【ER】Golden Rule

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Fuck it, he's going to throw Marius into the Wicked Witch of the West's cauldron of potions ten times.

Grantaire frantically made his way through the bustling crowd as he loosened his top tie.The hall was full of people, and the golden light of the chandelier shone in the women's dresses. Some people were talking, some were clinking glasses, some were laughing loudly, and the voices were intertwined and buzzing in his ears.Well, maybe there's more Courfeyrac in the pot - Grantaire thought as he ripped off the tie completely and crumpled it into the breast pocket of his suit - it was hot in the room, he didn't know Why did he suddenly feel that he urgently needs to go to the balcony to catch his breath.

"Well, my God, I'm really—I'm really in love. How do you know that? My God—she's so beautiful."

These were the words from Marius Pontmercy, whose face was puffed up into a swollen little beetroot and stammered 10 minutes ago when he was asked "What's going on with you, little lovebird" [-] minutes ago.He tucked his neck into the Grantaire brothers' arms hooked nicely around his shoulders, looking shy and eager to share his affection with the world.

"Huh? I knew it." Grantaire raised an eyebrow at him triumphantly, good guy, Eponine, who is as beautiful as a fairy-he will be sore by this sentence, "Honestly, I Curious how you didn't find out about her until today—"

"Yeah, right? I'm such a fool!" said the assistant attorney general, ecstatically. "I saw her in court the other day and I said to myself: I should have known her sooner! She's incredible. "

Grantaire laughed at the dramatic wail. "It's not too late, I guess. Yeah, she's incredible, you don't know, and Courfeyrac and I have been wondering why you didn't—"

"... oh." Marius was puzzled by the words.He looked as if he had choked on himself, and stared warily back at Grantaire. "...What? You? You allow? I thought, I was worried..."

"Worried about her being a witness?" Grantaire took up the conversation confidently, feeling that this was the most encouraging thing that had happened to him in almost a month - honestly, he really didn't mind being confronted by a couple. Obnoxious goofy couple, not at all—"It's okay, as if I'd throw her for your cross-examination."

Marius' cheeks flushed another shade with surprise.

"My God! I didn't expect that! I'm so happy... No, maybe I can understand why you guys support me, after all, it's—"

"Yeah, that's—"

"That's Cosette!" exclaimed the assistant prosecutor with great joy.

Grantaire is stuck.

"...what?" he said, before he could make his voice out after a moment, his mouth comically gaping at the unspoken vowel. "... What, wait a minute, who? Er... Cosette. What Cosette?"

Marius looked at him and blinked twice in a daze.

"That's Cosette—that Thenardier's adopted daughter, that lady who always sits quietly outside the courtroom in a white dress... Wasn't she the one we were talking about?"

Grantaire froze for a moment.

"...Uh, yes, that's her, Cosette... Cosette. I'm sorry, I—I forgot her name, I thought it was Gazelle or something..." It took him almost half a minute to find her. back to my own voice.He took his arm off Marius' shoulder and rubbed his nose awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment, "Uh, Marius...I...it's too hot in here. Sorry, I have to go out— — to breathe."

Then he left Marius, still blushing in longing (a rude gesture, of course, he had to admit—but he had to get out for air), and headed straight for the terrace.

"...I don't know what he's thinking...the opposing witness, God, this is a mess. Oh...I'm such a fool." Grantaire slammed open the balcony door and kicked it back with his foot , while holding the wine bottle, intending to raise his head and take a sip for himself (he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol tonight, maybe this abnormal behavior is the source of his bad luck).Before the wine dripped into his mouth, he froze in place with his funny posture of raising his chin up.

"... oh," he said.

"Uh." Enjolras, who was leaning on the balcony, said.

Omniscient and omnipotent—Grantaire wailed inwardly.If he had a slate of embarrassing moments in his life, this one would be on it.He put the bottle from his mouth in a daze, and Enjolras, who was wearing a dark red casual suit, stared straight at him in the night like a beautiful statue, and instantly woke him up like a gust of cool wind.Is he waiting for me to speak?Should I say hello? ...Does he want to talk to me?Grantaire opened his mouth, closed it after a moment.Is it too embarrassing to turn around and walk away?After all, there were only two people here, and after the court meeting a few hours ago, he was quite sure that Enjolras didn't want to see him at all now...

"You don't need to leave." The statue under the night suddenly said, and after two seconds, I don't know if it felt a little embarrassed (embarrassed? Will he?), and then added: "I mean, if you see If I want to turn around and leave."

Grantaire blinks at him—he thinks he's misheard.

"Er, no—of course not. How come?" he said tongue-tied, trying to appear natural. "Who's going to leave—I'm not going to leave," he said, walking in two steps at a time, Carefully lie down on the balcony railing [-] centimeters away from the other side. "I didn't expect to run into you here—I thought you'd be busy starting a judicial revolution among the crowd."

Shut up, Grantaire—he slapped himself on the inside.Why not act like a sarcastic jerk at a time like this?

"Thanks, I don't," Enjolras said, looking like he didn't bother to talk to him on the subject.They were silent with each other for 2 minutes, and when Grantaire thought they were going to keep quiet like this until one person left (scientifically speaking, that person must be himself), Enjolras suddenly spoke.

