Recite (For vithur week)
TTO Chapter 31 - Based on this lovely drawing
Vivi has a cold and Arthur helps. But Vivi is bored easily...
“ACHooO!”
Arthur frowned a little, shaking his head.
Vivi sniffed on the bed, in yet another bedroom claimed, a lot in the mansion.
As soon as Lewis saw the first symptoms of a cold, he made her go inside the closest one and told her to rest.
No arguing.
Arthur stood at the side of the bed, crossing his arms at her.
“...You had to roll on the snow.”
“I had to roll on the snow!”
Of course she would not regret it...
Vivi pouted, trying to contain another sneeze.
“It has been a long time since it snowed!”
Arthur ruffled his hair, remembering very well that last year it did not... And this one... It snowed a lot.
He spoke firmly but calmly, worried as she flushed, a fever.
“That's still no reason to dive head first into it...”
“It was for research! I had too see how many- h-how m-ma- Choo!”
Arthur handed her yet another napkin, rolling his eyes.
Lewis would be right now panicking at her side and being overprotective...
Were not for the fact that they had no cold medicine left. Which by the way... Arthur suspected the deadbeats tried to make a brew with it just for laughs...
Anyway... Lewis had floated at light speed out the mansion's doors, not before dragging Arthur into this room to keep watch.
He said there was too much snow to take the van... And he would be faster. And of course, he did not dare to send deadbeats for the medicine... They could very well drag a poor doctor all the way here, or take away the whole pharmacy. They could be clever or airheads... No in between.
Talking about deadbeats...
Arthur yelped, a lot bursting the door open and floating with loud chirps, tiny hands moving in nervousness and hype.
Vivi laughed, one carrying a bowl, a little clumsily, small drops falling down.
Arthur sighed, glaring at the mess as the deadbeats flooded around the bed.
“...Lewis will throw a fit.”
Vivi chuckled between coughs, taking the bowl from the deadbeat chirping happily at her side.
“No. Because they meant well and to keep me well!” She smiled at the deadbeat, seeing what they made. “Chicken soup! Thanks!”
Loud chirps as they bounced, hands clapping.
Arthur raised an eyebrow, poker faced.
“...They made it?”
“Lewis left... He did not go into the kitchen before doing so...”
Arthur's eyes slowly widened as deadbeats highfived.
“Oh my god...” He threw his hands to his head. “The fridge!”
Vivi shrugged as Arthur ran out the room.
There was silence for a minute...
Then his voice echoed through every single room, a loud wail.
“They threw everything out! Everything is a mess! The floor! The counter! THE PIZZA!”
Between all this chaos... They somehow managed to figure out how to make the stove work and prepare that soup...
Vivi waited five minutes as Arthur mourned the lost food...
Then he returned to the room, head down.
“You had to dive into the snow, Viv... You had to...”
“And roll!”
“...And roll for hours.”
Until they managed to take her inside again...
Arthur slumped onto the nearby chair at her side, placing his head on his hands as he supported his arms on his knees.
Vivi left the half empty bowl onto the tray the deadbeats had also brought.
Arthur stared at it, blinking.
He slowly opened his mouth.
“...You are not eating that?”
“I'm not hungry...”
Arthur instantly stood, eyes wide.
Voice full of worry and disbelief.
“You?! Not hungry?...” He dashed forward, making her blink as he placed his real hand quickly onto her forehead. “Ok, you are really sick! You never refuse food! You eat what three people would eat! Oh god, this can't be a normal cold, you must be dying! You can't die on me! What will I tell Lewis?! He will kill me for not doing anything! I can't imagine the pranks you would throw on me if you could float! You have high fever and-”
Vivi grabbed his hand, moving it away with a mocking smile. Arthur could ramble at light speed...
“Arthur gosh calm down! It's really just a cold! Ok? I'm not that hot...”
“You are hot!”
Arthur had been totally serious.
Vivi stared at him for a few seconds.
The blonde blinked as a deadbeat snorted, nudging another with a wink. And Vivi was now wiggling her eyebrows.
What did they-
Oh...
Arthur blushed red, seeing what they were laughing at.
He waved his hands around nervously and in exasperation, voice stuttering.
