Hello :D
This is the longest chapter yet. Over 2500 words. And it is fluffy! I hope you all like it :D
Eponine was one of those sorts of people who treated her birthday as if it was a normal day, rather than an event to be celebrated. Many would state their reason for behaving like this as they did not want to admit that they were a year older, but for Eponine the reason was different. Her parents ignored her birthday. When she was a little girl, and they had the hotel that made them money, she would be spoilt on her birthday with beautiful toys and the best clothing. Now, she would be lucky to get her mother or her father to greet her with a 'good morning Eponine' on her birthday.
She woke early, leaving a note that she was going out to work before leaving the horrid little house that she was forced to call home. She wore her battered leather jacket, covering her arms as bruises littered her skin. Her father had lost money in a bet the night before, and of course he had blamed her for everything. In a way she was glad that Azelma wasn't there anymore. Her father's abusive behaviour had only gotten worse since her sister had died and her mother would spend her days working a local bar, flirting her way into more money. It was rare for there to be a good warm meal on the table, and the beatings were common. She could handle it. She was just glad that Gavroche was safe. He was with Courfeyrac and he was happy.
For the first birthday since she was nine years old, Eponine was smiling. The night before she had received a text message from Courfeyrac, stating that she needed to come to the café for a surprise. Everyone would be there. She wouldn't say that she was close friends with any of the young students other than Courfeyrac, but she was touched to think that they were willing to spend the day there to help to celebrate her birthday.
…
"Alright little man" Courfeyrac smiled standing Gavroche up on his bed as he dressed him for the day. "Do you know what today is?"
"It's 'Ponine's birthday!" Gavroche cheered taking hold of Courfeyrac's hands and bouncing up and down on the bed, a wide cheeky smile on his face.
Courfeyrac laughed, watching the little boy bounce with his blonde curls flying around his little face. "Indeed it is kiddo, and we are going to the café to celebrate"
"Okay papa" Gavroche smiled. "We see your friends again?"
"Yes, we will. You didn't really meet them last time but we are going to see them now so we can set up for the party" Courfeyrac smiled waiting until Gavroche was at the top of a bounce before swinging him up into his arms and sitting him on his shoulders.
Gavroche laughed putting his hands over Courfeyrac's eyes. "Now you can't see papa" he giggled
"No I can't? How am I going to take you to the café if I can't see where I am going?" Courfeyrac chuckled going along with the game. "We could walk into the wall and end up on the floor, which would be bad"
"And we couldn't give 'Ponine her presents!" Gavroche said with a gasp and taking his hands away from Courfeyrac's eyes "If we were on the floor"
"Absolutely not" Courfeyrac smiled, picking up the presents and holding them in one hand as he held onto Gavroche's leg gently to keep him in place. "Now come on little man, let's go"
Gavroche smiled brightly as Courfeyrac carried him the short walking distance to the café for the group of young students met. Courfeyrac, as he was one of the first members of the group, was still an important part of it. The group met at least once a week to discuss ideas for equality. They all believed that everyone should be equal, and treated equally, no matter how much money they had. Since having become the father figure to little Gavroche just over a month ago, Courfeyrac had not been able to attend the meetings as often because the little boy grew bored and shy and Courfeyrac just thought it better to stay at home with him. He knew that Enjolras, the leader of the group, did not like the fact that Courfeyrac stayed away from the meetings but he was happy that he did stay in contact, actively campaigning over the internet whilst at home with Gavroche.
"Hey everyone" Courfeyrac smiled as they entered the café, setting the presents on the table with the array of food and other gifts and he lifted Gavroche down from his shoulders and holding him on his hip.
"Are we gonna have a party?" Gavroche asked smiling "Are we papa?"
Upon hearing the word 'papa', Grantaire, Combeferre and Enjolras looked at Courfeyrac with equally confused expressions. "He calls you papa?" Enjolras asked. "He's only been with you a few weeks. Did you ask him to call you that?" Enjolras would be one to openly admit that he had never been good with children. He didn't have any siblings or any young children in his family for that matter. Growing up in a wealthy Paris neighbourhood, he had never been one to play with other children, preferring to stay alone.
"No, he chose too didn't you buddy?" Courfeyrac smiled bouncing him on his hip and kissing his head.
"Yes papa, you better than old papa" Gavroche smiled looking across at the other men shyly. He had met them before, but didn't really know them. For someone that had been through what Gavroche had, it wasn't easy to trust new people. They were all looking at him and Courfeyrac. He blushed, his thumb finding its way into his mouth as he buried his head in Courfeyrac's shoulder.
