A Franc or Two - Les Misérables [IN EDITING]

A Stupid Idea - Chapter 37

After your little talk, Grantaire had to return to the meeting- though he definitely seemed a little more jovial as he started on his way out.

"Grantaire- do you think you can come back after the meeting?" you asked, pulling your sheets up over yourself. "Just for a little bit."

"If you really want me to, then certainly," he said, his lips breaking into a smile. "I might be a little tired, but-"

"Oh, you don't have to- I just... I really enjoy your company."

Grantaire smile only grew.

"Then I won't let you down, then," he said, running a hand through his again. "See you later, I suppose?"

"Certainly."

After Grantaire made his way out of the room, his posture straight and smile bright, you couldn't help but feel a little better.

Perhaps just explaining your situation would be the right way of doing things.

Thanks to the dim candlelight and undeniable happiness, you had fallen asleep and hadn't even noticed it.

The first thing you noticed when you woke up was Grantaire fast asleep next to you. He was hunched over in his chair, using the armrest as a sort of pillow, and you immediately noticed how exhausted he looked- in the pale moonlight, distorted by the frost on the window, you saw how dark the circles under his eyes had become...

And, fallen from his lap was a page torn from his notebook- though the edges were jagged, you were quick to notice the perfectly drawn image of you sleeping on your stomach, arms tucked under your pillow and sheets pulled up to your shoulders. Though, in most cases, you would feel such an image of yourself was unflattering, something about Grantaire's portrayal made you feel quite beautiful.

Little to your exhausted knowledge, you had fallen asleep yet again- though you awoke by a stomachache by the time the sun rose.

This time, Grantaire was absent from your side, though the image was present on your nightstand. You lifted your head to get a better look.

Of course, every detail was exactly as perfect as you remembered, though it seemed more beautiful as you looked at it again... and you had to smile when you read the note at the bottom, scribbled out in hurried (though quite neat) handwriting:

You were snoring... Which was quite cute, in an odd sort of way. Thought you might enjoy this.

You had to chuckle at his note, though in a way, it made you appreciate it that much more.

***

Being bedridden wasn't as eventful the next couple of weeks or so. Though you definitely received a lot of visitors, you found yourself feeling a little lonely every now and then. Even though you came to the conclusion that you were going to tell the men who fancied you how you felt, you still hadn't gotten to it. You wanted to word everything in a way that wouldn't get anyone upset.

To your pleasant surprise, Gavroche was often your most frequent visitor- and, at one point, he admitted that he wanted you at more of the meetings...

And thus, came the idea to dress you as a boy.

You were reluctant at first. You had a feeling that everyone would recognize you- or, at the very least, vaguely remember seeing you somewhere- and that it was a bad idea overall...

However, that way of thinking changed when Mourey, Combeferre, Jehan, Grantaire, and Courfeyrac all pitched in their ideas.