To say that Enjolras was confused was an understatement.

He didn't quite know what had just happened. One minute Grantaire was there, the next he was gone.

He had been so so close, and he looked so good and he smelt so…and then this feeling had overtaken Enjolras; had taken possession and all he could do was go with it.

He'd kissed him.

Oh God… he'd kissed Grantaire.

And it had been so, so good. Grantaire's lips were chapped and rough. His cheeks and chin had been scratchy on Enjolras's because of his stubble. And when Enjolras had pulled him closer, had taken him by the waist it felt so right.

But then Grantaire had left. He'd looked at Enjolras, wild panic in his eyes, had cried out an apology and then just left.

But he kissed me back.

Enjolras was more than confused, he was hurt. Had he misread things? He did tend to do that, but Grantaire had kissed him back, he had kissed him with such a force Enjolras had truly thought he meant it.

But he can't have meant it if he left.

Maybe I'm just a really bad kisser.

But the boxer had moaned so sweetly when Enjolras had kissed him and he'd kissed me back.

Why did he leave?

This was so confusing.

By the time Combeferre and Courfeyrac came back around 2am Enjolras was sitting curled up on the sofa not having moved for about an hour. His eyes were red and he stared out of the window at the patchy sky, stars hard to see because of Glasgow's light pollution.

'Enj?' asked Courfeyrac, confused because he was happy and drunk.

Combeferre came down to crouch in front of Enjolras. 'What's up?' he asked kindly.

Enjolras looked at his best friend, 'I..I kissed him' he blurted out.

'What?' exclaimed Courfeyrac dashing over to the sofa but tripping on the way so he ended up spread-eagled over the back of the settee.

'I..yeah' stuttered Enjolras.

Combeferre smiled encouragingly, 'What happened then, after you kissed him?'

'He kissed me back?' whispered Enjolras. He'd thought about it so much, maybe he'd just imagined it, maybe he'd just made up Grantaire sighing into his mouth, his tongue pressing against his, his hands threading through his hair. Maybe it wasn't true.

'Well that's good isn't it?' asked Courfeyrac sitting up from where he'd landed on the sofa.

'He just left' said Enjolras, voice hoarse as if he'd been crying but he hadn't, not yet. 'He just said 'sorry' and then left'

'Oh Enjolras' said Courfeyrac wrapping his arms around him.

'Did he say anything else?' asked Combeferre still kneeling in front of him.

'No!' said Enjolras indignantly.

'Have you talked to him since?'

'No, he won't answer my texts or calls' Enjolras was trying hard not to cry right now. 'What did I do wrong?'

'I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong' soothed Combeferre.

'He really likes you, you know' added Courfeyrac. But thought Enjolras, that can't be true, if it was, why did he run away? Enjolras just stayed silent. Still in his gym kit from earlier, he sat on the sofa, curled in on himself.

'Okay well, I'm going to get us all a glass of water and we're just going to sit here for a while, we don't have to talk if you don't want to but then we'll go to bed okay, because you really need to sleep Enjolras' said Combeferre standing and making his way to the cupboards and sink to fill three glasses.

'Okay' Enjolras sniffled, as Courfeyrac snuggled into his side a bit more.

Enjolras slept right through until lunchtime the following day. He woke up in his own bed, not remembering how he got there. He felt strangley rested. They hadn't talked much more last night, but the company of his best friends had eased some of the pain and confusion he felt over the kiss with Grantaire.

As Enjolras got up to shower and get dressed he could hear Combeferre and Courfeyrac talking in low voices in the living room.

When he finally emerged, feeling fresher and more awake the other two looked up from the sofa where they'd been sitting chatting with similar expressions on their faces; like they needed to talk to him but didn't want to upset him. Enjolras recognised it for what it was; wariness. He went and sat down on one of the armchairs across from the sofa.

'What is it?' he asked.

The other two remained quiet, until, just as Enjolras was just about to get annoyed and yell at them, Combeferre spoke up.

'Well, we were just thinking about what happened between you and Grantaire' he started.

Enjolras took a deep breath 'Look, it's fine' he said, 'I've thought it through and it was obviously a mistake, he clearly doesn't like me that way, can we just pretend it didn't happen?' he asked a bit desperately.

'But Enjolras he does like you!' exclaimed Courfeyrac, 'How can you not think that?'

'Um, because he just left?'

'He's scared Enjolras! He thinks you don't like him so he thinks he mucked up, that's why he left'

'He thinks I don't like him?'

'Yes' said Courfeyrac exasperatedly.

'But I kissed him'

'But did you tell him?' asked Combeferre.