"Hey, have you gone all shy little man?" Courfeyrac said comfortingly, bringing a hand up to rub the little boy's back, encouraging him to look up. "Come on now 'Roche, they aren't scary I promise"
"Yeah we don't bite" Grantaire smiled walking up to Courfeyrac and peeking behind him, trying to catch Gavroche's attention. "If you look up I'll pull my famous silly faces, bet you I can make you laugh"
"You won't be able to see Eponine open all her presents if you keep your little head tucked away there, Gavroche" Combeferre smiled.
"See they're all nice" Courfeyrac smiled shifting Gavroche in his arms to get him to look at everyone.
"Absolutely, come on little one. We can play dominoes or something, whilst all this lot are doing the boring bit and set up the party "Jehan said looking at the little boy. "Come on"
"There we go Gavroche" Courfeyrac said gently setting him down and brushing his hair away from his eyes. "Say hello buddy"
"Hello" He said shyly, fiddling with his shirt before looking up to come eye to eye with Jehan, the gentle young poet having knelt down to be at his height. "What your name?"
"My name is Jean Prouvaire, but you can call me Jehan, everyone else does" He said with a smile reaching out to take the little boy's hand. "What me to introduce you to everyone?" Gavroche nodded, wrapping his hand around Jehan's thumb as he led him further into the room. "Right, this one here, the one who pulls the silly faces, is Grantaire, but will call him R or 'Taire" Jehan smiled leading him to Grantaire as the young man sat back at the table.
"Pleasure to meet you Gavroche" Grantaire smiled shaking the little boy's hand and sticking his tongue out in a silly face, making the child laugh.
"You the silly one?" Gavroche questioned innocently with a giggle.
Courfeyrac laughed and nodded "You could say that little man, and a little word of warning, never drink anything he gives you unless one of us have checked it first"
Gavroche giggled and nodded. "Alright papa" he smiled before allowing Jehan to pick him up and take him to Combeferre. "Hello" He smiled
"This is Combeferre, he's quite serious but he'll play cards with you. I warn you though, he's very good" Jehan smiled.
"I'll win, I'm good at snap" Gavroche smiled cheekily
"Oh really, I'm not sure I know that game kiddo, you'll have to teach me" Combeferre smiled going along with the child's desire to win the game.
"I'll teach you to play it Combeferre" the little boy said, smiling to Combeferre before looking across at Enjolras. "Who's he? Why he not talk to me?"
"Now, that is Enjolras. He is the leader. I don't think he likes children very much" Jehan said with a slight frown.
"It is not that I don't like children, it is that I have no experience with children" Enjolras replied. "How do you do Gavroche?"
"I do fine, I think?" Gavroche replied with a confused expression looking back at Courfeyrac.
"Aww he's alright 'Roche, he does talk all proper like that. He acts a lot older than he is, but I'm sure you can get him to loosen up" Courfeyrac smiled
"I'd like to see him try" Grantaire smirked.
Jehan nodded setting Gavroche into a chair and sitting with him.
…
"Happy Birthday Eponine!"
When Eponine arrived, she was surprised to see everyone waiting for her, standing around one of the café's tables. The table itself was laden with food, drinks and presents. She found herself laughing at the scene. Courfeyrac stood nearest to her, Gavroche sitting on his shoulders. Both had brightly coloured party hats perched upon their curls, along with Grantaire whose own hat was tilted to one side. Jehan held a bunch of flowers out to her and even Combeferre and Enjolras wore smiles on their faces. Enjolras may have been annoyed that his political planning had been interrupted for one day for a birthday party, but he was willing to celebrate. "Oh my goodness, look at this, thank you" she smiled brightly.
"You are welcome" Courfeyrac smiled lifting Gavroche down so that the little boy could run to Eponine
"Happy birthday 'Ponine" Gavroche smiled brightly, giggling as Eponine picked him up and held him close, kissing his chubby cheek. "We have presents for you!"
"So I see baby" Eponine smiled holding him on her hip as she walked to the table and sat with him on her lap. "Thank you for this, all of you; I haven't had a birthday party since I was nine"
"Well then, we need to correct that, don't we?" Courfeyrac smiled coming up behind her and setting a polka-dot party hat on her head and kissing her cheek. "Why don't you open some presents?"
