#ch: lafayette

[kingofdirtandnothing]

polyfacetious asked: a phone call would’ve been nice.

“Oui. But they are so impersonal.”

Lafayette lifts a hand to wave away the notion, like his dear friend Hercules was being ridiculous. And like it wasn’t ridiculous to show up on his doorstep with a bottle of wine on a Friday night. 

(He owes John Laurens a thank you for the text. He’s home. Go over there now or I’ll do it.)

Threats, they worked better than he would like. And for as angelic a face as John Laurens had, he could be downright devilish when he wanted to be. 

So Lafayette was here. With a bottle of wine and a big smile on his face, the very picture of comfort and ease and grace while his heart was a trapped dove in his chest, wings beating against his ribs. 

Hercules smiles that little smile of his. The one that Lafayette has come to believe he’s being humored. He’s cataloged all of Hercules’ smiles, he thinks. From the brilliant bright burst of sudden amusement when his funny bone was being tickled, to the tight lipped thing he did when he was furious and trying to hide it. 

This was a good one. A good start. Just like Hercules stepping out of the way to let him into his apartment. 

Lafayette sweeps past him, taking in the space like he hasn’t been here a dozen or more times. 

“I like your plant.” It’s not new. But Lafayette likes to come armed with a compliment. It’s good manners. 

[kingofdirtandnothing]

polyfacetious asked: Amortentia

Amortentia: (Accepting)

“He is, how you say, tres meaty.”

“Nobody says tres meaty, papa.” John pats a hand on his friend’s shoulder, lazy and easy and affectionate. Lafayette was one of those dudes he always liked hanging out with. No weird hang ups about affection, or eye contact. 

John has been told a time or two that he’s intense about eye contact. So he always quotes Samuel Richardson and it gets him out of trouble. Most the time. When it don’t, he just shrugs it off. 

If you didn’t like it, then just don’t talk to him. (Except for little Peggy Schuyler, she squirmed and John felt bad for her, so he made an effort to look over her shoulder sometimes, or at the walls.)

“But he is.” The thing about Lafayette? The man was unabashedly dramatic. John was pretty sure it was only child syndrome. And he had enough siblings to weather the arms being thrown around. Even now, he steps back out of the way of a swung glass. Somehow, none of the hipster craft beer comes out of it and lands on his shoes. 

Talking to Lafayette was a dance. “He is a mountain of a man.” There’s something wistful in that sigh, Lafayette looking off into the middle distance. Which would work better if he wasn’t sneaking looks to make sure that John was watching him. “He is truly reminiscent of his namesake.  Je suis amoureux. “

John nearly chokes on his drink. “You keep saying shit like that, he’s gonna use Google translate on you.” And honestly? For a real smart guy, Herc was pretty oblivious, if he missed the way Lafayette followed him around like a puppy. A very French puppy. With lots of sighing. 

“Why not tell him, huh?” John had no damn room to talk about airing Feelings to people. But go figure, the most argumentative friend he had (and maybe the one he’d been thinking too hard about) wasn’t here to push the point. 

“Because if he rejects me, I will die.” Lafayette says it with enough conviction that John has to hide his snicker in the rim of his glass. “And.” Lafayette holds up a hand, wagging a single, graceful finger. “If he rejects me gently, with a hand on my shoulder-” 

That would be a hand on John’s shoulder, and a pretty good mimicry of Herc’s serious, concerned face before Lafayette speaks again. “Then I will throw myself off of the bridge. The one in Brooklyn. In front of passers by.” 

“Nobody says passers by.” But Lafayette has a good point. Getting let down gently by a friend you’re into is enough to make a guy want to crawl out of his own skin. Maybe grow a mustache and move to another country. Start a new life as a mung bean farmer. “So does this mean he’s on The List?”

See, John and Lafayette had a pact. No matter how wasted, there was a list of names they weren’t allowed to text. It was for their own safety. Like not swimming after you eat. 

Lafayette nods solemnly. “Oui. I will relegate him to the list, and I will not think about the fact that he smells like cedar and the masculine form.”

John snickers, raising his glass. 

