Fearless // Lafayette x Reader

12. She Cares

She didn't recall much - blurred figures hovering over her, forcing liquid into her system, the constant zipping and unzipping of a tent.

Then she was back.

When she regained consciousness, she immediately wished she hadn't. The throbbing in her left arm was the worst pain she'd ever felt in her life, though she suspected it had been worse while she was unconscious.

Painstakingly, she opened one eye, then the other.

A very familiar, curly ponytailed man looked back at her.

When he met her gaze, he started.

"Mon Dieu, you startled me!" He smiled, shifting in his chair by the foot of her bed. "I did not know you were awake."

He started to get up, but she grabbed his arm.

"Stay," she whispered. Her voice cracked. When was the last time she'd used it? She had no idea.

"I'm telling the others you are awake," he told her softly. "Don't worry, (Y/N). I am never leaving you again."

Her eyes never left him as he walked to the edge of the tent and stuck his head out. She heard him yell something unintelligible, most likely to signal the others of her waking.

When he returned, he pulled his chair up and around until he was seated closer to the head of her bed.

"They are all on their way," he informed her. She was vaguely aware of his fingertips ever so slightly touching her uninjured shoulder.

Soon a freckle-filled face peeked over hers, along with another as equally filled with concern.

"Hey guys," she said, laughing slightly at their distressed faces. It felt good, laughing, but only as much as it hurt.

"You had us all pretty scared, (Y/N)," John shook his head, whistling. "When Washington got there and saved our skins, everything was in turmoil. By the time we found you, you barely had any color in you."

"We thought you were dead for sure," Alex said quietly, scratching his chin. "When we brought you back here, we could tell you were alive, but just barely. At first the nurses thought you had blood poisoning, but turns out you didn't. Which is pretty lucky."

"I'm a lucky girl," (Y/N) said. "Especially when it comes to my friends."

The others gave small, relieved smiles. They were all okay.

Alex stood up, motioning to John. "Come on, we'd better tell Washington she's up."

They left the tent, leaving the other two in silence.

She looked up at Lafayette. He was glancing around the tent, his fingertips still brushed against her right shoulder.

When he finally met her gaze, he smiled. "You should be getting some rest, ma cherie."

(Y/N) grabbed his hand with her own.

He looked momentarily stunned, brown eyes filling with concern. "Is something the matter?"

"Can you..." She hesitated. "Can you teach me French?"

He seemed taken aback by her request.

"Of course," he said, breaking into a grin. Adorable. "But you should get some rest before we begin. You need a good sleep."

She squeezed his hand.

"Laf?"

"Hm?"

"How do you say 'thank you'?"

He looked down at her fondly. "Je vous remercie," he answered.
"Je vous remercie," she whispered before drifting off, his hand still clasped in hers.

~~~

When she woke up, she was alone.

She tried to sit up, but her head swam. Her arm throbbed against her body, the dull pain of a hundred bullets throbbing within her.

She heard heated voices outside. Angry stomps in the grass.

The tent unzipped.

The boys were obviously bickering, until Alex elbowed Laf in the arm.

"Quiet," he muttered, jerking his head in her direction. "Don't wake the kid."

"It's okay, I'm already up," she said, shifting around under the covers. Immediately she wondered if she could have eavesdropped, but decided they probably would tell her everything anyway.

She glanced at their faces - John and Alex upset, Laf concerned (likely about her). "What's going on?"

Both Alex and John opened their mouths angrily, looking as though they were about to start their yelling again. Lafayette quickly interjected.

"John is dueling Charles Lee in a few days," he sighed.

(Y/N) sat straight up, despite the raging pain in her arm and head. "WHAT?!"

Alex crossed his arms, although the three walked to her bedside out of habit to make sure she wouldn't try and stand. "Come on, (Y/N). You know how awful Lee is to you. I'm sure you experienced first-hand his awful leading."

"Over a thousand soldiers died under Lee's command," John added, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "That's too many lives. Lee needs to pay."

"With his own?" She frowned, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Alex huffed. "I can't believe you're sticking up for that jerk."

Now it was (Y/N)'s turn to get defensive. "I'm not sticking up for him! I dislike him just as much as any of you. I just..." She shook her head. "Alex, of all people, I'd have thought you'd understand. Every person...has a story to be told."

For a moment, his eyes softened. Then he stiffened again.

"It's already been settled," he said. "Lee has a story to be told, alright."

He ducked out of the tent without another word, John following close behind.

(Y/N) watched them go, her face fallen.

Laf walked around and sat on the side of bed closer to her head. He absentmindedly fingered her hair. "Ça t'intéresse?"

She thought for a moment.

Do you care?

Did she care? Not about Lee, particularly. Funny how much she'd wanted to strangle him, kill him, until the possibility of his death was actually very imminent.

She hesitated before phrasing her response.

"Pas sur lui," she said carefully, praying she got the words right. Not about him. This was Laf's chosen teaching method - speaking back and forth as much as they could - and she had to admit it wasn't working badly.

Neither of them said anything as they sat there, Laf stroking her hair thoughtfully.

_____________

Oh dang. Guess who was super busy yesterday and forgot to post???

(Me. Thanks for the best weekend ever btw Angelica_Schuyler008 😉)

Also I'm so sorry if my French stinks. I try not to use a lot bc I don't know any and I use google translate for everything which usually messes up. So yeah. 😂