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"Can somebody please hand me the red baubles?", Combeferre was leaning around the Christmas tree at a dangerous angle. He couldn't really get around the tree right now. When Feuilly had said he could get a tree for small money, they had thought he meant a small tree, not a full grown one, that was almost two meters tall. Jehan had only shrugged at the sight of it, grabbed his phone and told Musichetta and Joly to buy twice as many ornaments to decorate it.
The things one did for love.
It had started about two weeks ago, in the first week of December. Courfeyrac had one hell of a semester and exams looming on the horizon, did nothing to brighten his mood. Jehan had listened to him rant about it on an almost daily basis, sensing that there was something more behind the fading smile on his boyfriend's face. "It's just... I don't know look out there! Does this look like winter to you? Does this look like Christmas? I don't feel it this year and I hate that. I want to enjoy the winter. Instead, everything is stressing me out." He then had let himself fall back on the bad in a dramatic fashion going on about how much he had loved Christmas back at home. Back at home, where he couldn't go this year because he didn't have the money. Jehan was sure he had never seen his boyfriend so down, his mood definitely suited the gloomy weather outside.
As he listened and played with Courfeyracs curls, Jehan had made the decision to bring his boyfriend the Christmas he deserved.
And that's what had landed them here. After two weeks of preparation, which had consisted mostly of discussion about color schemes (something Enjolras was surprisingly adamant about), shopping tours and endless online orders.
Right now Courfeyrac was out writing his last exam, after that he had only an essay to finish, which he had to hand in mid-January. So he had some time to take a break and actually get into the season's spirit.
"Oh my god please don't throw them!", Combeferre exclaimed. Bahorel had found the baubles and held them up, already aiming and ready to throw, before Éponine stepped in, to take them away.
"Don't you even dare! I'm not gonna drive any of you to the hospital, so stay put."
Bahorel pouted and carried the box over to Combeferre, murmuring something about "party poopers".
Éponine didn't really care, she was much too invested in arguing with Marius about where to place the white porcelain houses, that were supposed to be decorating the small table in the hallway. She basically moved everything he put down three centimeters to the right, insisting that it looked better that way.
Cosette watched them for her place on the sofa, her eyes crinkling with laughter. She was busy finish knitting a woolen scarf. Musichetta and Joly were standing to her right and trying to rescue Bossuet, who had managed to get entangled in the fairy lights.
Feuilly was putting up white cotton balls humming along to the soft music. They were meant to look like snowballs, dangling from the curtain rails on the living room windows. Grantaire had sprayed those windows with snow spray, to at least make attempt at a wintery atmosphere, while the grey Paris sky was looming on the other side of the glass.
"Grantaire take that golden tinsel out of my hair!", Enjorlas had been put on créche-duty and was now putting down dozens of sheep with the sort of determination he usually reserved for his most important causes.
"But Apollo it suits you soo good.", Grantaire retorted, stealing a sheep away from him and putting it on top of the stable. Before he went back to put tinsel on any available surface. Most of the golden tinsel still landed on Enjolras head, where it was already piling up. It looked a bit like a really ugly crown, Jehan thought to himself.
"Shut up! And give my sheep back!", the tinsel fell down as Enjolras jerked his head and he glared at Grantaire.
"Ah, Enjolras you are ruining the mood.", Cosette intervened. "No, swear words or unnecessary frowning, or I will set up a grinch-jar. Play nice kids."
"You heard the lady, play nice my love." Grantaire kissed him on the cheek before he went back to his work, not without dropping another piece of tinsel on Enjolras head.
Jehan helped Combeferre with putting the ornaments on the tree and smiled at the exchange. While his primary idea had been to surprise Courfeyrac and make him smile, he was glad his friends had joined in. They hadn't seen each other much, with the exams and other schoolwork as well as family stuff all piling up, but all of them had taken the afternoon off to help. He loved all of them deeply and was glad that he had met such a supportive and caring group in his first year of uni.
A quick look at the clock told him, they had about half an hour before Courfeyrac would come home and the tree still didn't stand without Combeferre holding it up.
Time to buckle down.
*
They had finished just in time. Jehan had put the last ornament on the tree when he heard the keys turn. All of his friends looked at each other before they tried to hide somewhere, stumbling over each other. Cosette grabbed Marius and Éponine and dragged both of them behind a curtain. Grantaire and Enjolras more or less fell behind the sofa with a loud thump. Musichetta hid behind the door, while Joly accompanied Bossuet in the small corner between the bookcase and the wall.
Jehan had herded the rest of them into the kitchen, where he was peaking out of the door to see Courfeyracs reaction.
He saw Courfeyrac step through the front door looking dead on his feet. When he noticed the small houses his expression went from exhausted to confused. "Jehan? Are you home?" his voice still sounded tired.
No one gave an answer only waiting for him to step forward into the living room.
If you'd ask him later Courfeyrac would vehemently deny that he had let out a very undignified squeal at the sight of the room. (He had.)
Watching him was like seeing a kid on Christmas morning. His face lit up, he was back to his usual smile and when his friends came out of their hiding spots he tackled who was closest. Who wasn't, to everybody's delight not Jehan, but Enjolras. Only managing to not fall over, because he was used to it after years and years of friendship, he set Courfeyrac down slowly.
As soon as he was back to his feet Courfeyrac inspected the room closely, the smile on his face broadening with every second. He laughed as he listened to Bossuet retell the story of how he had gotten caught in five meters of fairy lights and complimented Combeferre for managing to put up the tree without it falling over once. In the end all there was to do, was to marvel at the festive winter wonderland the living room had turned into.
Jehan stepped to his side laying a hand on his shoulder, pressing a small kiss to his boyfriend's temple.
"Do you like it?"
"I love it."