Posted Ch. 4 of In which Enjolras spurns Grantaire's affections and Éponine gives him a piece of her mind... possibly prompting him to reconsider
Preview:
“Cake?”
Enjolras, who had been watching the affectionate horseplay that had broken out between Grantaire and Gavroche, started and whipped around. Éponine was stiffly holding out a piece of cake to him, set on a plastic flower-shaped plate. Her face was twisted in a rather grimace-like smile.
“Oh.” Enjolras gingerly took the plate. “Thank you.”
Her duty done, Éponine turned and took to washing the pile of dishes that had been stacked up by the sink.
“May I help?” Enjolras offered.
Éponine grunted. “No thanks. Eat your cake.”
Enjolras hesitated a moment — it felt wrong standing here idly watching Eponine work. But as she continued scrubbing the plates without so much glancing in his direction, he eventually bowed his head and took a bite of cake.
A moment later, a tousled-looking Grantaire appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Hey guys. All’s well in here?” His gaze settled on Enjolras’s slice of cake and he beamed. “It’s good, isn’t it? I told you.”
Enjolras nodded. “Indeed.”
Grantaire reached around Éponine and grabbed the hand towel that hung by her elbow. Enjolras observed as the man seamlessly inserted himself into Éponine’s dishwashing routine, drying every item she washed and putting it away in the appropriate place.
“So, Enjolras, have you and Combeferre settled the thing you were debating last meeting?” Grantaire asked as he rearranged the stack of plates in the cupboard above Éponine’s head (he moved the larger plates to the bottom so that they fit together more neatly).
“Ah. The matter of the supposed counterargument to consequentialism?”
“Yeah. Something about a doctor killing someone who comes in for a nose job to donate their organs to three dying people...”
“Indeed. We’ve not settled it between us, no, but Combeferre is wrong. It’s perfectly consistent for a consequentialist to reject that repugnant conclusion. The farther removed consequences that would result from having a society where doctors can sacrifice their patients are, nonetheless, consequences — and undesirable ones at that. That thought experiment, while widely employed to refute consequentialism, is ultimately unsuccessful in doing so.”
Grantaire’s mouth tweaked into a lopsided, admiring grin. Éponine, on the other hand, rolled her eyes in a thoroughly unimpressed fashion. This did not escape the attention of either Enjolras or Grantaire, and the latter kicked his friend in the ankle. Éponine looked up to meet Grantaire’s unhappy gaze. Then, she ducked her head penitently.
“I’m gonna go get the gift opening started,” Éponine mumbled, and quit the kitchen.
Grantaire and Enjolras were left alone, the former frowning after Eponine’s retreating back and the latter staring uncomfortably at the floor. Finally, Enjolras cleared his throat.
“Grantaire,” he began. “If Éponine would rather I not be here, I can —”
“No. No, E.” Grantaire shook his head vehemently. Then he sighed and dropped his drying cloth on the dish rack. “Look... I’m sorry about Ép. She’s trying. This is just new to her. But she’ll come around.”
Enjolras blinked, then stared. This? What was “this”? Was “this” hanging out with Éponine and Grantaire in her apartment? Was “this” a thing now?
Grantaire stepped towards Enjolras. Enjolras started and almost backed away — but Grantaire only placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.
“Come on,” he said kindly. “Let’s go watch Azelma open her gifts.”
-----
Enjolras watched as Grantaire fastened the new necklace Azelma had received around her neck, fluffing her hair when he was done.
“Stylish!” he exclaimed. Then, turning to her friend, “Good taste Rachelle!”
Éponine clucked her tongue in appreciation. “Zelma, that would go so well with your green dress, hey?” She too thanked Rachelle, and then she was passing along the next gift.
Enjolras shifted his feet awkwardly. He wished Grantaire was the one passing out the gifts right now... That would be easier. He considered navigating around the gaggle of teenagers to get to Grantaire, but decided he couldn’t do so without looking like a fool. So, when Éponine stepped back again to watch Azelma open the next gift, Enjolras drew closer to her and coughed lightly.
“Éponine.”
She turned to him. Enjolras observed that she flinched ever so slightly, and he felt a wave of guilt. He shouldn’t have come here. It was clear he was ruining this special day for Éponine. He would just give her his gift now and take the first opportunity to leave.
Enjolras straightened his shoulders and held out an envelope to Éponine.
Éponine’s eyes flicked down to it, then widened in surprise. The envelope was addressed to Azelma.
“Oh.” Eponine lifted her head again to meet Enjolras’s gaze. He wasn’t certain, but he thought she looked a little abashed. “Thank you…” she said, and her voice was softer than Enjolras had heard it yet.
When Azelma and Grantaire had finished cooing over her last gift, Éponine walked up to her sister. Dropping the envelope in her hand, she said something too quietly for Enjolras to hear. Azelma cast a surprised look in his direction. Then, her eyes crinkled in a smile. Behind Azelma’s shoulder, Grantaire too was smiling — it was a smile that overflowed with warmth and seemed to make his entire face shine.
“It’s a gift card to Duckfeet Dancewear,” Azelma announced, once she had opened the envelope. “Enjolras, how did you know I dance?”
“Your sister mentioned it,” Enjolras replied. “She said Grantaire was teaching you. I’m sorry, I’m aware gift cards are dull presents, but I didn’t know —”
“No.” Azelma shook her head, still smiling kindly. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
-----
Grantaire and Éponine stood in front of Enjolras as he slipped his shoes on and retrieved his jacket from the closet. Grantaire was grinning at Enjolras he leaned against Éponine, his elbow perched on her shoulder. As for Éponine, her face was twisted in a rather strained, discomfited expression that solidified Enjolras’s resolve to hurry his departure.
“Thank you very much for having me here tonight,” he said, his voice carefully measured. He nodded first to Grantaire, then to Éponine.
“Our pleasure, E.” Grantaire chirped. “Was fun having you around. Come on over anytime, yeah?”
Enjolras flinched. Then, he frowned. “Grantaire, with all due respect…” He had intended to finish by saying that that wasn’t Grantaire’s invitation to make. However, at that moment his mind flashed back to Grantaire effortlessly putting away Eponine’s dishes, play-wrestling with Gavroche, fastening the necklace for Azelma… and he wondered whether that would even be a correct statement.
Suddenly, Enjolras’s reverie was broken by Éponine stepping towards him. She looked distressed, and Enjolras again felt remorse at having intruded against her will. But then, she extended her hand to him to shake.
“Thank you so much for bringing Azelma a gift,” she said quietly. “That was really nice of you.”
Enjolras’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “But of course. You needn’t thank me for that. It was her birthday party after all.”
Éponine smiled at him — a small, rueful smile that nonetheless seemed to soften her aspect. There was a moment’s silence, in which Eponine and Enjolras simply stood looking at each other. Then Grantaire cleared his throat.
“You’re supposed to shake her hand, E.” His voice was loaded with amusement — perhaps even joy.
Enjolras started. With a somewhat spasmodic gesture, he reached forward and clasped Éponine’s proffered hand.
“À plus tard,* Éponine.”
Her grip tightened on his hand, and her words somehow seemed laced with significance as she responded: “À bientôt,** Enjolras.”
------
As soon as the door closed behind Enjolras, Grantaire’s arm flashed towards Éponine and hooked her waist. With a flourish that could only have come from his dance training, he spun her into him and enveloped her in a hug.
“I’m proud of you.”
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*À plus tard = See you later
**À bientôt = See you soon
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