𝙻𝚊𝚖𝚜 𝙾𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝗼𝐧'𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲.

It took hours.

It almost took an entire day.

Lafayette was the one who find him.

He looked blue, like the sky. His body was wet from the river and there were so many bullets in him that he looked like a silly cartoon drawing. His bright red curls were dark and flat. He was hugging himself and shaking, blood running down his legs and tears making his face even wetter.

Yet he was still alive.

The Frenchman screamed when he saw his poor "petite lion" laying there in such a pathetic state. When they heard the news of the redhead's death, he couldn't believe it. As the world grieved, he hopped on his horse and rushed to the river to find him. He couldn't believe it, his friend was too young and brave for his flame to ever go out. Seeing him alive was such a delightful prayer come true.

But oh poor thing. He looked broken in body and spirit. There was no loud laughter or joyful smile like there usually was, he was weeping and whimpering as his blueish hands hopelessly tried to cover the infected wounds in his flat stomach.

"Hel-help me...." His high voice shook with weakness and cold.

Without even counting the seconds, Lafayette grabbed him and put him on his horse. The other howled when the French one accidentally touched one of his wounds, yet he remained quiet as he rushed back to base.

-

When they arrived, Lafayette tried his best to rush past everyone and go directly to the nurse. But people saw. The poor boy looked ghostly, sicker than ever before. Even Washington saw his son, and ordered everyone away so the Frenchman could go in.

Once in, the blue man was brought into a surgery of sorts. The nurses put a rag in his mouth to bit on, stripped him of his weapons and clothes, and had Washington brought in to hold his freckled hand and comfort him as they removed the thirteen bullets out of him, beginning with his arms and moving down from there.

The man didn't dare scream, even in his fragile state he knew that screaming won't do anything. He did whimper and cling to Washington's hand when the pain got especially bad. His father figure stroked his still soaked hair and told him he was doing such a great job. Despite the pain, the redhead smiled when he heard about his general's pride for him, that's all he ever wanted.

Two hours later and three bullets out, blood came gushing out. Bleeding was to be expected, of course, but not like this, it was flowing out of him like a waterfall. As they tried to put rags to stop the blood, the man clung to Washington and let himself cry into his arms while the blood continued to drip onto the floor, the older man holding tight as if his son would fall apart if he didn't.

His head felt light, very light. Slowly, his grip on Washington loosen as his strength ran away from him. The general frantically alarmed the nurses as he somehow held him even closer. His body shook while he slumped into the older's arms. He tried his best to stay awake, but in the blink of an eye he blacked out.

-

He awoke thirty minutes later, still in surgery and in Washington's grip. He moaned and sobbed as they continued to remove bullets.

By now, the entire bass had heard of the young man's return and the ongoing surgery. John Laurens, his secret lover, tried desperately to go in the nurse's tent but was refused entry. Being the stubborn fuck he was, he tried sneaking in multiple times. However, Lafayette always caught him and dragged him away. They both waited together, comforting each other and holding hands.