A Franc or Two - Les Misérables [IN EDITING]

Dinner - Chapter 55

By the time the rally was over, you were being chased away by the national guard...

And Gavroche had grown so passionate that he literally had to be carried away.

You knew because he ran back to you to avoid Courfeyrac.

"Vive la France!" Gavroche shouted, glancing behind him to see how far away Courfeyrac was... and sure enough, he hid behind you the moment he realized how close he had been.

"Oh— sorry," Gavroche said as he tripped on your dress.

Courfeyrac locked eyes with you and furrowed his eyebrows, pushing the awkwardness to the back of his head in order to get the hell out of there.

"[Y/N], can you... Can you do me a favor really quick and... Erhm, grab him for me..."

Gavroche was quick to run to your side and throw his arms around you, as if you would provide some sort of protection from Courfeyrac.

"M'selle, say it, vive la France," Gavroche said— though Courfeyrac was quick to make his was over and scoop him up.

"Come now, Gavroche," he said, grabbing your hand and escorting the both of you out of there.

Had Gavroche not been at the rally, Courfeyrac would have certainly still been chanting and getting pushed back by the guard— but he had to set an example for his boy... After all. He didn't want him to get killed.

Gavroche didn't hesitate to keep chanting. Courfeyrac sputtered a few himself, but his primary goal was to get the lot of you out of there— and as soon as he had, he was quick to let go of your hand.

"I'm sorry, Mademoiselle," Courfeyrac said, quick to scoop up Gavroche.

"Wait!" Gavroche said, wiggling a little to make it near impossible for Courfeyrac to hold onto him. "We're taking the M'selle to dinner, right?"

Courfeyrac glanced to you, turning another shade of red.

"Well... erhm—"

"Courfeyrac, you promised," Gavroche said, his eyebrows scrunching up. He opened his mouth again, ready to spill just about everything, but Courfeyrac was quick to give in.

"Alright— if she's alright with it, we'll certainly allow her to come with," he said, glancing to you and waiting for an answer. His expression was almost impossible to read... for a moment, you thought that he didn't want you to go, but at the same time...

"If you're certain," you said, moving over a little to let a few people move past you.

Courfeyrac bit the inside of his cheek as he thought... and quite carefully, he nodded.

"That I am," he said, giving you an awkward sort of smile before looking back ahead.

The two of you (excluding Gavroche, as he was being carried) walked silently... There was a tension that lingered over you and Courfeyrac, but Gavroche managed to make it less awkward.

After all, he seemed too young to understand what was going on between you two.

"I think we're going to get some rain tonight, Courfeyrac," he said, patting the man on his back as he stared up at the sky. "The clouds look... erhm, what was the word you used?"

"Threatening?"

"Thank you," Gavroche said, resting his head back against Courfeyrac's shoulder so he could glance back to you. He blinked tiredly, and he let out a long sigh.

"I really can't wait to be a brother," he said softly with a smile.

You heard Courfeyrac chuckle.