A/N: Okay...my first foray into this fandom...and I'm pretty damn nervous. I've had major real life issues and writers block...so here's hoping it helps me clear it and get back to my other projects.
This little story was inspired by own experiences that had me thinking what Athos would do. At least...I'd like to see him do this. lol I was dared to write this by my best mate, LovinJackson. If you want to read a seriously GOOD Musketeers fic? Head over to her page and check it out. You won't regret it. But for now... I hope this at least gives you a giggle...
He was cursed. That certainly seemed the most logical explanation right now for the situation Athos found himself in, although it was possibly just the wine talking.
Captain Treville, d'Artagnan and Porthos would be gone for several days, escorting the King and Queen on a hunting retreat that had promised to be a simple matter for their guards. Athos had been looking forward to the mission – getting out of Paris for a few days, enjoying the fresh country air again. But all that had been taken out of his hands when he'd had the misfortune of slipping on the filthy floor of a tavern while trying to stop an underhanded thug from slipping a knife into Porthos' back. Apparently the patrons of that particular tavern had a poor view of Porthos' skill at winning at cards. The ensuing fight had given Aramis, Porthos and d'Artagnan a rousing fight while Athos had been left with an ankle so severely twisted that he was barely able to even put weight on it at all.
A simple loss of balance was all it had taken to end Athos' plans of leading the Musketeer escort. Treville had been asked to lead the Musketeers instead, leaving Athos stuck dealing with endless paperwork, requests for troop supplies and other clerical work that was sure to drive him to madness.
Outside the office, Athos could hear the constant patter of rain as it spilled from the rooftops and soaked the streets of Paris. He supposed that being forced to stay indoors and rest rather than get soaked to the bone should be seen as a positive thing, but boredom was setting in rapidly and the bottle of wine that had been keeping him company was beginning to run low.
Casting a glance towards the door, Athos wondered where Aramis was at that moment. His friend had chosen to stay behind to keep an eye on Athos and ensure that he rested his ankle and gave it a proper chance to heal. However Athos was yet to see Aramis this morning and wondered if that meant he'd found something – or someone – else to keep him entertained?
Reaching for the bottle of wine sitting before him, Athos was interrupted a moment later by Aramis entering the office, water still cascading from his cloak and hat.
"You're dripping all over my floor…" Athos stated dryly, lifting a lazy eyebrow at his friend.
"Forgive me, but didn't want to take my coat off until I got inside. I've brought you some company." Aramis flashed Athos a grin as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small, bedraggled fur ball, holding it out towards Athos.
"Where did you find that?" Athos didn't move to accept the company being offered.
"He was sitting out in the rain, soaked to the skin and looking miserable. I doubt he's eaten in a few days, look at him. He's all skin and bone. "
Athos stared at the tiny wet form before him. It was a small ginger and white kitten. At least, he assumed it was white – the kitten was soaked to the skin and filthy. "And what exactly do you expect me to do with it? Take it downstairs to Serge, I'm sure he would find a use for another mouser."
"Mouser?" Aramis look dismayed. He cradled the kitten against him, rubbing the poor creature down with his sash to try and dry its fur and bring some warmth back into its little body. "He's barely the size of a mouse himself, Athos. You can't mean for me to leave him all alone in the garrison to fend for himself!"
"You had something else in mind? You're a musketeer, Aramis. Pets are hardly allowed."
"Treville needn't find out. He could stay in our rooms for just a few weeks til he is strong and fit. Come on, Athos…look at this poor little fellow. Don't you feel an ounce of compassion for him? Look at those sad eyes! Look at him shivering…doesn't that stir anything inside you?" Aramis asked, the hint of a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth.
Athos watched Aramis for a moment, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at his friend's attempt to sway him. There was no doubt in Athos' mind that Aramis was serious about the plight of this tiny creature, but it was hardly their problem. And yet, he was hardly surprised at his friend's compassion. Aramis had a huge heart. It was his heart and his compassion towards all living things that made Aramis the man he was. Right now, in the face of that, Athos found it hard to deny his friend what he was asking.
"Very well. He can stay in your room and I shall say nothing to Captain Treville when he returns."
