Kiss You, Kiss Me... Kiss Him, Too? (3001 words) by eirenical

Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Combeferre/Courfeyrac/Enjolras
Characters: Courfeyrac (Les Misérables), Combeferre (Les Misérables), Enjolras (Les Misérables)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Ending, to Kiss You Kiss Me, Angst with a Happy Ending, Kissing, Threesome - M/M/M, Misunderstandings, Demisexuality, Asexual Enjolras, Sexual Experimentation

Series: Part 4 of Follow You, Follow Me

Summary:
An alternate ending to Kiss You, Kiss Me, where a little talking goes a long way towards clearing up the angst of a morning after which had been set to go entirely wrong, and ends in everyone involved getting to have their cake and eat it, too.

November 15, 2014: I'M BACK. *slightly maniacal laughter* No really, it's been a terrible few months... er... half year, since I last posted anything. I've been suffering the worst case of writer's ennui that I've ever felt. It was worse than writer's block. I had all these wonderful ideas and I WANTED to write... and then I'd sit down at my keyboard and just... couldn't do it. It wasn't that the words wouldn't come. It was that I'd realize exactly what it would take to get from point A to point B in the plot and just the thought of putting all those words on paper was so exhausting that I couldn't do it. And it was awful. Anyway, I FINALLY felt like I was coming out of it this last week, like I was itching to write again and was filled with a conviction that I could... only I've developed the asthmatic cough from hell and between the cough and the meds for the cough, I was exhausted. And every spare minute that wasn't spent doing my work for the classes I was teaching and the ones I was taking... was spent sleeping. -.-;;;

BUT.

Tonight, I did a writing questions meme over on tumblr and kingesstropolis asked me the money question - to write an alternate ending to Kiss You, Kiss Me. So I did. ^_^

If you haven't read that story, I strongly suggest you do before you read this one. It picks up with that last scene and goes off in a very different direction. For those who want a refresher and don't want to reread KYKM... when Enjolras was 12 years old, he became concerned that he wasn't yet showing interest in kissing and relationships like others of his age were starting to do. He convinced Courfeyrac to kiss him, so see if he felt anything, trying to figure out if he was asexual or just a late bloomer. And though Courfeyrac finds himself falling quickly in love with his best friend, they are no closer to answering Enjolras' question. With no conclusive proof one way or the other after that first kiss, Enjolras and Courfeyrac ended up continuing that experiment every year until Enjolras' 22nd birthday. On that day, Enjolras let himself get drunk, thinking that he only had to lose his inhibitions and sex would finally be something he'd want. He was right. The morning after find Enjolras finally having an answer to his question, the experiment at an end... and Courfeyrac's heart secretly very broken.

This alternate ending veers off from KYKM on that morning after.

Kiss You, Kiss Me… Kiss Him, Too?
by eirenical

It was the morning after Enjolras' 22nd birthday and Courfeyrac woke up with no idea of where he was, except that he was on someone's couch, he was nearly naked, there was a blanket draped over him... and someone was cooking. He moaned his way into a sitting position, blearily tried to blink away the dryness, left behind from sleeping the night in his contacts, enough to bring the world into focus. When he finally succeeded, the first thing he saw was a slightly crumpled letter addressed to himself sitting on the coffee table.

And at the sight of that letter, it all came rushing back. He knew where he was. He knew what he'd done. He knew who he'd slept with last night. So, where the hell was Enjolras?

Courfeyrac jumped from the couch and whirled to face the kitchen, heart trying to jump into his throat and his stomach at once, leaving him unsure if he was going to scream or throw up. Both seemed like good options at that moment.

Enjolras' voice - far too cheerful for how tired and hungover he should be - spoke up from the kitchen. "If you're going to throw up, please try to get to the bathroom. If you're not, Combeferre is making pancakes and you're welcome to join us."

Even as he breathed a sigh of relief at that cheerful tone and the easy supply of answers, the utterly unaffected attitude it portrayed told Courfeyrac everything he needed to know. Last night... everything had changed. Except nothing had. And nothing would. Courfeyrac's stomach rolled and he turned and ran for the bathroom. He made it just in time. By the time he was done heaving into the toilet, there was a cool set of hands touching him - one holding back his hair, the other resting at the small of his back and rubbing soft circles on the bare skin there.

