G/t OT3 Drabble: Together
((Ship warning: Contains Lewvithur (Lewis x Arthur x Vivi)
Small content warning: contains a small amount of blood and mention of a hand injury.
Hhhhh, greetings friends, sorry about my lack of consistent activity. Commencement is this weekend, and family stuff keeps happening on top of that/other things, so I'm not quite as active as I should be.
Anyway, this started off as a little idea I wanted to do for fun, and, in typical fashion, I ended up making it wayyyyy too long.
Anyway, here's a drabble where two borrowers, Arthur and Vivi, scope out a restaurant named Pepper Paradiso, and end up getting discovered by a man working there named Lewis...
And things end up a lot better and lovey-dovey than any of them could have expected.
Anyway, have a self-indulgent thing, and apologies if this is a little awkward/different from my usual writing: this is my first time writing about the Peppers at great length/writing a more canon-ish Lewis/I have very little experience writing OT3 stuff/I'm rambling now, ignore me...
Have a thing.))
There were two rules to borrowing: never be seen, and never take something that will be missed.
And Vivi and Arthur were practically experts by this point.
Vivi was one of those rare borrowers that had no fear of humans: she could dodge right around their feet, creep right past them on their desks, sit back and relax and watch them from a hiding place that was just out of their sight, all without a worry.
Sure, she respected their size and power, of course, what borrower didn't, but she knew how to handle them: if one of them sees you, pack up and run, if one of them corners you, fight back.
Humans only react to borrowers in one way: violence. And she was ready for them.
Arthur, on the other hand, preferred stealth.
He was a brilliant mechanic: he could take a pile of parts and make them into something useful easily, and while some would call him cowardly...
He knew how bad humans could be: he lost his parents so young, after all.
The duo were well known for how they worked off of each other: Arthur's carefulness and gadgets aided Vivi's daring stunts and escapes, and her boldness and lack of fear gave Arthur the chance to actually get out there and show his skills.
He was so much braver that he knew, Vivi was certain, and always strove to inspire him...
So when the time came to explore and scope out a new place, Vivi and Arthur were the first to step up to the challenge.
"I swear this place always smells like cupcakes and the fires of Hell."
"Well that is kind of the point of the restaurant, Artie."
Vivi twirled as she stepped along on the rafters high above the dining room in Pepper Paradiso, walking down towards the kitchen, Arthur speedwalking to keep up with her, complaining about just how many humans there were living here.
"Jeez, four kids Vivi, four kids!"
"Well, I wouldn't call the oldest one a 'kid', Artie, he's well past 20."
"How do you know?"
"I've been...eavesdropping."
Arthur sighed loudly, following her down from the rafters and into the kitchen via a group or shelves with pots and pans on the wall.
"Ugh, we're just here to see what we can get and how dangerous it is: we don't need to get to know these humans, Vivi."
"Oh, psssssh: the best way to borrow is to know who you're borrowing from."
She was the first to reach the kitchen countertop, Arthur quickly plopping down next to her, grumbling more as she dumped just how much she had learned about the humans living here on him:
"Mrs. Pepper always has her coffee at 3:03, no later, no earlier, Mr. Pepper organizes the treats he makes by color, from red down the color spectrum, Belle likes tinkering with things, you'd probably get along with her-"
"SHE'S A HUMAN-"
"Yea, whatever: Paprika likes coloring, and Cayenne likes making charm bracelets and sharing them, sometimes with customers..."
The duo moved up the counter, Arthur taking a few pieces of tin foil, toothpicks, and other supplies as Vivi continued:
"...and the oldest, Lewis, is adopted."
"Adopted? Really? Wouldn't have guessed it: he fits their family color scheme pretty well."
"I know, right? I was so suprised...well, he takes care of his sisters and does some of the heavier work around here, like lifting boxes and moving ovens around and you should totally see him when he carries all that stuff AND his sisters around, dude's totally muscled and-"
Arthur rolled his eyes, interjecting:
'He's big and strong, got it: is he dangerous?"
Vivi was silent for a moment, then continued with less enthusiasm:
"Well, uh, that wasn't what I was getting at but, I mean...potentially? He is pretty observant, and kind of stares off towards the cupboards sometimes when I'm around and-"
The borrowers let out a collective shriek as something suddenly lit up and vibrated loudly a short ways down the counter from them...
A phone.
They hadn't even seen it in the dark, assuming it was just another utensil or something...
