2 for 1 Drabble (Mystery Skulls/Welcome to Night Vale) [M]

[Spoo]

These two drabbles were written for the wonderful and talented Garnet (considering it was her birthday yesterday ) and after asking her if it was okay, I decided to share them publicly. There was actually a third drabble, too, buuuut I'm not sure the forum is ready for The Book of Life. Maybe I'll build up some courage to post it soon.

Anyway! Here we go~

Mystery Skulls

"Hhh--SSZCHISHHH!"

"Gesundheit~"

"Tha-ahh'SSZHISSCHH!"

"Bless you, dude. Jeez."

Were he not a streaming-eyed, drippy-nosed, complete and utter allergic mess, Lewis would have found it pretty funny how Vivi and Arthur were alternating on who blessed him. Unfortunately, though, he was too distracted to find comedy in anything. Not that it was anyone's fault.

Especially not the tiny, mewling fuzzball that clung to his chest with tiny, yet determined nails.

No one had expected to find a kitten, of all things, on their last stop for gas. It was hard to think that anything could be out in the storm they were very carefully driving through, let alone something so small and defenseless, but there the terrified little lady had been, crouched and cold and crying beneath an old tire air pump.

All eyes had turned to Lewis then - not because he was the appointed leader of the group (as if, that was totally VIVI'S occupation, thanks) - but because…

"SSZCHISHHH!"

"Salud!"

…yeahhhh. Aggressive cat allergy much? Yeesh.

It seemed like the craziest irony ever that the kitten preferred the tallest, biggest, and most allergic member of their group to cling to. Seriously. Vivi had tried holding the scared baby up front with her, yet the kitten had turned into a squirming, clawing worm in her arms and insisted on climbing all over Lewis, who had been driving at the time, until it was securely tucked under his chin and spread eagle on the lapels of his waistcoat.

They'd luckily managed to replace Lewis with Arthur in the driver's seat before the allergy could really sink in, and it was only when the big guy had situated himself in the back that the fits of ridiculous sneezing had started.

Although he wasn't paranoid about the frequency and massiveness of the sneezes going on behind him (allergies weren't contagious, thank GOD) Arthur still jumped a little whenever they shot off behind him. And maaan, who wouldn't? Those weren't even sneezes. Those were straight-up atomic BOMBS going off.

Sensing Artie's skittishness (it didn't help that he was currently inching them through a pelting screen of rain) Vivi reached over and lightly settled her hand on his thigh; she rubbed his jeans comfortingly and then smiled when he removed a hand from the steering wheel to loosely tangle their fingers together. The blunette had long since gotten used to his sweaty hands, so they were of little bother to her as she turned around to see how their trooper was doing.

After observing his clearly tormented state, she felt compelled to ask: "You wanna try switching again?"

Surfacing from a shoulder, where he'd been simultaneously rubbing and dabbing his overflowing waterline, Lewis squinted through inflamed eyes and met the concerned gaze that was directed his way. It was sweet that Vivi was looking out for him, but he wasn't so sure swapping it up would be the best for the kitten. Especially when she was already terrified (yet somehow perfectly okay with sudden, loud noises??).

"We'd better not. She's calmer when I'm holding her for whatever reason," he replied with a deep, equine-like snuffle.

"Isn't it crazy how that's always the case?" Vivi asked, resting her cheek along her arm. "How animals always wanna be around people who don't wanna be around them?"

Beside her, Mystery gave an indignant huff through his nose.

"That's not what I meant, silly," his owner laughed, nudging their furry friend gently.

"It's not that I don't want to be around cats? I genuinely like them," Lewis said, tilting his head when the kitten started to readjust below his chin. He opened the huge palm of his hand, which could have literally smothered her, to let her move freely. "They just don't agree with mhhh--hhh'eh…SZCHIISHHH'OO!--heh'SZSCHHISHH'UH!"

Vivi winced while Arthur, whose fingers had tensed in hers, offered another: "Bless you."

"Don't worry," Vi reassured. "Once we get through the rain and find an exit, we'll look for another gas station to buy you some Benadryl or something."

