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The first moment that Éponine saw the other girl, she was enthralled and enraptured. The other girl was straight from a movie screen, with long, fluffy blonde hair, and she was wearing a pink tank top and jean shorts. She was the perfect innocent girl.
And Éponine wanted that.
She was always a little put off by boys (other than her brother), even past the time that girls disliked boys. It’s not that she didn’t like boys, it’s that she didn’t love them.
She liked girls. Especially this girl. And she wanted this other girl to be enthralled by Éponine as much as this other girl enthralled her.
When she told Grantaire, he laughed. He wasn’t even drunk, so there wasn’t an “everything is funny while you’re drunk” excuse.
”What?” she asked, crossing her arms.
”You’re waxing poetic about a girl you’ve never met,” he answered, still laughing.
”And you’re terrible,” Éponine grumbled.
”Careful, we’ve gotta keep up our broTP status.”
”Fuck you.”
”Sweetie, we’re both gay.”
”Fuck off.”
Grantaire didn’t leave, but he stayed quiet.
“Look, I’m sorry,” he tries after a few minutes.
”No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have overreacted,” Éponine says.
Thus, all was made up between the broTP.
Éponine was jamming to MCR when she heard a knock on her apartment door.
It was a single ever since Musichetta decided to move, and Éponine enjoyed that.
“Is this Éponine’s apartment? I’m your new roommate.” a sweet voice asked. The accent was British. Of course, it was British. Cute and sweet and British.
Éponine quickly paused the music.
“Yeah, uh, who are you?” Éponine asked.
”I’m Cosette Fauchelevent.”
”Do you have a room key?”
”Yes, but I wanted to ask first. You seemed to be relaxing.”
”Feel free to just knock in the future.”
The door opened. And holy fuck, there was the girl from the other day. Fuck. Shit. Damn. Every profanity there ever is and was could be used to describe the situation, honestly.
”Uh, welcome. It’s a bit of a train wreck.” Éponine said.
“Not at all. I think I’ll enjoy it very much," Cosette said, smiling.
This was great. Cosette was pretty, kind, and British.
Éponine was definitely in love.
“So now you have a name and voice to the face,” Grantaire said.
They were at the bar, and Éponine wanted to get really pissed, but also not.
”Look, if we’re talking about Cosette, I need to be absolutely pissed, ok? But I can’t because I didn’t anticipate getting pissed and I don’t want to go back home being a bad, drunk, and later hungover roommate,” Éponine pleaded.
”If you say so,” Grantaire smirked.
”What about the boys you want?” Éponine teased.
”Shut up, they’re both totally swoon-worthy.”
“Now you need to stop teasing me about Cosette.”
”Never!”
”You brought this upon yourself then.” Éponine laughed and started tickling Grantaire.
”Mercy! Uncle! Whatever the hell else you want me to say!” he said, laughing at the tickling. Grantaire had always been really ticklish.
Éponine stopped. Then, she said, “Repeat after me. I will not tease...”
”After me. After me. After me,” Grantaire said, like a broken record. (Or at least what she assumed was a broken record.)
”Do you want me to tickle you again?”
”Ok, ok. I will not tease...”
”Éponine for being in love with a girl she just met.”
Grantaire repeated that phrase.
”So she is self-aware!” Grantaire said joyfully.
”Well, I did just meet her,” Éponine said.
"Yeah, I guess you're forced to be self-aware."
Éponine just laughed, and they talked about love for a long time. (while slightly tipsy).
-
She returned home at around eleven, which was rather early for her and Grantaire's drinking sessions but was still rather late. Cosette had left a note on the table.
"I'm going to bed now, but I made some food, and I hope you enjoy it. It's in the refrigerator," the note read. Eponine could almost hear Cosette's voice coming through the paper.
"Alright," she whispered to herself.
She grabbed the food out of the fridge and ate. It was delicious. Of course, it was delicious. Good at cooking. Something else Cosette was perfect at.
-
She was falling deeper and deeper in love with Cosette, because of Cosette's actions and Cosette's face, and Cosette's little habits, and Cosette's everything.
"Cosette? Where are you going?" Eponine asked.
"On a date, I believe. A handsome man named 'Marius' is taking me out. He's from work," Cosette answered.
"Hey, I know a Marius. Small world, huh?" Eponine said, without thinking.
Grantaire would want to know all about this.
-
Eponine texts Grantaire furiously.
"so one of the boys you're in love with is going on a date with the girl i'm in love with and this is going to be a problem"
"WHAT???? no no no no"
"i wish"
"this cannot be fucking happening"
"it's happening, and i wish it wasn't, but it is happening"
"why does god hate us"
"i have no idea, maybe because we didn't believe in god anyways probably"
"i'm going to get pissed. d'ya wanna come?"
