A/N: A little bit of pointless Enjonine fluff and some slightly filthy smut. I blame the summer heat here too and the word gymnophoria.
1830s verse again (because face it, there's not enough of this).
Reclaiming Hiding Places
The title of an 'academic' was among the many descriptions that Eponine would never dare to appropriate for herself, regardless of how often she was complimented on her intellect. 'These lectures are sometimes longer than even the worst lessons in the schoolrooms,' she groused silently one summer afternoon as she tried to stay in her seat in the new lecture hall at the Jardin Royal des Plantes. Although all the windows and doors were left open in hopes of creating a draft of some sort, the place was still sweltering. If not for propriety's sake she might have rolled up her voluminous sleeves and done away with her lace pelerine in order to have some relief from the early September heat. 'Even with the petticoats too, but that would be quite a sight,' she couldn't help thinking.
She bit her lip when she looked around and saw that most of the other listeners, including her own companions, weren't doing much better. It had been Combeferre's idea to attend a professor's one-time lecture on some new techniques of predicting the weather. Claudine, as curious as ever, had asked for an invitation as well. Enjolras was interested in listening if only to find some widespread and practical application for this technique, and thus recommend it to the appropriate ministries. As for Eponine she was not one to pass up an opportunity to spend an afternoon with three of the people she was closest to, even if the subject bored her a little. 'I wonder how many other people are here just to sit or be seen, and not really to listen,' she wondered as she looked about. For some reason the event was packed not just with scholars, academics, and authorities on agriculture; a number of visiting farmers, craftsmen, traders, bankers, businessmen, and even some society debutantes were present.
After a while Eponine heard the telltale sound of a foot lightly tapping against the floor, prompting her to lightly place the heel of her boot atop Enjolras' shoe. "Are you trying to stay awake, Antoine?"
He nodded and gave her a sidelong glance. "If only to be polite," he replied in a low voice. "He's been going on for an hour and a half now."
"How do you know? I haven't seen you check your watch."
"It's merely a reckoning."
She sighed, knowing her spouse was probably right with this estimate. "He'll have to drink or catch his breath some time or he'll drop right there," she remarked. She bit back a chuckle at the shocked look Enjolras gave her before she discreetly squeezed his wrist. She looked about at the crowd and saw that Combeferre was either scribbling or feigning making notes in a pocketbook, while Claudine had long given up and was nodding off. It would only be a matter of time till someone in the hall would start snoring, or worse, would fall out of his or her chair.
As she squirmed in her seat she happened to catch sight of Enjolras as he was putting his watch back in his fob. The mid afternoon sunlight caught perfectly in his golden hair and brought out the rosiness in his cheeks and the lushness of his lips, and somehow this was enough to draw Eponine's attention to the firm line of Enjolras' jaw. She smiled as she watched how the light played over his broad shoulders and the lines of his torso, which could not quite be hidden under his dark red coat. Suddenly she felt the urge to lean over and run her hands through his hair and then perhaps start to undo his cravat, but at this point all she could do was sit on her fingers and content herself with merely watching him.
He suddenly turned to look at her and he raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," she said, trying to sound innocent despite the fact that the way he asked this question somehow sent the heat rising to her face.
"You should keep your eyes on the podium."
"Only to fall asleep faster? I s'pose not!"
Enjolras gave her a look that was both bemused and querulous even as he touched her elbow. "Eponine, now isn't the time for this."
"Not when I have such a good view. The best view, I s'pose," she quipped.
He raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Well do you?" he asked as his long fingers trailed up the inside of her arm.
She grasped his hand, wishing at that moment that she didn't have to wear gloves just so she could better feel his warm and callused hand against her own. It was clear that he had picked up on her being flustered, and was actually enjoying getting her into this state. 'You're as bored as I am and you know it,' she thought as she met his stern look with an impish grin that now had him ducking his head a little to hide his own blush. Fortunately at this point the master of ceremonies called for a slight break in the proceedings, and in a moment much of the audience was heading for the exits or towards where there were some refreshments at the rear of the hall.
Eponine demurely got to her feet and smoothed down her skirts. "I heard that they made some improvements to the gardens since the time we were here last March," she remarked. They had gone here right after the trial of Olivier Magnon and holed up in a small cafe in order to hide from some of the more intrusive journalists who wanted their exclusive stories on the case.
"We can take a look later," Enjolras suggested as he also stood up. "Perhaps after the lecture."
"It might be dark by the time this finishes, and what use is poking about then? We'll have to head straight home anyway," she pointed out. "Besides it's too hot to stay in here."
