oof i guess im back, validate me hoeasses 💗💋💘💓💕💕💌💞💕💓❤💓💘💘💋
quick a/n, i edited past chapters so nael -- the brother -- is now a doctor
also pls vote and comment!! feedback is deadass the only thing that keeps me even a little bit motivated <3
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Of course, that night, Nael decided it had been too long since he had seen all of us, let alone in the same place, and took that conclusion to his next great idea that we all ought to go drinking. Herc, being himself, wholeheartedly agreed, and thus, Lafayette and I found ourselves being reluctantly dragged to the nearest town.
"Laf and I are generals, we shouldn't even be drinking!" I whined, and Herc slung his arms around both of our shoulders wearing a wide grin.
"And I'm a soldier, and Nael's a doctor, and what about it?" I caught Lafayette's eye as Herc cocked an eyebrow, and we shared an unimpressed look.
"Oui, but ze two of you do not 'ave to run an entire division of ze army," Lafayette replied dryly, and Nael huffed.
"But it is Christmas," he pleaded, and I rolled my eyes.
"Not for another two days it isn't, dumbass," I scowled, and he gave me a mock pout.
"Aw, are you angry zat I distracted you from your work?" He also threw an arm around my shoulder, leaning in closer to my ear, and adding in a hushed tone, "or are you angry zat I distracted you from your work?" He nodded toward Lafayette, raising his eyebrows suggestively, and I huffed.
"Oh, fuck off, Legrand," I scoffed, shoving him off me as he winked.
"I am not wrong."
I rolled my eyes, not bothering to give him the satisfaction of a response as I turned to Lafayette. "Anyway, how have things been here in south camp since I last saw you?" I asked, "I know it's like, my first time here and all, but I think I got the gist of most of what had happened before."
He shrugged. "Nothing much new. It 'as mostly been ze same since I last saw you; no 'uge developments."
"So what I'm hearing is it's been terribly boring without me?" I raised my eyebrows, elbowing him lightly in the side, and he rolled his eyes dramatically.
"More like we 'ave finally been able to relax without you messing up any battles plans for a little while," he retorted with a smug smile.
I faked a look of indignation at first before pursing my lips, and saying, "I'm taking that to mean you missed me."
He chuckled. "Not quite 'ow I meant it, surprisingly."
"Nah, I'm pretty sure that was exactly what you meant," I said, nodding, and he shook his head at me.
"Whatever you say, King," he sighed, turning to look me in the eye with a small smile.
"So what I'm hearing is that I'm right?" I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows I met his eyes, but my expression softened as I bit my lower lip, studying his warm gaze. The warm brown of his eyes glowed in the light of passing shops, open flames of candles in windows dancing in their depths, and the corners of my lips quirked up into a small smile.
"Woah, there." I broke his gaze as I was suddenly jerked backward by a strong hand on my shoulder, and my eyes widened as I stumbled a few steps back. He still hadn't told me I was wrong.
"We're here, dumbasses. When we say we're going into the pub, try to go into the doorway, not crash into the walls." Hercules chuckled, glancing between us, as I averted my gaze to my feet. The ground had suddenly become incredibly interesting, and it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that my face was burning, nor that I was afraid to look any of my friends back in the eye.
They all filed in, and I ran a hand through my hair before following Lafayette through the front door. Nael immediately made a beeline for a couch toward the back corner, and Hercules began to head toward the bar.
"What do you all want?" he called to us, and the moment the word 'nothing' passed my lips, he was grinning and running his mouth at the bartender. He was almost definitely getting me something anyway.
"Shall we?" Lafayette asked with a teasing smile, having noted my pausing right in the middle of the pub. Not that my face had at any point gone back to its normal color, but it flushed once again as I nodded, and his hand ghosted over the small of my back as he lightly guided me with him toward the couch with Nael.
I took a seat on one end, leaning into the cushioned corner of the couch, and he didn't hesitate to sit down only inches to my left, his leg pressing into the side of mine. I quirked an eyebrow at him, but he didn't acknowledge my expression, instead glancing around the bar, not quite as though he was looking for something.
"It feels so strange to 'ave some time off from the war, non? I cannot believe zat we 'ave negotiated a truce with Britain for now," he said, a small smile resting on his lips as he finally began to relax back into the couch.
"Yeah, it's... a bit of a change." I forced a smile, struggling to think about much other than the warmth radiating from his body despite the cold air still rushing in through the door. He chuckled.
"'A bit of a change' is an understatement," he said, leaning slightly closer to me, resting his side against the back of the couch. "It is nice 'aving all my friends at my camp during ze only time we 'ave off, though." He nodded to Nael at this, who smiled, and I absentmindedly chewed my bottom lip.
