【ER】Golden Rule

In about 10 minutes, Grantaire hastily brushed his teeth, doused his face with water and tried to flatten his tangled curls, and scrambled from the pile of hair he piled on his bed by day and on his chair at night. From the pile of clothes, he took out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that didn't smell like they had been soaked in a wine bottle overnight, put them on quickly, and rushed downstairs frantically.

In his dining room, Eponine and Enjolras were sitting on either side of his table.Enjolras was tidying up his side of the desktop—computer, folders, note paper.And Eponine just sat there with her arms folded, staring at the blond youth opposite without blinking.Her eyes and nose were still so red, she hadn't had time to wipe off the mascara, and it looked like she had just cried before coming to Grantaire's house.But at this moment, the ferocious gesture she stared at Enjolras had nothing to do with the words pear blossoms with rain.

"...uh, hi, good morning, Penny. I didn't know you were coming. Why are you here?" Grantaire said as he ran down the stairs.It's been so long since he's had a proper conversation with Éponine that it's making him nervous to even see her sitting at his table like she's been all those years ago.

Éponine looked at him with a look he didn't quite understand, as if looking at a traitor.

"Your phone is off, idiot," she says, and Grantaire realizes that he turned it off before going to bed last night — which must now be full of Courfeyrac's wails ("Did you really sleep? ??" "How do you feel???" "Are you going to abandon my resignation and never do the prosecution case again??????" "Don't abandon me!").He could only smile at Éponine, who gave him another look.

"If you're sleeping with a defense attorney, you should at least tell me!" she yelled angrily.

Enjolras sounds like he choked on his coffee.

"...No!" Grantaire interrupted her in shock.After so many years, her habit of speaking out to him has not changed at all. "Nothing like that!" he said quickly, not daring to look at Enjolras's surely offended expression, "something's wrong with his house...uh-. We happened to be at the same reception last night. So he Stay with me for now."

Éponine looked at him for a moment with her overly shrewd eyes, painted with lashes like spider's legs.

"Are you serious?" she said, looking a little better. "You know, what do you usually say about this kind of thing? Yes, client, and I'm your client, too. You can't fool me about this matter." She paused, and added, "Even if you want to sleep with the defense lawyer, you have to wait until the case is over."

Grantaire took a deep breath.

"All right," he said, "it's really nothing like that. Please stop talking." He walked quickly to the operating table, picked up the two plates of fried eggs and walked out, with an obvious change of subject Intent to put it on the table, "... double-sided or single-sided? Each of you can choose one."

"Two-sided." Enjolras and Eponine said at the same time.They looked up at each other's voices.Two seconds later, they both turned to look at Grantaire.

Grantaire took another deep breath.

"...I'll eat the one-sided one." He said, closing his eyes and pointing to the kitchen, "I'll fry another one for you guys."

This extra meal for two people after ten o'clock turned into breakfast for three people.Eponine and Enjolras sat alone at one end of the table, each with a plate of double-sided fried eggs, fried ham, and toast, with two open jars of jam in the middle.Grantaire poured himself a glass of liqueur, and Eponine reached out to him for one too.Grantaire didn't dare to sit next to Enjolras, so he sat down next to Éponine with his own fried egg.Enjolras looked up at him because of this gesture.

"Shall I step back?" he said, "if you need to talk."

"Uh, it's okay." Grantaire said quickly. "...Do you mind?" He turned his head and glanced at Eponine—he was still not sure why Eponine was looking for him today, after all, she hadn't responded to his message since the first day of the trial.Rather, she hasn't responded to his messages for a long time.If he wanted to be alone with her suddenly now, he didn't know what to do.

Eponine shook her head.She continued to linger between him and Enjolras with that scrutinizing look.

"It's all right," she said.

Grantaire nodded. "Just eat yours." He waved to Enjolras, then turned to Eponine with his own plate.Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Enjolras actually put his head down and ate his food—well, he was probably starving, and really wasn't interested in what they had to say.

"...so, Eponine," he said, nervously trying to figure out what he should say to her, "what do you want from me?" A little more blunt? He regretted it as soon as he finished)

Éponine glanced at him.She ducked her fork into the slice of ham.

"Marius asked me out yesterday, and he said you asked him to take me shopping for 'simpler' clothes," she said, "and then he said he had something to tell me."

oh.Grantaire thought, oh.He gets it.He recalled the agitation of Marius the day before.He almost forgot about it.Marius Pontmercy was in love.Not with Eponine, who has had a crush on him for years, but with Cosette in the white dress.What did he say last night?He said he was asking her out today.OK, so maybe they're dating right now.

