Work Text:
Éponine glanced anxiously down at the timer on her wrist. Two more hours. Still?
“Relax, ‘Ponine,” her best friend Cosette’s voice came from behind her at the same time as a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’ll go off before you know it.”
“Easy for you to say,” the brunette replied. “You only have 37 minutes left on yours.”
The blonde grinned as she checked it again, the seconds slowly ticking away. “What do you think he’ll be like?”
Éponine shrugged. “If he’s your soulmate? Probably hot. But I guess there’s no way to know for another…” she leaned over her friend’s shoulder, “36 minutes and 40 seconds.”
Cosette gave her a playful shove. “Hey, paws off,” she laughed. “What about you? What do you think yours will be like?”
She had been asking herself that same question for…well, as long as she could remember. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “I’ve spent my whole life dreaming about it, but every time I wake up…I always think the dream didn’t get it quite right.”
Cosette gave her a sympathetic shoulder pat. “Hey, in another hour and 56 minutes, you’ll know for sure.”
Enjolras did his best to ignore the ticking timer on his wrist. He had gotten good at it when the numbers were bigger, but as it continued counting down, it made itself harder to ignore.
“Oh come on, Enjolras,” Marius teased, “you aren’t the least bit excited?”
“No, I’m really not,” the other man replied tiredly, taking a sip of his coffee. “I’ve never bought into the whole idea of soulmates anyway. And how are they supposed to know who our soulmates will be when we’re born. It doesn’t make any sense. You’re telling me you don’t find the whole thing at least a little strange?”
Marius shrugged, his freckles adding to the boyishness of his grin. “I’m just excited.”
Enjolras repressed the urge to roll his eyes and instead clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, then. How much longer?”
Marius checked his wrist. “35 minutes and 10 seconds. Do you think she’ll come in here or I’ll meet her out there?”
He didn’t manage to contain a sigh. “I suppose there’s no way to know, is there?” He checked his own timer again - still just under two hours of freedom left. “Why don’t you go take a walk around the block - get your nerves out a little bit. I’ll be here when you get back.”
“You sure, Enj? You’re welcome to come with me if you want some fresh air.”
The blonde shook his head. “I’ll be fine.”
With a grateful nod, Marius headed out the door at a rapid clip. Enjolras sighed again, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Well, if it has to happen…I can at least hope for someone I can like.
Éponine was pacing nervously back and forth. Just under 10 minutes to go. She had been waiting for this moment for years. Not long after Cosette’s timer had gone off, she had come back to Éponine to introduce her soulmate - a charming law student named Marius. Éponine could tell just by looking at them that they were meant to be together, and she was overjoyed for her best friend. For herself…well, she was still trying to tamp down the nerves.
Eight minutes. She stepped into the coffee shop, ordered a latte, and got a seat where she could watch passersby on the sidewalk. Would her soulmate be out there? Would they know to find her in here? Of course they would; their timers would go off at the same time and they would know.
Six minutes. She ordered another coffee, watching the windows adamantly.
Four minutes.
Two minutes.
Thirty seconds.
No one was coming in. With a deep breath, she looked around the coffee shop.
3…2…1…
The timer beeped, and she heard a corresponding one across the room.
Her heart leaped into her throat. She looked up and made eye contact with a man that she could only describe as striking - he had wavy blonde hair that fell just to his chin and bright blue eyes that seemed piercing even from across the room. He was tall, she noticed, and definitely made time for the gym. With an anxious breath, she took a few steps forward.
“Yours went off too, huh?” he said. “I’m Enjolras.”
“Éponine.” She shook his outstretched hand - it was warm to the touch, and she could feel faint callouses on his fingertips. “Nice to meet you.”
A small smile cracked his face. “Nice to meet you too.”