Tango Part Three (John Laurens x Reader)
Part One - Part TwoÂ
MasterlistÂ
Warnings:Â none, this partâs a little boring but sometimes plot progression has to happen
Song- The Mighty Fall -- Fall Out Boy ft. Big Sean Spotify/YoutubeÂ
âThey say I got screws missing, well hell, only when Iâm missin youÂ
And hell yeah Iâm a dick, girl, addicted to youâÂ
Words- 2,317
You were laying on your bed, staring up at the ceiling. Your phone was vibrating next to you, but you kept ignoring it. John had called you four times already without an answer. You would have thought heâd get the hint by now. You held your phone above your head and watched his name until it disappeared. A few seconds later you got the notification that had another new voice mail, in addition to the four other.
You relented and decided to listen.
Y/N, I know youâre probably pissed at me. Iâm really sorry and I, uh, I hope Leeâs okay. Can we please talk? Call me back.
You saved the message and waited for the next one to start.
Hi itâs, um, John again. Look I know youâre mad, but can you please just give me a chance to explain? I donât know what youâre thinking right now and I donât know what Lee told you or whatever but I...I just want to talk to you, I guess.
You rolled your eyes and kept listening.
Okay you not picking up is started to make me nervous. Burr said you drove Lee to the hospital which means youâre alone with him and, ugh I donât know that just makes me feel uneasy. Just like text me or something. Please.
Y/N please pick up. Iâm worried, and I know itâs probably dumb to be worried, but I am. Iâm sorry just please respond to me. I need to hear your voice.
Just text me so I know youâre alright. Please.
Guilt twinged in your heart. You were about to text John when your phone rang again. This time it was Alex. You reluctantly Answered.
âY/N? Are you-â
âIâm fine,â you interrupted Alex. âTell John to chill.â
âUhâŠI donât think thatâs gonna happen. Heâs kind of losing it right now.â Alex whispered.
You sighed and rubbed your eye. âIs he alright? From the fight, I mean.â
âYeah, heâs fine. Lee got a few good ones in but- oh. He wants to talk to you.â
âI...I don't think I want to talk to him yet,â you said, despite the fact that you wanted to hear his voice as much as he wanted to hear yours.
âPlease, Y/N. Heâs dying over here.â
âOkay, fine. Give him the phone.â
There was a pause and then, âYouâre okay!â John said with relief. His voice gave you chills.
âYeah, of course Iâm okay. Why wouldnât I be?â You tried your best to keep your voice sounding cold. You were mad at him, after all.
âI donât know, I just thought Lee might have tried something.â
You furrowed your brow, feeling defensive, âHeâs not a bad guy, you know. Heâs just...complicated.â
There was a scoff on the other side of the line. âYou didnât hear the things he was saying about you.â
You gripped your phone tighter. âThe what? He was talking about me?â There was an unnecessarily long pause that was filled with static from the phone.
âNever mind. Forget I mentioned it.â
âUm, fuck no Iâm not gonna forget it! John Laurens, if he was talking about me, I have the right to know.â
John sighed, âAlright, fine. The reason we were fighting, well, I- the fight was my fault, okay? Because Lee was acting all high and mighty and saying some shit about how he owns you and his plan was finally working. It was some sick shit and I-â
âSo you told him,â you cut him off, âYou told him exactly what I told you not to. And how did you think that would help, John?â Â
âI donât know. I thought it would shut him up. I couldnât let him keep saying those things about you.â
âAnd then you resorted to violence. Real classy, Laurens.â
âJesus, Y/N! I was defending you!â
âOh my god!â you shouted, âWhy is everyone so obsessed with defending me? I can defend myself!â
âYou werenât there! And I couldnât let him get away with it!â
âJust stop John! I donât need your help! Weâre barely even friends!â He was reminding you of Charles. You thought back to the first time youâd had sex with him. John had been pretty possessive, and you hadnât even noticed. Had you gotten yourself involved with another Charles Lee?
