Plastic Promises // Leerens

7

From what I knew, Hamilton was placed on temporary leave, probably for arguing with Washington. I don't remember what I agreed to as my "punishment", I was in pain and tired from being up so early. It had already been a week, so I assumed it was nothing too serious. I also learned quickly that just bandages and nothing over them were the most comfortable. The doctor determined that the area will be sensitive and scarred for the foreseeable future. Burr had come to check on me and make sure I remembered to change my bandages.

A knock on my tent post tore me from my thoughts. That's weird, Burr never knocks, and literally, everyone in camp has something against me. I got up, not bothering with a shirt, and opened the tent flap. Laurens stood on the other side, clearly confused.

"Can I help you?" I asked, hoping Burr would walk by any moment

"Uh, well, Burr said while he's getting married to make sure that you changed your bandages now and again," Laurens said, not making eye contact. He looked over my shoulder and I glanced back, trying to find what he was looking at. I found nothing, but Spada, who was asleep.

"Why are you looking at my dog?" I asked, very confused.

"Uh- no reason..." Laurens said, moving his gaze.

"My face is right here- know what, I'll change my bandages, you don't need to be so-" I was cut off by something on my lips. Laurens' lips. He pushed us into the tent and I kissed back gently.

"Sorry, I don't need to be so what?" Laurens asked, smirking a bit.

"Uh- well... never mind, never mind," I said, looking away. Was Laurens always so tall?

"Alright... You should probably change those bandages," Laurens said. He sat on my cot and I couldn't help but feel exposed. I just kissed my fucking crush while mostly topless and I needed to take off what was covering the rest of my upper half.

I sighed and carefully undid the bandages. It ached, but I held a calm face, touching a little lighter on the actual wound. I inhaled deeply as I got to the first layer that actually touched my skin. The scab hurt, but it didn't seem too off par for how it should be healing.

"Do you... do you need any help?" Laurens asked.

"No, you didn't even need to watch, you could've just left," I said. It came out a bit more bitter than I intended, so I added a small chuckle to pass off my tone as a more light-hearted one. I took the bandages from the counter and carefully started to wrap them around me. The silence was going to kill me, so I decided to say something.

"Why didn't you shoot me dead? I know you have a better aim than at the duel. Both you and Hamilton seemed pissed when I even breathe," I said, examining myself in the mirror. I frowned a bit, first at how messy the bandages looked, then at the sight of, well, me.

"I-I have my reasons. Why didn't you shoot back?" Laurens stammered. It was obvious he was trying to get the conversation off of him. I turned around and grabbed a shirt.

"Because before I could, a bullet hit me. You sound so stupid sometimes," I said, sitting right by him.

"Really? Did I sound stupid when I kissed you?" Laurens asked. He was flirting and acting like he would with Hamilton around. I blushed, hoping it wasn't noticeable, even if we were just a few feet apart.

"Hey, I only said somet- Isn't Hamilton your boyfriend?" I asked as the realization hit me. Yes, I might be crushing on Laurens, but I don't want to be just someone on the side. As much as I need minimal affection, I need all of someone's affection.

"Well... He's married to Eliza, so technically no," Laurens said, with a shrug. He moved his hand to just beside mine. I didn't think much of it and turned to look him in the eyes. Bad idea, his eyes were something that I'd be happy to drown in. Although, I'd probably say the same about the lake that's a few hundred yards from the camp.

"Alright then," I muttered. Silence came upon us. Spada hopped next to me and I turned my attention to him. He seemed decently accustomed to Laurens, so he didn't bark at his presence. Of course, he still gave a glare to Laurens, he didn't trust the stranger but was accustomed to his presence. I gently scratched his ears before realizing the time. I went to get up, but Laurens' hand had migrated to the top of mine. I carefully slid it free and went to feed Spada, who got very antsy when I stood up. He ran around the tent and hit the chair yet again. I gave a small chuckle in response.

"Is he okay?" Laurens asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Spada will be alright, he does this quite often," I said, getting the bag of food for Spada. He sat intently at my feet, letting his ears perk towards me. If my crush is one-sided, I'm glad that Spada's here to get my affection. I fed him the piece of food and he jumped onto the bed again.

"Why are you staying? Don't you have things to do?" I asked, sitting back on the cot.

"We're both on temporary suspension, remember? Without Alex here, I have nothing to do," Laurens said, flopping down. His arm landed over my legs. I didn't know how to handle this contact. Do I let it sit there? Do I take it off? Should I fucking kiss him again? What the hell am I supposed to do?

Laurens seemed to have caught a whiff of my increased anxiety as he pulled his arm off and sat back up.

"I guess I'll leave you and your dog alone," he said, going to the tent flap. I wanted to tell him to stay, but a little part of me wanted to be alone.

"W-wait!" I stammered out as I stumbled to my feet. Laurens froze and looked at me. I grabbed his shoulders so he would face me and pressed a small kiss to his cheek.

"Make sure to come back to remind me about the bandages," I said, smiling a bit. It felt good, I believe it's been months since someone other than Spada has made me smile. Even then, it's probably been years since someone other than Burr or Sidney has seen it. Immediately, I felt a bit insecure and drop my lips to do a closed mouth smile and watched Laurens leave.