This is a long chapter, so I'm going to keep this note short: I used some of your ideas in this chapter, so THANK YOU for those! And THANK YOU for all the support, and now, onto the chapter!
Chapter 9: Parties
As Enjolras opened his eyes on Saturday, he was met with the bright sun streaming through his window. He stretched his arms above his head, allowing a small smile to grace his lips; it was going to be a beautiful day. Except…Enjolras let his arms fall to the mattress as a cold dread settled into his stomach; today was his bachelor party.
"Fuck." He said quietly. He briefly considered calling Courfeyrac and cancelling the party, feigning 'sickness', but he remembered Éponine's words; his friends were excited to throw him this party. He supposed he should go…after all, they were keeping his big secret.
With an exaggerated sigh, he crawled out of bed, throwing a t-shirt over his head and padding down the hall. He was surprised to find Éponine already sitting in the kitchen, a steaming mug of coffee in front of her.
"Morning," Enjolras said, smiling toward her, before reaching for the coffee pot. She grunted in response, to which he laughed quietly; Éponine had not yet had enough coffee to be friendly.
Enjolras sat down across from her at the table, coffee in his hands. He blew the steam off the top of his mug, his eyes focusing on Éponine. Her hair was loosely piled on top of her head, her face bare of makeup. Enjolras wondered vaguely how she looked so nice after having just woken up.
"Ready for your party?" Éponine questioned, her voice heavy with sleep. Enjolras shrugged as he took his first sip of coffee.
"Nope." He said, resting the mug back on the table. "You?"
"Absolutely not."
Enjolras opened his mouth to respond, before a knock at the door interrupted him. He stood, walking across the kitchen to look through the peephole. He stifled a laugh, before turning back to the kitchen.
"Why are Cosette and Musichetta here already?
"Fucking shit." Éponine cursed, her hands flying up to cover her face. "I forgot about the pre-party,"
"Pre-party?"
"Cosette wanted to go to the spa, get manicures and pedicures and all that shit. Fuck, can you entertain them while I get ready quick?"
Enjolras opened his mouth to respond, but Éponine was already down the hall to the bathroom. He sighed, briefly considered how much Éponine swore in the morning, before tugging the door open. "Ladies," he greeted.
"Auguste, darling, happy bachelor party day." Musichetta said gravely. "Will you be as much of a wet blanket today as you are every day?"
Enjolras gave her a blank look of annoyance, before turning to Cosette. "You can come in." He said, before turning back to Musichetta. "You can go home if you want to."
"You know I'm kidding, Enjolras, annoying you is a hobby of mine." Musichetta said affectionately, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek before moving into the living room. Ever since she had started dating Joly, Musichetta and Enjolras had enjoyed a relationship full of bantering and teasing. To any outsider, it would appear that they hated each other, but they were actually very close friends.
"Is Éponine ready?" Cosette asked. Enjolras shook his head.
"Nope. She asked me to entertain you while she got ready."
"Oh, joy." Musichetta said, flopping down onto the couch. "Got any coffee?"
"Get it yourself," Enjolras said, to which Musichetta huffed, before getting up again to walk to the kitchen. Cosette sat down in her place, a soft smile on her face.
"Nothing crazy is going to happen tonight," she assured him. "We won't let Éponine get too wild."
"She can do whatever she wants," Enjolras sighed, raising his mug to his lips. "I'm the one who doesn't want a stripper, or anything like that."
"Don't be mad if the boys do something that you might not be comfortable with," Cosette began nervously. "They're just excited to have an excuse to celebrate."
"What do you know that I don't know?" Enjolras asked suspiciously. Cosette's face colored.
"Uh…nothing…"
"Cosette, is there going to be a stripper there?"
"Chill out, Enj, when's the last time you had tits in your face?" Musichetta asked, sitting next to Cosette, a mug of coffee in her hands. She pulled a small flask from her jacket pocket, and poured its contents into her coffee.
"Okay, first of all, I don't want a stranger's body in my face, on my lap, or near me." Enjolras said, holding up one finger. "Second of all, are you drinking already? It is nine in the morning."
"First of all," Musichetta mocked, sticking her tongue out at Enjolras. "Maybe the stripper is for the other boy's enjoyment more than yours. They know you're not into that, but some of them are. Second of all, this is the start of a bachelorette party, of course I am drinking already."
"There's going to be a stripper at the bachelor party?" Éponine questioned as she walked into the living room. She had thrown on jeans and a simple top, a purse over one shoulder, and an overnight bag over the other shoulder.
