AN: Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

With a loud 'Hmph!', Éponine falls into the empty seat beside Courfeyrac, plonking a large bundle of polkadot umbrellas on top of the table and sending the bowl of peanuts scattering in all directions.

Les Amis watch on in amused wonder as she rips open a large carpet bag and ungracefully deposits four more bundles of umbrellas on the table; Feuilly lunges to salvage his drink before it topples to the floor.

"Jeez, Ep, you're gonna have someone's eye out with all those."

His exclamation is met with a sigh and a thump as a final bundle of umbrellas is dumped on top of the others.

"Well I hope we don't get the weather you're expecting."

Poking her head around the side of her cargo, Eponine shoots a dirty look at Grantaire and hmphs once more. "They're not mine. We're running out of storage space with all this new Christmas stock coming in, so we have to keep some of it at home."

"Um, Mary Poppins?"

From behind the barricade of umbrellas Eponine can just see the top of Enjolras' curly head, eyebrows arched in disapproval, and braces herself for the onslaught.

"Where exactly are you planning on keeping all these?"

Eponine sighs. "It's not for much longer, Enj, just until we get all this stuff sold."

"I'm sick of tripping over the entire contents of your winter catalogue just to go to the loo in the morning -"

"Then go at night."

"And since when do we need so many fridge magnets? There's no room left for my To Do lists-"

"Haven't you ever heard of a mind map? Or a pocket?"

"And all those boxes of singing elves, I mean I don't mind Christmas carols but 'Deck The Halls' starts to get tedious when it's constantly playing in the background-"

"It's not my fault they go off so easily-"

I'm gonna start charging ground rent-"

Their friends' heads swivel in unison as the couple bicker from either side of the stack of umbrellas, until at last Eponine rolls her eyes with an angry sigh.

"Fine, I'll get rid of some of it. I'll buy them all and use them as Christmas presents, is that better?"

Courfeyrac gives a loud groan.

"Ugh, it's not gonna be like those damn mugs you got us last year, is it?"

Enjolras whips around indignantly.

"I believe I was the one who got you those. And you said you liked them."

Grantaire leans back to swing on the hind legs of his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

"We did, Chief, they were fab. And international, too. 'My friend went to Paris and all I got was this lousy coffee mug'. Excellent."

Enjolras narrows his eyes. "It didn't say that on them."

"No, I wrote that on it."

"You ungrateful little shi-"

"Alright." The ever-composed Combeferre appeases his friend with a soothing pat to the shoulder. "I for one liked that coffee mug, I use it for pens at work. And Eponine, if you'd like, you can keep some stuff in our spare room – Joly's thinking of turning it into a makeshift lab so I'd be grateful for the intervention."

"That'd be fine," Enjolras says immediately, pointedly ignoring the shooting glare from behind the stack of umbrellas.

The little group of friends sit in silence for a while, watching the people coming and going through the door of the café, bringing with them an icy wind. Combeferre makes a mental note to thank Madame Hucheloup for the roaring fire she kindles in the corner of the room every evening, at just the right distance from his favourite armchair.

"You know," Jehan murmurs dreamily, leaning across the table and slowly stirring his cappuccino. "I've always wondered what Christmas would be like in a hot country, somewhere far away, near the Equator."

"Hotter," Enjolras says matter-of-factly.

"I'd love to be sat on a hot beach right now-"

"How could you give up Christmas as home, Jehan?" Eponine chips in. "You of all people. Cold weather and fairy lights and warm firesides, that's what makes it magical."

Shivering, they all whimper and resentfully draw their coats closer around their shoulders, as the door swings open once more.

"It's almost cold enough for snow out there!" Cosette says happily, setting her bags of shopping in the corner and taking a seat next to Grantaire, as Marius goes off in search of two hot drinks to warm their hands. Shifting his weight to lean upon the other elbow, Jehan continues to stir his cappuccino, and eyes Cosette sleepily.

"What's with all the bags?"

"We've been buying all your Christmas presents!" she replies brightly. "No peeking, but let's just say you'll all be decking the halls with an extra bounce in your step this year."

Cosette nudges Eponine's shoulder with a wink, but to her shock and dismay, the whole lot groan and get to their feet to leave, muttering incoherently and clearing the table of scarves and wallets and an awful lot of umbrellas; the door of the café bangs shut behind their bickering voices.

Marius returns with two gingerbread lattes, and sits down beside Cosette.

"Just us?"

Cosette nods, bewildered by her friends' behaviour.

"Well, two's a crowd, eh?"

Leaning in, he clinks their glasses together and gives Cosette a quick peck on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas."

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