Hello again dear readers
I hope you enjoy this latest instalment of little brother!
Enjolras sighed, leaning back against the table leg. "It's alright Gavroche, come on now listen to me"
"It's not alright; don't tell me lies because you think that it will make me feel better! I'm not stupid!" Gavroche cried from his hiding space under the table.
"I'm not lying, I would not lie to you Gavroche" Enjolras said gently "Courfeyrac is very sick, I will be honest with you about that. He is feverish. This is what is making him act like this. He does know who you are, he is just confused. Everything is a blur when you feverish. When Courfeyrac first brought you here, you were feverish and couldn't remember Joly or Combeferre when you woke up. When the fever breaks he will feel better"
"He doesn't know me, he called me boy! That's what papa called me when he hit me, what if?" Gavroche argued furiously wiping his eyes.
"Is that what you are worried about? Gavroche, Courfeyrac would never hit you" Enjolras replied
"How do you know?" Gavroche complained, jumping up and climbing out from under the table. "You don't care, only Courfeyrac and Eponine care"
"Of course I care" Enjolras insisted quickly standing up and placing his hands on Gavroche's shoulders to hold him still.
"I shouldn't be here, I can only be here with Courfeyrac and he doesn't know who I am" Gavroche cried, tears making tracks down his dirty cheeks. Pulling his jacket around his body tighter, he shrugged Enjolras' hands off of his shoulders, pushing past to charge down the stairs, pasting a confused looking Grantaire on the stairs.
"Stop him Grantaire" Enjolras said jumping to follow the boy.
"What is going on, Apollo?" Grantaire said watching Gavroche run out of the door before looking back on Enjolras. "What has happened?"
"Courfeyrac has an extremely high fever, and is delirious. He woke up and told Gavroche to get away from him, not being able to recognise him" Enjolras sighed "and we must get Gavroche back here before he does something stupid"
"Gavroche has run off?" come a voice from behind the two young men
Enjolras turned to see Eponine, tears in her eyes and her arms wrapped around herself. "Well oui, he is deeply upset and thinks that he should not be here if Courfeyrac does not know who he is. I tried to explain it to him but he took off" He said. "Don't worry, I'm going to go and get him. He will run for the elephant won't he?"
"Most probably, bring him back here Monsieur. Combeferre believes that Courfeyrac should be fine once his fever breaks and Gavroche needs to see that he is getting better" Eponine replied "He is weak now, so very weak, he is sleeping"
Enjolras nodded solemnly "We are going now" He said turning to walk down the stairs, with Grantaire following.
…
Gavroche charged down the twisting back streets, making his way towards the slums, wanting to hide. He didn't understand. Courfeyrac had said that he cared for him and wanted to look after him, now he called him boy and told him to get away from him in a tone that he had never heard before. Why be at the café, where the Amis met, when his best friend appeared to not even know his name anymore?
Enjolras and Grantaire raced towards the slum, hoping to find the child before he found himself in trouble or danger. "He will come back to the café when he wants too, Apollo" Grantaire grumbled "I thought you would have wanted to stay there, wanting news on your centre's condition"
"Of course I want to know about his condition, wine cask, but if he wakes from his delirium and sees that Gavroche is now longer there, he will be furious" Enjolras replied. "Why are you so negative about this?"
"Have you seen the state of him?" Grantaire sighed, following the leader as the pair of them approached the slum.
Enjolras, careful to prevent attracting attention to himself, made his way towards the elephant statue. "Grantaire stand back" He said spotting a group of young men on the other side of the square, one he recognised leading the way. "Montparnasse"
"Isn't he one of the patron-minette?" The drunkard questioned "He will be after Gavroche"
The chief nodded, looking through the ground to spot the flash of blonde hair and blue jacket that was Gavroche. "There he is" He sighed pulling Grantaire in the direction of the young boy.
Gavroche looked up, seeing the red of the leader's coat and turning on his heel to run away. He breathed heavily, trying to stop himself from crying again. He didn't want to see Enjolras or Grantaire. The only person he wanted at this moment in time was Courfeyrac. When he saw the two young men approaching he shook his head. "I'm not comin' back with you" he spat
"Gavroche, I know that you are scared for Courfeyrac and it's alright to be scared for a friend but you have to listen to me now. The patron-minette is making their way through the slum and Montparnasse is leading them. Come on now" Enjolras stressed.
