#Herc can’t stay too mad for too long

[askh3rculesmu11igan]

~He felt something snap, his hands shook. The tailor felt his breath pick up~

“John..aren’t you ever thankful..? I-I saved Alexander from being kidnapped I got hit in the head with a glass bottle..yet I carried him home and got him the help he needed.. ignoring my needs for his own..Yea Laf got hurt in 10th grade but who saved him from actually ending up dead? It was me.. NOTHING I DO IS EVER. ENOUGH FOR YOU!! NOTHING AT ALL.”

~The tailor yells in frustration tears falling down his cheeks, his head went fuzzy, yet it was starting to pound from pain~

“I-I I did everything I could for y’all..I made sure you didn’t get into a fight when you were drunk! I was there when you guys were sick hell i don’t even know if you’d even be happy I BET if I were to wind up DEAD IN AN ATTEMPT TO SAVE ONE OF YOU YOU’D STILL VERBALLY GO ON ABOUT HOW MUCH OF A USELESS IDIOT I AM”

~The tailor growls, combat boots on and stumbling, barely walking out the door leaving John in his own house.~

“John..please..”

~The tailor begged real quietly eyes wide voice choked up, John most likely wouldn’t even hear him so why did he say try? The tailor didn’t even know himself~

"You were supposed to watch Alexander and Lafayette, but CLEARLY you can't even do that..! I can't even trust you with a simple task, Hercules. God, why do you have to be so USELESS!?" John walked closer to him, his eyes starting a drip a black substance which instantly burned tiny holes into the floor.

[katie-writes24]

Five Of A Kind

Pairing: Poly!Hamilsquad x reader

Warnings: Language, fluff, opinionated comments towards the Spider-Man movies, I guess some things are implied, but barely

Just something I came up with. I’m a sucker for Poly!hamilsquad :) Takes place at the start of their relationship. Uh, shoutout to Pinterest for giving me prompt ideas ig? I’m going to start working on more requests after this. Enjoy!

She sat in a booth in the corner, watching through the window the busy streets of New York. The sun had been replaced by heavy clouds, and it was obvious it would rain any minute.

She tapped an impatient finger against the handle of her mug, looking at her phone once more before the seat across her was filled by John and Lafayette.

“About time,” She raises a brow and John looked back sheepishly.

“At least we’re not the last ones here,” Just then a waiter came over and took their drink orders. When he left, Laf took her hand into his.

“How are you, mon ange? We have not seen you in a while.” Y/N felt a pang of guilt hit her. She had been absent from the past months movie and game nights, missed out on a couple of dates, all due to school work piling up.

“I know, I’m sorry. Just had a lot of work to do. I swear, I won’t cancel again.” She smiled and Laf kissed her knuckles, only to be startled when Hercules threw an arm around him, pulling him into a kiss.

“Ce qui ne va pas avec vous? You scared me!” Laf put a hand to his heart while John snickered beside him.

Hercules chuckled and sat down next to Y/N, placing an arm at the back of the booth and kissing her cheek. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Alex is last, as usual. Give me my ten dollars,” He nudged Laf who rolled his eyes, but pulled out a bill from his wallet. The waiter came back with their drinks and took Herc’s order, as well as a coffee for Alex.

“Has he been working this late the whole week?” She asked. Though she has been doing the same recently, they all knew college classes and his job were totally different. Alex working late would only bring more tension, stress and sleep deprivation to them all.

“Just the past two days,” John shook his head, looking out the window as the rain came. “Dude doesn’t even think time exist anymore.”

“Speak of the devil,” Hercules nodded towards the front of the cafe, and they all watched him walk over.

“Fifteen minutes? That’s a new record, man.” Y/N said bitterly, but not really meaning it.

“Water falls from the sky and people don’t know how to drive.” Alexander sits next to Laf and takes off his jacket. “I’m sorry, I’ll buy this time.”

“Bribery will get you nowhere,” She sipped from her mug, but willingly ordered her meal carefree.

~~~~~

“So...it’s one character?”

“Correct.”

“But three different actors?”

“Right.”

“In three different...worlds?” Lafayette tilted his head as he watched the screen.

“Well...kinda. It’s basically in the same universe, but just different stories. Like the last Peter Parker is set in the same timeline as the Avengers.” Alex shoves more popcorn in his mouth as Laf narrows his eyes.

“I do not get it.”

“You don’t have to get it, babe,” John smiles and runs his hand through Y/N’s hair.

“Uh, yes, he does have to get it if we’re going to binge all of the Spider-Man movies,” She looked up at John as if he was crazy. He giggled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“All you have to understand is Andrew Garfield was the worst Spider-Man,” Hercules said, earning agreeing hums from Alex.

“But he is the cutest one,” Y/N smiled as she watched said actor on screen in his suit.

“Oh, I can totally fight with you on that!” Alex gave her an accusing stare.

“Non, I think he’s pretty cute!” Laf snuggles further into John, and the latter tilts his head up and gives him a peck on his jaw.

“You haven’t even seen Tom Holland yet, your opinions aren’t valid right now!” Alex throws popcorn at his head from the other couch.

“Shhhhh, this is the best part...” Herc put his finger up to Alex’s lips, and he quickly took it into his mouth, causing Hercules to groan in annoyance.

