Here's my contribution to the Animation. Happy holiday, y'all.
(of course I ship it! What's not to ship?)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Only the story line.
:-:
Vivi sighed, leaning against Lewis. It'd been a while since they'd been able to be at peace with one another like this. It was currently close to midnight,and they were sitting at a park bench not too far away from Lewis' mansion. This park was the one Vivi spent most of her childhood days playing at. She smiled to herself, remembering all sorts of past times; her first 500 failed attempts at the monkey bars, her many birthday celebrations in elementary school, and most importantly… where she'd met Arthur.
It took a lot of convincing, pain, and harsh words, but thankfully Lewis and Arthur managed to get on a somewhat neutral ground with one another. It was quite awkward at first, but things eventually mellowed out. Heck, they'd even shoot playful remarks at one another every now and then.
The most devastating time was when Vivi got her memory back. For almost a month, she wouldn't come out of the room she'd picked out at Lewis' mansion. She'd barely eat, sleep, or talk. The only thing she did was clutch onto Lewis as if her very soul depended on it. He stayed with her the whole time too. Arthur would come and visit from time to time, offering a nice hot cup of Jasmine tea (her favorite), chocolate (also one of her favorites), and just plain words of encouragement and adoration.
She wouldn't budge.
Sometimes she'd look at him, nodding in appreciation, but other than that there was absolutely no response from her. She'd cry at random, Lewis holding her close, whispering sweet nothings to her, kissing her forehead and cheeks softly, assuring her in every way possible that he was hers, and always will be.
Not even that stirred her from her dormant depressed state.
What mattered to Lewis, and Arthur the most was Vivis' happiness.
Seeing her like this made Lewis regret when he decided to show her the contents of his beating orange heart, revealing to her everything all at once. The cave, the cliff, the fall, the aftershock, Arthur, everything. The memories flowed out of his heart and into her eyes in one fowl swoop. She'd never be the same, Lewis and Arthur both feared.
But then, she woke up.
Neither of them knew how. Arthur suggested that she just needed time to let it all out. The pain, suffering, and heartache just needed to be released. She awoke that morning, Lewis and Arthur both tirelessly holding her in their arms. The gazed down at her with hope-filled hearts and eyes. She met their gazes for a moment, and then smiled. That smile shined brighter than any star in the sky either of them had seen in all their lives. She weeped not out of sadness, not out of pain - rather out of joy and gratefulness. She kissed them both - Arthur on the cheek, and Lewis where his lips would be. They looked at each other, nodded slowly, and embraced Vivi. They were so worried she'd never smile again. But she did.
And now, she was happy.
She shifted so her head rested on her boyfriends lap. He looked down at her with an amused expression.
"Something you want, Vi?"
She giggled. "I already have what I want." She said, gazing up at Lewis' bright pink iris'. He smiled, running his hand through her sky blue hair.
"And what would that be?"
She reached up, bringing his face to hers and kissing his cheekbone. "You." Vivi whispered, nuzzling his face with her nose.
Lewis laughed, leaning down to embrace her. "Me?"
"Yes. And Arthur, and Mystery. I love you all." She said, playing with his fluffy pink 'hair'. "I just love you."
His smile widened. "I love you too, Vi."
:-:
All of them - Lewis, Arthur, Vivi, and Mystery - were gathered around the mansions' grand fireplace now, snug in blankets, sipping hot cocoa, talking about mysteries and other things. A tree lit up with a variety of colored lights stood to the right, partially lighting up the dimly lit room. Vivi sat in between Arthur and Lewis, whilst Mystery lay curled up close to the fireplace, enjoying the warmth it provided.
"Merry Christmas, you two." Vivi sighed, snuggling in the blanket more between the two most important people in her life.
"Right back at ya, Vi." Arthur said. "You too, Lew-Lew."
"Hey!" Lewis protested. "That pet name is reserved for Vivi. Watch it."
"Or what?" Arthur teased. He stood up in front of them, blanket falling to the floor. "You'll send me to Hell?"
Lewis sighed in annoyance. "No. You'll probably like it." He smirked.
Vivi slapped Lewis' arm just enough to sting, but not to cause physical pain.
"Ow!"
"Be nice, Lew-Lew." She playfully scolded.
