Combeferre smiles as he watches his friend, amused, even proud, to hear the man talk with bafflement about his new charge. Miraculously, responsibility suits Grantaire. Combeferre has always known Grantaire to be capable of more than he allowed himself - he is intelligent, capable, and not half so disdainful of humanity as he pretended to be in his darker moments. Paris never allowed him to flourish - in part due to Grantaire’s own stubbornness, the ease with which he confirmed low expectations - but the same need not be true of Darrow.

They have all come a long way.

“I would never dare to understand a gamin’s mind,” Combeferre chuckles. “But considering his last caretaker…well, I doubt you can make much more trouble for him. Or he for you. Lucky for us all, Gavroche is miraculously resilient."