Hello! This story is set in the same modern universe as my other fic 'Midnight Shift', which I have tentatively titled the Misfits verse. More fics to come to establish the AU , I assure you ^^

Onwards...

The cafe was loud and busy as Porthos manoeuvred his way through the throng of people milling around, four steaming mugs on the tray in his hands as he fought his way back to the table by the window. The sky outside was a stormy grey, and everywhere he looked he saw people walking around with coats zipped up tight with scarves wound around their necks- October had been quite mild, but he could tell November was going to a cold one.

'Here you go lads...' he muttered as he finally got to the table, putting the tray down and sliding down into the seat next to Aramis.

'One black coffee for Athos...' he reported, pushing the mug closer to the man in question. 'One hot chocolate with marshmallows and sprinkles for d'Artagnan...' He chuckled as the younger man accepted his mug. 'One hazelnut latte with caramel sauce for Aramis...' he placed the mug in front of Aramis, who smiled his thanks. 'And one soya-skinny-decaf coffee for moi!'

'Seriously?' d'Artagnan muttered incredulously, peering into the mug as Porthos laughed.

'Give over!' he chuckled, shaking his head. 'One large gingerbread hot chocolate!'

'Ah, thought it was too good to be true!' the younger man snorted, before hooking out a marshmallow from his mug and popping it into his mouth. 'So, what are we doing tonight?' he asked the table at large.

'What do you mean?' Athos asked after blowing on his coffee, giving Aramis a sideways glance before his eyes flicked to the youngest man at the table.

'Well, Constance says there's a park near her flat that does a good fireworks night- they have jacket potatoes and everything!' d'Artagnan explained, wiping chocolate from his mouth.

'We don't really do fireworks night...' Porthos muttered, trying to keep his voice jovial even as he sensed Aramis unconsciously tensing up at the mention of the night to come.

'Why not?' d'Artagnan asked, frowning at the three men. 'Constance says she can snag more tickets if you want to come?'

'Not really, but thanks for the offer, lad, ' Aramis smiled across at him, although it didn't quite reach his eyes like normal.

'Oh...' d'Artagnan muttered, a little put out. 'Alright-we can maybe do a little display in Athos' garden? Set a guy on fire?' he added hopefully. 'Nothing too extravagant?'

Aramis chuckled under his breath. 'No one is saying you can't go with Constance to the display and have a good time, but we normally have a quiet night in on fireworks night...'

'Why, don't you like them?' d'Artagnan muttered, before snorting as Aramis started to look shifty. 'Are you scared of fireworks? You?' he frowned as Aramis swallowed hard, before his hands flew to his silent phone on the table. 'I better get this...' he muttered, before abruptly standing up- Porthos gave him a look and began to move as if to stand up too, however Aramis muttered something to him that d'Artagnan couldn't hear and squeezed his shoulder, before walking out the cafe and down the street without answering his phone.

'Something I said?' the younger man muttered, guilt trickling into his stomach for some reason. 'I didn't mean to upset him...'

'Don't worry lad.' Porthos nodded, before he looked across to Athos. 'He doesn't really like this time of year...' he added, before clearing his throat. 'I better go and see if he's ok...' he said, before getting up and walking out too, hot chocolate forgotten.

'Well, now I feel like a total prick...' d'Artagnan muttered, pushing his own drink away as he looked after Porthos' back as he pushed his way through the crowd.

Athos sat up straighter and finished his coffee before stretching. 'Like Porthos said, Aramis doesn't like this time of year.' he said, before sighing to himself as the newest recruit to their team looked up at him, eyes still confused. 'Listen, I'm going to get chips for everyone before heading to Aramis' tonight- why don't I pick you up on the way and we can go together? I can explain everything then- unless you want to join Constance for the fireworks party?'

'It'll be full of kids anyway- do you think he'd mind if I come?' d'Artagnan asked, suddenly a bit self-conscious. 'I don't want to upset him again.'

'You didn't upset him- you just didn't know. I'll pick you up at about 5-ish?' Athos muttered, before hooking his coat from behind his chair and putting it on as d'Artagnan stood up to, nodding.

'Yeah, see you at five.' he confirmed, before they both left the cafe and went their separate ways down the street.

'Remember I'll be bit late coming home- about 11, Marie said it finished.' Constance called from the bottom of the stairs as she buttoned up her coat.

'Alright, I'll keep the bed warm, I suppose...' d'Artagnan grinned as he walked down the stairs, pulling a woolly hat onto his head.

'You better do- I'll be putting my cold feet on your back anyway!'

'You better not!' d'Artagnan cried, before leaning in and kissing her before they both walked to the door. Constance chuckled as she slipped on her gloves before opening the door- she gave a start and backed away as she saw a dark figure blocking the doorway, hand curled into a fist in the air as if they were just reaching to knock the door.

'Athos don't do that!' she hissed, hand on her heart as she mock-glared at the man in the doorway.

'Evening.' Athos muttered, stepping back as Constance rolled her eyes in a teasing way and stepped outside into the chill air. 'I was just about to knock.' he added, his breath coming out in white puffs as d'Artagnan walked onto the path and shut the door with a clunk.