His expression must have become ugly.For Éponine stopped, looked at him and blinked.

"You already knew that, didn't you?" she said.

"No, absolutely nothing." Grantaire said hastily, "I only found out last night. Then something happened, and I didn't have time to tell you." Yes, "I didn't have time to tell you"——fortunately, love Penny knew it herself, he thought.Otherwise, he really didn't know how to tell her.

"What else happened last night?" Enjolras on the other side of the table suddenly asked.

Grantaire was taken aback.Before he could stop Éponine, she spoke directly.

"Do you know Marius?" she said.

Enjolras looked a little confused.

"The guy who stutters shyly when questioning witnesses." Grantaire sighed, thinking about it, it's no big deal to let him know—there's no rule that the prosecution and the witness's relationship is confidential information, right? "That's the one, 'Dear... Dear Miss, yes, yes, I'm sorry my next question might offend you...'"

His impersonation got stuck in the middle—the next thing he never expected: Enjolras laughed.

"...I'm sorry." Enjolras said immediately, and the smile was fleeting.He put a hand half over his mouth. "I don't want to offend him. . . . but I know who he is."

Grantaire couldn't speak anymore.Because although that smile is fleeting, it is true.He just stared blankly at the other person before he really realized that Enjolras was laughing *because of him*.He heard Éponine sigh softly beside him—she must have noticed.He hastily moved his eyes away from the corners of Enjolras's mouth where lines of laughter had just appeared.It's a pretty memorable moment, right?he said to himself.For the first time, the expression on Enjolras' face that belonged to him was no longer anger and contempt.

"So, what happened to Marius?" Enjolras continued.He probably didn't notice Grantaire's gaze, because he wasn't looking this way.

Eponine bit her lower lip.

"He told me he was in love with Cosette," she said softly.

Grantaire grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it gently.Apart from this, he didn't know how to comfort her.

"I really can't figure out why." She shook her head and said, "I've been running behind his ass for so many years, but he didn't care about it. I thought he didn't have such a brain at all, but he got it overnight! But Who is it wrong for him to fall in love with? Cosette! That little girl..." Her voice trailed off, the last sentence should have been said viciously, but it sounded a bit hesitant - Grantaire understood immediately No, she didn't dislike that Cosette at all.And that was what made her suffer even more.

"... Cosette?" Enjolras said hesitantly, "you mean my witness?"

Grantaire nodded at him. "Don't worry," he said curtly, "I won't let Marius influence her. I'll let them remove Marius from the case and give me a new junior counsel."

Enjolras looked like he wanted to say "I didn't mean that" again, but then Éponine burst into tears, interrupting his words.She propped her face in her hands, and two black tears mixed with mascara ran down her cheeks again.Grantaire hurried over to wrap his arms around her shoulders.

"Shh, don't cry. Don't cry, it's not your fault. It's Marius' loss for not noticing you for so many years." He said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and squeezing it gently. She squeezed, and the other hand grabbed her hand.He did this for a while before he noticed that Enjolras was looking at them across the table, with a look that could not be called friendly.Well, he thought, I do look like a rotten person who eats tofu when his female friend is frustrated in love.But why should I care about this?Eponine knew I realized I liked men more when I was in college!But obviously, there is no need to explain this to Enjolras at this moment.Rather, Enjolras didn't care about his sexuality at all.Oh well, maybe he cares.The kind of care that would want to give him a full amparo, Grantaire thought.He had no doubt that Enjolras had absolutely joined at least three of these minority organizations during his law school days.But come on, who wants that kind of attention?He decided to rot his sexuality in front of Enjolras.

"No, that's my problem. Because I'm not Cosette." She covered her face and said, "Cosette has everything I don't. Stay away from my parents, go to college, study music, look like A 'proper girl'..."

"...Wait." Grantaire interrupted her, "Stay away from your parents? Go to college? Hasn't she been fostered in your house?" He remembered Eponine saying that their financial situation was not good , so neither she nor her sister who was in prison could continue to live in the ivory tower.But he had never met the adopted daughter of the Thénardier family—he had known Eponine and her sister since middle school, and the two of them were in the same school, and they walked together every day to and from get out of class.But none of them mentioned Cosette.

Eponine froze for a moment. "... oh." She lifted her face from her palms. "Well, she didn't tell you, did she? I mean my mom, she didn't tell you that."

"Didn't tell me what?" Grantaire said.

"I didn't tell you that Cosette went to boarding school in another city since she was in middle school." She sighed, "That Jean Valjean gave her money to support her. My mother probably didn't tell you because she wanted to look like Cosette. It cost a lot of money. That's the kind of person she is."

Grantaire took a deep breath.He had never heard a word of it!Here we go again, the secretive party.They never know how much trouble they can get into by hiding something.Now his whole story might have to be rewritten.Cosette hasn't lived with them since middle school!He turned his head and looked at Enjolras across the dining table. Enjolras' expression showed that he knew about it a long time ago—nonsense, Jean Valjean must have told him such beneficial information.Tomorrow at two o'clock in the afternoon they will hold a trial again, and the witness that Enjolras will mention is Cosette.Fortunately, Eponine had told him the day before, he thought.Although the time is urgent, he still has time to think of some new problems tonight.

"If you want to talk about the case, maybe I'd better stay out of the way," said Enjolras.He stood up with his plate and coffee mug.Grantaire nodded gratefully.When his golden head disappeared behind the guest room door, Grantaire turned his head to look at Eponine again.

"Why does Jean Valjean support her?" he asked.

"I don't know the details." Eponine said, shrugging her shoulders, "It is said that Cosette's mother asked him to."

"Why did Cosette come back?" Grantaire asked, "Since she has been living in another city, why did she return to your parents' hotel?"

Eponine glanced at him, then quickly looked away. "I don't know," she said vaguely. "I stopped living with my parents years ago. Maybe Jean Valjean doesn't want to support her anymore? Maybe she just doesn't want to live with him anymore? "

Grantel paused. "She lived with Jean Valjean all these years?" Well, that's a point.He can make a big fuss about it.But it's not a last resort, he really doesn't want to use such indecent tricks.

Eponine nodded. "I heard so."

"What is Jean Valjean's source of income?" He continued to ask.

"I really don't know that anymore," said his friend, looking distraught. "Well, don't ask me that. Can I sleep with you? I didn't sleep last night. Ever since Marius told me..." Her voice broke off.She shook her head again. "Forget it, let's not talk about it. Can I stay here for a while, Grantaire?"

She looked up at him.Eyes looked redder than when she came.Grantaire nodded and squeezed her shoulder.

"Of course," he said, "it doesn't matter how long you stay here."

He took Éponine upstairs and opened his bedroom door.Enjolras lives in the guest room at the moment, and Eponine can only be with his chaotic room.Her eyes widened briefly at the sight of the glowing stars that were still there on the ceiling of his bedroom.

"Thank you." She lowered her eyes and said softly.

Grantaire grabs her wrist before she closes the door.He looked into her eyes solemnly (he hadn't looked at her like this in years, and he hadn't been serious in years).

"We'll win," he said.

Éponine looked at him.She smiled at him.For some reason, she didn't look happy.

Before the court hearing the next afternoon, he and Enjolras took two buses to the court.Grantaire thinks to himself how much this feels like underground lovers, but he quickly laughs at himself.After all, once in court, Enjolras was that warrior in a suit, with his hair combed and a folder in hand, sparing no effort to confront him.

They finally decided to charge Jean Valjean with burglary and manslaughter, for which Javert, his witness this time, argued with him for more than an hour - Javert insisted that he should prosecute murder, but he finally relented.On the other hand, Enjolras planned to plead Vajang's innocence under the name of self-defense.In fact, a new knife wound was indeed detected on Valjean's abdomen, but Javert and the others did not find any evidence to prove that the knife wound was caused by Thenardier.Instead, he brought the golf clubs used by Valjean and his escape record during his previous parole. (Enjolras objected that this was an untrustworthy historical act, and the judge agreed with his objection-but it didn't matter, the jury had heard Javert's words clearly. Javert's entire appearance in court made Enjolras's Things got a little tougher.)

However, Cosette's subsequent appearance in court brought about a visible reversal of the situation.She was wearing a very plain dress of light blue fabric, and her blond hair was simply braided.There was an unworldly innocence on that pretty but unassuming face—a witness everyone would love, Grantaire thought.As long as this girl speaks, everyone will believe what she says is true.As expected, Enjolras revealed her history of being sponsored by Valjean through interrogation.The girl insisted that Vajang was sincere and upright, and she had to fight back because of Thénardier's first attack.

Yeah.Grantaire thought, almost all the fools on the jury bench changed their expressions and looked lovingly at the girl on the witness stand.He really didn't want to do it.Especially when Marius was sitting nervously in the gallery, and he was going to do that to the girl he loved next.The judge motioned for the prosecution to ask questions, and Grantaire sighed and stood up from behind his desk.

