Work Text:
8pm
Enjolras could do this. He could. He had one more final left, then sweet, sweet freedom. Or in his case, working on projects for Les Amis which was technically work, but it was actually work he enjoyed and thought was useful. Memorizing the periodic table was neither enjoyable or in his opinion useful. But Combeferre had said, “Enjolras, you need to pass your core science requirements. Just get it over with and then you can take the classes you want.”
Combeferre also said, “For the love of God, Enjolras, I’m pre-med. Stop bothering me with your whining and go study in the library….Why is the room spinning?”
Enjolras stared at him. “Combeferre?”
“I’m fine,” Combeferre said, waving his hand. “Seriously though. Study. Library. With the… dead trees. With words and such.”
“….books?”
“Yes, precisely,” Combeferre said, blinking owlishly. “Is there a standard tree they use to make the word things?”
It was at this moment that Courfeyrac came into the living room and saw Enjolras sitting on the couch surrounded by various newspapers, and Combeferre at the kitchen table surrounded by six empty Red Bull cans and at least twice as many empty coffee cups.
“No,” Courfeyrac said. “No, no, no.”
He gathered the newspapers from Enjolras’s pile, and snatched any unopened Red Bulls away from Combeferre.
“You,” Courfeyrac said, pointing severely at Combeferre. “Have not slept in at least 60 hours.”
“I’m fine,” Combeferre said. He swayed a little, despite being seated. “I study must. And I know what I’m doing. I med student.”
“You’re pre-med, and clearly you don’t. You idiot.”
“You’re forgetting words, Combeferre,” Enjolras offered helpfully.
“And you,” Courfeyrac said. “Stop reading newspapers for ideas for new Les Amis projects and go study for chem.”
“But…” Enjolras trailed off, trying to think of a good excuse.
“But what?” Courfeyrac folded his arms.
“…I don’t want to?”
Sometimes Enjolras forgot that when Courfeyrac went into mother-hen mode, he was downright terrifying.
“Combeferre, bed. Enjolras, library.” He used his most authoritative tone. Perhaps he realized how harsh he sounded, because he softened for a minute. “If you two morons survive finals, then I will make you my grandmother’s cookies and we’ll have a movie night. I’ll even let you choose the movies.”
8:35
Enjolras was successfully (but not happily) in the library. He went to the top floor and found a thankfully empty corner he claimed. Most everyone else was done studying, since he had one of the last exam days. He dropped his bag on the desk, and sat down in the chair. He could study. Or, he could stare at the wall. He wasn’t pouting. He was protesting the injustice at the educational system that forced unwilling students to take science courses when they would rather take law and history classes instead.
9:10
Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry. Enjolras hated chemistry.
9:50
Enjolras had been at the library for over an hour. And he studied for at least half of the time. That was good enough, right?
His phone buzzed.
Courfeyrac: NO
Enjolras sighed and typed his response.
Enjolras: Can I at least get a snack?
Courfeyrac took a few minutes to respond.
Courfeyrac: I put a granola in your bag at the beginning of finals period
Courfeyrac: use the water fountain
Courfeyrac: u can take a break at 11
12:45
After a series of texts in which Enjolras detailed how unjustly Courfeyrac was treating him, Courfeyrac banned him from his and Combeferre’s apartment. Which Enjolras wasn’t sure Courfeyrac had the authority to do, since he didn’t live with Enjolras and Combeferre. He continued to text Courfeyrac angrily, but eventually Courfeyrac stopped responding. Enjolras was not pouting. He wasn’t.
Still, there wasn’t much open at this time of night, and since he couldn’t go to his apartment, he was kind of stuck in the library, unless he wanted to wander outside in the cold winter night. But if he studied, then he was letting Courfeyrac win, and since he was annoyed at Courfeyrac, he couldn’t do that.
So he decided to take a nap. Combeferre wasn’t the only one who was sleep-deprived. Enjolras had only gotten an average of three hours of sleep per night for the last week. He was just more stubborn than Combeferre, so he hid it better. A little shut eye wouldn’t hurt, and it beat studying chemistry.