They were stunned silent, and immeadiately turned to clamber up the shelves and back up to the rafters: if someone had left their phone, they would come back looking for it sooner and later, and it wasn't worth the risk staying. They had enough food and supplies back at their home in between the walls across the dining room, anyway-
The door leading back into the rooms where the Pepper family lived suddenly slammed open...
And all hell broke loose.
The slamming door made one of the higher shelves, already crooked, finally come crashing down, taking out several shelves below it...
Including the one Arthur and Vivi were starting to climb.
Arthur was tossed to the ground as it came down, screaming in pain as the edge of a pot rolled over his hand, Vivi stumbling back, dodging a pan as it fell to the floor and-
She stepped back too far.
She fell over the edge, hanging from a drawer handle, keeping her grip for now, but as the lights in the kitchen turned on and a towering figure turned the corner, her eyes went wide...
---
Lewis sighed angrily, seeing the broken shelves on the counter, the pots and pans scattered everywhere: he told Dad to replace that shelf so many times...didn't seem like it had woken anyone up, though.
He sighed: that was good, he could take care of this himself, and the girls had school tomorrow...
And hey, there was his phone.
It rung again as he approached it, picking it up:
"Yea, found it Dad...oh, that noise? Just the shelf I said we should fix...yea, uhuh, thanks. I'll clean up the pots before coming back. 'Night."
He hung up, putting his phone in his pocket, turning to the mess on the counter and-
Oh, wait, there was a pan on the floor, better get that one first...
---
The moment Arthur saw Lewis turn the corner, he darted for Vivi: he made several attempts at grabbing for her, but she was a good ways down, and with a broken hand and a human approaching, there wasn't much he could do.
He watched from behind an overturned pot, making another grab for Vivi while Lewis was on the phone, dodging back again as the towering human turned his attention back to the counter.
Tears were streaming down the borrower's face, both from the agony of his broken hand, and, more importantly, his inability to save Vivi.
It was only a matter of time before she fell, and with a human right there, his steps shaking the ground, she would surely fall to her death, and Arthur would never be able to tell her that-
He heard Vivi shriek, and in an instant...
He sprung into action, fear and dread gone, destroyed by her cries: he took out his trusty knife, and sprinted towards the human crouched down next to the counter...
---
Vivi held on as hard as she could, but with Lewis stepping around and sending tremors through the ground, she was losing it.
She was even more terrified that Arthur couldn't help her: god knew he was trying, and there was something wrong with his hand...
Every time he reached for her, she wanted to reach out and up...but her grip was failing, and with his messed-up hand, she couldn't hope to have him lift her up too...
She wouldn't reach out and risk taking him down with her.
She shrieked as Lewis knelt down for the pan on the floor, the impact of his knee hitting the ground finally shaking her loose.
She fell...
--
Lewis jumped at the sudden noise next to his head, turning and-
"Whoa!"
He caught the blue thing, assuming it to be something that fell off the counter, lifting it up to put it back...
That was, until it moved.
He froze up, bringing his hand closer to his face, opening up his fingers and seeing-
"Oh my god..."
---
Vivi was in shock the moment she was caught in the human's hand, hyperventilating, then panicking, then kicking at him, her instincts and convictions about this giant, lumbering dolt coming to the front of her mind...
Run if you can, fight if you can't.
When she looked up and saw his face, however, she was still: he looked...frozen in wonder and confusion more than anything else, and, try as she might to hide it...
She did blush a little.
He was quite handsome, after all, and with her current perspective he didn't look all that big, either.
He opened his mouth to talk, when suddenly a small, quick flash of orange streaked past his shoulder, and landed against his neck...
---
Lewis was in shock, for two reasons.
One, he was holding a tiny, blue-haired woman in his hand.
And two, she was real.
Lewis loved his books, his favorites being horror stories, tales of ghosts and ghouls, aliens and mysterious creatures seen just out of the corner of one's vision...
So when he occasionally caught a glimpse of something small, blue, and vaguely human-like thing wandering the shelves and rafters every once and a while, he had held onto those memories, wondering, pondering...
And holy crap, he wasn't crazy, and he was holding it, or presumably, her, in his hand now...
He went to open his mouth to greet her, but was quickly stopped as something slammed into the side of his neck, Lewis wincing in pain as something sliced, then pierced his neck a little, him hearing a male voice yell into his ear:
"PUT HER BACK ON THE COUNTER, NOW!!!"
---
The moment Arthur saw that the human had Vivi in his hand, he struck.
He got a running start and jumped, using his knife to get a hold on Lewis' neck, unable to use his other hand to balance himself...and also to intimidate the guy by cutting him a little, or so he hoped.
