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Enjolras stepped out of his bedroom, enjoying the loose feel of his big red hoodie and tiny orange shorts (that may or may not belong to Cosette, but that doesn’t matter). He heard Courfeyrac whistle, and he almost walked back in his room when he realized Cosette was sitting at the island, leaning back against Courfeyrac while he braided her hair.
“Morning, Enj.” She smiled, waving at him. “Ow!” She cursed, as Courfeyrac pulled her hair a little too hard into the braid.
“Morning, Cos. What are you doing here?” Enjolras yawned, plopping down on the couch, long legs hanging over the armrest.
“Papa wanted to tell you goodbye himself, but something came up with work. Also, I need to know what time you’re leaving tomorrow because I wanna say goodbye firsthand and not through a text.” Cosette explained, moving away as Courfeyrac tied her braid with a hair tie.
“Uh, my flight leaves at 4 AM, Cos.” Enjolras said, pushing his blond curls from his eyes.
“Okay? That doesn’t mean I won’t be there. I’m a decent sister, I’ll be there to see you off.” Cosette insisted.
“Courfeyrac,” Enjolras groaned. “I need coffee.”
“It’s gotten a little bit cold since I made it, but there’s half a pot left.” Courfeyrac suggested, making his way over to the bright yellow arm chair in the corner.
“Perfect.” Enjolras said, still half-asleep.
“Enjolras, no don’t do it-” Cosette was warning, and right in that moment, Enjolras walked over to the counter, picked up the coffee pot, and chugged the other half of the pot.
“Enjolras, I thought Papa told you ages ago that it’s gonna kill you eventually.” Cosette sighed.
“Yes,” Enjolras paused. “He did. Why would that stop me?”
“Hello, dear Fauchelevent siblings!” Jehan sang, waltzing into the apartment.
“A question: how many of Les fucking Amis have a key to the apartment?” Enjolras grunted.
“Enjolras, dear, I heard you by the way. Stop being so self-deprecating for once, and enjoy the fact that you only have a short time to live, and then when death comes, embrace it.”
“Prouvaire, ever the poet, even at nine in the fucking morning.” Said Combeferre, rolling over from his position on the couch.
“Wait, Ferre, when did you get here?” Courfeyrac asked, clearly confused.
“I fell asleep during movie night and nobody really wanted to wake me up.” Combeferre said flatly. “Enjolras, make me more coffee?”
“Do it yourself. I need to make sure I have all that I need.” Enjolras said, walking back to his room.
Once Courfeyrac heard Enjolras’ door click shut and then the blasting of his Bastille music that followed, he turned to his friends.
“Send a message in the chat. Everyone’s coming over. Right now. We have some planning to do.”
Les Amis - minus Enj
[9:07:38] ferre: come to courf and enjs apartment asap. were planning a going away party for enjolras.
[9:08:08] crybaby: On my way.
[9:08:17] ep: on my way as well. lugging taire along with me! xoxo see you guys soon
Once everyone was there (including Montparnasse for some reason) plans began to form.
Surprise parties were never the best thing for Enjolras, but this was something he might appreciate.
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.
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Grantaire and Cosette were making the cake. It was a red velvet cake shaped like the Empire State building, at the bottom were the words “We’ll Miss You Apollo” and as Grantaire said, it truly came from the heart.
Except it really didn’t say what it was supposed to.
Jehan had burst into the kitchen, once Grantaire had written the first three words and he was on the ‘A.’
“Grantaire! How’s it coming along!” They chirped, leaning against him.
“Jehan, you asshole!” Cosette had yelped, slapping him lightly with a washcloth.
Grantaire, standing there with the gel icing tube in his hand, slipped, making the ‘p’ look more like an ‘s’, returned to piping slowly, accidentally piping the word ‘asshole’, because Cosette had been telling him what to write.
“Fuck.” He breathed.
“Taire, what happened?” Cosette asked, leaning over Grantaire’s shoulder.
“Shit.” She said, looking at the icing.
“Yeah. I know. And this was four hours of work.”
“We’ll just have to give it to him this way, I suppose.” Jehan sighed. “Are you absolutely that there’s nowhere for you guys to fit a skull in there?”
“Jean Prouvaire, I am absolutely positive that if you ask that one more time I will find many ways to kill you. Right now.”
Grantaire smiled, watching as his little friend bolted out of the kitchen like a gazelle.
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Enjolras emerged from his room six hours later, looking tired, comfortable, and slightly confused.
“Courf?” He said into the empty hallway. “Why didn’t you think to wake me up or something? I’m supposed to meet everyone at the Musain soon.” He walked down the hall, still in his hoodie and shorts.
He stopped at the entrance to the living room and kitchen.
“Courf?”
“Surprise!” Yelled all of the Amis, jumping out from behind various pieces of furniture.
