Work Text
Enjolras sighed, taking his computer out. It had been a long day at the Musain. It seemed that summer break meant that all his friends had gone completely insane. Even Combeferre seemed to be a bit more reckless than his normal professional self. That’s what Enjolras liked about the internet. It was a place that you could be rash and impractical while still keeping up you personal life as balanced as possible. Enjolras didn’t like being hasty, even on the internet. He personally didn’t believe in being reckless or wild, he preferred to be practical and collected. His speeches, though seeming passionate and full of emotion, had gone through stages of editing before they were brought out into the world.That was how he started a vent blog on Tumblr. He had started the blog to create a conversation about issues, but the internet was not one for a rational debate. He turned his blog into a vent blog when an anon started ranting about a current political issue. Enjolras relished in learning the other side of the story, not just the view he had. At first, it was mainly political anons, but then some would come talking about their personal lives.Day in and day out, Enjolras would listen to people’s problems. It wasn’t what anyone expected of him, no sir, but there was something comforting about it. Enjolras would look at the anons and see that even people who seem to have their life together could be at a place of despair. It was this fateful day when someone came to Enjolras that seemed awfully familiar. He opened his inbox and read through the messages. There weren’t many, Enjolras never expected more than three a day, but there was one that caught his eye and he knew he would have to post it first.
oh my god this guy that i see almost everyday is both infuriating and wonderful. he’s very passionate but it seems like he doesn’t have any emotions. like, the only thing that matters is his end goal and not anyone who is helping him. like god, let us have some fun for once. don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing and i do love him, but sometimes i just want him to shut up. i know ways i can get him to shut up too ;)
Enjolras frowned, reading the ask. It just sounded so… relatable? He felt like he understood the person that this anon was talking about. Enjolras sighed and posted the ask. He read the others, posting them in turn and closed his computer, thoughts racing.The next day played out in a similar fashion. Enjolras payed extra attention in the meeting, looking for any wandering eyes. He also tried to be more empathetic to his friends. Part of Enjolras scolded himself for letting an anonymous user, that he didn’t even know for certain was one of his friends, get to him. The other part hoped for a reaction. He couldn’t stop thinking of the mix of anger and lust tied to the words. The user seemed to be spiteful and enraptured at the same time. Enjolras sighed slightly, unsure how two clashing emotions could be contained in one person’s mind. As soon as he got home, Enjolras opened his computer. There were only two messages today, and one was from the user from the day before. Enjolras leaned forward, even though he knew it wouldn’t help his vision, preparing himself to read the comment.
(anon from yesterday about the passionate guy) i don’t know what was going on today, he seemed off. i can’t place my finger on it and it’s driving me crazy. i had to spend the entire meeting restraining myself from going up and asking him what the fuck was happening. i swear, he’s making me go insane. one day he’s all stoic and the next he’s trying to be some sweet guy. what the fuck
Enjolras stood stalk still, trying to take in all the information. So it was someone he knew. Enjolras posted the two messages, and closed his computer once more and took out some paper. He wrote down all his friend’s names, leaving some space in between each name. He knew he couldn’t contact this anon personally, so he would have to take matters into his own hands.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras fiddled with his sheet of paper as he walked into the Musain. He ended up crossing off and rewriting names all night, only to give up and begin his investigation the next day. He debated crossing off anyone in a relationship, but he also knew that he had dated or had close relationships with many of his friends before. And some, like Joly and Bossuet, were open to or in a polyamorous relationship. Enjolras sat down next to Combeferre, who handed him a cup of coffee. “You seem tired,” Combeferre stated. Enjolras groaned softly. “I’m currently dealing with a problem. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Combeferre nodded, but looked skeptical.“What social media platforms do you use?” Enjolras took out his paper, along with a spare pen from inside his jacket. “I don’t use social media that often, but I do have an Instagram account, a Twitter, a Facebook, and finally a Tumblr.” Enjolras paused for a second, writing down all the accounts. “And what do you use these accounts for?” Combeferre looked at Enjolras, confused. “Enjolras you are familiar with the concept of social media, correct?” Enjolras looked up from his paper, meeting Combeferre’s eyes. “I am, but please answer the question.” Combeferre sighed and pulled out his phone. “If you’re so intrigued, you can look for yourself. I mainly use it to stay up to date on current events and post about things that I like. You know, what most people use social media for.” Combeferre took a sip of his tea and watched Enjolras open his apps. He opened Tumblr and went to write down Combeferre’s name. “Why are you the-mothiest-of-mothmen on Tumblr?” Combeferre blushed but kept his face as even as he could. “Courfeyrac created my account for me and I have yet to figure out how to change my name.” Enjolras finished writing down the account names as quickly as he could and returned the phone to Combeferre. “Thank you for letting me use your phone, now I must go find Courfeyrac.” Combeferre waved slightly as he continued to drink his tea. Enjolras looked back down at his notes, smiling to himself. He made a mental note to make sure he helps Combeferre change his name later.Enjolras sat down next to Courfeyrac, placing his notes and coffee down infront of him. “Heya Enjolras!” Courfeyrac smiled at him, seemingly glowing with happiness. “Hello, would you mind if I asked a few questions?” Courferyac nodded and sat back in his chair. “Gathering information on us?” he joked. “Something like that,” Enjolras replied.“So I know you use social media. What platforms do you use?” Enjolras watched as Courfeyrac counted the sites in his head. “Uhhh.. I use Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube. Oh! I used to use Vine but unfortunately I can’t anymore. Rest in peace.” Enjolras scribbled down the names, unsure of why Courfeyrac would need so many.“And um, what do you use them for?” Courfeyrac laughed and shook his head. “Memes, videos, funny posts about memes and videos, political satire, sending memes and videos to my friends. Normal stuff.” Enjolras sighed, even though he expected the answer. “Yes, I am aware of that last one, and please stop sending videos while we’re in a meeting. We don’t need a repeat of the time Bossuet opened up your message and we had to listen to the opening of The Bee Movie in full volume.”Courfeyrac laughed, remembering that time. “You have to admit, it was quite funny.” Enjolras turned his head slightly so Courfeyrac wouldn’t see his smile. “And what are your account names?” Enjolras continued, trying to get back on track. “I’m pop-raccs on all accounts.” Enjolras wrote down the name and stood up, thanking Courfeyrac for his cooperation. “No problem, don’t know why you needed to know all that but this won’t be the weirdest question you’ve asked me.” Enjolras smiled as he stuffed his paper back into his pocket. “I’m glad you’re used to random interrogations. I’m going to start the meeting now, and as I said, no memes.” Enjolras smiled to himself once more as he walked to the front of the room. “Can I have your attention please. Today I would like to discuss the important matter of …”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As Enjolras rode the bus back to his apartment, he went to check Courfeyrac and Combeferre’s blogs. He didn’t prefer using mobile, but he couldn’t contain his curiosity. He really didn’t know what he was looking for, it wasn’t like this would be the answer to all his problems, and they knew he was looking. But maybe, just maybe, he could find something of interest. Enjolras decided to go to Combeferre’s blog first. It was pretty much what he expected. It wasn’t too crazy, but it did have character to it. There wasn’t a specific topic to the posts, unless you consider information a topic. Each post looked like it wanted to inform the reader about something new. You could go from one post about Jupiter’s moons to a post about the mating patterns of lions. Enjolras spent a solid ten minutes scrolling and searching through Combeferre’s blog to find any personal posts. Combeferre tagged every one of his posts, making sure that all topics were properly categorized. It almost felt like a digital library. Enjolras sighed and put his phone down. He didn’t think Combeferre was his anon to begin with, but he had hoped for at least some information.Enjolras pulled out his list, the paper was becoming soft from all the times it had been crumpled. He sighed softly, trying not to let himself be disappointed. He looked down at all the names and felt an overwhelming sense of dread. How would he be able to find out who it was? While eight is a small number, it was much larger when talking about people. Especially when one of these people was keeping a secret that they wouldn’t be willing to tell.Enjolras stuffed the paper back into his pocket and took his phone back out. Courfeyrac’s blog was almost the opposite of Combeferre’s. It did have one topic, and that topic was shit posts. He definitely wasn’t as organized as Combeferre, but he did make an effort to sort his memes into categories. Was it absurd? Yes, but maybe that was the point. Enjolras held in a giggle. He was getting poetic over a meme page. He must have been spending too much time with Jehan. Enjolras typed Courfeyrac’s name into the search bar and almost leaped with joy when posts came up. Some posts were just random observations, but others were personal. Enjolras would have felt guilty looking at the posts if it weren’t for the fact that Courfeyrac had already told him this in person.Finally, Enjolras found the jackpot. It wasn’t a long post, nor was it anything that related to his anon, but it was something that could definitely cross Courfeyrac off the list. The post was two sentences, if you could even call them sentences, rambling about Combeferre and how no one could be better than him. Enjolras smiled to himself, happy that he had made some progress in figuring out his mystery anon. He took his paper back out and crossed off Courfeyrac’s name. He also added a small note to help Courfeyrac with his crush on Combeferre when all of this was over.Enjolras put away his phone and paper, opting to look out the window for the rest of the bus ride. There weren’t many stops left, Enjolras was always the last stop on the line, and the bus was nearly empty. Enjolras let his mind wonder as the bus drove through town. How could he figure out who his anon was without raising too much suspicion? Combeferre definitely seemed confused as he asked his round of questions at the meeting. Even so, there were problems in that plan to begin with. For starters, not only did the person know he was looking on their social media, they had time to prepare before Enjolras saw anything. Enjolras sighed softly, letting the thought go. He’ll try to think of a better plan later, now wasn’t the best time. It’s not like he has a time limit to figure out who it was anyway. There’s no bomb that’s going to go off if he doesn’t find out. The bus came to a stop and Enjolras stood to leave. He made it to his apartment without having to interact with any of his neighbors, which was nice because the woman next door was always very talkative. Enjolras took out his computer, logging back into Tumblr again.Enjolras mentally kicked himself for devoting so much of his time to this silly quest. How would he even know if the anon would come back again? Or if the anon was even one of his friends? Nevertheless, Enjolras continued onto his dash. He smiled as he saw the number three over his ask box. It wasn’t until the third post that he found his anon.
