From Combeferre's point of view, it was surprising. He had known the man for just over ten years, and had been in the woman's good graces for about a year. He can still remember the day the couple met, as he had been one of the few people to follow their leader out to promote their campaign on the hottest day of the year. The rest had stayed behind, preferring instead to daze about under the faint cool air the fan was blowing steadily in their direction. The sun had been beating down on them, feeling as though it was physically trying to pummel them into the ground. Enjolras had made new pamphlets, pamphlets he had been getting overexcited about, and was happily offering them to as many people he could find.
Unfortunately (or, you know, fortunately, in some cases) Enjolras had attempted to give a girl with dark brown wavy hair a pamphlet. Combeferre could barely see the girl, as he was stood behind Enjolras to 'provide further support if needed', but the annoyance and hatred seeping from the girl's eyes was unmistakable.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" She held the red pamphlet as though it was some type of disgusting creature, only touching the corner of it and letting it dangle from her mud stained hands.
His friend stuttered for a while before clearing his throat and saying proudly, "I am Enjolras. And you are, mademoiselle?"
"I ain't got time for no pretty boys like you who spout big words and don't do nothing about them." She gave a sickeningly sweet smile, baring all of her crooked teeth on show, before screwing up Enjolras' beloved pamphlet and throwing it on the floor.
"Well, she was a delight." Combeferre said from behind him, watching aghast at how she ducked between people effortlessly.
"Yeah, a pleasure."
In Courfeyrac's opinion, the couple dubbed 'Enjonine' was a cause for celebration. Somebody had actually managed to break the stoic personality the man had set up, seemingly chipping away at the marble and letting the flow of emotions take over him.
Actually, Courfeyrac was the first person to show a particular interest in Éponine. He knew her brother and that meant he came in contact with her a lot more than he was aware of. But when she had shown up at a meeting, he had smiled at her and welcomed her in, despite the strange looks his fellow friends gave him. He doesn't know why, but the astounded looks from Combeferre and Enjolras had initially given her confused him, but he didn't let his friends' weird reactions dictate how he treated her. He loved little Gavroche like a brother, and that made her like family to him. So, naturally, he took her under his wing. But his friends' notable silence effected him unconsciously until he snapped.
"Alright, what's the big deal?"
Primarily, Jehan was the only one to speak, albeit softly and quite nervously. "She's a girl."
Courfeyrac remembers being happy that Éponine had chosen to talk to R at this point. "Yes, good observation, Jehan."
Jehan leaned in closer to him. "Enjolras doesn't like girls being in the back room. Especially not during meetings."
"Well, Enjolras can get off his high horse. Éponine is a great woman, and she should be allowed to go wherever she wants, it's simple." Courfeyrac shook his head.
"Yes, but look. Enjolras is already acting weird now that she's in here."
And Courfeyrac had to admit that Enjolras was acting rather strange; stranger than usual, that is. Of course, in hindsight the reason is obvious, but back then, Courfeyrac thought that their leader genuinely thought that Éponine being there was a bad thing.
To Bahorel, Éponine was a legend. She was a total lifesaver. For example, one day after a particularly brutal fight that had left him staggering home with a bruised up body, she had found him. He hadn't thought to call the police, but he's glad he didn't, because he wouldn't have been able to witness one of the most irrelevant things at the time, but one of the most significant events at the present time.
She had supported him back to his flat, keeping a steady, weirdly strong arm under him and given him motivation when his leg started to feel numb. With an ice pack on his wrist and bandages on his bleeding knuckles, he thanked whoever was up there that this amazing woman had a degree in nursing and was one of his closest friends.
"So, what happened?" She sat back on the seat across from him, leaving his hand delicately on the table between them. When he tried to inch it to the side and was received with a large shooting pain up his left arm, he stilled.
"This guy was being a dick to a group of girls. I stepped in and battered that misogynistic pig to the ground." He smiled at her.
She stood up. "Very admirable. But, next time you go out and be a hero, try not to get so fucked up, yeah?"
"Yeah." He gave her a lopsided grin as she checked his right arm for bruises and scratches.
His phone started to vibrate from the kitchen side, and Éponine walked over to retrieve it. She deflated a bit when she saw who was calling, and instantly answered the call and set it on speaker phone.
"What the hell happened?"
Enjolras' frantic voice sounded through his phone, and Bahorel chuckled. "Just got into a little scrap, chief. Nothing to worry about."
