Stopover - (Mystery Skulls, M)

[Garnet]

This got a little too long for a drabble. I haven't cleaned it up at all, it just kind of... happened last night. I dunno. Enjoy!

Stopover

It was raining, they were already coasting on fumes, and the clutch was slipping. It had been slipping for a while, really, but the transmission leak a couple weeks ago had earned seniority on their constantly replenishing list of automotive repairs. Fortunately, Lewis was handy under the hood, and Arthur seemed to pick up anything mechanical with a natural fluency. Vivi had taken Mystery for a good long walk, then, while the boys jacked up the van came back out smudged, streaked, satisfied. Arthur said something about an output shaft seal, flux capacitor, whatever. She would live to run another day, and that was all Vivi cared about.

She didn't think this would be so quick a fix, not in the sluicing rain, anyway. They stopped, conveniently, in the nearest motel's parking lot to diagnose it.

"Can we limp it along?"

Lewis sighed as he let back off the clutch. The engine thrummed groggily the whole way out. Like a smug child, it refused to stall. "It's pretty well shot. There was an auto parts place I saw on the way in. We can see what they've got in the morning."

The plan was to refuel and put in at least another couple hours on the road, until they hit the next city. Between the bad clutch and the bad weather, however, it seemed like a good time to re-evaluate. While Arthur and Lewis assessed their mechanical issues as best they could, Vivi took one of the umbrellas and went to check them in. They might as well make the best out of a bad situation.

The motel was dirt cheap, and had amenities to match, but even the most run-down dump brought with it a certain measure of excitement and indulgence. They spent so many nights sleeping in the back of the van that a real bed was a luxury, just as long as they didn't take a UV Light to it. She shuddered at the thought.

This place really wasn't half bad, for the price. The check-in desk was a little grungy, a little dated, but Vivi spent most of her time slumming with a dog and exploring abandoned buildings. She was hardly going to bat an eye at a bit of peeled paint. Anyway, the woman behind the desk lacked the miasma of greasy depression that she usually encountered in roadside motels like these. In fact, she was pretty friendly.

More importantly, there was also a cat, and this was what sold her entirely.

"A king for just one night, if you have it? Sorry it's so short noti--... oh my gosh," she blurted, as she became aware of a silver tabby sleeping in a fleece catbed behind the desk. "What's his name?"

The desk attendant rolled the cat an amused look just as he picked his head up and blinked at them both with sleepy affection. "Oh! Roger. He's the official guest greeter."

Roger. She was going to die.

She'd met a few shop and library cats before, but admittedly never a hotel cat. "Does that mean you're pet-friendly?" Vivi angled hopefully, as Roger rose, stretched into a trembling arch for several minutes, then sauntered right up onto the counter and entreated her with a miaow. He was clearly a professional.

"Yep, as long as they're well behaved," the woman said as she rose to collect a key from a cabinet behind the desk. An actual key, not a swipe card. It was wonderfully old-fashioned.

"Great, I was afraid we'd have to kennel our dog," Vivi lied through her teeth. They would have brought Mystery into the room regardless; they'd simply learned not to mention him. He knew better than to bark, so it was easy enough to slip him under the radar. Anyway, he probably out-classed some of the other motel patrons, at the places they stayed.

She indulged Roger in a good, thorough head-rubbin' while the attendant gathered up paperwork. He thrust greedily into her hand, sidling back and forth with so much charm and panache that she finally gave in. "Can I pick him up?"

"Good luck putting him down. He's a love bug."

She had to sign off and pay one-handedly, because boy was he ever. As soon as the cat was in her arms, he'd melted into a purring, drooling bundle of affection that seemed to have the approximate density of a dying star. "Oof! How are you so heavy?"

Regretfully, she resigned him back to the counter once she'd been handed her key with a smiling but canned, "Check out's at eleven!"

Brushing herself off in a flurry of tiny grey hairs, Vivi flashed the woman a more genuine sort of smile. At least it was one step towards reversing the crappy luck of the rain and car troubles, as if the universe had decided they didn't deserve a bad day after all. "Thanks. Bye, Roger!"