When Courfeyrac looked up, it was to meet two equally worried pairs of eyes. Combeferre's hand dropped from where it had been sifting through Courfeyrac's hair and he took a step back, giving Courfeyrac room to ease back from his hunched position over the toilet. The hand on his back, however, continued its movements, shifting from small, soothing circles to longer, broad strokes. Courfeyrac fought a shiver of a different kind. He couldn't face Enjolras. Not after last night. Not knowing what he knew. Not knowing that what little they'd had was over. He needed time. He needed space. He couldn't put himself back together with Enjolras this close. He turned pleading eyes on Combeferre.

Combeferre stepped forward, dropped a hand onto Courfeyrac's shoulder, and said, "Enjolras… it's a bit crowded in here. Why don't you go check on the pancakes so they don't burn?"

Courfeyrac ducked his head, stared resolutely at the floor so he wouldn't have to watch as Enjolras got up and walked away. Only… that hand stayed exactly where it was at the small of his back, and as cold as it had felt before, Courfeyrac now felt each and every finger like a branding iron. Enjolras had had his heart for years and Courfeyrac had been a fool to ever think that wasn't so. His only saving grace had been that Enjolras had had no idea, had never pushed. And now…?

Enjolras leaned close, spoke his next words close enough to Courfeyrac's ear that his breath ghosted over Courfeyrac's neck. "Do you want me to go?"

No. No, Courfeyrac didn't want him to go. That was the last thing he wanted. But he could feel the weight Combeferre's disapproving glare even now and if there was one thing he wanted even less than Enjolras to leave, it was to cause yet another problem between Enjolras and Combeferre. He couldn't take that… not again.

While Courfeyrac had been thinking, Enjolras' had slid his hand from his back to his side, and tightened his hold just enough to pull Courfeyrac to rest against his chest. Courfeyrac's heart began to pound, threatening to force a repeat performance of what had sent him racing into the bathroom to begin with.

Enjolras' voice was firm when he next spoke. "Courfeyrac… I don't think you want me to go, so I'm not leaving. I… I'm not good at this, not like you are, not like Combeferre is. Relationships confuse me. They scare me. All relationships. But I'm not going to pretend not to see that I've upset you. I'm not going to let you protect me, and I'm not letting you chase me away this time. I want to help."

Courfeyrac opened his mouth to answer… and Combeferre beat him to it.

"Protect you? He's the one who needs protecting, and you're the one he needs protecting from!"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Enjolras lunged forward, arm still tight around Courfeyrac, eyes narrowed, his body fair vibrating with the force of his words. "All these years, you don't think I knew that? I tried. I gave him a chance to back out years ago and he refused. I stayed away every other day but but my birthday, every year, and left him alone because I didn't know what else to do, but somehow that only made it worse! Combeferre, I don't know what I'm doing. That was the whole point of this thing to begin with!"

But for Enjolras' harsh breathing, dead silence followed that outburst. Courfeyrac fought a sudden urge to start giggling. This was ridiculous. This was utterly ridiculous. It was like he wasn't even there, for goodness' sake. A soft creak gave away Combeferre fidgetting against the door, preparing to launch his own rhetoric and seeing the two of them squaring off like that was the last straw. Courfeyrac shook off Enjolras' hand and stood up.

"That's enough."

"But-!"

"I-!"

"That's. Enough." Turning towards Combeferre, Courfeyrac said, "Combeferre, I don't need you to protect me. I walked into this with my eyes open. I knew he wasn't going to ever return my feelings and I was grateful for whatever he could give me. He did give me a chance to back out and I didn't take it. More than once, in fact. So it's as much on my head as it is on his that I'm in as deep as I am."

Turning towards Enjolras, Courfeyrac said, "And you… If you were confused, if you were scared, you should have talked to one of us - if not to me, then to Combeferre. How do you expect to get better at this if you don't take any steps to understand what you're doing wrong? Haven't you learned anything from this besides the fact that you're not as asexual as you thought?"

Enjolras' mouth opened, then closed. He winced. "I… I'm not actually sure that's even true."

Courfeyrac frowned. "You're not sure what's even true?"

A blush quickly overtook Enjolras' cheeks and raced down his neck. "I don't know how to explain it." Looking up and catching Combeferre's thunderous look, Enjolras winced again. "Maybe we could move this conversation out of the bathroom? And Courfeyrac… maybe you should get dressed?"

Before either Combeferre or Courfeyrac had a chance to respond, Enjolras was off the floor and out of the room.

"He's right."

Combeferre turned quickly back towards Courfeyrac, an eyebrow raised. "Hm?"

"Whatever he wants to talk about now, I'm not having that conversation in my underwear." Courfeyrac sighed. "I don't suppose…?"

"I'd step out while you wash up?"

"…you'd keep me company while I do."