Enjolras gave an indignant huff. "Of course there's something to worry about, Bahorel. I just received a furious phone call from the club you so love, yelling at me for letting one of my 'little group' get too excited and cause a scene."
"Look, Enj', I've been checked over and I'm fine. Just a few bruises and-"
"Oh, really? Who looked you over?" He said it as though he didn't believe Bahorel had actually bothered to get medical help.
"As a matter of fact, Éponine." Bahorel smiled, even though Enjolras couldn't see. "Say hi, Ep'."
"Hello, Enjolras."
The other line was quiet for a moment. "Oh. Hi, Éponine."
"See, Enjolras? Just because I'm reckless, doesn't mean I'm careless."
Once again, the line was silent for a while. "Where are you?"
Éponine was still stood behind him, staring blankly at the phone, so he answered. "At my place."
"Do I need to come around? I could check you over again, if you'd like."
Éponine spoke clearly. "No, he's fine. Just a couple of bumps and a sore hand."
He could imagine Enjoras nodding shortly. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow then, Bahorel."
He smiled. "G'night, chief."
"Éponine."
"Yeah, bye."
Jehan thought Éponine and Enjolras was beautiful. Two perfect people, with respectable flaws, had never complemented each other so much. And that's saying something, since Jehan had read his fair share of romance novels and watched one too many tv programmes with flawless pairings.
He would like to say that Éponine and Enjolras' relationship had the perfect start, but that would be lying, so he has to settle for what really happened. And, lucky for Jehan, the start was right in the middle of a meeting.
"So are you saying that the people won't rise?"
"No, I'm saying that you're expecting too much. Yes, I admit that some people will come and help you, but thinking more than a hundred people will turn up to a protest that might not even work is stupid."
"And how would you know?" He crossed his arms.
"We've had this conversation enough times, Enjolras, you know how I know."
"Why do you have to be so goddamn cynical all the time, Éponine?"
"I'm not always cynical, I'm just a realist. I know what it's like to have your expectations crushed, and I can tell that you're about to get your aspirations thrown to the ground just by setting the bar too high. You may have been brought up receiving everything you want, but that ain't how it works now, sorry to break it to you."
The entire room had gone quiet by this time, nobody was muttering or shuffling about, everyone just staring at the couple in the middle of the room.
"What happened?" Enjolras' voice was unusually soft and he seemed honestly concerned.
Éponine just shook her head. The blond man walked closer to her and put his hands gently on her arms. "Sometimes you have to believe. I don't know who or what ruined your dreams, but I swear I will not let you down." His voice turned into a whisper, eventually hugging her and whispering into her dark waves. "I promise you."
And that, to Jehan, was the mark that started their relationship.
Marius' opinion of Éponine and Enjolras was tainted. He lived with Courfeyrac, but he was good friends with Enjolras as well. So, naturally, every now and again he'd take a brief visit to the man's flat. Admittedly, his visits never lasted long, as he was more often than not shoed out after about five minutes.
After an unfortunate incident where Enjolras had ended up locking Marius outside his house, leading to Marius sitting on Enjolras' front steps and waiting in the burning sun because he had left his car keys on the blond's sofa, Marius' visits had become scarce. He didn't voluntarily go unless he had a real reason.
On the Wednesday after Courfeyrac's birthday, Marius found a reason to go to the man's house. Enjolras had left his favourite red hoodie at Courfeyrac and Marius' place, so Courfeyrac had instructed Marius to go and return it to the owner. Marius was officially nervous. He didn't want Enjolras to yell at him again, there's no way Marius could relive that. So, needless to say, Marius was trembling and his palms were sweaty as he stumbled up the drive, trying desperately to rid the butterflies in his stomach, pressing the red hoodie under his arm.
He took a deep breath as he stood on the front step, shuffling about in front of the black wooden door. He knocked twice. Waited. Rubbed his hands together. Maybe Enjolras was out. But then he saw the red car on the driveway. He knocked again. Waited again. Marius was confused. Enjolras was usually very prompt with everything, even answering the door. So, naturally, as anybody would, Marius panicked. He tried the door handle and immediately knew something was wrong when it opened. He gasped and rushed into the entrance, masking sure to shut the door fully behind him. Looking around quickly, he checked to see if there was any sign of damage.
