A move

[lafaute]

It is, as Gavroche explains to Courfeyrac in the note that he leaves, as much for Grantaire's sake as his own. He says little else, only that he is fond of his friend, and appreciates all that the older man has done for him in his time here. That he hopes Courfeyrac understands, and believes that he will.

He has been in one place too long. It is time for Gavroche to move on.

Belongings packed, and Montparnasse following at his heels (though as he grows in size Gavroche wonders if Brujon is perhaps a better name. The dog is none too smart, but easily trained to do what he wishes) Gavroche heads through the streets. It is not that far to his new building, his new home.

He never even considers that Grantaire may not wish to have a ward.

The dog stays where he is told, Gavroche entering through a window. They will need better locks he thinks, as he goes back outside and lets his companion in through the doors. The cat, Owen, hisses and flees to the top of a cabinet. Brujon (for he has changed his name, he's decided) curls up on at the foot of the sofa. Gavroche finds the empty bedroom and sets down his things.

This will do nicely, he thinks, at least for a while.

Comments

[pylades_drunk]

Grantaire's shopping for the basic groceries when Gavroche makes his decision -- perhaps if he'd been warned he'd have bought a bit more of each item. As it is, when he shoulders open the door, he knows something's different.

Glenmeower comes to the door, and his headbutt is aggressive and proprietary, meowing in a talky but slightly peeved tone. When he looks around, he sees Gavroche's dog flopped down on the sofa, sleeping.

It's not altogether unusual, these days, to come in and have found that Gavroche is visiting, but his dog is not a usual guest for very long,

"Frere," he calls, as he sets the food down. "Es-tu ici?"

[lafaute]

"Ah mon ami!" Gavroche comes out of the room he now thinks of as his grinning widely. Brujon-once-Montparnasse looks up at his entry and barks the once, as if announcing he knows his human is near. "It is good you are home now. I have moved in my things."

[pylades_drunk]

At first Grantaire thinks Gavroche must be teasing, possibly out of self-doubt, or possibly self-preservation, but definitely a sign that he hasn't managed to spend enough time lately around the earnest, stubborn boy. He furrows his brow. "Well, welcome to the den of iniquity, then," he laughs. "Has Courfeyrac finally insulted the dog one time too many?"

[lafaute]

"Non, but Brujon did eat another pair of his shoes last night." He doesn't think Rene will have noticed, yet, but that is not the reason for him moving. "I've renamed him. He did not suit Montparnasse. Too dumb."

The dog does, however, know his names. His head goes up and he barks the once. "It was time. I like it here. You need new locks."

[pylades_drunk]

Grantaire snorts. "Thank god that Courfeyrac will never find himself unwilling to spend money on shoes."

He blinks. "You're serious?" R hastens. "It's not that you're not always welcome, petit frere," -- well, perhaps not every moment, he thinks, but living with Courfeyrac must surely have worked out with a gentleman's agreement for Gavroche to find adventure at convenient times, or be asleep "but I don't know if. Well, perhaps one of the others might be more..."

Responsible?

Or maybe not, he thinks: Henri is married now, and has a baby; Jehan is still grieving for Ophelia, which he understands well. Marius and Rat are wrapped up in each other, and more to the point, he imagines Marius perhaps too anxious to suit Gavroche. He has an easy brotherhood with Gavroche, and he's intensely flattered, but --

"New locks?" he asks, in lieu of continuing that argument.

[lafaute]

Gavroche lets Grantaire work his way through his objections, nodding as he does. He is sure that his friend will come around to see his point soon enough, and is pleased when he is distracted by the talk of locks. "Yes. Yours are too easily picked. I made it in with no trouble at all."

[pylades_drunk]

"Well, good luck convincing the landlord," he laughs, "but if you show me better locks I'll do my best. Still, one doesn't want to keep one's friends out," he grins. "Perhaps they're just very thoughtful locks."

He pushes one hand into his hair. "Do you really want to live here?" He hasn't the heart to say no to the boy, but he can't imagine why.

[lafaute]

"Why would you ask? If you asked, you would have to give them keys." What Grantaire has said, it makes no sense to Gavroche. Why would anyone tell they had changed the locks? "That's foolish."

He looks at the dog and cat eyeing each other off and decides they are getting on well enough. "Yes, of course. Why would I not?"

[pylades_drunk]

Grantaire laughs, as this seems like a very good point. "The landlord owns the building," he points out. "If I change anything and they don't like it -- or they have to get into the room in an emergency -- it falls to me to pay for it."

He looks at the windows. "Though," he says in a slightly conspiratorial tone, "I doubt they'd know if we just improved on the windows a bit."

Gavroche's bluntness is hard to argue in the face of, and Grantaire thinks this is probably something he's going to have to steel himself to. "I don't know," he admits. If he objects on the basis that he can't possibly take care of a child Gavroche will probably be offended.

"I think I'm likely an awful choice to spend much time with," he admits, laughing, for that is part of it. He drags Gavroche in for a wrestle of a hug and says seriously, "But if you truly want to brave it, I can't find an objection."

[lafaute]

"You have never been an awful choice, or perhaps always one," he says, wrapping his arms tightly about his friend. Gavroche has never known what it was like to have a brother. He was on the street when his mother gave birth to her sons, seeing them only occasionally when they themselves had been sent away. But he imagines that Grantaire would be the best sort of brother.

"Either way, I like you. I look out for you, and you me, oui?"

[pylades_drunk]

The embrace is a little extra melting for the fact that Gavroche has a very brash front and very few people who have encouraged closeness, in his life, and Grantaire hugs him back tightly and ruffles his hair. "I'm glad, frere," he says.

"Oui," he agrees seriously, and makes up his mind to try to be the sort of person Gavroche does not have to be doing too much looking out for. "And perhaps," he jokes, "our pets will learn to look out for each other, too, hmm?" He nods over to where right now, Owen seems to be mostly looking out that Brujon is not in his space. But they're at least not fleeing each other.

[lafaute]

"They will learn," he says with the surety and optimism of youth. After all, how could their pets not come to love each other as they do? "Then what shall we do first?"