Porthos collapses back onto his arse, but it's not his intent. He's still glaring at Athos, still hurt, still not understanding because they don't want him to be anyone except Athos, but they want him to be happy. Surely those two things don't exist outside of the other. "I don't want you to leave," he argues heatedly, when Athos makes it to the stairs. "I want your company, I just don't want you to sit around moping because...because you think you lack duty when you're just stubborn thinking you need pain to have purpose," he says pointedly. "Come here," he orders himself, grim and firm.

"And I'm going to tell you about the first two months here, for Aramis and I, so you can get it out of your head that we reached this point instantly."