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'Truth,' said Courfeyrac, straightening his spine from his seated position on the floor.
'The best sex you've ever had: who was it with?' asked Grantaire with a grin. Enjolras, who was sitting between Courfeyrac and Grantaire, let out a groan.
('Do we really have to play truth?' he'd asked earlier, settling himself resignedly into his spot in the circle on the floor. 'It always devolves into learning too much about everyone's sex lives.'
'You don't have to play if you don't want to,' Cosette said diplomatically.
'You're just afraid of going all red faced in front of everyone,' said Grantaire, eyes sparkling as he grinned.
'No I'm not.'
'Yes you are.'
'No I'm not.'
'You definitely are.'
'Okay I'm in,' said Enjolras, face set in determination as everyone attempted to hide their smiles and, in Eponine's case, laughter. Bahorel gave a very pleased-looking Grantaire an admiring pat on the back and Enjolras ignored everyone, demanding the game begin.)
'Combeferre.'
Courfeyrac had said it before thinking, the name tumbling past his lips and out into the open. Immediately he wanted to slap his hand over his mouth and take it back and also sink into the floor and die. Matters were only made worse by the fact that the room was suddenly filled with noise and movement.
'Oh my GOD!' screeched Cosette as Marius clung to her arm, open mouthed. 'How did I not know this!?'
'Oh Courf,' Enjolras said beside him, and when Courfeyrac looked over he saw Enjolras had dropped his head into his hands.
Bahorel had let out a low 'ohhhh' which had descended into rolling laughter, patting a stunned looking Grantaire on the back again.
'Wow,' said Joly softly to Boussuet and Musichetta, giving them wide-eyed looks. Boussuet appeared just as surprised, but Musichetta only wore a serene smile.
Jehan had thrown himself backward so that he was laying on the floor, exchanging a wide eyed, lip-bitten smile with Feuilly.
'Why didn't you tell me!' Eponine exclaimed to Combeferre, punching softly at his arm.
Courfeyrac's eyes now slid to Combeferre, feeling sheepish. Combeferre's expression was unreadable, his face as blank as ever, and Courfeyrac fought the urge to squint to see if there was at least a trace of disappointment or annoyance or anger or anything.
'It's too late to say I was kidding, isn't it?' Courfeyrac asked weakly, and everyone nodded in various states of sympathy.
'Well, this was truly fun,' said Enjolras in his I-told-you-so tone, standing up. He gave the room a sweeping glance before tugging Courfeyrac up from under the arms and dragging him into Courfeyrac's bedroom.
'I thought it was best to get you out of there,' said Enjolras by way of explanation. Courfeyrac blinked, suddenly realising he had gone a bit numb. He hadn't told Enjolras, so Combeferre must have. It seemed he had been the only one who knew.
'Oh my god,' Courfeyrac breathed. 'Oh my god. Did I really just say that?'
'Afraid so,' replied Enjolras, placing a steadying hand on Courfeyrac's shoulder.
'Combeferre is going to kill me.'
'He won't kill you,' said Enjolras matter-of-factly. 'It's not that bad.'
'Enjolras, you literally had your head in your hands!' replied Courfeyrac, his voice becoming high-pitched and slightly hysterical.
'Sorry.' Enjolras made a face. 'I swear it wasn't that bad. Here, sit down.'
Courfeyrac flung himself onto the bed, burying his face in his pillows.
'Okay, or lay down,' said Enjolras above him. 'Do you want me to get Combeferre?'
'Noooooooo,' said Courfeyrac, muffled by the pillows.
Then there was a knock at his door.
'Noooo,' he repeated again, but Enjolras had already crossed the room to open it.
'Can I talk to him?' he heard Combeferre's low voice. Oh God. Oh God. He turned onto his side, curling up and facing the wall. The door closed, presumably with Combeferre inside and Enjolras outside but Courfeyrac wasn't about to turn around for visual confirmation.
'Uh, you okay?' Combeferre's voice asked.
Courfeyrac rolled slightly to peek at Combeferre from the corner of his eye.
'No. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-'
Then Combeferre laughed. Actually laughed.
'It's fine, Courf.'
'Wait.' Courfeyrac pushed himself up into a seated position, narrowing his eyes. 'Really?'
'Yes,' replied Combeferre, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Courfeyrac just blinked at him.
'I don't care that everyone knows,' continued Combeferre, waving a vague hand toward the door. 'I kind of thought you might have already told people. And I didn't intentionally keep it a secret or anything. I mean, I told Enjolras. It's just a subject that generally doesn't come up. At least not for me.'
'You're not mad?' asked Courfeyrac, realising how hard and fast his heart had been beating now that it was slowing down in relief.
'No. You just said I was the best sex you've ever had,' said Combeferre, looking amused. 'I'm not mad.'
'Well. You were,' Courfeyrac said, nudging Combeferre's hip with his foot. 'I didn't even have to think about it.'
'That's evident,' said Combeferre with a smile, his tone was confident but colour was flushing the cheeks of his dark skin.
Courfeyrac smiled.
'I think about it a lot, you know,' said Combeferre softly, eyes fixed on his own hands. 'I think about you.'
Courfeyrac's heart nearly stopped, and when he exhaled it was heavy and shaky. 'I think about you as well,' he said in a rush.
Combeferre's head jerked up, their eyes meeting.
'All the time really,' continued Courfeyrac, feeling himself beginning to babble (his annoying nervous habit). 'Not just the sex, though of course I do think about that. How couldn't I? But also about you. In general. I wonder what you're doing or sometimes I'll be doing something and suddenly I'll wonder what it'd be like if you were there and then I realise I want you there and it doesn't seem as... much... as whole without you there. And when you are there I wish you could be more there with me, properly, like it's never enough just having you near without having you.'
Courfeyrac's face was burning, but so was Combeferre's. In fact, even the tops of Combeferre's ears had flushed red as he stared at Courfeyrac.
'Sorry,' said Courfeyrac quickly.
'Sorry?' asked Combeferre with a confused frown. 'Courf I-'
'Yeah sorry for... all that. Seriously don't worry about it you don't have to... I underst... wait what?'
Combeferre had shifted forward, placing his hand on Courfeyrac's waist.
'Courfeyrac,' said Combeferre, looking at him with an amused expression, 'Can I kiss you?'
Courfeyrac responded by blinking three times, before leaning forward to press his lips to Combeferre's. His lips were exactly how Courfeyrac remembered: soft but firm and a little dry and completely electric.
When they pulled apart, Combeferre was smiling. 'For the record, that's how I thought about you too. Like you said. Wishing you were around. Wishing I could share things with you, touch you, kiss you.'
Courfeyrac didn't know what to do with the pleasant, swelling feeling he was experiencing in his chest, so he pulled Combeferre back into another kiss, more passionate this time, using his tongue in the way he remembered Combeferre had really liked...
-
Eventually they decided it would be wise to re-join the others, seeing as they would likely be in various states of worry. Or gossip. Or both.
Combeferre held out his hand and Courfeyrac laced their fingers together, opening his door with his free hand. When they stepped back into the lounge room, hands clasped, Enjolras was the first to notice them.
'Things worked out well then?' he asked, giving them a nod.
'Oh thank god,' muttered Grantaire, leaning into Enjolras's shoulder with a relieved look.
From there it was another descent into the varied reactions of their friends. Then they settled on the couch, Combeferre's arm around Courfeyrac's shoulder.
'Ugh, another couple,' complained Eponine, but she had a smile playing on her lips.
So did Courfeyrac.