24/8/14

One-shot for NeverPutTheBottleDown who was my 1000th ever reviewer! I quite enjoyed writing this and hope that you all enjoy reading. Review please ;)

Secrets are Poison

It had been going for four weeks when Enjolras first noticed. He had been dating Grantaire for six months now and he was the happiest man alive. He had a wonderful job as a lawyer with Courfeyrac and Bahorel. He had a beautiful and loving boyfriend. Enjolras was so blinded by these new feelings of love that he couldn't see when things began to go wrong. Grantaire began to leave the house without a word and disappear until late at night. He was grumpy and irritable, mostly to him but to their friends as well. However anytime anyone asked him what was wrong, they were snapped at and Grantaire left on another one of his walks. Something was wrong and Enjolras just wanted them both to be happy again.

"I don't know what to do," Enjolras whispered as he lay on his couch in front of his best friends.

"You have no reason to suspect he is doing anything wrong," Combeferre tried to rationalise with his emotionally incompetent best friend.

"Ferre's right," Courfeyrac nodded, pressing a beer into Enjolras' trembling hand. "We need concrete evidence before you can say he is doing anything," he agreed but Enjolras could tell that they both had their doubts, the same as him. He just couldn't think of anything good that he could be doing like this.

"Thank you," Combeferre sighed, incorrectly assuming that this was the end of these speculations.

Courfeyrac and Enjolras were not going to let things be. Enjolras was almost frantic and Courfeyrac was just purely noisy and as soon as there was a secret he just had to know what it was. The Amis had just given up hiding things from him to spare themselves from the effort of his interrogations and hyper active nature. "So what we'll do is follow him on one of his late night walks to see what he does and if he meets anyone," Courfeyrac whispered as they sat in the almost dark of Enjolras' apartment that evening. As soon as Grantaire's footsteps echoed up the stairs outside of their apartment, Courfeyrac disappeared onto their rickety old fire escape for his prime sleuthing position. Enjolras would just talk to Grantaire as he would normally and if the drunkard left then Courfeyrac would follow. If the duo stopped anywhere then Courfeyrac would text Enjolras their location. It was a good plan from Courfeyrac, for once in his life.

"Hey, how's your day been?" Enjolras called out with a small smile as Grantaire pushed the door open into their apartment. Grantaire had been out for the past few days completing a mural for a primary school. He was basically an artist for hire and he usually loved his job and thrived on the commissions he was given. However the revolutionary could immediately tell that this was going to be one of their bad days. Dark bags coloured the space under both of his hazel eyes and weariness was clear in their expression. His hands were screwed into fists and were held tensely near his legs. His feet dragged along the floor and paint stained jeans hung loosely off thin and jutting hips. He just looked tired and drained. It did look like it would be the best day for Courfeyrac's plan to proceed; on days where he was grumpy it did not take long for him to flip out on the nearest person. It was usually Enjolras. Enjolras only received a grunt in response to his earlier questions Grantaire walked straight past him and turned the kettle on in the kitchen, effectively drowning out all noise threatening to come near him. As soon as the whirring subsided, Enjolras decided it was time to try his luck again and bare himself to the torrent that was likely to be heading his way once he opened his mouth in Grantaire's presence. "Do you want to come to the meeting tonight?" Enjolras asked with an almost timid voice as he poked his head round the corner into the kitchen.

"I'm busy," Grantaire muttered as he downed the coffee he had just made without anything to dull the heat or taste.

"But, R, you always used to come. It's really quiet without you there," Enjolras replied, trying to make himself sound meek to ward off another of their famous confrontations.

"I have a life of my own Jolras!" he shouted, on the edge and touchy as seemed to be the norm these days. "You cannot expect me to trail along after you like an eager puppy and have to earn your approval every single day like I had to do back then," Grantaire snapped, thumping his fist down onto the work surface.

"For god's sake Nicolas! What is wrong with you?" Enjolras cried out in response, properly stepping into the room to face his boyfriend. "We used to be so close but you are hardly ever home anymore, and are constantly in a foul mood," he screamed, gesturing madly with an anger filling him.

"I just want to make something of my life Enjolras. I have to do something without you lording over all my actions!" Grantaire snapped in response, storming out of the house and slamming the door with an exaggerated flourish. Enjolras sunk down leaning on the counter with his head resting heavily in his cupped hands. Why did this happen every time they spoke these days?

Courfeyrac called half an hour later with an address. Enjolras was staring to think that Courfeyrac had got lost in the dark or distracted from his mission by some pretty thing he stumbled across. Enjolras was out the door and down the steps in seconds; he just need to know what was happening with his boyfriend. "What's up?" Enjolras asked as he slid into a booth in a small café. Courfeyrac was reclined casually sipping on an overly sugary drink, eying Enjolras cautiously.

