"I am agog, I am aghast! Is Marius in love at last? I've never heard him ooh and ah." Grantaire exclaimed. Enjolras' head shot up and he looked hard at his two friends. After he noticed the look in Marius' eyes, and the laughter in everyone else's, he looked around for the only one who wasn't there. He gave up his scan and went to yell at Marius, and the rest of the boys for that matter. They knew better. The revolution was the next day, and there was still a lot of work to be done. When the his friends were redirected to the important matter at hand, he noticed a shadow appear at the top of the stairs.
"Mademoiselle." He said, walking over to her.
"Monsieur." She responded. He lifted her hand and kissed it. "There are rumors floating around."
"Oh? You've come to find out the truth?" He asked, walking past her down the stairs. She shrugged.
"And maybe for another reason." He lifted his eyebrows at her, but held the door as she passed through the doors to the street. She quickly lead the way to a nearby alleyway and they both hid in the shadows, as the girl was so good at. She immediately pressed her lips hungrily to his.
"Did you hear about Marius?" He asked, between kisses.
"Yeah, his new crush on that blonde, two-a-penny?" He nodded. "I helped."
"So, you're okay with it?" He asked, his hands roaming down her shoulders and arms to rest on her hips.
"Of course. I overstepped the knight and got the prince." She said, punctuating the statement with a kiss. They dropped the topic in favor of exploring each others' mouths more.
"Gabriel, don't do it." She said, in between kisses.
"Don't do what, Éponine?" He asked, pulling her closer.
"The revolution. Stop it." She said, running her hands through his hair, hoping to distract him enough for him to agree. He didn't take the bait, however.
"Ép, you know I can't do that." He said pulling away.
"But you can! You're the leader! You can stop it anytime." She argued.
"No, I can't. I have to do this and not even you can stop me."
"Let someone else take over. You've trained Marius well enough, let him do it." She pleaded.
"No. It's what I have to do. France needs me." He said. "I should probably get back, are you coming with me, or should I have Grantaire walk you home?"
"I need you more than France does. Don't send me away, come with me."
"No, Éponine." He said walking away.
"Gabriel, I love you! I can't lose you for a stupid, useless battle!" She screamed. He turned around to look at her.
"It's not stupid! And it's not useless! Can't you see I'm doing this for you? For you and Gavroche, and Azelma, and Rachelle, and all the others like you! A change has to happen, and I'm going to set it into motion. You're either with me or against me." He said before turning back around and walking out of the alley and back into the Musain. She sank against the wall and cried until Grantaire came out to find her.
"Come on, Eppy. I'll walk you home." He said gently.
"I don't want to go home." She argued.
"But you don't want to come up to the café, either. He's fuming. I don't know what you said or did, but he is not happy with you." Grantaire said, sitting down and running a hand through his hair.
"I told him not to go through with it. To hand it off to Marius. He doesn't understand that he's going to be a martyr. He doesn't understand that he can't do France any good dead. He can't do me any good dead." She said quietly.
"Oh, Eppy. You know how he gets. No one can change his mind. Not even you." Grantaire whispered into her hair as she cried into him.
"I thought, I just… You know, even Achilles had his heel."
"And you were hoping you were his. I know, I know." He calmed her down and then convinced her to come back up to the Café with him. "Head up. No weakness. If you do, you have no chance. Come on, Eppy." They walked up the stairs and Grantaire walked back over to his table. Éponine caught Enjolras' eye from across the room. He emptied his corner booth and then Éponine walked over and sat down.
"I thought Grantaire was walking you home." He said, almost coldly.
"I thought I meant something to you. We were both wrong." She said, just as icy.
"You look like crap."
"You're one to talk. Have you even showered in the last ten days?"
"Oh, Éponine. I'm so sorry. You know I wish I could do both. I love you, but I love France, too. I need both of you." He said, hanging his head.
"Gabriel, I'm not here for your pity. I'm here to make a deal with the master politician." She said, crossing her hands and setting them on the table, very businesslike.
"Oh?" He said, lifting an eyebrow.