The cat was already forgotten by the time she got back to the van, but at least there wasn't much to unpack. They tended to travel light, and use up what weight and space they did have for equipment. Arthur did recover a canister of Lysol wipes from the glovebox, however, and immediately launched into his motel sterilization routine. Every hard surface that could be wiped down got at least one pass, the comforter stripped from the bed with disdainful fingers pinching it by the very edges, then folded into a neat pile in the corner. They never needed it anyway, when the four of them were packed into a bed together.

"There's glasses in the bathroom, don't drink out of them," he fussed, when Vivi poked her head into to see what kind of tiny travel soaps and shampoos she could steal.

"I wasn't going to."

"Seriously! I watched a documentary about it once, they just spritz them with Windex and wipe them out. Probably don't use the coffee maker either."

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. She was never going to turn down a cup of joe, no matter how bitter or cheap. She made a face at him as he swaddled the remote control in a wipe and scrubbed vigorously. Lewis ducked in with the last of their bags, shaking the rainwater from his hair. It had flattened into dark tendrils across his brow.

"Whew, it's really coming down out there."

"Good thing we stopped for dinner earlier," Vivi said as she kicked off her shoes, stretched, and timber-fell backwards onto the bed with a bounce, arms still jacked above her head. "I don't think this place has room service," she grinned.

Arthur had moved on from his frantic cleaning to fiddling with the television, first navigating the channel listing and then rummaging through their bags for one of their lovingly outdated consoles. They didn't often get the chance to play anymore, but he could MacGyver a set-up from almost any combination of hardware.

Lewis disappeared into the bathroom and re-emerged a few moments later with his waistcoat and tie removed, a towel roughing dry his hair. Vivi took a moment to admire the still-damp cling of his button-down shirt to the broad slope over his shoulders and narrow waist. Appreciation turned to squawking dismay as he kicked off his own sneakers and came to join her on the bed, immediately wrapping her up into a playfully antagonizing embrace.

"Ack, Lew! You're all wet!"

"Only mostly," he grinned, as she squirmed for freedom and just ended up straddling him, laughing. "You love i-- no no don'tlickme ARGH!"

Vivi sat back in triumph, arms raised as stuck her tongue out. Lewis ruefully wiped the side of his face she'd just dragged it across.

"You're so dead."

They wrestled playfully for another few seconds, the bed squeaking and groaning its protest, before the soft chime and opening notes of Mario Kart arrested their attention.

"If you guys are done?" Arthur said, looking back over his shoulder as he waggled an extra controller. Lewis scooted hastily off the end of the bed and joined him on the floor, their backs resting against the mattress. Mystery lay on Arthur's opposite side, already dozing happily. "Vivs?"

"I'll hop in next round," she promised, as she straightened the sheets back out and inspected a couple of damp patches where Lewis had been sprawled. They'd be dry in twenty minutes, she wasn't too worried. Instead, she rolled over onto her stomach to watch the boys play. Between the steady drum of the rain outside, the cool breeze sifting through the cracked window, and the dull blue glow of the television screen illuminating them, she enjoyed a moment of familiarity so deep and fond it was almost domestic. Anywhere could feel like home, if she was with her friends. She rumpled Arthur's hair and pressed a kiss into it, ignoring his groan of protest as the distraction made him overshoot a turn and drop back into fourth place.

"Vi!"

"Sorry not sorry," she grinned.

"You two are in cahoots," he accused, tongue poking out in concentration as he strafed left and right, sizing up where and how to pass Lewis.

"Please," their tallest member said with a sniff. And then another, wetness curling along its edge. That got her attention. "You've seen her annihilate me."

"I have, and it's a beautiful thing."

Vivi debated whether to bring attention to their companion's sniffling, which persisted in quiet drips and dregs through the rest of the course. She let it slide mostly to avoid putting Arthur on alert, but she did pillow her chin in folded arms and settle in for the inevitable conclusion. She didn't have to wait long.

Half-way through the next race, Lewis began to steal brief, scrubbing passes at his eyes and nose, both becoming damp with irritation. Eventually, it progressed to the whole back of his hand, and for gritty seconds at a time.

"Aw, don't cry 'cause I'm beating you so bad, Lew," Arthur drawled lazily, without looking up. By some miracle, they were still neck and neck.

"I'm not--... hh!" Lewis started to protest, before breaking with a tremulous inhale and a backwards tilt of his head. Vivi hooded her eyes appreciatively as the controller dangled loose in his fingers, and his attention hazed inward, distracted by a sinus-deep tickle he clearly hadn't felt coming. How could he not?