“Oh!” Enjolras said, falling back in surprise, only to be caught by Grantaire.
“I got you, Apollo.” He smiled softly.
Enjolras looked a little bit disheveled.
Alright, a little bit is an understatement. He was standing in front of all his friends, wearing only an old red hoodie (was it from high school? middle?) over a Neck Deep shirt (stolen from Grantaire, possibly) and a pair of his sister’s shorts. Not to mention the kneesocks. The knee socks Feuilly had gotten him as a gag gift for Christmas because he thought they were cute but also because Enjolras needed more socks (he had two pairs of Slytherin cape socks and a pair of dress socks) (needless to say, he wore flip flops a lot because of that).
“Oh! Hi, guys…” Enjolras trailed off.
“‘Sup, little dude?” Feuilly asked, grinning.
“You guys are…”
“The best friends you could ever ask for?”
“Ridiculous human beings. How did I sleep through all of this?” Enjolras finished, pushing his hair from his eyes.
“Because you sleep like a bear, Papa and I have been telling you for like, ever.”
“Wait- Papa?” Marius asked, confused.
“Yeah,” Said Cosette. “He’s my brother. We’re both adopted?” She tied, looking Marius in the eyes.
“Oh god,” Said Marius. “I think I’m gonna cry.”
“Marius, what did you do this time?” Cosette asked, eyeing her boyfriend.
“I made out with my best friend’s sister. Oh my god. I’m gonna cry.”
“Marius, grow up.” Enjolras tried to look as irritated as possible, which was quite difficult in what he was wearing at that point.
“Guys, I think we should give Enjolras some time alone with the people he’s gonna miss the most now.” Grantaire called.
“And who would that be?” Éponine asked, leaning up against Grantaire’s shoulder.
“Gavroche and I. Duh.”
Then, Grantaire pulled Enjolras aside.
“Gav, you can hang out with the Cs, right now. I have some really important stuff to talk to Enjolras about.” He said, and Gavroche saluted him, marching off to bother Cosette, Combeferre, and Courfeyrac.
“What is it, Grantaire?” Enjolras asked, pushing his hair behind his ear.
“You know how you always complain about arguing on tumblr with that one user?” Grantaire asked, his voice pitching at the end.
“Yeah…” Enjolras trailed, narrowing his eyes at the artist.
“WellthatmayormaynotbemeI’msorry.”
“Say that again? In a language I can understand?”
“I’m delusions-of-grand-r. That’s why I never show you my art, that’s why I always bring up topics similar to the ones I post about at meetings.” Grantaire said, scratching his neck.
“Grantaire, are you joking?”
“No! Why would I joke about that?”
“Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“Yeah. You look really cute in my t-shirt, but I feel like it would look better on my bedroom floor.” Grantaire winked.
“I- Are you flirting with me?” Enjolras spluttered.
“Yeah! I have been for the past, oh, year and a half. Thanks for noticing.” Grantaire snarked, moving to walk away when Enjolras grabbed his arm.
“Wait- Grantaire! I’m. I’m in love with you. Like. I like you a lot. I’m sorry, I’m bad with words, I-”
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Grantaire hissed, pulling his arm away from Enjolras.
“No- Grantaire- Taire- R, shit please just listen to me.”
“I’ll see you in ten months.” Grantaire spit, grabbing Éponine and Gavroche then stalking out the door.
Enjolras walked back to his room, pulling his blankets over his face and turning his music back on, burying himself in his bed.
He could hear Cosette’s stomping footsteps moving down the hallway, and then her knuckles rapping at his door.
“Come in.” He croaked.
There were tears burning behind his eyes but he didn’t want her to see him like that, she had seen him like that before but he didn’t want that situation to be the same as the one that was playing out.
“Enj, what happened out there?” She asked, sitting down on the bed and placing her hand on his leg.
“I told him how I felt.”
“It didn’t go well?”
“No. Not at all.”
“I can clear everyone out except for Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Jehan, and Parnasse, okay? Then we can sit in the living room and eat ice cream and drink lots of wine.” She said softly, and Enjolras nodded.
Cosette walked out of the room, heels clicking behind her, and Enjolras heard her yell.
Cosette came into his room again a few minutes later.
“They’re gone. You can come back out into the living room now.” She said softly.
“I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
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Enjolras was at the bottom of a cuddle pile. Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Jehan, Montparnasse, and Cosette were curled on top of him and around him.
Multiple empty pints of ice cream littered around their bodies, spoons on the ground.
Jehan was braiding Montparnasse’s bangs, softly touching the shaved sides, smiling softly.
Courfeyrac was pulling against Jehan, whining about he wanted his hair braided too.
Jehan loved their boyfriends, they really did , but they were needy little shits.