(passionate guy anon) he’s being weird again. like, he’s looking more into our personal lives. he hasn’t approached me yet and I don’t know what I’m going to do when he does. delete my tumblr? no, I can’t do that. I can’t help but wonder what he’s looking for. i hope he finds it soon, i miss the old version of him
“You and me both,” Enjolras said aloud. He read the ask one more time before posting it to his blog. He took out the crumpled paper and crossed off Combeferre’s name. The anon had said that they hadn’t been asked yet. Two down, six more to go.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras walked into the next meeting feeling confident. He finally, finally, had a plan that would be less suspicious. He had to admit that his first plan wasn’t well thought out and he wondered why he even went through with it in the first place. Enjolras had spent most of the night thinking of ways he could access his friend’s personal information. He considered just asking them about their current relationship statuses, but clearly his anon would know what he’s up to. Enjolras was actually really impressed with how much his anon noticed about him. He started to notice himself feeling something for this mystery person. He was flattered that not only did they pay attention to him, they prefered when he was acting the way he wanted to. Not many people in Enjolras’ love life had appreciated his approach to things. They never seemed to notice that even though he spent a lot of his time working on his revolution, he was doing that to help the people he cared about. This anon, who Enjolras so hoped would reveal themselves soon, really cared about Enjolras as a person, not just his ability to lead. That thought brought him to the conclusion he couldn’t do it alone. Clearly, the only way that he would find out the identity of this anonymous user would be through an indirect route. He would need help from people he was absolutely sure wasn’t his anon. Combeferre and Courfeyrac. Admittedly, Enjolras should have thought of it sooner, especially when the anon confirmed it was neither of them. There would be no way that this anon would say, “Yeah, I’m the one who has been crushing on you!” to Enjolras’ face. But maybe they would tell Courfeyrac and Combeferre.Enjolras walked into the Musain and got himself a muffin before walking over to Courfeyrac and Combeferre. Courfeyrac smiled and waved, pulling out a chair for Enjolras to sit. “I need your help,” Enjolras stated. “What for?” Courfeyrac asked, picking off a chocolate chip from the muffin. “You know how I was asking for your social media accounts yesterday?” Both Courfeyrac and Combeferre nodded. “Well, I’m working on trying to find out who has a crush on me.”Combeferre raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything, while Courfeyrac doubled over in a fit of laughter. “I see no correlation between those two sentences,” Combeferre muttered. Enjolras sighed and fiddled with the muffin. “I run an anonymous vent blog on Tumblr,” he explained, keeping his voice low. “I’ve had an anon who has been talking about me and how they have a crush on me. Now I’m trying to find out who it is. I know it’s not either of you because they said that I haven’t asked them any questions yet.”Courfeyrac finally managed to get a hold of himself and took a deep breath. “So… uh… you’re sure that it’s someone we know? Like, no offence to your amazing detective skills, but it really could be anyone.” Enjolras nodded, pulling out his phone. He went through his blog the night before and tagged all the posts by this anon as “passionate anon”. “You can look through all the asks yourself! They all line up perfectly to what I’ve been doing.” Enjolras sighed and slumped back into his chair, nibbling on his muffin. “You’re not wrong,” Combeferre stated as he looked up from the phone. “This clearly is someone we know, but why are you telling us?” Enjolras sat back up, crossing his arms. “I can’t be the one to ask everyone about their personal lives! And this person knows I’m doing something and they are taking precautions to make sure I don’t find out. But they don’t know that you two are going to help me.”“Wait, we’re going to help you?” Courfeyrac asked. “I was hoping you would.” Enjolras looked back over to Combeferre, trying to read his expression. “If this means that your current foolishness will subside, I will be willing to help,” Combeferre replied. “Ahhh fine. I guess Ferre has a point. So whatcha want us to do?” Enjolras smiled, thankful that his friends were onboard with everything. “I need you guys to talk to everyone. Socialize some more, figure out who likes who. Yes, even if they are dating someone. Once you’ve talked to everyone I need you to report back to me what you’ve found out,” he explained. “Oh, that’s really simple. Like, oh no, we have to socialize with our close friends and find out what we can tease them about. What a burden!” Courfeyrac said sarcastically. “Courfeyrac is right. This should only take us a day. Especially if we go out tonight. Get everyone together to go to a bar or something.” Combeferre affirmed. “So it’s settled. I’m going to start the meeting now, could you two send out a text to the group chat letting everyone know our plans for the night?” Both men nodded and Courfeyrac took out his phone. Not even a minute later, Enjolras’ phone buzzed. Courfeyrac : going out to a bar tonight!!! everyone meet at my place at 9pmJoly : will there be adult supervisionGrantaire : … we are adults????Joly : i really would not like a repeat of last time… Bahorel : you have to admit, courf looks good in a mini skirtCourfeyrac : ;)Enjolras : phones away now please--------------------------Enjolras sighed as he opted out his blazer and tie for a comfortable t-shirt and jeans. He learned the hard way that wearing a tie when he goes out with his friends normally ends in someone wearing the tie on their head. It’s inevitable. Personally, Enjolras didn’t like going out. It always wore him out really quickly and he couldn’t leave early without causing a scene. He ran his fingers through his hair, reminding himself why he’s going out in the first place. “To find out who my anon is,” he whispered. Enjolras made his way out to the bar, which was only a few block away. It looked like there would still be some waiting to do before they went inside. Only Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Grantaire, and Bahorel were waiting outside. Enjolras felt pity for Combeferre, knowing that the other three weren’t known for being responsible.“Hey Enj!” Courfeyrac waved to him as Enjolras crossed the road. “Hi, I’m glad I’m not late.” Courfeyrac laughed and shook his head. “If anything, you’re early. We’ve still got…” Courfeyrac looked down to count his fingers. “Four people still to come. Oh! Also Marius, Cosette, and Eponine will be here so make that seven to go.”Enjolras looked to Combeferre for answers, but he just shrugged. “Oh Enjolras!” He turned to face who had said that, which turned out to be Grantaire. “Bahorel thinks that I wouldn’t last 5 seconds in a fight with the Rock. Tell him that I would last 10 seconds he knocks me out.” Enjolras opened his mouth, ready to reply, but Combeferre interrupted him. “They’ve been talking about this for a solid 30 minutes, don’t respond if you don’t want to waste your time. Besides, we need to talk.” Enjolras nodded an apology towards Bahorel and Grantaire before joining Combeferre and Courfeyrac. “So tell us exactly what you want us to do,” Combeferre said, keeping his voice low so Bahorel and Grantaire wouldn’t hear. “I thought I already told you. Try and find out who likes who,” Enjolras hissed. “Yeah, we got that. But who talks to who and how do you want to go about it. Enj we really need some clarification here!” Courfeyrac whispered.Enjolras sighed and rubbed his face. “I don’t know, just, figure it out. If you’re closer to one person than another, start with them. I didn’t think it would be this difficult!” Courfeyrac slapped Enjolras’ wrist. “Hey! We don’t know every detail that’s in your head!” Enjolras mumbled an apology before walking away.By this time, most of the group had arrived and they were only waiting for Marius and Bossuet. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they got lost,” Joly pointed out. “Knowing the two of them, they have,” Combeferre said. “I have find my friends on my phone! Do you want me to look?” Cosette offered. “I’m glad you put a tracker on Marius, he needs one,” Eponine commented as she leaned over to see Cosette’s phone. “You guys go on. Eponine and I will go get them. They’re walking around the same area in circles.”They waved and started to head off while the others made their way inside. Enjolras swore he heard Joly say something about Bossuet’s luck. “So,” Grantaire shouted as he grabbed everyone drinks. “Let’s get this night started, shall we?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras was only half a drink in and was already regretting this plan. Joly was a light weight so after he finished his first drink, he was sprawled across Bossuet. Grantaire and Bahorel were still arguing about how long R would last if he fought the Rock. While both men were barely even tipsy, the bar seemed to make them louder.Jehan was surprisingly loud. They were trying to get Joly’s attention, as they were just as tipsy as Joly. Combeferre and Courfeyrac were both only half a drink in and, thankfully, were trying to get the attention of their friends. Combeferre was talking with Feuilly and Cosette while Courfeyrac was talking with Marius and Eponine. Enjolras sighed, shaking his head at his crazy friends. He kept his head down, not particularly liking this scene. His vague focus was broken by a hand on his shoulder.