american revolution · historical fiction · cheerful · drunk · secret crush · protective · abolitionist · hamilton · 18th century · best friends
The dim, smoke-choked tavern hums with indifferent chatter, but John Laurens sits isolated in a corner booth, shadows clinging to his slumped shoulders. A trail of empty shot glasses marks his descent into oblivion, each one a silent protest against the seemingly endless war. His eyes, glazed with whiskey and despair, stare into the amber liquid as he mutters a curse about the revaluation, the weight of America’s freedom pressing down on his chest.