"HH--! ...SZSCHISSHH!"

The sound split the air as he angled himself to one side, sneezing helplessly at the floor. Mystery's head shot up and Vivi already had her lips parted to bless him when Arthur punctuated first with a triumphant, "Hah!"

Lewis glanced up in watery dismay to see him zip across the finish line just ahead. "Ah c'mon. That's cheating."

"Snooze you lose," Arthur cracked a grin and his back with a stretch, as the screen totaled their scores. "Or... sneeze you lose, I guess?" He bounced his knee off of Lewis's playfully.

"Bleugghh," Vivi said, pulling a face that was only appropriate at the terrible goodness of that pun. Lewis only managed to get out another crumpling sneeze into the crook of his arm.

"--SZSCHISSH-OO!"

Both heads turned towards him in surprise, this time. Two was a bit unusual for him, but not unheard of, unless there was something in particular setting him off. Lewis gave his head a groggy shake and recovered with lengthier sniffle, this time to the tune of Vivi's chirruping, "Gesundheit!"

"Thanks," he sighed, audibly relieved as he gave a sawing pass of one finger beneath his nose. Snff! "Okay, rematch," he said, as he belatedly returned the knee bump with a now wholly wary, whale-eyed Arthur. The whites of the younger man's eyes stood out like crescents in the darkness.

"Oh. Uh. Yeah, okay," he said, shaking it off. He rolled his head back on his neck to fix Vivi with a look, however, seeking distraction. "You in?"

She scruffed his hair in one palm, thoroughly ruining the gel that kept it groomed into thick spikes, and took pity on the nervous germaphobe. "Yeah, I'll play!"

She squished herself down between the two of them. Arthur looked relieved for the minor barrier between himself and the still-sniffly Lewis. Who, come to think of it, was holding a finger under his nose like a desperate breakwater. It actually looked like he was already going to...

"HHH...--SZSCHISSH!"

Vivi watched, rapt, as his pronounced nostrils wrinkled open, horse-like, to reveal their flushed inner lining. His chest expanded hugely, eyes creased shut. It was like slow motion performance art. "Heh...!" He quivered open-mouthed on the cusp for a few seconds, before slowly coming down with an uneasy sigh. His eyes were no longer just tearing up, but threatening to spill over altogether as he took another swipe at them and left wet track-marks across his cheeks. There was already the telling gleam of one starting beneath his nose, recalled with a hasty SNFFH!

"Jeez, s'cuse me. Think I'm done."

He was probably lying for Arthur's sake, and for the same reason Vivi didn't call him on it. She could practically his feel the blonde's mind buzzing with disgusted panic already. Instead, she offered a gentle, "bless you," followed by, "You'd better be. I've got asses to kick."

The ripple of laughter broke the tension a little, and uncertainty soon gave way to communal rage as she summarily trounced both of them in lap after lap.

"No no no don't you blue shell me motherfu-- UGHHH! Why do we play with you, like, ever?" Arthur groaned, slouching backwards with his bony knees pointing straight up. She had just socketed him firmly back into second place for the third time, and was not subtle about her victory.

"To teach you humility," she said, with a flouncing touch to her hair. "Also, I--..."

"Hesz-SCHISSH!" Lewis interrupted, from her opposite side. She turned her head, incredulous, as he listed backwards against the mattress, inhaled, and... "--ah'SZSCHOO!"

Arthur could string five together in as many seconds, sure, but for Lewis it was definitely a feat if it happened inside of a day. She creased her brow at him with concern. Lewis didn't seem half as bothered, not that much could annoy him to begin with. He knuckled lazily at his nose instead, distorting the curve of it with his huge fist. It produced a wet clicking sound as he strained to get at whatever was itching him so badly, and the noise did all kinds of things to Vivi's runaway libido.

"Gesundheit! You okay, Lew?"

"Yeah," he assured, sounding casual despite the stuffiness beginning to occlude his voice. Its deep, natural resonance had already gone flat. "Just got the sneezes all of a suh--SNFF! ... sudden." SNFFH. "S'cuse me."

"Well, I uh... I'm beat," Arthur broke at last, with the most tragic face Vivi had ever seen. He resigned his controller to the floor and got to his feet, anxiously scrubbing his palms on the hips of his jeans. "I think I might sleep in the van tonight, give you guys some privacy for once, y'know?"