"Yeah... I, um," --I swallowed hard, having trouble focusing on anything but the heat of the side of his thigh pressed against mine and the sparks flying from his fingers as he seemed to absentmindedly trace circles into my knee-- "it... really--"
Seeming to notice my difficulty forming a coherent sentence, he looked at me with curious concern, an eyebrow raised. "Are you alright, King?"
"Yeah," I answered, almost too quickly, and he furrowed his brow. Fuck, I wasn't sure why I was all nerves today, but I absolutely couldn't say I liked it. Did it have something to do with what I heard Lafayette say at Jefferson's?
"Are you sure?" Nael asked, sitting up where he was and looking at me with an (obviously fake) expression of concern. "Your face is... quite red. Are you feeling feverish? Laf, feel his forehead," he said, nodding to me with pursed lips.
"Are you cold at all? Do you feeling sick?" Lafayette asked, his concern genuine as he pressed the back of a hand to my forehead. I felt my face flush a deeper shade of red, pulling slightly away from Lafayette's touch, and narrowed my eyes at Nael where he sat, a smug smirk resting on his lips.
"Laf, I feel fine. I think I'm just... a little out of it. I've been traveling for the past few days; I'm probably just tired," I said, removing his hand from my face, and while that mostly seemed to satiate him, his frown only hardly faded.
"Are you sure? You feel a bit warm." He was closer to me now even than he had been before, after trying to take my temperature, and I could feel my heart rate rising as I hoped he wouldn't touch my face again. I didn't think my pulse could handle it.
"I promise you; I'm doing fine," I said with a small smile, and he pursed his lips.
"At least take my jacket; I do not wanting you catching a cold." I opened my mouth to argue, but that was the perfect time Hercules decided to return. But Lafayette was already taking his coat off; I wasn't sure if I could call it having been saved by the bell or fucked over by it.
"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?"
"Honestly?" he began, his eyes twinkling with amusement, "I would not give zem more zan five more minutes." My eyes widened with mock surprise, my eyebrows shooting up, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Five whole minutes?" I asked, my tone one of teasing shock, "I was gonna estimate something more like two, but--" I shrugged, looking down and pursing my lips, "I guess we can give them the benefit of the doubt."
He laughed, leaning his head onto the back of the couch. "Zat is an absolutely fair disagreement to 'ave, but I think zey deserve a little more credit zan zat, no?"
"Do they?" I asked, my expression skeptical, and he grinned. "I mean, if you disagree, we can always just bet on it."
"Oh can we?" Lafayette said, his tone somewhere between amused and curious. Shit, are we actually doing this? I was kidding, but okay. "And what do I getting if I win?" I shrugged.
"We can decide on that later," I said, "And what if I win?"
He grinned. "We can decide on zat later. So it's a bet, zen?" I chuckled, running a hand through my hair.
"I suppose so."
And so the evening went on from there. I ended up having to give the bet to Lafayette, who (despite the very strange nature of the bet) won it with them having started harassing equally drunk strangers around four minutes after we made the bet -- or at least from our best estimate. He looked a bit too smug at having won such a trivial thing, though, and his smirk told me that it was more likely than not that he'd try to get something out of proportion with the win.
(His smirk also made me hope he'd forget about the bet altogether within an hour.)
The air slowly became a haze, the light of candles in the windows beginning to blur between soft glances and light touches and shared laughter. The atmosphere thickened as the night passed, as our shoulders became weighed down with fatigue and emotion. I could smell him on everything around me, from the jacket I found myself burrowing into, to his body, inching closer and closer to mine as the night went on.
God, he smelled good. Like bonfires and the outdoors, always, but sweeter, too. It was a scent I was all too tempted to lean into him and inhale as deeply as I could. I wanted nothing more than to breathe him in.
"Are you alright, Levi?" he asked, a small smile on his face beneath his slightly creased brow. His arm was over the back of the couch, behind me, and the side of my head was rested on it as I faced him. It was only then that I realized I'd been staring into his eyes, spaced out as I thought about none other than him, but I really didn't have the energy for embarrassment. I smiled.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good," I chuckled, leaning into the back of the couch, pulling my only leg that was still on the ground onto the couch with me. "Just spaced out for a minute."
He pursed his lips, his eyes still smiling warmly. "Are you sure? You looked, I believe ze term is 'caught up in your 'ead'," he said quietly, leaning slightly toward me as he propped himself up on his elbow. "What were you zinking about?"
