He sat alone in the living room. It was spotless and shining in cleanliness. Every surface had been wiped down or dusted or scrubbed. The floors were clean and the fan was clean, everything was organized and sorted through.

Lewis was sitting by himself on the couch, Vivi and Arthur both were sleeping off their pain and stress, while Lewis stayed awake with Mystery by his feet in silence. Shiromori was hidden away in the office-turned-bedroom and out of sight, leaving the two in the living room completely alone.

"Is he sleeping better?" Mystery asked softly.

"He's exhausted, and with the situation settling I recommended he sleep off his stress, which he's doing. I have a deadbeat watching him. He isn't restless...and uh, yeah. Is Vivi doing okay? She won't talk to me." Lewis asked, squeezing his hands together.

"She's in a lot of pain, but she is healing slowly. Vivi's frustrated with the lack of mobility she has and has been seeking comfort from Mori. You just need to give her time, Lew. She's heartbroken." Mystery yawned out. "The best thing for her is to give her space to work her thoughts out and to let her accept you aren't able to be with her. She knows you're priorities have changed to Arthur and she knows there isn't any changing that."

"I care for her still, but Artie has literally become my whole world. She acts like I don't feel sorry about it...like I don't care..."Lewis whimpered softly and hugged his arms. "Im...I don't know...I don't regret my love for Arthur at all, not in the slightest and I'm even pissed at her for being angry with me, which is scaring me to be blunt." Lewis looked down at the dog to find him watching him closely.

"It's natural aggression. You're subconsciously viewing her disapproval as a threat to the bond, and because Arthur's guilty and in pain over it, it's making you register Vivi as a hostile entity that must be removed from Arthur's life. It's not uncommon for beings to kill their close ones if they view them as a threat to their partner. It's why I'm going to go ahead and recommend you seriously practice self restraint around her. If she yells at him you may feel tempted to even strike her, or get aggressive with her. If you begin to do this and feel your mind spiral you need to leave the room. You were confronting her a little in the van on the way to the hospital because of it." Mystery explained.

"I noticed, I called her names and grew violent...like a switch it was so sudden." Lewis shuddered. "To be honest I'm afraid I'll hurt her."

"As I said, you need to leave the room if you feel a spiral happen." Mystery nodded, licking his leg.

Lewis nodded, feeling defeated and stressed. He didn't enjoy how different he was feeling emotionally. It was odd and foreign and he didn't like the fact he was so quick to grow violent with someone he had loved as a lover previously. He didn't trust himself and his first instinct was to seek comfort from Arthur, but he was asleep and in a great deal of pain. He had also been tempted to hurt him as well, on the roof of the hospital.

"They purchased this property yes? Not rented?" Lewis asked weakly.

"Yes, it's completely paid off. You helped make the down payment." Mystery confirmed. "Why?"

"I was thinking about building a storm cellar, a decently sized one too that takes up the majority of the space underground, deep enough to allow grass to grow a couple feet deep before hitting the cement. I need a space to vent. Or maybe I'll just go to my mansion and vent there. Bunkers are very expensive." Lewis scratched the back of his neck with a heavy sigh.

"Arthur could probably help you out there. He can build cars from scratch you knew. He could also drive you to places. Since the mansion is very far off you could honestly sell the land and find someplace closer to the shop and make one there. I could also have Mori spar with you, or make you an obstacle course in some wooded areas I've scoped out. If you really need space to vent your anger you have us to confide in Lewis, you aren't on your own anymore. You're not alone." Mystery stood and stretched before walking towards Arthur and Lewis's room.

"Where are you going?" Lewis asked in a lighter tone.

"I'm comfortable napping on you and Arthur's bed. Its rather comfortable. Thst, and I can sense he's having a nightmare. His heart rate just skyrocketed despite not outwardly showing signs." Mystery explained.

Lewis felt a pang and immediately went to follow him into the room, looking to find him perfectly still snd restful. Lewis approached him, and spotted the growing tension in his body as he slowly began to curl up and frown in his sleep.

"Damn...I thought he was having a good dream." Lewis cursed.

"He has those ones a lot too. Last time he was a mess. It took him several months to stop having nightmares every night. He still had them often, once or thrice every other week." Mystery explained. "Even though he couldn't remember what happened, he was terrified about where you went and why you were missing. It was sort if traumatic for him to suddenly lose a close friend. He cares deeply about you both."

"Oh Artie..." Lewis frowned and moved to his bedside as he began to pant and sweat. "There there."