3:00
Enjolras’s eyes shot open. He had only intended to sleep for a half hour or so, but the crick in his neck told him it had been much longer than that. He blinked blearily, trying to gather his bearings. He stretched his back and glanced around his section of the library, looking for a wall clock. That’s when he saw it. The shadow that moved.
He inhaled sharply. The library was practically deserted- most everyone had gone home by this point, blessed with better exam schedules than Enjolras. What was this lurking shadow in the darkness, and what did it want? His still foggy mind groped for an explanation when he realized: it must be a ghost. Who else would be in the library at this hour? If it was another student, why was it creeping, and why was it moving so silently?
His fingers trembled as he typed out a text.
Enjolras: Might just be sleep deprived but I think I just saw a ghost?????
Combeferre: :DDDDDDDDD
Combeferre: Take pictures! Try and talk to it!
Combeferre: Is there time for me to come over with my ESP kit??
Enjolras sighed. Combeferre was one of the few of his friends who entertained the idea that ghosts might be real. He argued that you couldn’t prove they didn’t exist, so he was determined to keep an open mind. And DVR Ghost Hunters. Joly and Bossuet had gotten him his own ghost-hunting kit as a gag gift for his birthday that year, and he ended up loving it more than anyone else’s present. But he wasn’t being particularly helpful right now. Judging by his overexcited texts, he was now reaching the delirious stage of sleep-deprivation.
Enjolras: I don’t know. What should I do?
Combeferre: What kind of a ghost is it?
He did not have time for this.
Enjolras: I’m going in.
Enjolras got up from his seat and crept over to one of the shelves where he thought he had seen the shadow. When he reached it, there was nothing. Maybe he was the one at the delirious stage of sleep-deprivation.
Then he heard it. A rustle on the opposite side of the shelf.
He flung himself around into the aisle, turned on the flashlight in his phone, shone it in front of him and shouted. “Who are you?”
“Aaaargh!”
Something heavy and definitely corporeal fell down on the ground. Enjolras shone his light on the figure.
“Grantaire?”
“What. The. Hell?” Grantaire scrambled to his feet.
“I thought you were a ghost,” Enjolras confessed.
“That is not how you confront a ghost, you idiot.”
Enjolras shrugged. “That’s more Combeferre’s area of expertise.”
He glanced down at his phone. In the minute or so since he last checked his messages, Combeferre had sent him no less than 10, asking him again what kind of ghost he thought it was, what tools did he have, would he mind recording a video of his interaction, and also to be careful. Enjorlras sighed, and texted Combeferre that it was just Grantaire.
(Combeferre: DDDDDDDDDDDD: )
“But seriously,” Enjolras said, pocketing his phone. “What are you doing here?”
“The school just acquired some vintage newspapers from the turn of the century,” Grantaire said with a shrug. “I want to take a look.”
“Cutting it a little late for a paper, aren’t you?” Enjolras said, although he had no room to judge.
“It’s for fun,” Grantaire said, giving Enjolras that look he often had when Enjolras wasn’t giving him enough credit.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
“Then…why are you sneaking around?”
“Because he’s banned from library premises.”
Both Enjolras and Grantaire jumped at the voice, which belonged to something much more terrifying than any ghost: the dreaded head of campus security, Javert.
“How do you get banned from the library?” Enjolras hissed.
Grantaire waggled his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Mr. Grantaire, I am here to escort you off the library grounds for-” Javert did a double take. “Is that an empty food wrapper?”
He was staring at Enjolras’s granola wrapper with bulging eyes.
“Uh….”
“Run,” Grantaire said, scooping up Enjorlas’s books. “Come on!”
He gave Enjolras a little push, and they took off running. Enjolras felt almost giddy as they tore down the hallway. Grantaire laughed as he overtook Enjolras.
“This way.”
3:20
“You’re sure you don’t mind me studying in your common room?” Enjolras asked
"Well its not just my common room. Obviously. It's common."
"You know what I mean."
Grantaire smirked Iike he still thought he was being funny. "You're welcome any time. But first, what is the last thing you ate? Other than the granola bar that got us in trouble?"
"Oh, so it's my granola bar's fault?"
"Your granola bar...you...whatever." Grantaire nudged him with his foot. "Seriously. Have you eaten?"
"Uhhh..." the loud rumble Enjolras's stomach pretty much did the talking for him.