“I- I did not mean it like t-that! Y-you are s-sick!”
Vivi gave out a playful pout, sneezing as she crossed her arms, leaning her head cutely.
“I am nooooot?... I thought you liked me...”
Arthur blurted air out, hands mid air in bafflement. He was almost frozen and red as a tomato as he looked away, nervous.
Hard to hear as he muttered quickly.
“I- I'm not saying that- Y-you are...”
The deadbeats bent over in laughter, one raising its hands to its cheeks with its mouth wide open, one began to float in circles and cheer and another one was suddenly holding a camera...
Arthur yelped, seeing he had said that in front of the hyperactive ghosts.
The spirits screeched, the blonde dashing forward, swatting at them to go away.
“O-out you little...!”
Arthur snarled as they floated out into the walls and door, crackling at him, one even halting to make a smooch face.
He slammed the door at its face... And leaned against it, huffing.
Not at all amused by how she was still giving him a suggestive look.
“Viv no.”
“Vivi yes. If I were not tired...”
He would be in this bed...
Arthur approached the bed again, sitting on its edge. Trying to look serious as he still was blushing.
Wondering.
All the things they do when he is sick...
She had only one blanket, fluffy enough but...
He pointed at it, worry once again in his voice.
“Do you want more blankets?”
“I'm fine-”
“A cold towel?”
“Art-”
“Do I have to feed you? Because you always do when-”
She threw a pillow at him, no other way to shut his wild mind.
“I'm fine you dork! The one who should worry is me... You will catch it at this rate.”
Arthur had been struck by the pillow squarely. He laid now on his back on the bed... He slowly moved away the pillow from his face, frowning at her.
“Do you think I care about that if I can help?”
Vivi was the one to blush this time, for he was smiling at her, eyes full of care.
Arthur pushed himself into a sitting position as he leaned towards her, smiling bright.
“So, need anything?”
She finally got out of her mind, biting her lip in thought.
“It is kind of boring in this room...”
“Your phone maybe?”
“Nah... My head does not really want to hear pounding music... Tv?”
Arthur raised an eyebrow at her, snorting.
“Viv, I'm not dragging the tv all the way here from the living room. Lewis hates to see just an inch of disorder.”
“Hehe... You jut wait till he sees what the deadbeats have done.”
“...Don't remind me. One of your books?”
She slumped backwards, outstretching her arms in protest.
“Awww... I don't want to read myself...”
Was she doing it on purpose?...
He was running out of ideas.
Vivi opened her eyes as his voice drifted, pondering.
“What if... I did?”
She raised her head, confused.
“Huh?”
He scratched his goatee, blushing.
“I- I could read so you don't have to... And you are not bored.”
“Out loud?”
“Y-yeah?”
Vivi laughed, amused by his unending but grumpy care.
As much as she would love to hear his voice reading a book for her... His sweet tone...
“You would not understand my books.”
He pouted, complaining again.
“Hey, are you saying I'm-”
“Nooo. You know most of them are spells, explanations about spirits and ingredients... Some even written with runes. You would not be able to read it, because you don't know about it!” She pinched his cheek playfully. “Not because you are silly! Silly!”
Arthur sat poker faced.
“...You just called me-”
“Anyway! Don't worry, ok? I will...”
She had no idea what to do.
As she sneezed yet again, he handed her another napkin.
“Wait here.”
He jumped off the bed, running out the room.
She called, confused.
“I can't go anywhere, actually! Where are you-”
“Just a minute!”
Arthur bounced fast through corridors, dodging curious deadbeats who still tried to chirp at him...
He almost tripped as he tried to loosen his speed around a corner. But he regained his balance with quick and sudden steps, waving his arms on the air a little.
Mystery had found Arthur's room open... And he had thought it was the perfect place to avoid pain for his ears, Vivi's sneezes loud.
The calm silence was thrown out the windows as Arthur kicked the door open, jumping towards his shelves.
The dog covered his ears as Arthur asked for himself.
“Where did I put those...”
Mystery yawned, looking at him as he moved a heavy box out the way, his room always a mess. The dog knew he would not sleep until Arthur found whatever he was looking for.
“What is it?...”
The blonde remembered he was there on his bed, standing again, hands raised to show off all the boxes.
