26/9/13

As an apology for the extra-long wait for my other fanfics and as a peace offering, I bring you Last Chance Saloon. I have been working on this for a while and so have about 9 chapters already written. So I will post a new chapter of this every week so you guys have something constant when my other writing is not consistent at all. Enjoy

Last Chance Saloon

Chapter 1

The messy brunette teenager strolled in the reception. His rugged suitcase rolled behind him like an ever faithful servant, squeaking with every turn of the wheel. He looked around, trying unsuccessfully to act unimpressed by the stunning architecture. "Are you Nicolas Grantaire?" the receptionist asked and he nodded slouching against the counter. "Welcome to Le Lycée Du Musain," she chuckled but Grantaire's expression remained stoical and disapproving. "Here are your timetable and a map of the campus," she said passing him pieces of paper. "Here is your planner and a copy of the school rules," she explained and Grantaire scoffed at the notion of school rules. "You are in Room three hundred twenty-four, sharing with one of our school prefects. He'll look after you until you settle in," she said, checking her papers. Grantaire nodded and left towards his room. After about half an hour of getting lost, he finally made it to Room three hundred twenty-four. Inside sat two beds; one side of the room was bare and bright white. However the other was meticulously organised but yet busy and frantic at the same time. The walls were painted a bright red with a French flag hanging loose. All the decoration ended in a perfectly straight line in the middle of the room. "Perfect, Prefect," Grantaire mumbled under his breath and collapsed on the too neat bed.

He didn't have to go to any lessons today; so after he had unpacked his miniscule number of belongings, Grantaire set off exploring. The campus was huge and spanned the size of a small town. Yet Grantaire still felt enclosed and trapped; he was a free bird and needed to be able to roam free. A large cage is still a cage and there were rules, even though the sheet sat shredded in his bin. Eventually Grantaire found himself sat in a tall tree with his sketchpad out. After a swig from his ever present hip flask, he calmly drew a bird perched on the tree opposite him. He didn't notice the last class of the day being let out and the people milling around. Everyone stared at him as they walked past but Grantaire was completely engrossed in his shading. "Hey, new kid!" a voice shouted from below him and Grantaire snapped back to attention again. "You need to get down from there! Against the rules and all that," the boy stated and Grantaire just shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you, new kid," the other boy stated. "Robin de Courfeyrac," he introduced himself and Grantaire sniggered. "Don't laugh at the name," he smiled and Grantaire shook his head.

"De…you have a de," he chuckled, finding himself warming to this boy instantly.

"Yeah but everyone calls me Courfeyrac or Courf," he shrugged and Grantaire nodded.

"Nicolas Grantaire," he replied, and Courfeyrac nodded.

"Pleased to meet you," Courfeyrac chuckled.

"Nicolas Grantaire! Get down from there now!" a voice boomed and Courfeyrac winced.

"Headmaster Javert, you do not want to get on the wrong side of him," Grantaire's new acquaintance mumbled as Grantaire jumped from the tree still holding his sketchbook.

"I think I just have," he winked as Javert pointed him over with a stern look planted on his face.

Grantaire thumped down into a chair in the office, glaring at the headmaster. "Nicolas I will not tolerate anything from you. Six schools in one year is unacceptable and this is your last chance! Your parents have told me that if you are expelled from here then it is a reform school," he emphasized and Grantaire rolled his eyes. "You have after school detention for two weeks and you have to spend every lunch time for two weeks helping Miss Nord with the Art Club," he stated and Grantaire began protesting. He was silenced instantly on the threat of more detention. "It is said you are talented in that department and she is interested in seeing your work. This how you got your scholarship anyway" he stated before dismissing Grantaire. "Hopefully Julien will have a good impact on you," he heard as he left and scoffed as soon as he was out of earshot. No prefect was changing Nicolas Grantaire.

He sauntered back to his room and collapsed on the bed. Someone had obviously been in as his shoes were moved back over the line away from the prefect's side of the room. Grantaire pushed them back to aggravate his roommate. He curled up on the bed with his sketch book and let his pencil run freely. He was so focused on the drawing coming to shape in front of him that he didn't hear the door squeak open. He heard his converse being pushed back onto his side and let out a little chuckled. "And you must be the famous Julien," he stated, resting the sketch pad on his knee and finally looking at his roommate. He was stunning, absolutely stunning. His blonde curls curled round his face and his blazing blue eyes bored into Grantaire's skull. He felt his hand itch for a pencil and to capture this beauty residing in front of him.

"And how am I famous?" Julien asked bluntly while unpacking his bag.

"Apparently you are to have a good impact on me," he replied, mimicking Javert's voice to try and urge a smile from the boy.

"No one calls me Julien, my name is Enjolras," he commented still not looking directly at Grantaire. "And I hear you have been kicked out of six schools in a year and already have two weeks of detention here," Enjolras replied in a Take that!sort of manner. Grantaire just shrugged and returned to his drawing.

"What are you drawing?" Enjolras finally asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"My boyfriend," Grantaire replied, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. He stared at the drawing taking in every detail of the face he knew off by heart. Jean's deep brown locks permanently styled without him even trying; his piercing blue eyes that were stern yet soft and seemed to show all his emotions in one storm. The way he chewed his glasses and how he always ground his jaw when he was nervous; made Grantaire's heart flutter. Enjolras clearly picked up on the sorrow and longing in Grantaire's expression and felt sorry for the rebel.

"You're gay?" Enjolras asked, already knowing the answer. Grantaire nodded looking up into Enjolras' glimmering blue eyes.

"You have a problem with that?" Grantaire asked scornfully and Enjolras smiled for the first time since they met.

"Why do you think I don't have a roommate?" he retorted, confessing to Grantaire what he hadn't confessed to anyone in a long time. "Do you miss him?" he asked afterwards, the tension towards his new roommate fading slightly.

"Yeah…a hell of a lot," Grantaire whispered caressing the face of the drawing. But yet he found his mind drifting away from Jean-Henri and to Enjolras. He loved Jean-Henri, but then he lusted after Enjolras and he had only just met the man. His heart was in turmoil and it didn't help that the only person whoever understood him was all the way in Nice.

"I'm off out," Enjolras commented. "Don't touch my stuff, don't spread into my side of the room and don't get in trouble while I am gone!" he insisted and Grantaire chuckled. Grantaire was completely incapable of staying out of trouble, he accepted that now. And anyway, he had a plan to put into action. A little bit of revenge on the system that kept him trapped; Enjolras never had to know.

"I'll try my best," he winked and the door slammed shut.

For reference I have based Jean-Henri on Seamus Dever ;)