It wasn't that they hadn't thought of buying an antihistamine at the last gas station (it was actually the first thing Arthur suggested), but the place barely had a working gas pump, let alone a pack of allergy meds. Either way, they were definitely going to need some if they planned on keeping the kitten overnight and getting it to the next town, where they had the option of dropping it off at a shelter or asking around to see if anyone wanted her.

For now, though, poor Lewis was doomed to suffer until they could drive more than five miles an hour and get to their next exit quicker.

"She's really cute, though," Vivi mused, admiring the kitten's intricate tortoiseshell pattern. Again, Mystery huffed and this time she turned around to face him in full. "You know you're cute, too, Mr. Jealous-Pants. "

"She's also pretty warm," Lewis added. "And uh, purring. I think. SNHFF." A rumbly vibration was radiating from the small body that was curled about his collarbone while pink, squishy bean toes kneaded into his shoulder. "At least she's not scared anymore."

"That makes one of us," Arthur mumbled up front, though it had nothing to do with the situation going on in the back. "Ughh. I'm really having issues seeing the road. I know you're dying back there, Lew, but is it cool if we pull over for a bit? Just until this torrential downpour lets up."

"Yeah, that's fihhne--ahd'SSZHISHHH!"

"Blessies!"

"Thank…ies?"

The van slowed to a stop along the side of the road before Arthur put their home-on-wheels in park and sat back, sighing. "Sorry, guys. I'm lame."

"You're lame for being safe? GOD, ARTIE. Way to think of our lives!" Vivi teased, jabbing him in the ribs and laughing when Arthur pretended to fall over against the driver's door.

"It's not a huge deal, flaquito," Lewis agreed, nudging his shoulder back into his eyes when a fresh batch of tears rolled down his cheeks.

"N'awww. Lemme help." Releasing Arthur's hand and pushing herself halfway over the seat on her belly, Vivi reached out and used the sleeve of her sweater to chase away the wetness that clung to Lewis' eyelashes in little beads.

While she was there, she gave the kitten a gentle pet, ran her fingers through Lewis' floppy bangs, and then kissed his forehead tenderly.

"Love you. Aaaaand…" She withdrew back into the front seat, where she could lean over and kiss Arthur along his pale, freckled cheek. "Love you. Now then! While we're waiting out this storm…who's up for some Uno?

- - -

Welcome to Night Vale

(art credit goes to littleulvar on dA)

"Caaarlos?"

The name was practically a rumbling purr as it drawled from Cecil's mouth. He had had to cut his broadcast short - that tended to happen whenever the station was shut down, due to an outbreak of electrical terminates - and was now home a lot earlier than he usually was. He'd left bright and early as usual, when the sky was still chartreuse from the early morning rays of the toxic sunrise.

Carlos had been just crawling into bed at that point from pulling an all-nighter. He was so dedicated, that Carlos. Staying up into the festering hours of the morning for the sake of science. Cecil admired Carlos' work ethic, along with pretty much everything about his imperfectly perfect self.

Setting his messenger back onto the kitchen table, the curious broadcaster tiptoed through the apartment and felt relieved when he heard the heavy sound of footsteps joining his own. It was always comforting to have a second presence overlapping, if not for the security it brought then to know that some creature cared enough to follow him. Awww.

As Cecil entered he and Carlos' shared room, he was surprised to find a familiar figure still wrapped in the fuchsia sheets of their bed. He had only been gone for about seven hours, but it was unlike Carlos to sleep for more than five hours per night.

Taking care not to disturb the temperamental checkered carpet that laid below his considerate feet, Cecil walked over to the bed and sat along the edge. It was dark in the room seeing as the nameless shadow in the closet preferred it that way (but it was occasionally okay with three-fourths of sunlight [depending on what day of the week it was]). Regardless, Cecil was still able to make out Carlos' slumbering features.

The scientist must have had a longer night than he thought.

Gently, Cecil reached out and brushed the extended nails of his fingers along the smoothness of Carlos' bronze cheek. He redirected the touch to one of Carlos' grey temples, though he stopped when there was movement - and not from under the bed.

Carlos stirred with a soft, snuffly sound and turned over onto his back. One of his hands lifted to settle over his eyes, which were torn between wanting to open and wanting to stay closed. Ultimately, Cecil found his boyfriend looking up at him, dazed.

