The Place to Be - John Laurens x male reader

Chapter 7

"So... General Washington will be visiting us," I say shortly.

I could almost laugh at the expressions on everyone's faces. Johnson, Williams and Samuels look utterly terrified, John's eyes are wider than dinner plates, Hamilton looks like an overexcited fanboy and Lafayette and Mulligan's mouths almost reach the floor.

"The General Washington?" The other Lieutenant asks, his voice shaky. 

"Yes, Lieutenant," I reply, carefully avoiding the fact that I still have no clue what his name is. "My father will be visiting us soon, however, I am unaware of the exact date. I have sent a reply, but it may take a while for him to write back. We must make sure that we are prepared for his visit."

Everyone is muttering. I step down from the raised portion of ground I was standing on. John makes his way towards me, his eyes confused, but I walk straight past him over to Hamilton.

"Mr Hamilton," I address him. The man glances up at me. "Follow me, I must speak with you in private."

John looks at us incredulously as his friend follows me away from the other soldiers.

"What do you need, sir?" He asks.

"The General, when he arrives, would wish to speak with you. Don't ask me why or what he wants, I have not been graced with that information."

Hamilton's eyes widen like a puppy being bribed with food. "He wants to speak to - me?"

"That's what I said," I sigh, rereading the letter he sent me once more. "He has said no reason of why he wishes to speak to you, all he says is that he wishes to see you. So you'd better be ready, my father is a hard man to please."

"Of course, sir," the man stuttered. Shocked, he walked back over to his friends, almost looking as though he were drunk.

I decide to follow him, wishing to get on with pistol target practice. However, before I can get to the raised portion of ground, I feel someone grab my wrist.

For a split second, I try to wrench my hand out of their grip, until I recognise the softness and the warmth of his hand. I turn around to see John, looking jealous, concerned, confused and shocked at the same time. His eyes meet mine for a brief second before both of us hurriedly glance away. I feel my cheeks heating up. Of course it had to be John, with his ridiculous cute hair and eyes and smile and warm hands and what the actual FUCK is wrong with you, Y/n? It's just a guy, get over it.

John's hand on my wrist slides down to encase my hand, interlocking our fingers before letting go. "You've been very distant since I was in your tent last week," he says, his eyes full of worry. "And it looks like you haven't slept since then. You're overworking yourself."

"I'm not overworking myself, I just haven't slept," I correct.

John rolls his eyes fondly. "If I made you uncomfortable by holding your hand, I'm so sorry, I know you don't really like stuff like that-"

"No no no no, it's fine," I stutter, half hoping that he'll hold my hand again, half hoping he'll leave me alone. "I liked you holding my hand - wait, what? No, I mean, it's just that you know, there's the war and my father pressuring me to get a girlfriend when I DON'T WANT ONE. I suppose someone actually distracting me from the stress made me confused, because I didn't feel like it was proper to be distracted from work, but at the same time it was actually relaxing and-"

John smiles, watching me stutter my way through the sentences. One of his eyebrows raise, and he smirks at me. "Are you saying that I distract you?"

If I had been drinking, I would have choked. I feel my cheeks burning and my eyes dart from one side of his face to the other, desperate to not look anywhere close to his eyes. "No - I mean, kind of, but who wouldn't be - I mean, yes..." I blush, wanting nothing more than to just die, right here, so I could bury myself out of embarrassment. He's caught on, he probably knows I like him, probably'll tell everyone in the camp that I'm gay, it'll probably get through to my father and he'll disown me and I won't be a Lieutenant anymore and I'll never get to see John again. He won't want to see me though.