Lewis and Vivi exchanged a look, blue eyes meeting tear-glazed and red-rimmed ones, before they both directed the same deadpan expression back at Arthur. Time to drop the transparency of polite, pretended ignorance.

"Artie, I'm not sick."

"Dude, you're sneezing like... a lot," Arthur argued, already orbiting the roomy in a tizzy of nerves as he gauged what he might need for a night of isolation.

"I feel fine otherwise, I promise," Lewis offered. Arthur cast him an uncertain look, full of anxiety and apology. Here they went. Arthur would feel bad for being neurotic about the whole thing, Lewis would feel even worse for triggering him in the first place, and Vivi would roll her eyes and try not to put her head through the drywall.

"Hey, it didn't start before you got in here," she pointed out, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.

"Snffh! It's probably just whatever they use to clean the room," Lewis agreed, with another itch-itch-itch-ing motion beneath his nostrils in an effort to soothe them.

That consideration seemed to take some of the buzzing tension out of Arthur's posture as he lingered near the head of the bed. "That's true," he admitted, and sank down onto the edge of the mattress. Mystery sat upright and pushed his snout appealingly into his lap. "S-sorry, Lew, I'm just..."

"Nah, don't worry about it," he dismissed. It was what it was.

Vivi wasn't sure she bought the excuse herself, but neither did he seem hazy and drained like when he was coming down with something. She nudged him sidelong again. "You really are gonna get sick if you sit around in those wet clothes, though," she observed, noting his very fine, nearly indistinguishable shivering as the pale material clung to the curve of his biceps.

"That's an old wives' tale," he protested, wrinkling his nose with another lusty, irritated sniffle.

"Maybe I'm just trying to get you naked, then."

"Hah," Lewis said, but he gave in and leaned aside to press a kiss into her hair. Color rose happily to her cheeks. "A hot shower might not be a bad idea, actually. Snf!"

It was in her to ask if she could join him, but Arthur's hunched, closed-off posture still dominated the corner of her vision. She settled for a quick swat to Lewis's backside instead as he stood. He wandered into the bathroom again, this time with a wrenching "--AH'SSZSCHOO!" once the door was shut, as if he'd been holding that one in until this moment. Uggghh Lew.

Despite the distraction of her sneezing boyfriend, however, Vivi reached to unplug the console and crawled back onto the bed, plopping herself behind Arthur.

"You okay, dude?"

He glanced hesitantly back, as if both embarrassed and flattered that she was asking after his own state as well. Even if it was mental, even if it was self-induced. "I hate being like this, y'know? He's my best friend." He scrubbed his knuckles along the angle of his jaw, eyes flitting side to side. "You guys are probably right, though. It doesn't sound like a cold."

"--SZSCHISSH!" Lewis punctuated from the bathroom, the sound amplified by the natural acoustics but muffled by the closed door. Vivi fought down a delighted shiver. Instead, she scooted herself back against the pillows and patted her lap invitingly.

"I doubt it. Whatever it is, though, we're probably going to get a call from the front desk about excessive noise," she teased, only because Lewis was out of earshot and wouldn't cringe guiltily at the comment. Arthur managed a snicker as he curled up onto his side and edged his head onto her thighs. His breathing and heartbeat seemed to even out as she played with his hair, and Mystery invited himself up onto the foot of the bed.

"No kidding. Hey, put a movie on or something, yeah?"

"Can do, buddy."

She flipped through the channels for a few minutes, before finding some generic action flick she didn't have to pay attention to. Instead, she leaned back with her head against the wall and eyes closed, listening to the hiss of the shower. She wasn't truly sure if it was going to help or not, but the endless chain of sneezing actually sounded as if it had broken. Lewis emerged again some twenty minutes later, still flushed and a little damp, but changed into a clean, dry pair of flannel pants and an undershirt that bared the thick muscle of his arms and shoulders. She resisted the temptation to wolf whistle.

"Better?"

"Much, actually," Lewis admitted, giving his nose an airy blow into a handful of Kleenex he must have found in the bathroom. "I have no idea what that was about."

She offered a shrug to match his, and patted the empty space on the bed. "Well, don't jinx it. C'mere, you're missing the best part."

