(A/N)- I apologize for all the other fics unattended to, this is just a one-shot for now, may be a two-parter if people want it, sorry for any mistakes esp. with the French, I used Google Translate but idk if I can honestly trust that LOL translations are at the very bottom if you need to reference, but I tried to make it obvious as to their meaning in the story. Enjoy!
J'e'taime
Lefou sat, crumpled on the floor, defeated, his eyes staring into the dark abyss where he saw Gaston fall to his death. He should have helped him, he should've saved him … he still had his pistol holstered … he could've slain the Beast, and his friend might still be alive …
He leaned against the windowpane, tears falling down his face as he watched Belle, cradling the Beast … he appeared to be dying … and so he felt justice had been served, perhaps … but why was he not grateful?
A shaky breath swept through him, and he finally turned away from it all, only to curl into a fetal position on the floor and sob openly, clutching his chest.
He heard the rustle of fabric as someone approached, and warm fingers brushed his forehead, moving the loose curls out of his face. He opened his eyes, preparing to scare off anyone who dared approach him in his time of grief, and looked up at his intruder to see …
"… Stanley?"
The young man was kneeling on the floor beside him, his pink and gold dress spilled out all around him. He was wearing a beautiful white wig with curls that fell along his shoulders, and his makeup, well, it might have been flawless, if not for the fact it was being washed away by his own tears.
Stanley said nothing as he tenderly stroked Lefou's hair, and Lefou sighed, too physically and emotionally exhausted to protest. He reached over and clutched the younger mans dress and pulled it over to him to hide his gross sobbing as he wept.
"Mon cher ami," Stanley murmured, tucking his hair behind his ear, "Vous avez fait tout ce que vous pourriez …"
"It wasn't enough!" Lefou cried back, "I should have done more. I saw his decline, early on, I tried to hope he would see the error of his ways … tout pour rien …"
"Tant d'amour … j'ai osé espérer that I might have someone to love me just as much, some day …"
Lefou looked up at Stanley from the folds in the dress, his eyes still cloudy with tears, and Stanley's eyes too were brimming as he stopped stroking his hair and looked away from the fallen man's gaze.
"Aime toi toi-même …" Stanley said firmly, nodding as he shut his eyes, his tears rolling down his face, and repeated, "You must love yourself, even half as much as you loved him. You deserve love."
Lefou rolled back onto his side to face the abyss, his gaze far off.
"Gaston was too blinded by his ego to see the love you had for him, let alone return it. Don't let it die with him."
"Do not speak ill of the dead," Lefou replied darkly, fresh tears rolling down his face and onto the stone floor.
"Pardonne-moi …"
Lefou stared out at the crumbled walkway that Gaston had fallen from, feeling numb from the cold floor or his disbelief and heartache or all of the above. He could never forgive himself. The villagers would surely blame him for his death. Lefou was, after all, Gaston's voice of reason, he should've been enough to save him …
A golden light bloomed from the balcony where he had last seen Belle and the Beast, and it caught his eye. He couldn't make out what was going on, except that when it faded, the sun rose almost instantly, and light poured along the castle walls, repairing and leaving a glistening gleam on everything it touched as it went.
Lefou thought for certain that he was dreaming, or dying. He couldn't believe his eyes.
He could hear laughter from the balcony, and he saw Belle with what appeared to be a young and handsome man, who picked her up and twirled her around.
"Is that the Beast?" Lefou asked himself aloud, dumbstruck.
He was broken out of his thoughts as he felt Stanley's lips press against his brow, firmly, and he let out a gentle gasp, feeling a pang in his heart at the gesture, frozen in shock and unable to face him.
Then the younger man whispered in his ear, "Adieu, mon amour,"
And with a rustle of fabric, the man was gone, leaving Lefou dumbfounded.
"Mon amour …?" Lefou murmured to himself, looking in the direction Stanley had left. Now his heart was broken even more. How long had Stanley felt this way? If Gaston was blinded by his ego, then Lefou must have been blinded by Gaston … he searched his brain for signs that Stanley loved him, but there were none … except for the face he made when he was praising Gaston … but he thought Stanley was just thinking he was silly … Stanley was, after all, a very quiet and reserved man. And Lefou was always rather loud. If there were signs, no doubt he would have missed it.
"Stanley!" Lefou found himself shouting, and he scrambled to his feet, slipping on the stone as he ran, "Stanley, wait!"
Lefou raced out into the hall and towards the stairwell, stopping when he saw the discarded wig on the ground, "Stanley!"
He glimpsed him down on the steps below, and watched in awe, as did Stanley, as the glowing sunlight swept across the walls around him and the dress he wore dissipated before his very eyes, turning into gold dust and sweeping away into the air, revealing his regular clothes underneath.
"Stanley, come back, s'il vous plaît!"
Stanley looked up and met his eyes, which were filled with fear and heartache.
