A/N: So we were walking and found this wooden tower thing that you can walk up and at the top people left messages so I wrote 'Vive la France!' and 'Red, the blood of angry men.' And for all you Sherlockians I wrote 'Roses are red, Sherlock's blood is too, There's pain in John's voice when he says "He's my friend let me through."' I apologize for that… Carry on
A couple months later:
"Attention everybody, our very own waiter Eponine just landed a callback for Elphaba in Wicked! Everyone give her some applause!" said Reilly, another waiter at the Stardust Diner, as she raised Eponine's hand into the air as though to say 'she's a champion!' Everyone clapped respectively, as to which Eponine grinned like a fool. Enjolras, Joly, Marius, and Prouvaire all sat at a booth and cheered along with everybody else, even though they already knew Eponine had gotten the callback a while ago.
"Give it up for Eponine! Let's have her sing something from Wicked! How about 'For Good?' You could sing a duet with someone," Reilly offered causing Enjolras to groan as he recalled the day he sang with Eponine at the Gershwin theater. Eponine cast Enjolras a knowing glance, and the other three boys at the table regarded the exchange with curiosity.
"Um… I think I'll just sing the solo version of 'Defying Gravity,'" Eponine suggested.
"That works too! Give it up for Eponine!" Reilly said one more time before walking off and Eponine began to sing.
"I love this song," Prouvaire sighed contentedly.
"So, you and Eponine sang 'For Good' together," Marius said slyly.
"How do you know that! Eponine said she wouldn't tell anyone!" Enjolras exclaimed angrily.
"She didn't tell me; you just confirmed it. I saw your and Eponine's reaction when the other waiter mentioned singing a duet of 'For Good.' Well… how did it go?" Marius prodded and Enjolras cursed himself.
"Ugh, it really isn't a big deal, okay? That was when she landed the audition, I had my uncle listen to her sing. I wasn't counting on singing myself, but I was so desperate to get Eponine to sing I did what she said," Enjolras said bitterly.
"Aw, you're a good friend," Joly said, patting Enjolras' head. Unfortunately his action was interrupted when Enjolras grabbed his wrist and twisted it around in one swift movement. Joly received the message: do not touch my hair.
"Maybe they're more than friends," Prouvaire suggested, wagging his eyebrows. Enjolras was too quick to deny the statement.
"Of course not, we're only friends," Enjolras snapped, but his friends looked at him suspiciously as though they didn't quite believe him. Enjolras was completely taken aback; he had never thought of Eponine in that way. Sure she was gorgeous, cunning, infuriating, yet wonderful, but did Enjolras like her? He glanced up at her singing 'Defying Gravity,' and he felt his heart do a somersault in his chest.
That was new.
She noticed him staring at her, and she winked at him.
For the first time he felt like he was made of stone.
He was flying 1000 miles into the sky, and he was also plummeting into the depths of the Earth.
"What you did for her was really generous. I'm sure she's fallen head over heels for you along the way," Prouvaire sighed.
"They are so getting married," Marius sighed.
"I can help! Before I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be a wedding planner. Let me help, let me help, please, please, please, please-"
"Cut it out, all of you! We're friends, and you are just making things awkward. Now Eponine's song is almost over and your constant chatter made all of us miss it! And don't mention any of this to Ep, I really don't want to make anything weird between us," Enjolras begged.
"Aw! He called her Ep!" Marius cheered, and Enjolras rolled his eyes.
"Why am I stuck with the three most romantic guys in our group," he groaned. Marius, Joly, and Prouvaire all started planning Enjolras and Eponine's wedding while Enjolras tried to drown out their idiocy.
"Whatcha guys talking about?" Eponine asked as she came up to them. Enjolras shot his friends a death glare that said 'if you utter one word about our wedding that will NEVER HAPPEN I will personally murder you and your families.'
