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It was the perfect night. Javert had planned everything out exactly. The telescope, the blankets, even the thermoses of Valjean's favorite tea- everything was accounted for He had even gone and bought the rings, as much as they put a dent in his bank account. They had already been living together for a year, and Javert didn't particularly care if they were married or not, the tax benefits were probably worth it, but he had seen the look on Valjean's face at Cosette's wedding last year. It was something Valjean wanted, and he so rarely wanted anything, so Javert was damn well going to make sure this night went perfectly.
"This is wonderful Javert," said Valjean sitting with a blanket around his shoulders and his hands around his thermos of tea. Javert had been obsessively checking the weather for the last two weeks, so the sky was perfectly clear. "The stars are beautiful tonight. Stargazing was a great idea."
"If you look over there, you can see the Pleiades," Javert said, pointing. "There's seven of them, but you can only see six with the naked eye, which is why I brought the telescope." Valjean fussed with Javert's ancient telescope, attempting to point it in the right direction but obviously failing. Javert batted Valjean's clumsy hands away from it. "Here let me do it. Sometimes it sticks if you don't know the trick to it."
"This is yours?" Valjean asked, surprised.
"Of course it is," Javert said distractedly, looking through the eyepiece. "Where else would I have gotten it?" He adjusted the angle, noting that one of the bolts was coming loose again.
"I didn't know you were interested in astronomy."
Javert paused, thinking back. It had never really come up. "Oh. Well. I always have been," he said, turning back to his telescope. "This telescope was my mother's, actually." Finally, the Pleiades cluster was in focus. "There, now try."
Valjean didn't look through it right away, instead looking at Javert with a slight smile. Javert suppressed the urge to fidget with the loose bolt on the telescope.
"You look beautiful in the moonlight," said Valjean sincerely. "It brings out the silver in your hair."
He was glad that the darkness hid the flush that spread over his face. Even after all these years Valjean continued to surprise him.
"You're a sentimental fool," said Javert, the insult coming out fond. He had no right to say such things when he himself looked like some kind of moonlit angel, the soft light making his white hair shine in the dark. Valjean had softened him if he was even thinking such thoughts.
"Doesn't make it any less true," Valjean said with a smile.
Javert rolled his eyes. "Just look through the damn telescope, Jean." He shoved his hands in his pockets, curling his hand around the small box there. There was no reason to be nervous, but he found himself anxious about what Valjean's response would be none the less.
"How did you get so interested in the stars?" Valjean asked, hunched over the eyepiece.
"My mother used to take me out and tell me stories about the stars sometimes," Javert said. "She knew all the myths and turned them into bedtime stories. Of course, this was before she was arrested. I got her telescope when I was 18, but before then I liked to just sit outside and look up at the stars." He looked up at the Pleiades. "Those are my only good memories of her. She wasn't exactly a good mother, with her line of work."
Valjean looped an arm through Javert's, resting his head on Javert's shoulder and looking up at the stars with him. While Javert had been talking, he had moved closer without Javert noticing.
"Tell me then," Valjean said, "what is the story of the Pleiades?"
"The Pleiades are seven sisters, the daughters of the titan Atlas and the nymph Plieone. Atlas was condemned to hold up the sky for all eternity and could no longer protect his daughters. The hunter Orion," he pointed up at the stars that made up the Orion constellation, "pursued them. Titan was concerned that they would be caught by him, so the God Zeus turned them into doves for protection. Orion still pursued them, literally hunting them as birds, and Zeus changed them again into stars. Orion hunts them still, chasing them across the sky."
"That's a bit sexist," Valjean said after a pause.
Javert snorted. "Blame the Greeks."
"You tell it beautifully." Valjean kissed him on the cheek and Javert could feel the smile on his lips.
"I'm just repeating what I was told," he said, flustered "You think too much of me." His hand was curled around the box in his pocket again, rolling it around in his palm.
"It's true, you just can't see it," Valjean said, leaning into him. The field they were in was near silent, with only the chirping of crickets for company. The stars were bright and glittering overhead. He told himself again that there was no reason to be nervous yet he hesitated, the box halfway out of his pocket.
"Javert, can I ask you something?" Valjean asked softly, almost startling Javert who was so deep in his own thoughts he almost didn't hear him. "This is kind of sudden but... Marry me?"
Javert blinked in surprise and almost dropped the box in his hand, unable to believe what he just heard. If he hadn't already been looking up, he would have done so. "Of course I should have expected this," he muttered to himself. "Unbelievable."
Valjean started to pull away. "If you don't want to, that's fine, or if it's too soon..." Javert's side was cold where Valjean had pressed up against him.
"What? No, Jean, it's not that," Javert said hurriedly, reaching out and snagging Valjean's hand. "I just, fuck, sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He sighed in frustration. "Tonight was going to be perfect. I had planned all out. I waited weeks for it to be this clear. Weeks, Jean. And now you-" he made a noise of frustration and shoved the black velvet box at Valjean. "Just take it. You've never conformed to my perfectly laid plans anyway."