Mystery observed Lewis's mannerisms and attitude. He was growing concerned over his aggressive nature taking over his rationality. He later regrets and apologises, but it doesn't change the fact he momentarily loses himself to his urges.

"Mnnh...stop..." Arthur groaned in complaint.

Lewis's flaring magenta eyes was all the confirmation that Mystery needed to deem Lewis a danger then. Especially since he's devoured a demon, his power packs a larger punch and makes him a ticking time bomb if precautions aren't made. He'd have to teach Lewis self restraint eventually once they find a good spot in the wilderness to practice.

This house is a mess... Mystery thought quietly to himself just before Arthur flinched awake with a jolt followed by a pained cry.

His hand shot to his shoulder and his back arched off of the bed in pain due to the sudden tense jerk he inacted. Lewis gently touched his side, gaining Arthur's immediate attention.

"Easy, it was a dream. Deep breaths, in and out." Lewis soothed as he gently pulled Arthur into sitting position before pulling him against his body.

Arthur panted heavily as this happened, face contorted in pain as he still held his shoulder, sweat collected on his body the more the waves of pain spread. He nuzzled into Lewis and his smell, comforted and lulled by the familiarity of his shoulder and soothing voice, basking in his heat.

"It's okay." Arthur ground out passed clenched teeth. "J-Just woke up wrong...uhg." Arthur growled.

"I'll fetch your pain medicine." Mystery chimed before waddling out of the room, his claws clacking further and further away.

"D-Did he just...make a pun?" Arthur huffed a weak laugh.

"I believe he did hehe." Lewis chuckled to himself.

"Hnhnhn..." Arthur hummed in delight, pulling away and looking down at the joint with a look of helplessness.

"Was it like this before?" Lewis asked in a quiet tone.

"Yes, it was actually worse due to the whole phantom limb ordeal. I still feel it often but not all the time. I would always try to grab or catch things with my missing arm back then. A lot of coffee mugs died in those days." Arthur hummed. "I've gotten used to being one handed, but this actually hurts worse than last time for some reason. I guess it's because it's further up and it affected the joint and completely destroyed it."

"About that...Arthur look, I'm so sorry about your shou-"

"Lewis don't you even dare begin to blame yourself for my shoulder." Arthur deadpanned and stared at him with a cold glare, making Lewis shrink. "I don't blame you at all for my shoulder, it wasn't your fault. It was that damned thing. It tore off my metal plates and dug around in my body to get rooted...so I figured it would take more with it this time around now that I think back on it longer. It did that knowing it would fucking suck to come off again. You didn't know and you did what you had to for my sake."

"I still can't help but feel bad about it. I burned you to tear it off. You were in the hospital and nearly died in there from everything going on and I feel like I've been...unable...to keep you from harm. As your, well, I guess my boyfriend now, I need to do better than what I have been." Lewis rambled, rubbing his arms in a tense way.

"You don't need to bend over backwards Lewis. You is enough for me. Nothing special, nothing over the top or what perfect means would make me love you. I love you for you, you know that. I always have, I'm not holding you at gunpoint with standards to this." Arthur frowned. "I already think you are perfect. And what you've been doing for me is also nice."

"Maybe I want to he overprotective and, perfect, and special." Lewis blushed weakly at the admittance.

"Only if it makes you happy, Lew." Arthur hummed.

Lewis gave Arthur a genuine look of fondness before planting a kiss on his forehead right before Mystery popped in with the bottle of pills, in wolf form, holding a mug of coffee. Arthut perked up once the smell hit his nose, and he gladly took the mug and took a sip. He set it in his lap and collected the bottle with a soft thank you to Mystery before popping some into his mouth. He then drank them down with coffee and gave a sigh of content.

"You know, your arm is still at Lewis's mansion. Do you need me to fetch it for you?" Mystery asked aloud.

"Only if you want too. It won't be useful now anyways. I may scrap it and use it for parts, but I need to build an entirely new arm, and design how it's going to hook up to my body...it's going to be difficult since it'd barely a joint anymore. I may need to design an entire socket as well...which is a pain in the ass considering it took me months to perfect the joints to that arm. And those were just the fingers and elbow! This is an entire shoulder!" Arthur spoke a little loud and pouted, before shivering with an excited sheen to his eyes.

There he is...my Artie and his undying love for challenging robotics. Lewis's face softened.

"I get to see your fine work being created then. I look forward to it." Lewis gave a calm grin.