“Wow Apollo, can you be any more pathetic over here?” Enjolras looked up into Grantaire’s eyes. He had a teasing smile and an impish glint in his eyes. “I’m not pathetic, this just isn’t my scene,” Enjolras huffed, trying to defend himself.“Even so, you look pathetic. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone came over trying to take you home.” Enjolras raised his eyebrows. “And is that what you’re doing?” he retorted. Grantaire chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m trying to save the poor bastard that would try to hit on you.” Enjolras took a sip of his wine. “Well, consider this a thanks in advance.”Grantaire sighed and chugged his wine. “You know, this isn’t something I’d expect you to do.” Enjolras tilted his head in confusion. “Oh?”“Yeah, I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know you’re a cool guy and everything, but going out with a bunch of people to a bar isn’t you.” Enjolras nodded in agreement. “Well, believe it or not, I do care about my friends and I like to hang out with them. Would I prefer to be at someone’s house watching a movie, of course, but pickers can’t be choosers.” Enjolras felt a pang of guilt as he said those words. He really doesn’t go out with his friends, does he? What’s more is Grantaire thinks he’s not social. And now that he’s going out, it’s to continue this stupid quest he’s on.“I guess you have a point,” R replied, setting his glass down. “But why now? Why come out with us today?” Enjolras sighed and took a sip of his wine, delaying his answer. “I guess I just feel like I need to get to know you guys better. How can I call myself your friend if I barely even know you.” At least that was true.Grantaire started to laugh, loud and pure. Enjolras smiled to himself, he never heard Grantaire laugh like that. “Well Apollo, why don’t we get to know each other?” Enjolras nodded, thankful that Grantaire didn’t press his reasoning any further. “What do you wanna know?” Enjolras thought for a second. “You wear a lot of green. Is that your favorite color?” Grantaire shook his head. “No it’s not. I actually love the color blue.” Enjolras raised his eyebrows, unsure if Grantaire was joking or not. He’d never seen R with anything blue. “Yeah I get that look a lot. But it’s the truth. And I assume that red is your favorite?”Enjolras shook his head. Grantaire’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “No fucking way.” Enjolras let out a short laugh. “I actually like yellows and greens. They’re the colors you see in a nature a lot. As much as I love red for my cause, I prefer more natural colors.” Grantaire snorted. “You learn something new everyday.”“I need to go get more wine. When I get back, I would love to learn more about you, Mr. I-wear-so-much-red-but-it’s-not-my-favorite-color. You want a refill?” Enjolras nodded and handed Grantaire his glass. Grantaire gave him a small salute and walked away.“I thought you wanted us to do the talking.” Enjolras jumped at the voice, which turned out to be Combeferre. “I did… I do. I just got to talking with Grantaire.” Combeferre raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything. “Well, I can confirm that Feuilly is not your mystery anon.” Enjolras’ eyes lit up. “How?” he asked. “Cosette and I just had to help him set up a Tumblr. I am fairly certain that takes him out of the running.” Enjolras nodded. “Well, thank you. That’s one less person to investigate.” Combeferre hummed an agreement. “Well, you go back to talking with Grantaire. I will be trying to make sure Joly and Jehan don’t get too out of control.” As Combeferre walked away, Enjolras could have sworn he heard him mumble something under his breath.“What did Combeferre want?” Grantaire asked, handing Enjolras his wine. “He was just letting me know that if I needed him, he would be stopping Joly and Jehan from doing anything stupid.” Enjolras looked over his shoulder, noticing the two trying to make a castle out of coasters. “That’s a heroic thing to do. Last time we were here, Jehan walked out of the bar and found a bunch of flowers, turned them into flower crowns and tried to put them on random people’s heads.”Enjolras snorted, trying to imagine a drunk Jehan making flower crowns outside of a bar at midnight. “Wow, did they get in trouble?” Grantaire shook his head. “Nah, but they did complain about being taken away from their ‘new friends’ while we took them home.” Enjolras shook his head in disbelief. “Part of me wishes I could’ve seen that, and the other part is happy I didn’t.” “Speaking of you not seeing things, what do you do when you’re not with us? I would like to believe that you are lecturing your plants about consumer capitalism but that’s just my idea.” Enjolras glared at him for a second. “I don’t do that… often. And it was only one time. Most of the time I just browse social media, read, watch some tv. I am a normal person, believe it or not.” Grantaire raised his eyebrows. “What shows?” “I’m currently binge watching Orange Is The New Black.”“Have you gotten to the part-” Grantaire got cut off by Enjolras covering his ears and humming. “What are you doing?” Grantaire asked as he pulled Enjolras’ hands off his ears. “I don’t want any spoilers,” he replied sheepishly. Grantaire chuckled and let go of Enjolras’ hands. “You really are a normal person.”Enjolras nodded, taking a sip of his wine. “Told you. I know some people see me as a cold hearted leader, but I’m just a guy.” Grantaire nodded. “Well that’s good to know.” The two lapsed into silence, but it wasn’t awkward. It just felt like … two friends. Enjolras drank some of his wine to hide the smile that appeared on his face. The silence came to an end when they heard a shout. “Nooooo! You knocked over our castle!” Joly, who was now fully drunk, cried. Jehan was bent over the coasters, trying to put it back together. “That’s our cue to get them home. It was nice talking to you Enjolras.” Grantaire went and lifted Jehan up, carrying the distraught poet out of the bar. Slowly, the rest of the group left. Bahorel closed the tab and left. Cosette and Eponine followed a drunk Marius out the door, making sure he didn’t get lost again. Joly and Bossuet left, along with Feuilly who wanted to make sure they found their way home. That left Courfeyrac, Combeferre, and Enjolras. “Well, I know how Combeferre’s night went. Did you get any information, Courf?” Enjolras asked as they made their way towards Enjolras’ apartment. “Other than watching Joly and Jehan argue about their castle? Not much. Oh! But I did hear Bossuet say something about how happy he is with Joly and Chetta. He definitely isn’t crushing on anyone else.”Enjolras nodded and made a note to cross of Bossuet and Feuilly once he made it home. “Well thanks guys. I consider this night a success. Maybe next time we can do a movie night instead though.” Combeferre and Courfeyrac nodded wholeheartedly. “Well this is where I need to leave. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Enjolras stopped at the door to his apartment building. “Bye Enj!” Courf yelled while Ferre just waved. Enjolras gave a small wave and walked in.Enjolras took out his list and crossed off Bossuet and Feuilly, smiling at the small number of people left. He folded the paper back up and set it on his desk. Enjolras yawned and went to take his computer out. He didn’t even log in before he was asleep and dreaming of the color blue.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras woke up early to check his tumblr. The night before had wore him out so much he couldn’t even log in. His computer lay partially open by the side of his bed, clearly having fell off the mattress in the night.Enjolras sighed and got his computer off the ground. As he turned it back on, he made a silent plea for it not to be broken from the fall. There were 4 new notifications and Enjolras couldn’t ignore the excitement bubbling up in his stomach.
(passionate anon) he’s cute when he’s trying. he came out (haha) with us last night. oh my god he seemed so uncomfortable, but hey he’s trying
Enjolras stopped for a moment, trying to process the information. There wasn’t any signs of who it could be. Anyone could have seen Enjolras being uncomfortable. But Grantaire was the one who came up to you, Enjolras’ mind supplied. Enjolras shook his head, refusing to accept any ideas he had until he had definitive proof. Enjolras posted the messages and put away his computer, knowing that if he kept it out, he would continue to read over the same message over and over again.Enjolras stood up and stretched, feeling his back crack and his muscles relax. He sighed and went to put on a fresh shirt and his usual blazer and tie. But something stopped him. Enjolras put his jacket back on the coat rack and opted for a pale blue hoodie. Enjolras thought for a second, he couldn’t remember ever buying the hoodie. He shrugged, knowing that it was probably left by one of his friends at they never bothered to retrieve it. As he walked out of the apartment complex, Enjolras pulled the hood up, blocking the wind. It was weirdly cold for summer, and he was glad that he opted for the hoodie. His red blazer, while comfortable and signaturally him, wasn’t the best for blocking out the cold.Enjolras’ brisk walk came to an end when he made it to the bus stop. He showed the driver his monthly pass and sat down in the back. Enjolras pulled out his phone and went to his group chat with Courfeyrac and Combeferre. He noticed that Courf had decided to rename the group “The Romance Detectives”.
Courfeyrac has renamed the group “The Romance Detectives”
Enjolras : Seriously?
Courfeyrac : of course!
Courfeyrac : any news
Enjolras : a tumblr ask, hold on
Enjolras has sent a photo
Combeferre : that does give us some insight into who it is
Courfeyrac : it does?