Combeferre stepped in and pulled Courfeyrac into a tight embrace. Courfeyrac tucked his head into the crook of Combeferre's neck and let out a shuddering breath before deliberating raising it again and stepping back. He shook his head. "This isn't fair to you - any more than what Enjolras was doing was fair to me. I'm not blind. And I'm not as naïve as Enjolras." Courfeyrac forced himself to turn away, then, to gather up the clothing that he'd left scattered in here the night before and begin dressing. He forced himself to ignore the pained whimper that Combeferre couldn't contain. It wasn't fair. It really wasn't. He loved Combeferre. He really did. He had for some time. If not for Enjolras continuously dangling that carrot of hope in front of him, he'd have done something about that years ago. But now… damn it.

When Courfeyrac and Combeferre finally emerged from the bathroom, Enjolras was in the kitchen, shredding a blackened disc that might once have been a pancake into the trash. He looked up briefly at their approach, then went back to shredding the pancake. Courfeyrac fought the urge to gag. At least Enjolras had opened a window. Otherwise the smell of burnt pancake would have been overwhelming.

Settling down at the kitchen table and trying to ignore the way that Combeferre stepped up to hover protectively behind him, Courfeyrac said simply, "I know you said you don't know how to explain it. Try."

Enjolras winced, paused in his shredding again, finally through the entire mess in the trash and brushed the crumbs off his hands. He took a deep breath, turned to face Courfeyrac and finally said, "I don't… it wasn't about the sex. Not really. I don't…" He sighed, dropped his face into his hands for a minute, and Courfeyrac could see the struggle to find words playing out in the expressions that passed across his face. Finally Enjolras looked up again and said, "Last night, I was absolutely on board. We got home and you were so… you. I know that doesn't make sense, but I don't know how else to put it. You're warm and you're caring and you're always looking out for me, even when I don't deserve it and not even my parents know me as well as you do. It's like…"

Enjolras' eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "It was like my eighteenth birthday. I mean… first edition Robespierres, Courfeyrac? Who else who knows me would have even thought to look for those? Much less found them? Do you have any idea how much I loved you for that? Not for the books - though that was pretty great, too - but just… for knowing I'd want them. And I just… I had to do something to show you how much that meant and I just… for the first time I really thought I understood why people kissed. Because that kind of love… it was too big for anything else. A hug wasn't enough. A "thank you" sure as hell wasn't enough. It had to be a kiss. And I enjoyed it! I did! It was the first time I ever did. And our first year in college - knowing that you loved me enough to keep on doing this even though it was tearing you apart? Knowing that you wouldn't walk away unless someone made you? I felt awful about it but… same thing. The feeling was too big for anything else. And last night? It wasn't about sex. It was about you. Not the sex. I just… I needed you to know how much I loved you for what you were willing to do on my behalf and… for the first time the reason why people have sex made sense to me? I… am I making any kind of sense?"

Enjolras wasn't. He really wasn't. Courfeyrac shook his head, but before he could express his confusion, Combeferre began to speak. "It does, actually. It makes perfect sense. It actually explains a lot." Both Courfeyrac and Enjolras turned their attention on Combeferre who said softly, "Enjolras… do you have any idea how many times you used the word love in that little speech?"

Courfeyrac's mouth dropped open and for the first time that day, his heart began to pound for an entirely different reason. He turned back to Enjolras, hardly daring to hope…

Enjolras' eyes were once again widening and his cheeks flushing as he whispered, "I don't have an exact count…"

Swallowing hard, Courfeyrac turned back towards Enjolras for a moment before turning back to face an equally pale Combeferre. "But… he meant that platonically. Like a brother. Like he's always mean it. Right, Enjolras?"

Courfeyrac was so focused on Combeferre's pale face, so intent on trying to force color back into it by sheer forced of will that he didn't turn back to face Enjolras again until Enjolras swallowed hard and said, "I really, really didn't."

"Wait… what?" Courfeyrac whipped back around to face Enjolras. "Seriously… what?"

"I always suspected."

At those quiet words, Courfeyrac turned again, starting to feel dizzy from trying to keep both Enjolras and Combeferre in his sights as they both fell apart. How exactly had he ended up the calm, rational one in this debacle?

"I… Courfeyrac… why push the issue? Why only with you? Even Enjolras isn't disconnected enough from people not to understand what he was doing to you. He said so himself. So why do it at all… unless he ws doing it for you?" Combeferre took another step back from the table, then another, finally caught himself on the couch. "I think I should go. You two clearly have a lot to discuss."

"No!"

