Finally managed to complete a Musketeers fanfic!
Granted it's 3AM, and it's only a oneshot, but still - proud moment for me.
So it was done very late at night, so there may be typos and stuff... Hopefully not! Grammarly was my beta, don't know how reliable that site actually is... But any typos/grammatical errors/continuity stuff, hit me up and lemme know!
Constructive crit will be gracefully received and greatly appreciated!
Can be read as Aramis/Athos (pre relationship), or Aramis+Athos (friendship).
"Are you watching this?"
Aramis blinked, confused for a moment wondering where the sound had come from. Sitting up, he turned to his right, realising it was his previously silent roommate who had spoken.
"Ah, he speaks!" he beamed, eliciting an eye roll from the other man.
"You're not watching this, are you?" his new companion repeated his question, quite obviously trying to prevent a sigh slipping out in annoyance. Aramis barely noticed, turning his attention then to the shared television across from the pair.
"Oh no," he shook his head, chuckling, "I wouldn't waste my time with this drivel." As he watched the talk show host shouting to his guest about something seemingly insignificant, his hands fumbled around his bed in search of the remote which he discarded earlier that day since he realised daytime television really wasn't for him. He smiled in victory once he found it, holding it up like a trophy to the older man. "Care to take it? You may choose anything you wish. Although there is nothing I can seriously recommend, I'm afraid."
"No," his roommate shook his head, "I would only be grateful if you turned it off." His bluntness took Aramis aback momentarily, but he followed out the man's wishes. He received a slight nod in a way of thanks but was soon forgotten and ignored.
Unfortunately, silence never sat well with Aramis. He had been stuck in this hospital for a few days already with barely any company; the nurses were kind to him, his doctor spoke to him on occasion, but these people were busy and had other patients to see. So he had his books, but he already finished two of them and was no longer in the mood to read. He spent most of his days staring at the stark white ceiling above him, sleeping, or staring mindlessly at the television. This place was driving him insane.
When this new mystery patient was brought in and put in the bed beside him, he was filled with a childlike glee. Finally, he could just talk to someone, just about anything he could think of. He wasn't imagining they would become friends overnight, or at all for that matter, but just good acquaintances during their time here.
However, Aramis soon got the picture that this man did not want to make any sort of small talk or conversation; he sat up almost straight in his bed, having stacked his own book collection on the table beside his bed. He had barely spared Aramis a second glance, delving straight into one of his books. The man had only been here for a few hours, and yet he made no move to even greet Aramis, let alone discuss the weather. Aramis had attempted to initiate conversation too, although he was somewhat intimidated by this man's domineering persona; he may be silent, but you certainly sensed his presence. Aramis' cheerful grin had only been met with a cocked eyebrow, then the pale green curtain which acted as a barrier between the two beds. It had hurt, but he reasoned he did not know this man, so it shouldn't. He would just have to deal with another week or two in silence, it was fine. Perhaps less time, if this patient was to leave earlier. One could only hope.
It was because of Aramis' initial impression of this hard man that he had been so surprised when he had finally piped up, and Aramis did not want to let such an opportunity go to waste. He was still hopeful, and what could he lose?
"I'm Aramis, by the way." Holding out a hand to the other patient, he smiled eagerly, waiting for a response. Wondering if he would simply be left hanging, as he wouldn't put such an action past this man. There was a moment when he thought he would be, as his roommate simply gave a withering look.
"Athos." Although Athos had audibly groaned, his hand still met with Aramis', and the younger man took such as a victory. He shook Athos' hand with some vigour, taking pleasure from this tiny communication, having been so short of it for a while now. The other man's smile resembled more of a grimace, and he removed his hand from Aramis' strong grip as quickly as he could. He was retreating, Aramis realised, so immediately he searched for something to say, to keep this going.
"So, Athos," Aramis may have been somewhat worried but refused to let this remove the smile plastered to his face. "What brings you to The Royal London Hospital?"