"We were talking about amazing you sounded for your solo! Congrats 'Ponine! When you land the role, I'm going to take my exquisite Cosette to see you perform. I was thinking about proposing to her," Marius admitted. Eponine's heart sank a little bit, but not as much as she expected it to when the news hit her. She was finally able to see that someone like Marius would never want her, and even if he did, their relationship would be rocky. He always agrees to everything, but Eponine likes a good argument. Someone who just says 'yes' all the time is boring. Someone like Enjolras would be perfect for her.
Whoa.
Where did that come from? Eponine and Enjolras?!
Eponine mentally smashed her head with a frying pan. If she started to think like that, she would surely act tense around him. Did she like Enjolras? Sure she loved what he did for her. She loved the way he would always listen to her, the way his icy blue eyes would seem to melt into water when he watched her. She loved the way he would always give her his honest opinion, whether he agreed with her or not. She loved hi-
"Eponine?" Joly asked waving his hand in front of her face. "You spaced out."
"Oh sorry," Eponine chuckled, trying to mask her uneasiness. "Um… What did you say?"
"I just said that I'm proposing to Cosette when we see you perform as Elphaba," Marius said. Ugh, how could Eponine forget that?
"I might not get the role, don't be so confident that I will. Not everything always goes the way we want them to," Eponine said a little harsher than necessary. Enjolras sent her a sympathetic glance because he knew how she felt about Marius. For the first time, Enjolras felt jealousy surge through his veins.
"You're right, 'Ponine. But I'm sure you'll do great," Marius said with a smile. For the first time, Eponine didn't feel like smiling back at him.
"Eponine, you'll get what you deserve. Even if you fail, at least you can say you tried," Enjolras countered. Eponine felt her lips curl upwards at his comment, and she offered him an appreciative nod.
After everyone had finished their food, paid, and left, Enjolras remained behind. Eponine noticed his presence and approached him tentatively.
"Why didn't you leave with Joly, Marius, and Prouvaire?" she asked, and Enjolras shrugged.
"I needed to ask you if you wanted to grab dinner with me tonight," Enjolras asked. He didn't stumble or falter on any of his words, but inside he was horrified of rejection. His fear went away, however, when Eponine's face lit up.
"Sure, sounds fun. Do you have a place in mind?" Eponine asked casually.
"Yes, I do actually. Dress nice and I'll pick you up at 7," Enjolras said before he made his way to the exit.
"Are you gonna tell me where we're going?"
"Now where would be the fun in that?"
Line Break
Since Eponine was Eponine, she didn't always do the best in nice places with nice people. Even before they got to the restaurant, she knew that the night would be difficult for her. She didn't deserve expensive things, not yet. Enjolras was dressed up like a true gentleman with his $5,000 suit, sleek loafers, and tie. Eponine felt extremely underdressed in her cocktail dress from Forever 21 (it was red).
Enjolras told her she looked beautiful and Eponine felt light inside, even though she didn't believe him.
"Will you tell me where we are going?" Eponine asked with her eyebrows creased in worry. Enjolras looked at her for a second and observed that she was fiddling with the hem of her skirt, a nervous tick that he had as well. He couldn't figure out what was troubling her.
"No… but what's up?" Enjolras asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I'm riding in a car," Eponine deadpanned.
"I didn't mean it like that and you know it. You're nervous, but why?"
"I never said I was ner-"
"I know you never said it, but I can tell."
Eponine was surprised that she found herself telling Enjolras what was on her mind. Just a short while ago, she was so guarded around him, but a lot has changed now.
"I just feel uncomfortable at expensive restaurants, ya know? Well you wouldn't know because it is what you expect, but-"
"I don't 'expect' it, I just…"
"It's ok, I don't want you to feel weird or anything. I'm just pointing out how I feel like I don't really belong. Ack, I'm being dumb. Fierce and tough 'Ponine is acting sensitive," Eponine muttered.
"Hey, you're not being sensitive. I don't know what it's like to be you, but I should have known you wouldn't want to go to a fancy place for dinner," he admitted as he pulled over and stopped the car.
"Enjolras, what are you doing?"
"You choose where we go," Enjolras said seriously. He wasn't mocking her or being sarcastic, he was being a friend. "I don't care what kind of food you want, I don't care how far away it is." Eponine wasn't sure if she should listen to him, but she still swapped seats with and gripped the steering wheel of Enjolras' new Mercedes.
