Evening My Lovelies

As promised this is the second of my double upload tonight so if you haven't read the previous chapter please go back and read that first :)

This chapter is also pure fluff... I couldn't resist writing it and I love it!

As always much love and many thanks for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading

Love you all!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Fifty-One: A Light In The Dark

That night Athos once again refused to sleep, much to the concern of Porthos who had questioned the man about watch schedules. The members of the group who were conscious enough to hear his answer all protested, knowing full well the swordsman hadn't slept since they had left the church, however, their concerns fell on deaf ears as Athos simply ignored them all, his blank gaze focused on the flickering flames of their small fire while his hand absent-mindedly continued to run through D'Artagnan's hair.

Porthos had been hesitant to leave Athos awake on his own but the man had been beyond stubborn, only offering the reassurance that he would wake the group should anything change with their injured. The pair had continued to argue for several minutes, completely oblivious to their growing audience as the rest of the party watched on. It was only when Athos said something too quiet for them to hear but what made Porthos's body sag is resignation that the argument was finally put to rest and the rest of the group could prepare to get some sleep.

Most of the night past in relative silence, the only sounds coming from the crackling fire, the storm outside and the occasional snores from his brothers so when he heard something which didn't come under any of those categories a few hours before dawn Athos was immediately on alert, his hand slowly drifting to the weapon by his side until he heard it again, clearer this time, and froze. A heartbeat or two passed before he heard the sound for the third time and finally allowed himself to believe what he was hearing as he cautiously lowered his eyes to the unconscious boy in his lap.

Only he wasn't so unconscious any more if the gentle fluttering of the younger man's eyelids were any indication.

Feeling his heart hammering away in his chest Athos moved his hand away from where it had been hovering above his sword to instead place his hesitantly on his protege's head. "D'Artagnan," he called softly, his eyes completely fixed on the battle D'Artagnan was fighting as the boy continued to attempt to open his eyes.

It was an anxious few minutes which felt like an eternity for Athos as he waited silently for his brother to fully awaken but all that tension and anxiousness vanished the moment D'Artagnan's glassy orbs locked onto Athos's own.

"D'Artagnan," breathed Athos, his voice barely more than a whisper and more than a little shaky, filled with both awe and relief as he struggled not to give in to his desire to pull the sickly younger man into his arms.

It took a few more moments for D'Artagnan to muster up the strength to talk and Athos could see the visible effort it was taking the boy to even stay awake as his mouth opened and closed a few times before a faint, hoarse word fell from D'Artagnan's lips.

"'Thos?"

The one word was barely audible and slightly slurred but it was the greatest sound Athos had heard in days, followed only by the sound of the boy's heartbeat after he had thought the younger man had died.

Tears prickled the corners of Athos's eyes and while he tried valiantly to stop them, he couldn't prevent them from falling as he gave into his earlier desire and gently brought the Gascon into his arms, burying his head into the crook of D'Artagnan's neck, the tears falling as he felt the boy's pulse against his skin.

"...'Thos…" murmured D'Artagnan, and Athos was certain he heard the concern in that slurred call of his name. Horrified at the thought of his brother being concerned about anything or anyone other than himself in his current condition Athos forced his own emotions down as he pulled away, easing the sick Gascon back into his previous position of lying on the floor with his head on the swordsman's lap.

Unable to help himself Athos allowed his fingers to gently stroke the boy's cheek, smiling faintly as his brother weakly leaned into the touch.

"It's okay D'Artagnan," he offered softly as he watched D'Artagnan slowly begin to lose the battle to remain awake. "Rest," he ordered gently as he continued to stroke his baby brother's cheek. "I've got you… you're safe with me."

Athos had thought the Gascon had fallen asleep once more even before he finished speaking so he was quite surprised when the boy shifted slightly to snuggle even more into his touch, murmuring something that sounded like an agreement before actually falling asleep once more.