"...Tell me, Cosette," he said with one hand in his trouser pocket and the other hand raised in front of his eyes—he was thinking about his own problems, and he was also trying to avoid looking into the innocent eyes of the girl, "You said that you have been funded by Vajang for several years, right?"

"Yes, sir," said Cosette.She looked nervous, but also polite.

Grantaire nodded. "Do you know his source of income?"

"I don't know, sir."

Grantaire took a deep breath.He doesn't want to do that.He really didn't want to do it.

"What was your mother's occupation?" he asked.

"I object," Enjolras immediately raised his hand and said, "This is irrelevant."

"I'm going to show how it works next," Grantaire said.

"The objection is void," said the judge.Enjolras sat down angrily.

"She's a...sex worker," Cosette said.She paled a little.Grantaire watched as her hands gripped his skirt.

Grantaire nodded, "A whore【//,】," he said, "Where did she and Valjean meet?"

Cosette bit her lip. "In a brothel," she said.

Grantaire waggled an index finger (he could already feel the changing mood on the jury). "Have you lived with him all these years? A young girl, a man with no blood relationship?"

Cosette turned completely pale. "Yes, sir. But it's not what you think—"

"Just 'yes' or 'no,'" Grantaire said, hating himself.That's it, that's the problem.As long as this sentence is uttered, Valjean's motive for breaking into the Thénardier Hotel late at night will leave doubts in the jury's mind... "Okay. Now we know that a man with an unknown source of income and a prostitute【// ,] The woman can't explain the unknown relationship, "disciplined" a girl for several years, and came to find her when she returned to her real guardian's house——Cosette, ma'am, tell me, what do you think? What was his trade? What was his motive for going to Thenardier's?"

"I object." Enjolras jumped up from his chair, "This is simply groundless speculation."

"The objection is valid," said the judge, turning his gaze to Grantaire. "Do you have any other questions?"

Grantaire shook his head.His purpose has been achieved.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the sympathy and love for Cosette on the faces of the people in the jury box had almost disappeared.

"I have no other questions," he said.

Grantaire was in a bad mood.After the judge announced the adjournment, he walked out of the courtroom and ran into Marius who was hurried out.His complexion was so pale, it must be because of Cosette's difficult experience just now.Marius should scold me, Grantaire thought.He could beat me up after I did that to that girl.I'm ready.But Marius just came up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's all right, Grantaire," he said, with the trust and friendliness of a young man on his face. "We both know this is what you have to do. Cosette knows it too."

He said he nodded (even smiled) at Grantaire, and left him to find Cosette.Grantaire saw him meet the girl in the blue dress from a distance, and the girl's pale face broke into a smile when she saw him.The young junior lawyer flushed, but firmly took her hand in a very polite way.They left hand in hand.

Grantaire stood there staring at their backs for a moment.Marius said he didn't blame him, but it hurt him worse than a punch.He'd rather he punched him.

He turned his head, just in time to see Enjolras coming out of the court.I shouldn't have spoken to him outside of court, he thought.If I take the initiative to talk to him, it's so abnormal that other people will find it strange.If they figured out that we live together - that's even worse, maybe I'll lose my job at the County Prosecutor's Office.

But whatever.He couldn't help himself.He could not restrain himself from walking towards Enjolras.He didn't come to him for consolation - on the contrary, he wanted Enjolras to scold him.Like the first time he faced Enjolras in court.Enjolras saw him too—he looked taken aback.The expression on his face even becomes a little panicked (ha, Enjolras, "panic") when he realizes that Grantaire is walking towards him.Grantaire was pretty sure his blue eyes were saying "we're not supposed to be talking here, not here".

Grantaire walked up to him, blocking his way like a provocation.Enjolras was a little taller than him (isn't creation so unfair that he has such a perfect physique?), so he could only look up at him.The two clerks passing by looked at them with searching eyes, and walked away quickly holding the file folder.Grantaire can figure out on his toes what they're talking about - "Those two guys are going to fight again in here".

Enjolras took a slow breath. "What's the matter?" he asked calmly.

All right.No anger, no scolding, Grantaire thought.It's boring enough.Maybe he's disappointed in me, thinks I'm rotten, and doesn't bother to wake me up with scolding.

"I'll be back later." He shrugged and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I'm going to have a drink. I have a takeout menu on my TV cabinet, and you can fix your own dinner."

Enjolras stared at him long enough to make him shudder.

"I'm coming with you," he continued in that calm voice.

TBC

Next chapter: Enjolras' wine madness (?