So I watched Les Misérables the other day and I fell absolutely in love with Éponine&Marius so I attempted a one-shot of their friendship. Sorry for any historical/factual errors, and hope you all enjoy a snapshot of their day!
If you like this story, please and check out my book "Model Perfection!" It's on my Wattpad account at story/3458722-model-perfection
Thank you so much for reading :]
-Ashley
"But Mama!"
Madame Thénardier snatched the spectacles from Éponine's bony hands. "Your father is working!" she hissed. She grabbed Eponine's hand and dug her fingernails into her daughter's pallid skin. "Don't dare disturb him, Eponine." Her eyes narrowed.
"But he's drunk!" Éponine whimpered. She tried to twist away from her mother's painful grasp.
"Watch your mouth! You're almost 17 now, lady. Learn to show respect to your mother and father. Now begone!" Madame Thénardier let go of Éponine and pushed her roughly to the front door.
Tears threatened to spill from Éponine's eyes as she rushed out of her parents' inn. She didn't look back. The clouds gathered above, and Éponine shivered, wrapping her thin petticoat around her gaunt shoulders. She headed for Marius' flat up the street. They had met a year before, and quickly became close confidants. But as much as Éponine liked him as friends, lately, she'd felt something more. Marius had always been a beacon of happiness in her dismal days. His loud opinions on life gave Éponine the dreams of a different world. He gave her something far from her destitute home of stale beer, stealing, and broken affection. Away from all the troubles at home, Marius had true companionship to offer, and that was exactly what Éponine needed right now.
She reached the stone building of his flat. "Marius?" Éponine called out. She bounded up the narrow winding wooden steps and knocked on Marius' door.
The door swung open. "Enjolras, I told you already—oh. Éponine! What are you doing here?" Marius look surprised for a moment, then gathered her in a hug.
"Mother and Father are doing business."
"Right. Business. Poor customers of theirs. Let's go down." Marius closed the door to his flat and walked with Éponine down the dusty stairs. He noticed how thin she looked, and it worried him. "How do they plunder so many customers, and still don't have enough money to feed you?" They walked into the bustling town street. "You deserve to each like a queen."
Éponine shrugged, and took Marius' hand. "I'm okay." She glanced sideways at the splash of freckles across his cheeks, and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to brush her hand across his soft cheek.
"Well," Marius said, "how about I treat you to some shaved ice and then I'll take you to this place I found the other day?" Marius smiled, and his eyes shone a mischievous shade of green.
"I'd love that." They pushed through the grimy crowds of beggars and children, and avoided eye-contact with the stiff government soldiers at every corner.
"They look like they're holding in gas," Marius whispered as they passed a soldier that held its gun and eyed the streets.
Éponine giggled and stole a glance at the officer. He was young and quite attractive, clad in his smart trousers and shiny helmet. But Éponine quickly looked away. The solider couldn't hold a candle to Marius. Éponine stole another glance at Marius. His soft brown hair bent back in the heat of the day. Éponine smiled. Marius was gorgeous. Marius Pontmercy, her liberal friend. Her best friend. Her only friend. Unless she counted Cosette, but Cosette was gone years ago, and Marius was the only friend she had now.
They got to the end of the street and went up to the broken stall that stinked of tobacco. A fat woman with ratty hair stood underneath the ice stall. "One flavoured ice for the lady," Marius announced, fishing out a couple coins. They clinked onto the splintered board.
The woman scowled and pulled out a knife. She shaved some ice into the paper cone, then poured sugar-water over the top and handed it to Éponine.
"Thank you," Éponine sighed as she dug into her ice.
"My pleasure. Now, let's go to the place I found," Marius said excitedly. Éponine finished her sweet snack within minutes as Marius led her through the town. He held her close, careful not to let any of the beggars grab her skirt.
Marius brought Éponine to the place he'd discovered the other day. It was an house that the French soldiers had destroyed a couple weeks back. Marius glanced behind him before pushing open the broken door and bringing Éponine into the dusty house. He took her hand and led her through to dusty vestibule. The floorboards creaked.
"What is this place?" Éponine leaned in and whispered. She glanced around at the broken satin chairs and the ripped velvet tapestries.
"This was some aristocrat's house that the government destroyed. Look." Marius pointed to the broken stained-glass windows, where sunlight filtered in through the dusty panes.
