Run Away With Me

Summary: Eponine Thenardier did not know Gabriel Enjolras. Marcus told her about him, but that did not explain enough. She learns everything on the road instead. Two strangers, on a trip across the country. Modern E/E.

Disclaimer: This is not mine. Honestly, it is all Victor Hugo.

AN: So, this happened. I watched the movie and was struck with this idea. Personally, I blame Aaron Tveit – because I can. Some of the names have indeed been changed to suit the more modern times, but hopefully everyone is recognizable. I have not yet read the book, so this is all the musical, the movie, and my vivid imagination (and what I learned from reading fanfic. Lots of it.)

Prologue

Of course she has heard the gossip going around on campus. Well, she has heard some of it, and she can only imagine what else is being said.

That group of gays caused the riot. Those radicals and their need to get married, when clearly it is against God's laws. Will they never learn?

It makes her laugh a little bit, because somehow the whole point of the protest has been buried underneath the violence and an ill-timed confession from Grant Aires, who announced his feelings for one of his friends in the middle of a rally.

It is such a waste, that Grant guy. He is so dreamy, and he is so funny. All the good ones are on the wrong team. It doesn't even matter about the drinking.

The protest was actually about the college's policy when it came to same-sex relationships and their policies about women, the ancient laws that told women they were not allowed to have men in their room. Men had no such laws against them, because that was just how their school worked.

Nobody follows those rules anymore. Nobody even cares.

There were many of those "little" inequalities in their school. Housing for couples was only allowed for straight couples. The fraternities had most of the power when it came to changing the rules of the campus. The student government is still corrupt and none of the women on campus are in a position of any power.

Things are pretty good. I mean, my boyfriend's a [insert random frat here].

As a scholarship student herself, she particularly hated the limitations of a scholarship at this university. She had to cough up everything except for only the basic tuition herself, and with two jailed parents and frozen assets, and two younger siblings who needed the occasional extra, she had no money to spare.

Look, it's that scholarship trash again. Really, shouldn't she have dropped out of college about now? At least she would have stopped torturing us with her wardrobe. I can't even say that it's last season, I think it's about ten years ago.

Everybody looked down on her and people like her here, just because she was poor – they did not even know that her parents were criminals. The only person who had even really talked to her since she started last year was Marcus.

Marcus P. Murphy is one of the hottest tickets you'll get on this campus. His family is filthy rich. That blonde twat he's seeing is just a phase, because she does not have the background to make a guy like that happy. She's not even a member anywhere, and his family would never approve. I'll get my chance soon enough.

Anytime someone talked about Marcus, her heart ached. He was the kindest, gentlest soul on campus and he made her feel like someone actually cared about her presence at school. She didn't even care about the stupid money, and while the way he looked occasionally made her stomach flutter, it was not the main attraction.

Did you see that scholarship tramp following him around? I bet she's whoring herself out so she can stay here. He totally feels sorry for her.

The words about her don't even hurt her that much anymore. She's heard all of them before, those words and many more like them. She hates hearing them talking about her and Marcus, because while she knows it must just be pity, she really wants it to be something more than that. She wants him to genuinely care about her.

I guess it's good that he's getting this out of his system before we start dating.

She's in love with him, and she is fully aware of how pathetic she is. He barely knows her as a person, insists on calling her "Nina" because he thinks it's cute, and he is so far out of her league that he might as well be on a different planet. He is in love with Cosette "the Lark" Foster of all people. It is never going to happen, and that hurts.

His association with those idiots will have to end too. Their protests and rallies are only going to get him into trouble. It is not going to change anything anyway.

Marcus is a part of the Amies, a group on campus that has made it their mission to improve living conditions and equality for everyone. He is the right hand man of their leader, a serious blond guy who always rolls his eyes when she shows up, no doubt because he knows that she will have another message from Cosette for Marcus, distracting him from more important business. Blondie is never going to get laid!

"Nina," a vaguely familiar voice distracts her from her daydreams.

"That's not my name," she takes a deep breath, facing Blondie and his golden locks.

