The Decade
Disclaimer: Hugo still has rights to Les Mis. *sigh*
Enjolras groans as the morning light hits his eyes.
He wonders why the blinds are open-he never leaves the blinds open-until he rolls over and feels another body in the bed with him. Instantly, he grows rigid and it takes a moment for him to recollect that he is in Amelie's bedroom.
In her bed.
He had spent the night.
Of course.
He is not a morning person and he groans when he sees that it is only seven in the morning on his day off. He buries his face into his pillow, breathing in the scent of his girlfriend and trying to get back to sleep but it is as if the universe is against him. The moment he is once again comfortable and just on the edge of sleep, his phone rings.
Amelie makes some sort of grunt that sounds like "'Ras" and she waves her hand around in the air before it smacks him in the chest. He understands her meaning, she wants him to get that noise to shut up so she can sleep. He does not acknowledge her in anyway, and chooses to simply rolls over and head out to the living room to take the call. She is not much of a morning person either.
"Hello?" His voice is groggy from sleep but the person on the other end can make it out just fine.
"Hey Enjolras, I'm sorry to wake you up, but... Listen, we need to talk. Meet me at the Musain? In an hour?"
If it was anyone other than Combeferre he would probably murder them for waking him up.
Double went for Grantaire and Pontmercy.
Enjolras sighs and rubs his face with the hand that is not currently pressing his cell to his ear, "Yeah, I can manage that." He hangs up with a small groan and gets ready quietly. He doesn't, however, bother telling Amelie he's leaving. She'd just get pissed if he woke her up so he leaves a note on the fridge instead, telling her where he's going.
He also leaves a bowl, spoon and Sebastian's favorite cereal out for him. He glances at the clock as he makes sure to pour out a glass of milk and place it on the lowest shelf so the kid can use it in his breakfast, just in case he wakes up before his mom. Which will probably happen because he loves Saturday morning cartoons as much as she loves sleeping in.
Before heading out the door, he checks in on the little rascal who is still sleeping peacefully, which is odd since it is now seven-fifteen and some of his favorite shows are coming on. Usually the kid is planted in front of the television by now. The little guy must be exhausted. Enjolras chuckles; his new teacher is probably running him into the ground. He watches Sebastian sleep for a few moments before getting ready to leave, the kid reminds him of little Gavroche and he's got a soft spot for the tyke.
Quietly, he closes the door and exits the apartment and forty-five minutes later, Enjolras is at his favorite spot by the window drinking a cup of black coffee. He cannot help but muse that Eponine had hated coffee and had often been prone to chiding him (and the rest of Les Amis, as well as anyone that would listen) for drinking the stuff, as he waits for 'Ferre to show up.
When 'Ferre does show up, he has 'Fey in tow, and neither look very happy. Which immediately puts him on edge. They both take a seat without ordering anything and that makes Enjolras raise a brow. It must be really bad news otherwise they would both be eating their weight in sweets, working their way into a nice sugar coma. He really hopes no one has died.
The last time they didn't eat anything when they asked him to meet them at the Musain, they had broken the news of Grantaire being in the ER for driving his car into a tree. In the battle of car versus tree, the tree had won and R had ended up in the hospital for months. But, Enjolras was always quick to insist, that the drunk had learned his lesson and wasn't much for drinking so frequently nowadays. He will never admit that he was scared shitless waiting for news about his best (and longest) friend.
He will also never admit that he managed to harass four nurses and two doctors while pacing a hole into the waiting room floor.
He pushes his coffee away and opts for stating the obvious while secretly trying not to panic, "You're late."
"I know," 'Ferre says with a sigh, "But we have to start from the beginning and for that we need 'Fey here too. I was going to bring the rest of Les Amis and Marius as well but the boy is mostly clueless and we don't need all of us for this conversation."
"What is this about, exactly?" Enjolras questions, all the fatigue from the stressful week evident in his voice. The two men just look at each other and then at Enjolras, before 'Ferre finally spits out, "Eponine."