Enjolras looked towards the main entrance, where there was an uproarious group poking fun at some academic matter, or perhaps, even at the lecturer. "Out the side then," he said, taking Eponine's hand to lead her to a small door near the stage. The fact that they were escaping a crowd unnoticed was enough to make her laugh and she clapped her other hand over her mouth lest they be discovered. Judging by the grin that Enjolras had when he glanced at her, perhaps he was also thinking much the same thing too, even as they hurried down a small stairway leading to a gravel strewn path that meandered towards some hedges arranged in a sort of linear pattern.
"Oh how nice, we're at the Labyrinth," she laughed as she went up to the nearest hedge to crush a leaf between her fingers, leaving a tangy fragrance under her nails. "It's been so long."
"You've been in the maze?" he asked incredulously.
"Once, when hiding," she explained. "From Brujon, actually. He was upset over something in his patch after a job, and somehow Montparnasse thought that staying here for an hour or two was the best way to make sure that we, and Azelma, wouldn't get thrashed or anything because he wasn't exactly himself," she added, rolling her eyes at the memory of a night that seemed to be a whole lifetime ago.
He nodded, knowing better than to ask for more details. "Ah. Sometimes we students would meet here especially after exhibitions. The wine merchants would gather here too from time to time."
"Did you ever get to the end of the maze?"
"No. There was no point in doing so, then."
Before Eponine could suggest venturing into the labyrinth she caught sight of several couples also making their way between the hedges. "So much for that!" she muttered. A second look at the maze further convinced her that this was not the place to go; the maze was not particularly complicated in itself and it was actually fairly easy to be discovered or at the very least overheard.
Enjolras looked around for a moment before firmly taking hold of Eponine's hand to lead her away from the maze. "This way."
"Oh, another hiding place?" she asked, now giggling as she followed him towards a more secluded part of the park. It thrilled her to no end that he was taking the initiative; it was only very recently that he'd dared to make this sort of move even during their very private moments. In a few minutes they were in front of a long arched trellis that was covered with clematis vines, forming a tunnel of greenery.
Eponine had to brush some purple petals out of her hair as she stepped under the arch. "Where does this lead to?"
"It used to be an exit, I believe," Enjolras said as he pointed to where the other end of the tunnel was bricked up. "Past that is the Rue de Buffon."
Eponine snorted at the unfortunate sounding name of this street as they went further into the tunnel. When they got to the end, she reached up to pull some more petals out of Enjolras' hair. "So did you boys ever hide anything in this place?"
He smirked as he caught her hands. "Cartridges. We wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been summer."
"A good thing or it would have been quite terrible to come here and find everything soaked through!" she said as she stepped closer. She ran her hands over his shoulders and smiled as she felt him relax under her touch even as his hands closed around her waist. "I s'pose you never thought you'd hide in this place again?"
He chuckled before kissing her, lightly at first and then deepening the kiss when she pressed her body up against his and brought her hands up to clutch at his hair before breaking the kiss in order to catch some much needed air. "Not in these particular circumstances, to be honest," he said, lowering his voice as he rested his forehead against hers.
She kissed him back as she began to undo his cravat and then pressed light kisses on his jaw, moving down over his neck. He smelled of sunshine mingled with his own deep scent, a combination that was intoxicating all on its own. She brushed her lips over the hollow of his throat, making him swear as he tightened his grip on her waist. "This is much better, isn't it?" she asked as she met his now dark gaze.
"Certainly," Enjolras said as he planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. He moved them both so that her back was up against the brick wall, taking care that she was not resting against anything jagged or rough. "Is this fine with you?" he asked as he cradled her chin gently.
She nodded, feeling suddenly warmer than she had been in the lecture hall. "It's perfect."
"Very well then," he said in a low voice. His hand slowly trailed up over her side, making her shiver even before he untied the pelerine that covered her collarbones and her shoulders. "You should know: I had a better view than you did back at that lecture," he said hotly in her ear.
Eponine hissed, knowing exactly what he meant with these words. She moaned softly when she felt his fingers quickly pulling away the small cape only to trace hot lines over her skin that were soon followed by the even smoother feel of his lips. Her hands shook as she began to unbutton his coat, which she could only do so with difficulty thanks to the way his mouth was moving lower and lower to the neckline of her dress. She pushed on his shoulders to give her room to divest him of the constricting garment. "There, isn't that better? You looked far too warm just now," she said as she tossed the coat aside.
"Says the very cause of it?" he retorted before kissing her deeply, such that she could feel her knees almost give. He caught her with an arm around her waist before bracing her again against the wall and then giving her a more soothing kiss on her brow. "How is it you can be so astounding, Eponine, every single day?"