'I…no…I just kissed him….it seemed like the right thing to do at the time!' said Enjolras defensively. Courfeyrac had thrown his hands up in the air.

'Oh my God, you two are hopeless!'

'You need to tell him very clearly that you like him' said Combeferre, 'Or else he's not going to believe it, because he thinks you hate him.'

'But I don't'

'Yes we know that, Enjolras' said Combeferre.

'Why does he think I hate him?' asked Enjolras.

'Well you did used to not like him, you had that massive rant about boxing remember?' pointed out Courfeyrac.

'But…but I apologised for that!' said Enjolras, 'And I came to his matches, I supported him, I cheered for him and I've been texting him!' he said desperately.

'Yes, and to us, because we know you, we can tell that's a lot for you,' said Combeferre patiently. 'But it's not enough for Grantaire, you need to be explicitly clear with him.'

'Oh' said Enjolras, realisation dawning on him, 'Maybe I should have told him before I kissed him.'

'Finally!' blurted out Courfeyrac.

'Yes maybe you should have' nodded Combeferre, elbowing Courfeyrac in the ribs to shut him up. 'But it's okay, you can go and tell him now.'

'Oh okay, yeah, maybe I should go and talk to him' said Enjolras, thinking hard. 'What do I do? Just tell him I like him?'

Courfeyrac was looking at him like he'd grown an extra head or something.

'What?' asked Enjolras, puzzled.

'Oh my God, yes, yes you should tell him but be more, I don't know…romantic about it?' said Courfeyrac exasperatedly.

'Just be yourself' said Combeferre.

Okay, thought Enjolras, I can do this.

I can't do this.

Enjolras was pacing outside the England boxing training rooms. He walked up and down the corridor ruffling his hair, pulling at his jacket and wringing his hands. To say he was nervous would be lying. He was really, really nervous.

When he'd kissed Grantaire last night it had been a spur of the moment thing, the instinct to be closer to Grantaire, to touch his lips with his. He hadn't planned any of it.

Now, with the words he wanted to say running through his head, his stomach was in knots. He hadn't heard anything from the boxer since he'd fled that flat last night so Enjolras had no idea where things stood between them, but he wanted to fix it. He was going to do this properly.

Before he could lose confidence, come on you idiot, you're a triple Commonwealth Gold medallist for God's sake, he marched up to the door, pushed it open and made his way into the training rooms.

It was probably the smell that overwhelmed him first; the heavy pungent smell of sweat and leather. There was even a sort of sweat haze in the series of rooms, bedecked in boxing equipment, gloves, pads, head-guards. The rooms were crowded. All of the men's boxing finals were taking place today and everyone was getting some last minute training in. Enjolras even saw a couple of boxing ladies doing warm-ups and reps here and there. He didn't get much attention from the boxers and staff as he made his way through the complex of rooms further in, probably because he was wearing his England jacket still. He continued through this warren of training spaces trying to spot the one person he desperately needed to talk to.

He spotted Bahorel off to one side, viciously attacking the pads and attendant was holding up. Enjolras waited until Bahorel had finished his drill and the boxer spotted him.

'Enjolras!' he boomed, 'Thank fuck you're here!'

'Oh?'

'Grantaire's through there and to the right,' he gestured, 'please, for the love of God, go and talk to him, he's been in a state since last night, won't tell me what's up, but I guessed it had something to do with you.'

'Oh erm…' started Enjolras, not quite sure what to say.

'You didn't mess him around did you?' asked Bahorel suspiciously, straightening up and moving towards Enjolras a bit too menacingly for his liking. Enjolras was quick to dissuade the man towering over him, he really didn't fancy getting beaten to a pulp.

'No, no, nothing like that, I just need to sort- um...I just need to talk to him.'

'Oh okay, well go ahead then' said Bahorel, bumping his fists together to straighten out his gloves and then he was back to the jabbing drills. Enjolras felt sorry for the trainer holding up the pads.

Weaving in and out of the boxers and trainers, Enjolras moved in the direction Bahorel had pointed out and then, in a little room, right at the back on his own, he finally spotted Grantaire.

The boxer had his back to Enjolras. He was shirtless and aggressively attacking a punching bag. Enjolras could see every muscle in Grantaire's back ripple as his arms went through the motions. There was sweat running down between the boxer's shoulder blades which undulated every time his arms swung back and then forward, over and over, and over and over. Enjolras could only stand, rooted to the spot as he watched, mesmerized.