This time it was Enjolras pushing back from the table - and knocking his chair over in the process. Courfeyrac gave up trying to manage this train wreck and just stared in horrified fascination as his two best friends squared off over him… again.

"You are not walking out on him. Not now. Not after all these years I've spent trying to get you together. Not now that you actually have a chance."

"What?"

Combeferre and Enjolras both jumped, turned to look guiltily in Courfeyrac's direction and that was all Courfeyrac needed to put the final pieces in place. He had the shape of this thing now and he was not letting those two drive it over a cliff now that he finally knew what they were driving.

Bracing his hands on the table, Courfeyrac pushed himself out of his chair and turned to face Combeferre and Enjolras. "Let me see if I've got this, OK?" Pointing at Enjolras, he said, "You not only love me, but you're in love with me. And kissing and sex with me is peachy keen but you don't want it because you're hot for my body but just because you love me?"

Enjolras blushed hard at that, but nodded. "That's about the shape of it, yes."

Turning towards Combeferre, Courfeyrac said, "And you're in love with me, too?" When Combeferre slowly nodded, Courfeyrac finally started to smile. "And I know you're hot for my body because I've seen how you used to look at me when we roomed together and you thought I wasn't looking."

Combeferre didn't blush, but he did regain a little of his lost color, pushing his glasses up his nose and shuffling his feet before answering with a gruff, "Well… you're not wrong."

As a triumphant grin stretched his lips wide, Courfeyrac finished off with, "And I know you're in love with each other because seriously, could either of you be anymore obvious with your fanboying?" Seeing Combeferre's lips twitch into a small smile of his own, Courfeyrac bounced up on his toes once or twice. "So, I really don't see the problem. Screw the love triangle - long live polyamory!"

Poor Enjolras, however, had not kept up and looked more confused than he'd been all morning. Courfeyrac edged over to him until he was close enough to bump their shoulders together. "A threesome." When Enjolras' stare remained glassy and uncomprehending, Courfeyrac added, "Ménage à trois, Enjolras." As Enjolras' eyed widened, Courfeyrac winked. "If the truth were known, I've fantasized about having one before… of course, I always assumed there'd be at least one girl involved, but I'm honestly OK with it working out like this." He bounced up on his toes again.

Combeferre snorted and Courfeyrac gave him a toothy grin in response. Combeferre's color was finally back to normal and his eyes had started to shine. "You're incorrigible, you know."

But Courfeyrac's buoyant mood would not be brought down. "I have been told this, yes."

"You're going to be absolutely insufferable over it, too, aren't you?" Enjolras grumped.

"Sure am!" Courfeyrac lifted an arm to wrap around Enjolras' shoulders and pulled him close, leaning down to press their foreheads together. Softly, he continued, "But you wouldn't have me any other way, would you?"

The stormy look faded from Enjolras' face as if it had never been and a gentle smile took its place. He reached up to cup Courfeyrac's face in his hand, then leaned forward and kissed him, slowly, chastely, but with more intent than he ever had before. "No… I wouldn't."

Smiling so wide it nearly hurt, Courfeyrac waved Combeferre over to join them. Once he had, Courfeyrac tilted his face up expectantly. Combeferre did not disappoint. His kiss was firm, deep, and full of promise. There was no innocence in that kiss. It left Courfeyrac weak in the knees and he braced himself with an arm over each of his friends' shoulders. He gave them a soft nudge, then laughed when Enjolras ducked his head in another blush. Before he could speak his reassurances, though, Enjolras' head came back up, eyes lit with purpose. He lunged forward, one arm still wrapped around Courfeyrac, and wrapped his other hand around the back of Combeferre's neck, pulling him down into a kiss that well… quite frankly, Courfeyrac hadn't thought he had that kind of kiss in him. And it was… well. Watching him plant it on Combeferre was even hotter than getting it himself would have been. When Enjolras and Combeferre broke apart, both breathing heavily, Courfeyrac all but crowed with delight. "Is this the best birthday ever or is this the best birthday ever?" And from the looks in - dare he even think it? - his boyfriends' eyes… they were in full agreement.

A/N:

I hope you all enjoyed this little detour! Hopefully this means my writing mind it back up in gear, creaky though it may be, and FYFM 17 is the next thing I have slated to finish. It's halfway done, but it's a little broken. I think I know how to fix it though, and once I do, I know where I'm going next. I'd like to say "hopefully soon" but I have a LOT of work to do with weekend and a worker's comp hearing to prepare for on Monday, so... yeah. It may not be that soon, but at least I'm on the road back! Thank you all for being so patient with me!