Éponine slept well that night. Everything had gone wonderfully with Gavroche moving in. Nothing bad happened. No one knew her secret, not even Azelma. And it was perfectly fine to stay that way. She got up at 7:15, just like she said she was going to. She got in the shower, got dressed, and then went out into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. She started the coffee for herself and Enjolras, and put four frozen waffles in the toaster before going to Gavroche's room to wake him up. He groggily woke up to her shaking, and then proceeded to shoo her out of his room, saying that he was a boy and girls are not allowed in boys' bedrooms, just as much as boys are not allowed in girls' bedrooms.
Éponine snickered. "That's not what you thought last night when you were in Rachelle's." She told him before walking out of the room, and closing the door behind her so the boy could get dressed before breakfast.
"That's different!" He yelled at the closed door. Éponine laughed as she made her way back into the kitchen. When the waffles popped, Gavroche came into the room and sat down at the table, rubbing his eyes. Éponine asked him to get the peanut butter and syrup out of the cupboard, which he did. They both sat down and prepared their waffles, before eating. As Éponine finished and stood up to get her coffee, Enjolras came into the room.
"Good morning, Gav, Ép." He said. He ruffled Gavroche's already messy hair, while walking over to the counter where Éponine was pouring coffee, into mugs. "That smells amazing." He said, getting very close to her while grabbing his cup. "Thank you for making it." He added, before sitting down next to Gavroche. She nodded, before sitting at the only other empty chair. A comfortable silence followed, as they all finished their breakfast. Afterwards, they all got up to finish getting ready for the day.
At 8:30, Enjolras called for Gavroche. "It's time to go to school." He told the young boy.
"I don't want to go!" He complained.
"You have to." Éponine said, gathering her own books. "I'm going to class, too. And Enjolras will go later today."
"Plus, you get to see Rachelle." Enjolras said, grinning at the boy. Gavroche blushed, but didn't complain anymore. The three of them walked out of the apartment. Éponine locked it from the outside, and they all went down the stairs. When they got outside, Éponine gave Gavroche a hug, saying she would pick him up at 3:30 and to have a good day. Then the boys walked off to the elementary school, and Éponine walked to her own class.
"So, anything you want to tell me, now that Éponine isn't here?" Enjolras asked the boy when they had turned a corner and could no longer see the dorm.
"No. I don't think so." The boy said, avoiding looking at the man.
"What's going on with you and Rachelle? Is she your girlfriend?" Enjolras asked, pushing the subject.
"Eww! No! Girls have cooties! I don't want a girlfriend. We are just best friends." The eight-year-old said.
"Oh, are you sure about that? Does she know?"
"Yes. Well, at least I think so. We've just always taken care of each other. We know everything about each other. She knows about my parents, I know about her mom, and stupid idiot of a father. She came to the orphanage just a few months after me. We've done everything together ever since. She's even in my class at school." He said.
"And you looked very comfortable last night when you were sleeping at Cosette's." Enjolras prompted.
Gavroche blushed. "She used to sneak into my room after lights out. She gets a lot of nightmares, and claims that having me close helps them stay away. One time she said that her terrors are scared of me, so they stay away when I'm around. Sometimes, it's hard to sleep without her with me." He said, looking at the ground.
Enjolras put his arm on the boy's back. "It's okay. I don't think any of us mind, it just surprised us. If either of you get nightmares, we would rather you be comfortable and be able to sleep. Just let us know if we can do anything." He told the boy. Gavroche smiled up at the man.
"I'm really glad I'm staying with you and Éponine." Gavroche said, before smiling slyly. "But is there anything you need to tell me, now that Éponine isn't here?" He teased.
Enjolras lightly slapped his head, jokingly. "Nah. I don't have time for girl drama, like you do." He replied.
"Are you sure? I noticed how close you were sitting on the couch at Cosette's last night. I also noticed how close you were to her when grabbing your coffee. And your little nickname for her…" Gavroche said, with a smirk on his face, feeling proud of himself for noticing all of these things.
Enjolras looked a little taken aback, but then chuckled. "Nothing gets past you, little bud, does it?" When the boy shook his head, Enjolras continued. "We are just becoming friends. Like we already told you, we just met last week, through Cosette. Nothing is happening between us."
"Yet." Gavroche added, looking somewhat hopeful. "There's my school. I'll see you when you get done with class, Enjolras!" He said, running off to the front doors, where Rachelle was waiting, talking to some other girls. He heard Gav yell her name, and saw her turn and jump into his arms like she had done the night before. This time, the boy spun her around before putting her done and walking over to the circle of girls Rachelle had been talking to.
"Yet." Enjolras said, with a smile on his face, before turning and walking back to campus.
A/N: Sorry, this is a short one. It's kinda cute, though. Don'cha think? I have had a busy week preparing and taking midterms and getting ready for spring break. I've also had a lot of inspiration to write, so I added on to this story, which still isn't done. I thought that it was close, but now I took a turn and it's going to add a couple more chapters. I hope you all really like this story and don't get bored with it, because there is a lot left!
I just wanted to make a note here and now, and I will probably never mention it again. I respond to everyone who follows, favorites, or reviews my current story. That being said, if I somehow miss you, I'm terribly sorry. I don't always do repeats, either. I won't respond to guests, because I can't, and I refuse to add it to the story. So, if you want to talk to me or anything, just make an account! It's free and fun!
Now that's over, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow, and favorite, if it strikes your fancy. I hope you all have a great week, and if next week is your spring break, relax and have a fun, safe week!