"I KNOW!" Arthur smiled widely in excitement. "You totally weren't there last time I made it! You get to watch the best thing ever, me designing something. I better start on the planning as soon as I can...I already have my blueprints for my arm in the garage, I'll use those as a base to work off of. It should cut the amount of time spent on this project by a month." He mumbled and scratched his goatee.

"How long did it take for you to finish your old arm?" Lewis asked curiously.

"Completely? Or just enough to function?" Arthur asked.

"Completely." Lewis nodded.

"To work out all the kinks and stiffness, around a full year of almost no sleep or free time outside work and paranormal investigation." Arthur nodded to himself. "Maybe a little over a year. Building and coding functions is hard work. Very fine, fragile, delicate." Arthur gave a giddy smirk to himself as his eyes closed.

"That sounds like a lot..." Lewis frowned at the idea of Arthur barely sleeping.

"If I can find a way to repurpose my arm into the new one it may shorten the time by a lot. But I want to work in some new stuff into the original design, maybe change out some of the implanted structures to make it more durable. It allows me to provide harder hits in defense, and by hard I mean hard...but with my arm completely gone now I can modify it to produce super human strength! I could even build a blade into it!" Arthur began shaking with excitement.

"Hehehe, sounds over the top there bud." Lewis chimed in with a relaxed smile, settling down, only to be grabbed and shook.

"Of course it is! IT'LL BE BADASS!" Arthur cackled loudly.

Mystery smiled and moved out of the room with a shake of his head. His tails swayed happily behind his form as he entered the living room, only to stop Vivi rolling in with a tired expression. She clearly had just woken up, and was in the process of moving to the table in the living room were a bottle of soda sat. She was holding four pills in her hand, yawning tiredly.

"Good morning Vivi." Mystery greeted with a bow of his head.

Vivi gave him a tired smile and took her medication before replying.

"Good morning Mystery. How are things? Healed up?" Vivi asked as she scratched at her casts.

"Yes, fully. I'm going to be making a run to the mansion today, did you leave anything there? I can snag it. Arthur left his arm in the closet of his and Lewis's bedroom and I need to fetch it for him since he is already plotting the design of his new one."

"Oh, uhm, I think I left my work laptop there. I need to update the website and let everyone know we won't be taking on investigations for a bit." Vivi explained briefly.

"Alright. I'm glad to see the color back in your face for once. You seemed pretty pale for the last two weeks." Mystery commented.

"Not as pale as Arthur has been recently. He still hasn't gotten his full color back...how...are they doing?" Vivi asked with a twinge of anger in her eyes.

"Both of them are stressed out. Lewis is having a rough time with things and as you can see, passed on rest in order to stress clean nearly the entire house spotless. Arthur is having trouble getting enough sleep and is in a great deal of pain. He explained what happened with the arm to me and him and I can understand now why his body is under stress. It rooted into his body and tore things internally when Lewis ripped it out. Mentally...he's a mystery. He hasn't been expressing his thoughts much. He's closing us out." Mystery shrugged. "The both are fighting for optimism though. And both are fairly concerned about you."

"They don't get to worry over me." Vivi folded her arms with a sour expression. "Hmph."

"Perhaps. But they'll do it anyways because their your family, Vivi. Don't forget that bonds are sacred...no matter the pain it causes you. If you love them and they love you, don't lose it and fight for what you have now. I'm sorry about his change of heart, I truly am...especially Lewis. He's very confused about it too. If you want I can get rid of the ring you kept." Mystery offered with a saddened stare.

"..." Vivi winced and looked away from him, her hands clutching her arm rests tightly as tears threatened to fall.

The ring.

"I was going to propose..."

Vivi stared down at the freshly vacuumed carpet with a sorrow so heavy it was physically weighing her down. She couldn't help the hate that bubbled up towards Arthur, and the despair and betrayal she felt from it. The fact they flirted in front of her was hurting her feelings more than anything else. The fact that they could be so insensitive...hurt...deeply.

"Vivi?" Mystery spoke up, now directly in front of her with a worried expression.

She didn't realize she had begun crying until she felt a teardrop hit her hand, which turned to ice and fell onto the floor with a barely audible thud. She watched it fall before sucking in a shaky inhale.

"I'll be okay." She whispered out, biting her teeth together to try to stop her tears, failing miserably. "I have to be."

