Chapter 1: Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle
Original text (French):
Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle
Et souple comme le roseau ;
Ton sein palpitait comme l'aile
D'un jeune oiseau.
Longtemps muets, nous contemplâmes
Le ciel où s'éteignait le jour.
Que se passait-il dans nos âmes ?
Amour ! Amour !
Comme un ange qui se dévoile,
Tu me regardais, dans ma nuit,
Avec ton beau regard d'étoile,
Qui m'éblouit.
(Written by Victor Hugo)
X
English Translation:
My arm pressed your thin waist,
And supple like the reed;
Your breast palpitated like the wing
Of a young bird.
Long mute, we contemplated
The sky where the day extinguished itself.
What was happening in our souls?
Love! Love!
Like an angel revealing themselves,
You looked at me, in my night,
With your beautiful starry look,
That dazzled me.
(Translation by me)
XXX
"Are you absolutely certain of this, Javert?" Valjean asked, stopping his friend.
"If you ask me another time, I fear I shall throw you into the river," Javert snapped, walking ahead.
Valjean sighed. Javert was joking, in his bizarre way. If only the man could understand his concerns… Valjean started to walk again, following his friend from a few paces behind.
The sun had set not long ago, and the streets were quite empty. Being out at night made Valjean nervous; just another remnant of his past. Perhaps it was these nerves that caused him to worry for Javert, nothing more.
Or perhaps he had reason to fear. That June night, although months behind them, was still fresh in his mind like a recent nightmare. No doubt the nightmare was even more terrible to Javert...
But the man was unreadable. He walked a metre or so ahead of Valjean, posture straight as ever, pace even, boots clicking authoritatively against the pavement as he walked. Javert could be feeling anything then. Or nothing at all.
But Valjean noticed the little falter in his step as Javert rounded the final corner and saw the river Seine for the first time since that night.
"Here we are," Javert pointed out.
"Indeed," muttered Valjean.
The inspector looked back at his friend. "Come, let us get closer," he said, and began walking away again. Valjean followed faithfully.
When Javert reached the edge of the bridge, he simply stood, arms crossed in front of his chest, staring out at the water. Valjean settled beside him, hands on the railing in front of him.
Below the two men, the Seine rushed by, roaring like a great beast. Valjean shuddered as he remembered braving those rapids, diving after the inspector, hauling Javert's soaked, unconscious body onto dry land…
Without intending to, Valjean's forearm found its way to Javert's thin waist, resting there comfortably.
"Valjean, you do not need to hold me," Javert muttered indignantly. But there was an unmistakable shake in his deep voice; the slightest indication that Javert did indeed feel fear…
Valjean looked to his friend with concern. Javert was glaring back, but Valjean noticed the remarkable decrease in the look's potency.
"Javert," he tried.
"What?"
"You… you are afraid, are you not?"
"A-afraid? Of what?"
"Of this place."
"It is just a river, Valjean."
"We both know that is not true."
Javert looked down. "It is just a river," he grumbled with far too much conviction.
Valjean sighed, giving up on the matter for the moment. He intended to remove the arm from Javert's waist, but he found that he did not want to.
The two men looked out, watching the river, watching the sky. Valjean quickly managed to forget the night after the barricades, and he settled into a kind of contentment.
"It's a beautiful night tonight," Valjean said.
"Hmm."
"Do you like looking at the stars, Javert?"
"Yes, very much," Javert answered.
"Really? I never thought you were one to enjoy such things."
"I used see the stars as… protectors. Guardians of the night sky, keeping watch over me."
"Ah."
"But that night, I swear, I looked out and the stars were dark and cold… they had forsaken me…" Javert's voice was shaking. Valjean looked to his friend, and noticed that Javert was hunched over, trembling.
"Javert… You are shaking! We ought to go," Valjean said, grabbing Javert's shoulder and attempting to lead the younger man away, but the inspector was rooted to the ground.
"No, Valjean, I must stop this foolishness. I should not be afraid," Javert protested.
"It is only natural to be afraid, after all that has happened here–"
"–I will stay, until I am no longer such a fool," Javert spat.
"Very well," Valjean said, letting go of the other man and resuming his previous position, leaning against the railing. Out of the corner of his eye, the older man observed his friend as he stared blankly out over the water, his jaw set and his fists clenched at his sides.
"Look, Javert," Valjean said, in the kind of voice he used to speak to Cosette when she cried, "isn't that the big dipper?" Valjean pointed to a clump of stars that he knew was most definitely not the big dipper.
"No, Valjean, I believe the big dipper is over there," Javert corrected, pointing to the left of where his friend had pointed.
"Ah, okay," Valjean said in the same exaggerated tone. "You see, I am not very knowledgeable in this area… would you care to enlighten me?"
Javert looked at Valjean and raised an eyebrow. "You want me to tell you about the stars?"
Valjean smiled and nodded. "Yes, please do!"
Javert cleared his throat. "Well, alright. Yes, um, that is the big dipper, and right over there is the little dipper, and just to the left is…" Javert listed off names of constellations Valjean had never heard of, pointing to each of them, and sometimes following this with a story of the name. Valjean found it hard to make sense of it, so he eventually stopped trying, and simply watched his friend as he talked. He noted with great happiness that Javert had ceased to tremble, and was now simply lost in his rambling, gesturing and speaking with great passion. Valjean smiled, despite himself. His plan had worked; Javert was happy, and this made him happy. And Javert was a very different man when he was happy; his face shed decades, his usually piercing blue eyes alight with excitement… Although this may have just been the starlight.
Yes, it seemed as much as Javert loved the stars, the stars loved him. The light danced in his eyes and gave his long chestnut hair a shimmering appearance. It was as if the stars shone from Javert himself.
"What are you looking at?"
Valjean shrugged. "You."
Javert snorted. "What about me is worth looking at with that idiot grin?"
"I'm sorry, I cannot help it."
"Really, Valjean, you're reminding me of your daughter's dolt of a husband. Stop this at once."
Valjean laughed, far more than he should have at such a statement. This earned a raised eyebrow from Javert. "Valjean, are you well?"
Valjean shook his head, grinning widely. "I am happy, Javert. I am very happy."
"Why?"
Valjean looked to Javert; those familiar features, once fearsome and now beautiful; those bright, starlit eyes; the moonlight illuminating the brim of his hat and shining like a halo. And Valjean cupped one of Javert's fuzzy cheeks, stood on his toes and kissed him, square on the lips. When Valjean at last pulled away, he laughed. He laughed at his own foolishness, at the whole situation, at the expression on Javert's face.
Finally, the other man laughed too, a sound rusty from disuse, but jolly just the same.
"Valjean, you old fool…" Javert chuckled. Valjean had never heard a compliment so sweet.
XXX
The two men stood a long time in silence, staring over the water. Valjean's arm had snuck back to Javert's waist, now under his coat, holding the taller man close.
"Valjean?" muttered the inspector.
"Hmm?"
"Did you hear anything I said earlier?"
"Not a word."
"So you were too busy gawking at me to even pay attention?"
Valjean laughed. "Yes."
"Fool," Javert snapped, malice absent from his tone.
"But it worked, didn't it?" Valjean said.
"What worked?"
"Getting you to talk to me. You are no longer afraid."
"Hmm… You are right. I suppose I should thank you."
"It is my pleasure, Javert."
"But, Javert," Valjean asked, looking up at the other man.
"What?"
"Will you tell me about the stars again someday?"
"Will you listen?"
"If you cease to look so beautiful in the starlight, perhaps," Valjean avowed, smiling.
Javert chuckled. "You are insufferable."
Javert accepted Valjean's following kiss nonetheless.