"I think Joly has some leftover pizza. I'm sure he won't mind us taking a few slices."
"Correct and incorrect." The lights behind them flicked and Joly was revealed to be seated behind them wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe.
"Were you waiting for us?" Grantaire asked incredulously.
"Don't be absurd. I was sitting in the dark to experiment on myself to see if the color of blankets used affects sleep patterns if one can't see the different colors of blanket."
"The result?"
"Inconclusive as I'm temporarily abandoning the experiment to barter with you. Yes I do have pizza. No you can't have it. Until you give me something in return."
Enjolras and Grantaire exchanged a look. On the one hand, they were tired and hungry and tired. On the other hand, Joly's homemade pizza was amazing. Grantaire once joked that Joly must use marijuana sauce instead of marinara sauce. Joly hadn't disputed the claim and ever since then everyone was half convinced Joly was in fact feeding them pot pizza.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing much. Just....Cosette's secret holiday cookie recipe."
"Oh. That's all?" Grantaire let out a slightly hysterical giggle. "You might as well ask or the fucking moon."
Joly pondered this. "Bossuet?"
Bossuet popped up from under a pile of discarded blankets. "Musichetta would like the moon."
He flopped back under the blankets.
"Okay. So Cosette's cookie recipe or the moon. We need it for-"
"The RA you who are obsessed with," Grantaire said, folding his arms.
Enjolras was wearing his Plan face. When he decided he wanted something, he would stop at nothing until he had it. Evidently, he had decided he wanted Joly's pizza.
"Fine."
Joly grinned, then joined Bossuet in the blanket pile.
3:30
Enjolras first tried the obvious route of just asking Cosette. It had not gone well.
Cosette: No. Sorry, but no.
Enjolras: please?
Cosette: That recipe is based off my mother's family recipe. I tinkered with it for years and won countless baking competitions. No one gets it. Except my hypothetical future children. NO ONE.
Enjolras sighed and stowed his phone away. "I guess we have to break into her house and steal it."
"Her house? You mean Dean Valjean ' house?"
"Yeah, is that a problem?"
Grantaire shrugged. "Not really."
3:40
They were halfway to Dean Valjean’s house when they came across a harried looking Feuilly.
“Princess Starfire!” his whisper-yelled. “Princess Starfire.”
“Feuilly?” Grantaire looked equal parts amused and concerned. “You okay?”
Feuilly ran a hand through his hair that already vaguely resembled a bird’s nest. “Um, short answer no.”
“Long answer?” Enjolras asked.
Feuilly rattled a tiny bell. “You know how I volunteer at the animal shelter?”
Enjolras and Grantaire nodded.
“Well, as a favor to Jehan and Cosette who work at the student center, I convinced the shelter to lend us some kittens and puppies to take to the university as part of the student center’s anti-stress program.”
During finals, the student center had ice-cream sundae buffets, hot chocolate, relaxing music, massages, yoga lessons, and apparently adorable tiny animals to pet in an effort to reduce mental breakdowns among the students.
“Did you lose one?” Grantaire asked sympathetically.
Feuilly puffed up. “I did no such thing. Bahorel on the other hand decided to literally steal a handful of kittens because he thought they should see the world before going back to the shelter. And now we’re missing five.”
Bahorel jumped down from a nearby tree. “They seemed to enjoy it.”
“I will eviscerate you,” Feuilly hissed. “Here, Princess Starfire. Here kitty.”
“We can help,” Enjolras said.
“But….pizza,” Grantaire said.
“But Princess Starfire,” Enjolras said solemnly.
“Fine. We will find Princess Starfire.” Grantaire smirked. “I never thought I’d see you trying to help royalty.”
The scowl Enjolras gave him was only half-hearted.
4:05
Enjolras felt his phone buzzing. Maybe it was Cosette and she had changed her mind.
Combeferre: help
Combeferre: courfeyrac won't let me study. he's trying to make me sleep. only just got phone now to send for help
Combeferre: HE IS RUINING THE SYSTEM
Enjolras frowned. Not using proper punctuation? Combeferre must be distressed indeed. He knew Courfeyrac meant well, but several years of living with Combeferre meant Enjolras understood the importance of leaving Combeferre to his own devices. He always aced his exams, even if he needed several days of uninterrupted sleep after them. It was his system, it wasn't ideal, but it worked.