Enjolras : yeah, I agree with Courf, how does that help us
Combeferre : It’s obviously not Joly, he was far too drunk to realize anything
Combeferre : the same goes for Jehan because they were also drunk off their ass
Courfeyrac : and this is why we’re the romance detectives!
Enjolras pulled out his list and crossed off Joly and Jehan. He hadn’t really thought it was going to be either of them. Joly was very happy with Bossuet and Musichetta, while Jehan was pining over Montparnasse. Enjolras wondered how that was going to work out, knowing Montparnasse it will involve something illegal.
Enjolras : so that leaves Bahorel and Grantaire
Courfeyrac : oh it’s so not Bahorel, i heard him talking with Cosette last night and through the powers of deductive reasoning, he’s in love with Feuilly, ten bucks says they’re already dating and haven’t told us
Enjolras : … deductive reasoning? do you mean eavesdropping?
Courfeyrac : you say to-may-to i say to-mah-to
Enjolras : so it’s Grantaire?
Combeferre : I mean, Courf and I could have told you that already, but we wanted you to work it out by yourself, or with this weird plan of yours i guess
Courfeyrac : yeah, i mean, he’s kinda obvious about it. everyone knows.
Enjolras : I didn’t!
Combeferre : we know, you were kind of oblivious to it all
Courfeyrac : haha oblivious and obvious, the power couple to end them all
Enjolras : not funny, i don’t know what to do
Combeferre : you could ask him out?
Courfeyrac renamed the group to “Oblivious and Obvious”
Combeferre : not the time Courf
Courfeyrac : it’s always the time
Enjolras : I’m serious guys. I don’t know if I like him or not! I don’t know what to do with this information, and telling him is not one of the options at the moment
Courfeyrac : come over to my house after the meeting, we can talk more there
Combeferre : agreed
Enjolras : fine
Enjolras put away his phone and tried to process all the information. How could it be Grantaire? Yes, they had a nice conversation last night but he didn’t know Grantaire all that well. They always argued and that was where their conversations ended. Enjolras sighed and sank into his hoodie. Once the bus was close to the Musain, Enjolras’ wasn’t lucky enough that the stop was right outside, he got off. He pulled the hood back up as he made the short walk around the corner and into the cafe. Enjolras smiled politely at his friends and made a beeline towards Courfeyrac and Combeferre.“That hoodie is blue. Where is your jacket? The red jacket. That you always wear. Who are you and what have you done with Enjolras?” Courfeyrac asked in a frenzy as he pulled on the blue material.“It was cold? And I just wanted to be comfortable today. I don’t know, I just didn’t want to wear my jacket today!” Enjolras pulled his arm away from Courfeyrac’s grabbing hands. “So, would you like to continue our discussion now or wait until we go to Courfeyrac’s?” Combeferre intervened between the two. “Well my mind feels like it’s going 100 miles per hour so yeah I would like some clarity,” Enjolras hissed, sneaking a glance over at Grantaire. Grantaire met his eye for a second and Enjolras whipped his head back around. “How long has this been going on?” he groaned. “For a while. You really didn’t notice?” Courfeyrac asked, sounding genuinely in awe. “Of course I didn’t notice! If I did, I would’ve made a comment on it by now!” Enjolras whined. “Do you have any idea of what you’re going to do?” “Do about what?” Enjolras turned around to see Grantaire standing behind him. “Enjolras’ next door neighbor is extremely chatty and Enjolras is running out of patience,” Combeferre responded. Enjolras was astounded by how quickly he made up that lie. “Both Courfeyrac and I are concerned about the safety of this woman should she get on Enjolras’ last nerve. I think we all know how terrifying that is.”Grantaire laughed and nodded. “Yeah, you really should figure something out about that.” Enjolras cleared his throat, grabbing Grantaire’s attention. “So um, what brings you over?” he asked, mentally kicking himself for how unsteady he sounded. “I wanted to know why you’re wearing my hoodie.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“E-excuse me?” Enjolras stammered. “Hoodie. Blue. Mine. On your body,” Grantaire explained, pulling on the hood. “Oh, uh, I needed something to wear today, and it was in my closet.” Enjolras would get a mental bruise from the amount of times he was mentally kicking himself.Grantaire raised his eyebrows. “Are you ok? You seem… off,” he asked. “Me? Yeah, I’m fine. I’m great. Peachy. How are you?” Enjolras heard Courfeyrac start to giggle, and kicked him. Courfeyrac’s giggling turned into coughs instantly.“I’m fine, I guess. Wow, is this some side effect of the drinks from last night?” Enjolras nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s exactly it! Would you excuse me for a second?” Enjolras stood up and pushed past Grantaire and into the bathroom. He sat down on one of the toilets and pulled out his phone.
Enjolras : what’s happening? I’ve lost all cool. Can you get him to go away?
Courfeyrac : ferre’s trying, gosh i wished i could have recorded all of that
Enjolras : i was not prepared!
Courfeyrac : clearly, omg you were bright red the entire time, like a tomato or a cherry
Combeferre : he’s going to talk with Bahorel, you can stop hiding in the restroom
Enjolras sighed and put away his phone. Hiding in the bathroom might be the single most embarrassing thing that’s happened to Enjolras. He walked to the sink and splashed some water on his face before leaving the room. “You hid in a bathroom,” Combeferre stated. “Very observant of you,” Enjolras retorted. “Let me clarify. You hid in a bathroom to hide from someone you know has a crush on you, after stammering out answers to his questions, while you are wearing his hoodie.”Enjolras groaned, resting his head on the table. “I know.” Combeferre awkwardly pat his head, looking at Courfeyrac for what to do. “You know, maybe you like him too,” Courfeyrac suggested. “No!” Enjolras cried. “I mean, maybe? I don’t know!” Enjolras put his head back on the table. “Both of those responses lean more towards yes than you were intending,” Combeferre said. “Whatever. We’ll figure this out later. I need to lead a meeting.” Enjolras stood up and walked to the front of the room. “Yes. He does has a crush on him,” Combeferre concluded, shaking his head. “This is going to be a long night isn’t it?”---- Enjolras couldn’t focus the entire meeting. Every moment he wasn’t talking, his eyes shifted to look at Grantaire, who was always looking right back. He felt the hoodie he was wearing like it was dead weight on him. Every move he made reminded him that he was wearing Grantaire’s hoodie. Enjolras let out a breath of relief when he was able to end the meeting. Knowing that the torture of having to face Grantaire was finally over made him want to cry. As soon as he could, Enjolras made a beeline straight for Combeferre and Courfeyrac. “You need to calm down!” Courfeyrac whispered to him. “You look like you drank five cups of coffee mixed with redbull and your body is going into overdrive. He’s not a bomb! You can relax! If anything, you’re drawing attention to yourself!” Enjolras took a deep breath. “I know, but something about knowing that it’s him, makes this a lot harder to deal with!” The three of them walked out of the Musain and onto the bus back to Courfeyrac’s. “At least we don’t have to whisper anymore!” Courfeyrac pointed out. “We didn’t have to whisper in the first place,” Combeferre remarked. “Our friends are quite loud. I doubt they would have heard anything.” Enjolras rolled his eyes and sank into his seat. “Well, what happens now?” “Either you figure out your emotions and let Grantaire know that a) you want to go out with him, or b) you’re flattered but you have to decline. Or, you can just forget all this ever happened and return to blissful ignorance.” Enjolras looked up at Combeferre, wondering if he was joking or not.“How would I be able to just ‘forget’ about everything?” Combeferre shrugged. “I never said that was the option you had to go with. It’s just an option. Denial is a strong blinder.” Courfeyrac tapped on Enjolras’ shoulder, drawing his attention. “Don’t listen to him. Well, kinda listen to him. The first part is what matters. We need to figure out what’s going on in that mind of yours. I suggest Buzzfeed quizzes, editions of Cosmo, and some good old fashioned truth or dare!” Enjolras raised his eyebrows. “You want us to have a sleepover?” Courfeyrac nodded excitedly. “You know I’m starting to like that denial suggestion if it means we can avoid Cosmo.” Courfeyrac gasped, pretending to be offended. “While I don’t agree with the sleepover portion of Courfeyrac’s plan, figuring out your feelings is the best route we should take,” Combeferre replied. “How am I supposed to do that though?” Enjolras whined. “And don’t say Cosmo or Buzzfeed.” Courfeyrac thought for a second before saying, “Maybe you should spend more time with him.” Enjolras looked at his friend like he had gone insane. “You saw how well today went. You’re telling me I have to do that again?” Courfeyrac shrugged. “I mean, it’s really the only way. You can’t just like him in theory. If you’re potentially going to be in a relationship, you need to spend time together!”Enjolras pouted and slouched in his chair. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to feel! Every relationship is going to be different! If I felt one thing in my last relationship, I don’t know if I’ll feel that exact emotion again! And if I spend too much time looking for one emotion, I might overlook all the others I’m feeling or not feeling!”Courfeyrac and Combeferre went silent, trying to figure out what would be the best plan of attack. “Well, don’t look for anything.” Courfeyrac and Enjolras turned, looking at Combeferre for an explanation. “You said if you’re looking for something, you may overlook something else. Then don’t look for anything. Just talk with Grantaire and figure out if don’t want the conversation to end. You’ll know if you feel something, and then you can work on trying to figure out what it is afterward.”Enjolras smiled, happy that there was a cohesive plan. “Well, I guess I need to text Grantaire.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hi friends! First, I would like to thank all of you for the lovely comments!Secondly, I would like to inform you about the updating schedule.We've hit a point in this story that requires 3k minimum per chapter, so that needs more time for me to work on. If you follow my tumblr/look in the comments, I suffer from Anxiety, Depression, and Bipolar 2. I also recently lost my dog to her tumor and I'm still grieving. The first week of updating this story was me working nonstop and not accepting that I need some time to grieve. That's why now I'm going to switch my updating schedule. I will be updating twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays, around 3pm (eastern standard time).As I said, these chapters will be longer 3-6k each!Hope y'all understand!- Ryan