That's how the pair found themselves clutching to-go happy meals as Eponine led Enjolras into a dark alleyway.
"Is this safe?" Enjolras questioned.
"Would I ever steer you wrong?" Eponine asked rhetorically, but Enjolras responded anyways.
"Yes," he grunted.
"Well, I'm definitely not going to."
"What if my car gets stolen?"
"It won't! What happened to the 'I don't care where we eat?' Anyway, this street is completely abandoned. My father and his gang took over this area a couple years back and you would have to have nerves of steel to dare cross a Thenardier's territory alive," Eponine said, but Enjolras felt like she was lying.
Enjolras gulped. "We are here, can't your father's gang they hurt us?"
"Course not, if anyone from my father's gang happens to be over here, they know to leave me alone. Even if they do approach us, I could beat them to within an inch of their life. Stop your worrying, we'll be fine; I come here all the time."
"You come here a lot?" Enjolras asked quietly, afraid to let his voice rise above a whisper. He surveyed the area; it definitely wasn't the most beautiful place in New York. The dilapidated alley smelled like a sewer, and cobwebs lined the walls to make it look like they were in a haunted house. Fortunately, it was still light enough to see where they were going, otherwise Enjolras probably wouldn't have agreed to come down the old alleyway. Finally, the alley opened up a bit and the street was lined with old buildings, all of them appeared to be caving in. The setting sun cast an eerie gleam over the world, and Enjolras wished they could turn around.
"We're here," Eponine grinned as she sprinted to a ramshackle hotel. Enjolras followed in pursuit, though he wasn't happy about it. "We're gonna go in here-"
"You want to go in that? The building looks like it will crumble if you poke it!" Enjolras said, nervously clutching his Happy Meal.
"You said you didn't care where we eat," Eponine reminded him again in a sing-song voice.
"Fine, but next time I'm picking where we eat," Enjolras muttered without thinking. Eponine's heart soared when she heard Enjolras say 'next time.'
"Okay, whatever. Now follow me," Eponine said as she slipped inside the building. The first thing Enjolras noticed was a grand, sweeping chandelier that hung from the dark ceiling; it looked like Spiderman had paid that chandelier a visit, much like the rest of the hotel. Everything seemed to be drenched in creepy spider webs. The reception would have once been a magnificent, mahogany desk, but now it was splintering and appeared to be fragile. A flourishing staircase enveloped in a red carpet was situated right underneath the chandelier. Enjolras could tell that this could have been a glamorous hotel at one time, but now it looked worse than the Hollywood Tower Hotel from the Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios.
"Eponine, this is basically the perfect setting for a horror film or a murder; I am fond of neither of those things," Enjolras commented, chewing on his lip. Eponine just rolled her eyes and chuckled.
"Hurry up the staircase, it's probably fine but I don't want it to collapse," Eponine teased. Enjolras crossed his arms in annoyance when as she poked fun of him. "C'mon, relax."
She lead Enjolras up the large, marble staircase and they reached a small hallway with a flight of stairs on the left, elevators on the right, and a sitting area that was currently occupied by spiders in the center. They went to the left and hopped up the spiral staircase. Enjolras disliked this part; it was pitch black. However, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his flashlight app for illumination. He vaguely heard Eponine mutter 'wimp,' but he didn't care.
Finally, after a couple minutes of stair climbing, Eponine stopped and pushed open a door that lead them into a hallway. The floors were white marble with red carpets, and the walls were an elegant white, black, and gold print. The doors were so filthy that the white looked yellow, and some of the golden placards that bore room numbers on them had fallen off.
They reached the end of the hallway and Eponine climbed through the already open window; the glass had been completely ripped out.
"Wait a minute, we're going to crawl out the window?" Enjolras demanded deliriously. He looked like a frightened child.
"Of course, you didn't think we were going to sit around this old hotel, did you? No! We're going to the roof," Eponine explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Enjolras gulped.
Eponine balanced her feet on the ledge and hoisted herself out of sight above the window.