The young boy's eyes went wide with fear as he found himself unwillingly seeking comfort and protection for someone who wasn't Eponine or Courfeyrac. "Montparnasse will take me to papa" He said biting down hard on his lip until he tasted blood. "Enjolras…"
"They're coming this way, Apollo" Grantaire said, keeping watch as he saw the Patron-minette making their way through the slum, picking pockets as they walked.
"Come on now, trust me" Enjolras said quickly taking his hand and running with him through the slum "We will get you back to Courfeyrac"
Gavroche whimpered, clinging to Enjolras' hand as they ran back towards the café, looking back over his shoulder to check that Montparnasse was not following them. Thankfully he wasn't.
"It's alright Gavroche, he won't come here" Grantaire said as they ran up the stairs into the café, all out of breath.
"Oh Gavroche" Eponine gasped running to the small boy and wrapping her arms around him "Don't you run off like that… I know you're scared"
Gavroche wiped his eyes, pushing away from her. "I know 'Ponine" He complained sliding down to sit against the wall. "I wan' Courfeyrac"
"He is resting" Combeferre said sitting at the table not far from the boy. "He is in a state of delirium; do you know what that means?"
"That he is confused, and tired and hot?" Gavroche said looking up at the young doctor and sighing as he nodded.
"He will get better Gavroche, Courfeyrac promised that he would be here to look after you, and he wants to keep that promise" Enjolras said gently sitting beside him. "He is fighting for you"
…
"Come now Grantaire put that bottle down. You have had too much" Enjolras said later that evening. Eponine and Gavroche were sitting in the side room, curled together in the chair as they watched Courfeyrac in his restless sleep. He had not regained full consciousness all day. Joly and Combeferre were discussing his treatment in the corner. Enjolras had been attempting to write a speech for an upcoming rally whilst Grantaire had made his way through multiple bottles of wine.
"What is the point, explain to me Apollo, of you writing that speech. You will not wish to attend said rally without the centre. And you know fully well that he will not be on his feet in time" Grantaire replied, a slur to his voice.
"Courfeyrac would want us to continue with our cause, whether he is accompanying us or not" Enjolras sighed looking at the drunken young man with a tired expression.
"You talk as if you are finally seeing the truth" Grantaire smirked
"And what do you mean by that Wine cask?" The chief said, the exchange between the two of them having attracted the attention of Combeferre and Joly. The conversation having become the centre of attention, no one had noticed the door to the side room opening, nor had they noticed the little boy standing in the doorway.
"That there is a chance that Courfeyrac is not going to wake from this feverish sleep, the thought that one night he is going to fade away and leave this world behind him, because you know that there is a possibility of that happening! Don't you Apollo! Come on now; tell your followers the truth!" The drunken was swaying on the spot through his rant, his every word breaking the heart of the child that stood behind him.
"Don't say that!" Gavroche cried "You're lying, Courfeyrac won't die, and he can't die!"
Enjolras, with a deadly look in the direction of Grantaire, clenched a fist in anger and breathed deeply to stop himself from hitting the drunken fool that stood before him. "Watch your mouth, look at him now" He growled.
Grantaire looked at the boy, who stood with tears in his eyes looking even younger than he was. He nodded. "Gavroche, I wouldn't tell a lie"
"Sit down and stop talking, sit and drown your words in alcohol" Enjorlas spat in his direction before taking a cautious step towards the boy. "Don't listen to him, he is very drunk and cannot think straight. He doesn't mean a word he says" He said softly.
Gavroche, looking down at his feet as tears blurred his vision, tensed as Enjolras placed his hands on his arms keeping him still as if preventing him from running once more. "He hasn't awoken yet, he will though won't he? When he's better?"
"He has to sleep to get the energy to make himself better petit, that's why he is still sleeping. When he has enough energy, he will wake" He said kneeling down to his height to look him in the eyes
Tired of trying to be brave for Courfeyrac, Gavroche felt his brave persona fade away as he gave a soft sob. "I need Courf…" He whispered through the tears. With a look into Enjolras' eyes which for once looked soft and caring rather than cold and passionate to the cause, Gavroche gave in to instinct, seeking comfort. He threw his little arms around the chief's neck, burying his head in his strong shoulder.
Taken aback by the sudden seeking of comfort and motion of affection, Enjolras tensed for a moment before carefully taking the young boy into his arms, bringing a hand up to stroke his hair. "Shh, petit Gavroche. It's alright" he whispered feeling Gavroche's tears on his shoulder. "It will be alright"
And there we go, even the great Enjolras can break and move to comfort a child in need
Aww
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