"Of course," Musichetta said, shrugging her shoulders. "It was Courf's idea."
"Courf is gay."
"To quote him, 'just because I don't want to stick my dick in it, doesn't mean I can't appreciate it'."
"Good lord," Enjolras said, burying his face in his palms. Musichetta patted him on the shoulder.
"In all seriousness, Enj, you don't have to stay the whole time. Just go have a drink, toast the end of bachelorhood – sort of – and leave. I already told Joly that you probably wouldn't be there the entire time. They're fine with it. They just want you to have a good time."
"Thanks, Chetta." Enjolras said, his face still hidden in his hands. "I'll probably do that,"
"Well, on that note, we should probably get going," Cosette said, glancing at her watch as she stood. "Our appointment at the salon is in a half-hour."
"We'll meet you at the car," Musichetta said to Éponine, before turning to Enjolras. "Try to have some fun tonight!"
"You guys too," Enjolras said. "See you all later," Musichetta and Cosette both waved, before leaving the apartment, shutting the door behind them.
"Well," Éponine said, shifting her bag on her shoulder. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to stay at Cosette's tonight…we figure we'll be too drunk to drive, so we're taking a cab back there."
"Good idea," Enjolras remarked. "I'll probably be coming back here. I'm planning on having a beer or two, and then coming back."
"Okay. Have fun?" Éponine phrased it as a question. Enjolras laughed.
"You too." Before he could talk himself out of it, he moved forward and wrapped Éponine in a hug. "Be safe," he said against her hair, the smell of her shampoo making him slightly dizzy. She too was breathing deeply; he smelled vaguely like cologne, a sort of musky smell that made her hesitant to pull away.
"You be safe, too." Éponine said into his shoulder. He pulled back, a small smile on his face.
"Bye,"
"See you later," Éponine said, ignoring her thumping heartbeat, and turned toward the door. Enjolras leaned over and opened it for her, and she disappeared down the stairs. Enjolras took a deep breath as he closed the door; the air suddenly felt a bit lighter, and maybe the bachelor party wouldn't be as bad as he originally thought.
He had been so, so wrong.
Courfeyrac and Combeferre had picked him up at nine, and they had driven fifteen minutes downtown to a brightly lit storefront, complete with a neon sign of a woman kicking a leg in the air. Enjolras had taken one look at the place, before turning to Courfeyrac with an annoyed look on his face.
"I knew there would be a stripper, but I didn't realize we were going to a strip club."
"Who told you there was going to be a stripper?" Courfeyrac asked with surprise, ignoring Enjolras's question.
"Cosette, but that doesn't matter…"
"God dammit, Marius." Courfeyrac growled. "Next time, we don't tell him anything."
"That's not the point, Courf, I don't care about the stripper, I'd rather just get a drink with you guys at a bar…"
"Alright," Combeferre said, before his boyfriend could retort. "Let's go in here for a little while, just to appease everyone, and then we'll head to the bar, deal?"
"Deal." Enjolras sighed; he did not feel like arguing.
When they entered the strip club, they were met with an already intoxicated Marius. He waved them over to their "VIP area" – which was really only a booth in a corner – where the rest of the men were already sitting. Enjolras sat down, and was immediately given a tie that said "groom" on it.
"Are you kidding?"
"Nope, we're not. Put it on." Bahorel instructed. Enjolras sighed, but obliged.
"Take this shot," Joly said, grinning ear to ear as he passed Enjolras a full shot glass. Enjolras closed his eyes briefly, cursing his friends in his head, before tossing back the burning liquid.
"Good?" Joly asked, to which Enjolras gave a thumbs up.
"Great." He affirmed, while trying not to gag; the shot was disgusting.
"I'll get us another!" Joly said happily. Enjolras tried to stop him, but it was too late; he had already skipped away to the bar. At that moment, a woman sauntered over to Enjolras, a small apron around her waist. She stopped in front of him, her eyes wandering down to the tie around his neck.
"You're the groom?"
"Yes," Enjolras said, leaning over to yell over the music. "Could I just get a glass of water for now, please, my friends are getting more shots…"
"Oh, honey," the woman said, a smirk on her face as she reached down to undo her apron. "I'm not the waitress." Without another word, she dropped the apron, revealing a floss-thin thong. She settled herself into Enjolras's lap, her legs straddling him on either side, her hands undoing the back of her shirt. "You want to take this off?"
Enjolras gulped. "Not really,"
"Jesus Christ, Enj, just do it." Feuilly said, rolling his eyes in agitation. He was holding his phone in his hand, recording the whole thing.
