Joly: There is someone else on the barricade!
Me: I thought you would all be used to this by now
Italia: *jumps down from barricade* Hey guys!
Enjolras: An italian? Really?
Italia: Si, really. I may not be french but I know a bit.
*Enjolras raises eyebrows*
Italia: Sort of...a limited amount
*Grantaire coughs*
Italia: Three sentences ok?
*grantaire sniggers*
Italia: Hey Eponine, could you go over out of the way for a couple of minutes, Enjolras and I have some urgent business to attend to.
Me: *rolls eyes* Why am i always kicked out? Its my fanfic
Combeferre: Come on Eponine, its best to just leave them on their way
Enjolras: *watches them walk off* This better regard the national guard or patria.
Italia: You can't seriously say France is your only love? No one can be in love with a country.
Enjolras: Says the girl named Italia
Italia: Its my middle name actually *glares at him*
Grantaire: Yeah, her real names Gracee
Italia: Anyway Enjolras, she's a girl, not a country, and you need to tell her. Truth is she may feel the same way.
Enjolras: Which is no feeling whatsoever
Italia: Damn it Enjolras! Say it!
Enjolras: I have nothing to say
Italia: *pulls a pistol out and aims*
Me: *Spots the action and tries to run over* Hey!
Combeferre: *holding me back* Whoa there! We wouldn't want to do anything rash now would we?
Italia: A little pressure never hurt anyone.
Grantaire: I like her style
Enjolras: Shut it wine cask!
Italia: Enjy, you look awfully scared for someone who's meant to be leading a revolution.
Enjolras: *puts hands out in surrender* Please put the gun down Gracee.
Italia: using my real name doesn't make me like you more.
Grantaire: worth a try.
Italia: say it.
Enjolras: no, I have nothing to say.
Italia: *shrugs* fine. Any last words?
Enjolras: *gulps*
Italia: it didn't have to end this way. *steps closer*
Me: No please don't shoot him
Italia: I've waited a long time for this moment. *lowers pistol and punches him in the face*
Me: ENJY! *Breaks free from Combeferre and runs over to him*
Enjolras: *holds his bleeding nose* ow! You're crazy.
Grantaire: actually I think she's pretty sane.
Italia: *lifts an eyebrow*
Grantaire: I meant the pretty part you know. *wiggles eyebrows*
Italia: you better *grantaire places arm around shoulders and they walk off*
Me: *takes cloth and wipes Enjy's nose* Maybe this fangirl thing with wasn't the best idea
Enjolras: It took you this long to realize that?!
Me: *Helps Enjolras up and supports him* Come on let's get you to the cafe, you're gonna need some ice.
Enjolras: I think she broke my nose!
Me: *rolls eyes* Men are such babies. Anyway on with the story while i tend to Enjy
"It's so stupid!" Jehan exclaimed as he slammed his fist on the table in agitation. "Jack could have lived- they proved it on Mythbusters!"
"I know!" added Courfeyrac in agreement. "Rose just didn't want to let him live!"
"Talk about traitor," said Combeferre sarcastically.
"Well, they had no way of knowing that," argued Musichetta from her spot on Joly's lap. "What if they didn't want to take any chances?"
"They should have at least tried!" Jehan shouted. "And then she let his body fall to the bottom of the ocean! I mean, who does that?!"
"She had to let him go!" stressed Musichetta. "She couldn't exactly drag a cold dead body along with her! That's the point of the movie- letting go!"
"But she promised Jack she never would," disagreed Jehan.
"Hey, at least it's better than dying together like in Romeo and Juliet," sassed Musichetta as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Combeferre chuckled. "Ok, but Romeo and Juliet is just stupid- I mean, they knew each other for, like, a day!"
"Hey, sometimes a glance is all you need," countered Marius as he grasped Cosette's hand and smiled at her.
