Zero Two Three One | John Laurens X Reader [Hamilton]

LXIII: Six-Bullet Chamber

❝The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.❞
—Antoine François Prévost

It's kind of like the world is offering us time to do what we need to.

Reynolds says he'll clear our schedule since our previous political stunt will last the media quite some time. And since James is still in Sweden filming, I don't have to worry about that either.

The fighting in South Korea has officially ended, North Korea fully falls back into their territory. North Korea took a big hit to their numbers. It was an indisputable win for the South Koreans and Americans who fought there.

Congress is adjourning. Apparently, our hearing literally broke the government. No work could be done without screeching and screaming, so a break was enacted. Congressmen and Senators are heading home for the time being. Not only that, but higher-ranking officials, such as secretaries to the President, are also taking time home.

So, for a moment, the world feels silent. It's silent enough that Alexander and I have embarked on our plan to visit his dad. Lavien... the man I pretend to be my dad but want nothing to do with.

And I wonder why the hell Alexander wants to interact with that bastard. Lavien has done nothing but brought pain and suffering to his family. He doesn't deserve any time with the last living member of his family.

But Alexander insisted, refusing to state his reasoning (perhaps he has no principled reason). I would rather not breathe near Lavien, but wherever Alexander goes, I go.

So we went under the radar and booked a flight to Chicago, where Lavien lives. I've never been to Chicago, so after we landed in the Midway airport, you bet your ass I dragged Alexander along to all the most famous sights. We had time to kill anyway — we agreed to meet Lavien in the late afternoon, and it's still morning.

We started with a stroll through Millennium Park (bad move, since we were immediately recognized by passing pedestrians, and they posted our whereabouts all over social media). We later took pictures by Cloud Gate; a big bean-like structure made of steel that reflects everything. It's basically a mirror! We swung by the Willis Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world. Chicago, according to Alexander, is the home of the first-ever skyscraper.

Alexander dragged me along to the Chicago Water Tower. As we beheld the majestic stone structure, Alexander dropped a history lesson on me. Apparently, in the late 1800s, a huge fire destroyed a massive portion of Chicago, costing over five billion dollars in damage (by today's standards). But this Water Tower stood strong.

As the afternoon came around, Alexander called Lavien and set up a meeting spot. We got a location, so we took a taxi and we're heading there now.

August 7, 2059.

As Alexander pays the taxi driver, I gaze at the location we stopped at.

"A Chinese restaurant," I comment.

"Yup," Alexander curtly responds, taking my hand and leading me towards it.

"Good. I'm starving."

We got in and were directed to an open table. It seems like Lavien isn't here yet, but Alexander says we won't have to wait long.

As we lounged around in the reddish-orange-lit area, scanning through the menu, I couldn't help but bring my questioning to Alexander again. I know he's not going to appreciate it, but...

"Alexander," I murmured. "Alexander, why are we doing this?"

"Jesus, not this again."

"It's a valid question!" I hiss. "You make absolutely no sense to me! I thought you hated your dad."