Okay but consider:
Maybe the reason Enjolras and Grantaire fight so often is that Enjolras is autistic and can’t usually tell if Grantaire is being serious, sarcastic or playful, or if theyre playing devils advocate rather than stating their own opinions; The reason his learned checklist isn’t working accurately (what are the eyebrows doing, how are they standing, how is the mouth moving etc added up to an educated guess) is that Grantaires depression dulls their affect, meaning all those little movements are harder to spot, assuming they’re there at all. The drinking doesn’t help.
When some kind of delicious fanfic trope forces them to spend time together he slowly builds up a personal checklist for Grantaire and, to make things easier, R works on making their facial expressions clearer and more honest/reflective of their meaning and mood. They still argue, but it’s much less upsetting for both of them.
Bonus: After a few months of hanging out together and a tonne of what Combeferre assures them is Enjolras’ flirting (which mostly involves making intense, barely-blinking eye contact because when he researched flirting they kept talking about Holding Their Gaze but never specified things like frequency of blinking. Also, various snacks and treats on long painting days because ‘humans need food to live, ‘Taire!’) Grantaire asks Enjolras out for coffee. Enj doesn’t realise it’s a date proposal and turns them down because why would he want coffee after 4pm, does R not want him to sleep tonight??? Unfortunately, it comes out as “Why on earth would I want to go for coffee with you?”. They… Yeah, they don’t take that super well.
A month or so later he marches up to Grantaire after the meeting and asks why theyre behaving so weird/avoidant and if his flirting is making them uncomfortable. They stare gobsmacked at him for a good minute straight, only snapping out of it to double over in a fit of giggles when Enjolras then asks if they’re flirting with him during what he thought was a serious conversation.
And then idk they fall in love and get married or something who knows can you tell I’m not a writer
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