When Stars Align || G. Lafayette

Chapter 20

"Whiskey for the table," he announced, and my eyebrows shot up at the four mugs he was managing to hold. At the same time, though, I felt the woolen coat Lafayette was wearing being tucked around my shoulders.

"Laf, you're gonna be cold," I protested quietly as Hercules handed a beer to Nael. He shrugged, giving me a soft smile.

"I will be fine," he replied, "besides, if I am cold, it is better to be me zan you, amour."

Oh, fuck. My eyebrows shot up at his last word. "Amo--?"

I was abruptly and rudely cut off by Hercules slamming a near-full glass onto the table directly in front of me, making me jump. There was no way that could be full of only whiskey.

"Herc, I told you I didn't want anything," I complained, and he just gave me a toothy grin and a shrug.

"Sorry, but I'm willing to bet you haven't been drinking in a while, just like him," he said, nodding to Lafayette, "You two have Christmas off specifically because you worked to negotiate a truce; I think you've both earned something to take the edge of the last few months off."

I huffed. "I shouldn't. I don't think you understand; I'm a major-general, and if I get drunk, it could put the whole war in a shitty position." Hercules gave me a dead-eyed stare that read something along the lines of "you've gotta be fucking kidding me", and Lafayette and I shared a weary look.

"King is right; it is... not ze best idea for either of us to be getting drunk, even with ze negotiated truce," Lafayette added, resting his head in his hand, and Nael scoffed.

"C'mon you two, lighten up. You're both too stressed, and you need to relax for at least one evening," he said with a grin, and I let out a heavy sigh.

"You're far from wrong, but I think it'd be for the best for me to have a night to relax without getting blackout drunk," I said, a small smile resting on my lips. He pursed his lips, examining my expression, before huffing and turning to Lafayette.

"So it's a hard no from him, but you're still gonna get drunk with us tonight, riiight?" He shot him a playful grin, his eyebrows raised as Lafayette rubbed his temple.

"'ercules, we 'ave talked about zis," he sighed, and Herc rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright, be boring I guess," Hercules huffed, "but remember, you aren't gonna have too many more chances to get shitfaced until like, the war ends."

"What a fun way to remind me zat I really am in zis for ze long haul," Lafayette said softly, sharing an exasperated smile with me as Herc began to down his glass of I'll-never-guess-what. I chuckled, glancing down at my lap as I tucked a hair behind my ear that had fallen in front of my fake glasses.

"Well, if nothing else," I said, looking up at him with a soft smile as he rested a hand on my knee, "you know I'll be stuck sober along with you for the next... who knows how long."

"Yeah, ze two of you can enjoy zat," Nael half-shouted with a snort, clinking his glass against Herc's, "I suppose ze rest of us will just 'ave to be sad and wasted."

I groaned as he began to down his glass, leaning into the back of the couch. "It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?" I asked Lafayette, tilting my head to the side, pressed against the couch's back, and he chuckled, his thumb beginning to rub circles into my knee.

"Really. We ought to be paid for all ze babysitting we do," he said, and I shrugged.

"Can't complain about the free entertainment, though," I joked, "How long are you betting until these two start harassing strangers?"