Work Text:
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Category: West Wing humorous ficlet
Rating: G
Characters: Everyone
Series: No
Spoilers: None intended
Summary: What is Leo hiding under those shirtsleeves?
Archive: Just tell me where it's going
Title: A marked man
Leo pulled a shirt out of his closet, fastening the cuffs with gold cuff links which had been a present from Jed and Abbey on his fiftieth birthday. He sighed, realising that he was going to bake in the heat of the West Wing. And that, yet again, gossip would start. He would be the only person in the building in long sleeves. Even the Secret Service guys wore short sleeves in the height of the summer heat.
Jed had had a horrible day. Even by recent standards, this had not been a good one. Disagreements, small and petty, were fuelled by the summer heat and became rows. Loud, angry shouting followed by childish sulking. He longed for the cool of Autumn. Even a rain shower would charge the air and cool tempers and bodies. And cool his Chief of Staff. He felt for the man, walking around the stifling office in long-sleeved shirts.
***************************
'Margaret, don't let anyone in till I say, okay?'
Barely looking up, Margaret nodded. 'Okay.'
Leo pulled off his shirt, dumping it into a plastic bag before beginning to unpack the one he had sent Margaret out to buy earlier. The one day he really needed to change his shirt, he didn't have one with him. That never happened. Always, always, he had a spare long-sleeved shirt with him. Except today. He recalled a nasty experience from a few years back when he'd been less than careful unpacking a new shirt and had only realised he had missed one of the pins when he'd leaned back in his chair and felt it stick in him. His scream was something that was still talked about today. That was the day he started bringing in a spare shirt to the office.
He was just giving the shirt a final check, holding it up and shaking it before putting it on when he heard the door open. 'Margaret!'
He began to shout at his assistant for allowing the interruption when he noticed the people in the doorway staring at him.
Of the four people looking at him, Josh, predictably was the first to react. He began to laugh. Within seconds, Sam, CJ and Toby were equally helpless with laughter.
It took Leo a minute to realise he was the source of the amusement. Well, not him. His tattoo. A mermaid. On his right upper arm. A mermaid whose trailing locks almost covered her clearly more-than-ample bosom.
But it was not her cleavage they were all focused on. The mermaid had a face they all recognised. Which was the reason Jed had insisted Leo wear long-sleeved shirts in the office.
For the mermaid had the face of a young, but still recognisable, Abbey Bartlet.
End