“Here’s to that. Salude, buddy.”

[literaray]

games | marquis de lafayette, marie louise de savoy

Her grip on the pen tightened as she heard it again. Eyes closed, Marie-Louise took a deep breath and reminded herself to focus. This was not an exam she could afford to fail, nor would she. She had a reputation to uphold, and no group of raucous, lewd boys were going to -

“Penis!”

She sighed. How the librarians hadn’t heard the ridiculous game and put a stop to it already, she’d never know. Honestly, all she wanted was to review her notes in peace, and they’d already made it up to quiet shouting.

“Penis!” another voice chimed in, the third of their group, Marie noted with distaste. She had half a mind to report them.

“Penis!” the fourth cried, ignorant to her frustration. She shook her head and refocused on the words before her. Her studies were more important. She even managed to get halfway through the page before the next cry went out in accented English.

“Penis!” A wave of muffled laughter followed.

So they thought themselves clever? With an irritated huff, she slammed her hands on the table and stood, pushing back the chair as she shouted louder than any of the young men had dared, “Penis!” It seemed to echo through the library.

A librarian approached her almost immediately, frowning as she delivered the usual scoldings on appropriate behavior in the library and for a young lady of distinction such as herself. Marie-Louise acted the part of a apologetic student with grace, and was left to return to her studies after being thoroughly rebuked. She settled back into her seat with ease, noting with satisfaction that the boys had gone quiet. Moments later, their group trickled out from behind the bookshelves, giving her curious looks on their way out. Only one young man stayed behind.

“It would seem we have met our match,” he said in their native language, offering her a smile. He didn’t seem at all affected by the annoyed glance she shot him. “If I may offer our apologies, Your Highness, for disturbing your studies…?”

For a moment, she did not reply, instead opting to duck her head to avoid the intensity of his gaze. He always knew how to leave her feeling flustered, this Lafayette.

“I may accept,” Marie began primly, seeing his smile brighten through her peripheral, “if I, in turn, may ask a favor of you.”

“I could never deny the Princesse de Lamballe.” She gave a quiet huff.

“Two favors, then.” At his nod, she continued, “First, that you and your friends take your game elsewhere. I do not want to hear such bawdy things in this library again.”

Lafayette bowed his head, solemn despite the twinkle in his eye. “You have my word.”

Satisfied, she nodded. “Second, that you may stop using my titles on the school grounds. We are visitors to the country for our studies. This is not the place for it.”

If the sudden laugh surprised her, the way he knelt and gently took her hand to kiss her knuckles made a delicate warmth blossom in her cheeks. Taken aback, she said nothing as he looked up at her, the serious expression replaced by a rakish grin that very nearly sent her reeling. Oh, what her friends from court would have to say about this if they only knew…

“That is one thing I cannot promise, Your Highness,” Lafayette told her. “One must never disrespect a Princesse such as yourself. I would never hear the end of it.”

“Even by my own request?”

“Even by your own request,” he confirmed. “Never in public must one dishonor a lady’s reputation. Such behavior would be quite unbecoming of a gentlemen, no?”

“Only in public?” Marie asked, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips in spite of herself.

“Ah,” he answered, releasing her hand as he rose to his feet, “that would be for the lady in question to decide.”

[thaisworldofrp-blog]

sweetxreminder—;;;

¿Ahora qué hice?—.preguntó el cobrizo, tirándose en el sofá mientras ponía un almohadón tras su nuca y observaba a la castaña con un gesto espectante, podía estar un poco cansado demás, pero sabía que ''su amiga'' requería atención.Había salido más tarde de lo normal del trabajo y por lo tanto, llegaba tarde a el encuentro que tenía pautado con ella en su propio apartamento, después de todo el le había dado las llaves, esperaba solamente que no estuviese esperandolo desde temprano. Laf trabajaba en una comisaria, y por un robo las cosas estaban más movidas de lo común. —¿Estás enojada conmigo?—.preguntó, abriendo con la punta de la mesa la tapita de su botella de cerveza.—Sí no me dices, no puedo adivinar...pero no me mires así.