From what Éponine could see, the windows were stained to depict two white doves singing atop a red-berried tree. She wasn't sure of the whole picture, for only two of the four window frames had survived the ruin. "I bet they were beautiful," Éponine said. It was tragic that something so beautiful could be so easily broken.
"They probably were. The people that lived here were rich. Watch the floor when you walk," Marius said, leading her down the hallway. "There's broken glass everywhere." They crunched gently across the sunlit row, and when they reached a tall oaken door, Marius stopped. "Wait here," he said. He disappeared into the room behind the door and Éponine heard clatter. As she waited, Éponine bent down and picked up a shard of stained glass from the floor. The green matched Marius' eyes exactly, and she pocketed the token in her petticoat. Marius called from the room. "You can come in now!"
Éponine pushed the door open and she squealed when Marius took her by the waist and spun her onto a large sitting couch. "Marius!" she gasped as he fell beside her. His face was inches from hers. Her breathing hitched.
"Yes?" he asked teasingly. His breath tickled the sides of her face, and he grinned at her.
Éponine didn't answer. She merely smiled and sat up. "This room is huge." She took a look around at the massive bedroom. It was a shame it was ruined to shreds. She could see bits of sky peeking from the broken ceiling.
"I know. This place reminds me of my Grandfather's home." He sighed and sat back, stretching his legs in front of him.
"Do you miss him?"
"Sometimes." Marius clasping his hands around his head and looked at Éponine. "But there's a reason I left him, and every day I'm out here, I remember why I left."
"But you left your family," Éponine said, leaning into the crook of his arm. "As crazy as my parents are, they're family. I can't imagine how you live without your family." Éponine breathed in his scent. He smelled musky, sort of like roasted chestnuts and a bit of gunpowder. He smelled nice.
"The boys are my family. Enjolras and Combeferre and the rest of the Friends of the ABC. And you too, Éponine. You're family to me."
"I am?" Éponine searched Marius' warm eyes hopefully.
"Of course. Where would I be without you?" Marius smiled, and Éponine melted. That smile always had a way of making her go weak. Seeing Marius smile somehow made all of Éponine's sorrows go away. It had a way of creeping into her heart and settling into the crevices.
Éponine longed to tell Marius how she felt. She wanted to tell him the words of her love. Her heart ached for it; it cried for release. "Marius," she began. Her fingers brushed against his.
"Yes, Éponine?" Marius wound his fingers into hers and they settled against her chest. Éponine wondered if Marius could feel how quickly her heart was beating.
"Marius, have you ever loved?" It wasn't the most direct question, but at least it was something.
Marius chuckled. "How can I think of love, Éponine? I can't. Not right now. Not when France is on the verge of rebellion. Only fools would search for love in times like these."
Éponine swallowed. That meant Marius didn't love. Not anyone, and not her. "What about after the rebellion?" she asked. "What would you do? Find a wife? Marry? What about then?"
"Well I'd have to find a girl desperate enough to have me, and that'll take a century on its own." Marius laughed and rubbed his fingers against the back of Éponine's hand.
Éponine forced herself to laugh with him, but inside her heart faltered. Marius definitely didn't love her. Not in that way. Éponine felt like one of the doves from the stained window glass—shattered.
Marius got up off the couch. "Let's explore more of the house," he said, grabbing her hand and helping her off the couch.
Éponine and Marius left the room and went on to see the rest of the ruined apartment. They wiggled under broken ceilings and slid down the banister and tried fitting in the empty cabinets. They found broken china and an abandoned dollhouse and screamed when a spider crept across Marius' arm.
They were on the second floor, testing out the rusted faucets when they heard a loud boom from outside.
Éponine jumped. "What was that?" she said, startled.
Marius shrugged, but his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "I don't know, but maybe we ought to get out of here. It's almost dark out anyway."
Éponine nodded and they set off into the hallway. Midway through, there was another large boom, this time louder. Terrified, Éponine scampered down the hallway. But she took a step on a certain weak part of the floor, and it was in no shape to hold her up. Her foot stuck through the wooden floor and she crashed down, her entire foot caught inside the floorboard.
"Éponine!" Marius called out, alarmed. He ran over to her. "Are you alright?"
Éponine groaned. She was in pain. "My shoulder," she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut. "Help."
