It wasn't another month! Yaaay!
Thanks so much for the reviews last chapter, those of you who left them! It was so nice to hear from some new people! I especially enjoyed your responses to drunk Enjolras
Anyway, on with the chapter. A lot more POVs than usual here, I hope it's not too confusing and that you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Anaghị m efe Les Miserables ma mee ka ọ ego oyi nke a. Dị na-amasị ọ bụla ọzọ na-arụ ọrụ ná ndụ m. Cheta na oge m nwere ọrụ? Na na na, m. Nke ahụ bụ ezi ihe.
The next morning was a weird one for most of Les Amis.
Cosette and Marius woke up together (which wasn't weird) in Cosette's bed (which was). Gingerly opening their eyes to find the world had become impossibly bright since yesterday, sending poppers of pain off in their very brains, Marius blinked up at the ceiling to find a young Justin Timberlake staring back at him.
"I don't know if you realise how odd it is to be stared at by Justin Timberlake while you sleep" he murmured. Cosette started to laugh, and then groaned, rubbing her stomach. Burying her face in the side of his chest she mumbled back "I don't know if you realise how much I like being stared at by Justin Timberlake while I sleep."
"When I can move my head, I'm taking it down."
"Don't you dare, I'll take you down."
He chuckled slightly, running his fingers up and down her back absentmindedly.
"Actually, I won't have to" Cosette said as she turned over onto her back with a grimace, stretching her tired arms up into the air. "Papa'll do it for me. He's a big JT fan."
"What?!"
Combeferre woke up alone (which wasn't weird) but found himself looking over to the other pillow with a strange weight of disappointment in the pit of his stomach (which was). Pulling his long sleeves down to cover his hands and wipe his eyes, he thought about who he would even have wanted there anyway. Several faces flashed through his mind, but none eased the weight. Maybe it's just a hangover tummy… he thought, I'm probably way over-thinking this.
Then a different face flashed into his head, and the weight doubled.
Oh he thought, with a very real feeling of surprise.
Well. That's new.
Grantaire woke up late, grumpy, and tired. That certainly wasn't weird. He gazed into the impossibly blue eyes in front of him; filled with the calming yet perpetually restless depth of the ocean, the sparkle of the stars, the loving devotion of a mother and the brewing fury of a vengeful God. He tried to imagine they were more than paint on a canvas, that the real eyes were there, in his room, gazing back at him with all that power. That wasn't weird. They flashed into his mind, surrounded by the curls and the cheekbones and the mouth, and everything else, until a whole scene built – but it wasn't the one he usually escaped to. This time, it was a pub – a pub he recognised – and he wasn't the only one there, all the guys were there…
Oh no
Before he could stop it, before he could tear his mind away, think of something else – anything else – his cruel mind pressed play on the scene and the figures came to life.
"Not me, I'm afraid. Definitely heterosexual."
The knife was in, and the cloud descended.
"Guys, you have definitely forgotten someone."
"Who, though?"
"Oh, wait! Did we say Éponine?"
His body was crying out no, don't think about it, you walked away, there's no way you heard what you thought you heard.
The pushing.
The teasing.
The exclamations of delighted disbelief.
And then: "All right, all right… yes. I think Éponine has certain… charms"
The knife twisted. His body stopped resisting. He felt his heart beating. He felt his chest heaving. He felt the cloud engulf him, felt his entire existence fade to a darker shade of grey. This wasn't weird.
But the scene that played out this time wasn't some imagined scenario his tortured brain concocted to unsettle him, it was real. It really happened. That was weird.
He curled back up into a ball under his threadbare covers, eyes screwed tightly shut. He felt the words echo through him again and again until he couldn't feel anything but pain.
And when you can't feel anything but pain, you forget what it's like to not feel pain. So you get up. And you find a drink. And you try to remember.
Courfeyrac woke up with a start as nerf gun bullets pummelled into his face from the doorway. He sat up sharply to see Gavroche and Jacques running out of his room, laughing and whooping. This wasn't weird. This was a Sunday morning, as far as he was concerned.
Little eejits he laughed to himself. Running a hand over his tired face he looked over at the empty side of his bed; the covers were messed up – long limbs and restless sleep meant they often were –and he ran a hand over them absent-mindedly. They didn't normally feel this empty – granted, they were usually occupied by someone or other, but even so – and the pang in his heart as he looked over there was definitely new. Why did he feel suddenly bored?
What is going on with me? he thought to himself. I feel like bloody Jehan.
This is actually stupid. What would I even be doing if someone was there?!
His memories of the night before answered for him: "…at it like rabbits… I'd never get any sleep."
Oh he thought.
OH.
Well. That's...a new thought.
Weird.
Ridiculous
….Making me feel better?
….unlikely. Very unlikely to ever occur.