Athos wasn't completely sure what happened after that. This irritating, smiley, frustratingly chatty man had managed to worm his way into Athos' life. At least for now, while he was restricted to this hospital bed. He barely remembered how this could have happened since at the beginning he had given Aramis nothing. On first meeting, he had put a barrier between them, indicating clearly that he wanted to prevent just this. Now, now they were discussing topics from the weather to occupations to classical literature. Athos had to concede, his companion new a lot more than he assumed he would. It was quite simple actually to fall in conversation with him, especially since he did enough talking for the both of you. He seemed content to just have a listener, an audience, and Athos found himself unable to refuse. Only one other person had broken Athos' barriers down so much, and he was fine with that. Still, watching this man enthusiastically talk about different types of food, books, music, his smile never faltering – Athos became entranced.
"Alright Athos, I believe it is my turn to decide what we watch today." Aramis rubbed his hands together, preparing to grab the remote from Athos. They had come to an agreement to watch something every evening, since at that time the programmes were of a better quality than daytime shows, and they had to pace themselves going through their books.
"I disagree, mon ami," he wasn't sure either when he began referring to Aramis as so, although his friend's smile seemed to grow (if such was possible) when he did so, and he found it difficult to resist watching such a sight, it having even managed to draw a small smile on his own, usually stoic, features. "I seem to recall last night was your turn, I certainly don't remember requesting to watch that detective show you seem so fond of."
"Ah, but you are incorrect my dear Athos! You seem to be remembering the show of the night before, and not of last night." Athos rolled his eyes at Aramis' dramatics. "It was last night we watched a historical documentary on Richard III, per your request."
"Although," Aramis sighed, shrugging his shoulders theatrically, "if you insist it is, in fact, your turn tonight and we cannot decide who tells the truth, perhaps we should try a different tack?"
Athos raised an eyebrow, indicating he wasn't as nearly as interested as Aramis expected him to be. Still, Aramis continued. "Care to play for it?"
Thus, began their card games, their quizzes, and their bets. Athos, Aramis noticed, was particularly skilled at cards, so as often as he could Aramis tried to have them play something different. Their winning rates seemed more or less equal. If it appeared Athos was leading by one or two points, it hardly bothered his roommate. Truly, Aramis hadn't felt this joyful in a while, it felt nice to share a laugh with somebody. Maybe Athos' chuckle was quieter and more subdued, and he hid his smiles for whenever he thought Aramis wasn't looking, but he felt them all the same. He heard them in Athos' kind voice, once so cold and straightforward. Now he had a warm tone only directed to his friend, a voice none of the medical professionals heard. Aramis noticed he was never obviously rude to them, but he knew he meant something to Athos, even if it was just somebody to talk to while they both stared at the blank walls.
Aramis was not a fan of hospitals, hated them in fact, but with Athos here it seemed a little bit more bearable. Athos' presence, as quiet as it was sometimes, kept him focused on anything else in his life. Athos kept him sane, and Aramis was grateful for that.
"So, you don't like my detective shows," Athos was, by now, used to Aramis pulling random conversations from thin air, "yet you are a detective."
"Are you simply stating a fact?" Athos spoke after Aramis paused, his eyebrows furrowing together. "Or are you asking me a question?"
"Oh, sorry." Aramis blinked himself from his daze, shuffling himself into a perfect position to face his friend. "It was a question."
"Alright. I prefer not to watch a fictional representation of my profession, it's often overly dramatized and, as a result, incredibly simplified. For one thing, there is a lot more paperwork involved than these programmes show. Secondly, not all cases will be interesting, and sometimes it is just suicide."
Aramis chuckled at Athos' response, grateful that the man continued to engage properly in conversation; it was a great improvement from his first attempts at conversation with the man, which mostly painfully drew out one-word responses, leading Aramis to believe they could never actually get along. How happy he was to be so wrong.
"And what is it you do, Aramis?" Athos asked a question of his own, noticing Aramis always focused job-related topics to Athos, never on himself.
"Oh, me?" Aramis felt his face warm slightly, feeling a little flustered by the question. It wasn't like he hadn't expected Athos to never ask him about it, but he just hadn't prepared for when he eventually did. He had been so distracted enjoying himself, he forgot his life outside the hospital for a blissful moment. "At the moment I'm, erm, unemployed." He was uncomfortable and couldn't help a nervous cough slipping out. "Although medicine is somewhat of a hobby of mine." He managed to pick his voice up, trying to imagine only happy memories as his time treating his comrades.