She moaned his name against his lips as she pulled him closer, digging her fingers into his arms through the cloth of his shirt. How did he have the power to reduce her, who was normally so chatty, to sheer incoherency? She slowly unbuttoned his waistcoat, lightly trailing her fingernails and her lips over his chest and delighting when he cussed with each of her movements. He adjusted their positions to allow her to spread her legs so he could settle himself between them while he caressed her now erect nipples through her dress. The feel of his growing arousal so close to her center had her moaning again as she felt herself grow more moist under his ministrations, and this time she had to bury her face in his neck to muffle her voice. She kicked off her shoes before wrapping her legs around his hips, desperate for some more friction between them. "Antoine, please" she whispered pleadingly against his throat.
Enjolras thrust against her, making her cry out softly into his shoulder and dig her feet into his back. He bent to give her a lingering kiss just at the neckline of her dress before he lifted her chin to look her in the eye. "You make everything matter so much more."
She let out a shaky breath and kissed him, unable to find the words to answer such sincerity. Her left hand tugged at his hair while her right moved to unbutton and pull down his trousers. She smiled mischievously as she stroked him, feeling him push against her hand in time with her movements. He groaned when she squeezed him lightly and then gripped her by her hip as he pulled her skirt and her petticoat out of the way. The feel of his hand moving up along her legs was all too exquisite, and she shut her eyes as he traced circles over her mound, making the insides of her thighs slick. She almost screamed when one of his fingers slipped into her, brushing against a spot that had her clutching at him more tightly as he traced slow circles over that one place over and over again as he teased her with his kisses, making that hot knot in her belly tighten to an almost unbearable degree till her body was almost trembling as she tried to kiss him.
It was then that she felt him pull away only to cover her eyelids with soft kisses, knowing this was his way of asking her to look at him. "It's fine. Don't stop," she said as she managed to open her eyes.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Eponine nodded before running her right hand over his face, if only to get his now damp hair out of his eyes. "Now," she whispered, letting him take her twisted left hand in his.
He responded with another kiss as he removed his finger and then eased himself into her slowly, giving her time to get comfortable with their position. She arched her body against his to take in more of him till at last he was completely inside of her. He took a deep breath before beginning to thrust, moving agonizingly slow till he was almost out of her. She whimpered with frustration and bucked her hips in an attempt to keep him where she needed him. "I told you not to stop," she hissed.
"I wasn't planning to," he replied before thrusting harder, this time making her shriek as she scrabbled at his shoulders and his back. She could feel every bit of him as he moved within her as well as his hot breath against her neck and his hand squeezing hers as if for dear life. He continued to thrust faster and it was not long till she felt his muscles in his back tense as if he was trying to hold back from his release. Before she could urge him on she felt him slam into her more deeply as he lifted her legs just a little; at this new angle she felt her body clench. Another thrust was enough to send her over the edge, keening helplessly before he muffled her screams with a passionate kiss. In a moment she also felt him groan and gasp her name against her cheek as he reached his own release. They were both shaking as they slumped against the wall, with him barely holding her up as she draped her arms around his shoulders.
She felt him kiss her forehead and she tilted her head up to take in the sight of his flushed cheeks and his eyes so deep with passion and love. She gently captured his lips with her own and pulled away to look him in the face. "I love you, Antoine."
He took a moment to catch his breath as he brushed her now dishevelled hair out of her face. "I didn't hurt you, I hope?"
"No. At least we didn't try to go up against the vines!" she said, also laughing when she felt him chuckle as he hugged her close. She sighed as he set her back on her feet."How long was that little break supposed to be?"
"I am not sure but I did hear something about a quarter of an hour," Enjolras replied. "For us, the point is moot. We're not going back in like this."
"Yes, but I know you don't want to miss things either," she pointed out as she smoothed out the cuffs of his shirt before beginning to pin her hair away from her face. "You and your curiosity."
"Next time I'll make sure it will be worth your while," he said as he brushed some dirt off her shoulder. It took a few more minutes till they finished making themselves presentable enough to return to the lecture hall.
Much to their surprise the lecture was only beginning to convene again when they arrived. "There was almost a fracas with some of the professors in the back," Combeferre explained disappointedly when Enjolras and Eponine found some seats near him and Claudine. "Where have you two been?"
"Exploring the garden," Eponine replied quickly. She wrinkled her nose as she caught a certain tangy fragrance in the air. "How was the Labyrinth?" she asked Claudine nonchalantly.
The older woman's eyes widened with surprise for a moment before she quickly regained her composure. "It was...interesting."
Eponine smiled to herself even as she could see Enjolras trying to also look impassive despite the knowing look that Combeferre was also giving him. "You found the way out?"
"Not just yet," Claudine laughed. She peered at Eponine for a moment and then leaned in closer to pull something out from behind her friend's ear. "There's only one place that grows this. You and Enjolras had better be careful or you'll lose a good hiding place."
Eponine frowned for a moment and blushed when she realized that Claudine had handed her a purple clematis petal that had gotten stuck in her auburn hair.