Chapter Text
Eponine was struck by the girl the first time she saw her there on the street. She was so beautiful; ethereally so. She seemed to be a doll brought to life; perfect, polished, and utterly unreal. She was nothing that had belonged in Eponine’s life for a very long time, being so beautiful. She hadn’t recognised her then, that time. It wasn’t until later, when she’d followed the girl to her house at Marius’ request, that she recognised her as the same girl who’d been so much abused by her parents when they were younger. It had taken seeing her with the same man who had taken her away all those years ago since, the Lark had changed so much.
Cosette. Her name sprung to Eponine’s mind from the depths of history. Cosette. It suited her, though she was little no longer. The name held the same sweetness that seemed to surround Cosette like an aura.
Though she couldn't explain to herself why, Eponine returned to the house on Rue Plumet each night, just as Marius did. Was it jealousy that brought her here? That Cosette had Marius’ love and she didn’t? But she no longer thought of Marius. Or perhaps that Cosette had everything that she had ever wanted for her future? But it didn’t feel like jealousy. She was happy when she came here, and only when she came here.
It took her overhearing Marius expressing the same feeling to Cosette in her garden for her to understand what the feeling was. Infatuation. She was infatuated with the girl. So taken aback was she by this realisation, that she almost missed Cosette’s reply.
“That is very kind of you to say, and I certainly find myself drawn to you. I would like to know you! However, I do not feel I can return the strength of the admiration you express.”
Eponine’s heart soared despite herself. While she tried to feel sorry for Marius’ unhappiness she found that she could not. She was too overjoyed that the Lark did not love him. Still, she was Marius’ friend. She followed him home to ensure that he was alright, and when she got there saw that his had comfort in the arms of the man he’d been staying with. A M. Courfeyrac, she believed. From what she’d seen from the look in Courfeyrac’s eyes whenever Marius was around, Marius would be just fine.
Eponine held herself back from returning to Rue Plumet once she’d seen that Marius was fine. It was one thing to go there when she’d thought she was trailing Marius, but it was another entirely to hang around the girl's home without her permission. She returned to her parent’s room in the Gorbeau house, a place she hadn’t been in a few days, and resolved to sleep there for the night. What she walked in on when she arrived there, however, was not the domestic scene she expected, but one of her father’s business meetings with Patron Minette.
They all stared at her as she walked in and she stared coolly back.
“Well?” she asked sharply when nobody said anything.
“You should leave ‘Ponine. Stay out of trouble when you’re not needed,” Montparnasse replied.
“I’m just here to sleep,” she replied sharply. “I’m not letting you lot stop me from doing that.” With that said she stomped her way over to one of the pallets in the corner and lay down. Silence reigned for a moment before the men began discussing once more.
“So this man’s crossed you before?” Babet asked.
“He took something from me a long time ago. Something that could have brought my family an awful lot of money. I want to be recompensed for that.”
Eponine accepted that she wasn’t going to be able to sleep while they were here, and so decided to pay attention.
“It’s the house on Rue Plumet?” Babet checked, and Eponine froze, before immediately relaxing her body so that they wouldn’t know that she was listening.
“That’s the one,” her father answered. “It’s secluded. We won’t have any trouble there.”
Eponine continued to pretend to be asleep, and listened to the entire plan, committing it to memory. Like hell was she going to let her father hurt Cosette or her father.
The next night, Eponine waited quietly in the dark corner by the gate of number 55 Rue Plumet. She was much more nervous now than she had been before. She wasn’t certain how she was going to stand up to her father and Patron Minette, but she knew that she had to. She wouldn’t allow Cosette to be harmed.
It wasn’t long before she saw a gang of men appear at the end of the road. They knew what they were doing, she had to grudgingly admit. They clung to the shadows and moved smoothly so as not to draw attention. It was a shame for them that she was better at it than they were. They were soon stood right in front of her. And so the game began.