She didn't know what the best part was, or had been, but that same domestic sense of satisfaction took root again as the mattress sank beneath his added weight. Lewis rolled contentedly into her side, burying his face in her sweater, while Arthur seemed to relax so deeply she thought he'd already fallen asleep. Perfect, peaceful.

That lasted about five minutes,.

Vivi had just started to doze when Lewis pulled away from her, the broad span of his chest straining as he hitched and skipped over a series of wanting breaths.

"Man, c'mon," Arthur squeaked miserably.

"S-sor... huh!... huh'ASZCH-SSCHoo!" The quiet erupted with the desperation of too many syllables, forced out in an effort to abate the urge once and for all. No such luck, of course. "--SCHISSH! ... hsz-SCHISSH!! ... SZSCHISSH-OO!!"

He caught them against a bare arm, but Vivi could still see the spray flash wetly across his skin. She bit her lip as the whole bed shook. It had to be the most she'd seen him sneeze, sans an obvious stimulus, since... since...

"Ugh! Jeez, I'm so sorry. I swear it feels like an allergy or something," Lewis croaked, mopping at his streaming eyes.

The phrasing jogged her memory sharply enough that Vivi sat up an exclamatory, "Oh!" She suddenly scrambled to tear her sweater off, down to the black spaghetti strap she wore beneath, in as scant many seconds she could manage. The heavy fabric went sailing across the room into the same heap as the comforter, while both men turned to stare at her.

God, she was such a space cadet, sometimes.

Her hands fanned back through her hair, twisting guiltily as she flashed an agonized look at her boyfriend. "I am so, so sorry, Lew. There was a cat at the front desk, when I checked in. I picked it up and cuddled it and everything. I completely forgot. Pleasedon'tbemad."

He wasn't, of course, because she didn't think Lewis even had the capacity to be angry. She wasn't actually expecting his relieved laugh, however, as he flopped back against the pillows. Arthur added in the undercurrent of a long groan. Allergies? Allergies he could deal with, no problem. They could be treated quickly, and weren't contagious. Barely worth batting an eye at. She probably could have spared him at least one miniature mental breakdown and Lewis nearly an hour of sneezing his damned head off if she'd remembered earlier, though

"I'm sorry," she blurted again, and squeaked when Lewis wrapped her up in a quick hug. "We're, like, never around them so I forget how frickin' allergic you are, and I got so excited about the room and all."

"Vivian," he arrested her attention as he crushed a kiss to her brow. "It's fine, really. I'm glad that's all it is, I thought I was going nuts."

"You thought you were going nuts," Arthur countered with a weak laugh. "Um, bless you, by the way. Belatedly. A million times."

"Thanks," Lewis chuckled, his head turned as he ground the back of his hand against the relentless itch of cat dander. SNFFH!

"So, uh, I should probably take a shower. I bet it's all in my hair and on the bed sheets and stuff," Vivi offered, contrite.

"Probably. There's some Benadryl in the van, I'll go grab it."

She pecked a kiss first to Arthur, then to Lewis as she rose and hastened into the bathroom to decontaminate. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She berated herself for the whole first half of the shower, but eventually the abundance of hot water and the sweet scent of the little motel soaps took the tension back out of her muscles, and she just stood there decompressing.

Jeez. It had been a weird day, and she was more than ready to end it.

After changing into her own sleepwear -- really just one of Lewis's shirts that she'd stolen and repurposed -- Vivi padded back into the room in a cloud of steam. Her sulky remorse and resignation dissolved at the scene laid out before her, and a smile returned to her features.

The boys and Mystery had already passed out. Lewis was probably in a diphenhydramine-induced coma, with Arthur tucked up tight against his side and the dog at their feet. They had stripped the bed and brought in one of the blankets from the van, mostly snugged around the skinny blonde and his meatless bones. His head rested into the center of Lewis's chest. Evidence, apparently, of all nasal transgressions forgiven. Vivi took a moment to admire the scene, to center herself, before she fingered a piece of hair behind her ear and moved to join them.