He turned over and buried his face in the unused pillow, repressing a groan of frustration. This was definitely weird.
He felt the ping of each bullet on the back of his head before he heard the war cry.
One day he'd kill them, but today – just like every other day – he grinned instead, and jumped out of bed, running out the door after them shouting "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS, YOU SCOUNDRELS! WHERE HAVE YOU PUT MY TREASURE?!"
Éponine woke up alone, her head snuggled into the soft cotton of her pillowcase instead of the warm, firm body she'd grown used to. This was weird. She made to sit up, leaning forward slowly so she could –
NOPE!
The pain flashed behind her eyes, popping like fireworks, and she lay immediately down again with a groan. Why do I do this to myself she mused dejectedly. This is bad. Bad. I'm never drinking again.
Opening her poor eyes as little as possible to protect them from the insistently bright world, she reached her arm over to pick her phone up off the bedside table. 1 missed call, 1 voicemail message. Seeing who it was from, she smirked, fighting the ache that rose in the muscles in her face. I'll deal with you in a minute she thought, amused. First, I need a partner in self-pity. And that meant firing off one quick text.
When did the world get so bright, R?! I feel like my head has been repeatedly whacked against a wall. Can't actually remember if it was. Tell me you're in as much discomfort as me right now so I have a partner for rom-coms and self-loathing? E xox
Ok… voicemail.
"YOU HAVE ONE – " FUCK FUCK FUCK, VOLUME DOWN, VOLUME DOWN"- received today, at 2.49 am."
"ÉPONINE! ÉP ÉP ÉP ÉP ÉPONINE! IT'S ME! ME IS ENJOLRAS!" she stifled her giggle, bringing her spare hand to her mouth. God, he was HAMMERED last night!
"YOU LEFT A THINGY ON MY PHONE BOX, AND I FOUND IT JUST NOW – I'M OUTSIDE, BY THE WAY – AND OH! EVERYONE KNOWS I WANT TO JUMP YOUR BONES EVERY TIME I SEE YOU NOW. BECAUSE I DO. GOD, YOU'RE SEXY. OW! OUT OF MY WAY, LAMPPOST" She was just barely understanding what he said, but the last part came through loud and clear and she couldn't hold it together. Bringing the phone away from her face for a second or two, she fought valiantly to stop laughing.
"BASICALLY I ALSO WANT TO BE WITH YOU ALL THE TIME. ALL OF IT. TIME. WITH YOU." her heart swelled with happiness at this, and her grin grew even wider. Cute.
"GETTING TO KNOW YOU. PROPERLY. NOT IN THE BIBLICAL SENSE – ACTUALLY, WAIT… IS THAT THE SEX ONE? IF IT'S THE SEX ONE, I WANT TO DO THAT." Oh, the romance.
"BUT ALSO THE NON-SEX ONE. ALL THE TIME. EVERYONE KNOWS BY THE WAY, THAT I WANNA SEX YOU UP." Oh Jesus, Enj, now what?!
"BUT THEY THINK YOU'RE NOT. WANTING TO I MEAN." Thank Christ. I'd never hear the end of it…
Aww, bless him; they'll have ripped him to shreds!
"SO, THAT WASN'T A FUN CONVERSATION FOR ME…" she laughed aloud at the accuracy of her prediction.
"SO I DRANK AND THEN WE WENT TO A CLUB AND NOW I'M OUTSIDE AND I PRESSED NUMBER TWO!" Wait, what? Number two?!
"THIS MESSAGE IS QUITE LONG ISNT IT?!
MAYBE I SHOULD LEAVE YOU ANOTHER ONE AS WELL INSTEAD OF KEEPING GOING?!" Oh, Jesus…
"I DON'T KNOW WHERE NUMBER TWO WENT SO I'LL JUST SAY IT NOW – YOU'RE REALLY GREAT. YOU'RE BASICALLY THE BEST THING EVER. NOT THING… PERSON. BEST PERSON EVER. AND I LOVE YOU."
Her heart stopped. After one sharp intake of breath, she stopped breathing. The silence was absolute.
Of course, it was quickly broken by "ALSO, PLEASE BUY PEANUT BUTTER I ATE IT ALL. I THINK. OK, I'M GOING TO GO AND FIND COURFEYRAC NOW. BYE!
To return the call, at your normal call rate –"
She cut off the call. And the silence was back.
Her lungs screamed at her for air, so she finally let out the breath she was holding.
Did he mean that?
Did I hear it right?
How do I feel? I… well. Wow.
What would even have SAID?
This is… wow.
Wow.
Weird.
Enjolras rolled over onto his stomach, his bed upsettingly empty of beautiful, loud-mouthed ex-gamines.
Oh dear… that was a bad plan.
Jumping up and running, he just made it to the bathroom in time to spectacularly vomit into the toilet.