'I thought you were one of those idiots who dress up and try and scare people!' Constance berated him as she put on her scarf.

'What are you talking about- that's his day job!' d'Artagnan laugh, earning a quirked eyebrow from Athos as the three of them started walking down the path and into the London streets.

They looked up as they heard fireworks go off in the distance. 'They're getting started early this year!' Constance smiled as they continued walking.

'Penny for the guy?' a young child called from the pavement, hand out.

'Sorry, no change.' Athos muttered, before sighing as d'Artagnan rootled round in his pockets and produced 5p.

'Thanks!' the boy smiled, before running off, his straw-covered guy in tow.

'How sweet!' Constance chuckled, before she drew d'Artagnan in for a hug as they finally reached the park for the firework party. 'Have a nice evening, boys.' She said, before leaning in to give Athos a quick kiss on the cheek with a chuckle before walking off, waving as she went.

'Come on, lets go and get these chips...' Athos muttered after they waited to ensure Constance reached her destination, before the two men continued down the pavement, heading for the nearest chip shop.

'So, what's the deal with Aramis and fireworks?' d'Artagnan asked, his arms weighed down by chips and beer as the two men started on the journey to Aramis' flat. He looked across at Athos, his eyes furrowing as he saw the older man sigh and his expression turn gloomy.

Fireworks exploded overheard, their colours filling the sky as they waited to cross a busy street. Kids raced past them, hands alight with sparklers - Athos cleared his throat before speaking, juggling the bags of chips in his own hands before doing so.

'Well, you know Aramis was a soldier before joining the police?' he started, before they crossed the road and continued walking. 'He was a front-line solider, but also served as an emergency field medic when needed. He was medically discharged five years ago- he was the sole survivor of an ambush whilst on a training exercise called Operation Savoy.' Athos sighed as he hitched up the bags of chips to get a better grip. 'Porthos and I knew him before he left for that final tour, but when he came back...he just...wasn't the same. He withdrew into himself almost immediately, couldn't cope with being back in civilian life. He stayed with me for a few weeks to get his head around being back but it didnt really help- he had terrible nightmares and flashbacks to what happened.'

d'Artagnan blinked as they continued working. 'I had no idea...he never mentioned it...'

'Well, he tries to push it from his mind as much as he can. I think there are some things he hasn't even told Porthos and I about what happened out there...' Athos shrugged, voice sombre, before they both looked up as a sudden cacophony of fireworks exploded in the sky, lighting up the houses with shades of blues, reds and whites. 'He was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder soon after being discharged- lots of things triggered him to have panic attacks when he first came out. Silence, sudden noises, people walking behind him, shadows on the ground outside...' Athos sighed to himself as he remembered those first few months when they got their friend back; the nights they spent helping him through his nightmares; the hours he and Porthos willingly gave up to helping coax him out of his panic attacks and to ensure his surroundings kept him as calm as possible.

'Sounds rough...' d'Artagnan whispered, shaking his head. 'Poor guy.'

'He has therapy twice a month to help him, and he is much better than he was,' Athos muttered.'We're not issued with guns, so we hardly ever encounter them at work, and he has coping strategies for when he gets triggered by other things, but he always suffers come fireworks night. The fireworks going off remind him of gunshots, the bright lights of muzzle flash...' he cleared his throat before coming to a stop next to Aramis' flat. 'Captain Treville ensures we can get our holidays booked together so Porthos and I can spend every November 5th with him to take his mind off it- whether that's watching films, playing video games or listening to music, whatever he wants.'

'I see,' d'Artagnan nodded, a smile on his face as he realised the care Porthos and Athos had for Aramis. 'I hope he won't mind me being here, then.' he added, suddenly a little self-conscious.

'I called him to ask if you'd be able to come, and he said he didn't have a problem with it.' Athos reassured them as they climbed the steps to Aramis' flat, before he knocked on the door.

Porthos answered it, smiling at their arms laden with chips. 'Evening lads!' he chuckled, taking a pack of beer out of d'Artagnan's hands and opening the door wider. 'Come in.' he added, giving Athos a nod as the other man gave him a pointed look. Music flowed through the flat as the three men entered the living room- d'Artagnan looked round the semi-darkness of the room and finally spotted Aramis on the sofa, fiddling with the music player on the coffee table.

'Evening, Aramis,' Athos called, placing the chips on the table and taking off his coat. 'You want plates for these chips, or shall we just eat like savages?' He asked as he looked down to his friend.

'Savages sound good!' Aramis chuckled, before he looked up suddenly as another peal of fireworks were set off outside.

'It's alright- lets get those blackout curtains up, shall we?' Athos said easily as coloured lights filled the flat. Aramis gave him a small smile as he hitched a leg underneath him and put one of his cushions across his lap; something he only did when he was nervous, Athos knew.

'Yeah sorry, I tried to put 'em up but they're a two-man job.' Porthos explained as he passed Aramis a beer.