Tomorrow was another day, hopefully with better weather, better driving. Less cats. For now, she was content to usher this one out in the sleepy glow of the television, and the people she cared most about in the world.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Garnet

[SterlingSilver]

*weeps* Ahhhh, the lovely sight of Garnet fiction appearing in the recent posts section QwQ~ AND MY GOODNESS WHAT A TREAT~

Bwaaa, I love the way you handle the characters, and Arthur's germaphobic-ness feels so natural on him the way you write it~

Vivian is ADORABLE, and Lewis-... *shiver*.. That fit at the end, omgh~ I love the spellings of his sneezes, most definitely. They sound PERFECT for a guy his size~

Amazing work, Garnet >w<~ I could never expect less! <3

[Spoo]

Youuuuu already know how I feel about this story (I do not regret bombarding you on Skype last night, NOPE SURE DON'T). Therefore, I'm skipping the intro to this essay dissertation and jumping right into the deets. Okay? Okay. HERE WE GOOOO:

x

1. I know I say this all the time, but your scene-building/detail is so good it hurts. That whole opening with the rain and the broken van is crazy vivid. I didn't even have to try and imagine it; it was already forming in my head on the first read. BRAVA.
   
2. In which Vivi is me and I am Vivi: Cat > motel check-in/priorities. Roger the silver tabby is so sweet!
   
3. Germaphobe!Arthur gives me life. I love the way you describe him detoxifying the motel room. He MUST. WIPE. EVERYTHING (omg when he told Vivi not to drink from the glasses or use the coffee maker I diieeeeddd). Also, 'swaddling' the remote is such a perfect way to write how he's doing it.
   
4. YOU GO, ARTHUR. Setting up their vidya game swag. It's super convenient having a techie who's got ALLL the hookups (literally, bro).
   
5. "Lewis disappeared into the bathroom and re-emerged a few moments later with his waistcoat and tie removed, a towel roughing dry his hair. VIvi took a moment to admire the still-damp cling of his button-down shirt to the broad slope over his shoulders and narrow waist."--Yes. Yeeees. Take it OFF you plum-haired, Dorito-shaped Adonis. Unf.
   
6. Whelp. Peep show's over. Sorry, Vivi. You're getting moose cuddles whether you like it or not. Too bad, too sad (super sad, actually, when you think that those moose cuddles are limited…sOB).
   
7. Ladies and gentlemen of the Sneeze Fetish Forum, let it be known that Vivi is a LICKER. She fights dirty and she doesn't give a rip who knows it. Even so, I can only imagine how adorable their wrestling is. How Lewis can EASILY trap her (and pretty much turn her into a humanized pretzel) but is probably way gentle in spite of Vivi trying her damn hardest to END HIM.
   
8. Omfg, Arthur. "WHENEVER YOU GUYS ARE READYYYYY…" He's used to them acting like doofuses, but it's Mario Kart time which means the shenanigans end NOW.
   
9. "Anywhere could feel like home, if she was with her friends."--ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILYYYYY.
   
10. Oh noooo little keeses in Arthur's hair. Super cute, but also super distracting because VI-VI YOU MADE HIM MESS UP GDI.
    
11. Having a little issue there, Lew? Cat got your nose? Kekekeke.
    
12. Yes. Yesgood. Sneezing helplessly at the floor is a GREAT look for him. 10/10, A++
    
13. One sneeze? You're cool. Two sneezes? HahHAHAHA NO STOP WHAT ARE YOU DOING ARE YOU SICK YOU'RE SICK AREN'T YOU - Arhur, Mystery Skulls Animated
    
14. '…holding a finger under his nose like a desperate breakwater.'--*fidgetsquirm* Um. Yeaahhhh… thisdoesthingstome, becauseyouKNOWhisnostrilswereflaringbehindhisfinger. Also, any kind of 'huge' chest expansion makes my toes curl so hard they crack. GUESS I'M NOT WALKING ANY TIME SOON.
    
15. Ughhhh. Leaky-eyed, runny-nosed baaaaaby. With thick, deep, equine snuffles. Buh.
    
16. Thinks he's done sneezing, he says. Excuse me while I ugly laugh 5ever.
    
17. Bahahaha. Of course Vivi schools those two dorks. She is a PRO and isn't modest about it at all. That's my girl.
    
18. WHELP. Here come the doubles, and they are gorgeous. That second one. The 'ah' build versus his usual 'heh' intake. It's unfaaaaair. *Whines and kicks feet*
    
19. Nope. The 'wet clicking sound' is against the rules. I call unfair play. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go catch Vivi's runaway libido, as well as my own. GET BACK HERE!
    
