The City That We Loved

Catch Me I'm Already Falling

A/N: This one's for my baby sister, Lovin_Life_Freely, who graduated grade 8 on Monday!! (It's a little setting jumpy but this is getting to be the size of the Brick itself.)

Enjolras was woken, not by nightmares this time, but by something entirely different. He was sweating and his entire body ached. He moaned from how uncomfortable he felt.

"R..." he called out, not caring who else heard him. "Grantaire...Emile..." R was standing at the door, rubbing his eyes.

"Enjolras, it's one in the morning," he said.

"I...it hurts," Enjolras muttered. "R...you never said it would hurt." Grantaire closed the door and walked over, in the dark, to the bed, only tripping once.

"I said it would uncomfortable," R replied. He sat on the edge of the bed. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want the pills, R," Enjolras said, his voice cracking. He hid his face in the pillows, ashamed of saying it. "I need them."

"That's normal, Enjolras. But you have to understand that the pills aren't good for you or your relationships. I can't take that need away. Only you can do that on your own."

"I-I know." Enjolras' breathing was rapid. He made a few painful noises as he curled up in a ball. "C-Can you stay?"

"If you want...for how long?"

"Until it stops hurting," Enjolras said. "I just don't want to be alone."

"Okay," R said. "Can you pass me a pillow and I'll sleep on the floor?" Enjolras tossed a pillow to him. Grantaire sank down to the floor and put the pillow under his head. "You know, they're going to really think we're boyfriends now."

Enjolras laughed painfully.

"Let them think what they think," Enjolras said. He closed his eyes, hoping he would fall back asleep. He didn't. A tear escaped his eye. "R...I want to go home."

"I know you do," Grantaire said. "I do, too. Unless you have an idea to get the police off our tails then I don't think that's going to happen any time soon."

"Kill them all?" Enjolras asked with a choked laugh. Grantaire chuckled.

"Now you know where that got us last time," he replied. Enjolras smiled and then hid his face in the pillow, trying so hard to fall asleep.

And it finally worked.

***

Grantaire was woken by Combeferre the next morning, still on Enjolras' floor. Combeferre motioned for him to follow him out into the hall. Grantaire trudged after him and then closed the door behind him. Combeferre turned on him.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Grantaire raised an eyebrow. "I know you admire Enjolras but sleeping on his floor is taking it a little too far, don't you think?"

"He asked me to sleep there," Grantaire said, rolling his eyes. Combeferre pulled his brows together. "He's having problems." Grantaire pulled out the pill bottle from his pocket and held it up. "He's going through withdrawal. These fell out of his pocket yesterday during the food fight." Combeferre took the pills from him and looked them over. "They're drugs sold on the street."

"So Joly was right..." Combeferre muttered. "But I asked Enjolras about it and he said he wasn't abusing them."

"People who are addicted to drugs will say anything," Grantaire explained. "Even if they're your best friend. They'll die to keep it a secret." Combeferre stared at the bottle of pills, obviously broken hearted. "I had an idea...to get him back on the horse? It's really cruel but sometimes it's gotta be hard to pull through."