Arthur crossed his arms. "Yeah, be nice! Or else I won't give you your present!"
Lewis raised an eyebrow ridge. "You. Got me. A present."
Another stinging slap to the arm.
"Vi! Will. You. Stop doing that?!"
"Not until you learn to accept Arthurs' kindness, mister!" She colded once more, this time a bit more firmly.
Lewis sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry Arthur." He sarcastically apologised, but it was an apology nonetheless.
Arthur smiled. "You better be! 'Cause this gift is going to blow your mind!"
"I'm sure." Lewis replied, not sounding too enthusiastic. Boy was Arthur gonna have fun proving him wrong.
"Open mine first." Vivi cut in. Lewis nodded.
"As you command, my little blueberry." He cooed, playfully nuzzling her cheek. She giggled, and nuzzled back.
"Oh my fucking god, get a room already!" Arthur exclaimed, ruining their little moment. Lewis turned to him with a cocky smirk.
"One would think you've gotten used to us going steady by now. I guess some of us are a bit less mature than others."
Vivi rolled her eyes, and got up from Lewis' lap to retrieve his gift she got him. "C'mon Arthur! loosen up." She playfully nudged him while walking over to the tree, bending down to pick up her gift. It was a small box wrapped in frilly dark and light blue wrapping with an orange heart cut out at the top.
She handed it to Lewis with a smile, and a kiss on the cheekbone.
"Open it."
Lewis took a moment to admire how carefully and exquisitely she had wrapped the gift before opening it. The box top came off revealing a shiny golden half-a-heart locket with Vivis' name engraved on it. Lewis took it out of the box, set the box aside, and looked at it. It was so well-crafted and shined so bright. There was more. He pressed the little latch on the side of the locket. It sprung open and inside was a picture of Vivi in high school when she and Lewis had first met - her hair a shining brown, and eyes as blue and beautiful as ever - the Vivi he'd first laid eyes on, and fell in love with. Lewis looked back up at Vivi, who was still smiling. He caught her by her wrist and pulled her into a warm embrace, showering her with kisses and affection. She giggled.
"I assume you like it."
Lewis pressed their foreheads together. "I love it. I love you more, though." He said, brushing a thumb over her lips. She blushed, kissing below his nose.
"So, are you two gonna do it, or what?"
That broke the two apart. Lewis deadpanned at Arthur, who simply shrugged.
"What? Are you?"
"Arthur!" Vivi blushed and shouted, throwing the nearest object in his direction, which was thankfully a pillow. He dodged it with ease.
Lewis stood himself and towered over Arthur, ghost aura at its maximum. "Your real damn lucky we're on neutral terms." He said in his dark ghostly voice.
Arthur shrugged once more, walking over to the tree to get his gift. Lewis was surprised he wasn't affected by his intimidating ghostly powers anymore. He missed scaring the daylights out of him. Lewis smiled at the memories.
"Just don't die when you open it, bonehead." Arthur said, sarcasm grazing his voice.
Lewis rolled his pink iris'. "I don't think that'll be a problem."
"Just open it, Lew-Lew!" Vivi giggled.
Sighing, Lewis took the black and pink box from Arthur, and tore the wrapping down the middle. The box itself was yellow, orange, and green. It had a star logo in the middle.
Wait a minute.
Lewis… knew this box.
He eagerly opened it to reveal a… football?
A football?
Football…
Upon further examination, Lewis found out that this football wasn't any ordinary football bought at the store. He turned it over, and saw a signature. It took him a while to figure out, but once he realised who this signature belonged to, he felt like he really was about to die… again. His eye sockets widened, and Vivi became concerned due to the expanded silence.
"Lew-Lew?" She asked nervously.
Lewis glanced up to meet the gaze of not his beloved Vivi, but Arthur.
When he spoke, his voice was shaky. "H-How did you manage…" He couldn't even finish his sentence as he gazed back at the football.
Oh, this wasn't any ordinary sports play ball at all. This ball he was holding right now was the ball he threw past the goal post that won the championship for his team, back when he was alive and in high school before he met Vivi and Arthur. Before he met them, his team was everything to him; his family, his friends, the people he looked up to. When he first got on the team, he had to work his way up to being one of the top payers. In the beginning, he was usually put on the bench for most games. He was unimportant. He didn't even know why the coach chose him. It took lots of teasing and harsh words to brush off, but in the end… he did it. He proved everyone who doubted him wrong. He became one of the most respected players, and that signature was from his coach right after he scored the winning goal. His coach was like a father to him, since his real father never really paid much mind to him when he was younger. If he didn't get on the team, he probably would have never bumped into and met Vivi and Arthur at one of his games.