Combeferre ignored him. "Plus, Romeo was 'in love' with her cousin beforehand! And they were like 13! They weren't exactly in the right state of mind."
"I swear, Shakespeare had a thing against adolescent romance," commented Jehan
"Wasn't Leonardo DiCaprio in a movie version of Romeo and Juliet?" asked Courfeyrac.
"Yeah," answered Feuilly, glancing up from his sketch pad, "and he's gonna be that new movie, oh, what was it again…oh yeah, The Great Gatsby!"
Cosette pouted. "Doesn't he die in that one too?"
"Oh, The Great Gatsby," sighed Jehan, "such symbolism and power."
"Don't even get me started on Daisy!" exclaimed Courfeyrac. "Can you say 'bitch'?"
Enjolras sighed but kept his attention on the book in front of him. "It amazes me how passionate you guys get when it comes to books and movies."
"Well, we can't focus our attention on higher calls like you, Enjy," teased a voice from behind. "Some of us are actually normal."
Enjolras pursed his lips and rubbed his temple with his fingers. "Good to see you too, Eponine."
Eponine gave him a playful smirk before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and taking the seat next to him. She didn't even spare a glance for the other people sitting around the table. She eyed the bottle of Pepsi sitting by his books and without a word she snatched it and brought it to her lips.
"Sorry, hon, but I start my shift in 10 minutes and I need a pick-me-up," she explained as she took a sip of the sweet drink.
Enjolras just sighed and shrugged his shoulders; there wasn't much he could do on the matter. Joly, on the other hand, widened his eyes and opened his mouth in shock.
"Eponine!" he exclaimed. "How could you just drink that? Enjolras already drank from it! Aren't you worried about getting mono or meningitis? Think of all the germs in Enjolras' saliva! You could die, Eponine!"
"Excuse me!" growled Enjolras. "I'm sure I am not that dirty!"
Eponine rolled her eyes and took another sip. "Joly, I've had his tongue in my mouth, multiple times. I don't really think I need to worry about things like that."
Gavroche cringed. "Oh yuck! Way too much information- thanks, I'm sure I could have gone on happily without that picture of Enjolras sucking my sister's face!"
She shrugged apathetically. "Blame Joly." Out of the corner of the corner of her eye she noticed Enjolras' cheeks darkening in color.
"I do…" groaned Courfeyrac as he massaged his temples
"Hey, I am just really concerned for your safety!" said Joly in defense
"My safety is not yours to worry about," Eponine said. "Besides, it's less about you being concerned for my safety and more about you being a germaphobe."
Joly opened his mouth in shock and Enjolras pursed his lips to keep from laughing as he quietly grabbed Eponine's hand under the table.
Grantaire cleared his throat. "Um, Eppie...are you still mad at us?"
Eponine didn't reply; instead she simply leaned her head on Enjolras' shoulder and looked at Joly. Although Eponine had forgiven Enjolras, she had not forgotten about the bet. She inquired about the bet in its totality. She found out who was involved, the stakes, and who started it. Fair to say, she was giving them all the silent 'dead to me' treatment.
"So, what did I miss?"
Musichetta shifted on Joly's lap as he recovered from his initial shock. "Not much," she admitted as she leaned her head on Joly's chest. "We were just discussing stupid plot points in movies and books. Like the stupidity in Romeo and Juliet."
"Oh, Romeo and Juliet," Eponine groaned. "That is 5 hours of my life I will never get back."
Enjolras cocked an eyebrow at her. "Only 5?"
She nodded. "I lost interest after a while and it gave me way too many headaches. Besides, I had better things to do than waste my time on that book. "
"Like write in your journal?" teased Marius.
"Shut up," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Ep," called Grantaire timidly, "you never answered my question."
Once again, she ignored him and turned her attention to Cosette and Musichetta who were in the middle of some big debate about which story was worse, Romeo and Juliet or Twilight with Cosette defending Twilight with her life. Normally Grantaire would have ignored her back, but at this point she had been giving him, Feuilly, Courfeyrac and Bahorel the silent treatment and evil eye all week and he was sick of it.