The spiky-haired borrower quickly realized his mistake, however, as Lewis reached up with his free hand and grabbed Arthur too, holding him out in front of him, near Vivi.
"W-What," the towering human stuttered, "are you two?"
He didn't have much of a chance to get an answer: tired footsteps stumbled into the room, and Lewis quickly stood, hiding the two tiny people behind his back as his father walked in, groggy, mumbling:
"Thought you said you were putting the pans away: do you need help?"
Lewis shook his head, trying to remain calm as he felt a little blood begin to dribble down his neck.
"No, I'm good Dad, just taking it slow and trying not to make any noise."
Mr. Pepper yawned, barely one eye open as he turned, talking as he wandered off back to bed:
"Alright, sorry about the shelf, 's my fault, fix it tomorrow, love you..."
"Love you too Dad, goodnight!"
Lewis waited a good half a minute before turning and gently putting the tiny people he was holding down, watching as they immeadiately ran over to each other and embraced.
Vivi practically tackled into Arthur, kissing him on the forehead and nuzzling him close, exclaiming:
"Oh my god Artie, are you okay? What happened to your hand?"
"It doesn't matter," he replied, putting away his knife and cupping her head with his uninjured hand, "the important thing is that you're safe..."
The duo were quiet for a moment, showering one another in affection, but quickly turned to the human standing next to them, his vast shadow blocking the lights on the ceiling above, both of them suprised he hadn't thrown them in a jar or some other very human-like thing. He had seen two borrowers after all, and this couldn't end well.
What he said next was what really shocked them, though: he whispered, his voice quivering, almost nervous...
"I didn't hurt either of you, did I?"
Vivi stared at Arthur, who stared back at her in turn.
"Well...you did break that shelf when you slammed the door open, and almost killed both of us, so yes, you did," Arthur said with great acidity, holding Vivi closer as he glared up at the human...trying to hide the terror in his eyes.
"He also saved me, Arthur, you forget that part-"
"I'm so sorry," Lewis interjected, horror in his eyes, "holy crap I should have been more careful, I almost got you killed..."
"Yea, you did!" Arthur added, looking quite incredulous.
"Arthur..."
"What can I do to make it up to you?"
Arthur and Vivi were silent again: was he...serious?
Vivi went to reply, but Arthur beat her to the punch:
"First off, make sure that shelf is actually fixed tomorrow, for God's sake, second, get us up to the rafters, and, finally...g-get us a small bag with little bits of food in it. And some toothpicks. That's what you can do."
"Arthur, what're you..."
Lewis got to work immediately, quietly gathering up the supplies the tiny guy, named Arthur, apparently, had requested of him, and before long, he had gently lifted them back up to the rafters, Arthur angrily and quickly scooting off towards the other end of the dining room.
Vivi hesitated, however, watching as Lewis got back down off the counter and took one last glance up at her.
"Um, thank you" she uttered, blushing again.
She waved goodbye to him before sprinting off, Lewis watching her for a moment before turning his attention back to the mess on the counter...
---
It had been Vivi's idea to thank Lewis.
Naturally, they had already packed up all their belongings and we're prepared to leave: a borrower should NEVER stay in a human's home after they'd been spotted...
But Vivi recognized that Lewis did actually feel bad about the whole situation, and she wanted to at least thank him for not killing or capturing them before they left.
She approached him late one night, while he sat at his desk, reading.
He had greeted her sweetly, and responded to her thank you with more apologies on his part: he really was such a big sweetheart...and one thing in particular that he said caught her attention.
"I promise, I won't tell anyone you were here, cross my heart and hope to die."
Well, that was enough to convince Vivi to unpack her bags: a human who not only didn't want to hurt her, but was willing to let them stay and borrow without any interference, and maybe even help them sometimes? Sign her the fuck up...
She started visiting him often, chatting with him about their respective cultures, Lewis offering some of his favorite ghost stories, and explaining that yes, he had spotted her in the past...
Arthur was...much slower to come around and begin to talk with the human, however.
It took many long months of keeping an eye on Vivi and glaring Lewis down for him to begin to trust him, even a little bit...but by then Arthur had already been fixing up things around the house and restaurant to show his gratitude for Lewis' promise to keep them hidden, and when Lewis found out about that he was eternally grateful, even bringing Arthur components and supplies for his gadgets to compensate him for his work.
It became a strange truce between the three of them, and it took a long time for all of them to fully acknowledge that they were, in fact, friends...