"It's okay, honey, I've got it," the stripper assured him, before tugging the shirt over her head, and pushing her breasts toward Enjolras. The amis began to holler in appreciation, snapping photos and laughing to themselves, while Enjolras silently prayed for it to end. He held his arms rigidly at his sides, his hands balled into fists. He felt absolutely no desire for the woman in his lap, but the friction of her dancing was making his pants tighter.
His face reddened at the feeling of his growing erection, and he forced his mind away from the situation. He tried to think of anything else, and his thoughts finally came to a rest on Éponine. She had smelled really nice earlier that day, he remembered, and he would have given anything to be with her, instead of at the strip club. His thoughts soon changed direction, and he thought of Éponine in his lap, Éponine grinding into him, Éponine in that outfit…
Finally, the song was over, and the woman crawled off his lap. He looked down at his very obvious arousal; thinking of Éponine had made it much, much worse. He tried to readjust his pants before any of his friends saw, but, of course, Grantaire noticed right away.
"Marble man, my ass!" He called, pointing at Enjolras's pelvis with glee. Everyone immediately glanced down – Jehan even stood – to see. Peals of laughter echoed through the corner of the club, and Enjolras thought he would die from the embarrassment.
"Guess he didn't mind the stripper after all!"
"You want her to come back over here, Enjolras?"
"No," Enjolras said firmly, annoyance creeping into his voice. "I do not." He grabbed a shot off the table and threw it back in one fluid motion. Combeferre raised an eyebrow.
"Should we head over to the bar?"
"Yes," Enjolras grumbled. He reached over and took the shot that was sitting in front of Joly, and threw that back also.
"Woah, you doing alright chief?" Courfeyrac questioned. Enjolras shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm fine,"
"Maybe he just needs some action," Grantaire mused, glancing back at Enjolras's erection. "You and Éponine bone yet?"
"No." Enjolras said, clenching his jaw in agitation. "Let's go to the bar,"
The group stood, Enjolras leading the way to the door. They piled into two cars – Combeferre and Jehan were both designated drivers – and drove away. Once they were moving, Enjolras looked up, silently hoping that Éponine was having a better night than he was.
After their spa day – which, admittedly, had been amazing – Éponine, Cosette, and Musichetta went to an early dinner, before heading over to a ladies' night at a club. Women got in for free, and upon their entrance, the three girls were handed a complimentary drink.
"This is good!" Éponine said happily, leaning down to adjust her dress. Musichetta had insisted they all get dressed up, and had forced Éponine into one of her very short, and very tight dresses. She was also wearing heels, and her hair was curled to perfection.
"It is! Here, take this!" Cosette said, fishing a sash out of her purse. It said "bride-to-be", and Éponine laughed, before putting it on over her head.
"Maybe we'll get some free drinks from the bartenders," Musichetta mused. She and Cosette were both wearing sashes that said "bridesmaid".
"I hope so!" Éponine said, leading the girls toward the bar. They all sat down with their backs to the bar to face the dance floor. Despite it being ladies' night, there were still several men in the club.
"I wonder how the bachelor party is going," Éponine said, glancing at her phone to see if she had any messages from Enjolras. "I haven't heard from him,"
"Joly said they were on the way to the strip club when I talked to him a few minutes ago."
"Enjolras is going to be pissed that they're going there," Cosette said, to which Éponine shrugged.
"He kind of expected it."
"He's a trooper." Éponine said, smiling slightly as she took a sip of her drink. Musichetta raised her eyebrows at Cosette, before turning to Éponine.
"Any moves on the romance front?"
Éponine coughed. "What do you mean?"
"You and Enjolras. Living together…I mean, we're all expecting something to happen."
"Nothing has happened."
"Do you want something to happen?" Cosette asked. Éponine hesitated.
"I wouldn't…hate it if something did."
Musichetta screeched, before slapping Éponine on the arm. "I knew it! You couldn't live with a guy like that, who looks like that without having some sort of feelings."
"I don't know if I'd say feelings, but we're definitely getting along."
"Would you, or would you not have sex with him?"
"I don't know."
"Yes, you do." Musichetta countered.
"Okay, I might. We haven't even kissed, guys, it's not like we're on the brink of doing it."
"Fine," Cosette said, bumping Éponine's arm with her elbow. "But it could happen."
"It could."
"Good enough for me," Musichetta said, smiling widely, before standing up. "Come on, let's dance."
"POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME…. IN THE NAME OF LOVE! POUR YOUR SUGAR ON ME! COME ON FIRE ME UP!" Courfeyrac screamed into the microphone. The group had gone from the strip club to a karaoke bar, where everyone was in stitches, laughing at each other attempt to sing. Grantaire, who was supposed to be singing 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' with Courfeyrac, was doubled over in laughter, unable to participate.
Enjolras was grinning ear to ear; this was his idea of a good time. He was slightly intoxicated; the three shots at the club, two at the bar, and now a beer, were starting to kick in. When the song ended, the amis all stood up and clapped enthusiastically. Even the bartender joined in, and slid a free beer over to Enjolras.
"When's the wedding?" he asked.
"One week," Enjolras said, grinning to himself as he considered the proximity of the ceremony.
"Congratulations," he said, smiling at the look on Enjolras's face.
"Thank you,"
"What on earth…Cosette, what are you…" Marius's voice broke into Enjolras's conversation, and he turned, taking in the sight of Éponine, Cosette, and Musichetta standing in the bar.
"We had some issues with some guys at the club," Musichetta said, waving a hand. "So we decided to go to karaoke. Didn't know this was the bar you guys would be at,"
"But I told –" Joly began, but Musichetta shot him a look.
"What kind of issues?" Enjolras asked, standing from his seat at the bar – and stumbling slightly – before moving to stand in front of Éponine.
"It's fine, Enjolras, just some guys that wouldn't leave us alone. Even though I'm clearly getting married," Éponine said. She sounded more annoyed than upset, which Enjolras took as a good sign.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Éponine said. "Security wouldn't kick them out, so we just decided to leave."
"Are you two okay?" Enjolras asked Musichetta and Cosette, who both nodded.
"Well, you missed a winning rendition of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'." Courfeyrac bragged, slinging an arm around Enjolras. "And you obviously missed the strip – "
"Enough, Courf," Combeferre said, hooking a finger around Courfeyrac's belt loop to pull him away from Enjolras. "How was your day, besides the end of the club?"
"It was good," Éponine said, smiling at Cosette and Musichetta. "We had a nice day at the spa, and then dinner, and we got some free drinks."
"Let's have a toast!" Marius said, handing a beer to each of the girls. "To Enjolras and Éponine, whose parties somehow collided tonight, but we're really glad because we all really love each other." He practically fell over as he spoke; he had consumed so much alcohol.
"To Enjolras and Éponine!" The group echoed, before drinking deeply from their beers. Cosette drifted over to Marius, who asked her loudly when she would like to get married, to which everyone laughed. Éponine took a seat at a table, and Enjolras drifted over to her.
"Hi," he said, bracing himself on one side of the table. "You look really pretty,"
Éponine blushed. "Thank you," she said quietly. "It's kind of more appropriate for a club, but…"
"No, I like it." Enjolras affirmed, cursing himself when he realized he was staring at her cleavage in his alcohol induced haze.
"Thank you," she said, taking another sip of her beer. "Was tonight as bad as you thought it would be?"
"No," Enjolras said, shrugging his shoulders. "The stripper was a really unnecessary thing, but the rest was good. Karaoke is fun. You're here now, so that makes it better. I'm glad you had a nice day."
"I did," Éponine affirmed, choosing to ignore his comment about her arrival at the bar. "I think I'm going to sleep at the apartment, instead of Cosette's."
"Combeferre is going to drive me back, so he can just take us both."
"Okay,"
"Just let me know when you're ready."
"I'm ready whenever you are,"
"I'm kind of tired," Enjolras admitted. "I drank more tonight than I usually do."
"That's fine, I am too." Éponine said, smiling at his confession. "I'm ready to go when you are."
"Hey, 'Ferre!" Enjolras said, turning to find his friend. Combeferre wandered over, dragging a very drunk Courfeyrac by the hand. "Do you think you could drive us home?"
"Yep, let me just grab my jacket," Combeferre said. Enjolras nodded, before moving away from the table.
"Should probably thank everyone," he mumbled, to which Éponine nodded. Enjolras began to make his rounds through the bar to thank the amis for the night out. Éponine hugged Cosette and Musichetta, thanking them as well. Éponine and Enjolras met Combeferre at the door, and after one last wave, the trio departed.
Once they were out of earshot, Musichetta rounded on Joly. "You almost gave it away!"
"Gave what away?"
"That I knew you were here!"
"But you did know we were here!"
"I know I knew, that's why I brought Éponine here!"
"Ohhhh," Joly said, dragging the word out. "Why?"
"Jesus Christ." Musichetta swore, before touching Joly's cheek affectionately. "I love you, but sometimes you need to keep up a little better."
