A Franc or Two - Les Misérables [IN EDITING]

Pocketed - Chapter 13

When you first awoke the next morning, Courfeyrac was passed out against the dresser, which didn't seem  to have moved the entire night...

And for the first time, you felt safe enough to sleep in.

The second time you woke up, the dresser was back in its original position, and for a moment, you expected to find a stranger in your bed...

But thankfully, it was empty.

And your feet were bandaged.

Oh, thank God, you thought. It wasn't a dream...

That thought was further confirmed when you still had Courfeyrac's coat under your head, and you smiled fondly.

That was often how the next few days went.

Courfeyrac would keep you company for a while, go out to run errands, and often come back to make sure you were alright.

You were also given a beautifully crafted fan, a pillow, and a pair of shoes.

It was safe to say you were back on the streets by around Thursday.

"[Y/N]!" someone called out. It was difficult to hear her over the voices, but when you heard it again, you glanced around.

You thought you had gone mad for a moment... you didn't see anyone who would have called your name.

But then you saw Matelote. She was dressed quite nicely, with her hair cascading down her back as she wore a few dainty flowers inside. Her looks didn't match her worry.

"Where have you been?" she asked.
"Madame Houcheloup said you were sick, but... I want to make sure Timeo didn't try anything. I know how men like him work."

"I'm fine," you said. Just the past few days had been better than your entire life had been, and you would much rather focus on the good as opposed to how much of an asshole Timeo was.

"[Y/N], I really have to ask... why do you keep going back to that world?" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she straightened out her necklace. That was a nervous habit of hers. "You clearly don't enjoy it."

Your bubble of happiness had just bursted.

"Why can't you just leave me alone about that?" you asked, your eyebrows furrowing a little. You would much rather not think about the life you were about to go back to.

"I just... I'm worried about you, [Y/N]," Matelote said. "I honest to God thought you'd been murdered or something, and after a scare like that... I really don't want you there."

"I almost was murdered, actually," you muttered under your breath. Thankfully, as you said that, a horse trotted past— and Matelote didn't seem to notice.

"Well... Remillard expects to eat lunch with me," she said, rubbing the back of her neck a little awkwardly. You noticed that her cheeks had gone red from both the cold and the wind. "But I'll see you soon, right? At the end of your shift? We need to talk about this more..."

"Erhm... sure," you said, forcing a small smile as you scooted out of the way for a small child to pass. "See you."

You were quick to pivot on your heel and jog over to Le Café Musain.

There weren't as many people as per usual... and for a quick moment, you glanced around to see if you knew any regular costumers— and of course, Grantaire was sitting alone at a table in the corner.

You noticed that his nose was literally pressed into a leather-bound book...

The poor man was already passed out.