Enjolras feels the room turn and hears a sharp intake of breath. It takes him a moment to realize that it was he who caused the noise.
Eponine Thenardier. That name has been taboo around him for a long time. It is the name of the girl he has tried to keep shut up into the corner of his mind. Also known as the girl who is in his thoughts every waking moment anyway.
Sometimes when he's brave enough, he allows himself to wonder who she is now. What she's like. If she's thinking of him as well. He lets himself wonder if she'd be proud of the man he has become, a lawyer well on the way to becoming a partner in his father's law firm. A man of prestige and money who nevertheless is never one to turn away a pro bono case.
He knows not to fool himself with the thoughts that the answer would be anything but no. She always supported his "revolutionary" ideas. His need to help those who suffered. She'd always been his number one fan when it came to that. She had been all for him becoming a public defender. She had told him to be who he wanted to be and that no matter what path he chose, she would be there to support him (even if he chose to be a clown, something she was deathly afraid of). When she left his life, she took that need, that drive with her and left him a man returned to stone. No longer passionate and barely alive.
A shell.
It took a long time after they were thrust apart for him to function normally again.
He knew he was being unfair, blaming her when he was also to blame, mostly to blame, but he wanted-needed-to blame her.
If he didn't blame her then he would crumble in on himself and become cold once more. He was feeling hurt and where there was Eponine, there were always feelings. Sharp, raw feelings that he never felt around anyone other than her.
"What about her?" He manages to choke out. Although his voice sounds strained it is the only outward show of his inward struggle. He is a lawyer, a good lawyer. He has trained his face to always remain a blank mask and now it is helping him here, outside the courtroom, with two of his closest friends.
Combeferre sighs and launches into a tale, his tale. His and Courfeyrac's. Slowly he explains how the two of them have still seen Eponine throughout the years. How small brief conversations with Gavroche and even briefer meetings with the girl herself, have shown them that she is doing alright in her life. That she is not starving and she is not bruised. She is not hurt and she is alive.
A fist that he didn't know was there slowly releases its tight grip on his heart and he manages to nod along, although his head is still spinning.
'Ferre also recounts his most recent encounter with the girl, "She was just outside," he explains, "About a week ago and I bumped into her, on accident, it was bazaar. Kind of like déjà vu," He recounts. Courfeyrac just nods along and Enjolras supposes that Combeferre had recounted all of this to the other man earlier, "She looked like she was in a rush. It was the first time I'd seen her in a year and a half and I didn't question her leaving so abruptly, she said she was running late and I was running late as well because I was on my way to meeting you and Amelie. I managed to call her Pony, offend her and make her smile all in one, okay two, breaths. It was almost like old times again, I offered her a coffee, even though I was supposed to meet you, as an apology for nearly killing her but she refused and slipped right through my fingers, back into the crowd. It was as if it had swallowed her whole."
"Eponine doesn't drink coffee," Enjolras mutters under his breath.
"What was that?" Courfeyrac asks their friend.
"I said, Eponine doesn't like coffee. She never has, remember? She used to rant and rave about the evils of it."
'Ferre smiles at this, "How could I forget?" He face palms himself and starts laughing, "She once poured hot coffee down R's shirt when he was hung over!"
For a moment it's as if they're talking about a time only a few days ago, not a few years and they all laugh for a moment before time sinks back in and things turn somber and serious once more.
Enjolras wonders why his friends are telling him this now, when they've kept it hidden for years. What has suddenly made this so urgent? Their guilt? Something else?
Dear Enjolras,
Gav tricked me into drinking coffee today. I swear, I'm going to murder that kid. How am I even related to him?
Needless to say, I had to stick my mouth under the faucet for a good ten minutes while the boy just laughed on the floor. It really wasn't that funny!
I swear, one day, I will get him back for this... Just not today because this attack needs to be planned for a time when he will not ever see it coming.
Also, I need a nice, foolproof battle plan. One that even R couldn't screw up. Nothing can go wrong as I try to reap my revenge!
Eponine walks into the Musain, expecting to see Gavroche waiting for her at one of the tables. It has been over a week since Sebastian entered her class and Amelie has picked him up every day since.
