Love and Liberty: A Lafayette x Reader Fanfiction

The Stars

      Eliza and Y/N were put to work immediately. Fighting hadn't started yet, so there weren't any injured soldiers, but there were materials to organize, bandages to make, and fevers to soothe.

      Y/N stepped out of the tent and laughed out loud when she saw the sun slipping below the trees. "Eliza!" she called. Her friend wiped her hands on her apron and joined Y/N outside.

      "Oh my goodness, how long has it been?"

      "At least six hours. We got here around noon."

      "Really? Good grief. I wonder where the boys are?"

      "Probably setting up camp, if they haven't already. We should head there now."

      Eliza nodded, and after they cleaned up, they headed down to the clearing where the boys had pitched their tent. Luckily the cloth stretched far enough to create a decent living space for the six of them. Ducking under the opening, Eliza and Y/N found Alex, Laf, John, and Herc rolling out blankets to make their sleeping bags. They had left one side of the tent for the girls, which made Y/N smile gratefully. She was really lucky to have them.

      "I'll sew all these together once we have some free time," Hercules was saying. "It won't take too long, and it will be more comfortable to have a proper sleeping bag."

      Eliza looked up. "What were you guys doing today, anyway?"

      Alexander was quick to respond. "Training. At least, trying to. No one here really knows what they're doing," he said grudgingly. Then, "Myself included, if I'm honest. I know strategy, but physical combat is a whole different thing to learn."

      Everyone nodded in grim agreement. Lafayette, however, smiled. "Hey, at least we have some time! There might be British soldiers here already, but there's certainly not enough of them to--"

      A soldier burst into the tent, heaving. "British Admiral Howe's got troops on the water!"

      "What?!"

      "32,000 troops in New York Harbor!"

      Y/N gasped. "We're surrounded!"

      The soldier nodded. "We march at dawn! General's orders!"

      Everyone nodded urgently and began to repack their belongings as the soldier dashed to the next tent. War is a tough business, Y/N thought, fluffing her makeshift pillow. It wasn't that she didn't expect it to be hard, she just didn't realize how fast-paced it could be. Buttoning her knapsack closed and lying down, she tried her best to slow her racing pulse.

      No one seemed to want to sleep except for Hercules, who conked out moments after tying up his pack. That was his way of dealing with stress, Y/N remembered. She smiled to herself, recalling the time he had accidentally lost their father's axe head in the creek near their house. After trying in vain to retrieve it (and nearly drowning), Hercules had retreated to his bedroom and napped for three straight days, leaving Y/N to explain to their parents about the missing axe head. Luckily, she wasn't punished until Hercules had awoken like the dramatic princess he was, but she was certainly cross with him for a while after.

      It seemed that Y/N was the only one still awake after half an hour. She stared at the moon through the tent's slit-open doorway, and rolled over to face Elizabeth.

      "Liza?"

      "Yes?"

      Y/N smiled. "You up?"

      "Yes, Y/N."

      Y/N sat up. "Want to go sit on the hill and talk?"

      Eliza nodded, and the two girls slipped quietly outside, making their way to the hill at the end of the row of tents. It probably wasn't the safest to be outside so late, but at least they were near people who could come to their aide if need be.

      "You got a thing for Alex, huh?"

      Eliza turned scarlet. "You got a thing for Laf?" she countered.

      "That's not fair!"

      "Is too. So what if I have a thing for him? It's not like it will go anywhere."

      "Are you kidding? Did you see the way he was looking at you today?"

      "He was just being a gentleman, nothing more. Lafayette, however..."

      Y/N swatted her. "Laf is just a good friend. Besides, love and war do not mix well. And what would Hercules say?"

      "I think he'd rather you court his friend than some random suitor."

      Y/N didn't reply, and the two girls sat in silence. Maybe Eliza was right, but it wouldn't matter is Lafayette didn't like her back. She'd rather spend her time helping Eliza and Alexander get together than think about her own love life, anyway. And focus on the war.

      Eliza yawned, then glanced at Y/N apologetically. "I think I'm going to head to bed. Gotta get some sleep before the battle tomorrow, anyway."

      Y/N nodded. "I'll join you soon. I just need a minute."

      Eliza stood and headed back to the tent. Y/N ran her hands through her hair and commenced a staring contest with the moon. She must have been there a while, as she was now lying on her back, trying to make out a recognizable constellation.

      "Can you see Orion?"

      Y/N shot up and whirled around to find Lafayette sitting next to her. "Holy moly, Laf, don't scare me like that!"

      "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

      Y/N shoved him playfully. "No, I can't see it. Isn't he the dude with the belt?"

      "Yep," he pointed out the constellation, drawing it with his finger. "And there's Rigel, and Bellatrix, and Betelguese," he said, pointing out the stars. "It 'as always been my favorite. You can only see him during the later months of ze year."

      Y/N hummed her appreciation. Then, rolling over to face Lafayette, "Have you ever loved someone so much that you wished there was a constellation of them so you could always see them?" Sweet mercy, why did she say that?

      Lafayette's brow furrowed. Y/N was grateful that he didn't laugh. "I'll admit I have never thought about that," he said, "that is, having a constellation of someone. But yes, I do love someone like that."

      Y/N felt her heart shattering into a million pieces. "Oh," she said, and her voice had shrunk three sizes. It came out thin and hollow. "Well. I'm sure she's lovely."

      Laf nodded, looking at her, but Y/N didn't notice. "She means the world to me."

      Y/N stood up. She couldn't bear to hear any more. "Thank you for showing me Orion, Lafayette. I'm sure I'll think of you every time I see it." She made a mental note to never look at the sky again. Lafayette, however, brightened.

      "I do hope so." He said quietly.

      Y/N hurried back to the tent. Love and war do not mix. They can't, Y/N thought, heaving her emotions into a mental hole, and they won't.