"Ah…yes…well, there's a slight issue still." Aramis placed the tiny kitten on Treville's desk and stepped back, buttoning his coat again. "Constance needs me. Something about a rowdy boarder causing her trouble? She would have asked d'Artagnan, but he's not exactly here to help right now."
"Don't remind me…" Athos muttered, cursing his ankle once more for leaving him unable to ride…or even walk properly. Helpless was not something Athos was accustomed to being and it wasn't sitting well with him at all. He looked up from his dark thoughts as the kitten climbed over the desk towards him. "You said there was an issue?"
"He's the issue." Aramis pointed towards the kitten. "I can hardly take him with me if I have to deal with this boarder. What if there was trouble?"
"Scared of what people would think if they saw you with it? What it would do to your reputation?" Athos allowed a small smile at that moment.
"Athos, please!" Aramis pleaded. "Just….take care of him." He headed for the door and disappeared back out into the weather before Athos was able to protest any further.
Athos turned his attention to the small ginger and white intruder sitting before him, pointing at it. "Don't get any ideas. I have no interest in looking after you."
The kitten however, had other ideas. It launched itself from the desk, landing lightly on Athos' chest and scrabbling for purchase with its tiny claws on his leather doublet. Athos plucked the kitten from chest and placed it back on the desk, gently trying to shoo it away from him with a push. "Go on…go…find some way to amuse yourself."
Why on earth had he agreed to this idea? Although he hadn't actually agreed. Aramis had simply left him with no choice.
Athos picked up his quill again, intent on finishing a letter he had been writing, requesting the provision of more supplies for the garrison. Midway through a sentence, the quill was jerked in Athos' fingers, turning what was a perfectly formed letter into an untidy scribble. He scowled at his furry interloper and tried to continue, hoping to salvage the letter still. A soft tinkle of glass was heard before a sleek trickle of ink rushed over the page as the ink well was toppled by the kitten, ending any hope of saving Athos' work.
The kitten lifted a front paw – now blackened with ink- and shook it spattering ink even further before it leapt forward and left a trail of footprints in its wake.
"Now look what you've done." Athos scolded, removing the stack of letters he'd had on the desk and quickly grabbing a cloth to try and blot up the puddle of ink forming on the desk before it could stain the wood. His letter was a total loss, but thankfully he'd saved the rest of the paperwork. With a sigh, Athos looked at the mess now wrought across his desk and made a decision. If Aramis wanted to take him to task about it later, then let him. Athos had enough to deal with as it was without playing nursemaid to a scrap of a kitten with no manners and no sense of grace about it.
Picking up the kitten by the scruff of the neck, Athos ignored its plaintive cries as he pushed himself carefully to his feet. His ankle wasn't ready to support his weight yet. One miss-step and Athos would find himself on desk duty even longer. That was a thought his pride wasn't willing to contemplate as he was forced to half hop to the door, holding onto it for support while he dropped the tiny kitten outside and then quickly closed the door before it could try to dart back inside. Almost instantly, a pitiful mewling sounded through the door.
Athos set his jaw, determined to ignore the kitten. He wasn't going to be beholden to some tiny creature simply because Aramis felt sorry for it. But Athos had only taken a couple of wobbling steps back towards the desk before the desperate, miserable meowing dug under his skin. Pausing with a sigh of defeat, Athos hobbled back to the door and opened it, looking down at the miserable creature sat before him. "Very well, you win."
The kitten dashed forward into the room, halting near the table to shake itself before it settled in to groom itself, almost as though it sensed it had gained a victory against Athos.
"I shall never hear the end of this, you realise?" Athos said as he carefully hopped and wobbled his way back to his chair again. It was amazing how tiring it could be to cover such a short distance when you had to be careful with every step. As he reached his chair, Athos fell into it gratefully. He poured himself another glass of wine, savouring the taste dancing over his tongue as he tried to lift his leg up to rest it off the ground. Aramis had suggested that having it raised would aid the ankle in healing and right now, anything Athos was willing to do anything to hasten the healing process.
Pinprick claws dug into the skin on his leg and Athos gasped, then gave a strangled half yelp of pain, choking on his wine as he set the glass back on the desk before him. He shot a glare towards the kitten now determinedly climbing up his leg. His scowl slowly dissolved as he took stock of the kitten, noting its thin body. It really was a sad looking little thing and he couldn't help but wonder if it would have survived much longer if Aramis had not stepped in to help it?
