AN: A rather late Christmas fic that originally reared its head in Abaisse actually in the right time. It waited so long to get here because I 've had uploading issues, but when those were worked out, it ended up here because the world needs some more Pontmercy fluff, dang it. Yes, I'm aware of timeline issues.
Also, happy belated 180th anniversary, Baron and Baroness! :D
On the floor of the front room sat a tub. In the tub, there was green dye. In the green dye, there were feathers bound to wire.
The original idea had come from a German paper Marius had been translating, explaining a recent invention intended to reduce deforestation had come into being in Germany. Upon realizing that making this faux tree would make their home's decor somewhat unique, and that this would put a tree right into their home every year, Cosette and Marius had agreed to attempt to make a Christmas tree out of goose feathers.
Nicolette had bound the feathers to the wire and had placed them into the dye, but Marius was determined to be the one to assemble the tree into its final form. Lately, he hadn't been able to do much outside of the law office, and so felt that some major favor was due to Cosette.
And if that favour meant sticking his hands in a tub of green goo, then it meant sticking his hands in a tub of green goo.
The feathers were removed from the tub and placed on an almost-retired tablecloth, and then the ends of the wire were wrapped around a wooden pole that had been purchased the day before. The first few feathers were attached successfully, but not even before the bottom layer of "branches" had been implanted, Marius felt his nose begin to itch.
When he began cutting and fraying the feathers so that they actually resembled evergreen boughs, he began to sneeze. A soft "bless you" from the corner of the room startled him, and he looked up to find Cosette looking on as he worked.
"It's fine, love, I can handle this," he said, and she perhaps smirked a bit.
"If you're so sure, then. May I watch, though?" It seemed senseless she even asked; everything about her at that moment was saying that she intended to stay right where she was, consent or no.
Realizing this, Marius nodded and attempted to get back to cutting. With the bottom row was successfully frayed, and his nasal passages itching from attempting to hold the sneezes in, he went to attach the next level. When he didn't sneeze, he attributed his earlier sneezing to the cutting and went on to attach the rest. Perhaps if he waited long enough, Cosette would be out of the room by the next time he had to cut.
When he was on the second to the top row, he leaned down a small bit, tired. As soon as his head was bent low enough his face was emerged in the green feathers, his nose itched. By the time Marius realized this, the itching released itself in a small spray. There was maybe another "bless you" from the corner, but Marius was more focused on the fact that he and the six-foot-tall tree were moving from a vertical angle to a horizontal one. The floor met his face-especially his nose-through a layer of the feathers.
What little control Marius had possessed over his nasal passages was gone, as they were discharging themselves in a quick rhythm. His throat began to tickle as well, and he soon began to fall into a pattern of alternating coughs and sneezes. There were no more "bless you's," but there was a small amount of giggling and soon there were two sets of hands on his shoulders attempting to pull him up.
As soon as he was face up-still coughing and sneezing-one set of hands, presumably Nicolette's, released him and went to open the door. The other set, probably belonging to Cosette, stayed on his shoulders and led him to the door in an attempt to get fresh air into his lungs.
A thought, somewhat resembling "what Grandfather would say if he saw this," did make its way through his sinuses, but was forgotten soon after. A chair was brought out and he was seated in it, no longer sneezing, but still hacking up his lungs. A glass of water was brought, and that calmed down the coughing long enough for him to be able to think. The tree was set back up, and Nicolette had agreed to finish the tree.
Amongst all of this coming in and out, the door had been left open, held by a leg of his chair.
Marius and Cosette noticed this only when a small dog took advantage of the fact.
The dog had wandered in the yard first, but Marius had been focused on regaining his ability to breathe, and Cosette was focused on the same. By the time the dog was on the porch, it was useless to attempt to hold it back.
The dog ran into the house, black fur and muddy paw prints living a trail in the foyer. Marius, still wheezing, attempted to run after him, but was held back by his wife.
"Nicolette can take care of it," Cosette promised, trying to get him to sit back down.
Nicolette had decided the best way to take care of it was to get a broom. When the dog had temporarily stopped to catch his breath, she closed the doors from the front room to the rest of the house. Then, she held the broom as if it were a rifle in a military carry, advancing towards the dog slowly so it wouldn't run. The dog's stub of a tail began to wag, and once the maid had come too close, he began to run again.
Under furniture, around furniture, over rugs, there was no place this dog wouldn't go. Realizing a one-person chase would be fruitless, Marius attempted to get up again, and ended up being completely restrained by Cosette. She had wrapped her arms so tight around his chest that anyone passing by would have been horrified by the lack of decency, and perhaps even tight enough to completely go against her intention of keeping him well. But he gave up his fight and landed back in the chair, somewhat curious as to when Cosette had developed that much arm strength.
Back in the house, Nicolette had begun to whack the broom anywhere in the general location of the dog. A box of small candles intended for the tree was among the victims of her broom-head, as was a small container of glass balls also intended for the Pontmercy's project. Eventually, the dog sought shelter behind the tree.
Nicolette's broom swept through the air, and felled the tree as easily as if it had been an axe. The already somewhat bent "boughs" were now distorted beyond repair, and feather fragments littered the floor.
Running over the fallen tree and holding her broom again as if it were a military weapon, Nicolette did eventually chase the dog out of the house. Just after an end-table found itself with its legs in the air.
The battle won, Nicolette stood in the door triumphantly in the evening light. Marius and Cosette came back into the house, bringing the chair in with them.
When Marius offered to clean the mess, both women seemed to look primarily at his nose as they replied, "No."
Marius went to sleep that night focusing on that, in his mind, instead of repaying his debt to Cosette, he now had twice the deficit.
Cosette went to sleep that night focusing on that her husband was perhaps one of the most adorable klutzes to find his way to Paris.