He tapped Grantaire on the shoulder. "I have to go."
Grantaire's face fell. "Why?"
"I need to free Combeferre."
Grantaire considered him solemnly for a minute. "I'll come with you."
"You don't have to."
"I know," Grantaire rolled his eyes. "I want to."
This surprised Enjolras. Out of all his friends, he was the least close with Grantaire. In fact, half of the time he didn't even think Grantaire liked him. Now he was taking to his apartment, helping him get pizza, and now this?
"Why" he said, unable to keep the disbelief entirely out of his voice.
All he got in response was a casual shrug.
"Well come on then."
They apologized to Feuilly and Bahorel, and promised to keep an eye out for any stray kittens.
4:10
They had agreed: secure Combeferre’s freedom, find the kitten, break into Cosette’s house to get the recipe, get the pizza, eat the pizza, then study. That was the plan.
The plan was not going well.
“What do you mean no?”
“I mean no," Courfeyrac said over the phone. "As in negative. As in I am not letting Combeferre exit this apartment until he has slept.”
“You’re ruining his system!”
“You two are such idiots. And worse, you enable each other,” Courfeyrac sounded exasperated.
“The Combeferre Study has been scientifically proven to get him through all his exams and pass.”
“Just because Joly wrote it down on a piece of paper and called it science does not mean it’s science! No, and that’s my final answer.”
He hung up.
“He won’t let me see Combeferre,” Enjolras said, horrified.
“I’m sorry,” Grantaire said. He looked like he actually meant it.
“This isn’t over.” Enjolras narrowed his eyes.
“What are you going to do?”
Enjolras pondered this. “If Courfeyrac won’t let Combeferre go, and if Cosette won’t share the recipe, then we’ll just have to take something precious to them.”
4:20
Enjolras banged on the door. After a minute or so, there was the shuffling of feet from the other side. The door swung open and Enjolras smiled.
“Hello, Marius.”
Marius squeaked.
4:25
They took shelter in Grantaire’s art studio.
Enjolras: RELEASE MY BEST FRIEND
Courfeyrac: NO.
Coufeyrac: ALSO I THINK YOU MEAN ‘ONE OF’ UR BEST FRIENDS
Courfeyrac: BECAUSE I AM ALSO YOUR BESTIE
“I don’t feel right about this,” Grantaire said, holding Enjolras’s phone out to take a picture of Marius. “It just seems wrong to kidnap someone wearing a tiger onesie.”
Marius was indeed wearing a onesie complete with a hood that gave him cat ears and a long tail.
“It’s actually a Tigger onesie” Marius supplied. “Courfeyrac gave it to me. He has a dragon one.”
Enjolras: Release MY OTHER best friend or you will regret it.
Courfeyrac: doubtful
Enjolras: Marius will regret it.
Courfeyrac: what have u done?????????
Enjolras was about to respond when his phone rung. It was Cosette.
“Hey Cose-”
“Give me back Marius.”
“How did you even know he was missing?” Enjolras asked. He was going to break the news slightly more gently to Cosette. Perhaps she was already with Courfeyrac.
“He texted me that he wasn’t sure if he would make our breakfast date tomorrow morning, because you and Grantaire had kidnapped him, and he wasn’t sure how long he would be kidnapped for.”
Grantaire smacked his palm to his face. “We forgot to take Pontmercy’s phone.”
“Where do you even keep a phone in a onesie?” Enjolras mused.
“It has pockets,” Marius said, like it was obvious.
“Marius?” Cosette said, her voice tinny over the phone. Enjolras switched it to speakerphone mode. “Marius, go back to your apartment. They can’t stop you.”
“I don’t think they want me to,” Marius said.
“Who are you more afraid of: me, or Enjolras?”
“Enjolras,” Marius replied instantly. He thought about it for a second. “I could never be afraid of you.”
Cosette paused. “That was actually really sweet. Okay. Fine. I’ll give you the damn recipe if you free my boyfriend.”
“Excellent. Meet us in the student theater in 20 minutes. Come alone,” Grantaire said.