âWhat are you saying?â
âIâm saying that I donât need you. Especially if youâre gonna cause this much drama in my life.â
John was silent for a while before he spoke up, âFine. See you later.â The line clicked dead. You threw your phone down with a frustrated grunt. Turning over, you buried your head in your pillow and screamed as loud as you could.
You did this for several minutes, punching the pillow and shouting into it about how much you hated the world before you finally came to your senses. You didnât have time to be stressing about this stuff. You had chores and homework and the talent show.
âOh god, the talent show,â you complained to the air. What was it gonna look like if you lost another dance partner because of stupid drama? You knew who you needed to talk to.
You grabbed your phone, thankful that you hadnât cracked it, and called Angelica.
âY/N. Y/M/N. Y/L/N. I have had a death grip on my phone waiting for your call. The fuck took you so long?â
âIâm sorry, IâŠ.itâs been a bit of a day. Do you have time to talk?â you asked quietly. You had a headache from all the screaming, but your brain wouldnât shut up.
âI can do you one better. Iâm coming over.â
You sighed with relief. âThank you. I love you.â
âI love you too. See you soon.â
Angelica hung up, and you laid back against the pillows. You closed your eyes for a few moments in an attempt to relieve your headache.
The door to your room opened a few seconds later. âWow, that was fast Angie. Were you already-â Â Angelica wasnât standing in your doorway, but Charles Lee was. You sat up quickly. âWhat are you doing here? How did you get in?â
Charles only shrugged in response before stepping closer to your bed. Your entire body tensed in anxiety. âWhat do you want?â you asked again.
âYou,â Charles replied. âIâve always wanted you more than he has.â Â
âYou need to leave right now.â You stood up and grabbed a lamp. It felt strangely light in your head.
âIâm not leaving.â Charlesâ voice started to change. It became slower and deeper. âIâll always be right here.â He took another step closer and tapped one finger against your temple. As he did so, something shifted, and you realized it wasnât Charles at all. It was John. âRight here, Y/N.â John tapped your head again.
âY/N! Will you wake up?â A voice shouted.
You opened your eyes slightly. Angelica was sitting on your bed. You sat up slowly, trying to sort reality out. You took a deep breath. It was all a dream. Charles and John had never been in your room. Well, not this night at least.
âAre you alright?â Angelica asked, sitting back. You nodded and wiped at your mouth. Sleep drool is gross. âYou sure? You were like...shaking while you were asleep. I thought you might be seizing. I was about to turn you on your side.â
You laughed at Angelicaâs concern. âNo. I was just having a dream, a really weird dream.â
âA sexy dream?â Angie raised her eyebrows. âAbout John?â
You shook your head. âNot sexy, but John was there.â
âIs he alright?â Angelica asked. âI didnât see much of the fight. I only heard stuff from other people.â
âJohnâs fine. Charles is too, I think. I kinda left him at the hospital so Iâm not sure.â
Angelica slapped your thigh. It was something she did when she was shocked or thought something was hilarious. You figured this was both. âYou didnât! You just left him stranded there?â Her voice sounded more excited than most peopleâs wouldâve.
âHis parents were on the way!â you defended. âBesides, he was saying all kinds of weird shit again.â
âThe usual weird shit?â
âYeah, ââI know you better than anyone, Y/N. Heâll never love you like I do, Y/N,ââ you imitated your ex-boyfriend.
âHe really said that about John?â Angelicaâs jaw dropped.