"You." The word was out before I had even had time to process the thought. His eyebrows shot up, his mouth fell slightly open, and my eyes widened at my own stupidity. "I--" I cut myself off as he chuckled softly, tucking a strand of loose hair behind his ear.
"I cannot imagine why zat 'ad you caught up in your 'ead," he said, the look in his eyes teasing, "but I can absolutely understand why you would be thinking about me." He shot me a wink at that, and I let out an indignant huff.
"Oh, whatever," I laughed, swatting at his arm, "don't get a big head just 'cause I like you. You're still an ass."
He grinned, blowing me a kiss. "As long as you like me, amour."
I smiled back at him, holding his warm gaze. "Yeah, I'm really not sure why, but I do." I pulled my knees closer into my chest, dropping my hand to rest on his knee. "Kind of a poor choice on my part, y'know?" As I spoke, he began to absentmindedly extend his leg down the edge of the couch, and I crossed my bent legs over it as he scooted further into the couch, and in turn, in toward me.
"I will make sure you do not regret it." At this, he took my hand off his knee and into his own. The words sounded too sincere for his teasing grin, despite the adoring glow of his smiling eyes, and I found myself swallowing thickly, glancing down.
"I don't doubt that," I replied quietly, and he squeezed my hand lightly. He seemed to notice my slight discomfort, though, and cleared his throat, looking up.
"Now where 'ave our drunken bastards gotten off to?" he asked, squinting as he glanced around the masses of drunk men getting wilder as the night went on. As he did this, though, he turned slightly, both his legs folding over the front of the couch, including the one that I'd had my bent legs hooked over. I let out a yelp of surprise as the motion pulled my legs into his lap, and in turn, pulled me very close to him.
Despite the fact that I could feel my face heating up, I elected to ignore how flustered I was feeling and followed his gaze to where he was looking with a grin and a wave. I found Nael and Hercules on their way back over -- very much not in a straight line -- and I let out a heavy sigh. Lafayette chuckled, noticing the exasperation clear in my expression, and shot me a wink.
"Zis should be interesting, non?" he asked, an amused look in his eyes as he rested his hand on my leg, just above my knee. I pressed my lips into a line and looked at him with a dead stare.
"I don't know that 'interesting' is gonna be the word for it."
"Mes amis!" Nael's booming voice hit me unfortunately hard as he stumbled over, his arms open wide as he wore a dumb grin. "Getting cozy, I see?"
I rolled my eyes, letting out a quiet snort. "Go drink some water, Nael. Or dunk your head in some."
He gave me a dramatic pout. "Tu n'es pas drôle," he whined, his drawn out French slurring together, "I 'm just trying to 'ave some fun." As Lafayette and I shared a skeptical look, Hercules finally joined him, a teeter in his stride as he threw an arm around Nael.
"I see the two of you are also," --he raised his eyebrows suggestively, nudging Nael-- "havin' some fun." The two of them shared a snicker at that, mocking us and how we we're seated, and I began to feel my face burning.
I swallowed thickly, brushing hair away from my face, adjusting how my fake glasses sat on my nose (partially to comfort myself in the fact that my weak disguise was still there).
I glanced up at Lafayette (I didn't have to look far) to find the same uncomfortable expression on his face. As he met my eyes, he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.
"Zese two should not be allowed to 'ave zis much alcohol, hm?" he said softly, giving me a timid smile. I laughed.
"Yeah, something gives me the feeling it wasn't the move," I said with a small grin, "can't quite place what, though." He snorted.
"Oh, I 'ave no idea."
Hercules elbowed Nael, folding his arms with an overdone smirk. "Look at them, all cuddled up." His eyes we're narrowed, adding to how comical he looked, his whole espression lopsided as he stared at us. I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, shut up and go get another round," I scoffed, and Nael gave me a mock pout, leaning on Herc's shoulder.
"Why can't Y/N get one for us," he whined, looking at Hercules, before snickering at his own cleverness. Herc looked as baffled as Lafayette, but my eyes widened. Ohhhhhh motherFUCKER how the FUCK am I supposed to explain this one. Oh fuck, Nael, you're the fucking WORST brother, and I know that you're drunk and all, but fucking CHRIST, be more careful.
He's gonna get me hung for impersonating a man one of these days, I thought, fuming.
"'Cause she's not fucking here, you drunk dumbass," I said through gritted teeth. He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, is she not?" Nael said, his expression one of dramatically put-on surprise, "I was not made aware."
He looked incredibly pleased with himself for his drunken jabs at my identity, but Lafayette just looked at me with concern and confusion, his brow furrowed.
"Levi? What is 'e talking about?"
I sighed, pinching my temple, but my heart was pounding through my chest as I tried to control my frantic breathing.