Ohhhh God he thought. I didn't even know I had a kebab. When did I get a kebab?!
Actually, come to think of it… what the hell happened last night at all?
He remembered all the pubs. Or at least, he thought he did. And the stamp on his hand told him which club he'd been to. Which was lucky, because as far as he was aware he'd never set foot there.
This is why I don't DRINK he groaned in his aching head, before stumbling over to the sink to wash out his mouth. He felt a buzzing in his back pocket and prayed it was his phone, pulling it out slowly.
This text comes to you from the girl formally known as Éponine Juliette Thénardier. Sadly, as a result of bad, alcohol-related decisions, she will never be seen or heard from again…is it you in the bathroom right now or is Ferre the one feeling the worse for wear? I very much enjoyed my voicemail message by the way xxx
Oh God, what the hell did I say on that message? He decided to bite the bullet, and, steeling himself, walked through into Éponine's room.
He felt better as he opened the door to find her lying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling with a grimace. "You too, huh?" he laughed.
"Urrngggghhhh" she groaned.
"Budge over" She did, and he lay down next to her. "Good night?" he asked.
"Brilliant, thanks. Turns out Cosette is a terrible influence. You?"
"The best. I think. Probably."
"Ah."
"Oh… I think I told the guys I thought you were ok. You know, solid 5.5 out of 10. That sort of thing."
"5.5?!"
"I mean, maybe a six."
"I'm too tired to hit you but I want you to know that in my mind, I am."
Enjolras laughed. "Noted. I'm kidding; I all but announced my raging lust. I'm really sorry, they kind of forced it out of me."
"It's ok."
"You're not mad about it?"
"Nahh, I… maybe might have told the girls."
"All of them?"
"Yeah."
"What did you say? Just how unbearably handsome I am?"
"Just how gross you are…"
"Oh, I see."
"Yeah. No, erm… actually… don't be mad?"
He turned to look at her and raised his eyebrows. What the hell did you say?
"Cosette had kind of… guessed, and I didn't deny it very well, so basically they all know now, and I'm really sorry! I tried to hide it but…"
He took her hand and squeezed it with a smile. "It's honestly fine, Ép. I know you don't want to, but I still don't see why we don't just tell everyone to be honest."
"You're sure you're ok with it? And just… trust me on this one, please?"
"I'm fine!" he smiled. "And you know I trust you with anything."
She shifted over to rest her head against his shoulder, smiling contentedly into him.
He had a sudden thought. "Please tell me that message wasn't too horrendous?"
She was silent for a second or two. Oh God, it must be bad. Finally, in a cheerier voice than before, she said "you walked into a lamppost and asked me to buy peanut butter."
"Oh God, I am so sorry. Seriously, disregard everything I said. It must have been absolute rubbish."
More silence. Ha, she must be feeling really rough if replies are taking this long…
"Yeah. Rubbish."
"Thanks, love" he said, before dropping a kiss on top of her head. She stiffened suddenly, and then sat up with a start.
"I should shower, I need to go and get Gav from Courf's" she said, clambering over him to leave the room. Was he imagining the edge in her voice? He couldn't think of why she'd be mad…
"Are you ok?"
"Oh, yeah. Fine. Just fine."
You don't sound fine he thought with a frown. I wonder what's upsetting her…
Enjolras was lying still, listening to the hum of the shower and pondering what it could be when his phone buzzed again, this time with a call. He answered it without looking at the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Is this Enjolras?"
He frowned, unable to place the voice. "Yes… who is speaking, please?"
"Doesn't matter. You need me. It's about the girl in your shower. She's in danger."
Enjolras sat up, looking around the room in angry confusion. Who the hell is this, and why are they watching my flat?
"Who is this? What do you want?"
"Meet me at the resting place of Évariste Galois at midnight. I'll explain there. Don't tell her."
"Tell me who you are" he commanded angrily.
"You need me. That's all you need to know."
And then the line went dead.
She knew she was being completely irrational, that there was no reason to be mad, he didn't even remember saying it.
Actually, that just made it worse. HE DIDN'T EVEN REMEMBER SAYING IT. IT MEANT SO LITTLE THAT HE DIDN'T EVEN REMEMBER. She was furious.
Her rational side was telling her that she didn't even know how she felt about it, or what she'd have said back, so wasn't she dodging a bullet here anyway?
Her irrational side wanted to throw him out the window.
As a compromise, she decided to just avoid him until her head had cleared. It'd been ages since she had a day with Gav and Jacques, she'd do that.
God, why did he have to say it? And why, oh why did he have to forget?!
I'm sorry! I planned this out a while ago and nearly chickened out after all the "YAAAY THEY SAID IT" reviews, but... I'm mean. SORRY!
Please feel free to drop a review telling me just how much you hate me and everything I stand for.