"Hi, I'm sorry, do you work here?"

The man is obviously frustrated, his blond hair in disarray and his face red. It's 4:38pm on Christmas Eve, and she works at ToysRUs. There have been plenty of this type of customers just in the past hour, she knows how to deal with them. She can perfectly give them directions to the remains of the Frozen stock, and tell them that everything they have is out on show.

She glances down at her name badge. Looking back up at him, she smiles. "Yes, what can I help you with?"

He smiles gratefully. "I need a child's present." His words come out so seriously, she is almost intimidated for a second.

She nods slowly. "That's pretty vague."

He nods. "I know." He looks around desperately. "I think that maybe it's a girl, but I can't be sure."

She nods again, taking a couple of steps towards the aisle that her and the rest of the bored staff have called 'The Tragically Pathetic Shopper's Aisle'. "Do you know the age of the child?" He's following her quickly, and she feels a need to make this (handsome) man leave happy with a gift for this ambiguous child.

"I don't know. Maybe seven or eight, probably. Not more than ten, but not newborn either." He's looking at her like she holds the secret to the universe, and the pressure she feels is unbearable.

"Why are you buying a gift for a child that you don't even know?"

He runs a hand through his hair. "It's for my cousin's child. They rang this morning and said that they would be coming around to my parent's house for Christmas Day."

She nods, trying to understand. "Have you got something for your cousin then?"

He lifts up a brown bag, crumbled and damp from rain. "Couples like wine, right?" He genuinely looks like he doesn't have a clue.

Pity, more than anything, overcomes her. "Yes, of course. Wine will do, especially if you aren't close with them, which I'm assuming, from this current situation, you're not?"

He shakes his head, a sheepish smile climbing onto his face. "I don't speak to my family that much."

She takes a look at the toys in front of her. "Join the club." She tries to throw him a sympathetic smile, but he just looks at her with wonderment.

"Are you spending Christmas with your friends then?" He sounds interested, so she doesn't stop the conversation. She begins just touching random boxes, looking as though she is browsing for a gift for him. He's not even trying to seem like he's searching for a toy, watching her wholly.

"Well, I guess so. I'm having Christmas dinner with my friend's family, but they're more like my parents than my biological ones, so I guess so. But then I'm going to my friend's house afterwards to watch Christmas films and open presents." She smiles. "What about you?"

"I'm being forced to go to my parent's house for Christmas dinner, just like every year. They like to pretend we're the perfect loving family, even though they didn't even send me a birthday card this year. It's all for appearances." He sounds downtrodden, which really makes her sad, especially on Christmas Eve.

"Sometimes we're born into families that we don't feel we belong in, and that's okay." She gives him a reassuring smile, which he returns.

"But, hey, I'm going to my friend's tomorrow after dinner as well. Looks like we both got lucky with our friendship group."

She laughs, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes they're more of a hinderance than friends."

He chuckles. "Oh, trust me, I know. They won't stop trying to set me up with random girls. It's embarrassing."

She looks surprised at him, but laughs anyway. "Same here! Just because I broke up with my boyfriend a few weeks ago, it doesn't mean I'm going to jump into bed with the first guy they show me." She doesn't know why, but she feels the need to make her relationship status known to this guy.

"I would agree, but I've never been in a relationship, so they have been doing this for about eight years now." He shrugs.

"You've never been in a relationship?"

He shakes his head, smiling a bit. "Nope."

She is genuinely shocked. "But-but how?" She unashamedly gives him a once over, making sure there is no obvious reason for him to not be perfect arm candy, four legs or something along those lines.

"Never been interested." He shrugs as though it isn't a big deal. Two weeks without Montparnasse is the longest she hasn't been in a relationship since she turned seventeen. Who wouldn't want to grab this guy as soon as possible?

She just shakes her head. "But you're perfect." His surprised grin alerts her to what she just said. "Wait, did I just say that?"

"I think you did." He smiles wider at her. "I'm Enjolras."

She grins at him. "Éponine."

They simultaneously frown at each other. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I swear I've heard that name before." It's not like there are many Enjolrases (Enjolrai? Enjolrasee?) running around.

He just studies her for a while, and she almost feels embarrassed under his heavy gaze. She begins to search the aisle again. "What about Play Dough? Everybody loves Play Dough!"

He is still looking at her when she turns to him, but she shakes the box of Play Dough and he thankfully takes it. "Great idea! My friend is twenty-six and he still plays with this stuff!"

She is about to point out that her and Grantaire recently made the best farmyard ever out of Play Dough (R had made sure to post their creation on every social media he owns), and she doesn't know anybody who hasn't jumped at the chance to play with it. It's an instant crowd pleaser.

"Awesome! Shall I take it to the till for you?"

He hands it back to her, smiling. "Yes, please." He follows her as she walks again. "Wow, I can't tell you how much this has helped, I would probably still be looking at board games if it weren't for you."

She giggles, placing the box onto the desk and getting a bag ready. She can see all the last minute shoppers starting to file out. Thank god there are nine people in store today, she would never have been able to help this guy if not.

"It's a tough decision. I mean, this could rupture your relationship with your family forever if you get them the wrong present."

"Not that that would be a bad thing." He grins at her. She almost feels sorry for him, but then remembers her family situation. At least his family want him at their house, even if it is just for appearances. "So when do you close?"

She checks her watch quickly, scanning the box and placing it in the bag. "4 minutes left." The eagerness in her voice is palpable.

"That's lucky, what are you gonna do when you get home?" She isn't going home, she's going to see Gav' at his foster home. But they're not close enough for that type of information yet.

"I've got some last minute wrapping to do, what about you?" Not a complete lie, she still has to wrap R's gift; a collection of photographs and memories collected from over the years, placed neatly in a scrapbook. They had decided to go for sentimental, not expensive this year, which is always fun.

"I'm going to wrap these up, then catch up on some work." He puts his PIN number in, then takes the card.

She smiles. "Oh, what do you do?"

"I'm working towards my law degree."

She grins. "Wow, hardcore. It suits you."

He laughs. "And what do you do?" He gives her a charming smile. "You know, besides being a guardian angel for desperate shoppers on Christmas Eve."

She smiles, placing the receipt in the bag. "I'm in my second year of dance school."

His eyes widen. "Really? That's amazing! How do you have the time to do all of that and then have this job on the side? Surely you're exhausted."

"Yep, I am. But I have to pay my way through it somehow, right?"

He shakes his head. "My parents have already paid all my debts off." He sounds upset about it, almost embarrassed.

She should have guessed his parents would be rich freaks. His clothes are perfectly fitting, and his hair is evenly cut.

"Lucky for some." She sighs.

He just nods, watching her. He looks down at the bag on the desk.

She smiles. "Well, I'm gonna close up now. It's 5:03pm, time to go."

He grabs the bag and places it with the other brown one in his left hand. "Well, Éponine..."

She smiles at him, lifting an awkward hand, closing the till down as she does so. "See you later."

He looks like he wants to say something, but all that comes out is, "merry Christmas."

She grins, walking away from the till point towards the back of the shop, leaving him there. "You too. Have fun at your friend's house." She turns around then and doesn't wait for an answer.

When she closes up the shop, he is gone.

Tomorrow, when he shows up at R's, she is hardly surprised.

"Did your cousin's daughter like her Play Dough?" Is the first thing she says to him.

He grins. "Turns out it was a four year old boy, but yes. I got through it."

She grins. "Good."