"No you don't. No one is forcing you to be okay, Vivi. You are in pain...and it's healthy to express and vent it out. If you need to sit them both down and have a talk. Do it. Don't let yourself crumble away because of it... I won't let you." Mystery soothed snd licked her tears.

Vivi gave a soft huff before yanking Mystery into a tight hug, shaking and crying into his neck, her face hidden within thr blanket of fur. Tails wrapped around her and the wheelchair, holding her in a fluffy embrace.

"Thanks Mystery. Really...I don't know what I'd do without you here." She shakily exhaled into his fluffy fur.

"I'm happy to be here. Now, I'll take my leave so I can get back here in time for dinner. This trip will take me a while to get to and from." Mystery chimed as he pulled away from the blue haired woman.

"Be careful." Vivi ordered as Mystery made for the backyard.

"I'm always careful." Mystery boasted before exiting the house, leaving Vivi alone to herself.

She heard a faint excited voice coming from the opposite side of the house, ans felt her heart twist in multiple directions. She was happy to hear Arthur in high spirits, and hearing his and Lewis's laughter filled her heart with warmth as much as it did ice. She was happy, but she was feeling very alone and left behind in a way. She felt abandoned, and for a moment, hate swam across her field of vision just before it was buried the moment they both exited their room and entered the living room.

Her and Lewis immediately locked eyes. His filled with pain, and anger towards her. Hers did the exact same, and both of them mirrored one another. Arthur felt sweat collect at his brow and in his palms, and shifted a step slowly behind Lewis, as he puffed his chest up in an instinctual display of possessiveness.

"Morning." Vivi spoke up softly, her eyes bloodshot and fave tight with pain.

"Morning. Did Mystery leave?" Lewis asked.

"Yes, he did. You just missed him." Vivi sighed heavily. "Lewis?"

"Mhm?" Lewis hummed, raising a brow.

"Can you and Arthur sit? We need to have a talk." Vivi requested and folded her arms in a strong display of stubbornness.

Lewis and Arthur exchanged looked before obeying this request and taking a seat. Both of them knew deep down what this impending conversation was going to be about. Lewis wasn't ready, nor wad Arthur, to talk about this complicated subject but both men knew that they had to eventually, and that putting it off was only going to cause more damage to their friendship.

"Lewis, when did your feelings change?" Vivi asked bluntly, going straight to the point.

Lewis gave a soft grunt at her abrupt question and gave a soft cough. He looked over to Arthur, who sat uncomfortably beside him, tense and in a visible amount if pain. He them looked back over to Vivi as he thought on the answer.

"Well, I've always sort of liked Arthur, even back when we were in school. He never explained his preference and I never even hinted that I was able to swing both ways so it never kicked off. I fell for you after getting over the fact that Arthur didn't like me, that's what I concluded then. After returning and spending time with everyone here...after the incident at the shop I began to realize how out of place I felt, and didn't want to burden you with my being dead. I hung around Arthur because I admittedly felt guilty about trying to kill him, while also still feeling butt hurt and wanting some form of vengeance. It was through this that my feeling resurfaced. However. After I discovered his alure towards me through some investigations and thought, my soul's priorities immediately changed to him. That's when it happened. When my choice to exsistence beyond the veil...shifted...to making him mine." Lewis answered to the best of his abilities.

"Okay...valid..." Vivi mumbled softly and looked down to her hands. "And you've always liked Lewis, right?" Her eyes immediately shot to the other male, who was desperately trying to remain hidden behind Lewis on the couch, shrinking back a little.

"Y-Yep." Arthur nodded nervously. "N-Never changed."

"Okay." Vivi nodded as she fiddled with her thumbs. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"A-Are you joking?" Arthur felt his eyebrows furrow.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Vivi raised a brow.

"H-Have you met me? Do I honestly look like a confident person outside my hobbies for vehicles and robotics?" Arthur huffed and went to fold his arms, only to remember he didn't have his metal one on, so he just awkwardly grabbed his side. "The answer is obviously n-not. Vivi, I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to lose a friend! I felt ashamed for how I felt then. And when you and Lewis slowly grew closer I wasn't going to make things awkward for either of you! I'm not c-cruel!" Arthur huffed, feeling Lewis set a hand on his shoulder in quiet reassurance and comfort.

"Not cruel...hehe." Vivi gave an angry and saddened smile all at once. "You're reasoning makes some sense b-but you never once went to us about why you were always upset or hurting. We stopped asking you and because of this Lewis is dead and you don't have both your arms, Arthur." Vivi eyed him with a wounded look.