"I don't have the slightest clue, Laf," I said, my expression exhausted, but Lafayette looked incredibly skeptical.
"Oh, sure you do not," Nael snickered, and I shot him the most scalding glare I could manage.
"Levi," Lafayette said, his tone and expression hardening as he watched the interaction. "I get ze feeling you know what 'e is referring to."
"I--"
"Yeah, go on Levi, tell him," Nael shouted, looking very entertained at this whole scenario. I swallowed hard, but my mouth was so dry that it hurt to do so.
"Levi." Laf, still scarily close to me as my legs remained hooked over his lap, placed a hand on my knee, his grip firm, but not aggressive. (It never was, with him.) He looked concerned, as much for me as for himself, and I couldn't tear my gaze away from his questioning eyes. "What does 'e mean?"
I found myself wanting to tell him everything, but the shred of common sense the warmth of his body and kindness of his eyes hasn't stripped from me held me back. Thank god I hadn't had anything to drink.
Nael and Hercules had stumbled away at this point; a small, rather loud party had just shown themselves into the bar and they had immediately gone to see what the fuss was about.
I took a deep breath.
"Laf, it's really not as much of a thing as he's making it sound like," I said, my voice quiet as I wore a small, soft smile. "I met her, Y/N, briefly, a few days ago, on the ride down here to camp, somewhere in North Carolina, though I'm not sure where. I asked her..." I sighed, looking at his concerned expression, and I rested a hand on his. "I asked her to come down here for Christmas; I knew Nael was headed down, and I figured you'd want to see her, but she ah... very much rejected my offer of both the ride and the residence here."
I gave him a smile, squeezing his hand lightly. "Don't worry yourself with it. It's pretty clear what an attachment you have to her, but I promise, he wasn't talking about anything concerning."
He looked me in the eye, his mouth hanging ever so slightly open, and he huffed, tucking a stray hair behind his ear with his free hand. Finally, after a few moments of silence, he smiled. "So you met 'er, oui?"
I grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, I did. And I've gotta say, she seems to like you a whole lot."
He chuckled lightly, his eyes again bright with excitement and wonder. "Oui? What did you think of 'er?" he asked, "I would think ze two of you would get along well."
I chuckled. Fuck, I was in deep. "Yeah, I'd say we hit it off. She seems to be everything you've said about her."
He smiled, a soft, nostalgic look in his eyes. "Oh, she is." He grinned though, shooting me a wink. "She 'as nothing on you, though, do not worry."
I mean, I think she's probably as good, but to each their own, I guess.
I flushed, despite how exasperated at the situation his comment had made me feel, and said, "Maybe not, but she was miles out of your league." His jaw dropped in mock offense.
"Moi? How dare you?" he said dramatically, hardly stifling a laugh, and I giggled. "I'll 'ave you know she would be lucky to 'ave someone like me."
I pursed my lips. "I dunno, I'm stuck with you, and I don't really feel all that lucky," I sighed, and he swatted at my shoulder as I ducked away toward the arm of the couch with a yelp. He gave me a mock glare.
"Oh please, Levi. We both know I am truly ze most incroyable in ze entire army," he scoffed, "You cannot even deny it; you 'ave been as unable to resist my charms as she was."
My eyes widened, though I could feel heat creeping up the back of my neck at how suggestively he raised his eyebrows. "You've gotta be kidding," I huffed, indignant. "You're the one who's head over heels for me, asshole. Not the other way around."
He smiled -- not a toothy grin, or an amused smirk, or a teasing smile, but a soft, genuine smile. "Oui. Je pourrais être," he murmured, and I became acutely aware of how close his face was, and how I could feel his hot breath caressing my lips despite the few inches still separating us, and how his eyes were such a warm, gentle brown twinkling under the candlelight of the pub, and how much I really, truly wanted to give into everything I was feeling. But I was also acutely aware of how very much in public we were.
His left hand came up to brush his fingers along my jaw, his lips parted slightly as I stared into his eyes. "Je ne peux pas imaginer pourquoi," I replied softly as my nose brushed against his, giving him a short wink as I pulled back to rest against the arm of the couch.
Disappointment, surprise, and slight frustration all shone through his expression as he stared at me, trying to figure out why I had done what I had.
I needed to be sure. I had to be careful who I let in and who I couldn't hurt, living a double life.
"We should head back soon," I sighed, looking around the pub for Nael and Hercules. I snuck a glance at him, and he looked confused, but huffed, finally pulling back from where I'd left him. I'm sorry. "It's getting late."
"Oui," he breathed out, "To call zis a long night would be an understatement."
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