The cold night air nipped at her bare, dirt smeared skin, her still healing ribs making it extremely uncomfortable when it came to trying to huddle up for warmth. Just another night, nothing making this day any different from yesterday or even tomorrow, it's always going to be the same for Éponine. The day spent roaming the streets, usually, or being a part of her father's schemes to get money out of anyone he saw fit. The nights spent in a man's bed for a short time while she 'earned' the money the 'easy' was as her father put it.
She hated it, every second of it, but she didn't exactly have a choice in it. She was forced to use herself as a way to get the money her father wanted or endure another round of his fists on her body. She picked the one that didn't leave her body covered in bruises, most of the time. The men, if you could call them that, were never more than the scum that ran around with her father and saw her as nothing more than a means to take care of their erections. She hated them, all of them with so much passion in her but knew she could do nothing about them and that keeping her hate to herself was a way of keeping herself alive for one more day and at the end of the day that's what life was about for her.
She walked the streets at all hours of the day and knew each turn by memory, the streets were in her blood and she was able to let them take her and just go anywhere. Time did not matter to her, the moon was up and its light shining over the cobblestone under her feet illuminating the world around her. After a while of walking around she found herself in the front of the familiar building, she wasn't surprised her feet had led her to the makeshift home of her childhood friend and partner in crime, Montparnasse. It was an old building, dingy and rundown inn that hadn't been used for years, but he had managed to salvage a part of the top floor and furnish it with things he stole and actually buying somethings, with stolen money of course. Overtime the top floor, which of course he picked so he could look down at whoever walked the streets of the slums at night, had become an actual living space, a couple decent yet rundown beds, a sofa with stains of, who the hell knew what those stains were, along with various knickknacks he had acquired over the years. Éponine had been there so many times she didn't need to knock or announce herself, she simply walked in the front door and made her way up the stairs to the top floor and let herself into the what was the living room, plopping herself down on the edge of the sofa and bringing her legs up to her as she simply sat there.
"Just letting yourself in again I see." The familiar, deep voice of Montparnasse coming from the bedroom. She turned her head to see him walk with his shirt in hand, her eyes falling on his bare, sculpted chest a few seconds before looking up at his eye, the dark eyes that kept so many secrets and lies, yet she could still see the hint innocence that she knew had yet to leave him, the innocence she knew would be gone soon enough with the amount of time he spent with her father.
"Nothing special to be let into if we're being honest." A smirk playing on her lips as he spilled on his shirt and sat beside her on the sofa, to which she instantly moved to rest her body weight against his and lean her head on his shoulder, letting out a soft wince at her the sharp pain she still got from her ribs. She tried to keep it hidden but 'Parnasse always knew what those winces meant, he hated them because he just knew her father had yet again given her another beating and as always he just wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him as gently as he could to hurt her more.
"Yeah yeah, that's why you keep coming back here." Giving her a smirk of his own as she nuzzled her head into the space between his shoulder and neck, "It's better here than over there" she mumbled as he rest his head on hers. She could feel his jaw clench at her response, she knew he hated the fact that her father was physical with her.
"You don't have to stay you know." His voice softening as his thumb began to move slowly over her shoulder.
"You know I can't, as long as I'm there he won't do the same to Gavroche or Azelma. I can't abandon them there not with -them- there." Shaking her head a bit, "I want to, you know I do. But I can't-I won't."
He sighed biting his lower lip a bit, "What was tonight for?" It was her turn to sigh as she turned her head into his chest before replying, "I wouldn't be with Babet. I refused to even though he had paid my father, I said no to both of them so both of them did it tonight." Her eyes started watering without warning and she felt a tear slide down her dirt ridden cheek and felt him move her from her place to sit across his lap and wrapped both arms around her, holding her closer and running a hand over her tangled, dirty hair and shushing her softly.
"Shh, forget about that it's okay. It's done now." Pressing a kiss to her temple as she nodded and wiped her face with the back of her hand, "Stay here tonight, don't go back." His voice lowered to a whisper even though she was the only one around to hear, "You know can't, 'Parnasse. You know I have to go back and keep him from tou-" He cut her off before she could continue, "Just for tonight I'm not asking forever, just tonight, 'Ponine one night that's it."
She lifted her chocolate, still wet eyes to his, the dark, stormy ones that right now showed the innocence that was still in him. She couldn't help but nod to him, they're relationship was rocky to put mildly but she knew of all people Montparnasse would be the one to trust, always. He smiled as she agreed and pressed a soft kiss to her lip before resting his forehead on hers. They stayed that way for a few minutes, not a word between either of them just the sound of the night outside and their breathing before he slid off the couch with her still in his arms, carrying her bridal style to his bed. She had been in his bed many times before, it wasn't something new to her and it was the only other bed that she knew she could sleep in and be safe. He pulled her close and kissed her temple again as soon as he moved beside her, "Night 'Ponine. I'll still be here when you wake." She leaned her head and gave him a tender kiss as he spoke his last words with that sleepy tone she found adorable, "Night, 'Parnasse. And thanks for taking care of me." As soon as she laid her head back down on his shoulder she let sleep fall over her and let the warmth of his body surround her.