"Easy. We can't change the past, vivs." Lewis grumbled out against her growing anger.

"Don't. Call me Vivs." Vivi warned with a jabbed finger at Lewis. "If neither of you are cruel. Then what the fuck possessed the two of you to flirt, and grow close to one another. In. Front. Of. Me. While I was in such a state!?" Vivi ground out. "What the hell is wrong with you two!? Have neither of you heard of the word subtle? Did you think it would be entertaining to watch me become this? Did you two want to hurt me!? Did you even consider my feelings!?"

"Yes! Yes we did! It was the only thing I was thinking about the entire time he and I g-grew closer! I'm not a bastard who's just going to hurt you! I brought this up to Lewis multiple times! We both agreed t-to work it out as best we can. His instincts on top of my broken state just caused things to quicken more than we th-thought it would." Arthur answered in growing defensiveness.

"We almost became torn from one another over it." Lewis whispered softly, looking pained. "It's just as confusing for me as it is for you Vivi. I died and changed...you wouldn't have loved this new me very well. I don't even know how to control my anger just yet. I'm violent. We didn't mean to be so bold, I couldn't help it." Lewis explained. "You're beginning to sound like you're blaming him."

"WELL PARTLY I AM!" Vivi cried out, tears rolling down her face.

Adthut flinched as is scalded, and felt the air get knocked out of him, causing his breathing to hitch to a stop. Lewis grew murderous and remained silent, his irises burning into her own as he felt his muscles tense, wanting to crush and maim in that moment.

"HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING! AND NOW LOOK AT US!!! MY LEGS ARE BROKEN BECAUSE HIS AMPUTATED ARM BROKE THEM! YOU. ARE. DEAD. BECAUSE HE NEVER WANTED TO LET US IN AND GOT HIMSELF POSSESSED OVER SOMETHING WE COULD HAVE TALKED THROUGH TOGETHER! AND NOW IM SHOUTING AT THE TWO OF YOU LIKE A BITCH BECAUSE, AGAIN! YOU TWO ARE FAILING TO COMMINICATE TO ME AND NEITHER ONE OF YOU HAS SAID SORRY!" Vivi screamed out, crying in her spot. "I FEEL BETRAYED! AND MORE OVER, LIKE CHOPPED LIVER BE-Because neither one of you stopped to talk to me about it! As if my input...my feelings...didn't matter enough." Vivi hugged her arms together, squeezing them as ice began to freeze over the ground. "Like I'm nothing..."

"V-Vivi..." Arthur whispered softly, his eyes wide with guilt and shock. "I-I..."

"Vivienne." Lewis cut Arthur off by a very strong, yet quiet tone that sent a chill around them.

Vivi flinched at the full name and looked up at him, only to find two very pained yet very cold eyes stare down at her with a mix of intent. She felt her breathing catch the moment he gave her that look. His stare was a chaotic one filled with many feelings.

"You aren't nothing, you mean more to me than you will ever know because I can't put it all into words. Don't get me wrong, I still love you, very much. But it's because of how I am drawn to Arthur, it just won't happen. We argued over you the entire time, and if anything it's my fault for not being more open. You cannot go blaming him...that's unfair. None of this is anyone's fault. And yes, we treated you unfairly, but we didn't want you to have any violent or awkward interactions between us over your lack of memory." Lewis explained. "The way this was handled was completely on me...not Arthur. I encouraged everything. I'm sorry, for hurting you...I really am...with all my heart. I'm not looking for forgiveness, just a common ground of understanding. I'll never stop loving you, or anyone here, remember that."

Vivi listened to Lewis as he spoke and fiddled with her thumbs. She looked down at her lap, her eyes narrowing as she thought to herself. She gave a heavy sigh before nodding.

"Alright...i...I'll keep an open mind, but don't be surprised if it takes me a while to get over this." Vivi whispered.

"We expect you to take a while. There isn't any rush. Take your feelings at your own pace." Arthur spoke from his place.

Vivi nodded and wheeled off, staring forwards with an exhaustion. Once she got to her room, Shiromori was standing beside the bed with an understanding look. Vivi gave her a weak attempt at a smile before wheeling over. Shiromori helped her to her bed, and sat her down.

"Did you state what you needed to?" Shiromori asked.

"Mhm." Vivi nodded. "I want to be alone at the moment."

"I understand. I'm next door when you need me." Shiromori exited.

Vivi watched her leave before her eyes landed on her closet.

I guess I have to move on...