4:45
“There they are,” Enjolras muttered. They were seated in the center of the stage.
“Ahoy down there!” Grantaire called cheerily.
Cosette and Courfeyrac strode towards them, looking furious. Combeferre mostly looked wobbly on his feet. Maybe Enjolras should have let Courfeyrac force him to sleep.
“This is way past Marius’s bed time,” Courfeyrac said severely. He squinted at them and seemed to realize that Enjolras and Grantaire were together. “Wait...Grantaire helped you kidnap Marius?”
“You wouldn’t let Enjolras see Combeferre.”
“So you’ve been engaging in shenanigans...together?” Courfeyrac asked, his voice becoming squeakier as the sentence progressed.
“Yeah? So?”
Courfeyrac beamed. “This is everything I ever wanted. Wait...no...no, this is bad- you kidnapped Marius. But...but you did it together. So it’s okay. No! Enjolras should be studying….maybe-”
“While Courfeyrac has his little crisis, you can return Marius to me.”
“Cookie recipe?” Enjolras asked, holding his hand out.
Cosette handed it over with a scowl. “This is a copy. Joly may make the cookies once. He must then return this to me. If he replicates this recipe or shares it with anyone, I will cook you all into meat pies and feed you to your unsuspecting families.”
“Titus Andronicus final essay go well then?” Grantaire asked lightly.
“Excellent,” Cosette said, folding her arms.
“And one Combeferre as promised,” Courfeyrac said.
“Now Marius.”
“He’s in the lighting booth,” Enjolras said, gesturing. It had been Grantaire’s brilliant idea. It meant Cosette and Courfeyrac had to go to the opposite side of the theater to get Marius.
On cue, Marius waved from the top of the box. “I knew you would come to get me. I never doubted you for a second.”
“Of course I did,” Cosette began. “You’re-”
“Oh, hi, Cosette.” Marius said. "I didn't see you before."
“Marius! My precious Pontmercy!” Courfeyrac bounded up the aisles, and towards the booth.
“Courfeyrac!” Marius said joyously.
Cosette sighed. “Maybe someday Marius will love me that much.”
4:47
Enjolras, Grantaire and Combeferre didn’t stay around any longer to witness Marius and Courfeyrac’s guy love fest. They deposited Combeferre in the science building, and started their way back to Grantaire’s apartment. That’s when they came across Jehan, happily doodling on the pavement with chalk.
“Jehan?”
He looked up at them, wild-eyed. Dark circles were under his eyes. He simply nodded at them, before returning to his doodling.
“Jehan, your finals are over, aren’t they?”
He nodded again, and wrote more forcefully on the pavement. Enjolras peered over his shoulder. Jehan appeared to be writing morbid poetry in pink and yellow chalk. This did not surprise Enjolras. Grantaire also glanced down, and read the words with an amused grin.
“Should we...get him inside or something?” Enjolras asked.
“Come on, Enjolras, you should know- everyone has their own way of dealing with finals stress. I think this is Jehan decompressing.”
That made sense. “Fine, but we should stay with him. For just a little bit. To make sure he’s okay.”
Grantaire sat down next to Jehan and took the red chalk. “Okay. In that case, I’ll add some of my own art.”
Enjolras watched as Grantaire wrote in enviable cursive:
Hear my soul speak:
The very instant that I saw you, did
My heart fly to your service.
“Where’s that from?”
“Shakespeare,” he said.
“Why that quote?” Enjolras asked. It didn’t fit in with Jehan’s quite frankly horrifying verses.
Grantaire shrugged. “I like it.”
Enjolras wanted to argue, because he felt like there was something Grantaire wasn’t telling him, but was trying to tell him, but it was so late (or early, rather) and he was so tired and he wasn’t in the mood to argue.Instead, he half-heartedly started writing out different members of the periodic table. Grantaire scooted closer to him and started drawing atoms.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Sodium,” Enjolras said instantly.
“And this?” Grantaire finished another one.
“Neon?”
“Neon,” Grantaire confirmed. “You know this. Just be more confident.”
“You don’t have to tutor me.”
“I know. I want to.”
There was something in his words, his gentle smile, the stupid lines he had written earlier that Enjolras’s hazy mind was struggling to connect. Grantaire was trying to tell him something, he knew that, but he was just so confused.
