A/N: Hey peeps! Just a little chapter about the wedding, nothing special, but please enjoy it and review! It really helps me write XP
Disclaimer: *rocks back and forth* Still don't own les mis still don't own les mis still don't own les mis
I hate mirrors. They tell you the truth when no one else will, and that's exactly why I hate them.
I determinedly applied more cover-up(which was currently being useless as fuck) over the bags under my eyes, formed by lack of sleeping, willing them to go away.
After leaving the hospital, I had nowhere to go, so naturally I turned to the streets, where I had been living for the past month. As expected, food was scarce, and sickness and crime ran wild.
My stay at the hospital had started to rejuvenate me from my already weak state-M. Myriel said earlier that my health, or lack of it, may have been one of the reasons my ribs broke under such a small amount of pressure as a fist("or...you know, stairs or whatever you said")-but now that I was out and on my own again, the only one to provide for me was me, and frankly, the streets had very little to offer. And don't even get me started on my failure of finding a job. Fucking background checks.
All that to say, my life wasn't exactly at a peak right then, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone else know about it. Especially not a wedding.
"Eponine! You ready?" I hear Musichetta call through the door of the changing room.
I had only met Musichetta a few weeks prior, at one of the dress(ugh) fittings. She had bouncy red hair and her legs were the longest I'd ever seen. Naturally, guys were all over her. But somehow, Joly had gotten her.
She was the only other bridesmaid I knew-the others being Marius' relations.
"Um, almost!" I tried to tie the dress tighter onto my gaunt frame, but it was still a bit too big. I wanted to slap whoever thinks being anorexic is sexy.
Finally finished, I looked at the mirror again and frowned.
The dress was mint green and dainty, but it seemed to accentuate my jutting collarbone and shoulders-NOT in the good way. There were still dark rings under my eyes despite the makeup, and my hair was a ratty nest of whatever filth happened to follow me here from the streets, and it wouldn't untangle no matter how hard I brushed it. That may be because I hadn't showered for, well, a month. Right now, perfume was my best friend.
I gave up with a sigh and gingerly stepped out to the group of flustered girls.
"Oh good, you're done!" Cosette cried. "I was beginning to think you were going to be late!"
"For your wedding? Never." I smiled. Already I felt very close to Cosette, almost like sisters. She laughed and we made our way into the main church hall up to where the pastor was standing with the groom, Marius, at the end. Cosette standing behind to do her whole 'walk down the isle' thing.
The church itself was very intimidating, with big wooden doors and a gaping space between the floor and the domed roof. On the other side of Marius and the pastor were the groomsmen. For some reason I immediately singled out Enjolras before I even noticed Combeferre or Joly or the others.
He was wearing a dashing suit and a blue tie, same as all the other grooms. I almost smiled at how determined his face looked, like he'd just been given a task of utmost importance and was dead set on completing it. For God's sake, Enjolras, it's just a wedding, lighten up.
Then my attention, along with everyone else's, was drawn to the entrance doors when the ceremonial song started playing. I mentally sang along with the foolish words I had once learned from 'Parnasse when he was younger and more childish(in mind and body).
"Here comes the bride all dressed in white
where is the groom? He's in the dressing room
why is he there? He lost his underwear"
I stopped myself at that point, deciding not to flaunt my alarmingly vast stupidity, even if no one else knew I was doing it. Plus, I didn't think it applied for someone like Cosette.
Cosette walked down the isle linked to an older man, her father, I guessed, wearing a blinding smile, and I found myself smiling with her. Marius was smiling almost as radiantly as Cosette was. This was the first time I'd seen Marius, but he seemed pretty nice.
Upon reaching Marius, Cosette made her vows.
"I do." She promised.
The pastor then read Marius his side of the vows.
"I do!" He gushed immediately.
They kissed extremely passionately I wanted to avert my eyes.
I smiled, ignoring the ache in my stomach for now. I was happy for now.
Enjolras saw Eponine for the first time since the hospital at the wedding's after party.
She was wearing the signature light green bridesmaid dress, holding a glass of wine, and he vaguely wondered how he hadn't noticed her earlier. He couldn't resist. He made his way over.
Besides, he justified himself, you need to ask her something.
I was getting tired of the drone of the party, which was being held at a reserved bar. I'd never exactly been a party animal, but that may have been because the only parties I ever had the 'privilege' of attending were Thenardier's drunken fests filled with a swarm of fleas and maggots(metaphorically), and they were always drunk as hell, laughing and rambling and trying to get me to drink with them. There were times when I gave in and drank my fill.
I downed the wine from the glass I was holding, the fourth or fifth I'd had that night. Huh, maybe that's where I got the habit.
"Easy on the wine, mademoiselle, the party's only just started." I jumped in surprise.
I turned my attention to the voice and found the person from which it came.
"Well, hello to you too, Enjolras. I can drink as much fucking wine as I want, thank you." I frowned.
He didn't respond, but instead seemed invested in staring at my face. I grew worried, hoping he hadn't noticed the rings. It happens to everyone, right. The sunken sallow cheekbones too. Yep. And the jutting bones.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Have you been faring well after you left the hospital? Did you find a place to stay?"
Shit. So he saw through my 'I know a place' lie. "What? Of course I have. Why?"
He stared at me for another moment, obviously unconvinced, but I guess he figured we didn't know each other well enough for him to press. Or something.
"Nevermind. How are your ribs?"
"Much better, thanks, I can walk everyday without too much pain, so I consider myself healed." I laughed.
He paused for a second, looking uncertain about my answer.
"Eponine, I'm going to get straight to the point. Do you still...consider yourself to owe me for helping you earlier?" He glanced at me, looking almost boyishly hopeful.
"Huh? Of course. I was wondering if that little bit of highlighting was all you were going to ask me to do."
He sighed. "That's great. I mean, it's not great! You definitely don't have to do anything else if you don't want to...I was just wondering if you would be willing to, uh, continue helping me with some of my law work. My partner...dropped out of college," I couldn't stop the quick laugh that escaped my mouth. Some luck. He ignored it. "anyways, now all the work is thrust onto me until they can find someone else, so I was wondering if you would..."
"Sure." I shrug. It was also pretty amusing how nervous he got when asking me. It almost seemed like he wasn't used to asking people favors. It wasn't a favor though, I did still owe him.
He flashed me the same charming he'd shown me the first time I'd agreed to his proposition.
"Thank you, Eponine. Swing by mine and 'ferre's apartment some time this week. You may not remember where it was due to the state you were in..." He instructed me to wait a moment and went over to where he had been keeping his satchel(did he ever not have that thing?), pulling out a pen and paper and writing something down on it.
He held it out to me. "Here. It's our address and my contact number in case there's any confusion."
"Um, thanks..." I put the paper in my bra and he averts his gaze. I roll my eyes.
"Geez, Enjolras, one would think you've never seen someone do that before." He didn't say anything. "Anyways, aren't you going to have any fun here. I mean, it's a party, and your friends just got married, for God's sake!"
"You don't seem to be having the best time yourself." He noted.
I sighed at the truth of it. "Yeah, parties have always made me uncomfortable, for some reason. Maybe it was just the shit crowd that attended them. But that doesn't mean I have to be a deadbeat all night. Come on, let's go get another drink." I urged. He raised an eyebrow.
"I think you've had enough for the both of us."
I rolled my eyes. Grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the bar table. "No way, blondie, I've only just started. And so have you."
A/N: Yeah...don't judge...I'm tired. R&R?