Valjean pulled his phone from his pocket, blinding both of them with the light of its flashlight. "Javert is this-?" Valjean said in disbelief.
"Just open it," said Javert, annoyed beyond belief at having his plans dashed. "I was going to get down on one knee and I had a speech and everything, the whole nine yards," he muttered, arms crossed.
The rings were simple, which suited them, and Javert's bank account, just fine. Just simple gold, no fancy engraving or anything. Valjean's face lit up when he saw them, one of his hands flying to cover his mouth.
"So, tonight- the blankets, the tea, the telescope- you were planning this?" Valjean's voice was thick and he looked like he was about to start crying at any moment.
"Of course I was!" Javert said, frustrated. "It was going to be romantic and perfect and exactly what you wanted, but you had to go and ruin it by beating me to the punch. Typical."
"Ask me," Valjean said, his hand clinging to Javert's arm. "You said you had a speech. I want to hear it."
"You already asked me, so I don't need to," Javert said, irritation fading, "and no, you completely ruined the mood. It won't be the same." Valjean continued to stare at him, begging him with his eyes. Javert sighed, caving. "Fine. Give me the stupid rings." Valjean practically threw the box at him.
Javert knelt on one knee, making sure he was on the blanket and not on the wet grass. He was too old for this.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered. But he would do it anyway because Valjean asked him to.
"No, it's romantic," Valjean countered, smiling as wide as Javert had ever seen him. He had put his phone away but Javert could still make out his features in the moonlight.
"Jean Valjean- Christ, are you crying already?"
"Maybe," said Valjean, wiping at his eyes. "Continue, please."
"Yeah, well you're getting the short version because my knee is cramping up already," Javert grumbled.
He cleared his throat, feeling suddenly awkward and all too aware that he has Valjean's full attention.
"Jean, I never thought in all my years of chasing you that we would end up like this. That night on the bridge, you changed me, and then you agreed to go to that damn holiday party--"
"You say that like it was a bad thing."
Javert scowled. "It was awful and you know it."
Valjean only smiled at him. "I actually like your coworkers, you know."
"I do know and I find it annoying. They love you and won't shut up about it. Why did you even keep Roux's contact information on your phone?"
"I like him."
"I can't believe you." He shook his head. He could feel the dampness of the grass soaking through the blanket and also his trousers. "Stop interrupting me this is supposed to be a speech."
Valjean quieted immediately, although he was practically vibrating with anticipation.
"As I was saying," he glared at Valjean, daring him to interrupt him again, "you have been by my side through all of it and I could literally never ask for a better friend because I had never had one. I know I don't deserve you, but here you are. Will you-" Valjean sniffed and Javert could only roll his eyes. "Will you marry me, you foolish man?"
He had imagined a longer, more heartfelt speech, but that had been before Valjean had thrown a wrench in his plans. It probably would have been awful anyway; he was still no good with expressing emotions.
"Yes," Valjean answered, openly crying now. Javert wished he had brought a box tissues. Valjean would probably need the entire thing. "Yes I will."
"Yeah, I figured, since you technically asked me first. Now help me up." His knee had indeed gone stiff and would probably be killing him tomorrow, but it had been worth it to see the look on Valjean's face. Valjean pulled him up, and Javert was still amazed at how easily he could do that, then immediately kissed him.
"Do you want the ring or not?" Javert asked when he managed to pull back enough to do so. Valjean stepped away, holding out his hand expectantly. Javert would have rolled his eyes at his eagerness if it wasn't so important to him. The rings were slipped on, and then Valjean had his arms wrapped around him and was kissing him again. This time Javert let him, his hands settling on Valjean's hips.
"I love you," said Valjean when they pulled apart. "Thank you for indulging me."
"You should know by now that I would do anything for you."
"That was very romantic."
"I have my moments." Javert shrugged, desperately ignoring the heat in his cheeks. "Don't expect too many of them."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Valjean kissed him again. "Now, it's late and it's cold. We should head home where it's warm." They separated and started collecting their things. Javert pulled out flashlights so Valjean didn't have to awkwardly use his phone again.
"I'm sure this has nothing to do with how much you want to call your daughter and tell her the good news."
"I have four missed calls."
"Christ. I knew asking her first was a bad idea."
"You asked Cosette for permission?"
"Call me old fashioned if you want."
"No, it's sweet."
"She forced me to tell her everything I had planned to do. I think she would have stopped me if I didn't have her official seal of approval. And then she told Roux, who told the entire station, and I had to put up with them as well."
"Did you know your station has a terrible gossip problem?"
"I know. It drives me insane. They're supposed to be working, not taking bets on my private life."
They had carried everything back to Javert's car, carefully packing the blankets around Javert's telescope. Within minutes they were on their way back home.
"We should do this again sometime."
"What, propose? No deal."
"No, go stargazing. It was fun, and next time you can tell me more stories."
Javert had one hand on the wheel, the other on the center console holding Valjean's hand.