Victory is Bittersweet

[MICAH STOKES]

Micah listened to Eponine as she talked and made coffee. She was write about him not wanting to wear the same clothes for a week. he'd done it before. He'd done it for longer than a week. But that was because he had to not because he wanted to, and if he had the chance to change then that was just what he would do. The woman seemed so different now that they were away from her job. It was a whole new side of her, the clothes were just the start, even her smile was different. It was nice and she looked stunning.

When Micah was given the espresso he gave a polite but quiet "thank you," and brought it up to his lips. It was hot but it didn't bother him. The hotter the coffee the better in his opinion, and he didn't like sugar or anything to take away the punch it gave. It was already fancy coffee it didn't need anything more. And Micah.. well he wasn't a man of finer things, and he enjoyed a cup of joe any day of the week no matter how fancy or bland.

He set the mug down on the counter and stood there watching, wondering if she was going to let him do anything. But then again he couldn't operate that thing. He watched her reach for the napkins when she slipped, crashing down to the floor right before his eyes. It was unexpected and even Micah couldn't react fast enough to get to her and prevent her from falling. What he could do though was crouched down beside her head and make sure she was going to be okay! What kind of luck would she have that it was a spill that hurt her more than the council.

"I'm just...going to lie here for a minute...and die of embarrassment," He looked her over, watching her hands moving and noticing the little bit of skin that was showing just under her shirt. But he paid it no mind since the only injury she might have would be her head. "Are you okay?" He asked and was ready to try and reach for her head to make sure that she didn't hit it enough to do any real damage when she started laughing and it threw him off. He froze, his hands halfway to her head and stared at her. It was...funny?

"You can save me from Goodman, but can you save me from myself?" He stared at her dumbfounded but the sound of her laughing was contagious and soon it affected Micah as even he had to start laughing at what happened. He hated falling. Then again it was a long way down when he fell. "Let's get you out of the kitchen before you wind up killing yourself Grace," he teased her and gently reached under her head to help lift her up. He was practically sitting on the floor at this point, trying to be careful to get her into a sitting position.

"You should have told me you were accident prone before I signed up. Maybe I should sign a waiver." He teased her even more and although there was a little grin on his lips his eyes still showed concern. "Are you able to stand up or am I going to have to carry you around from now on?"

[EPONINE GASCOIGNE]

Eponine laughed more when Micah started laughing, liking the sound of it. She wasn’t normally a klutz, but when she was, she did it right. Her head was throbbing, but she was sure she would be fine, if not bruised. “Let’s get you out of the kitchen before you wind up killing yourself, Grace.” She laughed again, grateful for his hands helping support her head as she sat up. A soft groan escaped her when she reached the halfway point, stars popping in front of her eyes. He was surprisingly gentle, as always. Her hands came behind her and supported her weight until she could actually get to her feet. “You should have told me you were accident prone before I signed up. Maybe I should sign a waiver.” Eponine grabbed the back of her head and shot him a playful, narrowed eyed look. “I’m not accident prone usually. You’re bad luck,” she teased back. She could see the concern in his kind eyes and she found she had to look away. It was weird feeling attracted to him at a time like this.

“Are you able to stand up or am I going to have to carry you around from now on?” She shook her head, shifting so she could get her feet under her. “I’m not a damsel in distress, Micah. Just a damsel who doesn’t clean up her kitchen properly,” she replied softly. “But…I could use a hand.” She gave him a wary smile and gripped one of his big hands in hers and somehow made her way to standing, though she had a hard time balancing when she first got back to her feet. A light laugh left her as she held his hands tight until she was sure the dizziness and the stars were gone. When she was steady, she looked up at Micah towering over her and was suddenly aware of the fact she was holding his hands and standing very close to him. She needed to stop the silly feelings she got when that happened. She dropped his hands with a smile and cleared her through. “Let’s go sit. At least then I can’t hurt myself,” she suggested in a playful tone.

As she turned to get her coffee from the counter, she noticed there was dent in the floor where her head knocked on the wood. “Oh, looks like everybody was right when they called my hard-headed,” she joked. She ran the toe of her slipper over the dent with a little frown before moving to her coffee. It was hot in the mug and she was glad. Hot coffee might help her forget the pain in her head. She moved out to the couch and sat back when she got there with a sigh. “I’ll write the waiver up for you after my coffee.” Her smile was playful as she looked over at him. He was funny and she had a feeling she would actually enjoy his company over the next couple weeks.

[MICAH STOKES]

"You're bad luck." Yes, that's exactly it, he thought but knew that likely wasn't the case. "But...I could use a hand." When she stood he followed getting to his own feet and allowing her to hold on in any way she needed. But she looked like she might be a little dizzy and he braced himself in case he needed to quickly scoop her up. "Let's go sit. At least then I can't hurt myself." It was true if she was sitting down then she wouldn't be able to fall over at least.

When her attention went to the floor he looked as well and saw the dent that her head made, his brows going up with surprise. She really was hard headed and he chuckled when she even commented on it. He picked up his cup of coffee and followed her to the couch. "I'll write the waiver up for you after my coffee." Her smile was contagious and he felt his mouth curving upwards in a returning smile.

"How about doing a better job cleaning instead," he commented and took a sip from the mug. He was still thinking about Goodman and how he'd been brave coming to Eponine's place of business. The man probably assumed that she'd be there by herself or that the people with her would be human and not another Gargoyle.

"You know you don't have to stay cooped inside. You don't want to come off as scared by the council."

[EPONINE GASCOIGNE]

“How about doing a better job cleaning instead.” Eponine narrowed her eyes playfully at Micah and sipped from her mug. It was good; bitter with a hint of sweetness lent by the sweet cappuccino milk. She would certainly go and clean up the oil once she was done with her coffee…if she could stand without falling over. Her head was throbbing where it hit the floor and she was sure there would be a knot there tomorrow night. Micah might be able to help fix her floor, which would be better than hiring someone else to come do it. She trusted Micah enough to get the job done right, though she couldn’t say exactly why she did. He hadn’t shown her how handy he was or anything, she just assumed he would be good at any job that would involve using his hands.

“You know you don’t have to stay cooped up inside. You don’t want to come off as scared by the council.” Eponine hadn’t thought of that. Of course she was mildly afraid and figured it would save all kinds of trouble if she did just stay low, but she hadn’t thought of the message that sent. She was no coward, and she didn’t need to come off as one. Her head nodded slowly as her eyes fell to her coffee cup again. She took a sip, staring intently at the floor as she considered what he said.

“You’re right,” she finally said quietly. “I shouldn’t stay cooped up. There’s a masquerade ball I have to attend this coming Saturday, after all. You’ll be my date so I have protection, but it’ll also show that I’m not afraid of the Council’s retribution. Be prepared, though; it might be perceived as a challenge, in which case I’ll need your assistance again.” She gave another smile as she looked back to him over her coffee cup. “You should be able to handle that. I’ll get you a suit if you need one. And it’s not up for discussion; I have to go, and you’ve just convinced me of that.” Her bossiness was back, but she couldn’t deny she was actually a little excited for a chance to dance with Micah, if only a little bit. It would be nice to see him cleaned up and in a suit. She was already looking forward to Saturday and imagining the look on Penelope’s face when she walked in with none other than the man she tried to accuse of a crime he didn’t commit. How sweet that would be…

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