The Place to Be - John Laurens x male reader

Chapter 1

"Lieutenant Washington!" The voice of my father calls as I wake up. "Get here now!"

I leap out of bed and run over to where my father is. George Washington. The President of the United States. The general. My father.

You could say I'm used to being in the army. I've been here ever since I was sixteen, which was a good three years ago. I'm used to living in the manky tents that we have to deal with sleeping in. Reluctantly, I step out of my tent and go into my father's (yes, I have my own tent. Pretty exciting!). He was sat there, his head in his hands, staring at a map. I stand over him, looking at what he's looking at. "You asked to see me?" Asked, heck. More like yelled.

"What if the British take Brooklyn, Y/n?" My father sighs. "I don't think we could take it."

"Brooklyn is very well protected, sir." I say. "I don't think the redcoats'll take it anytime soon."

"I don't know," he replies sceptically. "Expect the unexpected."

"And expect the expected too," I mirror his words. "Expect anything."

"That's my boy," he smiles, standing up and ruffling my hair. "It's your day off, son. Have a day out with your friends, see some pretty ladies."

"Father," I groan, as I walk out of the tent. I've never had much interest in women. Probably because I'm too occupied with my work. My friends say I help too much in the army, but I can't help it. George Washington is my father, I take after him. In everything except his ability to actually find a woman. I've had women fall in love with me before, but it never feels right. It feels right to be friends with women, to help them, but not to court them. I had to stay focused on my work, otherwise how would I get anywhere in life?

My friends and I go to a bar in New York City, it's our go-to. It does seem to have a certain charm to it, perhaps because I can often meet Aaron Burr there. He's a good man, a great man, even. Rather quiet but very charismatic. He'd make a great lawyer. I've gotten to know him, mainly when my friends are chatting up some poor barmaid.

It doesn't take them very long to find a pretty enough girl in the bar.

Irritatingly, it looks like Aaron Burr is talking to someone else today. A man that looks around my age, he seems rather hyper. He's bouncing around Burr like a puppy on a sugar rush. Shaking my head at Burr's slightly strained smile that seems to scream 'Kill me now', I decide to go over and talk to them.

"Aaron Burr, sir," I smile, touching the young man lightly on the shoulder. He turns around and sees me. "Y/n!" He cries, leaping from his seat and shaking my hand lightly. He knows I'm not one for physical touch. "God, I'm pleased to see you. Have you met Alexander Hamilton?"

The young man who now was slightly out of breath from talking so much looked up at me and a beam grew on his face. "No, I have not," I said cautiously. "Hello Mr. Hamilton. My name is Lieutenant Y/n Washington, I'm very pleased to meet you." I make sure not to extend my hand out for him to shake. From the looks of it, if I did, when I took my hand back I wouldn't have a hand.

"Washington?" He queries. A shocked look passes over his face. "You're the son of the General?" I give him a small smile and turn back to Burr. "I heard your name at Princeton. Congratulations, Burr."

Burr beamed. "Thank you, sir. Where are your friends?"

I sigh. "Where they usually are. Chatting up a random girl they've never met before."

Hamilton laughs. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

I shoot him a death glare and turn back to Burr, who's still looking directly at me. I focus on the bridge of his nose. I don't particularly like looking people directly in the eye, for some reason it unnerves me. I only look people I trust in the eye, and no matter how nice Burr is, he's not that close.

"Alexander, he only disapproves of it because he's got a girl of his own." He turns his attention back to me. "You must have a girl by now, right? Who is she?"

"Burr, you ask me this every time I come here, and the answer is always the same. I have no girlfriend or intention of getting one."

Aaron Burr sighs in defeat and turns his attention to a group of three - rather loud - men that have just entered. I recognise them at once. John Laurens, Marquis de Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan, three men my age who for some reason are here ever time I come. Burr looks slightly dead inside. I can't blame him. They are a little too loud for my liking, and I usually end up leaving. I imagine they're alright men underneath, but I've only ever really seen them when they're completely sober. I wonder if they are ever completely sober.

Oh, of course they have to stop at Burr's table, every time. I get ready to leave but Burr lightly taps my arm, a sign that I should stay. Dying a little inside, I turn around and brace myself. "Who's this, Burr?" Laurens asks, gesturing to Hamilton.

"My name is Alexander Hamilton," he says, standing up and holding out his hand for Laurens to shake. (AnD thEre'S a MilLiOn thInGs I hAvEn'T dOne)

"I'm John Laurens." Laurens grins, shaking Hamilton's hand vigorously.

"Je m'appelle Lafayette," Lafayette introduces himself in his thick accent.

"Hercules Mulligan."

While Laurens and Mulligan are speaking to Hamilton, I decide to converse a little with Lafayette, knowing French myself. "Bonjour, Monsieur. Comment ça va?" (For all you non-French speakers out there, I'll be translating :) this says: Hello, sir. How are you?)

Lafayette grins. "Ça va trés bien, merci. Et toi?" (I'm doing very well, thank you. And you?)

"Comme ci, comme ça." (In the middle.)

"Le general est bien, oui?" (The general is well, yes?)

"Mon père est plutôt inquiet. L'anglais sont approchants, c'est assez stressant pour moi." (My father is rather worried. The English are approaching, it's quite stressful for me.)

"Oy! Stop speaking French, you two, I can't follow along!" Laurens laughs, breaking me and Lafayette's conversation. "What were you even talking about?"

"Your father shouldn't worry about the British," Hamilton chirps. "We've got a strong army." Everyone at the table looks at the man. I smile slightly. Hamilton is redeeming himself slightly in my eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Hamilton, but the British may take Brooklyn and there'd be nothing we can do."

"True," he mutters. "The best thing we can do is wait and hope for the best."

"The best thing we can do is fight back, Mr. Hamilton," I snap. "I think it is best for me to leave, gentlemen. Farewell."

Burr doesn't even try to stop me this time. I walk straight out of the door, leaving my friends behind to never actually realise I'm gone, like they usually do.

As I'm walking through the streets of New York, I think. Why don't I have a girlfriend? I mean, all my fellow officers and lieutenants all have girls, and they still manage to focus on their position. But I just think it would feel wrong if I had a girlfriend. Even the thought makes me feel strange. I've no idea why I think that way. Maybe I'm better off alone. At least I'm not players like my friends. Some of them literally have girlfriends, and they're still of chatting up random barmaids. I just don't understand it.

Sorry if my French is a tiny bit off, I was relying on the stuff I'm learning for GCSE at the moment, and you don't exactly learn how to say that the British are about to take Brooklyn. Oh well.

Thank you guys so much for reading, more coming soon!

- AngelOfMusic7