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras flopped onto Courfeyrac’s bed, resting his head on the pillow. “So are you gonna text him?” Courfeyrac asked, sitting down next to him. “Yes. I need to think about what I’m going to say.”“When did, ‘I would like to meet up with you’ go out of style?” Combeferre asked, sitting at Courfeyrac’s desk. “Probably when we realized that we need to be a little less formal when asking to hang out,” Courfeyrac stated. Enjolras rolled onto his stomach, holding his phone in front of his face. He started at the message bar, still empty and waiting to be filled. “Oh give me that!” Courfeyrac grabbed the phone out of Enjolras’ hands. “Hey!” Enjolras protested, trying to take it back. Courfeyrac’s fingers flew across the screen and hit send. “Here you go.” He handed the phone back, smirking slightly.“‘Hey do you wanna meet up tomorrow?’” Enjolras read aloud. “I’m glad you didn’t say anything stupid,” Combeferre mumbled. “Seconded!” Enjolras yelled. “How dare you underestimate me?” Courfeyrac gasped dramatically. “How long does it take for a person to respond?” Enjolras asked, watching his phone intently. “Longer than 5 seconds. Calm down Enjolras, we just sent the text.” Courfeyrac shook his head, laughing slightly. Enjolras groaned and dropped his phone.Everyone stayed quiet, waiting for the phone to buzz. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they got a response.Enjolras grabbed the phone, reading Grantaire’s response aloud. “‘Yeah sure, where and when? what time i mean.’” Enjolras breathed a sigh of relief. “See, that wasn’t so bad!” Courfeyrac stated, patting Enjolras on the back. “Tell him to meet around noon for lunch, that will give you time to go back to your place to change.”Enjolras nodded, following Courfeyrac’s instructions. “Enjolras,” Combeferre started. “Do you know how you will handle yourself tomorrow. Because if it’s anything like today, that will be an awkward meal.” “No, not really,” Enjolras admitted. He really didn’t have any idea of how he would deal with tomorrow. It’s not that he doesn’t want to hang out with Grantaire, he really does, but he would rather not have a repeat of earlier. “Just think about what you’re gonna say before you say it and you should be fine. Talk about things you’re used to and what you like. Get to know each other. Forget he’s Grantaire and you’re Enjolras and just be two people,” Courfeyrac advised. Enjolras made a mental note of that. “You’ve done this before. You two were talking at the bar, and that went fine,” Combeferre pointed out. Enjolras nodded, looking at his phone. Grantaire had agreed, to the time, and offered a suggestion for what restaurant to go to. Apparently he knew of a little cafe a few blocks away from the Musain. “Well, I’m going to try and get some sleep. I’ll sleep on the couch, you two can have the bed.” Enjolras gave a subtle wink to Courfeyrac, who blushed in response. He darted out of the bedroom and into the living room before the other two could argue, grabbing a blanket for the couch.Enjolras opened his tumblr app, checking for any new notifications. His eyes lit up when he saw the familiar opening that his anon, who he now knew was Grantaire, always used.
(passionate anon) he was being pretty weird today, but i’ve never seen him after a night of alcohol so i guess that’s to be expected. it was nice talking to him the yesterday, i hope we can do that again
Enjolras smiled to himself, clearly Grantaire had sent this in before he received Enjolras’ text. He posted the message, along with the others that were sent in, and turned his phone off for the night.He stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadows move from the street below. Courfeyrac’s living room was right next to a street lamp, so at night you could see everyone’s movement on the ceiling. Enjolras tried to relax his muscles and get some sleep, but his mind was racing.Admittedly, he was quite excited for tomorrow. He still couldn’t figure out what his feelings were towards Grantaire, but at the very least, he was a friend. Enjolras sighed and rolled over, trying to get comfortable. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself as asleep but his mind kept wandering.He kept imagining how tomorrow would work. What would they talk about? Would he be calm and collected or would he have a repeat of today? Enjolras pushed his face into the pillow, trying to silence his thoughts.After an hour of wrestling with himself, Enjolras was finally able to get to sleep. It only felt like a few moments of rest before Courfeyrac was shaking him awake. “Get up! Eat some breakfast and head back to your apartment so you can get ready for your date!” Enjolras groaned, not wanting to wake up yet. He opened his eyes, rubbing them as he tried to adjust to the light. Combeferre was in the kitchen making scrambled eggs while Courfeyrac set the table. Enjolras pushed off the blanket and stretched, his muscles aching from sleeping on the couch.He stood up and went to help Courfeyrac as he set the table. “How’d you sleep?” Enjolras asked. “Ok I guess,” Courfeyrac stopped for a second. “You’re an evil man, you know that?” he hissed. Enjolras laughed slightly, knowing exactly why Courf said that.“I’m just returning the favor of helping you with your love life,” Enjolras said, feigning innocence. Courfeyrac rolled his eyes, debating on whether or not he should hit Enjolras with a spoon.Combeferre walked in, holding the pan of eggs, and scraped them onto the plates. “How long have you two been awake?” Enjolras asked. Combeferre shrugged, putting the pan down. “I would say maybe an hour. You looked so uncomfortable on the couch that we decided not to move you.” Enjolras laughed, thanking his friends.Enjolras took his seat while Combeferre and Courfeyrac went to get some seasonings. “What time is it?” Courfeyrac took out his phone for a second. “10:21am. You’ve got time.” Enjolras made some mental calculations, thinking about how long it would take him to get back to his house, get dressed, and meet Grantaire. “So, are you nervous?” Combeferre asked. Enjolras shrugged. “Yeah, kinda. I did have a lot of nerves last night, but I think they’ve past.”“I’m glad,” Courfeyrac stated. “You could barely complete a sentence yesterday.” Enjolras blushed scarlet but didn’t attempt to correct him. “I know. I’m going to try to fix that today, or else it might be a very awkward lunch.”His friends nodded, both not wanting to have to deal with not only a distressed Enjolras if this went wrong, but Grantaire as well. The rest of the breakfast went along with minimal conversation. Enjolras was still trying to wake up, while Courfeyrac was too into his food to talk with Combeferre.“Well thanks for the advice and letting me stay over!” Enjolras said as he was leaving. “Anytime! Don’t mess this up, though,” Courfeyrac warned. “Because while you’re one of my best friends and I love you, Grantaire is also a huge part of my life, and I would rather hurt you for hurting him than I would hurt him for hurting you.” Courfeyrac smiled widely, as if he hadn’t just threatened Enjolras.“Don’t listen to him. But try not to break Grantaire’s heart. He’s a good guy,” Combeferre remarked. Enjolras thanked his friends one last time and went to catch the bus back to his apartment. Choosing his outfit was hell. He decided against wearing Grantaire’s blue hoodie, knowing that if he wore it, he wouldn’t stand a chance at conversation. Enjolras didn’t want to wear his red jacket, thinking it was too formal. He decided on a simple t-shirt and jeans, nothing over the top, but not insanely casual. Enjolras checked his watch, noting that he should take off to meet Grantaire. It would be a twenty minute bus ride, along with a quick walk, and he would not want to be late. As he sat on the bus, Enjolras felt his nervousness well up again. He tried to calm it, forcing himself to remember that this was still Grantaire, someone he knew and nothing had changed between them. The only difference was that Enjolras knew that Grantaire had a crush on him. He wasn’t in the land of blissful ignorance anymore.Enjolras got off the bus at the stop by the Musain. He had to fight his instincts to go into the cafe like normal, instead taking a breath and walking down the street. Grantaire was right, it was only a few blocks away, three to be exact. As Enjolras turned the final corner, his breath caught as he saw Grantaire sitting at a table outside the cafe. He was wearing a beanie and a clean t-shirt, which was a feat for him. Most of Grantaire’s t-shirts had at least three different colors of paint splattered across them. Enjolras smiled and went to sit down across from Grantaire.