"I'm coming," Enjolras called, quite unsure of himself. Eponine stuck her head back into view upside down, her dark curls were so long they touched the bottom of the empty window.
"Do you trust me?" Eponine asked seriously, and Enjolras regarded her for a moment before responding truthfully.
"Yes." With that, he willed himself to walk forward and ease himself onto the ledge. The roof was flat and it looked pretty easy to get up to, but the fall was a long way. Enjolras was determined to not look down, and he threw his upper body around the ledge, all while balancing his happy meal box in his mouth.
Suddenly, a petit hand grabbed onto to the man and helped him up.
"Thanks," Enjolras nodded, slightly out of breath; not because of the exercise, but out of fear. "Sorry, I've just never been a fan of heights."
"Understandable. First time I came up here, I was shaking in my bones. Of course, that was a long time ago," Eponine said, not talk to Enjolras but to herself.
"You sound like you come here frequently- why?" Enjolras asked, but Eponine didn't answer. Instead, she carefully sat down and laid her food out.
"Join me," she ordered, and Enjolras plopped down next to her. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Enjolras had to agree; the view they had was beyond beautiful. The sun had almost set in the sky, but it still lingered in the horizon. Orange, pink, and red painted the sky around the dying sun, and purple and blue clung to the space away from it. Everything was crystal clear from the top of the hotel, and Enjolras could see the entire city. Outlines of skyscrapers dotted his vision; no matter how many artists tried to draw this moment, nothing would ever equal its beauty. Part of the experience was the smell. In the city, it smelled like pollution, taxis, and smoke. Here the air was pure and Enjolras couldn't get enough of it. Plus, the smell of his McDonald's wafted in the air as well and made his stomach growl.
"Eponine, this is incredible," he breathed, finally taking in the scenery.
"You see how you can only half of the sun is visible on the horizon? After it reaches that point, I feel like it sinks so fast. If you look away for a minute or two, it will be completely gone by the time you look back," Eponine mused, not taking her eyes of the sun.
Enjolras glanced at the sun, but found he couldn't take his eyes of Eponine. The colors of the sky cast a stunning glow on her face, and her hair shimmered with an orange hue. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the sun slip further and further away.
If Eponine felt him staring at her, she didn't react. Only when the sun had completely disappeared did she look up.
"This is my favorite part of the entire day, right now, when the sunset is over," Eponine said, beckoning to the sky.
"Why? Don't you like the sunset and how it bursts with color?" Enjolras asked, glancing at the sky. He didn't see anything special about it. The color had completely drained from it and it looked dull and gray.
"Yes, I love the sunset, but this… Well, I don't have to explain myself to you," Eponine shrugged as she gazed at the sky.
"No, do tell," Enjolras urged. Eponine sighed and spared a quick look at Enjolras before returning her attention to the sky.
"Fine, I like this part of day because most people ignore it. Kids are already sleeping, teens are probably off texting somewhere, and adults are eating dinner. No one comes outside right after a sunset; this is when they go inside. After the sun is set, the colors of the sky go with the sun. But the sky isn't empty without them; I think this is when its true beauty shows. The sky hasn't turned black yet, no stars have made their debut, but you can always faintly see the moon. The gray sky casts a warm and familiar shadow over the entire city that changes the color of the world, and people take it for granted," Eponine said quickly. "Just like people take me for granted," she added quietly.
Enjolras didn't have anything to say to that, so he said nothing. Eponine appreciated this skill; she hated it when people talked just to kill the silence. She and Enjolras could sit in the same room for hours and if neither had anything to say, they wouldn't say a word, and the silence would be comfortable.
Enjolras noticed Eponine's tiny body shaking, and he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. Eponine had to keep herself from groaning at the cliché action, but she bit her tongue because she knew Enjolras was bred to be an impeccable gentleman. Also, deep down, the small action made her giddy.
"You know, when I was a kid, I used to want to travel the world. I still do," Enjolras offered, not particularly expecting a response.
