A Franc or Two - Les Misérables [IN EDITING]

Unexpected - Chapter 3

It was that man from the Café.

This was the handsome one, that is- the one whom you had eyed sitting with Grantaire earlier, and can be further described as covering the blond boy's hair.

There were many emotions beating through you all at once.

A part of you was happy that he had chosen to be with you, but the other wished that he hadn't.

Perhaps it was the fact that you hated almost every man whom you were with... and most of your respect for them went right out the window.

You were snapped back into reality when Timeo spoke again.

"Enjoy your night, Monsieur," he muttered.

With a swear and deep breath, he slammed the door shut. You and the man were left alone with nothing but a bed and moonlight.

An idea flashed through your head.

Before he could say (or do) anything, you rushed up and pressed a fat kiss against his lips. He was quite surprised, of course, but you did everything you could do keep your lips connected...

Why?

So you could slip your hand into his back pocket and pluck his wallet out. It took a few tries, but you eventually managed to get a hold of it- and you felt only a little bit sorry.

The moment you had his wallet hidden away behind your back, you were quick to pull away.

The man looked like he had just been attacked. Despite the fact that it was hard to see him through the moonlight alone, his eyes were wide, and he looked everywhere but your eyes.

"Erhm... that was unexpected," he blinked. The two of you stared at the ground for a moment, an awkwardness evidently hanging over you, and you toyed with his wallet behind your back.

"Unexpected?" you said finally, a small smile pricking on your lips to hide your sudden offense. "I do this for a living."

"Don't know why..." he began, but you were quick to let out an aggravated sigh.

"You're the one who came here in the first place," you said, turning on your heel as you made your way over to the bed. You already knew that it was going to be a long night if he wanted to sleep with you- by God, you were already having a difficult time getting along hardly a minute in.

"That's... erhm, not why I'm here, you know," he said. "I just saw that you were... wait a moment."

He paused to pat himself down, and he paused before glancing in your direction.

"Did you just steal my wallet?"

You felt an embarassed heat rise to your cheeks. You backed up a little, sitting on your bed (and on his wallet, just to keep it concealed).

"Erhm..." you blinked, eyebrows furrowing as you stared up at him.

The man let out a sigh. He turned his back to you as he massaged the bridge of his nose, then after he glanced back at you, he held out his hand.

"Can I have my wallet?" he asked. "If you hand it back now, I won't turn you in."

You hardly gave a second thought as you immediately held it out to him.

No amount of money was worth being in prison. You had been there once before— which is a story for another time— and it was not a pretty sight. There were rats constantly scurrying over your hands, guards trying to steal a kiss or two, and inmates smelling like absolute shit.

"Thanks," the man muttered. You gave an ashamed look to the floor, and after a moment, you noticed that he had paused...

You glanced up curiously.

He muttered something, took a handful of Francs out, and handed his wallet back to you.

"Here," he said. "Take it."

You went from feeling horribly guilty to... even more guilty.

"What? No way," you said, giving an shaking your head as you shoved it back into his direction. "I can't."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"You were ready to steal it just a few moments ago," he said, biting back a smile.

You frowned a little.

"I..." you blinked, kicking your feet up as you sat up in your bed. You ignored the obnoxiously loud moaning coming from the room right next to yours. "That's because I didn't know you didn't want to... Erhm, you know..."

You gave a nod to the room where the moans were coming from, and the both of you lingered in an awkward silence again.

"Speaking of that... why are you here, anyway?" you blinked, tossing his wallet on the bedside table (since he wouldn't accept it). "I have a job to do, you know..."

He let out a long breath.

"You were just working at Le Café Musain, weren't you?" he said. You noticed he was still standing, but you gestured for him to sit down, he just stood there while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Erhm... Yeah, that was me," you said. You had a feeling thid conversation would turn into the one quite similar to Matelote's. "Why?"

"I forgot my coat in the back room and on my way back, I noticed you were walking on the way to... Well, here."

You hardly noticed that he (still) wasn't wearing said coat.

"...and I know that some of the people here are freaks. I didn't want you to have to experience that alone, you know?"

You felt your cheeks heat up...

He wasn't wrong.