“Freeze!” Javert popped up out from behind a corner. “What’s this? Vandalism?”
“It’s just chalk, dude.” Grantaire said. “It’s literally chemistry and English related stuff.”
“Defacing school property,” Javert muttered maniacally, and Enjolras suddenly wondered if Javert had also been pulling multiple all-nighters during finals week. “You miscreants will have to come with me.”
“Run!” Jehan shouted, flinging his chalk at Javert, before dashing off into the night. Grantaire seized Enjolras’s hand, and dragged him into an alley. They could hear Javert’s footsteps not too far behind. Still holding Enjolras’s hand, Grantaire used his free one to cover Enjolras’s mouth. Enjolras found he didn’t mind.
“I know you’re here,” Javert said. “Come out now, and it’ll be better for you. I will find you. I won’t rest until all you rabble-rousers...what’s this?”
There was a soft meowing. Enjolras and Grantaire exchanged a wide-eyed look.
“‘Princess Starfire’?” Javert said, sounding like he was reading the collar. “I’ll have to call animal control. Alright, boys, come out. This has gone on long enough.”
Grantaire squeezed Enjolras’s hand. “Let’s make a run for it?”
“But Princess Starfire.”
“We can’t help her now,” Grantaire said. “But I have a plan.”
Enjolras trusted him. “Okay.”
Grantaire smiled briefly. “Three, two, one, GO!”
They charged out of the alley, just in time to see Javert approaching the mouth. He had Princess Starfire in a tight grip, and Grantaire was right, they couldn’t save her now. Javert was startled by their sudden emergence, and unable to keep up. They rounded another corner and saw Javert’s Campus Security golf cart parked. Grantaire grinned.
5:15
Eponine did not look happy when she answered her door.
“What?”
“We need you to help us break into Javert’s office to steal a kitten.”
She sighed, and rubbed her eyes. It probably wasn’t the weirdest early morning visit she had gotten. “Fine. But,” she peaked out to the lawn. “I want the golf-cart.”
“That’s Javert’s,” Grantaire told her.
“Yeah.”
“We stole it.”
“Yeah. I want it.”
Enjolras and Grantaire exchanged a shrug. “Okay.”
5:30
The plan wasn’t very elaborate. But it was simple enough that it might work.
Eponine banged on the door to Javert’s office. “I’d like to report a crime.”
“Thenadier,” he growled. “What do you want?”
“To. Report. A. Crime.” she repeated. “A code 567.”
“A 567?” Javert yelped. “Someone’s released the rabbits from the labs?”
“Yes,” Eponine nodded seriously.
As soon as Javert was out of sight, she whistled. Enjolras and Grantaire slipped in from their hiding place.
“How did you know that would freak him out?”
“Well, Gav’s been cited for a 564, which was for defenestrating a desk, and Javert was seriously freaked. I thought a 567 must be worse, so I made it up.”
“There are rabbits in the labs at school?” Enjolras looked appalled.
“We’ll add Bunny Crusade to the agenda of the next meeting, but let’s focus.” Grantaire said.
They heard a soft meow.
“It’s in the cabinet!” Enjolras pointed.
Grantaire tried the handle. “It’s locked.”
“Amateurs,” Eponine said. She shoved them aside, reached into her boot, and took out a pocketknife. It took her less than ten seconds to bust open the door. And inside was indeed Princess Starfire.
“That’s my end of the deal,” Eponine said, swiping Javert’s keyring. She examined the keys, and took the one belonging to her newly acquired golf cart. “Later.”
5:37
Enjolras and Grantaire were about a block away from Grantaire’s when they heard someone bellow after them.
“STOP! THIEVES!”
“Shit,” Grantaire said, spotting Javert on the other side of the sidewalk, fuming.
Javert paced the sidewalk, waiting for the walk sign to turn green. Even in the complete absence of any cars, it seemed he would not jaywalk.
“Let’s go,” Enjolras said, tugging on Grantaire’s arm.
5:50
Jaywalking shamelessly, multiple times seemed to be enough to slow Javert down, since they constantly went where he could not immediately follow. Now they had taken refuge in the library again.