"I did too. I think everyone wants to see the whole world at some point in their life," Eponine agreed. "My dream now is to be a Broadway star, but before that, I wanted nothing more than to travel as far away from New York as possible. It's ironic, in a way, most people come to New York for a new beginning but I used to feel like it was…"
"Holding me back," Enjolras finished. Eponine noted how he said 'me' instead of 'you.' She knew that if she remained silent he would share his thoughts with her, and sure enough, he did.
"I used to think that as long as I was here, my parents could control me. I wanted to go everywhere, especially Europe. France always seemed like my destiny, but I never went. When I involved myself in school and charities and revolts, I got distracted from that dream."
"Funny, I've always wanted to go to France as well. I used to teach myself how to speak in French, but I don't remember any of it. Anyway, you can still go to France, God knows you have enough money. You Enjolras' probably have your own private jet," Eponine snickered.
"Yeah, but my parents won't let me use it anymore," Enjolras grumbled.
"Wait! You for real have a private jet? Why did you never mention that?" Eponine said as she wacked his shoulder.
"I'm sorry it never came up! That sounds like a great way to start a conversation: 'Hello, my name is Enjolras and I have a private jet. Do you want to be my friend?'" Enjolras chuckled.
"Whatever, one day, you are going to take me to Paris in your private jet," Eponine requested.
"Yeah, only problem is: I'm not allowed to use it!"
"Okay, fine. One day you are going to take me to Paris, not on your private jet, but on first class in a regular airplane."
"First class, really? You are going to make me broke!" Enjolras joked.
"Sorry, but it's the price you must pay," Eponine retorted. The laughter slowly slid off Enjolras' face and he got a businesslike look in his eye.
"I swear on my life, I will take you to Paris, France before the end of the year. First class tickets included," he stated.
"Enjy, I was kidding. You don't have to take me to Paris. You already got me the Elphaba audition, I could never ask more of you," Eponine murmured, her mood rapidly changing.
"Really, it's just pocket change. I want to take you, Ep. Even if you don't want to go, I'm still buying a plane ticket for you. It's up to you to decide if you want to come, but there will be an empty seat next to me if you don't go."
"Aw, c'mon. This is a big deal, a trip to France isn't something to be made on a whim! Plus what about everything in New York? School, charity, rebellions?" Eponine said, cocking an eyebrow before finishing off the last of her McDonald's fries.
"In my entire life, I have never missed a day of school or taken a break from helping my charities or planning revolts and protests. I think that I deserve on little vacation, don't you? Plus, I've never had anyone to travel with me before, and now I have you."
"What about Les Amis?"
"If I took one, I would have to take them all."
"Fair point," Eponine sighed.
"So, you wanna come with me to France?"
"We'll see."
Silence once again settled around them, but it was a good silence. Enjolras was itching to wrap his arm around Eponine, but he couldn't pluck up the courage. Moves like that could certainly make things different between them.
Stars started to appear in the sky, and Eponine got up without a word.
"Leaving already?" Enjolras called out to her.
"You know it," Eponine said distractedly as she lowered herself into the building.
"Aren't you gonna wait for me? I do have the car, after all."
"Nope, my apartments extremely close by, I'm gonna walk," Eponine replied, her head vanishing from sight.
"What if I can't find my way out?" Enjolras asked. He knew he could find his way back, he had a near photographic memory. He wanted Eponine to stay longer.
"You'll be fine," Eponine said, her feet landing on the old carpet inside the hotel.
"Okay, will you at least answer my earlier question? Why do you come here so much?" Enjolras asked, inching towards the edge of the roof. He heard the window creak as Eponine put her weight on it once more.
"You really want to know where we are? I admit, I lied earlier when I said this was just some area that my father claimed a couple years ago." Ah, the truth. "This is where I grew up; this is my parent's old hotel."
Enjolras could see a flash of brown hair and then nothing else in the darkness of the night.
A/N: Did you see that coming? And also, do you think Enjolras was serious about the plane tickets to France? YAY FOR ME I AM POSTING THIS ON THE ROYAL BABY'S BIRTHDAY! CONGRATS TO WILLIAM AND KATE!