This… meer football… represented so much of him. If only he was still alive. Then… he could play on the team again - win more games for his team again, and make his coach proud.
Lewis let neon pink tears flow freely from his eyes. Neither Arthur, nor Vivi knew what to make of the situation, or what to do nonetheless.
Lewis glanced up at Arthur, who met his gaze with a weak smile.
"I thought since you couldn't play on the team anymore, you should at least have something to remember them by." Arthur chuckled nervously, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
Without hesitation, Lewis flew forth and wrapped his arms around Arthur. Vivis' expression was painted with surprise as she soaked in the scene.
It took a moment or two, but soon enough Arthur sighed a laugh and returned the embrace. He patted Lewis on the back gently as Lewis wept openly, making small ghost-like sobbing sounds as he did so.
Arthurs' smile disappeared as he felt a twinge of guilt that never seemed to vanish ever since that night.
"I'm sorry, Lewis. I… I really am. I took so much away from you; your family, your coach, your friends. I know you'll never fully forgive me, but I just want you to know that… you're my best friend, and I love you. Me and Vivi both." He faked a smile. "And Mystery too."
The red-maned dog's ears perked at the sound of his name, and he trotted over to Vivis' lap.
There was a long silence that seemed to last hours, when it'd only been a couple minutes. Arthur couldn't stand to think what Lewis was thinking.
"Lewis? Look I-"
"I know." Lewis finally responded, tone much more shaky than before; tone almost a whisper. "I know Arthur. I… I know." Lewis spoke slowly, carefully drawing out his words. "Whatever happened the night in the cave - I know it wasn't you!" He said, voice gaining volume as his emotions flowed as freely as his tears did. He let them do the talking. "I don't care what it was! It's not your fault! I shouldn't be upset at you when you were never guilty. Sure, it took control of the emotions of jealousy you had against me, but… you would have never stooped that low. I know, Arthur! I know!" Lewis' sobbs grew more frequent. He pulled away from the embrace to look at Arthur. He looked so sad, so ashamed. "P-Please… don't blame yourself anymore, ok? You're… you're my best friend. I'm sorry I never told you that after we hit neutral ground. I don't want you suffering from something that happened so long ago."
Arthur was on the verge of tears at this point. Lewis was sorry? He was almost successful in holding back the tears that dared to fall. But, when Lewis spoke next, there was no holding back.
Lewis pulled him closer by the shoulders, looking at him straight on.
"I forgive you, Arthur."
Now both their tears flowed, staining their cheeks with their wetness. Arthur collapsed onto Lewis, sobbing as harder than Lewis had been earlier. Said ghost held him close, hugging him like his world depended on it.
Lewis shushed him softly until his sobbs diminished, gently stroking patterns across his back as a soothing gesture. When the crying stopped, a welcomed silence descended upon the room. The only sounds were Mysterys' breathing and the crackling of the fireplace. Lewis rocked arthur back and forth slightly in hopes of offering as much comfort to him as possible. Meanwhile, Vivi pet Mystery, patiently waiting for the two to finally make up.
Lewis spoke in a low whisper. "You'll always be my best, most dearest friend, Arthur. I love you." He said with all of his heart. Said heart began to glow, and the few cracks that still remained after he'd reunited with Vivi vanished. Witnessing this, Arthur met Lewis' gaze. The ghost offered a weak, but heartfelt smile. "Thank you."
Arthur took Lewis by surprise when he pressed their foreheads together. He looked into those deep magenta iris' and saw all the sincerity and honesty Lewis had put into his words. His golden eyes fluttered closed, tears still prickinging at the corners of them. Lewis brushed the salty liquid away with a thumb and rubbed their foreheads together slightly. Arthur smiled as his sobbs began to lessen.
He chastely placed his lips on Lewis' left cheekbone, making the ghost laugh wholeheartedly. "Okay, okay. I get it. You're sorry." Lewis resumed the gentle circle patterns on his friends back. "See? All better."
