I do not own Smurfs.

So this is my first time writing for Scruple, and writing him together with Gargamel. I apologize if they're OOC in any way.

Request by Scooter12345.

Not So Bad After All

Scruple hated his life.

He lived in a rundown hovel with his maniac uncle and flea-bitten cat. The stone walls were filled with multiple cracks, offering no protection from harsh winter winds. The roof was covered in holes, allowing the rainwater to drip down the rafters and soak the floor and the inhabitants of the hovel. There was never any food in the cupboards, no warm blankets to snuggle into at night and he was a slave to the most bumbling wizard of all time.

It was no place for a twelve-year-old to grow up.

Scruple wrapped himself up in his thin covers. It had been another rough night, the howling wind making it difficult for the child to get any sleep. Gargamel, who was used to such conditions, slept soundly. The redhead took a moment to peek at the bed stashed in the far corner of the room. His uncle was nowhere in sight and neither was Azrael, which meant the duo had gone on an early morning Smurf hunt.

"I hope he catches at least six," Scruple grumbled, allowing his head to sink into the musty pillow. "We need some food in this place and enough gold to pay for it."

His eyes were closed for no more than a minute when the door slammed open. Scruple was immediately hit by a familiar, foul stench and he gagged into his pillow. "Please tell me you weren't stupid enough to get sprayed by a skunk again."

The hunched-back wizard glared at his charge. "It wasn't me!" he snapped. "It was this idiot!"

Scruple rolled over, one hand pressed over his nose. Gargamel held Azrael by the very tips of his fingers and was holding the cat as far out as he could. The feline looked miserable, his ears sagging and meowing pitifully.

"Let me guess. He was chasing Smurfs and came across skunks instead-again," Scruple said bitterly.

"His nose is not what it used to be," Gargamel muttered. He dropped the cat to the floor and stepped gingerly around his putrid pet. "Clean him up."

"Why do I have to do it?" Scruple demanded.

"He's a cat, you twit. He can't very well give himself a bath."

"Sure he can! He does it all the time!"

"Meow!" Azrael interjected. His face clearly expressed his objection to lick the skunk smell away.

"Why can't we just throw him out in the woods?" The boy climbed out of bed, knowing that any chance of sleep was now gone. Scruple got dressed and yanked his favourite purple cap over his unruly red hair. "Maybe the smell will go away if we leave it."

"The smell will go away when you wash it away," Gargamel said firmly. He dropped back into bed and gave a tired yawn. "Bring the tub and soap to the creek. And don't come back until he's as clean as a whistle!"

"If that's the case then you shouldn't be here right now," Scruple said bitingly. But Gargamel did not hear him as he was already snoring away. Scowling, Scruple retrieved the wooden tub and bath supplies. "Come on, you mangy cat. It's bath time."

Despite his natural cat hatred of water, Azrael was willing to look past it if it meant he would smell halfway decent again.

The morning sun cast a gentle light on the sprawling forest. Scruple stumbled towards the creek, the wooden tub a little too large for his small frame. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

Azrael listened intently, but didn't hear anything. "Meow?" he asked questioningly.

"Exactly. It's completely silent-not even the animals are awake yet!" Scruple kicked a stone in frustration. "I'm tired of this! I'm tired of being woken up early to do his dumb chores. I'm tired of running his stupid errands! I'm supposed to be his apprentice, not his slave!"

"Meow." Azrael gave a shrug.

"I know that's who he is." Scruple knelt down by the smooth rocks and started filling the tub with creek water as best he could. "He's a selfish old coot who cares about no one but himself."

When the tub was halfway filled Scruple set the tub down and Azrael hopped in. The water was chilly and Azrael hissed in protest.

"What do you want me to do about it? I can't control the temperature of the water." Scruple grabbed a cloth and the soap and started scrubbing the feline down. Azrael sat as still as he could even though it was difficult with his fur being pulled every which way. If he threw a fit Scruple would probably just leave him shivering in the water.

"I see that look in your eyes. Don't even think about scratching me," Scruple warned. "I'm the only way you're going to get clean, you know."

After multiple washings Scruple decided that the cat smelled a lot better than he did previously. His hands were also aching and it wouldn't do to overwork them when his real chores had barely started. "There. You look like a cat who has a decent home."

Not the truth, but the hovel is better than the streets, Azrael thought, hopping out of the tub and shaking himself off. Scruple picked the tub up and dumped the water into the grass, causing the area around him to become slick and slippery.

"I think I might even have cleaned the fleas off you," Scruple mused, peering at Azrael. "Don't know how long they'll stay off, though."

"Meow." Azrael shrugged uncaringly (as he was pretty much accustomed to the little pests) and nodded in the direction of the hovel.