Marius was an avid viewer of crime shows on TV. He couldn't think of anything that made his heart race or his blood pump as much as a good ol' cop show. Because of this, he knew how to react in this situation. Step one: find a weapon. Unfortunately, the only thing Marius could find in the scarcely decorated entrance of Enjolras' house was a red umbrella, leaning against the scarlet wall. It would have to do.
Right now, he had anticipation and adrenaline running through him. He could potentially be on one of his beloved crime shows, he already knew what he would say in his report.
But now was not the time to think about that, now was the time for step two: locate the intruder. So, he set off, the hoodie still under his arm, and the umbrella positioned strategically in front of him, like a knight about to go into battle. He turned the corner of the entrance into the living room. No damage. Everything looked safe, everything looked normal, there were no men in all black, sneaking on tip-toe around the space.
But that had to mean that the intruder was somewhere else, so Marius walked slowly into the kitchen. He sighed when he saw nobody, his heart almost returning to its normal rate. He lowered his trusty umbrella a bit, placed the hoodie on the kitchen table, and turned around to the left and moved to the corridor. Now, if Marius' mind was accurate, he had three more rooms to check. The bathroom, Enjolras' library, and the bedroom.
He moved to the bathroom first, glad to see it was empty, nothing but a pair of crumpled up jeans littering the floor. He frowned, Enjolras' place was usually really tidy, Jehan and Combeferre had made sure Enjolras stuck by his household chores rota they had stuck on the fridge.
Next, the library. This was probably the least of Marius' concerns, as Marius couldn't think of anyone who would willingly break into a person's house, just to steal some books. Especially when the books were on boring things like revolution and politics. Nevertheless, Marius checked anyway, and didn't really react when he saw that the room was empty.
He moved to the last door. His blood ran cold and he stood still when he realised the door was open. He moved towards it slowly, making sure the umbrella was in front of him. His breath quickened, and his mind was running wild. He peered into the room. Nothing. He couldn't see the bed, however. What if Enjolras had been- dare he say it- murdered? What would Marius do? If Enjolras couldn't defend himself from the murderer, there was no way Marius could. He panicked, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He turned into the bedroom fully, facing the bed.
He opened his eyes quickly when he heard the bed move, and instinctively slashed his umbrella through the air. He stopped when he took in the sight.
Enjolras' hair was in plain view, his curly blondness nestled on the white sheets. Luckily for Marius, the sheets were draped over all of his body. His arms were wrapped around a girl. A petite girl. If Marius hadn't seen that sinfully tiny waist and that chestnut coloured hair before, he wouldn't have known it was Éponine. But, he did know Éponine. He had brought Éponine to a meeting, therefore making her existence known to Enjolras. He made this happen.
For the life of him, Marius didn't dare move. He just stood, frozen still, staring at them. He tried to move his foot a bit to set him on the happy and long awaited journey back home, but- well, Marius isn't the most graceful of people. In fact, Courfeyrac once said that Bahorel had more grace and daintiness than him. So, as only Marius could, on the way to move his foot across his other and make in the direction of the door, he tripped over his own ankle and sent himself flying to the floor.
From there, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. He heard a gasp (Éponine) and a surprised yell (Enjolras), and Marius, once again, could not move. His face was flushed and his heart was beating in his ears. He was staring determinedly at the floor, his arms braced below him and the umbrella flung about a metre in front of him.
"Marius?" Éponine. She sounded dumbstruck.
He turned to look at them ashamedly. Enjolras' face was set in a frown, and he could literally feel the glare from his eyes. Éponine seemed to be repressing a laugh, judging by the way she was biting her bottom lip and shaking the slightest bit. He gave a weak smile.
"Hi, guys. So this is why you left early last night, huh?" He managed a shaky chuckle, but when he made eye contact with Enjolras again, he stopped abruptly.
"Get the hell out of my house, Pontmercy."
With a stumbling step and a blank brain, he almost ran from the house.
Feuilly didn't have much of an opinion on Enjolras and Éponine. Okay, that was a lie. He liked them. He wasn't as invested in them as Jehan was, but he didn't hate them. When it all actually happened and they showed up at the café claiming to be in love and in a healthy relationship, Feuilly wasn't even surprised.
The reason was because he had all the behind the scenes gossip from both Éponine and Enjolras. He was, what shall we call it, a trusty advisor to them both. They trusted him with secrets they didn't dare tell anybody else. It just so happens those secrets happened to be about their relationship.