"I checked your profile," he said.

Grantaire froze. "Wow, that's noble." He couldn't keep his mouth shut—seriously, everyone was trying to kick their opponents out of the courtroom—but who would actually tell that directly?

"Don't get me wrong," Enjolras looked unusually uncomfortable—he even explained it mildly. "It's not what you think. I just saw that you and Eponine Thénardier have been friends for many years, and her sister..."

oh.Grantaire thought.It felt like something exploded inside my head.

"Ha, come on." He whispered sarcastically.It's really not his fault - Grantaire defends himself mentally, he didn't mean to be a powder keg when the other person showed good intentions... but he really can't help himself when he hears "Ai Pen Go crazy when the phrase "Nee's sister" is used.Poor Eponine!And her unfortunate sister.Does anyone really sympathize with them?Marius Pontmercy, who had been favored by the former, still turned a blind eye, but Enjolras would not.The intoxicated, excited and infuriatingly innocent face of Marius who was in love ten minutes ago appeared before his eyes.Grantaire knew, how could he be mad at the young man for something that wasn't his fault at all?If it is a sin to be lazy and feel that you belong, there are too many people who are extremely sinful in this world.But precisely because of this, precisely because of his powerlessness, Grantaire's anger intensified in the sense of powerlessness.

"Just tell the judge what you've found!" he said sarcastically, "or tell the jury—I'm guilty of her, I'll make it up—or I should quit."

Enjolras looks at him disapprovingly, looking a little annoyed this time—well, that's the familiar look on Grantaire's face.

"I said it's not what you think." He paused, his beautiful lips tightened, and he seemed to be suppressing his anger, "I checked—I checked the information of that case." He paused again , "I'm just curious, you..."

Aha, here it comes.Grantaire laughed inwardly.That's it.

"How did I sleep every night after that?" he blurted out.He threw the wine bottle aside, the glass shattered on the marble floor, and a strong smell of alcohol spread around his feet.No, stop, he said to himself, don't get mad at Enjolras, the young man doesn't know anything—he hears his own voice speaking, but it doesn't seem to be his own, and he can't help himself A lump of anger rising in the chest and a recalcitrant tongue--"Don't hesitate, Angel of Justice. Look at your blond hair, this face! Maybe I should call you Themis, or Apollo?" Shut up, A voice in his head shouted, "You want to know why I didn't apply for a challenge? Why is the defense lawyer an idiot who doesn't know how to check my relationship with the defendant? Why is that girl, I know she is my friend's sister, She was controlled by books, raped, forced to transport books for others, and even pregnant, but I want to send her to prison?" Shut up, shut up, shut up—"Because I assisted The prosecutor just can't be bothered to deal with such a small charge, and her defense attorney is a dude who doesn't bother to waste time assisting the defense. How funny, he probably didn't get the case file until the morning! And me, I'm an intern , just pointing to this rare opportunity to get hired..." He paused, waiting for a nonchalant smile to form on his lips, "Besides, the jury hates the messy, scantily-dressed, drop-out The girl is still pregnant."

Enjolras was watching him—Grantaire knew that he was making a fuss and messing around right now.But he never spits out—

"See? I'm a bastard, and these are the mass trials you call justice in courtroom arguments—perfect justice. Noble people."

He's done.

Enjolras looked at him.He looked angry and confused, and his mouth moved a few times, as if trying to say something, but opened and closed again.

"I have no idea--"

"There's a lot you don't know, God of Justice," Grantaire heard himself say.Enjolras never knew how much he envied him—how much he envied his unreasonable belief in the fairness and justice of all this, "I am sorry to have to shatter your unrealistic trust in our righteous people .”

Enjolras stared at him. "Shut up," he said, looking angry this time, "I just wanted to say, I didn't know you were more self-righteous than I thought—you thought I knew nothing—why did you think I did Defense attorney? Jean Valjean's case is an aid suit!" He paused, and took a step closer to Grantaire, "Not like you're just here to say things about everything—everything changes No."

Grantaire took a step back in his anger.

"Nobody's going to change anything," he said, suddenly exhausted by the evening. "Did you come by car?"

Enjolras froze for a second. "...what?" he said, continuing to stare at him.

"I mean, did you drive when you came to the party tonight?"

"…No. I don't see how this has anything to do with what we're discussing—"

"The relationship is that I drove here. I didn't drink much, and I plan to give you a ride." Grantaire said, determined to end the conversation.This is already the most reconcilable expression he can make now, if Enjolras refuses, at worst, he will be ashamed——

The other party looked at him dumbly for a long time.

"...good," he said.

Oh my God.No, fuck.not now.Oh shit.Hold.Hold.Hold.

Grantaire wanted to bang his head on the steering wheel.Did you make up your mind to have trouble with him this evening?Why does it have to be now?Just when the atmosphere (fucked up by himself) is finally not so awkward?

"...Ahhh."

He could only hear himself squeeze this out of his throat.

After all, right in front of his eyes, beyond the window of the car—the window was smashed, the mailbox was wrung out, red paint was splashed on the door, and "hypocrite" and "scumbag lawyer" were written in various colors on the outer wall. ’ and ‘You Too a Murderer’ house—

It was Enjolras' apartment.

TBC

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Preview: Living together in the next chapter. (Pooh