December Desolation Chapter 18

A/N: Another chapter! Enjoy!

Athos groaned as a throbbing ache penetrated through the haze of sleep, dragging him reluctantly into the land of the living, rather painfully so it must be said.

"Damn that must have been strong wine" he muttered, cracking open blurry eyes to peer blearily at the room, "so strong that I seem to have misplaced my house"

Confusion coloured his tone as he moved further towards being completely awake, gazing at the ash of the fire that he didn't own and the bookshelves crammed with books he most certainly didn't buy, attempting to decipher where exactly he was. The sight of a thick novel laying haphazardly on a low table next to his chair brought memories flooding back and he bolted upright in seconds, frantically searching the room for his brothers.

"Porthos?" he queried, squinting at the now open doorway through which a gentle light filtered through, the small candle illuminating Porthos' face as he stepped into the room.

"Yeh it's me" he replied with a smile, "I thought you might be awake, I could hear you thinking from upstairs"

Bracing his hands against the armrests of the chair, Athos hoisted himself upright to the tune of loud cracking from his protesting knees and back. Once standing he moaned lowly and pressed a hand to his lower back, bending forward slightly.

"You alrigh there 'Thos?" Porthos chuckled, crossing the room to grab the swaying lieutenant by the arm.

"Remind me never to sleep in a chair ever again" he muttered ruefully in response "I am far too old for this"

Porthos slung his arm around his brother's waist, helping him walk on numb legs as they made their way up the stairs in almost pitch black, the inky darkness swallowing their retreating forms.

"Nah, you're not that much older than us 'Thos" Porthos teased gently.

"But you admit that I am old" Athos countered with a raised brow.

They had reached the enormous, ornate door that guarded the room which housed their other brothers and Porthos refrained from responding as he focused his attentions on opening the door as quietly as he could on its creaky hinges.

The sudden abundance of light that flooded the room, however soft it was provoked a mournful groan from Athos as his eyes were attacked by hundreds of tiny rapiers wielded by sadistic candles that littered all available surfaces.

"Come on ya big booby" was all he heard as his brother guided him without protest to what he assumed was an extremely large bed, considering he couldn't bear to open his eyes and check he contented himself with feeling around with questing hands. He snatched them back quickly when one met a soft lump, startled by the presence of an indiscernible something with him in the bed.

It took him a while but his aching brain finally managed rational thought and he released a deep sigh at the realisation that the soft human feeling lump was most likely to be Aramis. He said as much to Porthos who just regarded him with a searching look for a few seconds before speaking.

"Geez, you must be really out of sorts if it took you, Captain deduce-it-all, that long to figure it out"

He managed a half-hearted glare through slitted eyes "I'm not… out of sorts" he muttered distastefully, seeming appalled at the prospect "I merely have a headache thank you very much, nothing serious or that I cannot handle by myself. Although I am puzzled as to the cause."

After thinking on it for a few moments he gave up as the pain in his head gave a relentless throb, resolving that he couldn't care in the least why it was there, only that it was there and it bloody hurt.

Large hands cradled his head gently as he was eased down onto the bed, melting bonelessly into the soft sheets beneath him. Porthos' surprisingly gentle fingers began to massage his scalp and temples in slow circular motions, kneading the tension from his skull. A very inappropriate groan was pulled from his lips in ecstasy as the pain began to recede to a more manageable level, more of a dull thumping than a legion of drummers.

"Must ave been stress" Porthos murmured gently, "you've ad too much on your plate lately 'Thos"

He just hummed quietly in reply, lacking the energy for anything else and barely even twitched as he felt covers being draped over his body, tucked around his shoulders and a warm arm lying across his body as Porthos bulk joined him on the bed.

"Sleep 'Thos" he commanded, "you need it"

Barely five minutes later the room was silent, save for the sound of peaceful breathing and the sputtering of candle wax as they began to reach the end of their lifespan, one by one being extinguished and casting the room into darkness. Unconsciously Athos relaxed even further in sleep as light was removed from his eyelids and he could finally sleep completely undisturbed.

When they woke up in the morning they would find that they had all managed to shift positions in the night and become a tangle of limbs in the middle of the bed. D'artagnan lying face down with his head buried in Aramis' shoulder and arms and legs spread out starfish like, arm draped over both Aramis and Athos. Aramis lay curled on his side, head underneath Athos' chin and bodies pressed tightly together in a comforting embrace. Finally Porthos lay to the left of Athos, one large arm encompassing all of his brothers and pulling them closer to him and each other, legs tangled up in a knot that they wouldn't look forward to untangling.

What would be most unbearable however was the heat, but they could put up with that.

They were together.

A/N: Wow I have never written so much so fast! Thanks so much for the positive response to this and I hope this was good for all you Athos lovers! Please let me know what you think and I hope to have another Chapter for you this weekend! :D