âYeah, are you really shocked? Seemed like typical Charles to me.â
Angie shrugged. âI guess, but I didnât think heâd heard about you and John. Even then doesnât he know itâs just casual.â You looked at Angelica silently. âOh god. Itâs not casual is it?â
âNo, it is!â you said quickly. âI just, I donât if itâs still casual for him. I mean weâve only had sex two times. I all but hated him until last Friday, and now Johnâs fist-fighting my ex because he said some stuff about me? That doesnât feel casual.â
âYouâre right. That doesnât sound casual at all,â Angelica agreed. She leaned in closer and smiled. âSo what did Charles say to John?â
You rolled your eyes. Angie always loved hearing about drama, even though she claimed she was too smart for it. âI donât know exactly. I think it was the same stuff about how Charles thinks Iâm still in love with him. Whatever it was, it was enough for John to think he had to tell Charles that heâd slept with me the night before.â
âThe one thing you told him not to do.â
âExactly! So you donât think Iâm wrong for being mad at him?â
Angie pursed her lips and looked to the side. âI mean, I do think you overreacted a bit.â
âCome again?â
âY/N, I know you and I are all about feminism and sticking up for ourselves, and thatâs great, but Charles was saying shitty things, and John did something about it. He stood up for you.â
âI can stick up for myself. He didnât need to fight.â
Angelica nodded. âYeah, I think the fighting was a bit unnecessary, and John was definitely wrong to tell Charles about you two, but Y/N, think of it from Johnâs perspective. He wanted to protect you from your manipulative ex.â You opened your mouth to speak, but Angelica cut off. âYes! He did do it in a shitty way. But do you really think Charles is gonna fuck with you if he knows John will punch him in the face?â
You shrugged. âI donât know. The whole thing makes me feel weird. When I think about what John did, it makes my stomach turn and itâs hard to breathe.â
Angelica gave you a dumbfounded and annoyed look. âDamn bitch. I didnât think you were this stupid.â
âWhat?â
âY/N! You have feelings for John! Just admit it!â
You threw your hands up. âIt doesnât matter if I have feelings or not! I told him I didnât need him, and now heâs never gonna speak to me again.â
âNope.â Angelica grabbed your phone out of your hands, and before you could protest, she was talking again. âYou are going to make up with John Laurens. If not for your own sake, then for the sake of my talent show. We have come too far, and heâs a good dancer.â Angie finally handed you your phone back. She had texted John.
âIâm sorry. Iâm just stressed and angry right now. Can we talk tomorrow in person?â
âI hate you for making this sound exactly like me,â you said to Angelica.
She smiled and winked, âWhat are besties for?â You hugged her and thanked her profusely.
You didnât have any more weird nightmares that night, but when you got to school on Wednesday morning, you were still thinking about the one youâd had before Angelica got there. What had it meant? Would Charles always be in your head? Would John?
You didnât have much time to think about it because once you were in the building, people started to stare. Most of the other students were minding their own business, but youâd definitely grabbed more attention than usual. Rumors must have been circulating all night. When a fight breaks out in school, people like to know the cause. Unfortunately, it looked like everything came back to you. They werenât wrong so you couldnât blame them. You and John had planned to meet at his locker fifteen minutes before the first bell. Now you were regretting that choice. Everyone would be watching you, but sneaking off together seemed worse in your mind.
You turned down that hall that Johnâs locker was in. He was standing there staring into his locker blankly. You approached him carefully, âHey.â
âHey,â he replied in a monotone voice.
âIâm sorry I got so mad. I know you were trying to help me.â You bit your lip and waited for a response. It took awhile, but eventually, John looked at you.
âIâm sorry too. I blew this all way out of proportion and made things worse.â
You waved your hand, âThe gossip will blow over in a few days.â
âAnd Lee?â
You rubbed your arms. âThat is a topic for another time. I donât really feel like talking about it. Itâs a complicated situation.â
John nodded. âI get it.â
âYeah.â You looked down at the ground. There was an awkward pause, and you could feel Johnâs eyes on you. Eventually, you took a deep breath and faced him. âI just wanted to apologize and say that we should be friends. Just friends, no benefits. Thatâs probably whatâs best for everybody.â
If John was surprised, he didnât show it. âYeah, youâre probably right.â
You smiled and stuck your hand out for him to shake, âFriends?â
John ignored your hand and pulled you in for a tight hug. âFriends.â
You smiled and squeezed him back.