"S'il vous plaît … please, Stanley …" Lefou pleaded, amazed that he still had tears to shed, but this time it wasn't for a love lost, it was a love he never knew he had, and perhaps there was still a chance to save it …
"Don't leave me like this …" Lefou begged, gripping the railing, "Je ne veux pas être seul."
"You need to be alone," Stanley told him, but instead walked towards him, his face riddled with guilt and sympathy, "You need time to grieve."
"I've grieved my whole life away for him," Lefou countered, getting angry now as he slowly descended the steps, afraid if he stormed down he would scare the man off, "Not a tear was shed for me, until you …"
"You're not in a good place right now," Stanley argued, "Ce ne serait pas juste."
"Exactly! It's not right! If you leave right now, I don't know if I'll ever forgive you."
Stanley stopped in place, fidgeting his fingers at his sides as he stood, head bowed to the floor as Lefou approached tentatively. Now faced with his friend, stripped of his gown and wig, he felt stripped of his confidence as well.
"I'm a villain." Stanley admitted, his gaze glued to the floor, "I cannot stay."
"The Beast is alive and well, so it seems," Lefou argued, "You are guiltless."
"I still helped lead them here …"
"And I did nothing to stop it."
"Je t'ai vu, you didn't want to attack them …"
"But I still did nothing," Lefou reminded, "I am just as guilty as you, more so, even. Please."
He daringly tucked his finger and thumb under the younger man's chin, causing him to look into his eyes, his face flushed at the touch.
"Don't make me face them alone," Lefou said softly, and his eyes flickered to Stanley's lips unintentionally and, realizing how close they were, he took a step back, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Ne me faites pas cela," Stanley said quietly, his eyes glassing over.
"Don't do what?" Lefou shrugged innocently.
"This!" Stanley insisted, gesturing wildly between them, "Ne jouez pas à des jeux! Ce ne serait pas juste!"
"I'm not playing games!" Lefou scoffed.
"J'e'taime." Stanley said flatly, shaking his head in annoyance, raising his brow at him, "Comprendre?" he asked impatiently, and annunciated, "J'e'taime."
Lefou could only stare back at him in disbelief, his breath caught in his throat and his head was spinning. But then he recalled what Stanley had whispered to him before he took off … mon amour ...
"How long have you felt this way?" Lefou asked finally, genuinely concerned and curious, heartbroken but desperate to know how long his friend had suffered.
"Too long," Stanley mumbled, appearing to be angry with himself, "I cannot recall a time when I didn't …"
"But you hid it so well!" Lefou protested, and gripped his shoulders to give him a light shake, "Why did you say nothing before?"
"You were smitten, it was obvious. How could I compete with the village war hero? And besides, Villeneuve wouldn't take kindly to people like us. I envied you. You were safe to be out because you were his right hand man."
Lefou snorted, "Yes, well, he never knew what I was …"
"It's okay," Stanley assured, "You can say his name."
"I can't," Lefou admitted, looking away, "I'm still so raw … It's so fresh in my mind …"
Stanley nodded in understanding, his long arms carefully wrapping around the smaller man, holding him close, his chin atop his head, "I understand, mon cher ami," he mumbled, "Tu m'as. I won't ever leave you."
They held each other for what felt like an eternity, until voices met their ears.
"What's going on?" Lefou asked through Stanley's scarf, and Stanley lifted his head, looking towards the chatter.
"Je ne sais pas," he shrugged, looking down at Lefou, whose face was still damp from crying and he looked a right mess.
He pressed a kiss to his forehead, briefer than the first time he kissed him and Lefou felt it was more platonic than anything.
"Kiss me again," Lefou breathed, and Stanley obliged with a small smile, kissing him again on his sweaty forehead.
"No, not like that-"
"Non," Stanley replied simply, shaking his head, "Non, you are not well. I do not want you to regret it."
Lefou swallowed hard, and nodded reluctantly, resorting to find comfort by resting his head against his chest, listening to his heart beating.
"We should go," Stanley decided after awhile, "They'll wonder where we are …"
Stanley released Lefou, but took his hand in his and led him down the tower steps and into the light of the courtyard.
(A/N)- Hope you enjoyed it, if you did PLEASE leave a review! There's a bit more to it but it's still in pieces and I'm not sure if I wanna continue or just leave it as is. So REVIEWWW! translations under the break
Mon cher ami: My dear friend
Vous avez fait tout ce que vous pourriez: You've done everything you could
tout pour rien: All for nothing
Tant d'amour: So much love
j'ai osé espérer: I dared to hope
Aime toi toi-même: Love yourself
Pardonne-moi: Forgive me
Adieu, mon amour: Farewell, my love
S'il vous plaît: Please
Je ne veux pas être seul: I don't want to be alone
Ce ne serait pas juste: It wouldn't be right
Je t'ai vu: I saw you
Ne me faites pas cela: Do not do this to me
Ne jouez pas à des jeux: Do not play games
J'e'taime: I love you
Comprendre: understand
Tu m'as: you have me
Je ne sais pas: I do not know
non: no