Blushing from the kiss and laughing at little Gavroche's reaction to seeing his sister with the party hat on her head, Eponine nodded picking up the first of the presents. "Can you help me open it Gavroche?" She smiled watching the little boy nod happily.
She opened the presents with Gavroche's assistance, the little boy ripping the paper excitedly. She received a book of poems from Jehan, a bracelet from Combeferre, a book of political reasoning from Enjolras to which she had to laugh a little, and a bottle of wine of Grantaire. When it came to opening the neatly wrapped present from Courfeyrac, she looked up to see him blushing subtly. She smiled and tears came to her eyes when she saw the beautiful pendent with the equally beautiful photograph of Gavroche inside. "Oh thank you Courf" She smiled, blushing as he put the necklace on for her. "It's beautiful, I love it"
"Gavroche said you would" Courfeyrac smiled, ruffling the little boy's hair.
"Open my present 'Ponine" Gavroche smiled holding up his messily wrapped gift. "Pwease"
"Of course 'Roche" Eponine smiled opening the parcel to reveal the teddy bear. "Aw baby, it's so cute, thank you"
He beamed. "I knew you would like it" He smiled climbing back onto her lap and holding up his card "and I made this too"
"I love it" Eponine smiled kissing his head and taking the card, opening it to reveal Courfeyrac's neatly written message with Gavroche's name written at the bottom. "And I love this, so much. Did Courfeyrac teach you to write your name?"
"Yes he did, papa taught me" Gavroche smiled
Eponine beamed.
….
Stay the night, he had said, it's your birthday so why ruin it by having to go home. Courfeyrac had asked her to stay, and Gavroche had backed him up on it, pulling out the puppy dog look and begging his big sister to stay. Courfeyrac, the kind soul that he was, had even offered to give her more money again, so that her father wouldn't expect anything. She couldn't say no to them, especially not Gavroche. So she had stayed. Courfeyrac had insisted that she had his bed and he would sleep on the couch, he wouldn't take no for an answer. So here she was, finding herself falling asleep in the warm comfort of his bed again. But this time, she found herself wishing that she wasn't alone in it.
"No…" She whispered, her eyes closed in sleep but her mind active in the realms of her nightmare. "Papa, I didn't lie, I didn't do it. It wasn't my fault". Her father had blamed her for him losing the bet that had lost him money in the long run. It hadn't been her fault in any way, she was just the outlet for his anger. Tears began to fall down from her sleeping eyes, and she turned in the bed, tossing the blankets away. "No! Papa!"
The cries woke him, woke him so suddenly that he had to put his arm out to stop himself from tumbling off of the couch. "Eponine?" He questioned to the darkness of the room jumping up and dashing in the direction of the bedroom. He peaked his head around Gavroche's door to make sure that the cries had not woken the tiny boy. They hadn't. Gavroche was still fast asleep, curled around his monkey toy, smiling in his sleep. Nodding to himself, he quickly made his way to his bedroom.
Eponine sat up, wiping tears out of her eyes, jumping when she saw the door open. "Courfeyrac? Did I wake you?" She asked shyly.
He nodded. "It's alright" He said softly walking into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong Eponine?"
"Nothing…" She lied, trying to make herself look as if she hadn't been crying
"Eponine, I've spent the last month living with your little brother who loves to tell jokes. I am not easily fooled" Courfeyrac said looking her in the eye "I know you had a nightmare"
She looked down, sniffling. "I'm sorry, it was just a dream. I know I'm being silly"
"No you're not" He said carefully moving to sit beside her and swinging an arm around her shoulders. "Was it about your family?"
She nodded, turning to lean her head on his shoulder. "Yes" She whispered.
"Why do you stay there? You're old enough to leave?" Courfeyrac asked using his movements to encourage her to lay back down, his arms still around her, letting her know she was safe.
"I don't want to be there, I hate it, I hate them but I hate to think what would happen if I was to leave" Eponine sighed, finding herself wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself to his chest.
"I wish I could help" Courfeyrac sighed kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. "Go back to sleep Eponine, it's alright"
She nodded yawning, comfortable in his hold. "Thank you" She whispered.
"You are always welcome" Courfeyrac whispered, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her arm as she began to fall asleep.
He had laid with her having full intention to go back to the couch once she was sleeping again. He didn't. He fell asleep in her hold just as she had in his.
And aww, was that cute enough for you?
Please review, I love any feedback.