"Medicine? That sounds very interesting," Athos' tone was only comforting, having noticed Aramis squirm under the questioning. "Anyway, I think it's time for my programme of choice." Aramis had never been so grateful to Athos until that moment, as he checked his watch to move their subject on. He was even graced with a small, quirk of Athos' lips, and he couldn't help but smile back. A small smile, but nonetheless genuine as his others.
It was true, Aramis had really managed to get himself under Athos' skin. Even Porthos, Athos' colleague and only friend had noticed their bond, actually quite shocked by it. Then he had introduced himself to Aramis, and he understood, the man never stopped talking! Porthos couldn't help but smile, however, as the other man's own grin was infectious, and everything he said was either funny or an interesting tale of some sort. Porthos listened to one intensely, and it seemed even Athos was intrigued, this being a new tale he had not yet heard.
"And, in the end, I had to bid the fair lady adieu."
Porthos let out a hearty chuckle, sharing his laughter with this stranger. He even noticed Athos grinning, a sight very rare indeed. In fact, Athos seemed to smile a lot more in Aramis' presence than he probably had done the amount of time Porthos had known him. He was pleased of course, although a part of him wondered if his friend might have simply been driven insane being cooped up with such buoyant company for so long. There was no denying it, Athos was enjoying the company of another human being.
"How long have the pair of you known each other?" Aramis asked once the big man had been forced to leave due to visiting restrictions.
"Two years now." Athos sighed, watching his friend exit the building, wondering when he would next be able to come by. Although Aramis was turning out to be good company, Athos had missed his closest friend. "I had been in the force about two years before he arrived, and he somehow managed to wear me down." Again, Athos smiled at the memory, a sight becoming less and less rare by the day.
"Hm, I suppose we have something in common, then!" Aramis grinned, and Athos nodded in agreement. "He seems like a very good friend," he spoke more softly, noticing Athos turning quiet.
"Yes, he is. Will do anything for anyone, no matter what trouble it gets him in to."
"The best kind of friend to have." Aramis smiled sadly, letting his eyes wander towards the entrance, wondering what he was hoping to see.
Aramis always seemed indestructible to Athos; he had that carefree attitude, no worries in the world holding him down with brunt force. He supposed he should have known, or at least suspected, that the man had his secrets. His friend always smiled, and always occupied his time with something. Athos had initially just put it down to incredible annoyance, but he realised he could not have been further from the truth.
He rarely slept nights in the hospital, but somehow with Aramis in close proximity, he had found it slightly easier. Having managed to successfully nod off early for once, he was quite irked that he had been woken by the faint sound of groaning. At first, he had tried to shrug it off, and to just stay peacefully asleep and unaware. Unfortunately, the sounds only became more persistent and aggressive, and Athos was forced awake.
Grumbling to himself, he blinked his eyes into focus until he no longer saw the ceiling in double. Next, he sat up, kicking his legs around the edge of the bed. Focussing, he listened out for this groaning, so he could go and ask whoever it was to kindly shut up. It was to his surprise then, that he found himself drawing the curtain separating him from Aramis, finding the other man in a state of fear as he slept.
"Aramis," he whispered, shaking his friend gently to wake him from the nightmare he was trapped in. "Aramis wake up." He spoke and shook more forcefully a second time, instantly taking a step back when Aramis' eyes shot open and he sat up, waving his arms around himself in an attempt to defend himself from whatever threat he faced.
"Aramis," Athos spoke calmly, holding both hands up in front of the fearful man, trying to highlight himself as a friend, not a threat. "Please Aramis, it's Athos. You were having a nightmare, I was just waking you. You're alright, you're alright." He soothed, carefully inching closer when it seemed Aramis was not going to attack.
"Athos?" Aramis' eyes stared directly into his. He looked so lost, so helpless, Athos felt so much sadness for him in that one moment, he wondered how he could have missed this.
"It's fine, it's me." He reassured, patting his friend softly on the shoulder as he lowered himself on to Aramis' bed.
"Oh, Athos!" Aramis cried, burying his head in his hands as he sobbed, realising not only had he suffered from one of his many nightmares, but Athos had witnessed it.
"Shh. It's alright, mon ami." Athos was not a hugger, but at this very moment, he was at a loss for what else to do. All he could do was hold the younger man in his arms, rocking him gently as he sobbed. He whispered general reassurances, hoping they weren't being drowned out by the man's cries.
