A/N: I promised a happy one as well as a sad one, and here it is! Not my finest work as still feeling pretty crap, but hey. Hoping you guys like it!


Prompt: Imagine your OTP slow dancing under the stars. (Yes, there will be a build up to it!)


Marius was excited.

He'd been worried about Éponine recently - her visits were more scarce than usual and she seemed a little distant, and he was determined to get her out of that, even if it was just for one night.

Checking he'd got everything, he picked up the rug and the package and headed quietly to the Thénardier flat next door. He picked up the letterbox flap. "Éponine!" he whispered loudly, and was glad when he saw a pair of cautious eyes meet his.

"Marius?"

"I need to speak to you, come with me."

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. I only want a couple of hours."

"In case it's escaped your notice, it's about half past one at night!"

"Come on, 'Ponine. Please?"

"Oh, alright then."

Marius smiled, and stood up, watching Éponine silently slip out of the door. Immediately she opened her mouth to ask about the package and rug, but he stopped her with a finger.

"Ssh. Come on."

Éponine's eyes sparkled. She was excited to see what was happening, although Paris at night wasn't a very nice place to be. But instead of strolling through the streets, like she expected, Marius led her out of Saint-Michel and instead headed towards what appeared to be a large field.

"Almost there" Marius said, taking her hand in his absent-mindedly. Éponine was glad the darkness prevented him from seeing her blush as she clasped his hand, giving it a little squeeze.

Marius stopped at the top of the hill. He spread the blanket down and unwrapped the package to reveal two smaller packages. He unwrapped one of them to show bread, cheese and what looked like chocolates to Éponine, although she hadn't eaten one in so long that she couldn't quite remember.

The other package he handed to her. Éponine stared at it for a while, wondering what could be n there. Marius watched her with a mix of happiness and sadness - was she this unused to kindness that she didn't even know what to do with gifts?

"Open it."

"It's for me?"

"Of course!" Marius smiled.

Éponine slowly began to tear the brown paper off, curious to see what she'd been given. Inside was a small red notebook and a pen. "You always told me you wanted to learn how to write your own story endings, so here's a way to start. Love from Marius" was written on the first page, and Éponine blushed a little. It was true, when reading stories to Azelma or Gavroche, she often didn't like the way they ended, and preferred to make up her own endings. And now she could document them?

Without thinking, Éponine practically flew at Marius and hugged him tightly. It was the first time she'd been given a gift in almost nine years, let alone not on her birthday, so the fact he'd seen it and thought of her meant more than she could describe. Marius smiled and wrapped his arms around her thin body, letting her relax as she buried her face in his shoulder.

Éponine eventually let go and set about writing her name in it. She swapped hands a few times, trying out different styles, which led Marius to guess she was ambidextrous. Interesting, he thought, that a girl who has never been to school should be so easily able to read and to write with both hands.

What he didn't know was that Éponine often crept into his apartment to see his writing, and imitated the letters with her finger, pouring over his papers for hours, even picking up a few German phrases thanks to his work as a translator (even if she had no idea what they meant.) Whilst it was true she couldn't write very well, she knew how to write letters, and had transferred that to teach herself how to read. So whilst she was very slow at times, she had managed to get herself to a reasonable level.

She seemed to prefer writing with her left hand, he noticed, although perhaps that was just the hand she was using that night. She wrote out her name and what the notebook was for before closing it and placing it back in the package, plus the pen, and tucking it in her pocket.

"What's the food for?" she asked, confused.

"I thought you'd appreciate a picnic away from your family."

Éponine grinned. "You know me well" she replied, leaning forwards and taking a bit of bread and cheese. Marius smiled as she resembled a hamster slightly, her cheeks rounder as she chewed. He took a bit of cheese himself, taking a bite and shuffling closer to Éponine. She smiled slightly and shuffled closer to him too, until her side was pressed against his and her head resting against her head resting against his shoulder.

Marius smiled and waited for her to finish eating before taking her hand and hauling her to her feet. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Dance? No, nobody ever taught me."

Marius smiled. "Well, lets start with the basics then."

Éponine felt herself getting hotter as he stepped towards her, but kept herself calm and followed his instructions, placing one hand in his and the other on his shoulder. He placed a hand on her tiny waist, ignoring her stiffening and clasping her hand, relieved when she began to relax. It worried him how unused to gentle physical contact she was and hoped he could be the one to change that.

Slowly Marius began to sway with her in the starlight, inwardly laughing at how cheesy it was. But to be honest, he really didn't care. Éponine was clearly happy, and that was what mattered to him the most. Her happiness. He could tell that even if it was just for the night, he had the old, happy Éponine back, instead of the distant Éponine he'd been seeing recently.

After a while, she shuffled closer, claiming to be cold. He dropped her hand and placed his other hand on her upper back, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his chest, peaceful. Marius pointed out a shooting star and told her to make a wish.

But she didn't.

And why was that?

Because she already had what she'd always wanted.

She had Marius.