To clarify, he never actually wanted Enjolras to be depressed, he was just getting frustrated and thinking that the one good thing about him being depressed is that he didn't have the energy to fight taking meds.
AND SO YOU'RE NEW ENGLAND?
WELL I'M OLD ENGLAND! Take that!
Now I feel old. :P Hm... writer's block. Mania...hm...
xxx
Enjolras is balanced on the edge of the couch typing against a wall. Combeferre is trying to ignore him and focus on his own work. Every minute or so Enjolras finds something he really needs to say aloud and does so.
Combeferre keeps writing about blood loss and keeping pressure on wounds, et cetera, et cetera. It's second nature, something he's known for a long time, but it's incredibly difficult to concentrate when your flatmate is typing against a wall and occasionally blurting out facts about capybaras or whatever Australian mammal it is this time. Wallabys? Okay, Enjolras! Koalas? Great!
Also, he's wearing a T-shirt, which is something Combeferre hasn't seen him do since he was thirteen. Most likely before he started cutting, or when...
ANYWAYS!
Enjolras is now apparently checking email.
"Hey, look, it's the university! Warning me! About treason! And terrorism!"
"What."
"Yes, they're warning me to be careful! That's fantastic, I didn't know-"
"Nope, not fantastic." He's tempted to make a list of things he routinely has to remind Enjolras of, be he depressed or manic. Suicide is BAD. Cutting? BAD. FBI chasing you? ALSO BAD. Koalas? Not interesting!
Combeferre reads the email. They are warning him. If the school is worried...
"Crap."
"No, this is good! The school is working against them!"
Oh dear god...
"No, Enjolras, they say here that you can't say certain things at rallies or they will have to make a free speech zone."
"Well, shit!" His excitable energy has not been killed. "I supposed I shouldn't say a few things. Like that we should have a military coup!"
Combeferre is ready to explode. Manic Enjolras. Really, really manic Enjolras. He just wants to hide in a closet, he can't keep up with this. The depression is bad. Really bad. Unpleasant, dangerous, worrying, and makes everyone paranoid or sad to see Enjolras in such a state.
But mania is frustrating beyond words. It's like he's five again. And will not stop. Ever.
Although he does like it when Enjolras is manic more, both for the fact that his friend is actually somewhat happy and also that Combeferre isn't paranoid for leaving him alone, because he'll kill himself.
"Hey Combeferre!"
Probably about chinchillas.
xxx
Enjolras, Combeferre, and Courfeyrac are leaning against a shipping crate waiting for the rest of their friends to show up. There's a feeling of apprehension in the air, and also the smell of pot (this is a protest involving college students, after all).
"We should have a few hours."
"What?"
"Before the police show up." Enjolras stands up straighter and waves to some vague shapes in the distance that kind of resemble their friends. "Hopefully we don't get pepper sprayed."
"Oh, we won't get sprayed." Combeferre stuffs his hands in his pockets and fixes Enjolras with a doubtful look. "Unless you do something really extreme."
"I won't." Now their friends are here, and it's Joly, Grantaire, Gavroche, and Bahorel.
"Hey."
"Hello. Where is everyone else?"
"They went ahead to find Eponine, who got here earlier." Joly pulls out an umbrella. "I am prepared."
"For rain or gas?"
"Both." It's a reference to the Hong Kong protests, in which the protestors blocked pepper spray with umbrellas.
"However, if it gets like Davis..." (Look at me doing my research and not being lazy o_o. Davis was when the American police pepper-sprayed a line of people, as in they walked back and forth pepper-spraying them. WHAT THE FUCK. . I mean, Tempura is bad... but really? REALLY? I have this new appreciation for living in London because writing this fic.)
"Then we need like a tent or something."
"No one is going to get pepper-sprayed." Combeferre checks the time. "Let's go."
They set off, talking quickly and walking quicker. There are a lot of people there. It's one of those protests that grows out of nothing, no one organises it, it just happens.
Enjolras has a medium-sized American flag flipped upside down, a gesture of defiance and help-us-please. Bahorel is wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and a Harry Potter shirt. The rest have protest signs, or in the case of Eponine, who has just shown up, painted faces. Stars and stripes with a black line through the middle like a scar. Enjolras high-fives her, the two defacers of the flag united.
Gavroche clambers up on Grantaire's shoulders and takes a sign (1984 WAS NOT AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL!) from Courfeyrac, who is wearing every single protest related sign he knows. Which is a lot.
The crowd advances through the streets. It takes only an hour for the police to show. Riot gear?
This isn't a riot.
Now they're putting up barriers. Enjolras tugs everyone forward, to the clear plastic shields and helmets.
Shouting, lights, colors, and then someone goes off with a pop and a bang- gun? Car? What?
"Duck!"
"Run!" The friends of the ABC collectively fall. Grantaire and Eponine take Gavroche by both of his wrists and sandwich him between them. There's now a crush of people around them. Someone stamps on Marius's hand and Cosette whacks them with her backpack. Enjolras is shouting at the police to do something- people are getting hurt, people are afraid there's been a shooting, can't we just work together here?! Combeferre pulls him back, yelling something that Enjolras can't here, and then there's a shocking pain and a buzz on his arm.
"TASER!" He screams at his friend, who nods frantically and pulls him down. Everyone is still shouting, screaming, and you could can see the police draw more Tasers and even guns, waving them and shouting back at the protestors.
A fine mist settles over the crowd, and those on the ground press their faces into the concrete. Tear gas. Dear god, tear gas.
It's fifteen minutes later when they sit up and cough, Enjolras still lying down on the ground dizzy from the Taser shock. Combeferre shakes off the deja vu- one week. One week- no! He takes and breath and shakes his friend.
"Enjy. It's over, can you sit up?"
Enjolras sits up using Combeferre and the barrier for help. "Jesus Christ."
"You were pretty impressive." Grantaire grins at him. "However, you also got Tasered."
"I know."
"We should get home." That's Courfeyrac, passing around his water bottle for everyone to wash out their eyes.
"I can drive, if we can all fit." Cosette stands up and checks around for any visible wounds on herself before moving on to the others. "Are y'all fine?"
"Yep."
"Right, who was that? Because I'm not-"
Even in his Tasered state, Enjolras sighs and interrupts her. "It wasn't me."
"Great. Okay, let's go."
Cosette's crappy little Honda does not fit everyone, but she promises to come back for a second load. First is those with injuries and the two medical students, one of whom (Joly) is actually injured as well. They end up at Cosette and Marius's place, where they stumble inside and Cosette drives back for the rest.
Combeferre wraps up Marius's hand and Enjolras throws up into a sink and promptly lies down on the kitchen floor. Getting Tasered won't kill you, but it's pretty unpleasant nonetheless. Joly is attempting to stop an impressive cut on his arm from bleeding. Enjolras watches moths flutter around the kitchen light.
"Run it under tap water."
"That's not supposed..."
"Works for me." Enjolras closes his eyes and groans. "Crap, why'd he have to do that?"
Joly sticks his hand under the tap and runs water on it, confused. Since when does Enjolras give people medical advice?
Everyone else appears through the door. That car load was more crowded, as no one was bleeding severely on anyone else. Combeferre greets them at the door and Gavroche doesn't let go of his sister's hand.
Whew.
xx
Enjoy?
For everyone who reads this that's from America, I apologise for any mistakes and I also apologise that any of this stuff happens in your country. Good luck!
We have a bizarre surveillance program here that is called the same thing as Japanese food (not sushi). Tempura. :)
But hopefully no torture! Yet!