But as he watched he noticed that Grantaire's rhythm began to falter, his punches became unsteady, desperate movements. His breathing was all over the place Enjolras realised, Grantaire was giving out heavy exhales which sounded like sobs. It wrenched something inside Enjolras and before he knew it he'd run forward and grasped Grantaire's right arm on the withdrawal of a strike and then Grantaire sagged and collapsed onto his knees on the floor and Enjolras managed to hold him up a bit so he didn't go down as heavily. And then then were both on the floor and Grantaire was shuddering and gasping for air and Enjolras dropped the boxer's arm and gently held Grantaire's face in his hands, one either side of his head and brought him up so he could look at him.

As Grantaire's eyes met his, the expression on his face changed into something like horror and he tried to struggle from Enjolras's arms but the gymnast just brought him in closer, tugging Grantaire so he was practically lying in his lap.

He made shushing noises as Grantaire still tried to extract himself from Enjolras's embrace but he was exhausted and Enjolras just held him as he got his breath back.

When Grantaire's panting had reduced to just a few heavy breaths he opened his mouth and asked 'What are you doing here?'

'I came to see you'

'Why?'

'Because we need to talk' said Enjolras.

'Look if this is about last night then, I was being an idiot and I'm sorry and-'

'Stop talking' commanded Enjolras and Grantaire did, 'Let's go somewhere where we can talk privately' said Enjolras, moving to stand up. Grantaire awkwardly rolled off him and Enjolras held out his hands to help him up and something within him fluttered when Grantaire's hands grasped his. Although, he soon dropped Enjolras's hands once he'd stood up and Enjolras tried not to feel too disappointed about that.

'Where can we go?' asked Enjolras.

'This way' said Grantaire, still a bit unsteady on his feet but leading Enjolras around a corner and through a door…which led into the boxing arena.

'Oh' said Enjolras, a bit surprised at what was on the other side of the door.

'What? There's no one here' said Grantaire. He led Enjolras up to the top of the stands, the furthest away from the ring in the centre of the hall. The lights were on dim in the arena, only the boxing ring lit up; waiting for the boxers to come out and fight in a couple of hours' time. Where Enjolras and Grantaire were, right at the top and back of the hall, was very dark and Enjolras struggled to make out Grantaire's face as he sat down on the back row of spectators' chairs.

'Right…' started Enjolras, thoughts rushing through his mind as he tried to remember what he'd come here to say. It was proving difficult to concentrate because Grantaire was still shirtless and sweaty and sitting next to him and it was all Enjolras could do to not reach over and touch him.

'I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding last night when we um… when I…-'

'Look it's okay Apollo' interrupted Grantaire. He was sat hunched over, arms resting on his knees, head down looking at the ground, hands rubbing together. 'I know I acted really stupid and I only went back to your flat to get my bag and I don't want you to think that I had planned it or anything and it was just a stupid mistake okay?'

'Um, well, the thing is' said Enjolras quietly, and oh god why was this so hard to say? 'It wasn't a mistake'

Grantaire just lifted his head up and looked at him without saying anything.

'I realise I've done this the wrong way around, and I'm sorry for the confusion but-'

'What do you mean it wasn't a mistake?' breathed Grantaire.

'I…um..I' and then it was all coming out in a rush before he could stop himself… 'I really like you Grantaire and I tried to show you that by kissing you, but then you just left and you might think it was a mistake but I don't-'

'Shush' said Grantaire, sitting up straight and looking into Enjolras's face, 'You, don't think it was a mistake?' Enjolras shook his head, unsure of whether it was okay for him to talk, 'You meant to kiss me?' Grantaire whispered in awe. Enjolras nodded.

And then Grantaire was on the edge of his seat, his face very close to Enjolras's and Enjolras couldn't breathe because every time he inhaled he could smell Grantaire, and it was doing things to him which he hadn't really experienced before.

'You like me?' asked Grantaire softly.

'Yes' replied Enjolras.

'I like you too' breathed Grantaire, warm air blowing onto Enjolras's face.

'Kiss me?' whispered Enjolras. Grantaire obliged.

It was just as good as last time, only better because they both knew the other wanted it. It started softly, Grantaire pressing chaste kisses to Enjolras's mouth, to the corners of his mouth, along his jaw. Enjolras didn't know what to do, he tried to concentrate on breathing but it was proving difficult. As Grantaire made his way along Enjolras's jaw up to his ear Enjolras gasped and reached out to grab Grantaire's arms only to remember that he wasn't wearing a shirt. And oh, Enjolras could feel the muscles in Grantaire's arms flex as the boxer drew Enjolras in, pulling him closer, mirroring what Enjolras had done last time. Grantaire's skin was radiating heat, still damp from his workout in the training rooms. Enjolras ran his hands down the boxer's arms and back up again, hands tightening on his triceps as Grantaire playfully nipped at his earlobe.