"Cecil?"

"Hello, Carlos," Cecil replied. "I'm surprised to see that you're still in bed. You know, since you're usually at your lab doing science by now."

Carlos pressed the heel of his palm into his forehead, as though he were either trying to quell a headache or keep a cranial parasite from bursting through his frontal bone. Either seemed like a good enough reason to apply pressure in Cecil's opinion.

"Did you already go into the station?" Carlos eventually asked.

"Yes, but my broadcast was cut short. Intern Susanna accidentally released a swarm of electrical terminates when she was trying to escort them to Station Management. Luckily no one was hurt, but… Ohh, Carlos."

Cecil tapered off into the concerned coo when Carlos had suddenly begun coughing, implying that, perhaps, there was a reason his better half hadn't gotten out of bed yet.

"I think I might have caught a cold," he admitted, once he'd emerged from the cupped cave of his hands. "Doing too much science can lower your immune system."

"A cold?" Cecil repeated, confused. "But…it's not cold and flu season yet. We haven't been mailed our viral assignments."

"I know," Carlos sighed. "Looks like I'm early this year."

Cecil resisted the urge to chew on his lip; he hadn't had a chance to file his canines since their last growth spurt, and he didn't want to run the risk of getting sticky blood on his new vinyl tunic. Hoping to both distract himself and soothe Carlos, he laid down and molded his long, lanky frame around Carlos' body.

Carlos leaned his cheek into Cecil's chest and listened to the erratic thump-squish of his heart. His eyes started to slowly close as he was lulled, though they soon shut in earnest as he pulled away to cage a hand over his nose and mouth.

"Ih'sshooo!" He sniffled and then softly sneezed again: "Ih'sshhh!"

Cecil rubbed Carlos' back and would have offered Carlos a tissue, but the City Council had recently put a temporary, and very inconvenient, Kleenex ban into effect until further notice. "Bless you."

"Excuse me," Carlos replied, turning his head into Cecil's chest again. "And thanks."

Cecil smiled. His dear boyfriend was polite even when he was sick. "It's going to be okay, Carlos," he comforted. "I'll take care of you."

"You're really good at that."

Cecil briefly wondered if the pores in his face had somehow absorbed microscopic traces of sulfuric acid again, or if he was blushing. He ended up believing the latter, however, as he tucked his chin over Carlos' head and hummed above the sounds of their neighbor's muted, anguished screams.

[Meala]

Ahhh this is so cute!! :> i love Allergic Lewis!! And awwwwwwwwww he is such a softie it just hurts rgjcnvmirfj

And Carlos is just freakin adorable <3

[Garnet]

Whoop, I said I was going to write essays for these and then got distracted. BUT HERE WE GO.

First off, you should totally post the Book of Life one. It's hard to pick a favorite here, but that might be vying for top place, it was so sweet and funny. Now...

Mystery Skulls:

1. Ugh, yep. Wrenching, enormous Lew sneezes. I am already seal clap happy. But then, "streaming-eyed, drippy-nosed, complete and allergic mess"? Yeah, I'm screwed.

2. CAT ALLERGY LEW even better oh man oh man, always a favorite trope of mine. I now we'd tossed this idea around a couple times about finding a sad li'l kitten in the rain, I'm so glad you finally found an opportunity to write it, because it is the most adorable.

3. And of course it likes him best. C'mon, he's the warmest, and has the most real estate, and Vivi smells like ancient fox demon no spank you.

4. Who, by the way, I am cracking up at. What a jealous, huffy baby.

5. The tension of driving through too-heavy rain was one of the realest details, too. I have absolutely been there, Arthur, and I do not blame you for inching along white-knuckled, before eventually pulling over. Especially with "atomic bombs" going off in the backseat.

6. N'aww, of course Lew actually really likes cats, buuut...

7. "Blessies!"

"Thank…ies?"

I cackled. Such a Vivi kind of phrase.

8. Oh nooo, "flaquito", it is my new favorite nickname for him. I really love the follow-up line (and the one from earlier) too about the tears streaming freely and being wiped into his shoulder. It rounds out that picture of allergic misery beautifully.