Courfeyrac was braiding Enjolras’ hair, leaning against his friend.
Enjolras never talked feelings. When he did talk feelings, his friends were open to it, never slamming him down like Grantaire did.
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.
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Grantaire was angsting. He had music blasting (it was totally not Infinity on High), he had on his painting clothes, and he was totally gonna lose his security deposit.
Éponine was banging her fists heavy on his door, and Gavroche was listening to Matilda in the next room.
Their apartment was chaos, but when was it not?
There were already two empty cans of beer sitting in the corner of his room, and he was so angry that he could probably drink ten cases (but Éponine would cut him off way before then.
He was knocking back another one when Éponine finished picking the lock.
“Taire.” She said firmly, eyeing him down.
“What do you want, Ponine?”
“I want for you to go back there and apologize.”
“You can’t make me do anything.”
“Grantaire, please. I don’t want anyone leaving on a bad note.”
He could see the pain in her eyes and he gave in.
“Fine.”
Grantaire pulled on his hoodie, leaving on his paint splattered jeans and grabbed his keys when he left his room, nodded at Gavroche when he walked past his room, and stomped out the door, locking it behind him though he knew Éponine would check and lock it anyway.
He showed up at Enjolras’ apartment fifteen minutes later, hair fucked up from the wind and with a tight resting Grantaire face.
He knocked on the door until someone opened it, and that someone had to be Jehan and Montparnasse.
“Hello, Grantaire. Nice of you to show up again.” Montparnasse said, cracking his knuckles.
“Parnasse,” Jehan warned, placing their hand on his shoulder.
“Can I come in? I need to talk to Enjolras before he leaves.”
“You already did that. He’s asleep, on the bottom of the cuddle pile.” Jehan said.
“No I’m not!” Enjolras protested, wide awake.
“Jehan, please let me in. I need to talk to him. I wasn’t exactly, clear on what I think of him, and if he’s gonna be gone for ten months I need to tell him. I don’t want him thinking I’m an asshole as his last thought of me before he goes to New York.” Grantaire pleaded, giving them puppy dog eyes.
“Fine.” Jehan sighed, because they were so in love with love.
They let Grantaire in the apartment, huffing and sighing as Montparnasse patted them on the back.
“Jehan, you know why he’s here. He’s liked him forever.”
“But he also hurt him.” Jehan reminded him, getting on their tiptoes and pressing a kiss to Montparnasse’s cheek.
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“Taire, how about we pull this affair back to my room, so we don’t bother anybody?” Enjolras proposed once he had slithered out of the cuddle pile.
“Yeah, sure.”
They walked back to Enjolras’ room in an awkward silence, the distance between them feeling like a massive cinder block.
When they got to Enjolras’ room, Enjolras opened the door and turned off his music, sitting down on his bed.
“Okay, Enjolras. About earlier, I didn’t mean what I said. I really really really like you. And I wanna do boyfriend stuff with you. I wanna kiss you and hold your hand and cuddle and maybe have sex if you’re up for it, and I want you to love me too. Please tell me you love me too.” Grantaire rushed.
Enjolras reached for his hand.
“R, of course I want to. I’ve been pining over you since I found your blog, since forever ago.”
“Does that mean you’ll be my boyfriend?” Grantaire asked. smiling.
“Yes, Taire.”
“Does that mean I can kiss you?”
“Mm.” Enjolras hummed, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Grantaire's lips.
When Grantaire pulled away from the kiss, he took Enjolras’ lip in his teeth, sucking lightly on it. Enjolras totally didn’t whimper at that.
“Apollo, was that a moan?” Grantaire whispered in Enjolras’ ear.
“R, can we, like, stop? I’m sorry- I don’t think I’m ready.” Enjolras whispered, pulling away.
“Shit, Enj. Yeah.” Grantaire replied instantly, pulling away.
Grantaire flopped back onto the bed, letting Enjolras fall back on his chest.
“Did I push you too far?” Grantaire asked, pressing a kiss to Enjolras’ hair.
“No. I just, not tonight.”
“Okay. Do you wanna go to sleep now?”
“Yeah.”
Enjolras buried his face in the nape of Grantaire’s neck, entranced with the smell of his shampoo and aftershave.
They fell asleep like that, tangled up and in love.
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“Enj, you promise you’ll call me sometimes?” Grantaire asked, pressing their foreheads together.
“I promise. I’ll talk to you as often as possible.” Enjolras promised, closing the gap between them. It was a soft kiss, like kissing someone goodnight.
“I love you. Call me when you land, okay?”
“I will.” Enjolras didn’t say I love you until he was passing through the gate, flashing him the quick worldwide symbol for I love you.
Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta hugged him once Enjolras has boarded. They were trying to comfort him, but it would be hard, loving someone that was 3,625 miles away.