“Hey,” he greeted. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” Grantaire shook his head, smiling slightly. “Nah, I got here maybe five minutes ago, probably less.” “Do you live around here?” Enjolras asked. He didn’t see Grantaire on the bus, and the nearest exit from the underground was farther away from the cafe. Grantaire nodded a pointed to a building down the street. “My apartment is in that building on the sixth floor. It’s a nice location but no working elevator so I have to climb up the stairs anytime I go out. It’s a bitch to go up drunk.” Enjolras hummed softly, not wanting to imagine that climb.“I didn’t realize how close you are to the Musain,” he commented. “Yeah, it’s a blessing and a curse. Easy to get to, but I always think that I can get down the stairs faster than I actually can. It’s why I’m late sometimes.” Enjolras laughed softly. “Yeah I can imagine. I’m glad that I have a working elevator. Though I do have to ride the bus if I want to go anywhere.” Grantaire nodded. “Long ride?” Enjolras shook his head. “No, it’s only twenty minutes. Traffic gets bad sometimes, but for the most part it’s just going from one quiet part of town to another so there’s not much trouble.”“Did you pick out the Musain? Cause if you did, you could have picked a spot closer to you.” Enjolras thought for a second. He didn’t normally think about how he came to know the Musain.“Sort of. It was a group effort between me, Courfeyrac, and Combeferre. It was the only spot all three of us knew how to locate when we first met so even though we weren’t extremely close by, it was the only place that wouldn’t involve us getting lost every time we wanted to meet up.”Grantaire laughed, and Enjolras had to fight back a grin. He really did love Grantaire’s laugh. “I thought it would be something about ‘support your local businesses’ or something like that.” Enjolras blushed and scolded himself for not thinking about that.“How about you pretend I said that?”“It’s a deal.”Enjolras smiled, looking at Grantaire. The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence and he continued to watch the man across from him. Enjolras had never taken the time to really look at Grantaire’s face.Grantaire didn’t have a conventional beauty about him, but if anyone said he was ugly, they were a liar. He didn’t have a sharp jawline or a pointed nose, but Enjolras wouldn’t want him to have that. The shape of his face was round and soft. His chin help wispy strands of hair, it wasn’t patchy but not a full beard like Bahorel.His nose was large. There was no denying that. But it just… fit. It reminded Enjolras of a painting. Not a realistic one, but one that was unorthodox and eye catching. The type that could be framed in a museum and you would know the exact artist. It wasn’t something that you could replicate or confuse with anything else, it was just Grantaire.Then came his eyes. They were round and sunken in, but they held a sharpness to it. They were dark brown, it could almost be considered black if there wasn’t specks of gold in the iris. They were soft and something you could get lost in, but you would never doubt that they knew exactly what they were looking at. Grantaire’s eyes looked as if they were examining everything they looked at, but not in a critical way. In a way that they were looking at a child’s art work and trying to recreate that innocence. Enjolras took his eyes away from Grantaire for a moment, feeling his cheeks light up. He made up his mind. He knew he liked Grantaire but there wasn’t any way he could say that without sounding like an idiot. He sighed to himself and took a deep breath, preparing himself to look back.“So, what would you recommend?” Grantaire looked at him, confused. “To eat, I mean. You know this place better than I do, so what would you recommend.” Grantaire took out his menu and pointed to something on the second page. “They make the best burgers ever. All the food is handmade and I promise you, you will never find a burger as good as this burger. Even if you don’t like burgers, you will like this burger.”Enjolras raised his eyebrows. “Oh really? I’ve had some pretty damn good burgers. Do you think that this burger will put all those burgers to shame.” Grantaire laughed and nodded. “I would lay my life down for this burger.”Enjolras snorted. He covered his mouth, slightly embarrassed, but Grantaire just laughed. It wasn’t mean spirited, just full of joy. Enjolras couldn’t help it as he joined in too. The other customers looked at the two of them, their faces ranging from confused to irritated, but Enjolras and Grantaire couldn’t be bothered. “Ok, ok,” Enjolras took a shaky breath, trying to calm down. “I’ll get the burger.” Grantaire grinned. “You’ll love it, guaranteed.” Enjolras smile matched Grantaire’s. Yeah, he did like him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras went home from his it’s-a-date-but-it’s-not-a-date smiling. As soon as he realized that he did in fact like Grantaire, everything felt so much lighter. There wasn’t a constant sense of dread and misery aviating over him. He also knew where Grantaire lived. He thought about all the times that he was late, but now he could see R running down his stairs. Enjolras smiled at the thought. Grantaire wants to be on time, he really does. He wants to be present.Enjolras flopped onto his bed, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He felt like a teenager again, blushing while thinking about his crush. He had half the mind to scold himself for being so emotional, but it felt too good to stop.Enjolras pulled out his phone and sent a text to Courfeyrac and Combeferre.
Enjolras: it’s settled, i like him
Courfeyrac: eyy congrats
Combeferre: this leaves the question of ‘what now?’
Enjolras: i mean… dating?
Courfeyrac: that would be the logical step
Courfeyrac: you like him, he likes you, you two go off and fuck like bunnies!
Enjolras: great talk, let’s put that plan in action
Combeferre: yes, and do you have any plan of how to ask him out?
Combeferre: because saying ‘i know you like me because you’ve been talking to my blog on anon for a while and i went on a hunt to find you’ doesn’t seem like the best thing
Courfeyrac: i mean, why not?
Enjolras: ferre is right, he would want to know why i didn’t just ask him right away
Enjolras groaned and pushed his face into his pillow. Why did this have to be so hard? He just wanted to go out with Grantaire, but this whole scheme of how he even figured out it was R was so elaborate it would seem at best a dick move, and at worse a stalker move.
Courfeyrac: dammit why isn’t ‘hey i like you, let’s go fuck’ not enough
Enjolras: when have i ever been anything but extra
Courfeyrac: fair point
Combeferre: you’ll need to get him alone, and at a pretty nice place
Enjolras: not a restaurant
Enjolras: and it can’t be something he likes too much because then he won’t pay attention to me
Courfeyrac: i think you underestimate his ability to pay attention to you
Courfeyrac: hell, i think he underestimates his ability to pay attention to you
Combeferre: how about a picnic? Simple yet romantic
Enjolras: but i don’t want him to know i want to ask him out
Courfeyrac: movies?
Enjolras: nah, it’s dark and not a place for talking
Combeferre: lunch + a walk to that cafe with cats and books?
Enjolras: yes! I can ask him out during the walk and then we can go do whatever, and if it goes bad we can play with cats
Courfeyrac: ok, it won’t go bad, but it’s nice to have a backup plan
Enjolras: thanks for the advice, I’m gonna go talk to him now
Enjolras put his phone down, staring at the messages. He could do this, right? He liked Grantaire, and he had for a while, even if he didn’t realize it. Grantaire challenged his ideas like no one else, and he did it so nonchalantly. He was someone who bettered Enjolras in ways no friend could.Enjolras sighed, laying down and looking at his ceiling. How do you ask out the man that betters your existence without even trying? Enjolras rolled over, looking at his desk. His computer was charging on top of a pile of books.Enjolras sat up and grabbed his computer. He entered his password and logged onto Tumblr. He smiled when he saw that he had asks. The first three were random people and Enjolras deflated for a second, but the final one started with a phrase he had come to recognize on sight.
(passionate anon) we went out today, i mean, not in a proper date, but it did feel like it. he was so cute, and it was so easy to talk to him, i wasn’t expecting that, i thought we would only be able to talk when he had some alcohol in him. i hope we can do that again
Enjolras grinned widely, unable to hold in the sudden rush of joy. He rushed to post the messages and grabbed his phone. He took a deep breath, calming the last of his nerves, before opening up his messages.
Enjolras: hey, had a nice time today, wanna go for lunch again tomorrow? i don’t have anything going on
Enjolras held his breath as he watched the speech bubble in the left hand corner. It can’t take that long to answer a simple question, can it? After what Enjolras could only assume was an eternity, Grantaire responded.
Grantaire: yeah! do you have a place in mind?
Enjolras let out the breath he was holding and smiled to himself.
Enjolras: well i know this place, they serve great muffins and sandwiches, and then maybe that cafe with the kittens?
Grantaire: that sounds great! does noon work for you?
Enjolras: yeah, meet you there!