So it was Enjolras who had told him that he originally had feelings for her when Feuilly encountered him on the first meeting Éponine had attended. Then Éponine had told him that she had kissed him when he walked her home this one day. It was Enjolras who had managed to tell him that they had slept together. And then it was Éponine's smug grin and amused voice that had informed the extra detail of Marius' embarassing entrance.
So, all in all, he kind of knew the progression of their relationship more than any of the other friends, which kind of made him happy. But, knowing everything about them had its downsides too.
"So, you'll never guess what I just saw." Cosette almost skipped into the café. She kissed Marius on the cheek quickly, sat down next to him and smiled at the group.
Marius clutched her hand tightly. "And what was that?"
"Enjolras and Éponine." She leaned in closer and said in a conspiratorially secretive whisper, "holding hands."
She leaned back, smirking. There were gasps throughout the group, some mocking, some true. Feuilly looked at Marius. He looked as though he had seen a ghost, almost remembering something. Feuilly smirked.
Jehan leaned in. "Well, I knew I had a sneaking suspicion of something, but I didn't think they had gone exclusive yet."
"That's because they haven't." Grantaire chimed in.
"Yeah, but I thought they would have at least told me!" Courfeyrac frowned. "I mean, they both love me. This is so unfair. Even Cosette knew before me."
Cosette frowned a bit. "No, they didn't tell me. I just saw them holding hands."
Courfeyrac went on. "You know, I have known Enjolras for so long. And he doesn't even tell me this." He crossed his arms.
Bahorel jumped into the conversation after previously texting on his phone. "I agree. Ép' and I are, like, best mates and she didn't even tell me before Cosette? I mean, I respect the whole chicks before dicks thing, but Éponine and I have memories that none of you will ever know, or want to know about. Surely that means she would tell me before anyone else, right?" He also crossed his arms and frowned at the table.
Cosette's eyes were becoming increasingly panicked. She let go of Marius' hand which laid limp on the table, his eyes still dazed. Feuilly just watched it happen for a while. "No- please, Courfeyrac, don't start crying- Éponine didn't tell me anything, Bahorel. I just saw them holding hands."
Grantaire just shrugged his shoulders. "It's their business. If they didn't want us to know, that's their choice. All I ask is that I get invited to the wedding."
Jehan's eyes widened. "They're engaged?! Oh, we need to plan the party. Cosette, you'll help me, right?"
"I-I don't think-"
"Obviously, it will be a surprise. But, maybe next Friday? How does that sound to everyone?" He had already gotten a notebook out and was writing down a list of items needed.
Bahorel spoke. "Well, I'm not going if they don't want us to know. If they don't think we have the right to know about their engagement, they don't want us there obviously."
Courfeyrac gave a sound of agreement, but was still frowning at the table. As Cosette attempted to stop them from looking too far into what she had said, everyone joined in until it was just a loud noise of people talking to themselves. Feuilly just watched.
"Éponine might be pregnant." Marius' voice rang over everyone else's.
At everyone's surprised gasps, Feuilly shook his head. And that's the moment he decided to join in. "All right, you know what? No. Éponine and Enjolras are not engaged. Frankly, Jehan, they're not really the type of couple to go that fast, don't you think? And also, Marius, I don't care what you saw, Éponine is not pregnant. They're way more responsible and sensible than that. And Courfeyrac and Bahorel, I know, it's hard to think that your friends are getting together and growing up, but why don't you just grow a pair and deal with it like the rest of us have? So, all of you, stop spreading shit and jumping to conclusions, when the ideas you're having are so stupid. Okay? Thank you." He finished with a sigh. Everyone was staring at him, wide eyed. He took a sip of his drink before giving a small sigh and a shrug.
Bossuet was usually the most untrustworthy member of the group. Not because he couldn't keep a secret or wasn't loyal to the organisation. Just because he could barely hold a piece of paper in his hands without damaging it somehow. He wasn't necessarily clumsy (okay, that might be a lie), it's just, sometimes, somehow, he had the worst luck imaginable.
Yet, for some reason, despite his physical luck and experience, people came to him for advice. Not on big matters, but more simpler things that could alter their lives delicately in a strange way. Courfeyrac had once come to him asking if he should have his shoulder length hair cut short. After a long discussion on the pros and cons, Courfeyrac had decided to just get it cut to his chin, and everyone went crazy, freaked out by how different he looked. Courfeyrac had smiled, looked at Bossuet and given him a gentle nod of a head, which Bossuet had returned.