"i was thinking about getting pissed at home, passing out, and taking a bunch of advil so that cosette doesn't notice"
"yeah ok that's cool i'll just wallow in misery by myself"
"wAIT NO I FORGET THINGS I ALREADY HAD A SHOT HOLD UP"
"alright t hen, but i'm not forcing you to do anything"
"my conscience is, my place?"
"yeah sure"
-
By the time they had woken up, they took some Advil, and showered, and generally looked not as disheveled, Cosette had come back.
"Who is this?" she asks in her lovely British accent.
"Cosette, meet my friend Grantaire. Grantaire, this is Cosette," she introduces.
"I've heard a lot of things about you," Grantaire said, sharing a knowing smile with Éponine.
"All good, I hope?"
"Yes, and more."
"How was your date?" Éponine blurted.
"It was OK, but I don't think I think about Marius in a romantic sense. He's very friendly, though," Cosette said.
Éponine considered this a victory. So did Grantaire, probably.
"So, I guess this is my cue to leave?" Grantaire asked.
"Only if you wish to," Cosette said,
"Yeah, I feel like I'm trespassing between bonding time."
"Alright. I hope to see you again!"
"Thanks, you too,"
Éponine watches as Grantaire leaves.
"Grantaire seems like a lovely fellow," Cosette said. "Do you like him?"
"As a friend, yes."
"No, as in like him?" Cosette stressed the like.
Éponine sputtered. "Oh God no, we're like best friends. Besides, we're both gay, so nah."
She just realized her own mistake. But, maybe it would give her a pass?
"Oh cool! I'm bisexual, myself," Cosette said.
Two victories in a day. That's pretty good, especially for Éponine Thénardier.
A couple months later, Éponine's hairdresser-esque wardrobe got a makeover.
OK, maybe not the clothes themselves, but she needed to get her closet redone. She called an unofficial Amis meeting.
"Alright, this is meeting 291, and everyone's present?" Enjolras asked.
Unfortunately for them, everyone was present. They were squeezing into the little two bedroom apartment.
"Oh my god, do you need to do this? This is unofficial," Courfeyrac said.
"We've recorded all the meetings where all of us have gotten drunk. And I mean, everyone," Grantaire said.
"True," Courfeyrac said.
So, they start with Meeting: Fix the Closet.
Once they clear all of the bars (which doesn't take that long), literally everyone takes a turn literally (and figuratively) coming out of the closet. They record the entire thing.
"Hi, I'm Éponine, and I'm homoflexible. I also have a slight bit of dysphoria." Éponine got the honor of coming out first because she was the owner of the closet.
"Hi, I'm Joly and I'm the two P's: Pan and Poly."
"Hi, I'm Grantaire, and I'm gay and poly. Also demisexual."
"Hi, I'm Jehan and I'm nonbinary, and I'm also pan and maybe poly? I haven't figured that part out yet."
"Do I have to? Anyways, I'm Enjolras, and I'm gay. And also not the most mono? I don't know. Why are we focusing on this?"
"Cause it's fun! And, I'm Courfeyrac, and I'm super gay for Combeferre only."
"Thanks, Courf. Uh, I'm Combeferre and I'm homoflexible, and I really do only like Courfeyrac."
Courfeyrac kisses him on the cheek.
"Bossuet, bi and poly."
"Bahorel, demiboy, and pan, and poly."
"I'm Marius, and I haven't really done this ever, but, I'm bi and poly."
There was a loud amount of cheers.
"Our Marius! Finally comes out!" Courfeyrac said, patting Marius on the shoulder.
Marius looked really uncomfortable, or at least to Éponine.
"OK, we have a closet to get fixing," Enjolras declared, saving Marius.
They put up new shelves, and bars to hang up the clothes. It took a long while, what with almost everyone being insufficient at folding (almost every item of clothing was in her closet except her lingerie), except Jehan. Cosette joined midway through, though, saying "This looks fun! And, hi Marius."
A few hours later, they were finally done.
"Oh! Cosette! Welcome to Les Amis d'ABC," Enjolras said at the end, handing the customary pamphlet.
"Thank you," Cosette replied. She accepted the pamphlet.
"Éponine, I have something to tell you," Cosette said.
Éponine felt nervous. What did she do wrong? Was Cosette moving out? All the situations could be happening right now. Any. And all.
"I love you," she continued.
"I love you, too," Éponine stammered.
"Is that weird? I love your wardrobe, the way you do your makeup, the way you talk, the way you casually flick up your sunglasses, everything."
"No, I love the way you cook, the way you do your makeup, and well, everything."
"This is so cliche."
Éponine laughed.
"One down, so many more relationships to go," she said.
"I love you," Cosette said.
They were so oblivious of what they truly were to each other.