later he heard a familiar engine pull up, then footsteps approaching. Vivi pushed open the door slowly, peeking in as she took in the peaceful scene. She smiled at Lewis, bright and happy, and while he couldn't smile in this form, he knew she could see it in other ways when he was happy back at her. Mystery slipped passed her legs, sitting near the door and looking around expectantly, and that seemed to shake Vivi out of her thoughts. She came all the way into the room, making sure the door closed silently behind her.

"It's time to go," she said, voice low and regretful. Her eyes lingered on Arthur's face, and her smiled softened with fondness. "It's a shame to wake him when he's being so cute."

Lewis silently agreed, but pushed himself upright off the desk. He didn't bother walking, not needing to dissemble in front of Vivi or Mystery, and floated over to the bed. Leaning over, one large hand spread gently across Arthur's chest, and he rumbled quietly, "It's time to wake up, Arthur." The echo in his own voice startled him. The way he was now was natural to him, comfortable, and sometimes despite all the reminders otherwise he forgot how different he looked.

He regretted for a moment that he hadn't thought to hide behind the spectral projection of life, that the otherworldly eyes and stark white skull would be the first thing Arthur would see upon waking. It would spook him, and he'd lose the soft, serene look on his face. Even if it was for just a moment, the scare would break the peace around Arthur, and Lewis was loathe to see it go.

Arthur mumbled under his breath, a sleepy jumble of incomprehensible syllables, as his dark eyelashes fluttered against sleep-flushed cheeks. His waking was slow, his movements lethargic, and the haze in his eyes a clear sign of how deeply he'd been asleep.

Lewis' hand rose on Arthur's chest when he breathed in a slow, deep breath that he let out on a long sigh of air. "S'time 's it?" he slurred, his flesh arm coming up to rub tiredly at his eyes. When he moved his hand, he was better able to focus on Lewis above him. There was no startlement, no fear in his eyes, and Lewis was struck dumb as he realized Arthur felt safe, with him, like this. "Hey big guy, wanna let me up?"

Arthur's question shook Lewis out of his momentary shock, and he stepped back reluctantly, his hand sliding off Arthur's chest. As Arthur sat up, however, Vivi moved in quickly to take Lewis' place, her hands coming up to frame Arthur's face as she leaned in to kiss him deeply. The dazed look had returned to Arthur's face when she let him go, and he gave an abortive motion of one hand to his mouth as he stared at her.

"W-what was that for?" he asked, voice shooting higher in his confusion.

Vivi stepped back, beaming at both of them. "Well," she said, lacing her fingers in front of her coquettishly, "It just looked like Lewis really wanted to, so I did it for him."

She looked entirely too pleased with herself. She also wasn't wrong.

"I am perfectly capable of doing that myself," Lewis said, flames flickering around him as his ghost persona was swallowed up, replaced with the human facsimile of himself. It wasn't the same as a real body, but it was solid, and allowed Lewis to reach out himself, carefully cupping the back of Arthur's head as he tilted their mouth's together. Vivi once told him his kisses were electric like this. From the way Arthur's eyes slipped shut, the low moan in his throat as he leaned into the kiss, his hands grasping and curling in the front of Lewis' shirt, Arthur probably agreed.

Lewis felt Vivi slip her hand into his free one, and he gave her a tiny squeeze as he leaned back a few inches, breaking the kiss. He was again lost for a moment as he took in Arthur's flushed cheeks and content expression. It was broken by an amused 'wuffle', and Lewis straightened up to give Mystery a look. Mystery was unaffected and gave Lewis a doggy grin back, but Arthur was off like a rocket, flailing his arms and spluttering incoherently as he tried to stand up, sit back, and run forward all at once.

Vivi's laughter rang out loud and clear, and Lewis indulged in one of his own as he caught one flailing hand, hauling Arthur to his feet. He spun him into Vivi's side, then pushed them both in front of him toward the door.

"Alright gang, let's get going!"

He wasn't sure how long this would last, if he would ever find his presence in the world fading or if his desire to stay with Arthur and Vivi was enough to keep him here, but for now he just enjoyed the little things, the times of peace, Vivi's sparkling blue eyes and Arthur's shy smile.

This is horribly indulgent OT3 fluff. This was also inspired by a pic that was inspired (apparently) by me, and is possibly inspiring the artist to draw more. How inspiring!

Picture is here, for those who need it. post/103177248948/its-time-to-wake-up-arthur