Author's Notes: This entire fic was inspired by "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid, which was used in a trailer for the show. To me, it is very much a Porthos song.

I own very little and absolutely nothing related to The Musketeers.

The bed was humming.

A low purr against his back.

He warm and safe, but he didn't understand how he knew that.

But he was certain.

He was safe.

Porthos opened his eyes and remembered.

The running and the hiding and the blood.

The pain in his side was present, but not awful.

He anticipated the crush of remorse and anger.

The humming continued. He listened.

A tune that Aramis was given to whistling or humming.

A song about lost love.

What had he called it?

A la Claire Fontaine.

Il y'a longtemps que je t'aime, jamais je ne t'oublierai...

The song stopped and words replaced the rumble against his back.

"I can hear you thinking."

Porthos smirked.

And realized the heavy burden of emotion he was waiting for wasn't coming.

D'Artagnan was fine. His brothers had come for him.

The hunters had been terrible men.

It wasn't his fault.

Everything was not okay and it wasn't easier, but it was bearable.

It wasn't his fault.

He cautiously sat up, his side tight and sore. He twisted his head to look back at Aramis.

His friend was looking at him with dark eyes, filled with concern.

"I'm thinkin'," Porthos said roughly, "that your damn humming is a nuisance." Slowly, Aramis' face lit up with that smile of his. The one Porthos loved, the one that was utterly true.

And Porthos smiled back.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you sure?" Porthos gave Athos a withering look and continued to adjust Bourbon's tack, though slowly and carefully.

"Not stayin' here," he answered resolutely. Athos looked at Aramis, who shrugged.

"His wound is healing, no fever, the swelling is down. If he wants to go..."

"We're not. Staying." There was no anger, no heat. Just fact. Porthos had been able to make so few decisions for himself in the last days. Athos wanted to give him this one.

"Very well."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

D'Artagnan was looking at him while trying to look like he wasn't. Porthos stared him down until the young man finally met his gaze.

"You okay?" D'Artagnan nodded, his dark eyes sharp and grave. "Good. So am I." Porthos swung up into his saddle gingerly. His side pulled, but he was done with this place.

"So what do you say we get the hell out of here, eh?" D'Artagnan looked relieved and then he pulled himself up onto one of the found horses.

"Best idea I've heard all week." The young man was still studying him, though. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Porthos took a deep breath and thought about it.

"You'll see more than you ever thought possible as a soldier, more cruelty and grief. And I've known all sorts of people. Good people, bad people. People just doin' what they had to. You can't let the bad ones keep you from believin' in the decent ones." He nodded toward Athos and Aramis across the clearing as they readied their horses. "They're some of the best. Not perfect, but none of us are, eh?" Porthos sniffed and looked at d'Artagnan. "I figure as long as I can count myself among men like them, I'm doin' alright. You can endure a lot, if you got the right friends."

"And you," said d'Artagnan softly. "You are a good man, too. I'm not sure where I'd be if not for you all."

"In a field on a farm, safe," said Porthos. He meant it to be teasing, but it didn't come out that way.

"In a field on a farm," agreed d'Artagnan. "Bored to tears," he added with a grin that was a bit wicked. "I regret the way my father died," he said, sobering. "But I do not regret where it has led me."

Porthos gave him an appraising look.

"That's good. 'Cause there's no goin' back."

"So, forward then?" Porthos looked from d'Artagnan's smile to where Athos and Aramis waited.

"Yeah. Forward it is."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tomorrow is another day.
And you won't have to hide away.
You'll be a man, boy! - Run Boy Run, Woodkid

A/N: Finally, finally done!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and helped me finish this! Hope you enjoyed it!