20. Um, Lewis you can have 'the sneezes' any time you like. Seriously. Don't even explain yourself.
    
21. Freakin' ARTHUR. "WEEEELL, 'BOUT TIME FOR ME TO BE HITTIN' THE OL' DUSTY TRAAAAILLLL…" /
    . No, but seriously. He is squicked out to the MAX because Lewis won't stop sneezing, and that clearly means he's coming down with something, and yeaaaahno Arthur is plenty okay without contagion in his life KTHX.
    
22. Vivi and Lewis think it's cute when Arthur thinks he's not sleeping with them.
    
23. Dude, 'orbiting the room in a tizzy of nerves' is PERFECT for Arthur. He's a nervous weenie and absolutely cannot deal with anything remotely germy.
    
24. Arthur: Sorry for freaking out. | Lewis: Sorry for freaking YOU out. | Vivi: *HEADWALL*
    
25. Hrrghngnafksd…he needs to soothe his nostrils because they're soooo itchy and ticklish.
    
26. 'Maybe I'm just trying to get you naked, then.'--LOLOL, noreally. She totally was. |:
    
27. that ginormous bathroom sneeze tho…hehehe…heh…asdlfkas;ldf;d
    
28. Ughghgh. Vivi comforting Arthur and Arthur feeling like a huge problem (as always) because of his anxiety and general skittishness when it comes to a potential sick person. I loooove her playing with his hair (and apparently so does he!).
    
29. Shower-fresh Lewis + OT3 cuddles = HAPPY SPOO. | Shower-fresh Lewis + OT3 cuddles + RAPID-FIRE SNEEZES = VERYVERY HAPPY SPOO.
    
30. Vivi, I feel u girl. I FEEL U SO HARD. Being torn between aroused and concerned, because on one hand you're getting the fetish show of your life, but on the other hand wHAT IS WRONG WITH LEWIS Y HE KEEP SNEZZIN
    
31. Space Cadet Vivi, reporting for duty! You silly, adorable bluebird~
    
32. "…because she didn't think Lewis even had the capacity to be angry."--HAHAHAHAHAHA, maybe not in THIS lifetime. Wait until his afterlife, and then…oh. I just made myself sad.
    
33. Lmao Arthur be like "oh it's allergies? man that's cool. i'm cool. life is gr8".
    
34. Vivian AND crushing brow kisses…? YOU'RE BEING UNFAIR AGAIN, GARNET.
    
35. N'aww. Arthur's belated blessing makes me all STUPID.
    
36. KISSES FOR EVERYONE. Kissy for Arthur, and kissy for Lewis. Her boys. *wistful sigh*
    
37. GIANT CUDDLE PILE. It's what they're good at. You know, aside from being paranormal investigators an' all that spooky jazz.
    

Yep. That about covers it, I think. But knowing me I'll be going on about this to you for at least another week. Then I'll bring it up a week after that. BECAUSE I AM INSUFFERABLE AND YOUR WRITING IS UNACCEPTABLY AMAZING (it's not even right since your art is almost unacceptably amazing???). *Pets your face* You dun good, kid. You dun good.

[Ignis]

I'M GOING TO CRY

I'M LIKE PULLING MY HAIR OUT THIS IS WONDERFUL

I love Arthur's germaphobia hnnnnn yes yes and LeW'S FRICKIN' SNEEZES MAN YOU WRITE THEM SO W E L L

[A-Place-To-Be-Me]

Gawd, Garnet... Gaaaaaawwd...

You're going to kill me some day with these wonderful bundles of goodness, you know. I really adore all the headcannons that have been in the recent Mystery Skulls stuff, what with Arthur being all germaphobic and Vivi having the fetish and Lewis's giant sneezes and cat allergies... *melts into a puddle of awed fangirling squeals*

[March Hare]

You're the best. You and Spoo, you brought this story ALIVE for me, and now I love it so so much.

Your story is sooo delightful, especially combined with Spoo's comments. You're a dream team! I second everything Spoo said!

"Vivian"... Tall, "stern", sneezy dude, going all IMMA STERN YOU DOWN on adorable Space Cat-et Vivi. ALL THE YAY.

Also, ALL THE HAPPY in general with the whole dang situation. Perfect. So much enjoyment. Yeaah.