"What is it, Aramis?" Athos finally questioned a few hours later, having managed to comfortably lay Aramis down on to his bed. The tears had dried on his cheek, and the younger man looked utterly defeated, refusing to meet his friend's eyes. Athos closed the curtain around them a bit more, the sunlight beginning to glare through. "What hurts you so?"
"It was nothing… Simply a nightmare."
"Nobody reacts so badly to an ordinary nightmare, my dear friend. Please, trust in me." Athos pleaded, concerned by his friend's quietness. If you had told him when he had first arrived here that he would worry over this man's silence he would not have believed you, but now he was so close to him he wished for the charismatic persona his friend usually fronted.
"Athos, it's a… complex issue, one I will be burdened with for the rest of my life." Aramis let out a resigned sigh, finally meeting Athos' eye. It didn't comfort him.
"Though not a burden you must bear alone, surely?"
"I am afraid so." Aramis let out a bitter laugh. "You carry your own burdens, do you not?"
"I'm sorry?" Athos was momentarily stunned at the deflection, wondering where Aramis had got his information from.
"I can see that Athos, I am not blind. You seem as if you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and a slight breeze might knock you over, never to get back up. You struggle with this burden, yes? I know that Porthos, though a good friend to you, does not know the specifics. You bear your burden alone."
"That is different," Athos spoke through gritted teeth, unnerved at the turn in the topic, fuelling the untampered anger inside him. "I do not wake in the middle of the night, shaking and sobbing, screaming out."
"Because you have dealt with it, or because you have treated the symptoms?"
"It is different." Athos insisted, Aramis treading too far into dangerous territory.
"Alright then, my dear Athos. I shall make a deal with you, if you like?" The vindictiveness in his voice seemed to disappear, and yet Athos still did not like the sound of where his new companion was going. "I will tell you my gory past if you share yours."
"What?" Athos shook his head, ready to refuse. "As you said yourself, not even Porthos knows of my burden. I have known him quite a while longer than I have you." he crossed his arms, ready to return to his own bed and forget about this silly little episode. "I was simply asking you to confide in me, mon ami. In order to help you relieve some of your stress. If you wish not to, then I will return to my bed, we can forget about this ordeal and go back to normal."
"Athos," Aramis' eyes seemed to plead with his friend's, as his hand reached out to grab Athos' arm, preventing him from leaving him alone. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He flinched, dropping his eyes down, ashamed with himself and all that he had said. "I did not mean to offend, I… Nobody has seen me in this state before, I suppose I just, I became defensive."
"I understand," the older man sat back down on the edge of Aramis' bed, rubbing his hand up and down the younger man's arm. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, and continued, "I was once married. I no longer am, we both did terrible things to each other."
"Athos?"
"There is more. I trust you. However, I would rather keep the rest-"
"Yes, Athos, I understand. I'm sorry for you, and I am sorry for asking." Athos nodded, believing Aramis' apology to be sincere. At this particular moment, this man didn't seem capable of hurting a fly.
"Now, my turn." Aramis sighed, slapping his hands down on the soft blanket covering him. "Before I became… unemployed, I was a soldier in the army. Particularly good sniper actually," he sniffed, pausing to blow his nose. Athos waited patiently, interlocking his hand with Aramis' own, trying to transfer some of his own strength. "I went with a group of twenty comrades on a, a training mission. It was supposed to be safe. It should have been safe. In the end, I was the only one. The lone survivor."
"Aramis," Athos whispered, speechless.
"You say I should not bear this alone, Athos." Aramis grimaced, "For as long as I live, I shall bear this alone."
Porthos was told to keep quiet when he arrived the next day, so he exaggerated tiptoeing towards Athos' bed, taking a seat as silently as he could. This earnt an eye roll from his colleague, but he should know by now that Porthos was immune to such scathing expressions. "You must keep quiet," Athos whispered, leaning closer to Porthos. "Aramis is asleep, and he sleeps very lightly."
The big man glanced over to the bed on the left, seeing the man burrowed into his blankets like a cocoon protecting him from the outside world. "Looks very peaceful," he nodded, smiling. This must be the first time he had seen the man before hearing him.
