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

XXXVII: One Reason and Three Words

"Yes."

"You're lucky we haven't reported the incident to one of Washington's aides! I could have you two fired from the war in minutes!"

"Fired?" Alexander raises a brow. "I don't think that's how war works."

"Don't get smart with me, Hamilton!" Burr barks, pointing an accusatory finger at the unintimidated Alexander. Alexander scoffs and averts his gaze away. 

I glance back at John and Lee, hoping one of them can step in and stop Burr. Both the men are staring at the floor, appearing to be unwilling to get involved. Like witnesses looking away from murder and continuing on their merry way.

"You two deliberately went against direct orders!" Burr goes on. "You stole a new British fighter jet model, so new that it didn't even get to be named! Then you two flew out to the middle of the ocean to fight enemies you were directed to leave alone, then you got shot down! The jet got shot down! Do you know how much work and money has been put into manufacturing  that jet?!"

"No."

"A lot!"

"You don't get the bigger picture, do you?" I cut in, annoyed by his treatment of the whole situation. He's acting like we did something objectively bad! "Don't you see? We fought off those Brazilians! We protected the harbor! We saved all those boats and ships! I'd argue we did the country a service!"

"You do no service when you disobey the Commanding Officer!"

Burr isn't even in the American AC. Why isn't John stopping him? He has no authority to shout at me!

"We stopped an attack!" I continue. "Isn't that something?!"

Burr pinches the bridge of his nose. "Explain to me again how you two got shot down after supposedly fighting off all the enemies?"

I clench my fist. I never noticed that Burr could be such an insufferable-

"There was one more plane," Alexander explains. "It shot us down when we were heading back. Then it flew away."

"Isn't that lucky?" Burr grits his blinding white teeth. "Oh, and one more very important question: how the hell do you two know how to operate an aircraft?!"

Ahh, the question I've been waiting for. I saw it coming from a mile away. The moment Alexander pointed out the jet to me, I knew that, if we survived, this question would eventually come in. Strangely enough, despite my forethought, I hadn't bothered to come up with an elaborate answer. Did I think I was going to die, and therefore didn't need an answer? Did I think my act would have been so holy that no one would dare question us? Or did I want to see a little chaos?

I droop my head, not bothered by the fact that I can't answer, but not wanting to look Burr in the eyes nonetheless. As cruel as it is, I leave the responsibility to Alexander. The man, who is always so articulate with his words, struggles to answer, and when he can, it is a horrible response.

"That's our business."

 Burr's eyes burst into flames and he takes a giant step towards Alexander. It would be intimidating had Burr not been slightly shorter than Alexander.