"I'm so glad you did," Porthos replies. "Athos wasn't there yet and none of the others really wanted much to do with me, even if they gave me a bit of respect." He moans softly for the touch to his back, but he's got one more moment to tell Aramis. "And the very last was when we were on assignment with one of the lords. Lord Lapointe, I think? And he clearly didn't want me there. I still remember the way he looked at me with such disdain and hatred."

"And you refused to let him denigrate me like that. Said we'd both be gone if he couldn't behave." Exhaling a soft laugh, Porthos stares wondrously at Aramis. "You didn't just accept me for me, not just in private. You let people know I mattered."

"How could I not love you?"