"Yes, and I am grateful for it." Porthos cocked an eyebrow, wondering if his friend had finally been driven to insanity with the man's constant chatter. It was only a matter of time, he supposed.
"Did you knock 'im out or somethin'?"
Athos gave him a withering look, then glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping man. Porthos saw the concern in his gaze, realising something must have happened.
"Why's he asleep now?"
"He barely slept last night. I had to wake him from a nightmare."
"That so?" Porthos seemed just as puzzled as Athos had been, and again he glanced over Athos to peek at the younger man. "You sure?" he seemed sceptical. Perhaps Athos was repaying his previous joke.
"Our friend is somewhat more fragile than we both suspected."
"'e seems so… cheerful." Porthos scratched his head, puzzled once again. That man could lift the spirits of anybody. Everybody, except himself, it seemed. "Did 'e tell you anything?"
"The main aspect, yes. Although, I will leave it to him to say any more if he so chooses." Porthos shook his head, holding his hands out.
"No, no. I got it, only met the guy couple'a times anyway. Seems like a good guy, though."
"He is, yes." Athos conceded, nodding.
"An' he seems to have made a friend of you already! 'e's a keeper, I say." Athos smiled slightly, feeling warmer at the thought of his new friend. "But why's 'e sleepin' now?"
"He's exhausted, mon ami."
"Yeah, but it's visitin' hours. 'asn't anyone come to see 'im yet?"
Athos was discharged from the hospital first, or as Aramis had put it 'set free', "go, enjoy life on the outside! Hopefully, you'll manage to settle back in, adjust to how life used to be before you entered The Royal London Hospital." Always a touch of dramatics, Aramis acted as if it was some haunted mansion, from which there is no escape, "for me at least," he added, hiding his disappointment behind his jokes.
Athos was glad to be released, although as soon as he took one step out of the door, he felt a part of him was missing. Those days he spent talking, smiling, even on occasion laughing with Aramis, they were all in the past now. He would miss their games, even the nurses coming to reprimand the pair for throwing the remote around in protest of bad programmes.
It was difficult to move on too because he knew Aramis had nobody. His roommate had told him he was the sole survivor, and he hadn't been back home for so long yet. Porthos had even noticed before Athos had, nobody at all came to see Aramis during visiting hours, and Aramis got such a kick talking to the both of them. He had been incredibly eager to initiate conversation to begin with, and Athos had almost prevented his efforts. He was grateful for the man's persistence, although now he just felt worse.
Hence, Athos ended up returning to the hospital only a few days later. He smiled to himself as he wandered the familiar halls, searching for one man in particular: Aramis. Said man was lying in bed, pushing buttons on his remote so his bed was up one minute, down the next. Athos scanned the area around his ex-roommate, noticing that he had not yet had a new one. Pain surged through him in sympathy, Aramis must hate this silence.
"Bonjour, mon ami." He announced himself into the room, glowing in the smile that spread across his companion's face as he realised who was there.
"What on earth are you doing back here?" Aramis looked him up and down, "is the outside not as beautiful as before?" his smile dropped so he could seem seriously fearful.
"Well, not only that, but I assumed you would be desperately lonely without my company."
"Oh, my dear Athos," Aramis shrugged, "I have plenty to keep me entertained. These walls give me more conversation than you ever did!" he chuckled to himself.
"Perhaps, but can they provide the quick wit and dry remarks as I can?" Athos quirked an eyebrow, sitting himself down in the chair beside Aramis' bed.
"Ah, that is the issue I have, Athos."
"Not that I am not pleased to see you here once more, especially since they have decided not to give me another to torture," Aramis noticed Athos did not bother to hide his grin this time. "Why are you here?"
"The truth, Aramis," Athos sighed, placing his hand on top of the younger man's as he looked into his eyes. "I have truly missed your company. You talk too much, and you tell very incredible tales! However, I trust you. I do not trust easily, you understand. But with you, it seems simple, easy. I want to trust you, which helps." Aramis rubbed his thumb over Athos' hand as his friend spoke. "This is not temporary, I care about you. Permanently."
Aramis took a deep breath, tightening his grip on Athos' hand only a little. "If it weren't for your company, I would simply have gone insane! You are the first real person I have spoken to since I returned. I care dearly for you, too, my dear Athos."