Me again!

Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis, Pizza Hut, Ready Brek, any of the Disney movies mentioned, AVPM, Every Avenue or Real Housewives. As though anybody thought I did.

It kept happening; as passionate and unpredictable as ever. They did it in bathrooms, alleyways and parks, but mostly in various deserted apartments that Montparnasse 'found'. They never went back to the same place twice. Every time, she'd insist it was the last and Montparnasse would agree, but they both knew it wasn't. It was like an addiction: the crazy rush of pleasure and adrenaline was worth it at the time, but she hated herself intensely afterwards. Then every time she saw him she'd find herself wanting more.

She'd been surprised by the support she'd received about it – not just from Grantaire, either, but most of Les Amis. Musichetta asked her about it daily, lamenting that Joly and Bossuet would never be so spontaneous (after Éponine had told her about a particularly steamy encounter they'd had in a restaurant bathroom, 'Chetta had sighed 'Honestly, Ép, you'd think having two of them would up the odds of random sex in a Pizza Hut bathroom, but it really doesn't'). Combeferre and Feuilly kept hugging her and telling her they were proud of her for moving on from Marius and making herself happy. Jehan wrote (heavily romanticised and basically fictional) poetry about them. Joly gave her a box of super-thick condoms and told her to 'knock herself out, now she wasn't going to get gonorrhoea'. Courf, Bahorel and Bossuet were just pleased she was getting some.

Of course, not everyone felt that way. Gavroche was against it from the start, because he didn't like Montparnasse ('I remember ya tellin' me to stay away from 'im 'cos he's bad news and now ya see 'im all the time! Ya bein' stupid!'). Jacques had cried when he found out, partly because Montparnasse had been 'involved' in the deaths of a few of his friends and relatives, and partly because 'I was gonna be the one that married ya, when I was older!'. Cosette kept offering to set her up with her friends ('really, they're ever so sweet and they'd treat you like a princess… I'm not saying I don't like Montparnasse or anything, just that Robert is REALLY lovely, and I'm sure you'd fall for each other instantly'). Marius was initially pleased she was 'interested in guys at last' – the irony of that had almost made her laugh out loud – but when she said she wouldn't deliver a letter for him, he had gotten huffy, and given her the cold shoulder for a few days. The hurt in his puppy-dog eyes when she'd said no had almost changed her mind, until she reminded herself that asking her to deliver it was ridiculous, what did he think stamps were for, and who even wrote letters these days anyway?! Incapable of holding a grudge, he started speaking to her again eventually, but always backed up Cosette's offers of more suitable boyfriends. Enjolras hadn't said anything. He never spoke to Montparnasse, but this seemed to be less of a dislike of 'Parnasse himself and more that he was simply thoroughly bored with the whole scenario.

Two weeks before Feuilly and Sylvie's wedding, Combeferre was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Enjolras sat opposite him, black coffee in hand, reading the letters section of the newspaper with a frown on his face.

'Enjolras, can I ask you about something you're probably not interested in?'
'I don't know why you'd want to, but I don't see why not.'
Combeferre thought about how to word it for a second, and then asked 'What do you think of Éponine and Montparnasse?' He watched carefully as to what Enjolras' reaction would be, but other than a slight pause, there wasn't one.
'I don't really have an opinion on it.' I doubt THAT very much.
'You must have! Don't you always tell me that staying impartial is a terrible idea?'
'Well yes, but that's only true when it's something important.'
'This is important! It directly affects me and you through the apartment, it impacts on all our friends, and don't pretend you haven't noticed the guys talking about it when we're planning things.'
Enjolras took a sip of coffee, clearly thinking hard. You're not getting out of this one.
'All right… I don't trust him. He's very smart, but he doesn't say much. He barely talks to her, from what I see. Also, from what I gather, he was around when she lived back at the inn, and there aren't many nice guys who frequent the Thénardiers' establishment.'
'True, but she said she's known him longer than that, since she was a little kid.'
'That doesn't make him trustworthy.'
'No, and I agree with you on that point, the less he knows about Les Amis the better. Still, Éponine knows her way around – she lied about the café, and she's never taken him to anyone's apartment, including this one. She'll be fine. Without wishing to sound rude, I don't get the impression it's a relationship based on dialogue and soul-sharing, in any case.'
'No.'

They were silent for a while, and Combeferre thought that must be it, so he returned to his Ready-Brek. He was mid-swallow, a few minutes later, when Enjolras took him by surprise, blurting out 'She doesn't seem happy!'
Interesting. 'What makes you say that?'
'Her face, when she comes back from seeing him. She always smiles, but it's not the smile she gets when she's with Gavroche, or Grantaire, or any of you, really. Her eyes aren't smiling. It appears as though she regrets seeing him every time. You must have noticed it too. If I have, you will have.'
I had. Pondering this, Combeferre ate another spoonful of porridge. 'The only explanation I can come up with is that while she's physically enjoying herself -' Enjolras nearly choked on his coffee. '- she doesn't have any emotional relationship with him, so she can't be totally happy. It might be just what she wants after Marius, though.'
'Perhaps. I don't even know why we're talking about this; it's really not that interesting.' Sure it isn't.
'I was just curious what you thought. I know you care about her.'
'What… why… but… what makes you say that?!' Enjolras sputtered.
Well I wasn't totally sure, but now I am. 'Well, you do live with her.'
'Oh. I thought you meant…. Oh. Never mind.'
Combeferre smirked. I know what you thought I meant… and I haven't forgotten that kiss when she was asleep. I'm not sure you've admitted it to yourself, though, so you won't take kindly to me saying something. Yet.
He stood up to put his bowl in the sink, then go back to his room. Before he left, he turned to Enjolras. 'By the way... her eyes smile for you as well. Not just us.' Enjolras didn't say anything, but Combeferre could swear he saw the ghost of a smile. Knew it.