"Eponine Thenardier!" he bellowed, causing everyone to become silent.
Eponine finally acknowledged him with a dangerous look in her eye."Can I help you with something?"
He met her glare and gathered all his courage as he spoke to her. "May I talk to you alone for a moment?"
She spared one last glance at Enjolras before rolling her eyes and detaching herself from him. She followed Grantaire to the corner of the cafe and leaned against the wall while crossing her arms over her chest. To say she was irritated with Grantaire and the others was an understatement; she was infuriated. She looked at him and gave him a nod, signaling him to explain what he wanted.
He sighed. "Look, I know you're mad at me - and some of the others- due to the bet, but we're really sorry and-"
She cut him off. "I don't think you understand, R. The fact that you guys made a bet like that made me feel really degraded and pathetic. I can't believe my 'friends' would think of me like that- like I'm some horse in a race. I-"
"Are you going to keep ranting or are you going to let me explain?" he asked sarcastically, causing her to look at him with guilt in her eyes. He let out a laugh. "Look, Eponine, I love ya and all, but you really need to work on your listening skills. The bet wasn't supposed to be serious. It was my idea, we joked about it at lunch one day, it was right after you supposedly 'gave up' on men. It was supposed to be funny."
"I don't see how that was funny." she commented
"Stop interrupting, Eponine," he whined, causing her to flinch in shock. "Going on, the real reason we did it was because we knew Enjolras had a thing for you - it was obvious to everyone. I just thought if Enjolras thought he had some competition he would make his move quicker, before he lost you. The thing is, he left while we were still making it and you found out in an really inconvenient way. Come to think of it, how did you find out?"
"A little birdie told me," she said sarcastically
"Well, anyway, I'm sorry about this whole thing. We never meant to hurt you."
She glared at him fiercely for a few more seconds before finally softening her gaze. "You guys are such idiots."
"I know we are, but you did choose to be friends with us."
"True. I did," she said with a sigh. "You are real lucky we are such good friends."
He looked at her hopefully. "So does that mean you forgive us?"
"I might," she began as she glanced at her watch, "but at the current moment I have a shift I need to start. You know, I'm only a few paychecks away from a car and I'd really appreciate some generous tips, particularly from people who need some brownie points," she said as she patted his arm and gave him a wink. She walked away, leaving Grantaire too look after her in shock and the feeling that his wallet was about to get a lot thinner.
Eponine stretched out across Enjolras' sofa cushion and let out a deep sigh of relief. She half-sat half-laid across her half of the couch and threw on arm over the back of the couch. The position was completely unladylike but she didn't care. It was comfortable.
"Something tells me you're tired," Enjolras teased before kissing her on the forehead and taking a seat on the cushion next to her. After working, Enjolras asked if she wanted to come over and watch a movie and Eponine agreed without hesitation; it wasn't the first time she had been to his place (that would have been back after baseball tryouts and, back then, all they did was order Chinese takeout and study).
"Just a bit," she admitted. "I've been working a lot more lately. I'm only two paychecks away from a car and I am not giving up now."
"You know, I'm pretty sure Mr. Myriel would probably give you a raise, or even an advance if you asked for one."
"I know, but you know me- I hate charity. I work for my money, and Mr. Myriel has been so good to me already, I would hate to take advantage of him. Did you know he gave me a Christmas present?"
Enjolras shook his head. "I didn't until now."
"Well, he did," Eponine said as she sat up straight. "He gave me a new notebook after he saw how worn out mine was. You know, he's kind of become like a father figure to me."
"But you have a father," Enjolras commented, earning a glare from Eponine that made him change his opinion. "Right... forget I said that."
"Going back to me working, it also provides me an excuse to be away from home more."
Enjolras chuckled. "There's the real reason."