9. N'aww KISSES FOR BOTH.

10. LOL Uno. Of course.

Welcome to Night Vale:

1. Ugh, unfair leading in with littleulvar's art, her Cecil and Carlos interpretations are about as close to my headcanon appearances as possible. Also, hnngh so sweet.

2. "toxic sunrise" is my new band name, or possibly the new shot I'm going to invent

3. I love all of the "Night Vale-ian" details you included, like the extra set of footsteps following him, the temperamental checkered carpet, etc. I think that's one of the trickiest details to get right with WTNV, capturing the absurdity and surrealism without going overboard (something which some episodes of the show don't even ring quite true enough for my tastes) but this is lovely.

4. Nooo greying temples. MY WEAKNESS.

5. Hah! I love the reference to Cold and Flu Season, I forget if that was canon or something one of the forum authors came up with? Regardless, it's one of my favorites.

6. The vinyl tunic, and Cecil's canines. Cackle.

7. N'aww, poor miserable Carlos. But it's so sweet how immediately attentive and sympathetic Cecil is. I love this.

I LOVE BOTH. Seriously, I re-read them all (including the unposted third) about five times throughout the day and yesterday. It was a lot of work! I appreciate you going to that effort, it was such a sweet gesture and I totally love the end results

THANK U BB.

[TaurielRiver]

AW! I am so glad you did decide to share them, for many reasons!

Firstly, I’d seen ‘Mystery Skulls’ popping up in titles here and there and I totally assumed it was a long running animated series, and kept thinking “Oooh, I really must investigate that!”

But since I thought that would take some time, I decided I’d treat myself to your story first…. And absolutely just fell heels for these characters!

So, feeling very inspired, I went straight to search for what I thought would be countless episodes, and of course, found the sweetest (and saddest…) video I have ever seen. Oh my goodness, I have watched it about ten times since finding it yesterday… and my heart still has not recovered! I literally haven’t watched one time without… this…

So I wanted to say a HUGE thanks for introducing me to Mystery Skulls, and secondly, I have so much love for your characterisation in this story! I adore the best buddies comradery, it is so chirpy and comfortable and well established! And the expressions are so fun and fitting- like ‘dude’, ‘jeez’, ‘yeesh’, ‘maan’… and I loved how they all bounced off one another’s comments, there were so many awesome lines! The “Thank…ies?” response had me grinning like a fool, it was just that adorable!

The Night Vale story was so soft and beautiful too, I’ll definitely have to investigate this fandom if I can stop feeling for Mystery Skulls for just a single second!!

[Spoo]

So, feeling very inspired, I went straight to search for what I thought would be countless episodes, and of course, found the sweetest (and saddest…) video I have ever seen. Oh my goodness, I have watched it about ten times since finding it yesterday… and my heart still has not recovered! I literally haven’t watched one time without… this…

So I wanted to say a HUGE thanks for introducing me to Mystery Skulls, and secondly, I have so much love for your characterisation in this story! I adore the best buddies comradery, it is so chirpy and comfortable and well established! And the expressions are so fun and fitting- like ‘dude’, ‘jeez’, ‘yeesh’, ‘maan’… and I loved how they all bounced off one another’s comments, there were so many awesome lines! The “Thank…ies?” response had me grinning like a fool, it was just that adorable!

That's the beautiful thing about Mystery Skulls: It is JUST a 4 minute and 36 second animation. Nothing more, nothing less. The creator of the video (or at least the head dude in charge) is MysteryBen, and he put out some character profiles of the gang. Luckily, he left enough blank for us as fans to interpret their personalities~

I really love writing for these dorks. So very much! Especially before Lewis...yeahhhh. It's wicked sad what happened to him. He was so youngggg. It breaks my heart just thinking about it. *sobs* I would DEFINITELY recommend reading Garnet's Mystery Skulls fics. She writes ghost!Lewis flawlessly. There's one in particular - Familiaris - that is just gorgeous. Her story "Stopover" is great too (her allergic!Lewis is just unffffff <333).

Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for your comment. You're so sweet and kind. Words can't express how happy I am that you joined the forum; you're such a positive, lovely member.

[TaurielRiver]

Ooooh-eeee, Spoo you are turning this into a bumper weekend of feels!! Thank you for your kind comment, you make the forum such a joyful place with your fun and warmth, that is seriously one of the sweetest things I have ever heard, ever!!

Those character profiles (or character 'hints'!) were fantastic (oh my…. the hand!!...), the more I see, the more I am becoming totally obsessed intrigued!

What small details are given by this video artist fit incredibly into the far more complex, WONDERFUL personalities you and Garnet have created… and AW, I am so so glad there is an actual feasible way for Vivi and Lewis’s relationship to continue… gosh there are so many pangs just thinking about all the hurdles (wow, making Artie feel okay again will be a big one…), but that all just adds to it being such a touching and delicate situation! Annd EEK, Allergic!Lewis, Sick!Lewis... past or present, is forever going to get me now! My heart is right there!

So much love to you both - you have brought this all to life and made it so special and meaningful!

[Bruyere]

Taking care not to disturb the temperamental checkered carpet that laid below his considerate feet, Cecil walked over to the bed and sat along the edge. It was dark in the room seeing as the nameless shadow in the closet preferred it that way (but it was occasionally okay with three-fourths of sunlight [depending on what day of the week it was]).

Spoo, this whole drabble had so many hilarious and spot-on WTNV touches! I loved it.

"I think I might have caught a cold," he admitted, once he'd emerged from the cupped cave of his hands. "Doing too much science can lower your immune system."

"A cold?" Cecil repeated, confused. "But…it's not cold and flu season yet. We haven't been mailed our viral assignments."

Hee. Poor Carlos, he's going to have to suffer twice!

Cecil smiled. His dear boyfriend was polite even when he was sick. "It's going to be okay, Carlos," he comforted. "I'll take care of you."

"You're really good at that."

Cecil briefly wondered if the pores in his face had somehow absorbed microscopic traces of sulfuric acid again, or if he was blushing. He ended up believing the latter, however, as he tucked his chin over Carlos' head and hummed above the sounds of their neighbor's muted, anguished screams.

Aww <3

[phoenix]

Just watched the Mystery Skulls video for the first time (and the second, and the third...), and I love everything about it. Including your story! The kitten only wanting to be attached to Lewis, and being terrified of everything except his "atomic bomb" sneezes... aww. And the rain was a great touch!

As for the second one, you absolutely nailed the dynamic of there being plenty of surreal creepiness, but just as a fact of life, not as an intrusive thing. And Carlos. *melts.* His sneezes. His heart going "thump-squish." Cecil curling up with him in bed. The whole thing is just wonderful.

[RiversD]

These are so sweet!

I have watched the video, but most of the rest of my involvement in Mystery Skulls is reading the fiction on this forum. I'm still allowed to squeal over how adorable these guys are, right? Right?

(allergies weren't contagious, thank GOD)

Amen, Artie.

He's such a precious little bundle of nerves.

"Sorry, guys. I'm lame."

"You're lame for being safe? GOD, ARTIE. Way to think of our lives!" Vivi teased, jabbing him in the ribs and laughing when Arthur pretended to fall over against the driver's door.

They're so cute!

"Yes, but my broadcast was cut short. Intern Susanna accidentally released a swarm of electrical terminates when she was trying to escort them to Station Management. Luckily no one was hurt, but… Ohh, Carlos."

*squee* Sorry, they're just beautiful together, and Cecil cares so mu-uch.

Seconding all the above about your little touches of background Night Vale "normality". You write it really well. And this was a perfect phrase to close it all with:

He ended up believing the latter, however, as he tucked his chin over Carlos' head and hummed above the sounds of their neighbor's muted, anguished screams.

Conclusion: you're awesome.

p.s. Book of Life is also awesome.

[tarotgal]

Awwwwwwwww Carlos!!! I love the dawning realization and blaming science :-) And Cecil is such a dear, offering backrubs and cuddles. Love the City Council's ban on tissues at the moment. heehee! This is ultra adorable!

So is the cold & flu season thing canon, or something thought up by you/clever writers here?