Earlier in the evening, Serge had brought up a plate of bread, cheese and a small portion of cured pork. It had sat there, largely ignored for the most part while Athos had preferred to distract himself with wine instead. But now there was another hungry mouth to feed it seemed. Athos took the knife from the plate and sliced off a small amount of pork, cutting it into smaller bite sized pieces before he offered one to the kitten. Its face lit up as soon as the aroma of meat reached its nose and Athos hissed in pain, jerking his finger away a second later as the kitten snatched the meat from his hand and devoured it instantly, then bit his hand looking for more. "You could at least show some manners, my little friend."
The kitten mewled hungrily and latched onto each piece of offered pork greedily until Athos was forced to cut some more for it. It was only when most of the portion on the plate was gone, that the kitten finally settled down and consoled itself with cleaning it's face and paws.
Athos picked up his wine and drained the glass, watching the kitten thoughtfully before stating, "I think I shall call you, Lennard. For you certainly have the boldness of a lion for one so small."
Lennard meowed quietly as Athos rubbed the top of his head with a couple of fingers, before he suddenly sank his teeth into a finger, eliciting a gasp of surprise from Athos. "Oh…so it's to be a fight, is it?"
Placing his hand over Lennard's head, Athos gently wrestled with the kitten as it sank its teeth into the soft web of flesh between his thumb and forefinger. It was a feisty little creature and well worthy of the name he'd given it. There was no place in the Musketeers for a pet, but Aramis was right…a few weeks of hiding it in their rooms would hardly be any trouble. Once little Lennard was bigger and more capable of looking after himself completely, Athos would take him to Serge and ensure that he was given a place in the garrison's kitchen, keeping it free of mice and other pests. A noble occupation for a little fighter such as Lennard was showing himself to be.
There was, if he was lucky, still a glass or two of wine left in the bottle on the desk. Athos stopped playing with Lennard to pour himself another drink and cast a glance over the work he still had to do. He felt Lennard climb further up his leg and settle up on his chest as he picked up his quill again and turned his mind back to re-writing the letter that had been lost earlier.
The rain outside was still making a steady rhythm on the roof, while inside the only sound that could be heard was the gentle scratch of the quill as it raced over the paper. Finally, the letter of request was completed and Athos sat back in his chair, glancing down to realise at last that Lennard had curled up in the crook of his free arm tucked against his chest. Lennard's little chest was rising and falling gently, his body completely lax and limp. How long had it been since he'd been able to sleep so soundly without worry of harm?
Athos slowly shifted in his chair, careful not to disturb Lennard now. The kitten looked so peaceful, so innocent, and utterly defenceless. No doubt Aramis would have had something to say about how this was one of God's wondrous little creatures and therefore was worthy of compassion, if he could see Lennard right now. All Athos knew was that this little creature was far more innocent than he would ever consider himself to be. Pure innocence all wrapped in dirty fur and a mischievous face.
"I doubt I shall be thinking that when you awake again…" Athos murmured, a smile breeching as he reached over and gently stroked Lennard's fur. A few more meals and a bath would have him truly living up to his name.
Athos rubbed a tired hand over his face, feeling his body beginning to unwind due to the wine and the sense of peace he was feeling right now. He settled himself as comfortably as he could, taking what was left of the bottle from the table so he could finish it as his leisure.
It was barely an hour later when Aramis returned to the office as last and witnessed the incredible sight of Athos relaxed and asleep in his chair, an empty wine bottle on the floor beside him and a small kitten sleeping in the crook of his arm. Aramis couldn't bring himself to disturb such a picture of peacefulness. Instead, he took a coat from a hook near the door and gently draped it over his friend to keep him warm.
Aramis had often been witness to the nightmares that haunted his friend as he slept, no matter how much wine he had tried to soak his soul in. And yet here he was, truly at rest, his face completely peaceful and not lined with worry for once. Perhaps there had been a purpose to him finding this little creature? Perhaps it had been purely luck on all accounts?
Whatever it was? Aramis was glad of it as he quietly backed out of the office and left them to sleep.
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