"And you know it!" She said with a smile. "So what are we watching today?"
"Well after rummaging through Netflix, I have it narrowed down to The Sixth Sense. Flatline, Kung Fu Panda and Warrior."
They both looked at each other for a moment before uttering Kung Fu Panda in unison. They selected the movie and shifted position on the sofa so they were both sitting up against the back of the sofa comfortably. Eponine brought her knees to her chest and hugged them while Enjolras draped his arm across the back of the sofa. Eventually, Enjolras moved his arm so it was draped across Eponine's shoulders and she, in turn, automatically melted into him and leaned her head against his chest. Her fingers absentmindedly drew small circles on his shirt and things seemed pretty relaxed, but there was something on Eponine's mind that had been plaguing her since Enjolras' confession on Monday.
"Enj..." she began timidly.
"Yeah?" he responded without a thought.
"On Monday you said that you've liked me since June 5th..."
"Right," he answered not really knowing where she was going.
"Of 2011," she finished.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "What about that is concerning you?"
She sighed and sat up straight, detangling herself from him so she could look at him straight in the face as she spoke. "So you have liked me all this time, even when I was..."
"Heartbroken and pinning over Marius? Yes, though I never admitted it to myself. I simply told myself you were a friend, but it seemed my heart and my brain didn't want to correspond."
"So all that time I was depressed over Marius," she thought out loud, "and Cosette's party, the basketball game, Theodule..."
Enjolras nodded and answered simply, "Yes, yes, yes and yes."
Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Enjy, I'm so sorry. That must have hurt so much." If anyone knew how much it hurt when the person you were pining over was not only pining over someone else but expressing their emotions to you, it was Eponine. She could only imagine what was going through Enjolras' heart when she blabbed non-stop about Marius. At least she had him to talk to; he probably didn't have anyone.
He shrugged as if the whole thing never bothered him. "A little bit, at times, but I tried not to be in touch with my emotions at that time. I separated myself from them."
She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm such an idiot. All this time I thought Marius was blind, but I was just as bad, wasn't I?"
"Well... to be fair, I didn't show my feelings in the way you did."
She bit her lip and looked at him sadly. "Enjolras, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like that. Believe me, I know how it hurts." She looked down at her hands. "I've gotten mad at you so many times, but I should have known. I'm really-"
"Hey, hey," he said, cutting her off as he placed a hand under her chin. "Don't apologize so much. We've both been stupid at times, but that's in the past now, right?" She smiled at him and he brought her in for a hug before giving her a quick peck on the lips. He had cared about Eponine for a while, but the time she spent pining over Marius didn't hurt him as much- instead, it made him fall harder for her. "Though I have to say, it's nice having Eponine Thenardier admit she was wrong twice in one week."
She separated herself from him and playfully smacked his arm before giving him another kiss on the cheek. Afterwards, she put her head on his lap as he gently stroked her hair. They continued the movie in total peace and silence, completely comfortable with each other. It wasn't often that they got to spend time together without any worry or rush, but when they did, they basked in the moment.
"Hey, Ep," Enjolras said once Po got the dragon scroll.
She didn't respond; instead all he heard was soft snoring coming from the girl in his lap. He smiled fondly before reaching over to grab a nearly blanket. He settled himself in comfortably and draped it over them. Somehow, he felt better with with her there.
Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. Please review! It makes my day when i see reviews :D
It came to my attention that some of you may not like the A/N's where i interact with the barricade boys, well if that's the case no one is forcing you to read them. The a/n's aren't actually part of the story so if you skip them you aren't really missing much. I'll put important notes in other sections (like one in the beginning and one at the end of a chapter). On that note i made a mistake in my last a/n. Our visitor was zeldalover272 not 72, sorry about that.
I wrote another one-shot based off a fan art called "I'll lead you to Salvation". Please give it a read and also please vote on the poll in my profile
Thanks :D Love you all!