Arthur sniffled before meeting Lewis' gaze. "Yes." He whispered.
The two stayed like that for a little longer before breaking away, laughing.
Vivi smiled at the scene.
"I have gifts for the two of you as well." Lewis said, getting up and walking to the tree. He pulled out one long present wrapped in yellow, a small box present wrapped in red, and a average sized gift wrapped in blue and white.
Arthur opened his first, reading the writing on the yellow wrapping.
Have fun, but don't get killed. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with me.
~ Lewis
Arthur laughed, tearing the wrapping open. It was a hockey stick made from oak wood, Arthur assumed was gotten from the surrounding trees of the mansion.
"Lewis! How'd ya know?" He asked, clearly surprised seeing how he's never mentioned he joined the hockey team to his ghostly comrade.
Lewis shrugged. "Me and Vivi talk. She told me. How do you think?"
Arthur deadpanned. "Alright, king of sarcasm."
"You brought it on yourself." Lewis said, poking Arthur's' chest multiple times.
He swatted his hand away. "Hey! Only Vivi gets to tickle me like that!"
"So you haven't forgotten about me?" The blue haired girl joked gleefully. Lewis chuckled, as did Arthur.
"Vi, you're unforgettable." Lewis said, handing her the blue and white wrapped gift.
She opened it to reveal a gorgeous teal gem. She beamed. "How'd you get these?!"
"About two weeks ago, I noticed there were a few dying plants in the back of the mansion, so I removed them. When I did so, the gem was just… sitting there. I thought you could make it into a necklace if you wanted to, even if it's not your favorite cool color." Lewis explained, gesturing to the gem Vivi was now holding.
She rolled her eyes, and then glomped her boyfriend. "Just 'cause I wear blue all the time doesn't mean I hate all other colors, silly!" She said, ruffling Lewis' bright pink ghostly hair.
Lewis nuzzled the top of her head. "Didn't think so."
They broke away to notice Mystery looking hopefully at the last gift wrapped in red.
"Yes, Mystery, that's for you." Lewis chuckled. He had to unwrap it for the dog of course. It opened, and inside was a carefully woven red scarf and hat. Mystery jumped at Lewis, landing on his chest. Lewis laughed, wrapping the dog in the garments. He barked happily.
"Aw!" Vivi cooed. "C'mere Mystery! Let's see how you look!"
The god obeyed. He stood in front of Vivi, wagging his tail back and forth expressing his joy.
Arthur pet his red mane. "Adorable as ever."
:-:
"You know, you two are welcome to stay the night. It is the holiday season after all. Don't we usually spend it together?" Lewis asked, leading his friends to the mansions' entrance. Vivi turned around.
"We'd love to, Lew-Lew, but you know we have families to get home to. They'd want to be with us on Christmas." She said, hugging him.
Lewis sighed in defeat. "I suppose so."
They were at the entrance doors now, and all became quiet.
Arthur was the first to speak. "We'll come back tomorrow, you know. Maybe we can have a little one-on-one with your football." He said, smirking.
Lewis quirked an eyebrow ridge. "How'd you get the football, by the way?"
"Well, I passed by your house and saw your parents doing some clean up. I talked with your mom for a while, while your dad was sorting through things. He found it and gave it to me and said, 'He'd want one of his closest friends to have it.', so I took it." Arthur explained, fiddling with the hem of his shirt - something he did when he was anxious or nervous. "It was nearing the holiday season, so I thought I'd surprise you." He finished, suddenly finding the ground to be the most interesting thing in the world.
Lewis smiled. He walked over to him, and embraced him once more. Arthur gladly accepted the hug.
"Thanks again, Arthur. However, you might regret that decision." Lewis said, a false sense of seriousness grazing his tone.
Arthur pulled back, believing there was actually something wrong, until Lewis spoke up again.
"I'll beat your sorry ass tomorrow when we play."
Arthur hugged Lewis once again, bawling with laughter. "Yeah right! We'll see, big guy!"
Lewis smiled, and pulled away. He gave Vivi a quick kiss and Mystery a light pat on the head.
"Merry Christmas." He said, waving them off.
And oh how merry it was.
:-:
A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy New Year. IM OUT! XD
I dunno… I love this so freaking much. I wanna write more.
Review?