âSo youâre lesbians? How do you have sex?â
Eponine gave the fuckboy at the bar such a toxic glare that Cosette could see his face go white, even through the dim lights. âNone of your fucking business. Go to hell before I send you there myself.â
âI was justââ
âI said, fuck off.â
Eponine clenched her fist on top of the bar, showing off her collection of spiked rings and knuckle tattoos. Her face was murderous. The fuckboy took one last look, then turned and slunk off without a word, tail between his legs, too intimidated to stay and try to make amends. Cosette looked at Eponine in awe and appreciation.
âI never get tired of watching you scare away creepers.â
âFunny, I never get tired of you watching me.â Eponine squeezed Cosetteâs hand sweetly, belying the terrifying power within her, and pecked her lightly on the cheek. âNow. How about another drink? I think we deserve it.â
â
It had been a fun night out, fuckboy aside (and that hadnât even come as much of a surprise; Cosette and Eponine run into them everywhere they go), but Cosetteâs still pensive tonight as she lies beside her gently-snoring girlfriend. Eponine had been so upset earlier. Sure, sheâd contained it well, but Cosette could tell that sheâd have punched that boy if he hadnât run off when he did. Usually she doesnât get that angry when boys hit on them, so there must have been something different about the situation. What could it be? Cosette loves Eponine so much; she wants to make sure sheâs okay now, and not still angsting over something that was in no way her fault.
Carefully, she turns the events of the night over in her mind. Theyâd been having fun, drinking happily at the bar with their friends and watching Enjolras turn a hilarious shade of red as Courfeyrac kept feeding him margaritas (Cosette might not experience Asian glow, but she canât doubt its existence, judging from her brotherâs every reaction to alcohol), and then that damned boy had come up. He hadnât even said anything strange, just teased them about sex, andâ oh. Cosette feels her chest get cold. Thatâs it.
âEponine,â she says. âEponine, câmon.â She nudges her girlfriendâs shoulder lightly, then harder, as Eponine refuses to stir. âEponine, sweetheart, wake up!â
âFuck off,â mumbles Eponine, but finally does sit up and look at Cosette with sleep-bleared eyes. âThe fuckâs your problem?â she wants to know. âI was dreaming about punching Montparnasse in the face.â
âSorry.â Cosette leans up against Eponine, rubbing her back and kissing her shoulder until she starts looking less grumpy, and finally turns for a proper kiss of her own.
âWhatâs up, then?â
âI, um.â Cosette had been so determined to have it out with Eponine right now, but now that she has the chance, she can feel her throat closing up. âWell. Um, EponineâŚâ
Eponine must notice that somethingâs wrong, because she leans in even closer and starts to pet Cosetteâs hair in that way she does. âHey, hey. Itâs okay, little bird. Whatâs wrong?â
Cosette closes her eyes tight. She has to do this, has to make things better. She canât hold Eponine down like this, not when she loves her so much. Sheâd do anything for Eponine, hasnât she always said that? So this shouldnât be a problem, even if it makes her feel sick to her stomach. It shouldnât even be an issue. Sheâll just close her eyes and do it for love.
âEponine,â she says. âDo you wanna have sex?â
âWhat?â Eponineâs voice is sharp with surprise. She shifts on the bed to take Cosette into her arms. âDarling, youâre sex-repulsed. Why the hell would you want that?â
I donât, Cosette wants to say. But thatâs the easy way out. Eponine will understand, and theyâll just take things the way they have been, and Eponine will remain unfulfilled and unhappy. Eponine, unhappyâ thatâs the stuff of Cosetteâs nightmares. So she allows herself one shudder, and turns her head for a kiss.
âBecause youâre sexy.â
Eponine ducks away from Cosetteâs lips and drops her hand, as if afraid to touch her. Ordinarily, Cosette would be hurt by that, but right now, she canât help but feel relieved. Every minute that theyâre not having sex is a good one for her. Selfishly, she doesnât pursue another kiss, and instead drops her head against Eponineâs shoulder.
âSeriously. You, uh⌠you turn me on. Letâs do it.â
âNo.â Now Eponineâs voice is fierce. âCosette, Iâm not going to have sex with you. I donât know what youâre trying to do here, but itâs not happening. Iâm not taking advantage of you. Who the fuck do you think I am?â
When she puts it that way, it does sound bad. But Cosetteâs on a mission, and she knows what she wants (or at least, what she could want).