“Well, I guess you can finally do your studying,” Grantaire said.
“No.”
“No?”
“Almost everything we’ve done tonight has been about me,” Enjolras said. “You tried to help me get the pizza, and rescue Combeferre, and you helped steal back Princess Starfire.”
“We both wanted to rescue her,” Grantaire said, carefully cradling the kitten in his shirt.
“You’ve been thinking about everyone else tonight. What do you want to do?”
“I’ve been doing what I want to do. I told you. I want to take care of you.”
And Grantaire looked so earnest and sincere, that Enjolras felt himself blush.
“Well then, I want to look at these vintage newspapers the school just acquired. A very good friend of mine was just telling me about them.”
“Is that so?” Grantaire asked, a smile pulling at the corner of his lip.
6:00
“Thank you,” Grantaire whispered from the microfiche reader booth they were squeezed in.
“For what?” Enjolras asked, squinting at the newspaper.
“This evening. I feel like I hallucinated half of it because I haven’t slept properly since finals started. But thank you. I had fun.”
“Me too,” Enjolras said, grinning. He turned back to the reader, but felt Grantaire’s eyes on him. “You’re missing it.”
“I’m not missing anything.”
Enjolras turned to him exasperatedly. “We just had to break into the reading room and you’re not even going to look at what we came here to-”
He was cut off by Grantaire’s lips.
“Sorry!” Grantaire said, looking mortified. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Enjolras responded by kissing him back. “Me either.”
Grantaire grinned, but it was a hesitant one. “Was that okay?”
Enjolras nodded, then snuggled up next to him. “Now tell me about what we’re looking at.”
Grantaire happily obliged, his fingers running through Enjolras’s hair, and his soothing voice lulling him to sleep.
9:45
“A-hem.”
Enjolras’s eyes flew open. He was incredibly uncomfortable- his wooden chair was digging into his back, and he had fallen asleep at a weird angle that did no favors for his neck. But Grantaire’s arms were around him, and Princess Starfire had cuddled next to his face, so he found he didn’t mind that much.
“Sleep well?” Courfeyrac said, looking incredibly smug.
Enjolras nudged Grantaire, who started stirring. It wasn’t just Courfeyrac. Joly and Bossuet were there, looking amused. Cosette’s arms were folded, but she seemed to be fighting back a smile. Marius looked afraid that they woke up Enjolras. Feuilly had an armful of kittens, and Bahorel had his arms full of a slumbering Combeferre. And Jehan and Eponine both had their camera phones out. Jehan, probably because he thought Enjolras and Grantaire looked sweet. Eponine probably wanted blackmail material.
“What are you doing here?” Enjolras mumbled.
“We were looking for you. We were a little concerned,” Courfeyrac said, positively gleeful.
“Exam. 10:00,” Combeferre muttered sleepily, gesturing in Enjolras’s general direction.
“Sleeping Beauty’s right,” Courfeyrac said. You have to go.”
“Shit!” Enjolras said, jumping up.
“Don’t think we’re not talking about this,” Joly gestured to Enjolras, Grantaire and Princess Starfire, “Later. We want to know everything.”
He handed Enjolras a tin-foil wrapped slice of pizza.
Grantaire, still half asleep, tugged at Enjolras’s sleeve. “Knock ‘em dead.”
“I don’t think that’ll happen,” Enjolras said truthfully.
“You’re going to ace this,” Grantaire said. “I believe in you.”
1 day later
Enjolras did not ace his chemistry exam. He got a C, but it was enough for him to pass the class and be done with his science prerequisites. He couldn’t find it in himself to be bothered. Not when his new boyfriend just came over to his apartment with a present which turned out to be a kitten.
“You adopted Princess Starfire for me?” Enjolras asked speechless.
“I hope that’s okay?”
Enjolras answered him with a kiss. “That’s the most amazing thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
“Oh, I’ll show you amazing,” Grantaire said, kissing him back more heatedly.
“Grantaire?” Enjolras reluctantly pulled away and tried not to whine when Grantaire mouthed at his neck.
“Mmmm?”
“Before we do anything else, we have to change Princess Starfire’s name.”
Grantaire laughed as he scooped up Enjolras. “Absolutely not.”