•~Political Paradise~• (Thomas Jefferson x Reader)

Chapter 14: A Tearful Goodbye

Y/N's POV

"Y/N. Y/N!"

My eyes opened to see Thomas hovering over me. When he saw that I was awake, he smiled slightly. But his eyes told me that there was something bothering him.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "Hm?" I looked at the grandfather clock next to my and Thomas' bed.

5:45.

My head whipped to Thomas. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FRICK, MUSHROOM?!" I yelled, clearly upset with the time I had been woken up at.

Thomas held up his hands in defense. "I know you don't normally get up this early," he said sadly, his eyes glazing over with tears. He looked down for a moment before looking back at me. "I don't either. But..." He paused. "Lafayette is...leaving for France today. At 7:00. It takes a bit to get there, and I wanna have some time with him before he leaves."

My jaw dropped. Lafayette was leaving? He literally had just gotten to America!

I sighed, feeling just as sad as Thomas looked, if not more. I had only known Lafayette for a little while, but I had already considered him a dear friend. "Why?" was all I could say; I was plagued with shock and sadness.

Thomas shrugged. "I'm not sure. He had written me a letter stating his departure, and he didn't really go into detail about the reason he was leaving." Thomas stared at the ground, letting a few tears fall.

It was weird. We had hardly seen Lafayette since he had come to the US. I think how it worked was that when me and Thomas knew that Lafayette was near us, we didn't miss him. Since, y'know...we could just see him if we did. But, if he moved to a different country, that wouldn't be possible.

I stood up fairly slowly and walked over to where Thomas was standing. He was still making intense eye contact with the floor. I put a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

He looked up. He finally let a full-blown smile slip, which made me smile. I patted his shoulder. "Come on. Let's eat some breakfast and go see our friend." The words I wanted to say next hovered on my tongue for a bit before I said it. "...One last time."

Thomas sniffled and smiled. Although, it wasn't as wide and genuine as the last one. He grabbed my hand and led me downstairs, where we ate breakfast in mournful silence.

***

After a little bit of riding in Thomas' fancy carriage, we finally arrived to the docks. The docks where Lafayette would be sailing back to his home country.

And never coming back.

   As soon as we got out and scanned the docks, we saw Lafayette standing at one of them, waving frantically. A smile was on his face. At least he was happy.

   I sped my walk up to approach him. When I did, I immediately hugged him. "I'm gonna miss you, Lafayette," I said, crying a bit.

   Lafayette hugged back, chuckling slightly. "I know, mon ami. And I, you." He pulled apart, looking me up and down. "Wow. You look really beautiful today, ma cherie."

   I was confused. I raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

   Thomas went from being super sad and emotional to being hella triggered. He grabbed Lafayette by the sleeve and dragged him close to him. "You better back the hell off my girl. I see what you're trying to do," Thomas hissed into Lafayette ear, making the Frenchman nod with a gulp.

   I giggled, making the two boys turn towards me and look down in embarrassment.

   I focused my attention to Lafayette. "So, why are you leaving for France anyway?" As soon as the words escaped my lips, I was reminded  that I'd never see the baguette again, making my face drop.

   "Well, mon ami," Laf began, scratching the back of his neck and looking into my eyes, "France is on the verge of war with England, and I would like to fight for my country, if possible."

   I nodded. While I wasn't happy that Lafayette was leaving, I completely understood his reasoning. I smiled sadly and patted Laf's shoulder.  "Then I send you my best wishes."

   The Frenchman smiled as well. "Thank you, Y/N." He looked to Thomas, then back at me. "I will greatly miss you deux."

   I don't know why, but Lafayette's scattered French words always made me smile.

   There was silence for a bit. Then, Thomas walked over to Lafayette and put his hands on his shoulders firmly. "You're gonna visit us, right?" Thomas asked, shaking Lafayette by the shoulders slightly.

   Laf straightened up. "Correct." He smiled and looked at Thomas with caring eyes. "As often as I can."

   I sighed with relief. At least I would see Lafayette every so often. At least he wouldn't be out of my life forever.

   The boat that Lafayette was supposed to get on sailed to the docks, tooting slightly.

   Lafayette looked at Thomas and I as the boat came to a stop. "I guess this is goodbye..," he said quietly, letting a tear run down his cheek.

   I shook my head while smiling. "For now," I corrected the baguette.

   Lafayette chuckled, nodding. "For now," he repeated.

   The boat tooted, signaling Lafayette to get on. He did as he was told with one final wave to Thomas and me.

   We waved back with tears in our eyes as we watched Lafayette sail away.

   As soon as he was out of sight, Thomas started bawling. I rested a hand on his back for comfort as I, myself, wiped a few years away.

   'Go get them, Lafayette,' I thought with a smile. 'You'll do great.'