They seemed bemused by her demand that they leave at first. Then frustrated, she refused to move. Finally, Brujon made a grab for her. Well, she had promised she thought to herself, and let out a scream that was as loud as she could make it. The men went running in a hurry, and Eponine was satisfied. That is, she was satisfied until she turned around and met the most stunning pair of green eyes.
“Are you alright?” Cosette asked, while Eponine stared at her stupidly. “I heard you scream.”
“Cosette!” her father shouted from the door to the house. “Are you alright? I heard a scream.”
“It wasn’t me, Papa,” Cosette called back, not taking her eyes from Eponine.
Cosette’s father had made his way over to the gate now. He started when he saw Cosette.
“Are you alright, mademoiselle?” he asked urgently. “Was it your scream we heard?”
“Yes, monsieur, it was. But I’m fine, I swear!”
“Are you certain? Why did you scream?”
Eponine scrambled to come up with a cover story before realising that there was no reason not to tell the truth.
“My father and his goons were going to rob your house, monsieur. I screamed to scare them away.”
“Then you must come in!” cried Cosette. “We owe you a debt.” The man looked hesitant, but he did not deny it.
“I cannot,” Eponine replied, quietly.
“Why ever not?” asked Cosette urgently.
“You don’t recognise me, do you? Well, I look different now, I suppose,” Eponine laughed bitterly. “We were children together, Cosette.”
“Eponine?” Cosette asked breathlessly, her eyes wide.
“I’ll just go,” Eponine replied, a little choked. She turned around.
“No, wait!” Cosette cried, running up to clutch the gate. Eponine paused.
“You can’t leave,” Cosette continued. “Where will you go? You said that it was your father who tried to rob us. Surely you can’t return to him now?”
“No. I won’t.”
“Then where will you go?”
“A bridge, a sewer. There are plenty of places to sleep in Paris.”
“No, you can’t!” Cosette sounded genuinely distraught. “You must stay. Mustn’t she Papa?”
“Yes, of course. You must. We couldn’t in good conscience allow you to sleep on the street.”
“But… I hurt you. When we were children.”
“You did not know any better,” Cosette replied firmly. “Please stay. I couldn’t bear to think of you sleeping on the streets tonight.”
How was Eponine supposed to refuse when Cosette asked like that? She agreed with a meek nod of her head. The gate was quickly opened to let her in and locked again behind her. She was led through the comfortable house in a sort of daze, and almost before she realised it, she was alone with Cosette in her room.
“We can share the bed,” Cosette was saying. “I think I have a nightgown that you can have. Of course, it will be a little big on you, but that can’t be helped for now-”
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Eponine interrupted. “And I can sleep in my clothes. It’s no matter to me.” She couldn’t bear the thought of imposing herself on Cosette. Who was already inexplicably acting so kind to her, when really she should hate her.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cosette replied. “There’s no reason for us not to share the bed.”
“Please,” Eponine said, aware that it came out rather desperately. “Please, I can’t-”
“It’s alright,” Cosette assured her hurriedly. “You don't have to. If you must sleep on the floor, will you at least allow me to get you a blanket? And would you consider wearing a nightgown?”
Cosette looked at her with pleading eyes and again, Eponine found herself unable to say no. Soon enough she was wearing one of Cosette’s nightgowns and was laying on the floor, covered in a warm, soft blanket. She had to admit, she was much more comfortable than she was used to, but the hard press of the floor beneath her was a familiar comfort. Her mind spun as she considered the events of the evening, and how they had led her to here. To be sleeping in the same room as the girl with whom she was infatuated. She hadn’t preyed on Cosette’s innocence by sharing the bed with her, but oh, how she’d wanted to. Not that she would have attempted to do anything, of course, but just to feel Cosette near as she slept would have been wonderful. Not that she deserved that, at all.
She was wrecked with guilt now, thinking about the things that she and her family had put Cosette through. She thought back on what Cosette had said, that she didn’t know any better. Had she? It was too hard to tell. She’d been a child as well, and hadn’t been taught that her actions were wrong, but they were still her actions. It wasn’t an easy question to answer either way.