She scans the crowd expecting to see her brother's blonde head, instead she finds a different blonde head, one that is equally well known to her and she is shocked stiff to see Enjolras, Courfeyrac and Combeferre. She shouldn't be, now that Enjolras has once again been living in Paris, and although she has seen him around a few times, she cannot get over the sight of him.
Her eyes have latched onto Enjolras and they drink him in, every detail is being committed to memory so she can torture herself with it later. He is so close and still so perfect.
He looks older and very tired, she notices and wonders why.
Her heart does this thing where it skips a beat and butterflies flutter in her stomach. She can hardly breathe and-Oh God, what if he looks up at her? She does not want to confront him, not here, not now. She doesn't think she can handle this, she feels as if she is going to have a meltdown so she does the second thing that comes to mind, she turns around and runs out the door before he can notice her.
She does not do the first thing, which is listen to her heart and run to him. She does not call out, "Gabe!" and rush to hug him because he is no longer Gabe to her just as she is no longer 'Ponine to him.
Some evil part of her whispers that he is Amelie's Gabe now. Too much has changed yet it seems as if nothing has.
It surprises her how easily his name had come to the tip of her tongue back at the Musain, how she had taken a step forward instead of a step back and away, ready to fall, leap, into old habits. It took a lot of will power to keep her self control in check. What would she do if she saw him again? Or if he saw her? It is getting harder and harder to control herself when it came to Enjolras and she does not like that. Not one bit.
It scares her.
It is as if every time she saw him, a little more of her resolution not to speak to him, not to reveal herself, gets drained away. As if she is weakening in her iron will every time she sees his face.
Dear Enjolras,
I'm afraid of falling, for now there is no one there to catch me.
Enjolras' eyes flick past Combeferre and Courfeyrac, he could have sworn he saw a familiar form enter the shop, just out of the corner of his eye but no one is there now. He frowns at that and blinks rapidly, perhaps he is seeing things, but no, he sees that same person flash by his window and he realizes why they caught his attention.
It was Eponine.
He does not even think, he merely pushes away from the table and runs after her, leaving a confused Courfeyrac and Combeferre at the table. He doesn't explain and he doesn't look back. Every beat of his heart beats out her name Ep-on-ine, Ep-on-ine. He needs to find her.
If he doesn't, he feels as if his skin will rip apart.
He is burning.
Is this a sign? Is his early-morning meeting with his two friends a setup or some divine power trying to get them to meet again?
He doesn't know and he definitely doesn't care.
It has been ten years and all he wants is to see her again, to hold her close and ask her how she's been. To make sure, for himself, that there is not a single bruise on her frame. He wants to know if she's found her one true love. If she's happy.
So he follows her out into the street, chases after her and calls her name as loudly as he can when he is a few feet away, "EPONINE!"
He sees the girl freeze, just looking at her back brings countless memories to the forefront of his mind.
When she doesn't turn around, he tries again, desperately, "'Ponine."
This time he is quieter as if he used all the strength he had in that first call to her, and for a moment he thinks she doesn't hear him, thinks she doesn't care, that she's about to run away from him again, but then she turns and it's like his whole life has started once more.
It is like he is on fire.
She takes a deep breath and he is now so close that he could reach out and touch her face if he could will his body to function again. He is close enough to see the tears pooling in her eyes.
She whispers, "Gabe."
And for the first time in ten years, he breathes.
Hey guys, sorry for how long it took me to update. I've been going crazy with AP tests (I have my last one on Tuesday).
I typed almost all of this chapter on my phone, it was just the filler bits and the ending that I actually typed up on my laptop so let me know of any inconsistencies and/or mistakes.
I just want to thank everyone for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting this! It makes me super happy and I try to reply to everyone who reviews, even if it is a simple thank you (except for the guests, who I would like to thank now).
You guys always manage to encourage me and give me ideas, for example, this chapter which was done (by request) through Enjolras' POV because so many people asked for one through his eyes.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one is going to be so much fun to write!