He's a Mess of a Man

Upright ~ Five

Leviathan pushed on the door to the Shrieking Shrike, carrying a sleeping Julius and shaking rain droplets off his hair. "There are nicer places, but this has something no other place has." - "Mr. Withers? Truckle? Are you home?" a sleepy whine answered Leviathan from behind the dusty counter.

"Truckle, old boy. Are you holding down the fort today?" Lucio asked as he stepped around the counter to pet the shaggy white dog. Truckle, true to form, immediately started nosing at Lucio's pockets for treats. "I know, I know. Let's see... some soft treats for your old teeth, and some money for a room tonight."

Mr. Withers cleared his throat, "Very sorry, gentlemen. We're in the middle of renovations and-"

"There's only one room available?" said Lucio.

Tiny, bent, and beyond wizened, Mr. Withers squinted up at Lucio before breaking into a wide, toothless grin. "Ah, it's you youngsters! Yes, only one room. Renovation is terrible this time of year." As if to emphasize his point, thunder rattled the dusty windowpanes.

Lucio handed the money to Mr. Withers, and the treat to Truckle. Mercedes and Melchior whined at the sight. Lucio laughed, "Of course, how could I forget. Treats for everyone! Now, you two keep Truckle company. Play nice. Don't hog his rug." Soon, all three dogs were fast asleep before the old fireplace. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

Mr. Withers led Lucio and Leviathan up the narrow stairs to a single dusty room. It was exactly the same as the last time they stayed there, down to the scratching noise in the attic. "Here you are. Don't mind anything that goes bump in the night."

Leviathan gently laid Julius on the large bed and Lucio shook his head as Mr. Withers meandered off, "I know this place probably isn't haunted but..."

Leviathan gave him a rather crooked grin, "Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'm an expert on ghosts."

"Hey, I wasn't exactly a ghost when we met. I wasn't really dead!"

"Howling, haunting the palace, clawing up the paintings," Leviathan laughed lightly, "You fit most of the description."

"Oh, don't be like that. I've gotten better since then, haven't I?"

"Uh oh," thought Leviathan, "I know that look." Lucio strode over to Leviathan. When he took a step back, his legs bumped up against the bed. "Lucio..."

"What? I'm not up to anything," Lucio's fingers meandered up to Leviathan's collar. "I just thought it would be a good idea to get you out of these wet clothes. You got soaked out there in the rain. I'm just being responsible."

Leviathan scoffed, "Responsible. That'll be the day. Besides, your clothes are just as wet as mine."

Lucio's eyes widened, "Oh no! You're right! If only there were a cute magician here to help me out with that."

Leviathan laughed, "In your dreams. Remember who's sleeping right there," he said pointing to Julius.

Lucio groaned, "Alright, alright. Not tonight then."

Leviathan rolled his eyes and gently kissed Lucio's cheek, "Let's just get to bed." When Leviathan woke, he held his head and groaned lightly. The room tilted dangerously when he tried to sit up. The first thing Leviathan noticed was Julius sprawled out across his chest. Leviathan's eyes became droopy once again. He decided that getting up wasn't his priority at the moment. He gently laid Julius in the middle of himself and Lucio, cuddled close to the two, and sank back into blissful oblivion.

A few weeks later, they all finally arrived at the Tarske Forest, the great expanse of ancient woodland. The dogs were having a great time. Splashing in little streams, chasing rabbits. But not all of them were quite so enthusiastic. "My feet hurt..." Lucio groaned.

"Mine too! Are we there yet?" Julius asked from atop Lucio's shoulders.

"We're supposed to be searching for an ancient relic," said Leviathan, "We're not there until we find it."

"I know, I know. We're just bellyaching. I get a little jealous of Mercedes and Melchior when we have to do all this hiking," said Lucio with a light sigh, "It looks a lot easier on four paws. Hey, don't suppose you could use magic to turn Julius and I into pups for a few hours."

"Lucio-" All three of them spoke at once, "That's not how magic works." Julius and Lucio both pouted and crossed their arms. Leviathan stared blankly. "...Are you making fun of me..?"

Lucio laughed, "You should see the look on your face!" Julius laughed along with him.

Leviathan's frown only lasted a moment before he burst out laughing with them. "They do have a point. We've been hiking for hours without stopping." Leviathan set down his pack and got comfortable on a large mossy patch. Lucio set Julius on his feet and the both of them immediately flopped down next to Leviathan. Leviathan held Julius in his arm. Lucio's head rested in his lap. "Tell you what. For our next adventure, we'll take something easier. We've earned a break after this."

Lucio let out a contented sigh when Leviathan threaded a hand through his hair. "That sounds nice. But adventuring's usually pretty tough. What would be easy?"

"Caravan duty?" asked Leviathan. Lucio groaned, burying his face in Leviathan's lap. He mumbled something inaudible, his ears going scarlet. "What was that?"

"I, uh... I probably shouldn't guard any caravans. Haven't done it since I had a small accident in Karnassos." Lucio studiously avoided Leviathan's curious gaze. "Anyway, anything but that."

"I do have one more idea," thought Leviathan, "I've been turning it over in my mind ever since I realized we'd be heading south. But I'm not sure how well the suggestion will go over..." He stayed silent for a moment, then spoke, "We're close to the southern steppe, aren't we?"

"Yeah. Why?" asked Lucio.

"Well, I was thinking... it might be nice to go see Morga and Erik. We won't be down this way for a long while. They'll be happy to see that you're doing well."

To Leviathan's surprise, Lucio didn't instantly shut it down. Instead, he lapsed into a long silence. "...Levi.. my mother is like- the complete opposite of easy. Do we have to..?"

"Grandma and Auntie Erik?" Julius asked with a tired yawn.

Leviathan gently pulled Julius closer to him, "Yes. But we don't have to go. I was just putting it out there. I thought it would be a nice gesture."

The smile Lucio gave Leviathan was nervous, but genuine, "I guess if we don't go, they'll come hunt us down at some point. Yeah, alright, we'll visit them." Mercedes and Melchior came pelting back down the worn trail, their tails nothing but white blurs rustling through the undergrowth. "Oh, did you find something, my lovelies? Maybe an ancient relic?" Melchior grabbed Leviathan's sleeve. Mercedes nipped at one of Lucio's boots. "Okay, okay, we're coming! Easy on the boots!" Leviathan picked Julius up and as they stood and followed the dogs' wagging tails up the forest trail. Leviathan was struck with a sudden feeling of déjà vu. He stopped. Soaking in every detail. The sun filtering in through the leaves, the trail ahead, and the gentle breeze. Lucio stopped as well, looking over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Leviathan's. "What's up? You're grinning from ear to ear."

"Everything's just... perfect right now."

Lucio laughed lightly, "See if you're still saying that when we're lost in some ancient ruin." He walked back to Leviathan and Julius, holding out his hand, "Come on. Don't wanna keep our next adventure waiting!"

"ADVENTURE!!" Julius cheered with a bright smile.

~ THE END ~