Grantaire: can’t wait
Enjolras laughed, he couldn’t help it. He had set up a time and place for him to ask Grantaire out. He flopped back down, smiling up at the ceiling. “I’m really doing this,” he whispered. Enjolras sat back up and looked out the window. It was starting to get dark and he could see his reflection in the glass. His cheeks were bright red and his hair was mess from his pillows, but he had the largest grin on his face. “I’m gonna do this!” he said to himself, louder this time. Enjolras laughed again, standing up to clean up after his day. He kept repeating that phrase to himself, in awe of what tomorrow has in store. After he showered and brushes his teeth, Enjolras got into bed. He knew it wasn’t late, it was only 8:30pm, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t wait. Enjolras sighed, closing his eyes and willing sleep to come, and after a few minutes it did.Sleep left after about six hours. If he had gone to bed at midnight or one, maybe that wouldn’t be such a problem. It would be six or seven, and that’s a reasonable time to start the day. Enjolras could get work done before he went out and he wouldn’t have to work on anything during the day.But he hadn’t gone to bed at midnight, he had gone to bed at 8:30, and here is was, wide awake at 2:30am wide awake. Enjolras tried to go back to sleep. He got up, made some tea, read a little bit, and laid back down, ready to get some sleep.Enjolras looked up at his ceiling, sighing to himself. He knew that it was the anticipation that was keeping him awake. It had happened all his life. On the first day of school, he would always wake up early and be ready for the bus an hour early than needed. The same thing happened on holidays and birthdays. His mind was ready to get stuff done, while his body just wanted to sleep.Enjolras kicked off his blanket, cursing softly. He tried to get as comfortable as possible, but nothing helped. He groaned, pouting to himself. There was nothing he could do, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.There was a chance that his friends were still awake. Most of them stayed awake until they passed out around three am. That gave him a solid thirty minutes to talk to someone. Enjolras considered it, but decided against it. He didn’t want to explain to his friends how he already got six hours. Some would call him old, some would want to know why he went to sleep at that time, and Courfeyrac would manage to do both.Enjolras unlocked his phone and, against his better judgement, looked for Grantaire’s instagram account. Being awake late at night and looking through his crush’s instagram was a perfectly normal thing to do, right?Grantaire didn’t post often, but it was still filled with photos. Some of them were of his artwork or photographs of what he found beautiful. Enjolras smiled, Grantaire was a true artist. Other photos were photos of his friends. There was one of Joly and Bossuet, clearly not knowing that the photo was taken as they held hand and smiled at each other. Another was of Eponine, smiling at the camera and raising a glass in its direction. The one after that was of Bahorel and Courfeyrac the day they decided to have a rollerskate race down the street. The image depicted the moment Courfeyrac crossed the finish line. It didn’t show the moment after, when Courfeyrac fell when he tried to stop. Enjolras smiled, making a mental note to screenshot all the photos so he could keep them for himself. But the majority of the photos were of him. Some were of Enjolras giving speeches, others were him talking with friends, or just him on his phone. Enjolras couldn’t believe he never noticed Grantaire take these. He put his phone down, looking at the window.It still reflected his image, but Enjolras didn’t see himself anymore. He didn’t understand what about him made Grantaire take such beautiful photos. He felt like he didn’t deserve the attention. Enjolras looked down at his hands and put his phone on his bedside table. He sighed and closed his eyes, but his mind kept running. Maybe if it ran far enough, he would be too tired to think anymore.Enjolras’ wish to sleep was finally granted around four am, and he drifted off into less than peaceful sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras woke up with a gasp. Cold sweat rested on his forehead and his blankets were almost completely off the bed. He sat up, putting his head into his hands. The images of his dream passed through his head.Truth be told, he knew he was going to have nightmares. It’s a part of his excitement and anticipation that wakes him up early and makes it hard to sleep. Enjolras sighed, refusing to think about his dream and instead stood up. His phone read 10:56, which was later than he expected to wake up, but he wasn’t surprised. He was active pretty late last night.Enjolras shrugged off his pajamas and pulled on a comfortable shirt and a pair of jeans. He pulled up his hair into a loose ponytail, holding the hairband with his teeth while he did so. Enjolras walked into the bathroom and splashed water onto his face.When he looked in the mirror, he noticed some dark circles under his eyes. He knew he was up late, but in total he had gotten a fair amount of sleep. More sleep than he got most nights anyway. Enjolras sighed, knowing that no amount of concealer would get rid of them, and he really didn’t want to wear any makeup today.Enjolras was antsy as he waited to leave his house. It took only ten minutes to get dressed and cleaned up, which left him a full twenty minutes before he had to go. A five minute walk to the specific bus stop and a ten minute ride was like second nature to Enjolras.He opened up his phone, checking for any messages. Apparently Courfeyrac had woken up around 8:30 and was doing a deep clean of his apartment. When Enjolras asked him why, Courf just replied with “Spite.” He had also received a text from a worried Combeferre who was concerned why Courfeyrac had taken up the task of cleaning his apartment.Enjolras grabbed his headphones and put on his Spotify playlist. It only lasted a few minutes, as he just couldn’t focus on the music. He groaned, slouching down in his chair. Out of the corner of his eye, Enjolras saw his clock. It was ticking by slowly, as if it was mocking him. He ran through a list of things he could do, but he decided against all of it. He couldn’t make food because he was going out to lunch. Getting dressed again was too much of a hassle, and was extremely unnecessary. He wasn’t going to sink as low as Courfeyrac had, mainly because he didn’t have the time to clean his apartment.When it was finally time to go, Enjolras rushed out the door. The warm summer air hit him like a ton of bricks. His apartment wasn’t exactly air conditioned, it just had really strong windows and fans. The summer heat was exhausting, even just the short walk was a lot. The humidity was spread thick across the city and didn’t have any intention of leaving.Enjolras didn’t mind the heat as much as he did the humidity. Being warm was nice, it had many things you could do. Take a bike ride, go for a walk, visit local attractions. But being hot was another thing entirely. When you were hot, it drained you. It wasn’t calming and it felt like you couldn’t feel cool ever again.Enjolras ducked into the bus stop, thankful for the cover and place to sit. It didn’t rid of the humidity, but it did block out the sun, which was somewhat helpful.It was just his luck that the bus was a few minutes late. It wasn’t much of a wait, only three minutes, but it was three minutes too long. Enjolras had a schedule, and he really didn’t want that schedule to be interrupted. The inside of the bus was a godsend. Again, it didn’t have air conditioning, but it was fast moving and much cooler than the outside air. Enjolras regretted not taking his water bottle with him and made a mental note to get water when he met Grantaire for lunch.When he had to get off the bus, Enjolras’ worries started to build back up. He would be asking Grantaire out today and he had no idea how that would go. What if it went wrong? What if Grantaire rejected him? Enjolras stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and continued walking. The woman next to him gave him a weird look, but Enjolras was too focused to notice.As he turned the corner, he saw Grantaire waiting by the door of the cafe. He had a beanie on and a hoodie, neither of which seemed comfortable in this heat. Enjolras smiled and walked up to him. “Hey!” he greeted Grantaire, giving a small wave. “Oh hey! Please tell me we’re gonna sit inside?” Grantaire asked. He was trying to pretend that he was okay in the scorching weather, but Enjolras noticed the way he was pushing up the sleeves of his hoodie and how he kept pushing his hand down from reaching up to take off his beanie.“Of course, it’s too hot out here.” Enjolras opened the door for Grantaire and followed him inside. “Two of you?” the waitress by the door asked. Enjolras nodded while she grabbed two menus and led them to their seats. “I hope you didn’t wait long, it’s unbearable out there,” Enjolras commented, opening his menu. Grantaire shook his head. “I took the underground, which was nice and cool, but when I got outside it was much hotter and I was not dressed appropriately. My sweat made it look like I was there longer than I actually was,” he explained.The waitress came back around and asked for their drink choices. Enjolras ordered water for the both of them, while the waitress laughed and commented on the weather. “Wow, the weather is a major topic today!” Grantaire stated, laughing slightly. “It’s the only time that talking about the weather isn’t insanely boring,” Enjolras replied.“So,” R started. “You know this place better than me, and I recommend you the best thing when we last met, so I think it’s only fair that you tell me what’s the best thing here.” Enjolras thought for a second and flipped through the menu. After a few moments, he settled on a sandwich.