Well, it wouldn't be a soundslikepeanuts fic if it was on time now, would it?
I'M SORRY I'LL TRY AND BE BETTER I SWEAR
Disclaimer: Les Mis isn't mine and I don't make any money off it. If only.
It was two more hours before she was on her own. He saw her slip away from a game of Jail Break and sneak into the kitchen, where she started to mix herself a drink.
Now or never he thought, steeling himself. Walking purposefully towards the kitchen, hands in the pockets of his jeans, he gathered every ounce of courage he could and said "hi." Or at least, he tried to; what he actually said was "hipenday". He felt a familiar heat rise in his neck which told him he was blushing. Brilliant.
Unfazed, Éponine stopped pouring her drink, and looked up at him, grinning. "Hipenday to you too, friend."
Rubbing the back of his neck to try and mask his blush, he grinned back, hastily clarifying "Sorry about that, what I meant to say was "Hi Éponine, happy birthday"
She half-laughed, smiling at him. "Thanks."
He paused for a second, just taking her in. There was something about this girl that just messed him up inside.
"Enj? Are you ok?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, why?"
"You're staring at me, it's weird" she laughed.
"Well, you look beautiful" he blurted out before he could stop himself. What was that?! You don't just blurt it out, idiot! He studied her face carefully, trying to gauge a reaction, but she just looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. Oh for God's sake, just say it. "Do you… want to go somewhere quieter for a minute? Get away from… everything?"
Éponine regardedhim suspiciously, but nodded. In a sudden moment of bravery, he took her hand and led her to the window.
"Enj, what…?"
"Shhhh they'll hear. Climb out the window."
"Are you high?"
"What? No! There's a fire escape, this isn't an invitation to plummet to your death."
"Are you drunk?!"
"Not nearly enough" he muttered, before sweeping down to pick her up bridal style. I'm going to chicken out if this takes much longer, time to take matters into my own hands.
Éponine wrapped her arms around his neck in surprise. "Jesus, Enj, do you work out or something?" Apparently amused by the lack of response, she continued in a singsong, child-like voice "Geez, mister, you're reaaaallly strooooonnnnggg!"
He smirked and swung a leg over the window ledge so he was straddling it, then lifted his other leg so they were completely outside.
"Is this kidnap?" Éponine teased, grinning.
"Yes" he replied, looking her in the face with a small smile.
"Oh. Should I shout for help?"
"Nah, I reckon you're ok."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Ok. Are we just going to stand here?"
"No, but hang on." He leaned down to half-close the window, and check that nobody had noticed their absence. Half-laughing as he stood up straight again and adjusted Éponine's weight, he marvelled at the effect a drinking game had on his friends; a bomb could go off in the kitchen and the Amis would still be singing "WE LIKE TO DRINK WITH JEHAN, 'CAUSE JEHAN IS OUR MATE" at the top of their voices.
He set off up the stairs to the roof, feeling Éponine's confused gaze burning into his face. Don't blush, don't blush…
Two more steps.
One more step.
They were there.
Éponine studied Enjolras' face for some small clue of what the hell might be going on. This was so out of character for the serious revolutionary – Enjolras, spontaneously sweeping her off her feet and carrying her out onto the roof, of all places? She had no idea what had gotten into him, but… she liked it.
And who knew he could lift?! He picked her up like she weighed nothing, which was only a little bit true! A hilarious image of Enjolras sneaking out to the gym for top-secret weights sessions popped into her mind, and she had to quickly suppress a snort.
She smiled a little at the concentration on his handsome face as they turned onto the roof itself, and then she gasped in astonishment. An actual, audible gasp. There were candles on every surface of the roof, burning brightly in the light evening breeze and illuminating the roof with a warm, heavenly glow. On the other side, a small bench was facing out over Paris, towards the lit-up Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumph. Resting on it were a plaid blanket, a box of beer, and several cushions. A small radio was playing gentle music quietly.
Her heart felt so full it could have swelled to the size of a watermelon in her chest. "Enjolras… did you do all this?" she whispered.
"Happy birthday" he replied quietly, looking her straight in the eye for the first time since they climbed out the window.
She wanted to thank him, but she was speechless.
"I'll erm…put you down" he laughed, before placing her gently on the floor. After adjusting her dress, Éponine walked slowly into the middle of the roof, turning to get a view of the whole space.
"Enjolras, this is amazing" she said, breathlessly. "Thank you."
They shared a smile, holding each other's gaze. She wandered around another minute, crossing to the ledge to look out over the beauty of the city she loved, smiling happily. He moved over to stand just beside her, but she quickly realised he wasn't looking at Paris; he was sneaking little glances at her. A minute passed in silence before she looked up at him and found him gazing at her, his eyes filled with an intensity she'd never seen. She met his gaze, feeling exposed and vulnerable, but comfortable and safe at the same time.
It was like coming home.
He couldn't help but watch her as she gazed out over Paris in the soft warmth of the candlelight. The breeze tugged at the few free strands of her hair, and her face glowed in the soft light. She looked radiant. Every time he tried to pull his eyes away, they were drawn back to the small, beautiful girl at his side; he felt as though his whole world was right there, contained in the sparkling brown eyes and soft curves of the tiny firecracker he knew as Éponine. She turned to look at him, meeting his gaze with eyes filled with an emotion he couldn't place, her plump lips parted slightly in speechless wonder. He'd never seen her so still.
Maybe it was the beer, or the candlelight, but everything suddenly became clear. Filled with inexplicable bravery, he knew exactly what he wanted to say.
"Remember that time in the café, when we were planning? You were sat next to Grantaire, and you both had your feet up on the table, and I didn't think you were even listening, but then you just piped up out of nowhere, and you said 'you know that you can plan all you want, but you won't win this until you know what you're fighting for'. And I got really mad, partly because I thought it was obvious, but also because you'd never said anything and then suddenly you were questioning me and you had a good point, which annoyed me, so I was ranting away until I said 'I would DIE for Patria!' and then yousaid 'any idiot can die for something, it takes guts to really fight for it, and keep on fighting, and live for it'. And I had no idea what to say?"
"Yeah, I remember" she half-laughed, quietly.
"Well, ever since then, you've been a bigger and bigger part of the group, and the plans and my life, and you've made everything so much… brighter. You've changed everything about my life in the best way, and it's taken me until – well, tonight really, but I realised something."
Éponine raised a questioning eyebrow, her cheeks betraying the faintest blush.
"I realised that since you came into my life, I finally have something worth fighting for. Well, someone" he cleared his throat awkwardly. "You."
Éponine's second eyebrow had gone up, and her mouth had dropped open slightly. A minute or so went by in an increasingly uncomfortable silence. Eventually it got too much for Enjolras, who awkwardly laughed "please say something."
She laughed too; a soft, breathy chuckle. "Sorry, I – I guess I don't know what to say."
His heart sank as panic set in. She doesn't feel the same way. "Sorry"
"Why are you apologising?"
"I've said way too much, I've made you uncomfortable – I don't know what I was thinking, I –"
And then she kissed him. It was just a chaste, soft peck that lasted no more than a few seconds, but as their eyes met afterwards, they both flushed a deep scarlet. Partly because he wasn't sure what else to do, and partly because he really wanted to, Enjolras took a small step closer, and leaned in to kiss her again; his much larger body stooped to reach just in front of her lips, where she closed the gap with a smile. It started slow, but as their confidence grew so did the passion; his hand was on her face and hers was on his waist, grabbing at his shirt so their bodies pressed together. He felt the heat of her tiny body pressed against his and knew in his very soul that everything was perfect.
Everything.
DaydreamingSlytherin, hope you like it!
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