"Éponine definitely has feelings for Enjolras," Cosette blurted. "So we took her here so they could leave together."
"You think something will happen? Something sexual?" Grantaire asked, to which Musichetta shrugged.
"Maybe not tonight. But we need them to spend as much time together as possible, right?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "And maybe, they'll fall for each other."
"You want to watch a movie?" Enjolras yawned. He was seated on the couch of their living room, the remote in his hand. "Atonement just started a few minutes ago."
"Sure," Éponine agreed. She had just changed out of her dress and put on pajamas. Enjolras stifled a laugh as he turned on the movie. "What are you laughing at?"
"Your pink bunny pajamas."
"I like these."
"I do too," Enjolras said, still laughing as Éponine sat down next to him. She smacked him on the arm with a huff, before settling into the couch.
For about twenty minutes, the movie passed without incident. They had both seen it before, and were therefore only half paying attention to the television; both Enjolras and Éponine were consciously aware of the proximity of their bodies on the couch.
Soon, however, something on the screen caught both of their attention: the sex scene in the library. In the film, Robbie pushed Cecilia against a bookshelf, lifting her off the ground as he entered her. Enjolras felt his cheeks turn red as he glanced at Éponine, to the bookshelf in their own living room; his thoughts were definitely turning toward a more…inappropriate direction.
Éponine was thinking the exact same thing. She too was looking at the bookshelf in their living room, considering how it would feel to have the shelves pushed into her spine as Enjolras kissed her, held her, pushed himself into her…
Enjolras began fanning himself with his hand, trying to look anywhere but the television; the tension in the room was palpable. He wondered vaguely if Éponine was thinking the same thing as him, or if she was just enjoying the movie like a normal person.
"Enjolras," she said, breaking into his thoughts. He turned to her, taking in the slight flush of her cheeks. "I think you should kiss me."
"You…what?"
"I think you should kiss me. We're going to have to kiss at the ceremony, we're supposed to be a couple, and all pretenses and illusions aside, I'd really like you to kiss me."
"You want me to kiss you?"
"Yes,"
Enjolras needed no further clarification. He turned his body sideways on the couch, and leaned forward, grateful for the traces of alcohol left in his system to give him courage. He cupped the side of Éponine's face in his hand, surprised at the heat coming off her cheeks, before leaning in to press his lips to hers.
Unlike her cheeks, her lips were cool. They were soft against his, and he moved hesitantly to deepen the kiss. He felt her tongue against his lips, and without restraint, opened his mouth to allow her entrance. He ran his tongue along hers, tasting the faint trace of beer. Éponine made a small noise in the back of her throat, and Enjolras realized that he needed her closer; needed to feel her body on his, needed her hair threaded through his fingers, her skin under his hands. He reached over, his hand gripping her hip, before pulling her toward him.
It was all the motivation she needed to move to straddle him, her lips never separating from his. Her teeth nipped his bottom lip as she ground her pelvis into his, relishing the feeling of stimulation, the stirring arousal through the thin material of her pajamas. His hands rested on her lower back, his fingers splayed to feel as much of her as he could. They were in a frenzy; Enjolras couldn't get enough of tasting her, of feeling her lips against his, of her body flush with his own.
She pulled back, looking lazily into his eyes, a smile on her lips. "I think we should do that more often,"
"I think you're right." Enjolras said, his breathing heavy. Éponine laughed, leaning forward to peck his lips again, her hand running through his hair.
"I mean, we're going to be married, right? We might as well enjoy some of the benefits." Éponine reasoned. Enjolras nodded vigorously.
"Absolutely." He agreed, pushing himself up off the couch to kiss her again. She smiled against his lips.
"I think it's bed time," she said, a trace of regret in her voice. She knew, however, that the longer they stayed on the couch, the higher the probability was of doing something they'd regret in the morning.
"It is," Enjolras breathed. Éponine extricated herself from his arms to stand. Enjolras scrambled off the couch to stand in front of her, his fingers pushing her hair behind her ears, seemingly of their own accord.
"Goodnight," Éponine whispered, standing on her tiptoes to press her lips to his one last time. She stepped back and walked down the hallway, waving to him, before disappearing from view. Enjolras flopped back onto the couch, running a hand through his hair, an overwhelmed look on his face.
He turned back to the movie, smiling to himself as he considered the past ten minutes. He glanced at the bookshelf in the living room, a blush creeping onto his face. Maybe they should watch Atonement more often.
so, they've kissed! I hope you all enjoyed this; please let me know your thoughts, and if there is anything in the next few chaps you'd like to see! We're getting closer to the wedding! xoxo Brittany