“This is the best sandwich you have ever had. They make the bread themselves, and the dressing is so fresh. Basically, everything is home grown or locally bought and you won’t ever find better ingredients than these.” Grantaire whistled, looking over the sandwich. “Ok then, it’s settled.” The two lapsed into another peaceful silence, both looking over at each other contently. Enjolras felt his blush reach his cheeks again and coughed, trying to distract Grantaire from it. As if she was there to save him, the waitress returned to take their orders.After they ordered, the waitress gave a small smile. “So are you two here together?” Enjolras’ eyes went wide and shook his head. “We came here together, yes, but we didn’t, you know, come here together-together, yeah.” He turned his head, looking at Grantaire for help, but he was just laughing. “What blondie over here means to say is, we’re just friends.” The waitress smiled a knowing smile to Enjolras, who blushed some more, before leaving to make up the sandwiches. “Wow, did you drink when you got home, cause that wasn’t the usually cool and confident act that you do.” Enjolras shook his head. “There are multiple things I am not good at. One is recovering from a night out and the other is anything that has to deal with emotions and/or other people’s emotions. Basically, I can talk to people but not about people.”Grantaire nodded slowly as he tried to take in the sentence. “Yeah,” he finally says. “That makes sense for you.” Enjolras let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He would make it through the lunch alive, without Grantaire thinking he was acting suspicious. The lunch went extremely well. Grantaire loved the sandwich, as Enjolras thought he would. It really was the best sandwich. They talked about mundane things, from Jehan’s latest hairstyle to local politics. Enjolras felt himself fall more and more in love with Grantaire every second. He could hold a conversation extremely well, but what was even better was the fact that he made it interesting. It felt like there was never a dull moment between the two of them. Enjolras felt his face grow tired from all the smiling he did.When the waitress brought around the check, she slipped a little note to Enjolras. When he opened it, she had written “go get him” in small, neat letters. Enjolras blushed and shoved the note into his pocket. When he looked back up, his heart almost stopped.Grantaire was attempting to pull off his hoodie, and his shirt was pulling up in the process. His shirt just covered his nipples, showing Enjolras most of Grantaire’s front. He had small words tattooed into his ribs, and Enjolras hopped some day he would be able to read them. He also had little rolls and marks like lightning along his sides. Enjolras knew that Grantaire must hate it, but it wasn’t anything bad. It gave his body so much character, like you could read his story just by looking at him. When Grantaire finally got the hoodie off, he blushed and pulled his shirt back down. “Whoops, I didn’t notice that, sorry.” Enjolras managed to squeak out a small “don’t be” before quickly signing the check. “Are you ready to head out?” Enjolras asked, louder this time. Grantaire smiled and nodded, getting out of his chair.As they walked down the street, Enjolras felt his hands almost brushing Grantaire’s and it was overwhelming. As they made it to a nice view of the river, Enjolras stopped.Grantaire turned, looking confused. “What’s going on, are you ok? It’s perfectly ok to stop for a second. I wouldn’t want you to get heat stroke.” Enjolras shook his head, insisting he’s ok. “I just need to stop to ask you something.” Grantaire tilted his head, waiting for Enjolras to continue.“Will you go out with me?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hey friends, there won't be any actual updates this week, I'm at the beach with my sisters who I rarely get to see. I'll update next week!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Enjolras closed his eyes, not wanting to see Grantaire’s reaction.“You… what?”Enjolras cracked open his eyes, scared of what he was going to see. Grantaire stood in front of him, wide eyed. He didn’t look angry as much as he looked confused. “I think… I know I like you. But now I would like to know if I love you.” Enjolras sighed and slouched down. His mind was racing at a million miles per minute as he desperately tried to think of how this conversation will end. Enjolras watched Grantaire carefully. It was almost like his words weren’t even registering in Grantaire’s mind. “Did Bahorel put you up to this because if he did…” Grantaire asked, a hurt look crossing his face for a moment. Enjolras panicked, waving his hands frantically. “No, no! This was all me, trust me.” Enjolras sighed, shoulders hanging limply. “Listen, I know, this is weird, and kinda out of character, but I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you. You’re fun to hang out with and I don’t even know, I just like to be around you ok?”Enjolras hated that he couldn’t convey his feelings. Giving speeches wasn’t a new thing for him. Enjolras would spend hours pouring his emotions of rage into his speeches, soaking each word with emotion so his crowd would understand just how much passion for the topics he had. But now? Now as he stood in front of Grantaire, nothing seemed right. Everything was either too little and didn’t convey what he was really trying to say, or it was too much. Enjolras desperately wanted to say how long he spent trying to look for Grantaire. He wanted to tell him how he spent nights hoping it was Grantaire sending him the messages. He wanted to yell how there wasn’t anything he wanted more than to sit with Grantaire and just talk. Enjolras stood in front of Grantaire, trying to show him how much he wanted this, but he couldn’t talk. He knew that if he was in Grantaire’s shoes right now, he would look insane. He probably looked overly emotional, making his normal composed demeanor seem like a distant memory. Enjolras felt one of his curls fall in front of his face, but he just couldn’t bring himself to move it. “You don’t have to answer me you know,” Enjolras mumbled. He’d settle for an answer later, or an answer now, even if it was no. He just needed to know. “You didn’t strike me as the oblivious type,” Grantaire said with a chuckle. Enjolras looked at him quizzically. “I wouldn’t have thought I hid my feelings that well. I’ve been told countless times by our friends that I basically fawn over you.”Enjolras opened his mouth to reply, but Grantaire stopped him. “No, it’s my turn to talk.” Enjolras smiled softly and crossed his arms to listen. “I didn’t intend to fall in love with you. When we first met, I thought you were arrogant and out of your depths in everything you wanted to change. I didn’t think that you could change any of my beliefs. But you did. Day by day I started to listen to you more and more. Everyday I heard more of your emotions spill through your words and slowly, I started to feel something for you. I still don’t think you can do everything you want to. I think that to do that, you’d need a larger group of people, and those people would have to be important enough to make a change. But I believe in you. I know you can change the opinion of even the most skeptical people on the planet. I know this because you already have done that. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you. But you made me. So you standing here, asking me out and… I don’t even know what to do. What should I say? Yes can’t even begin to convey how much I want this. But I don’t know if that’s how you feel.” Grantaire paused, taking a deep breath. “Your turn.” “Do you wanna know the full truth? Every gritty detail that you might not like and might not appreciate to hear? I can tell you, I can prove to you that I took the long way to get here. Is that what you want? Will that convince you that this is what I want?” Enjolras felt his face flush and his hair fell out of the loose ponytail that rested on his shoulder. Grantaire nodded.Enjolras sighed, taking Grantaire’s hand. “Ok, I’ll tell you all of it. But we need to sit.” They ended up making it to the café and took a seat towards the back. Enjolras laughed softly to himself, collecting his thoughts. “I honestly don’t know where to start. I could start with the months that I spent avoiding getting to know you because I thought I already knew you. I thought you were just a cynic who wanted to bring the group down. And, yes, I know that’s bad of me, but you must understand that Les Amis, it’s so important to me. After that, I guess I accepted you being there. I understood that you wouldn’t want to change anything, but at least I could argue my points with someone, so I could figure out which of my arguments were flawed. “But I don’t think I’m going to start there. Here’s the honest to god truth. I have a tumblr. And I see that surprised look on your face, but it’s true. I like the website. The fandom part isn’t exactly my thing but the amount of people who point out problems in the world and want to fix it really drew me in.”Enjolras paused for a second. “You have something to say. I know it’s my turn, but please say it.”“What does this have to do with anything?” Grantaire asked. Enjolras smiled softly. “Yeah, it does seem kinda off topic. Here’s why it’s not.” Grantaire snorted, laughing about how even when talking about romance, Enjolras would still format his story like it’s a debate. “I run a blog where people come into my ask anonymously to talk about their life.” Grantaire’s jaw dropped and he saw the realization flood his face. “Enj-” “No, it’s my turn. If it makes you feel any better, I had absolutely no idea who you were for a long time. I just knew it was someone in our friend group. I literally made a list trying to figure it out. Hell, I roped Combeferre and Courfeyrac into it. They could have been doing literally anything else, but I had them help me figure out who my mystery anon was.”Enjolras tried not to laugh as he explained it all. It did sound kind of ridiculous now that he said it out loud. “But during that time, I got to know you and I started to hope that you’d be the person sending me all the messages. When it turned out to be you, I couldn’t feel anything but relieved. I didn’t know what to do, and I continued to drag Courfeyrac and Combeferre into it because I had no idea what to do. Even after everything, I doubted you’d actually want to go out with me. I know, I’m ridiculous, but I really fell in love with you. I didn’t realize it for so long but I just couldn’t be with anyone else but you.”Enjolras sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I’ll ask you again, now that you have all the information. Now you know how I got here and how much I want it. Do you want to go out with me?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was nerve wracking. Enjolras had spilled his guts, and honestly, he wouldn’t blame Grantaire for turning him down. He watched as Grantaire thought, every second feeling like an eternity too long. “You make everything so complicated,” Grantaire finally said. He had a slight smile on his face and a knowing twinkle in his eyes. “You could’ve asked. Any of our friends could tell you that it was me.” Enjolras breathed a sigh of relief. Grantaire wasn’t mad, and while he hadn’t said ‘yes’ yet, if he said no, it wouldn’t be the end of their friendship. Enjolras let out a breathy chuckle. “I thought you were going to say you hated me.”Grantaire laughed, shaking his head. “I could never hate you.” He reached across the table and took Enjolras’ hand. “And to answer your question, yes. I will go out with you.” Enjolras smiled widely, a feeling of joy overflowing his body. Grantaire pulled Enjolras’ hand, bringing him over. Enjolras scooted his chair so that his knees brushed against Grantaire’s. “Do you think this can work?” he whispered.Grantaire nodded, bringing Enjolras’ hand to his lips, giving them a quick kiss. He blushed at the gesture, turning away from Grantaire. Grantaire let go of his hands and shuffled around until he pulled out a wad of cash. He put the money on the table and took Enjolras’ hand again. “Let’s go take a walk.”Grantaire walked out of the cafe and Enjolras followed along numbly. He couldn’t believe what was happening, and he hadn’t planned what he was going to do if this happened. Part of him wanted to text Combeferre or Courfeyrac to ask for some advice on what to do. He decided against it, letting himself go along with whatever Grantaire wanted to do. Grantaire stopped, which brought Enjolras back into reality. He looked around and noticed that they were back where Enjolras originally confessed. “I thought this would be a good place to do this.” Enjolras looked at him, confused. Grantaire stepped forward and held Enjolras’ face in his hands.“May I kiss you?” Enjolras nodded and closed his eyes.Grantaire’s lips were soft and cold. His breath warmed Enjolras’ face as he kissed him. Enjolras felt like he was floating, unable to comprehend that yes, Grantaire was finally kissing him.It was too soon when Grantaire pulled away. Enjolras looked at him, unable to say anything. Grantaire smiled at him once more and Enjolras knew, yeah, they’d be ok.