Yes, he was trusted in this aspect. Which is why he wasn't totally surprised when the chief came up to him at a meeting one day and sat down across from him formally. He guessed he had a question on whether or not to colour the new pamphlets red or black, just like the last three times. He smiled at him.
"I have a question."
"Go on."
"I thought you might be able to give me an answer that wasn't mocking or biased."
"Carry on."
"I mean, really, it's more two questions, but they kind of link in, so-"
"Enjolras, just tell me."
He took a deep breath and leaned in. His voice was lowered. "How do you know if you, you know, l-love someone?" He lowered his eyes to the table, his ears turning red.
Bossuet smiled. "Do you love Éponine, chief?"
Enjolras looked around, as though checking to see if Éponine was behind him, startled. "Well, that's what I was asking you to help me with. I think I do, but I- I've never felt this way before so I don't really know how to classify it into one name."
"Where is Éponine today?"
"She's out with her brother."
"Éponine has been coming to these meetings a lot these past couple of months, hasn't she?"
Enjolras nodded. "Yes, she likes them."
"Cosette isn't allowed to come to the meetings."
Enjolras frowned. "Well, yes, but that's because she distracts Marius. Can you not remember the time I let her attend a meeting? Marius' pamphlet ideas had hearts drawn all over them." He looked affronted at the memory.
"May I remind you what happened at last Thursday's meeting?"
Enjolras nodded his head, confused.
"You started a speech. Éponine was watching you, sat next to Grantaire. They were whispering to each other, giggling every now and again. I remember watching you, and you looked completely preoccupied from your speech. Your eyes kept drifting to Éponine and Grantaire. It wasn't until Grantaire moved that I realised you weren't distracted by their talking, but by Éponine's utter presence. After you absentmindedly completed your speech, you immediately went and sat next to Éponine, whispering to each other and laughing. You didn't speak to any of us for the rest of the night."
Enjolras had his head hung low, and was frowning slightly. "I apologise for my foolish behaviour. You see, I had been meaning to speak with Éponine all day, and that was the first time I had seen her since the previous meeting-"
"You walked in to the meeting having a deep conversation with her." Enjolras shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Marius and Cosette are married. Surely that means she should be allowed to attend the meetings. Yet, you let Éponine into the meetings even though she has no romantic attachment to anybody in the group."
Enjolras was about to say something, but Bossuet cut him off. "Are you and Éponine dating?"
Enjolras relaxed slightly. "Yes, for several weeks now."
"That's cute." He leaned back in his chair. "Now, from what I've observed, she loves you." Enjolras sat up slightly, his eyes brightening, which made Bossuet smile. "I hope that answers your second question. From that, I hope you can answer your first question yourself."
Enjolras nodded, and stood up. He turned and walked towards the window. On his way over there, he turned back to Bossuet, smiled, and gave him a nod. Bossuet grinned back.
Joly thought that Enjolras was ill at first. Of course, that was until he realised the catalyst of Enjolras' symptoms. In fact, Joly had found himself in the wake of one of the symptoms of love. Or, well, the way in which Enjolras dealt with the symptoms of love.
In hindsight, Joly understood what Enjolras' problem was, but at the time it was so unexpected, Joly nearly freaked out.
It actually started at a meeting, the back room of the Musain. Enjolras was sat alone, determinedly scribbling away at a speech. Joly was sat alone as well, given strict instructions by the chief to sort out and organise a large box of letters. Joly couldn't remember ever being this bored in his entire existence. And he had once sat through a dramatic reading of The Moth Mysteries (an original novel by Combeferre) at Combeferre's birthday party.
Luckily, the door opened after about five minutes of the gruelling task and Éponine slipped through, immediately taking a seat next to him. He looked up and smiled at her graciously, promptly starting a conversation- anything to get him away from the letters, anything.
"Hey, Éponine! How have you been feeling?"
She seemed distracted. "Yeah, I've been feeling fine, thanks, Joly." She turned her head to him, her hair blocking out half of her face. "I was just wondering if you could do me a favour?" She gave him a weak smile.
"Anything, Ép'." He grinned at her, interested and slightly nervous.
"Gavroche has a cough. And he keeps feeling light headed and nauseous. Do you think you could check him over for me?" She seemed quite panicked at the symptoms.
Similar to Éponine, Joly was alarmed. "Why, yes, of course. Where is he? Is he here?" He was looking around frantically. Éponine put her hand on top of his and he calmed down slightly.