And it took even longer for Lewis to realize that Arthur and Vivi were together.
It turns out that their near-death experience that night with him in the kitchen had been what finally got them to confess their feelings for each other, which was quite pleasant for Lewis, knowing he brought two lovers together...but also made him quite uneasy, knowing that he had scared them so badly that they felt the need to confess to one another...
...and then came another complication.
It started off with little things: a nuzzle from Vivi here or there, letting Lewis pick her up from time to time, her sitting on his shoulder, talking to him when he had a bad night or just needed some company...she even fell asleep on top of him multiple times while Arthur waited for her at home.
It wasn't long before she graduated to kisses, nose-boops and teasing, the borrower throwing caution to the wind: she was in love with Arthur...and a human too.
And there was no one here to judge her, and the only person that did seemed to understand the situation quite well.
Arthur would listen to her talk about Lewis, the spiky-haired borrower (who now had a mechanical hand) had started off jealous, but considering he had trusted Lewis with their lives for nearly two years now, he was beginning to lighten up and, eventually, open up to the possibilities before them...
This place felt like a real home, now, and it was in no small part thanks to Lewis, a man Arthur had grown to trust and...
Feel OTHER things for.
---
And speaking of the big, purple-haired Pepper, he didn't expect the response Arthur gave when he pulled him aside to talk about the Vivi situation.
Lewis was naturally apprehensive, and quite apologetic: not only was she hitting on him when she was already in a relationship, but he was also certain he would mess this up if he ever were to return her advances.
"How would it even work," Lewis asked Arthur, shaking his head, "I just don't get it, what does she see in me? I almost got her killed and she's all over me..."
Arthur stood on the human's desk, gently patting Lewis' hand as he let him pour his thoughts out.
"Jeez, I'm sorry Arthur: it was selfish of me to not tell her to stop, you have every right to be mad at me..."
"Well, um," the borrower started, leaning against Lewis' arm as he explained, "there's, um, actually something I want to talk about, regarding that..."
Lewis tilted his head, watching as Arthur closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"We...wanted to invite you to be with us."
"...what?"
Lewis looked genuinely confused, Arthur stuttering as he spoke, talking with his hands too, trying to elaborate:
"Um, yknow, like TOGETHER with us, as in, Vivi, me, AND you."
As Arthur put emphasis on the word "and" he drew a heart shape in the air with his hands, watching as Lewis' bright, magenta eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped a little, his cheeks lighting up in a bright blush.
"I...holy shit..."
"Yea, Vivi wasn't quite sure when was a good time to ask, and I figure we probably waited too long already...Lewis are you okay?"
The human had his hand over his mouth, eyes closed as tears ran down his face, turning away from Arthur a bit.
"Holy shit Lewis, are you okay? There's no pressure man, you don't have to-"
"N-No, it's not that, it's just..."
He turned back to Arthur, taking his hand away from his mouth, revealing a wide, sweet smile.
"...I'd be honored to join you two."
---
It came so naturally to them as their days grew more and more intertwined: before long the borrowers had moved their possessions to the space between the walls of Lewis' room, and physical interaction became almost second nature.
Not a moment passed without Lewis having one or both of his lovers leaning against him, riding on his shoulder, or asleep in his grasp, the man put at ease and feeling so blessed to have such wonderful people in his life.
Arthur and Vivi couldn't agree more: their love was only strengthened and broadened by being with Lewis, and it seemed like the unlikely trio of lovers were, quite simply, happy together.
Utterly, completely, and joyously happy together.
---
It was four years to the day that the trio had met when Mrs. Pepper approached her son, placing a hand on his shoulder as he did dishes in the kitchen, the store long since closed for the night.
"Lew," she started, smiling, "when are you going to invite your little boyfriend and girlfriend to dinner, hmmm?"
Lewis stuck still, heart skipping a beat, almost dropping the plate he was holding.
"I, uh, have no idea what you're talking about, mom."
"Sureeee," she chided, chuckling. "How about they come down this Saturday, hmmm? I'll make some extra small cakes for them...oh, and, Lewis?"
"Y-Yes mom?"
"Tell the orange-haired one I need him to work on the toaster oven: it broke down again."
With that, Mrs. Pepper strode away, going to help the girls with their homework...and taking a quick glance up at the rafters, smiling to herself as she saw two small faces duck away.
She shook her head: so rude of her boy not to introduce them after all this time, she'd have to make them something special to apologize...
Maybe something with ghost peppers. Yea, that sounded good.