There is an awkward silence, one that stretches beyond the thirty seconds mark before he actually realizes that it is his turn to say something.

"I just heard Marcus calling you that," he shrugs, as if this is something trivial rather than her heart being pulled onto her sleeve for everyone to see. "Look, I am not here to argue about your name. I just wanted to ask you to come with me. The protest went in the wrong direction, and now I am being asked to leave campus for the summer sessions until I start law school in the fall. I am not welcome at home, and I think we should go on a road trip together. You clearly need some distance from Marcus."

He is talking like there are absolutely no kinds of emotion involved in this story, when it is obvious to anyone with a soul that emotions are at the basis of this story. He is practically a robot when he is not passionately lecturing about equality, which is the strangest conundrum she has ever faced. He seems like a passionate man until he starts talking to someone in person, and he seemingly has no idea how romantic feelings work in practice. It is as if he has only read the theory somewhere and has never actually experienced anything of the like in real life. He is a curious mix, and an asshole.

"Excuse me," she is not having any of his bullshit.

"He is never going to love you back," he delivers the painful truth as if it is just any other sentence to speak. "You need time to deal with that. Come with me."

Wow, has this guy ever even talked to a woman before? Curiously enough, the Amies are all men, even though several of the issues that they address only concern women. She wonders if all of the Amies are men because Blondie has alienated or insulted all of the women that ever attempted to join their group. It seems very likely at this point.

"Why would you even want me to come with you," she is suspicious of anyone's motives.

"I do not want to go on a road trip by myself," he starts with the undoubtedly insulting motivation for his words. "All of the Amies are going home for the summer, or they are staying with a significant other. You are the only person I know who would be free."

Of course that would be the line that he comes up with – she is his only choice, the only option that he has. He does not even know her name, for Pete's sake.

"I have family, you know," she is indignant at this point.

"You cannot stay with your parents," he speaks casually as she wonders just how much he knows. "Or you would have done so before. Your siblings have plans, or so Marcus says. He is actually the one who said that you might be interested in getting away."

Fortunately enough, there are no embarrassing details about her parents – nobody knows where they are and she wants to keep it that way. She would lose everything if the truth came out – maybe lying about her parents on her applications had not been the best idea, but dead parents sounded more inspirational than criminal ones.

"I have no travel money," she continues to resist the offer.

"I will pay for everything," he offers, and she is stunned because that is not something that people do – ever. "My parents give me a generous allowance every month, and I am getting triple the money if I do not show up at their place the entire summer, because the story about the protest has spread and people will talk."

Everyone has a story; she has heard people saying as much before. She has just always figured that life is better for rich people – it certainly was better for her back when her father owned several fancy hotels and her parents still loved her. Apparently shitty parents exist in the world of the wealthy as well. The world is different than she thought.

"Where would we even go," she asks, moving on to the crazier questions.

"We can decide that together when we leave," he shrugs, a peace offering. "I really don't have anywhere I particularly want to go, but maybe you know something."

She has never even thought about it, because she has never really had the chance to visit any place in years. It has not been a real option for her in years, and she has long let go of the idea that she will ever get to see the world. Now, apparently, seeing at least some of the world is not only possible, but it is actually going to happen, and soon. She is going to get to see these places she has only heard about. Where should they start?

"I have no idea either," she looks at him for a brief second.

"But, you'll go with me," he asks, a beatific smile starting to form on his face.

She can see the appeal now. That smile could kill a girl – the little death.

"Alright, I will go with you," the words tumble out of her mouth before she can even think about it. "I'll go pack my bags. We leave tomorrow."

This is her feeble way of trying to assert some dominance after she has already given in to him, just because of the transformation that a simple smile achieved. He somehow turned into a tolerable guy just because of that smile. It changed everything.

"That's what I was planning," he smiles that smile at her.

She is doomed.

AN: I have a few chapters already written, but I won't post it unless people actually want to read it. Otherwise I'll just take it down and rewrite or scrap the whole thing.