'Don't worry.' Athos smiled, before the two of them set about putting the blinds up to shut out the fireworks. D'Artagnan, perched on the arm of the sofa, looked across to Aramis a little sheepishly, who smiled and patted the sofa cushion next to him. 'I don't bite, lad...much!' he joked, diffusing the tension.

'I know, I just- Athos explained what's going on during the walk here...' he muttered, sliding next to Aramis and cracking open one of the beer cans. 'I just feel a bit bad now that I made fun of you earlier for not liking the fireworks...' his voice trailed off, and he found he couldn't quite meet Aramis' eyes.

'Hey, don't worry- you didn't know, did you?' Aramis smiled, shaking his head and putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. 'It's been a few years since someone questioned me about it... I could have reacted a bit better.' He tensed as a series of loud bangs filled the flat- Porthos stopped helping Athos to peer down at Aramis, who he could see even in the scant light had gone ashen white as the noise continued to fill the room.

'You alright, 'Mis?' he asked loudly, before stepping closer and putting a hand on his shoulder.

'I'm ok,' Aramis replied, giving him a weak smile. 'The flat next door have a firework party down in the communal garden...' he added in a sombre voice. He stopped and he and Porthos smiled affectionately across to d'Artagnan, who had leaned down to fiddle with the knobs on the music player to turn up the volume. He didn't know why he was worried about the younger man knowing about his...fears. He should have known he would be just as kind and accommodating as Porthos and Athos, for which he was very grateful.

'I told 'em last week that we didn't want no noise..' Porthos grumbled after a few seconds as the cacophony continued.

'Well, the world doesn't stop for me!' Aramis muttered, his voice hitching a little as they heard the shrill whistle of a Catherine wheel somewhere close to them, before he sat back and, for the first time ever since d'Artagnan had known him, started biting his fingernails nervously.

'They'll be done soon,' Porthos reasoned, despite knowing it was a lie, before walking back to Athos to finish the blinds.

Once they had fixed the blinds into place Athos and Porthos came to sit on the floor opposite Aramis and d'Artagnan, pulling their bags of chips in front of them.

'Let's get this music turned up for a bit, shall we?' Athos asked, before turning the dial up a little and sitting back as the sound of classic rock filled the flat. 'Eat up before your chips get cold, 'Mis.' he added, grinning as Aramis snorted and picked up his bag of his chips and started popping them into his mouth. 'Thanks for buying these- I'll give you some money in a bit...' he muttered, to which Athos shook his head.

'Don't even think about it- you can owe me a pint next time we're in the Queens.' he replied, sprinkling salt over his chips.

'Deal.' Aramis smiled, before he sat back. 'Thanks, lads. For this, you know...' he muttered over the noise, shrugging. 'You know how much it means to me that you do this every year...'

'Don't be silly, mate.' Porthos smiled, swallowing some beer before belching into his hand. 'You know we'd never let you go through it alone.'

'I know...' Aramis sighed deeply, suddenly deep in thought.

'Oi- you want ketchup?' Athos tapped his slippered foot, rooting him back into the present. They were well practised in how to keep Aramis' mind off the noise and lights outside; it was as normal to them all now as breathing.

'Oh, cheers-' Aramis nodded, squirting it onto his chips before sitting back, smiling to himself.

'So, what'll it be this year?' Porthos asked after a few minutes of eating as he balled up his chip wrapper. 'Films? Fifa? Monopoly?'

'I thought we could play an old classic...' Aramis replied as he put his wrapper in the small bin by the table, before leaning over the arm of the sofa and pulling out a large board game and placing it on the glass coffee table.

'Cluedo?' d'Artagnan said, peering down at the dusty box. 'Don't think I've ever played that before...'

'Well, now's your chance!' Aramis chuckled, taking the top off the box. 'Unless you two had something else in mind?' he asked, looking to Porthos and Athos with raised eyebrows. 'I'm afraid I accidentally broke the guitar attachment the other week, so no guitar hero this year, lads...' he added, smiling as Porthos snorted.

'You're just afraid I'd whoop you like I did last year!' he chided with a grin.

'No, Cluedo sounds good,' Athos nodded, before he got up and headed into the kitchen- he came back with two bottles of red wine and four glasses. 'May I?' he asked, eyebrows raised at Aramis.

'You may!' the other man chuckled as he accepted the empty glass. He tensed again as a large bang erupted outside that even the music couldn't hide- Athos put a hand on his shoulder, noticing how his arm was quivering. 'You're alright...' he muttered softly, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly before handing out the rest of the glasses.

'Right- lets get this game started then...' he said, before the four of them started setting out all the pieces and cards, each man steadfastly ignoring the world outside and the whirling lights and noises of bonfire night as the fireworks exploded around them.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I had to get a modern AU Savoy fic in somewhere ^^

Please review! X

A/N- Just in case any of my readers have never heard of the British custom that occurs every 5th November... this is an annual commemoration of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, an unsuccessful attempt by a group of English Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate the Protestant King James I.

Historically an Act of Parliament was issued that made November 5 a public holiday of thanksgiving on the plot's failure, however since it was repealed in 1859 it has been commemorated by setting off fireworks and also setting fire to effigy's of the most well-known of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes.