The first time they had met was down a dirty alley where Eponine sat on a pile of crates that Combeferre feared might topple over and crush the girl at any moment. He was in his first year of training to become a doctor although he knew how to deal with most injuries, his friends were forever getting into fights or simply just being clumsy, so he wasn't at all put off when he saw her wounded arm.
He approached her like her might a frightened animal, with his hands held out slightly in front of him as he treaded lightly and attempted to make his voice gentle. "My names Combeferre-" He was taken aback a little as she broke out into a fit of laughter with her arm cradled tightly against her body. "What? What did I do?"
"You look so stupid," she told him bluntly. Her voice was slightly raspier than he had expected, the kind of voice you expected from someone who smoked a packet of cigarettes and drank an entire bottle of whiskey a day. She was certainly a few years younger than he was at twenty one, maybe she was seventeen or eighteen, certainly too young to have that kind of voice but there was something endearing about it that made him want to know more about her, about what possibly made her do those things that she did. "What do you want anyway?"
"Oh…" He realised that for the past few moments he'd been stood their simply staring at her and he blushed deeply as he stuck his hands into his pockets rather than holding them out uselessly. "I uh, I noticed your injury."
He realised it was the wrong thing to say as she pulled her arm closer to her and out of sight. "It's nothing," she told him.
"It's bleeding," he pointed out as he nodded at the small blood stain on the edge of the crate that he assumed had come from her arm. He took a few cautious steps closer to her before crouching in front of her. "May I?"
She stared at him for a moment, looking for any sign that he wanted to hurt her rather than help her but there was nothing. Just kindness, genuine kindness, in his eyes as he looked at her. She slowly moved her arm and held it out for him as he examined the wound before placing his bag down on the floor and taking out a small first aid kit. She raised her eyebrow at him, a small smirk playing on her lips. "You never know when you'll need it," he blushed as he pulled out an antibacterial wipe and began wiping the wound whilst holding her arm in place.
"So what's the verdict, Doc?" She asked with a slightly mocking tone as she watched him reach for a bandage form him bag
"My verdict is that you need to keep this wound clean, change the bandage a few times a day and come for a drink with me," he told her before he chickened out, keeping his eyes down on her arm.
She smirked as she watched him. "You know what, I think I can do that."