He nearly said something to Éponine a few days later, when she asked him why Enjolras never said anything about Montparnasse. As usual, though, he decided to be kind. 'He's just not very vocal about other people's business. Ask him, if it's important to you. He'll have an opinion.'

'It's not IMPORTANT, exactly, just… wondered.'

Well. This IS interesting.

She didn't say anything until a week before Feuilly and Sylvie's wedding, when she'd been 'seeing' Montparnasse for about three weeks. The two of them had been sat in the living room: she was watching the Real Housewives of Orange County (it was like watching an alien species for Éponine – they had so much MONEY), while he read the newspaper, his grumpy face firmly in place.

The Real Housewives went to a break, leaving her bored, and she couldn't help herself.

'Enjolras?'
'Yes?'
'Can I ask you something?'
'If it's about that utter twaddle, no.'
TWADDLE?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 'It's not about the Real Housewives of Orange County, I promise.'
'Then I don't see why not.'
'What do you think of Montparnasse?'

Silence.

'Come on, you must think something!'

Silence.

'If you keep ignoring me I'll give Gavroche sugar and then tell him that your books need colouring in.'
'You wouldn't dare.'
'Want to bet?'

Silence.

'Come onnn!' she whined. 'It's a fair question!'
'I really don't have that much to say.'
'Just tell me what you think! Do you think I'm being stupid, still seeing him?'
'No, I understand what you're doing.'
'Oh?'
He sighed, and put his paper down on the seat next to him, meeting her eyes. 'I don't think you're as happy as you want people to believe.'
'Why?'
'Because your eyes don't smile when you talk about him, and you don't even mention him that much. It took everything we had to get you to shut up about bloody Pontmercy, but you never mention Montparnasse. I can only assume you don't love him as much.'
'Maybe that's good. Maybe I don't believe in that stupid love that I had for Marius any more. Maybe I've been reading too many kids' books.'
'If you really believed that, you wouldn't be re-reading Cinderella at the age of nineteen.'
'I'm not reading it at the minute actually.'
'You go to Jehan and Bossuet's to watch Disney films every two weeks.'
Don't pretend you don't love Disney! 'You've got copies of Robin Hood, Aladdin and Mulan under your bed, and you think all love is silly.'
'And when have you ever agreed with me? Come on, Éponine.'

There was a pause, as they both stopped to think. He broke the silence. 'I also don't believe it doesn't bother you that he kills people for your father.'
'He doesn't always do it for Pa, he does what he wants to do.'
'That's not the point. Are you really comfortable with it?'
No. But he's never come to find me afterwards as far as I know, so I can put it out of my mind. 'It's none of my business what he does in his own time!'
'But you don't trust him.'
'I do!'
'So why lie about the café? And why haven't you brought him here?'
'Do you WANT me having loud, passionate sex in the next room?!'
That had him blushing. 'No! But we both know that's not why.'
'Look, I appreciate what you're saying but… what we're doing is… simple. And love should be simple.'
'For God's sake Éponine, there is no emotional connection at all. You don't love him.'
You don't know that. I don't know that. Maybe this really is what love is. At least it's mutual this time, not like with Marius.
'Ok, fine, don't say anything. But until you can prove you love him, I'm not taking anything back.'
'I don't have to prove anything to you!'
'No, but you're sitting there lying to yourself and I'm not going to pretend I believe you.'
This is ridiculous. 'How can I PROVE I love someone?!'
He paused for a second. Ha, got you. 'Sing.'
What? '…sorry?'
'Sing. You sang about Marius, and anyone could see you really loved him. So show you love Montparnasse. Sing about him.'
'I have! The first night you met him, I did that Every Avenue song, then last week –'
'No, no, not a rock song. A real love song. Like 'Harry' or the one you sang that night when I found you on the street… I didn't know that one. Was it from something?'
This really isn't going to help my case. 'No, I… made it up.' That surprised him, she could tell by his face. He didn't comment though.
She thought it over. Singing about him, that's all I have to do? Easy. 'Right, fine. I'll sing about him. Right now, or…?'
'When are you next in the Musain?'
'Tomorrow night.'
'You could do it then. Gives you time to pick a song.'
'Fucking hell, how seriously are you taking this!?'
'You asked for my input!'
'Anyway, what does it matter which song?!'
'We both know when you're really singing from the heart.'
'Since when were you Captain sensitive?!'
'I'm far from it. But you can't deny I've seen you when you've actually opened up, and really broken down, and you aren't as good an actress as you think you are.'

They'd maintained eye contact the whole way through this argument, but somehow it was different now. Heavier. More intense. 'What, so you know me better than I do now?!'
'Again, you asked for my input!'
'Yeah, but it doesn't matter to me what you think!'
'So why did you ask!?'

They stared at each other, searching each other's eyes for a response. I don't know. Wish I hadn't. Should have known you'd have a pricky response for me.

Enjolras stood up and walked towards his room. 'I've got a class to go to.' A minute later, he had his coat and shoes, and he was gone.

Well. Now what?

Ah shit, I've missed the rest of Real Housewives.

Thoughts? PLEEEEEEEEEASE :D I love you, thanks for all the support, you little beauties.

I have a ginormorous swollen eye at the minute (long story) - seriously, I strongly resemble Sloth from the Goonies, and my best friend is calling me Davros. - WHICH MEANS I'm not leaving the house much at the minute, so hopefully more updates!

Thank you again for reading, reviewing, following, favouriting... everything!