Me again! Sorry I was so long, I got drunk on my birthday and accidentally auditioned for an opera, then it's all been a bit crazy since!
Hope you all enjoy
Special welcome to the people who came here after reading No Tomorrow, the not-a-oneshot oneshot I wrote about Eponine's birthday, and just finished!
Also if anyone isn't reading One, Two, Tick, Tock by MaryEvH, please start because it's mint. Like properly, properly mint.
Disclaimer: Do you hear the people sing? Singing all the words I didn't write...
He told Combeferre everything. Well… almost everything. How they'd been growing closer and closer for a while, and she'd told him things she hadn't told anyone, even as long ago as the night she was attacked on the Rue Plumet. The way he'd felt a strange connection to her since the day they met. That he'd just held her in his arms for a good half an hour after Combeferre saw them last night, and then they'd fallen asleep together on the couch. How she had kissed him that morning, and thanked him for everything. He told him that he was confused, because there was all of this, but then when he'd gone to find her the day before, how she was still in love with Marius.
"Woah, woah, woah… you've lost me. I still don't understand what makes you think she's still in love with Marius?"
"She was singing. In an alleyway."
"Oh. What was she singing?"
"I didn't know it… but the gist of it was "he went for the golden-haired one and I'm not that girl and –"
"Hang on, it wasn't I'm Not That Girl from Wicked?"
"I don't know, I've never seen it."
"Yeah, I've been spending too much time with Grantaire... give me a second."
He pulled out his phone, an almost determined expression on his face. He set it down on the table, where the screen showed the Wicked soundtrack open on Spotify. A gentle introduction came trilling out of the speakers, followed by an unfamiliar voice singing familiar words.
Hands touch
Eyes meet
Sudden silence
Sudden heat…
"That's it!"
Combeferre smirked, pausing the song and putting his phone back in his pocket. "Enjolras" he said, before laughing quietly under his breath and looking away briefly.
"What?"
"You know you're one of the smartest guys I know, right?"
"….yeah"
"So you won't take it personally when I tell you you're a fucking idiot sometimes"
"…erm"
"Seriously, mate. You're famous for your way with words, GO AND TALK TO HER!"
"I –"
"GO"
"Éponine, though, she -"
"You're as bad as each other, I swear to God"
"What?!"
"I think she's working. Go."
"Now?!"
"Actually, change first. And shower. You don't want to scare her off."
Completely speechless for one of the first times in his life, Enjolras stood up and did as he was told. Once he had showered and dressed in a red button-down and black skinny jeans, he walked back into the living room, to be told he looked "much better" by Combeferre, and pushed out the door with little more than a "good luck!"
"So I don't know how I feel." Éponine concluded. "On the one hand, my sister just died and I'm sadder than I've ever been and so angry, but then on the other… I didn't expect this. I mean… Enjolras. ACTUAL ENJOLRAS."
"I'm as surprised as you, hon" agreed Musichetta, the few customers in the café forgotten in the wake of a story this juicy. Enjolras and Éponine?! ENJOLRAS. And ÉPONINE!
"I don't know what to doooo!" Ép groaned, tipping her head back to the sky then flinging it forward again in frustration.
"Do you love him?" Musichetta asked, bluntly.
It was the question Éponine feared. She decided to play for time. "I love all the guys"
"You know what I mean, Jondrette. Are you IN love with him?"
"What?! Love?! Pfft no, it's just… we're just…."
"OH MY GOD YOU ARE!"
"NO!"
"YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH HIM!"
"NO I'M NOT!"
"YOU SO ARE!"
"This is ridiculous, we've kissed TWICE!"
"Buuuuuut you told me about you guys at Christmas!"
"THAT WAS IN CONFIDENCE!"
"So, I didn't tell anyone! Doesn't mean I can't use the information now, does it?"
"But –"
"And I KNOW you're not telling me something about your birthday."
"I –"
"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't think he's the most attractive little shit you've ever met."
She couldn't.
"So you admit you have a crush, at least!"
"That's completely different, and from the sounds of it so do you!"
"Honey, two men are more than enough for me. Plus, I can't be dealing with that obnoxious personality."
"He's not obnoxious; he's just a pedantic asshat sometimes." Éponine replied automatically.
"You're in love." Musichetta concluded, grabbing her tea towel triumphantly off the table to close the subject, then returning to the café, shouting "GOOD TALK" over her shoulder.
GAAAAAAAH! Éponine threw her head down onto her arms, which were resting on the table. She wasn't lying; she really didn't know how she felt. And she reaaaaallly didn't know how Enjolras felt, what if he wasn't interested anyway?! And if he was, could she handle any more drama right now?!
And Grantaire. God, she hadn't even thought of him until now. It would kill him, she couldn't do that! That would make her the worst friend in the entire world! A wave of guilt rushed over her as she realised she hadn't even thought of the effect her actions would have on her best friend. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH WHY AM I SUCH A FUCKING TERRIBLE PERSON?!" she groaned into her arms, supposedly so only she could hear.
"I don't think you're a terrible person" said a voice from the doorway.
He'd been directed into the back by Musichetta, who he had a sneaking suspicion knew exactly why he was there. Opening the swinging door, he found Éponine collapsed onto the table, groaning that she was a terrible person. He couldn't help but smile. And she calls me a drama queen.
She lifted her head slowly to look at him, curls tumbling around her face as she did so. Without a word, she met his gaze, confusion and conflict and almost fear etched across her face. What is there to be scared of? It's just me.
The silence was unbearably tense. "Hi."
"Hi."
"Can I sit down?"
"Course." He sat opposite her.
"Are you ok?"
"Erm… can I have an easier question?" she countered, dryly.
Enjolras chuckled quietly. "I'm sorry" he said, so quietly it was barely a whisper.
