Disclaimer: I do not own Albert the Fifth Musketeer, any canon characters or any mentioned movies or series. They are the property of their respective owners. I also do not own Sabrina, she's not fictional.
Notes: This was written for my friend Shychick's birthday. Considering I have Albert married to another of my friends in the 17th Century, I decided to set this in my modern alternate universe. I was given permission to use her name. D'Artagnan is not related to Sabrina, except in the stories, if only for a reason as to how they all know each other.
Pairings are platonic for now. This is set in modern times. Though they are in France, movie/series titles are said in English to go with them speaking English. Might be a bit OOC.
I hope you enjoy this!
(Linebreaks hate me, so I will use ADS.)
ADS
"Hey, Albert, do you remember my cousin?"
Albert looked up from the book he was reading and glanced at the brun sitting in front of the television playing a video game. "You'll have to be more specific, D'Artagnan; I've met most of your cousins."
"Oh, right. Considering we've known each other since the seventh grade and all... I mean Sabrina, the one who minded us when my parents went on a business trip."
His blue eyes shone in recognition of the name. "Yes, I have fond memories of her."
"It's her birthday today and I invited her over for dinner. She's rather looking forward to seeing you again."
He blushed lightly. It hadn't been a secret to D'Artagnan that Albert had had a slight crush on her in his teenage years. He hadn't seen Sabrina since the day before he had to go into the city to attend college, so he wasn't sure if the crush was still present, if it had developed into something more or if his heart had decided it might be best if they were just friends.
"Albert?"
"Terribly sorry, I was deep in thought just now. What was it you were saying?"
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and grinned. "I was saying that I'm going to go shopping for a gift for her in about an hour and asked if you wanted to come along. Would you like to?"
Albert nodded, slipping the bookmark between the pages. "I'd best get myself ready then. What is she into?"
"Some of her interests are similar to yours, funnily enough. I was thinking of getting her a couple of Disney DVDs."
"Which ones?"
He placed a finger to his lips and hummed in thought. "Probably a couple of the newer ones since I know she has the classics!"
Albert chuckled. "That's a fine idea!"
"You could get some for her too!"
He nodded, jumping off the seat and landing on the floor. "I'll think about it while I get changed into something more suitable for a trip to the shops." He picked up his book and left the living room.
D'Artagnan let out a cry when his character in the game was squashed. "Not again!"
ADS
The pair were in D'Artagnan's car, Albert riding shotgun. "So, one of the movies I was thinking of was Zootopia, I've heard good things about that one. Another one, maybe Inside Out, that's also had praise from critics."
"I recall she liked a pair of cartoons made in England called Count Duckula and Victor & Hugo: Bunglers in Crime. Do you know if she has those?"
He thought about it. "She had maybe one old VHS of Count Duckula, I think she might appreciate it on DVD. As for the other one, I don't know if that even has been released on DVD."
"In that case, I shall have to see if any stores have Count Duckula."
"Well, we'll try here first. They have a ton of films!" He turned into a parking lot.
ADS
The pair were scanning the shelves, D'Artagnan holding the two films he'd considered. Due to being the taller one, he looked on the higher shelves. "Hmm, I haven't found it yet...but I did find a couple more films she might like! With the sale going, I can get all four." He picked up Mickey, Donald & Goofy's The Three Musketeers and Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse.
Albert let out a cry of delight. "Found it! They had it here after all!"
"That was lucky!"
"Indeed it was! Now then, we should get cards and then head back home. We need to make sure the place is ready for her visit."
D'Artagnan nodded. "Let's go!"
ADS
The pair had returned home. "I'll start dinner, you wrap the presents. When dinner is ready to cook unattended, I'll help with tidying up," Albert remarked, handing his bag to D'Artagnan.
"Right!" The pair split up to do exactly as they had to. D'Artagnan sat at the desk in the living room; the shelves were used to display some of his collectables from over the years, though some of Albert's books joined them. "By the way, what were you reading before?"
"Hm? Oh, I was reading a book called A Study in Scarlet."
"Huh?"
"It's a novel about Sherlock Holmes."
"Ah. I didn't know you were into those!"
"We had to study The Hound of the Baskervilles in my Literature Studies, and I became rather intrigued with the book. I found out about more and just had to read them myself."
He'd found the wrapping paper and had laid it out. "Is it interesting?"
"Very much so! When I'm finished, would you like to read it?"
"I may as well. So, what are you preparing?"
He chuckled. "Her favourite, of course!"
D'Artagnan laughed. "Makes perfect sense!" He placed the four DVD boxes in the centre of the laid out paper, positioning it for easier wrapping.
ADS
Due to them always taking care not to make a big mess of their apartment, there wasn't a lot of cleaning to do. That was fortunate because just as they finished, the doorbell sounded. Albert was finishing with preparing dinner, so D'Artagnan went to answer the door. He was greeted with a fond smile and a noogie for good measure. "Gah, stop that! Geez, Sabrina, you never change." He was smiling as he made that remark. When free from his cousin's clutches, he stepped aside and allowed her in.
Albert emerged from the kitchen. As he gazed at the woman, his cheeks turned a light pink. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, and it seemed his crush hadn't faded after all. He picked up the pair of gifts from the small, round table just outside the kitchen, keeping his parcel on the bottom. He stood beside D'Artagnan, waited until his best friend had taken the top parcel and then, in complete synchronisation, both males held out the parcels while beaming, fondly saying "happy birthday, Sabrina!".
ADS
After notes: Happy birthday, Shychick! I hope you enjoyed it! I had writer's block as to how I was going to pull it off, but looks like it's ready in time!
I think Albert would probably be a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories, they're intriguing mysteries with little bits of humour here and there. Also, to explain, in my Modern!AU, Albert and D'Artagnan met in the seventh grade when Albert had been skipped ahead and assigned to be D'Artagnan's tutor. They became fast friends and D'Artagnan feels his graduation wouldn't have been possible if not for Albert's help. Due to his studies, Albert went to a different college in the city while D'Artagnan stayed to attend college where he lived. After graduating, Albert informed D'Artagnan he was returning but was having trouble finding a place, so D'Artagnan offers for him to move into his apartment.
Modern!Albert's interests are animated movies and series with great humour, story, depth and art (they don't have to have them all), '90s Pop music, reading novels and some video games. Modern!D'Artagnan's into the Action and Sci-Fi genres, collecting action figures and playing video games. They both share in the other's interests now and then; D'Artagnan gently teasing Albert (with fondness) for liking Disney movies, and Albert appreciating some of D'Artagnan's favourite action movies.
Thanks for reading! You don't have to review, but if you do want to say something, please don't flame. Constructive criticism is welcomed as always.