"He's at Courfeyrac's right now, I think he's asleep." She smiled at him. "Thank you, I can't tell you how much this helps. I just- I didn't know where or who to go to, and I didn't want to worry anyone. But I've- I've never gone through this before, you know, I've never had to deal with someone other than myself having an illness. It's crazy."
He took both her hands in his and gave her a smile. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. From what I've heard from you, it sounds like a common case of the flu. He'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to Gavroche, I promise." He leaned in for a hug and smiled when she hugged him back.
When they pulled back, he squeezed her arms gently. "I'll go and check on him in a bit. I just need to sort through these letters first, if I don't, the chief will kill me." He gave a slight chuckle, to which she returned.
It was at that exact moment that there was a cough from in front of them. They both turned simultaneously.
Enjolras had sat himself down on the other side of the table, looking directly at Joly. He swallowed under the intense gaze and shoved his hands in the box of letters, frantically trying to seem occupied with the task he was given.
"Hello, Éponine." He smiled at the brunette. "Joly." He merely nodded at him. God, Enjolras must be pissed at him for not finishing the letters yet. "When did you get here, 'Ponine? I thought you said you were going out with Gavroche today."
She smiled at Enjolras, and sneaked Joly a little glance out of the side of her eye. Joly could see Enjolras tense a bit. Obviously, Joly wasn't allowed to be distracted. "Oh, I was. But then he had to go back to Courfeyrac's for the night, so I decided to come here."
Enjolras nodded, still slightly glaring at Joly. There was a silence between them. "I didn't know you and Joly were close, Ép'." Her had a raised eyebrow and was looking accusingly at Joly.
"Well, yeah, I mean, we talk." Éponine seemed confused.
"Yeah." He nodded rapidly, looking between them both. "And hug, too, so it seems." He let out a sharp, forced laugh.
Joly interrupted. "Éponine and I were just having a conversation, chief." He didn't want Éponine to get in trouble for Joly not doing his job.
"Yeah, we were talking about Gavroche, that's it."
Enjolras had a strained smile. "Okay."
Éponine leaned in. "A-are you okay, Enjolras? We were just having a conversation, I swear."
He looked into Éponine's eyes and Joly almost felt like he was trespassing on some important moment. After a while, Enjolras nodded slightly and smiled at her. "Okay." He nodded and stood up. "Okay. Ép, would you like a lift home tonight?" He seemed eagerly hopeful.
"Sure. That would be lovely, Enjolras, thank you." She grinned at him as he turned around, a smile on his face. Joly was relieved that he hadn't gotten a lecture from the blond, so he grinned in ease.
So, sure, Joly hadn't realised he had received the weird way Enjolras dealt with jealously, but that night after checking on Gavroche and informing Éponine that he did, in fact, have a simple case of the flu, when he was laid in bed, he thought about the experience. Enjolras seemed to have it bad. It was really quite amusing.
Cosette was initially angry when she found out about the relationship between Enjolras and Éponine. It wasn't until she had practically forced it out of Marius that she found out about their little romp after Courfeyrac's party. She had been the one to prompt their relationship, telling Éponine that she had seen Enjolras watching her at Marius and Cosette's one year wedding anniversary party. It was a momentous occasion- not only for Cosette and Marius, but for Éponine and Enjolras too. Éponine had blushed, giggled and shook her head. As confirmation, Cosette looked at Enjolras, once again finding him staring at Éponine, a small smile on his lips.
After that party, though, she didn't hear or see anything concerning the prospective couple until she saw them holding hands in a different café down the street from the Musain. They were reading an article in the paper together and laughing at something. It was a strange sight to see, both of them leaning on each other, their hands clasped tightly together. It was especially weird when remembering all the arguments and confrontations they had been recently having at the Musain, always shouting at each other and ceasing all other conversations in the room.
But when Marius had seemed extremely guilty after they had come back from the Musain that day, Cosette had cornered him and pestered him until he confessed what he knew. She had taken the initiative that it was something to do with Enjolras and Éponine. She had not, however, expected Marius' sheepish story about how he had found them that morning.
So, as any best friend would do, she drove over to Enjolras' apartment, determined to talk to Éponine. She knew that Éponine was staying with Courfeyrac, but she was no fool. She knew Éponine would be with Enjolras.
And she did find Éponine there. But no Enjolras. Which was surprising, considering his car was in the driveway.