Her eyebrows furrowed, and the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing the ghosts of dimples as she asked "what are you sorry for?"
"I… I didn't help you; you're going through the worst time, and –"
"Shhhhh" she cut him off. "You were the best, Enj. Really. I'm just confused, I don't know what I'm feeling and –"
His heart sank. Dammit.
But that's not a NO, per se….
Fuck it.
"Éponine, I realise this must be ridiculously confusing, and I'm really sorry… look, I'm just going to lay it out there… is that ok?"
She nodded, looking wary.
"I like you, Éponine. I like you a lot. I think you're the most amazing person I've ever met, and just… you make everything better. Stupid things, like… walking to the café! You just take ordinary things and light them up so that they blaze with warmth, and kindness, and fun. I think about what you've told me about your life and how easy it would have been for you to be bitter and mean, but you're the polar opposite, just the right combination of generous and kind and friendly, but tough as well. You are not only an incredible person, you make the people around you feel like they are too. You make me feel like I want to be better, just so I'm worthy of standing next to you.
And I get that this is the worst possible timing. And I can't really explain why I've suddenly regained the ability to speak around you, which – let's be honest – usually deserts me when it comes to you. And I know that you still love Marius and –"
"Wait, what?" Éponine, who had been staring at him, misty-eyed, with very real surprise on her face for the duration of his speech, suddenly interrupted, looking thoroughly confused.
"I understand about Pontmercy, I know you two are close and –"
"Wait, wait, wait… you think I'm still in love with Marius?"
"Yeah, isn't that –?"
Éponine burst out laughing. What… what's funny, I don't understand?
Did I say something?
Is this a yes or a no to the Pontmercy thing?
Worse, is this about what I said before that?
Oh God.
"Sorry!" Éponine tried to compose herself. "Is that why… after yesterday?"
"Well… yeah"
"Oh, Enjolras. You're an idiot."
"What?"
"I haven't been in love with Marius since… well honestly, since Montparnasse. Actually, I'm not sure I ever really loved Marius, I think it was just the idea of a kind, handsome prince, frankly."
"So you weren't upset that he got engaged yesterday?"
"God, no! I'm over the moon for them… I was upset because…"
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Come on, tell me. I've made enough of a fool of myself to deserve that."
"I… it's stupid. Actually, it's not. It's really not. I… just realised, that…" she paused, apparently deciding what to say. The suspense was killing him. "IjustrealisedthatI'llnevergetthewholefairytaleweddingthinganditsoundsreallyawesomebutit'sjustnotinthecardsformeandthatmademesad" Éponine burst out in one breath.
"What?"
"I just… realised that I'll never get a Marius-and-Cosette fairy tale. I'll never be someone's blushing bride walking demurely down the aisle. And it sounds kind of awesome, so… I was sad about it."
He really had no idea what to say.
"I mean, I'm fine about it now. It's just not on the cards for me, and that's ok. I'll have other nice times."
"But… I don't understand why you can't a fairy tale wedding?"
"Because nobody in their right mind would marry me?"
"What are you talking about?!"
"Think about it Enj. Take… well, you. For example. If you went home to your parents tomorrow and told them we were together, would they be happy about it?"
"Erm…"
"Or would they tell you you'd lost your mind?"
"I don't care what my parents think."
"Not now, but in five, ten, twenty years? Or if the plans don't come off? They're your family Enj. And even beyond that, just people in general wouldn't be ok with it. I'm not the girl that parents want their kids to bring home."
"But what problem could people possibly have with someone like you?!"
"I'm skinny and underfed, my body is covered in scars, I'm poor as fuck, I'm a reformed thief, ex-prostitute with noskills, I'm thick as shit, I'm basically a mother to two pre-teen gobshites, my father is a Saint-Michel ganglord who's after my blood, aaaaaand I'm an ex-street rat who's helping plan a revolution against a fairly severe government sooooo…."
"Do… do you seriously believe this?" he was incredulous.
"It's just the truth" she replied sadly. "I thought that was why you didn't want to be with me."
"Oh Éponine" he said with a shake of his head "you're an idiot."
What?
I'm right about this and he fucking knows it, what's he talking about?
"Even supposing any of that mattered, which it doesn't – most of it's not even true!" Enjolras looked at her and just started to laugh. "Whatever made you think I don't want to be with you?!"
What?
"You! At the elephant!"
"I thought you didn't want to be with me!"
"Why wouldn't I want to be with you?!"
"Because of all the things I just said!"
"Éponine, I don't give a shit about where you come from. I just don't want you to ever leave."
Their eyes met, and they both started to laugh as they realised what was happening.
He likes me.
He really likes me!
"So what now?" asked Éponine.
"Well, first of all…" Enjolras hopped off his chair and knelt in front of her on one knee.
WHAT
WAIT
NO
YES
WHAT
OH MY GOD
"Éponine Thénardier"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
"Would you do me the honour…?"
I DON'T KNOW! ASSGLKSJGGKSJALFGJHFFADFDJHFDALKGJ!
"Of kissing me again, please?"
"OH THANK GOD!" she burst out, then leant her upper body down to kiss him hard on the mouth.
She felt him grin into the kiss, then lean up to deepen it as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You're an asshole" she murmured into his mouth.
"You know you like it" he replied
"Oh just shut up and kiss me"
"Gladly" he stood up slowly, pulling her with him with one hand on her hip (/butt, and she wasn't complaining) and the other tangled in her hair. Wrapping her fingers in his curls, she felt him kiss her harder (interesting… I'll remember THAT for later) and pressed her body as close to his as she could. The rest of the world seemed insignificant as the fires in their eyes and their souls danced together and set everything but the two of them ablaze.
Neither of them could remember what took them so long.
Please, please, PLEASE let me know what you think, I'm dying to know! :D