Don't Need Them - John Laurens x Reader {DISCONTINUED}

- 57 -

~ time skip: the night before the trial ~

Your POV

Another week had gone by, and it'd gone by surprisingly well. There was a feeling of clouds overhead with the trial finally tomorrow, but we tried not to worry about it too much; we knew things would work in our favor unless the court was really f*cked.

Of course, though, there were good moments, and there were slightly less good ones...

Flashback -

It was around seven in the morning. We'd pretty much gotten accustomed to being woken up around that time by Frances, so it had started to become a habit. John was still asleep though, and I didn't bother waking him up. He deserved the rest.

I had gotten dressed and was nearly done brushing my hair when I heard Frances start to cry through the baby monitor on the bedside table. Not loud, but she was definitely a little fussy.

Before I could open the door though, there was a sudden movement from behind me followed by John cursing sharply under his breath.

Turning around, John was sitting up and hunched over, eyes squeezed shut tight as he clenched the blanket.

"Príncipe, what did the doctor tell you about moving too fast?" I spoke up, walking over and seeing his eyes open.

"Didn't mean to," John muttered, exhaling as he straightened up. "Heard Frances cryin' and it just- it scared me," he admitted.

"Oh, mi amor..." I sighed, perching myself on the edge of the bed next to him. "Fran is safe with us. Everything's okay."

"All I can see is Alexander holdin' her, and..." John trailed off. "'M afraid they'll just... come back."

I carefully rubbed his back, making sure to not accidentally touch the mark still on his back. "I know you're still worried, but the trio is in custody. They can't get us right now."

"I know." John sighed. "I know.."

"I gotta check on Fran though before she gets any fussier. You can go back to sleep, príncipe," I told him.

"Okay, ángel. Thank you."

"For what?" I asked.

"Just.. bein' there - helpin' me. I'd prob'ly be more of a mess than I already am right now if it weren't for you," John answered, chuckling a bit.

I smiled. "I know you'd do the same for me, baby. It's no problem."

-

"What's on your mind, ángel?"

I looked up to see John walking into the living room, sitting next to me on the couch.

"What gave it away?" I responded, scratching behind Bowie's ear when I felt his head on my thigh.

"You get that spaced-out expression. Like you're deep in thought," John answered.

"Fair enough." I paused a moment. "I'm just... thinkin' about tomorrow."

"Nervous?" my husband tried.

"I guess?" I responded. "I'm pretty confident we're gonna win, yet part of me can't stop thinking about if we don't."

"The chances of that are slim, princesa. You know that," John reassured.

"But they're not non-existent. That's the thing," I told him. "Alexander's status pretty much has a chance of protecting all of them. And if they get out, then what? They're gonna come right back after us, and God only knows how much worse they'll try to hurt us, emotionally and physically."

"Unless the court is extremely in favor of him and them, there's no way they'll just get off scot-free," John replied. "Each one of them are facin' at least two charges; Hercules is gettin' a third one for the assault."

"This is just a mess." I shook my head, looking down at Bowie and stroking his head. "Who in their right mind would even think to kidnap a one-year-old in the first place? And then beat the sh*t outta her father 'cause he took her back?"

"Well, they obviously ain't in their right mind, so..." John shrugged slightly. "We're gonna win it, chickadee. You reassured me of it, so now it's my turn to remind you."

"Right. Thank you, príncipe." I looked over at him.

John sent me a smile, setting his hand over my free one. "'Course, princesa. We're gonna get through this."

"Finally," I responded. "We won't have to deal with them 'til years from now."

"Don't mention the future; I don't wanna think of Frances growin' up yet," John muttered, making me giggle. "Sorry, mi amor."

"It's okay. I can't stay mad at you anyway," he laughed.

"Damn right you can't," I replied, making us both laugh more.

Things would definitely be okay.

~

"What? I already know we can't avoid punishment."

"Yeah, I know that. Which is why I suggested that." He rolled his eyes.

I folded my arms. "Like hell that would work."

"It's worked for me - don't forget it. And I know you're smart, don't act like you're not. You're perfect to help me plan."

"Whatever you say."

i'm sorry for not showing love to my fav lil fictional fur baby as much as he deserves. i hope that makes up for it a bit-

i'm trying to post an update a week tho but sometimes my motivation is ✨lacking✨ so i'm sorry if i keep missing it-

next chapter do be a big one tho. not that y'all don't know what's gonna happen but y'know what it's still lowkey f u n

anyway i hope y'all liked this chapter and i'll cya in the ✨next one✨

have a good day/night/whatever time it is for you :)

~ Galaxy