Sooo, the idea for this chapter came from Eponineluvr4eva1 – thanks for the inspiration!
Feuilly's a badass!
Hope you like it!
The rest of December seemed to fly by. New Year's Eve was spent at the café Musain, with drunken singing and dancing on tables. Feuilly talked with Courfeyrac and Combeferre, while Eponine sat quietly in the corner for most of it, chatting with Musichetta and sipping a small glass of wine.
Before the pair knew it, January and February had passed, and March was coming in like a lamb, with pleasant warm winds that melted the last of the snow. Eponine and Feuilly took advantage of the longer days, taking walks on warm evenings that became more and more pleasant as March neared its end.
Feuilly had been saving money at every opportunity, and had almost enough to purchase an engagement ring for Eponine. Whenever he thought of it, which was often, his stomach would twist with nerves and he would glance over at her face, trying to picture what the scene would be like when he proposed.
He was lost in one such reverie as they walked through the park one evening, watching Eponine closely, when her nose wrinkled and her face took on an expression of severe distaste. He panicked for a moment, and then separated fantasy from reality and followed her gaze.
Marius and Cosette were seated on a bench up ahead on the path, wrapped around each other in an almost vulgar embrace. Eponine turned away from the spectacle and kept walking, her head held high.
"We can turn around, you know," Feuilly said quietly. She shook her head.
"No. This is my favorite path to walk on and I won't let them ruin it," she said stubbornly, but tightened her grip on his arm nervously as they neared the pair.
"Feuilly!" Marius cried, looking up at the most inopportune of moments and striding toward them. Feuilly groaned to himself, and gingerly shook Marius' hand.
"How have you been?" Marius asked, "Still hanging around Enjolras and his crazy political gang?"
"Yes," Feuilly replied stiffly, not caring to elaborate. Cosette stood from the bench and came up behind Marius, staring at Eponine as Marius forced small talk.
"Where did you get that locket?" Cosette asked suddenly, making everyone turn to her in surprise. Marius seemed to recognize Eponine, and frowned,
"Feuilly, what are you doing with this crazy girl?"
"Eponine is my dearest friend," Feuilly replied coldly. Cosette spoke again,
"Where did you get that locket?"
"Feuilly gave it to me for Christmas," Eponine said standoffishly, her eyes daring the other girl to inquire otherwise.
"What is it, darling?" Marius asked, "If you like it, we can buy you one." Cosette shook her head.
"My mother had a locket, a gold one like that. I remember playing with it when I was very young. I asked Papa about it, but he never knew where it had gone."
"Eponine, did you steal that locket?" Marius demanded. Feuilly interjected,
"I traded a portrait for it, Marius. An old lady who sells jewelry on the corner near where I live offered me any of her pieces if I would do a painting of her."
"Don't lie for her, Feuilly," Marius said angrily, "I see she's got you convinced that she's an angel, same as she had that other man who was trying to help her a few months ago. We caught her screaming in the street and he was kind enough to try and save her, and take her away, and she bit and kicked him as thanks. Now she's stealing. Don't be caught up in her lies."
"Her lies? Do you know what that man did to her?" Feuilly asked, the color rising in his face.
"How should I know? She probably got what was coming to her, the thieving little sneak!"
"Gave her what she deserved? Do you know what he did to her?" Feuilly shouted.
"I don't particularly care. She stole that locket, and I'll have it back!" Marius advanced threateningly toward Eponine, fists clenched.
"Give it to me, you little wretch! Or I'll take it from you."
Eponine backed away, eyes wide, and Feuilly's landed a punch on Marius' jaw, and Marius threw a return jab that would later result in a black eye. While Feuilly was still dazed, Marius grabbed him around the waist, throwing him to the ground. Feuilly grabbed Marius' jacket and pulled him down hard, knocking the wind out of him and taking advantage of the distraction to drill a fist into his stomach.
Eponine and Cosette watched the pair wrestle on the ground, horrified. Cosette looked around frantically.
"I'm going to get a policeman!" Cosette cried, turning and running away.
"Oh, no you don't!" Eponine shouted, streaking after her. She caught up to Cosette easily, grabbing her by the back of the collar and hauling her back to the scene of the fight. Cosette was taller and easily outweighed Eponine, but she couldn't free herself.
Feuilly, sporting a black eye and a bloody lip, was pinning Marius to the ground. The latter had a bruise blooming on his jaw and a bloody nose, and lay on his stomach with his arms behind his back.
"Let her go!" Marius said to Eponine, as Cosette struggled to get away from Eponine. Feuilly wrenched one of his arms.
"Apologize to Eponine!"
"Apologize for what?"
"For being rude and ungentlemanly to a lady. For leaving her to the scum of Paris so that he could have his way with her. You could have killed her!" Feuilly wrenched the arm again, and Marius groaned.
"All right! I'm sorry, Eponine! Now let Cosette go."
Eponine waited for Feuilly to nod before she released Cosette's collar.
"Don't you ever speak like that to Eponine again. Or I won't be so kind. Do you hear me?" Feuilly growled. Marius nodded, and Feuilly got off him. No words were exchanged as the four parted ways, and little was said on Eponine and Feuilly's brisk walk home.
They arrived at Feuilly's house and Eponine ran to wet some cloths.
"Sit down," she said gently, "you're a mess. Put this cold cloth on your eye."
Feuilly did as he was told, and Eponine began dabbing carefully at his lip, wiping the blood from his chin.
"Oh, Feuilly," she sighed as she cleaned him up, "you didn't have to do that for me."
"But he insulted you, chère," he said thickly, "I couldn't just stand by and let him."
Eponine smiled tenderly and kissed his forehead, brushing a few strands of hair out of his sweaty face and going to rummage through a cabinet for some witch hazel.
"Well, thank you," she said softly, "this might sting a bit." She dabbed the witch hazel onto his cut lip, which burned fiercely, but he never flinched.
"You won't be able to smile for a few days, poor thing."
"Who would have guessed that Marius could throw a punch?" he asked playfully, making Eponine laugh.
"I thought that little girl of his was going to cry," she said, "I thought about trying to get in a hit of my own on her, but I was afraid that it would just make things worse for you. And I've no quarrel with her. I did pull her hair a bit, though," she said mischeviously.
"You're terrible," Feuilly teased, ruffling Eponine's hair. Eponine pretended to be offended, but dropped the lightest of kisses on his lips. He winced, and groaned.
"You mean I can't even kiss you, chère?"
"I'm sure it will go away soon," Eponine soothed, kissing the top of his head, "I love you, Feuilly."
"I love you too, 'Ponine."
"Oh, it's dark. I've got to go. Keep a cool cloth on your eye, all right? I'll see you tomorrow."
She blew him a kiss off her fingertips as she went out the door.