"You sure you want to go home?" Scruple asked. "If we wake up the resident troll, the result won't be good for either of us."

Azrael debated over this for a moment before giving a firm nod. He was hungry and he was certain there was at least something left in the cupboards.

"If it's because you're hungry, why don't you just hunt for some fish?" Scruple pointed to the creek.

Azrael shook his head. The only hunting he had ever been taught to do was hunt for Smurfs. Gargamel provided the meals (most of the time) and Azrael had been with the raggedy wizard since he was a small kitten.

"You can't catch fish?" Scruple asked in disbelief. "You're a cat and you can't catch your own meals?"

Housecat, Azrael corrected with a meow.

"Come on, it's easy." Scruple dropped the tub and moved closer to the creek. "Pop showed me when we went hunting together. It wasn't an often occurrence but I caught on pretty-"

His foot slipped on a patch of mud and he careened for the creek, his head slamming off of the rocks lining the water's edge. Scruple only had time to feel the frigid sensation of water enveloping him and clogging his senses before the pain in his head caused him to black out.

When the boy went under Azrael frowned and trotted up to the stones. He peered intently into the depths, searching for the child. As the seconds passed and Scruple had yet to surface, Azrael let out the loudest and most alarming yowl he had ever made in his life.

Gargamel, known to be a rather heavy sleeper, was jolted awake by Azrael's yowl. Having never heard his cat make such a sound before Gargamel was rightly panicked. He flew from his hovel and sprinted to the creek, where he expected to see his pet being attacked by a wild animal.

Instead, he found him balancing on the rocks lining the creek, the yowl still tearing from his throat.

"Stupid cat!" Gargamel scowled and yanked Azrael away from the water by the scruff of his neck. "If you don't want to drown then don't go near water alone! Where's Scruple?"

Azrael jabbed his head towards the water and Gargamel spotted the dark shape, lying limp a foot away from the water's surface. Understanding washed over the man and he bent down, plunging his hand in the water and wrapping it around Scruple's cloak. With the mighty tug the boy was pulled from the water, eyes closed and face blue.

Gargamel felt his heart freeze his chest. For one agonizing second he stood still, the shock of the situation hitting him full force. With trembling fingers he pressed two against the young boy's neck and nearly collapsed with relief upon feeling a heartbeat.

The amount of relief he felt startled him, as he never thought losing the child would bother him in the least.

Going by the hard pumping of his own heart, he was wrong.

Gargamel gently placed Scruple on the grassy ground and listened intently to his breathing. It was ragged, but it was something.

"Hack!"

Scruple suddenly jerked upwards, choking and thrashing about in blind panic. Gargamel firmly eased the boy back down and tilted his head to the side. When Scruple did not stop moving Gargamel pinned his arms down. "Scruple! Scruple, it's me, boy! Calm down!"

The sound of his voice seemed to soothe him and Scruple went slack. The gagging intensified until finally a slew of water flew from his mouth, allowing him to breathe properly again.

"You're alright," Gargamel said, sounding calmer than he really felt. "You're alright."

Scruple took a few more gulps of air before he settled into soft pants. "You…you saved me."

Gargamel arched an eyebrow. "You sound surprised."

"Well, you don't exactly make it a secret that you don't want me around," Scruple muttered, wringing out his cloak and hat.

"You are a pain," Gargamel said with a slight smirk. "But you are not as bad as I once thought. In fact, and how I hate to admit this, but I think you might have…grown on me. Ugh."

A small smile curled across Scruple's lips. "I guess you aren't so bad yourself-for a nut job, anyway."

"Because you nearly died, I'm going to let you get away with that one," Gargamel drawled. He leaned forwards and inspected the nasty bump on the back of Scruple's head. "We better get something on that before it swells up."

Scruple accepted Gargamel's offering hand and got to his feet. Azrael purred and rubbed against Scruple's ankles. "I guess both of us got a bath today, Azrael," Scruple joked. He glanced at the wooden tub and frowned. "By the way, I'm not giving Azrael a bath for a long time."

Gargamel rolled his eyes and picked the wooden tub from the grass. "Hear that, Azrael? Next time you get sprayed by a skunk you're on your own."

The threesome started for what Scruple now knew as home. The young boy thought of his parents. He thought of his father, who never failed in reminding his son what a waste of life he was. He thought of his mother, who passed away when he was a baby, leaving him to fend against his father alone.

In many ways, living with Gargamel wasn't a piece of cake. But, to Scruple's amazement, he could admit that he much preferred living with the old and grumpy wizard. They had a mutual understanding of each other, along with a mutual respect and like (even if it wasn't expressed often).

Yeah, some days, Scruple hated his life.

But wouldn't go back to his old one for anything in the world.