feather_qwill (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
feather_qwill) wrote2005-08-20 06:50 pm
feather_qwill) wrote2005-08-20 06:50 pm
Entry tags:
A Reason For It All [PG - Grantaire - Les Miserables]
Sudden inspiration generated a little Les Miz ficlet - around 375 words, I believe. Comments & crits welcomed and gladly appreciated.
Title: A Reason For It All
Fandom: Les Miserables
Characters: Grantaire, Enjolras
Rating: PG
Summary: Enjolras probes a little to far for his own comfort.
Long after the others had departed, Enjolras sighed into the closed, muggy air of the Café Musain. His papers lay scattered before him on the table; he’d been unable to focus due to that infernal presence, just hovering there, in the background.
“Why are you still here?” he demanded, not bothering to turn around. To face the man would only encourage him further; it was bad enough to address him.
“Why are you still here?” replied Grantaire, tauntingly. Enjolras ground his teeth.
“Your infantile manner should be answer enough, I suppose; you delight in provoking me. Is that also your reason for coming in the first place?” He snarled the last, glaring into bloodshot eyes.
Grantaire took a not-so-elegant sip from his wine before responding: “Oh, no. That’s not it at all.”
“Then what is it?” Enjolras demanded, slamming his fist against the worn tabletop, rage and frustration – fuelled by the relative calm of the other man – colouring his words, “You claim to be a cynic, do you not? Then why your endless, mindless prattle; you can’t possibly be hoping to dissuade us! Why not simply keep your opinions to yourself?” Silence blanketed the two; a tense, electric moment.
Then, slowly, and lacking his usual lunacy of word and gesture, Grantaire spoke. “Do you truly wish to know?”
Exhausted by his anger, Enjolras merely nodded tiredly.
“How long have I been here?” Grantaire asked suddenly, rising to his feet.
Taken aback, it was a minute before Enjolras answered. “Today? Since dawn, I suppose, or whenever you first wanted your wine.”
“No, not that. I mean . . . when did I first begin to attend these meetings of yours?”
“I don’t know. A few months past, I suppose.” Enjolras was watching Grantaire carefully now, searching for a sign of mockery.
“Wrong again. I’ve been coming for years, since the very first."
Enjolras started, surprise washing away his irritation, “What? But I’d never seen you!” Grantaire smiled: an ugly twist of lip.
“And there you have your answer, Enjolras – you never saw me.” The cynic chuckled mirthlessly at the other’s confusion, downed the last of his wine, and ambled out into the night, stumbling occasionally over his boots.
Enjolras wrote no more speeches that night.
---------------
Please, please, review, especially to tell me things that could be changed. I'm really fond the idea of this fic, but not quite satisfied in its execution.
Title: A Reason For It All
Fandom: Les Miserables
Characters: Grantaire, Enjolras
Rating: PG
Summary: Enjolras probes a little to far for his own comfort.
Long after the others had departed, Enjolras sighed into the closed, muggy air of the Café Musain. His papers lay scattered before him on the table; he’d been unable to focus due to that infernal presence, just hovering there, in the background.
“Why are you still here?” he demanded, not bothering to turn around. To face the man would only encourage him further; it was bad enough to address him.
“Why are you still here?” replied Grantaire, tauntingly. Enjolras ground his teeth.
“Your infantile manner should be answer enough, I suppose; you delight in provoking me. Is that also your reason for coming in the first place?” He snarled the last, glaring into bloodshot eyes.
Grantaire took a not-so-elegant sip from his wine before responding: “Oh, no. That’s not it at all.”
“Then what is it?” Enjolras demanded, slamming his fist against the worn tabletop, rage and frustration – fuelled by the relative calm of the other man – colouring his words, “You claim to be a cynic, do you not? Then why your endless, mindless prattle; you can’t possibly be hoping to dissuade us! Why not simply keep your opinions to yourself?” Silence blanketed the two; a tense, electric moment.
Then, slowly, and lacking his usual lunacy of word and gesture, Grantaire spoke. “Do you truly wish to know?”
Exhausted by his anger, Enjolras merely nodded tiredly.
“How long have I been here?” Grantaire asked suddenly, rising to his feet.
Taken aback, it was a minute before Enjolras answered. “Today? Since dawn, I suppose, or whenever you first wanted your wine.”
“No, not that. I mean . . . when did I first begin to attend these meetings of yours?”
“I don’t know. A few months past, I suppose.” Enjolras was watching Grantaire carefully now, searching for a sign of mockery.
“Wrong again. I’ve been coming for years, since the very first."
Enjolras started, surprise washing away his irritation, “What? But I’d never seen you!” Grantaire smiled: an ugly twist of lip.
“And there you have your answer, Enjolras – you never saw me.” The cynic chuckled mirthlessly at the other’s confusion, downed the last of his wine, and ambled out into the night, stumbling occasionally over his boots.
Enjolras wrote no more speeches that night.
---------------
Please, please, review, especially to tell me things that could be changed. I'm really fond the idea of this fic, but not quite satisfied in its execution.