Falling - A modern Enjoltaire AU

Chapter 6

R pov :

"Hey R?" Bossuet asked later when Grantaire was round at his place after the meeting.

"Mmhm?"

"Why did you do that?"

"What?" Grantaire mumbled as he kept his gaze steadily on the blank canvas he had before him. He needed to do a piece for his art class but the only thing he could think of painting was Enjolras and handing in a giant piece of him for the assignment would be extremely embarrassing to explain. At last he sighed, replaced his clean paintbrush into the glass of water and turned to face Bossuet.

Bossuet was sitting on the couch with one arm around Musichetta, who was leaning against his side, and Joly was curled in his lap. Joly seemed enraptured by Chetta's new pet corn snake, (called "Binky" after Death's horse in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series) which he cradled in his hands. Bossuet and Chetta however were both looking curiously at Grantaire.

"Why'd you make those pamphlets for the ABC"

"I'm a nice person." He shrugged, looking down.

"Oh darling you're besotted with him aren't you?" Chetta said, looking pityingly at him. He could feel his cheeks flushing.

"WAIT WHAT?!! WHO?" Bossuet shrieked, nearly toppling Joly and himself off the sofa, only managing to regain his balance as Chetta grabbed at him.

Grantaire mumbled an incoherent response while Chetta smiled smugly. Looking as though she was planning to have fun with this information.

"Enjolras, of course." Chetta laughed as Grantaire buried his face further into his hands.

Bossuet's jaw unhinged and he stared at Grantaire in silence. His mouth stayed gaping open for minutes. His surprise only increased as Grantaire didn't correct Chetta's claim.

Eponine walked in from the kitchen. "What are we all talking about? Or rather what were you talking about that has shocked Bossuet to such an extent that he now resembles one of those statues in the museum gardens. The bald baby ones on the fountains that have their mouths wide open for water to squirt out of them to be precise."

With that Bossuet snapped his mouth shut and glared daggers at her.

"Shouldn't you be at work now." He muttered as a violent response.

"Does it look like I'm at work?" She retorted sitting herself down on the floor. Joly dutifully gave her a pillow to sit on. "So, what's going on?" She asked once she had got comfy. 

"Grantaire's crushing on Enjolras." Bossuet said, although it still sounded like a question.

"Oh that's all?!" She said flatly, rearranging her cushion's position. 

"You knew!?" Both Chetta and Bossuet yelled.

"And you didn't tell me?" Chetta added looking very pissed off.

"It was R's business." Eponine said with a shrug. "Plus it's not like he was subtle about it."

"Excuse me?! Still here." He responded miserably, before leaving them to gossip about his sad non existent love life and stupid pining. Instead he made himself a very strong black coffee. He debated whether to add alcohol to it but decided against it as after one drink it was hard to stop before things went south.

"Oh stop languishing!" Ponine shouted from the sitting room. "Bring the crisps and we can do something about this."

Grantaire drowned his cup, suddenly wishing he had added something stronger to it. He grabbed the crisps but not without grumbling that he was not languishing and that there was no 'this'.