“And for weeks before that,” Athos adds fondly. He hadn’t known what to do with those longing looks before, and even now, the thought of them makes his stomach do a flip. What Porthos sees when he looks at him with wide-eyed, boyish love, Athos cannot tell.

Yes, Porthos’ shoddy poker face is the gaping flaw in his plan, and the thought that Allison might already suspect makes Athos grimace. But he has weathered worse storms before - worse than Allison’s mad enthusiasm, or d’Artagnan’s inevitable half-horrified shock. For Aramis and Porthos, he will do his best to find the words he needs.