Éponine opened the door and gasped, her eyes widening significantly. She was wearing a black vest top and leggings, showing off her stupidly perfect figure that Cosette had spent an abundance of time admiring jealously.
"Oh. Hi, Cosette. Would you like to come in?" She opened the door awkwardly, attempting a smile.
Cosette raised an eyebrow and stalked through the door, her skirt flowing around her knees. She walked into the living room, taking a seat on a red chair without speaking to Éponine at all, barely even making eye contact. She heard Éponine walk into the room and take a seat as well.
Cosette kept the silence for a while, liking having the upper hand.
"Would you like some tea?" Éponine tried, but was met with silence. She looked confused. "We have green tea, I know you love it."
Cosette nearly started at the use of 'we', but decided to leave Éponine hanging for a little longer.
"Cosette, what's wrong?"
She turned to look at Éponine. She took a deep breath. "Don't act like you don't know."
Éponine gaped. "Seriously, what is it?"
"Well, let's see. Whose house are we currently in?"
Éponine still seemed confused. But then it all seemed to click together, and a look of recognition came over her face. "Oh, Cosette, I am so sorry that I didn't tell you. We just didn't want everyone to know, especially when we were only just getting used to each other, you know? And I didn't-"
"You know what? Save your excuses. I told you when I started dating Marius, it's unfair that you wouldn't do the same." Cosette's eyes were watering now, and she couldn't think of anything to make them stop.
"Cosette, I introduced you and Marius. I was there when he asked you to be his girlfriend. You didn't really tell me, I witnessed it."
"Stop trying to make this about me, Éponine! This is about you being an unfaithful friend!"
Éponine was shaking her head now. "What do you want me to tell you? You want me to explain our first kiss, when he asked me out, the first time we had sex, the first time we confessed our love, the first time we did-"
"You love each other?"
Éponine stopped. "Yes. Do you seriously think I'd stay with a boy for this long if I didn't love him?"
"I don't know how long you've been with him for, remember? You didn't tell me."
Éponine nodded. "Oh. Right." She shook her head a bit. "Well, remembering dates is really Enjolras' thing, but I think it's coming up two months soon."
"You've had a boyfriend for two months and you didn't tell me?" Now Cosette just felt sad. Not angry, not confused, just sad.
"I'm sorry." She moved over to Cosette and sat down on the floor in front of her chair. "But, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you. Just please don't cry."
Cosette nodded and sat on the floor with her as well. "Well, I know you've been with him for two months, and that you love him." Éponine nodded. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
"I would have eventually. We were gonna tell everyone altogether at the café. We figured it would be easier that way."
Cosette nodded. "Yeah. It would be, I guess." Cosette managed a smile. "We've all been gossiping about you and Enjolras, you know? So, I think on some level, everyone knows you and him are dating." She grinned now.
"Yeah?" Éponine giggled a little.
"Yeah, we've all seen things that kind of indicated towards it."
Éponine looked horrified. "Oh, god. I thought we were more secretive than that."
"You were. We were all just waiting for it to happen."
Éponine smiled. "Enjolras is gonna be so embarrassed."
Cosette laughed. "So, let's talk about real stuff now. What's he like in bed?"
So, in conclusion, Cosette's feelings towards the couple were amiable- she liked them together. He made Éponine happy, and that's all Cosette really wanted. She also found out some things about Enjolras that were more than pleasant, so she guess she kind of gained something from the relationship to, even if it was just a selfie that Enjolras had sent Éponine when he was drunk.
When the couple finally confessed their relationship to the group, it's safe to say that nobody was surprised. Courfeyrac, Bahorel, and Jehan had all placed bets on when they would tell everyone (Bahorel won and didn't stop boasting about it all night).
Everyone was happy, and the meeting went as normal. Rambunctious laughing could be heard from Courfeyrac, Jehan was chastising Bahorel for knocking something over, and Joly was in the middle of his third sneeze in a row. The only different thing about this session was that Éponine and Enjolras' hands were joined while they looked over a letter the group had just received together.
From Grantaire's position next to the window, he watched all the members of this little group that he loved so much. To Grantaire, Éponine and Enjolras' relationship was perfect. They made each other happy, and that's more than he could ask for for his friends. He smiled.
I've been working on this for a while, so I hope you like it. Please review, I can't tell you how happy it makes me! Thanks you so much for reading! :)