âI do want it,â she says.
âYou donât. Why would you? Whatâs going on?â
What is Cosette even supposed to say to that? Damn it, this isnât supposed to be difficult. Sex is meant to be nothing more than a biological mechanism for reproduction; why is it so hard to talk about? She takes a second to gather her thoughts, then swallows.
âOkay. So, I noticed you were pretty upset tonight at the bar after that guy asked us about sex. And I know youâre not ace, and I am, and itâs gotta be hard for you, and I love you and I want to make you happy, so if you want, we can, we canâŚâ Cosette has to swallow a lump of bitterness that rises unbidden in her throat before she can go on. âEponine, if you want to, letâs have sex.â
Eponine stops breathing. Cosette can feel it. Very slowly, she brings her hand up to pet Cosetteâs hair once again. âI think you have the wrong idea,â she says. âI donât want to have sex with you, Cosette. I never did.â
âButâŚâ
âYes, youâre beautiful, and yes, I canât help but be attracted to you. But I would never want to do anything youâre not comfortable with. I love you so much, little bird. Why would I need sex? Just being with you is more than enough.â
Something in Cosetteâs chest gets a little warmer. Sheâs beginning to thaw out again. But stillâŚ
âWhy were you so upset, then? Youâre usually not that pissed when guys talk to us.â
âI was worried about you. I know you can handle yourself, but I didnât know whether you would be upset to talk about sex when you werenât expecting it. That asshole could have made you uncomfortable, and thatâs not okay.â
âSo⌠you werenât mad because we donât have sex?â
âGod, no. Oh, Cosette, is that what you were thinking?â
Cosette ducks her head to rub her nose against the fabric of Eponineâs flannel. Originally, it was one of hers, but now it smells like Eponineâs cinnamon-apple body wash, and itâs comforting. âI didnât think so,â she says. âBut then that happened, and you were so upset, and I started doubting myself and I couldnât stop thinkingâŚâ
âYou poor thing.â Eponine shifts and pulls her onto her lap. She might be the smaller one in the relationship, but right now, her arms are Cosetteâs castle, strong enough to keep the negative thoughts at bay. âCosette, I mean it. Youâre so precious to me, and our relationship is perfect as it is, no sex needed. I would never be upset about that. I mean, we have our own type of intimacy, we have love, we have friendship within out love, we have a drawer full of vibrators we can use whenever we start feeling that type of wayâ what else could we possibly need?â
Cosette canât help but laugh at this last part, although itâs a little weak and sniffly. There are tears in her eyes that she canât blink away. âYou mean it?â
âI promise.â
âI love you.â The tears are flowing now, but Cosette couldnât care less. She presses a watery kiss to Eponineâs lips. âGod, Eponine, I love you. I love you so much.â
âAnd I love you, angel.â
Cosette kisses her again, and they lose themselves in the sweetness for what could be minutes or hours, just drinking in each otherâs company, unhurried, unpressed, and gentle. Thereâs no expectation of anything else, just kissing and soft endearments for their own sake, and Cosette doesnât think sheâs ever known a peace so perfect.
âSorry I got insecure,â she says after awhile, though, because she feels like she should address it, if just to clear her own head. âYou know Iâm proud of who I am, and I wouldnât want to be any other way, but sometimes, I worry.â
âAnd thatâs valid.â Eponine smiles teasingly, drawing on Cosetteâs propensity to bless any and all things with validation, and boops her on the nose. âBut you know, Iâm always here, and Iâll always reassure you, because this is trueâ I wouldnât want you to be any other way, either.â
How did Cosette ever get so lucky? She has no idea. Eponine is truly one of the best things thatâs ever happened to her. She wraps her arms around her and tucks her head against the crook of her neck, just breathing her in, basking in the warmth and comfort that her presence provides. Tonight might have started off badly, but itâs perfect now.
âI love you so much,â she says. âI hope you never get tired of hearing that.â
âDonât worry.â Eponine touches a kiss to her forehead, blessing, promise, and adoration all at once. It feels like everything good in this world. âI never will.â