'Oh' managed Enjolras breathlessly.

'Mmmmm like that?' asked Grantaire, and oh God his voice was several octaves lower, Enjolras was blinking hard, trying not to just spontaneously combust. Grantaire chuckled and sucked Enjolras's earlobe into his mouth and God that should not be allowed, before releasing it and then moving back to the gymnast's mouth.

Enjolras met Grantaire's lips greedily, and Grantaire let him, sighing as he allowed Enjolras to slip his tongue into his mouth. And it had been less than 24 hours but Enjolras had missed this! The wet heat of Grantaire's mouth, the way his tongue gently stroked his.

And then Grantaire's hands had decided to follow Enjolras's lead as the boxer got grabby and started carding his fingers through Enjolras's hair and God, it felt good. He moaned into Grantaire's mouth to try to communicate non-verbally how much he liked it, and Grantaire seemed to get the message because Enjolras could feel him smile into the kiss, as he pulled Enjolras's face closer to his using the hands in his hair.

They parted for air at some point, both short of breath and breathing in lungfuls of oxygen.

'You taste nice' said Grantaire in between pants, 'Like mint'.

Enjolras smiled and kissed Grantaire softly, 'You smell nice' he replied.

Grantaire wrinkled his nose at that. 'Ugh, I can't possibly, I'm all sweaty and,' he only just realised 'Christ I'm not even wearing a shirt!'

Enjolras laughed and kissed Grantaire on his indignant mouth. Grantaire stayed looking annoyed for all of 3 seconds before relenting and sighing into the kiss, deepening it when Enjolras lapped at his mouth again. This kiss started to get deeper and more ragged as the moments went by and Enjolras definitely felt blood rushing to between his legs as things progressed. There was heat pooling down in his belly and he started to make little moans in response to Grantaire's hands running through his hair, and then down his torso, tugging at the bottom of his shirt, fingers edging towards the skin underneath. Enjolras in return was running his hands all along Grantaire's back, his mind thinking back to when he'd first spotted Grantaire in the training rooms, back taut and shiny. He gently traced over Grantaire's exposed shoulder blades thinking about how powerful his back and arm muscles were, he shuddered a little at thinking about how dangerous Grantaire was. It sent a thrill running through him and his cock responded.

Curious to see how Grantaire was reacting Enjolras ran his hands down Grantaire's back which earned him a groan, good, but then Enjolras brought his hands down into Grantaire's lap. Fingers trailing across his shorts and yes, he could feel that Grantaire was at least half hard himself. Enjolras brushed his fingertips over the bulge between Grantaire's legs, which caused Grantaire to almost launch himself at Enjolras. He was now practically sat in his lap which was not great because these fold up chairs were not built for this sort of thing but Enjolras didn't really care right now because the angle of the kiss had changed and Grantaire was now above him kissing down, Enjolras let him take over the kiss because he had better things to be doing, mainly untying the draw cord which held Grantaire's shorts up and-

'GRANTAIRE! Where the FUCK are you?' yelled a terrifyingly familiar voice.

'Shit!' hissed Grantaire, wrenching his mouth away from Enjolras and detangling their limbs as they separated.

Feuilly had stalked into the boxing arena and was scouting around trying to spot Grantaire.

Grantaire shoved Enjolras to the floor where he was hidden by the rows and rows of plastic chairs overlooking the arena. Grantaire stood, whispered 'Sorry' and stepped over Enjolras as he headed down the gangway in the direction of his trainer.

Enjolras just lay where he was on the concrete floor. He was incredibly uncomfortable, not only was he lying awkwardly on his arm, his half-hard cock was making life difficult for him as well. But, he figured, it's better than having Feuilly catch me and Grantaire snogging in the stands; God only knows what he'd do to me. Enjolras was pretty sure Feuilly thought that he was a complete waste of space and hated him for distracting his star boxer, Enjolras most certainly did not want to get caught with Grantaire's tongue down his throat and his cock in his hand- which is where they had definitely been headed.

Oh God.

Enjolras had nearly given Grantaire a handjob in the boxing arena- a very very public space and oh Jesus, there are cameras in here.

Enjolras lay, trying to collect his thoughts as he listened to Feuilly telling Grantaire off and the thud of a door as the trainer probably dragged his protégé back into the training rooms. Once he was sure the coast was clear he descended the stairs two at a time and snuck out of one of the fire exits. He took his phone out of his jacket pocket and sent a quick text to Grantaire, although he wasn't he'd get it, so he sent another to Bahorel as well.

I will see you tonight,

Good luck, you will do great,

E

Can you tell Grantaire we'll be there tonight, and to wish yourself and him good luck?

Thanks,

E