Hello, lovelies! I'm back, and for Valentine's Day, here's a candy-fluff happy chapter! Love you guys! See ya'll next time!
-CM
The days flew past in a blur. Eponine got up, went to school, came home, did homework, had dinner, went to the Musain, or some variation thereof. Enjolras was now meeting the Amis three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday nights, for those who actually did the planning. The Musain was more full every time there was a meeting. Marius had showed up to one of them, and apparently had brought his entire entourage in tow, and she saw at least a dozen new faces at every meeting.
Signs were popping up all over Paris, videos were appearing online, and Enjolras was on fire. His eyes glowed whenever he spoke, and he seemed nothing less then a god. Grantaire had begun calling him Apollo again, and the name stuck, so everyone who was an Amis was also an Apollo's angel. Courfeyras was in charge of social media; he ran tidy Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and even Tumblr pages, all with over a thousand followers. Welfare was still as bad as ever, and minimum wage was slipping as well. It only gave Enjolras and the Amis more ammunition.
She still lived with Enjolras, but it seemed he rarely had time for her anymore. As his energy grew, so did the circles under his eyes, and it was often the sound of computer keys that lulled her to sleep each night. She cooked, because if she didn't, he would probably forget to eat. Enjolras had become a machine, fueled by work, and as much as she loved to see it, it also made her sad. He hadn't kissed her since Christmas, it was like he forgot she was there.
It was one Friday night and the meeting had gone late. It was half-past-ten when the cafe emptied. She was about to leave, when she noticed Enjolras was still sitting at a table, feverishly typing on a laptop. She gently sat down beside him. "Enj, you need to come home."
"Eponine, I'm busy. I have to write."
"You have to sleep. How many hours of sleep did you get last night?" she asked.
"I didn't. Was writing." She smiled, for as stubborn as her Enjolras was, he wouldn't admit that he was falling asleep at his work. She stood up. "Come on, we're going home." He sighed.
"Eps, I'm not coming. My speech needs finishing."
"You don't need to finish it until Monday." She took his hand and gently stood him up. "We're going home. No ifs ands or buts about it."
He seemed to agree to walk home, drowsily agreeing to what she said.
"Get your pajamas on," she said, once they had reached the house. "No, I'm going to make coffee. I have a big project that's due."
"Get your pjs on, then we can make coffee."
He nodded, and drowsily walked off. She sighed, shaking her head. "For all Enjolras is, he works himself too hard."
A few moments later, he was back, now clad in fleece pajamas. She already had hers on, and she walked with him to the apartment's divided bedroom. "I don't need to sleep," he complained. "I am Enjolras. I need to work."
"You're coming to bed with me."
This seemed to wake him up and kick his marble, logical side back into gear. "What?"
"If you're not going to bed on your own, you're coming to bed with me. Then, tomorrow, you can do whatever you like. Deal?"
He sighed, eyes half closed. "Deal."
She got under the covers of her cozy bed, and, reluctantly, he joined her. She turned off the light and she could hear him shift.
"Eps?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
There was no reply, so she waited a moment. All she heard was deep breathing. She smiled. "Oh, Enj."
And, burying her head in his chest, Eponine happily went to sleep.
Enjolras's head was pounding when he awoke. He grimaced. "Ugh."
There was a familiar and comforting weight against him, and he looked down in surprise to see Eponine, her small frame pressed cozily against him. She looked serene. "How did..." he trailed off, mind going places he definitely did not want it to go. Shaking himself, the events of the night before came to light. Suddenly, the lights seemed too bright and he collapsed on the bed, head swimming.
There was a movement beside him, and Eponine's bleary face came into view. "Enj. You alright?"
Before she could respond, her cool hand was on his forehead. He sighed, relaxing into her touch. Her other hand moved into his hair, running through the fluffy curls. "You've got a fever. You need to rest."
He nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. He wished he had kept them open, because her lips were on his, and he pressed back, trying to open his eyes...
When he did, she was gone. He rolled over, checking the clock to see it read two. His head wasn't pounding quite as bad, so he attempted to get up, and felt the rush. The world started spinning again, but with some help from the cabinets, he made it to the couch in the living room and flopped down. Eponine walked in from the kitchen. "Morning," she smiled.
He just groaned. He lifted up his head and she sat down next to him. He lay down sort of in her lap. "I'm not this affectionate all the time, I just feel terrible."
She smiled. "You haven't been affectionate since December. It's Valentines Day next week."
"And?"
She looked a bit disappointed. "Well, flowers or something would be nice. I mean, you sort of forgot about me."
"I did?"
"Patria was taking up much of your time, I see. Is she pretty?"
"I need to get better so I can go back to work."
"Work can wait, Enjolras. You need to rest."
"Work doesn't rest."
"Stubborn much?" she asked, smiling.
"Not at all."
"Oh, and humble too," she joked.
"I am thankful for you, you know. I owe you so much."
"You don't owe me anything. Except maybe a kiss."
"Deal," he said, and kissed her.
QotC: Which of the Amis would you want to be your Valentine?