Marius turned her over, and his eyes widened when he saw the frighteningly bright red patch of blood next to her neck. His fingers quickly worked through her petticoat buttons, and he pushed the soaked fabric away. A brilliant green shard stuck out from Éponine's shoulder, and blood spurted out from her creamy skin. It stained the floor.
"Hold onto my shirt," he said. "I'm going to pull this glass out." Éponine grabbed the front of Marius' shirt, and she could feel the strong chest beneath. Marius slowly drew the glass out, trying hard to do it as painlessly as possible. Pained, Éponine dug her fingernails in Marius' shirt.
She gasped in pain. "Marius," she whimpered.
"Shh, shh, it's okay." Marius said soothingly. Once the glass out, more blood began to pool from the dark hole in Éponine's shoulder. There was so much blood. Then, on an instictive charge, Marius brought his lips down and sealed them upon Éponine's wound. His tongue touched her broken skin.
Éponine's mind raced. Marius's mouth was on her. He was kissing her shoulder. Suddenly all the pain in her shoulder went away, and all Éponine could feel was Marius' warm lips on her skin.
A minute or so passed, and Marius pulled away. The bleeding had stopped. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. He sat beside her, his arm draped across her stomach.
Éponine nodded. She felt more than okay right now.
Marius picked up the bloody glass on the ground and held it up to inspect it. "How did this get in you?" he asked, sounding confused. His fingers dripped with Éponine's blood.
Éponine blushed. "I had it in my pocket. It was a broken piece from the stain-glass windows." She shifted.
"You really shouldn't have done that, you know," Marius said. There was a hint of anger in his voice. "That glass is sharp. Éponine, it could've impaled your head." Marius frowned. "Why'd you take it anyways?"
"I-I don't know," Éponine said. She couldn't tell him why she picked it up. She looked into Marius' distant eyes, and felt like she was drowing in the green. "I guess it was just pretty."
"Pretty objects aren't to be meddled with," Marius said, helping her up. "We should go home," he told. His voice was cold. Éponine didn't know why Marius sounded angry with her. Suddenly, she felt stupid for taking the glass in the first place. Marius probably thought her stupid.
Marius brought Éponine out of the house. He wrapped a strong arm around her uninjured shoulder and helped her silently home. "I'm sorry you got hurt." he said when they got to the Thénardier's inn. He didn't sound sorry at all. Then he was gone.
Éponine went into the inn, escaping the cold night. As always, her parents were drunk and engrossing themselves in pick-pocketing the inn customers. Éponine spent the rest of the night serving customers and cleaning up dirtied tables. When she laid down to bed on her stained bedding that night, all she could dream of was feeling Marius' warm lips on her. That night, she dreamt of a France where times were peaceful and where she and Marius lived together in a house full of light and love. She slept happily.
But the next morning, Éponine awoke to her mother's yelling, and all she remembered from yesterday was the bitter way Marius had treated her after she got hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished away his coldness. She touched her shoulder and hoped Marius wasn't too mad at her. She sighed and got out of bed to begin her chores. One day I'll tell him, she thought to herself. One day she would tell him every single thing her heart yearned to spill out. But for now Éponine vowed to stay silent and accept what he gave her. And if anger was what he had for her right now, she would accept that too. Éponine knew she would accept every part of Marius Pontmercy, in whatever way he wished to be.
Yesterday, Marius had said only fools search for love in times like these, but how could Éponine even help herself from loving him? She couldn't help loving Marius just as much she could help her father from being a dishonest man. She would always love him, even if she didn't want to. Even if Marius hated her as he seemed to right now.
The morning came, and Éponine went out the back door to fetch a bucket of water. On her way out, she tripped on something on the stone steps, and she almost dropped the bucket. Éponine looked back and saw a plain wooden box on the bottom step. She picked it up and lifted the lid off. Éponine's heart stopped.
Inside the box, there laid ten long shards of stained glass, neatly arranged on a bed of straw. They glinted in stunning colors, shimmering in single color of the rainbow. There was a note attached to the lid. Éponine read it, and tears welled in her eyes. The note read: Beautiful pieces of glass for a beautiful friend of mine —M.
As Éponine tucked the box under her arm and went to fetch the water, she smiled to herself. Maybe love was possible in times like these.