"R's in the restaurant over the road," Courfeyrac muttered, trying to hide behind his mug.

"What on earth is that fool doing in a fancy restaurant?" Enjolras hissed, staring through the window and quickly identifying his lover.

"Meeting a girl," Courfeyrac blurted out, offering Enjolras a croissant to try and placate him. Needless to say, it didn't work as Enjolras' hands clenched into painfully tight fists.

"A girl," the hot headed revolutionary growled, so close to losing his temper.

"Just watch Jolras," Courfeyrac insisted, passing a pair of tiny souvenir binoculars into Enjolras' unclenched and trembling hand. Deep breaths, he had to stay calm and approach this rationally. Enjolras closed his eyes and thought the one thing that always put him on the right track; what would Combeferre do? After a few seconds Enjolras inched his eyes open again and pressed the embarrassing binoculars to his face. Grantaire was seated by the window with a beautiful, angel like woman about their age. They were intently talking and Grantaire was somehow calming down from his tirade. Enjolras watched as they talked, held hands and laughed at something the blonde has said. He hadn't smiled that much with Enjolras for the past month. The binoculars fell to the table with a dejected sigh as Grantaire kissed the girl on the cheek when the bill arrived.

"I'm going home," Enjolras murmured, slinking out of the café with his head hanging low.

Grantaire didn't come home for the next week. Enjolras had eventually resigned himself to the fact that Grantaire had found himself someone beautiful and kind who made him happy; he should be happy that Grantaire didn't feel tethered to him anymore. But he just felt empty inside. Enjolras slammed his hand down on the counter he was leaning on. This mourning was pitiful; he coped just fine before love was in the picture. He would cope fine now and would get on with his life without the drunkard. Enjolras ran his hand threw his knotted curls and downed the rest of his latest coffee. He was going out, there was a meeting tonight and he was going to be there and he was going to enjoy himself.

"Hey E, how ya doin?" Courfeyrac asked, falling into the chair next to his leader and sliding a pint across the table. Enjolras drank it, much to the surprise of his friends and thumped it back down on the table.

"I'm fine Courf," Enjolras practically hissed, he was the fifth person to ask him if he was alright in the past five minutes and it was really starting to wear on his nerves now. "I've got over it, can you all get over it too?" he questioned when the door creaked open. But they were all here, apart from … Enjolras spun his head around as Grantaire stepped in the door and held it open for a short blonde. The room fell silent and Enjolras' head spun madly. It was the same woman from the restaurant; Grantaire's latest fling; the person he was cheating on Enjolras for. "This is a new low R," Enjolras growled, clambering to his feet with fury etched into his expressions. "First you spent four weeks shouting at me, then I find out you have been cheating on me and you never some home!" Enjolras screamed, striding closer to Grantaire with every yelled word. "Then you dare show up here! With her!" Enjolras yelled, finishing his tirade with an impressive swing hitting his target of Grantaire's nose. The irony was that it was the man who was clutching his face that taught Enjolras how to punch properly. Blood was streaming from his face as Grantaire righted himself, still clutching the impact point. "Nic, darling. Go clean yourself up," the woman called out, practically pushing Grantaire into the bathroom. "I'll explain to Enjolras," she placated him as he slid away.

"Julien before you get even angrier it is not what you think," Cosette spoke out as soon as Grantaire was safely in the bathroom.

"Oh really, so Grantaire hasn't left me for you?" Enjolras replied sceptically and his anger was not calmed by Cosette almost bursting out laughing.

"Julien he's gay darling. I couldn't take him from you even if I wanted to," she chuckled, gesturing for him to sit down. They both sat silently as the amis backed away respectfully. "Nicolas has been preparing a surprise for you the past month or so. He's been suffering from alcohol withdrawals making him out of character and ill," Cosette explained and tears came to Enjolras' eyes.

"You mean, you mean he's sober?" Enjolras questioned, relief careering through his whole body.

"Yes, sober. And not cheating on you," Cosette smiled as Enjolras embraced her. "My names Cosette, I'm your boyfriend's supporter through this ordeal, and he has a surprise for you," Cosette introduced herself as Grantaire came out of the bathroom and was jumped on by an excited Enjolras. "I'm sorry I love you," Enjolras whispered over and over into his lovers curls are they embraced.

"It's okay, I wasn't being the best of company," Grantaire replied with a smile. "I have got a surprise for you," Grantaire added, holding out a plain envelope to Enjolras. He tore it open sceptically but upon seeing the contents threw his arms around Grantaire again.

"New Zealand! I've wanted to go to New Zealand since I was tiny," Enjolras practically squealed kissing Grantaire passionately. "Thank you, and I am so proud," Enjolras whispered as Grantaire pulled him in for another kiss.

"God get a room!" Courfeyrac cried from the back of the room.