Negotiate a Peace, Or Negotiate a....Romance? {Charles Lee x Female!Reader}

Chapter 12: Who Keeps Your Flame

[Three months later]

Lee's POV

"...Honestly, I never expected that I would be standing here today." Even though I was the one speaking, I kept zoning in and out. I hoped that what I was saying was actually making sense. "This all just feels too surreal. I once told (Y/n) that I would steal the stars out of the sky for her, and if you knew her, you'd say the same thing. To think, at the start of this school year, she was nothing but a stranger to me.

"And then one day, she found me drunk on the floor of a bathroom at Kings College. Anyone else would've left me there, but not (Y/n)." I chuckled a bit to myself at the memory. Funny how she made my heart warm like this. "She dragged me back to my dorm, and she showed me a kindness that I hadn't thought existed."

I looked out at Hercules, Lafayette, Alexander, and John, who were sitting in the crowd. "Her friends hated me, but she still gave me a chance. When I needed it most, (Y/n) was there to pick me back up. And she's always been like that. Time and time again, she gave me a love that was relentless, just like her. For that, I will never be able to repay her.

"The first time we sat down and had an actual conversation — when I was sober — we went to a coffee shop and it poured as we were leaving. Walking in the rain that day, that's when I knew that she owned my heart. She still does." I let out a sigh, dreading the end of this speech. I took as long a pause as I could, wanting to delay the inevitable.

"I love (Y/n), now and forever. And with my dying breath I will keep her memory alive, by telling her story. I can't wait to see you again, (Y/n). It's only a matter of time." I glanced at her coffin, a coffin that should not be hers but is, before taking my seat next to Sammy. I could feel so many eyes on me, especially with the way I ended the eulogy, but all I could focus on was holding my heart together.

I couldn't help but think about that day, when my life changed forever. The day when the world turned upside down.

*flashback to two months ago*

(Y/n) had been in recovery for just shy of a month now, and I knew she hated every second of it. For some reason, her ribs weren't healing correctly, so she was stuck at the hospital. I spent every chance I could with her, because I knew she was lonely.

"How are you feeling today?" I asked her, kissing her forehead and sitting down next to her. She rolled her eyes and looked at me as if that was the stupidest question ever.

"I'll be better when I can finally get out of this bed," she replied, laughing slightly. We talked about my day for a while, and then her expression suddenly changed into a hopeful one. "Charles, tell me about another date we'll have, once I get out of here," she said, pulling me closer and shifting so that I could sit next to her on the bed.

"Mhm, well maybe we could have a picnic if the weather is nice," I said, thinking about it. Honestly, I'd been more focused on making sure she was okay. But it was nice to take our minds off of that, and think about the future.

"And if the weather isn't good for a picnic?" she asked, snuggling into my chest. It was so nice to hold her like this, even under the circumstances, and I would've been content sitting there forever. God, how I wish we could've stayed like that forever. I was about to answer, but suddenly she cried out in pain.

"(Y/n), what's wrong?" I said, twisting around to see her gripping her side. (Y/n) was in so much pain, that she couldn't even tell me what was wrong. Frantic, I hit the button to get a nurse. By the time some nurses ran in, (Y/n) was doubled over in pain.

"Oh, no," a nurse said when she lifted up the side of (Y/n)'s shirt. I caught a glimpse of a black and blue mark on her stomach, before I was ushered away. "Sir, please, you have to leave the room."

More doctors swarmed in, and I could barely see through the tears in my eyes. I have no idea how much time passed. I know at some point, (Y/n) was taken to the OR to have more surgery. I don't know how long I sat in the waiting room, and I don't remember calling Laurens.

But the one thing I do remember — the one thing I wish I could forget — is the doctor's face when she told me that the love of my life had died on the operating table.

It might've been something about internal bleeding. Something about a broken rib puncturing a vital organ. But I couldn't bear to listen. Even if I had wanted to, all I could think about was how happy she had seemed just a few moments before everything went to hell. And no matter how much I tried to stop it, my mind kept hoping that (Y/n) wasn't afraid, in the end. I hoped that she didn't dwell on the fact that she was alone. That I couldn't be there for her.

One thing I knew: this wasn't supposed to happen. Against all odds, (Y/n) had woken up from her coma. She should've been alive, and standing next to me. She should have been laughing, and we should've been able to go on more dates.

*flashback over*

Third Person POV

No one can prepare for the death of a loved one. Everyone in (Y/n)'s life felt the inexplicable hole that was left by her absence. And maybe they did manage to move on eventually, but they never forgot.

Alexander Hamilton wrote a biography about her, to memorialize her life. He traveled to all different parts of the country to talk to the people who were close to (Y/n), and he didn't stop until he wrote everything down. It was the only thing Alex knew how to do, but he still never felt like it was enough.

Lafayette celebrated her birthday every year. It was a quiet, and simple celebration — a day that he put aside once a year to remember a close friend. He would watch the movies (Y/n) had always watched endlessly, and he baked her favorite desserts. Laf swears that every year he can feel her presence, as if she'd never really left.

Hercules Mulligan got a tattoo on his arm of one of the notes (Y/n) had wrote him in middle school, the year they met each other. She had always like the intimacy of writing with a simple pen and paper, and Herc cherished every letter she'd ever written him. When he found himself in between a rock and a hard place, he'd look at the tattoo and try to imagine what (Y/n) would say if she was there.

Samuel Seabury didn't have many memories with (Y/n), but there was one that had always been prominent in his mind. When his kids cried, he would sing the chorus of a song which she had sung to him the first time they'd hung out: "The Sound" by the 1975. His voice always cracked a bit when he sang the words I know the sound of your heart, because Sam could still feel the effects that (Y/n) had on his own heart. She had known the sound of his heart from the very beginning.

John Laurens lived every day like it was his last. He went to rehab for his addictions, because he knew that's what (Y/n) would've wanted. When he married Alexander, they kept an empty seat for her. John owed so much of his life to her, that he couldn't imagine his wedding ceremony any other way.

And Charles Lee, well, he took the longest to return his life back to normalcy. Nothing ever seemed normal to him, without (Y/n). He got married eventually and they even had kids, but (Y/n) never relinquished the hold she had on his heart. He taught himself how to love again, and he tried to remind himself that (Y/n) had always told him that he was worth love. Charles lived another 50 years, before passing away in his sleep. He embraced death like an old friend, knowing who he'd see on the other side.

>>>

Oop, I hope y'all don't completely hate the ending. I was going to write more, but due to personal reasons, I can no longer continue this story. I thought it would be better to end the story rather than just discontinue it. So here it is: the end.

My heart hurt for fictional characters whilst writing this, but I guess sometimes it be like that. I did enjoy writing this fanfic, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Stay happy, party people.