“Have you seen my books?”
Mystery stared at him.
“YOU have books?”
“What? Can't I?”
“You are not the kind of guy to do so...”
Arthur growled in annoyance, crossing his arms.
“Well, I may not read them often... But I still have a small collection of fantasy ones!”
Ah... That was more like him...
“Why now?”
“Vivi is bored.”
“She always is.”
“I know! Have you seen them or not?”
“This is your room.”
“Mystery, stop being a sassy know it all and tell me if you do or not, I don't want to lose time with your-”
“Two steps right, move a box, at the closet's side, I think I see one peeking from a box...”
“Thanks! I think she will like the one I have in mind!”
Mystery's ears perked up as he hurried to look for it.
“It must be good if you still have it in mind...”
“Yeah! Remember when we went to that medieval fair near that huge castle? I bought...” He smiled, raising the book out the box, a golden cover. “This! I had fun there... So... It's actually based on a legend of that castle! About a prince and a young witch... About how they roamed around, exploring, together with a clever servant wanting to be a soldier. Status not mattering for them.”
Arthur did not catch Mystery fall silent as he continued.
“It does not have a happy ending thought... It seems an evil noble tricked the prince and made him kill... All died... So I will only read to her a chapter in between.”
Mystery curled on the bed with unfocused eyes as Arthur ran out the room again.
He held the book tight, trying to search for the best chapter as he walked.
He did not even look as he walked right through a deadbeat, the ghost shuddering with a grumpy chirp at him.
Vivi heard him get into the room again.
Her blue eyes filled with wonder, seeing him raise a book for her to see.
“You are actually going to read for me?”
“Thought I was pulling a joke on you?”
“Maybe? Last week you made the computer play a youtube video of a hamster on loop... Not fixing it until I told you where I hid the tv remote.”
“Well duh... You HID the tv remote! In a freaking Armor!”
“Lewis would not stop putting soap operas...”
She smiled sheepishly as he shook his head.
He opened the book, plopping onto the right side of the bed.
“Get comfy, this book is long!”
“Story?”
“A good one! I actually read this thing twice, so you know it must be.”
Vivi made herself comfortable as Arthur raised a hand, ready to begin.
She could not avoid smiling with joy as he lost himself in the chapter. Narrating how a witch saved a prince once, from a raging flood of big raging rabbits in a dark forest. Or how they pulled a prank on a friend, the prince laughing as she painted on his face as he slept. Or how they found a strange sword once below deep waters, sharp as no other.
“...Did you buy the book because the prince was called Arthur?”
“...No?”
She laughed with a cough, his eyebrow twitching.
Lie...
Vivi relaxed against the pillows and closed her eyes.
She loved every single word he spoke.
She tried to listen... Entranced by the stories... How he traced every sentence slowly for her.
Vivi could not avoid feel better...
Arthur could not avoid lowering the book and halt as she fell asleep.
Gentle breathing out of her little smile, chest raising and lowering softly, hands laid tiredly near his metal one...
His amber eyes fixed on her face, love struck.
He could look at her all day...
He left the book on the bedside table, no one to read to now...
Vivi did not wake up as a hand gently brushed her forehead... Still worried.
She only smiled as she felt a soft kiss on her head.
Lewis waved his hands, jumping quickly up the stairs towards the mansion.
Deadbeats opened the doors for him at his command.
It had not been easy to find a pharmacy with all the snow around... Most of the town white.
He ended up getting inside a closed one and leaving money on the counter.
Lewis floated quick through corridors and halls, medicine in hand.
He opened the door, skull moving, ready to speak up.
But he halted, floating at the door.
Not speaking...
Because he did not want to wake them up.
Both were on the bed, asleep.
Arthur had fallen asleep on the right side, almost falling down the edge, a book on the floor.
He would maybe fall, were not for the fact that she had her arms around him, pulling him close and holding him tight.
Both snoring.
The ghost chuckled silently, floating closer.
He left the medicine on the bedside table... And left, wanting that they rested.
He did not mind the soup stains on the floor, seeing that now cold bowl.
Thought he would surely mind when he got into the kitchen...
But for now he just loved their peaceful faces...