"If you're going to the funeral tomorrow and staging a protest, I'm coming too." She said. He just stared at her, gaping. Then he started laughing. She looked around to see some of the boys beginning to take interest in their conversation.
"Gabriel, why are you laughing?" She asked.
He calmed down before saying, "You're kidding right?" After she shook her head and corrected her posture even more, he turned serious. "Éponine, there is no possible way you could think I would let you do this." He said under his breath.
"Oh, Enjy, either we both go, or we both stay far away. It's your choice, and you can't stop me." She said, cockily.
"Eppy, no. Absolutely not. I'm going and you're staying home. Do you understand me?" He asked, steely.
"I understand, but I'm not agreeing. I gave you your choices, you just have to decide."
"You can ask me to do this-"
"Quite on the contrary. I can, and I am. Gabriel, the ball is in your court. I'm going home now. You will join me there by the sunrise, or I'll be a part of your revolution right beside you. It's your choice." She stood up. "Nice doing business with you, Mr. Achilles." And she walked out of the café.
Once she was out of sight, Enjolras banged his fist on his table, causing utensils to fly. Grantaire came over and sat across from him. "So she told you?"
"Told me what, R? That I have no bearing on her? That I either endanger her or give up my last four months of work to Marius? That I either give up on her or on France? Yeah, she told me."
"So she went with the ultimatum. I suggested she just tell you she was pregnant." Enjolras paled. "She's not actually! I just suggested it." He covered quickly.
"God, R. You can't say things like that!" There was a long pause.
"So, Apollo, what are you going to do?"
"I have no clue. Neither is an option. I can't risk either one." Enjolras said, hanging his head.
"You just have to choose the lesser evil. Which do you love more? Which has more riding on you, individually?" Grantaire asked.
"You want me to choose her?" Enjolras asked.
"Of course. She's my best friend. I don't think she can survive without you. Fuck France. Run away with her and make beautiful, smart babies, is what I say. But when have you ever listened to me?" Grantaire said. Then the drunk got up and left.
After hours of sitting up in the dark, Éponine was anxious and angry that Enjolras never came back to his own apartment. "One more day all on my own. One more day with him not caring. What a life I might have known, but he never cared for me." She started to get ready to head into battle. She found some of his old, beat up clothes he used to use to go out to care for the poor in when he was still in high school. He was skinny enough then, especially before the growth spurt, that she could fit into his clothes.
"One more day before the storm. Patch the barricades of freedom. When the ranks begin to form, will stay or will I flee?" Enjolras said, storming out of the café and out into the rain. He had someone he needed to talk to.
Éponine was just finishing her chest wrappings and throwing a dirty shirt on when the apartment door slammed open. "Hello? Gabriel, is that you?" She didn't hear a response, but heard a crash and some glass shatter in the entryway. She rushed out of the room, grabbing a candle holder off of his dresser to protect herself.
The shadow was staggering, and must have run into the kitchen table that previously held all of Enjolras' old revolution plans and an empty water glass. "Gabriel, is that you?" She asked again. She quickly found a match and lit a candle near her.
"My place is here, I'll fight for you!" The shadow yelled. She launched herself at him and attached their lips.
"Oh, Gabriel. You scared me." She said before leaning in closer to him.
"I mean it. I'm fighting for you. I'm staying here and with you. After the revolution is done, we'll leave France. We'll go to Spain until we make enough money to sail to America." Enjolras said, holding her at an arm's length.
"Gabriel, I love you. What's going to happen tomorrow?" She asked.
"Marius agreed. He is leading the revolution. I got him a little extra help, so hopefully, he can make it back to his blonde, two-a-penny. But that's not important. You're important, and I love you, Miss Heel."
A/N: Just a quick little one-shot to hold you over. I wanted to do something besides Netflix, so my roommate told me to write. This is what came out of that. It's based off of this edit here p/AmEkyKyQ66x. Hopefully I can get started on publishing a new multi-chapter soon. I just want to make sure I'll be able to finish what I start, which is why no story has been published yet. Read and review. I hope to see y'all soon!