~~~~~

The bell above the door jingled, Hercules looking up from the suit he was working on. His concentrated frown turned into a warming smile as he saw her walk in with a plastic bag in her hand.

“Tell me there’s something edible in there?” He leaned his arms against the counter and smirked as she froze in her steps.

“Are you saying my presence isn’t enough for you?” Y/N scoffed and set the bag down next to him. “But yes, I might have some food in here.”

“I thought you had class?” Herc smiled as she pulled out two containers of burgers.

“I just finished, thought you’d be hungry. I knew you had to come in early, and from John’s drunk text last night, it seemed like you didn’t get enough sleep.” She laughed as he rolled his eyes.

“I got maybe four hours. I don’t know how Alex does it,” He munched on a fry and intertwined their hands together. “Thanks for the food.”

“Of course,” Y/N smiled and the two ate in comfortable silence after that. She could see the different types of fabric thrown across the back tables. It was an obvious sign of stress, it looked like Herc’s office at his apartment. When they finished their meal, she cleared her throat, “Hey, don’t stress yourself out okay? I know you guys are understaffed, but that doesn’t mean all the work has to be thrown on you.”

“I know, but I was the only one on shift today, which means I get all the new orders.” He ran a hand over his face and sighed. “I should probably get back to work.”

“Sure,” She started to leave, but his hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest. She leaned into the embrace and smiled.

“You can stay if you want? I could use the company,” He kisses her head and leans back to look into her eyes.

“I guess I could work on some essays,” She leaned up and kissed him soundly. “Thanks.”

~~~~~

She knocked on the door as she tried to shake off the snow sticking to her coat. It opened a moment later with a relieved looking Aaron on the other side.

“Thank god,” He sighed and stepped to the side to let her in.

“Still hasn’t been out of his room?” Y/N stripped out of her jacket and looked around the messy apartment.

“Not since this morning, and it was only to get another coffee. I’m surprised you guys didn’t check on him sooner.” Aaron raised a brow as she chuckled.

“We talked to him two nights ago, and he seemed fine. Trust me, this isn’t the worse it’s been.” She knocked on his bedroom door, and after not receiving an answer, she opened it slowly.

Alexander was sitting at his desk, back to the door and typing away on his laptop. She sighed as she looked around the room. Cans of energy drinks and candy wrappers had been thrown hazardously near the small trash can in the corner, along with shreds of paper. His bedsheets were thrown carelessly and different documents laid on top.

Y/N shook her head and walked towards where he was seated at his computer chair. She wrapped her arms around the him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“You are freezing,” He winced, voice hoarse like he hasn’t spoken in days.

“How long have you been sitting here?” She asked, eyes roaming over the paragraphs he was typing.

“Today?”

“Alex!” She tutted disapprovingly, reaching for his laptop to close it, but he was quicker, grabbing at her hand.

“No! I just need to finish this real quick!” Shoving her hand away, he leaned forward and typed faster.

“You’ve been in here for hours, for all I know days,” Y/N’s hands wrapped around his, and squeezed them. “When’s the last time you ate something? Or showered? Or walked around?”

The silence was enough to fill her question.

“You’re not taking care of yourself, Al. And do you remember that we had plans tonight? We were all gonna go ice skating.”

“Fuck, it’s already Saturday,” Alex ran a hand over his face and grumbled. “I’m sorry.”

There was frustration in his voice, and she would be lying if Y/N said she didn’t feel bad for him. He has been stressed about work lately, picking up a lot of other people’s slack and working late hours. She held him closer and kissed his neck softly, his own hand coming up to her arm and rubbing a soothing thumb across it. They stayed like that, until he eventually leaned forward and started typing away again, saving the document once again.

“When’s your deadline?”

“Tuesday.”

“Are you kidding me?!” She slammed the computer closed and pulled him away from the chair.

~~~~~

“What the hell, John?” Hercules slammed his cards against the table as John laughed.

“You guys suck at this game,” He smirked and laid his cards out.

“You’re cheating, its so obvious that you’re cheating,” Alex walked away from the table, Laf smirking at how easy it was for him to get mad.

“It’s just a game, mon amie,” Laf chuckled as Alex flipped him off.

“I’m turning in, I gotta work the early shift tomorrow,” Hercules stretched his arms and yawned.

“You are all welcomed to stay the night, there is plenty of space,” Laf offered, hope in his voice. He liked when he didn’t have to go to sleep alone, which is something that hasn’t happened in quite a while.

“I can’t Laf, I got an early meeting,” Alex frowned as he put in his shoes.

“Me too, and I got to be early or Lee will never let me hear the end of it,” John kissed the top of Laf’s head and walked towards Alex.

“I can stay, I don’t have class tomorrow,” Y/N grinned as Laf turned from disappointed to excited.

“Don’t have too much fun, you two,” Hercules smiled and kissed them both goodbye, Alex and John doing the same before leaving the house.

Laf wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk at her, which she pushed his shoulder and walked upstairs to his room. He soon followed and gave her a pair of pajamas to change into.

They fell into bed easily, Y/N cuddled up into his side as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. She could hear his heartbeat and sighed with content.

“What are you thinking about, cherie?” He whispered, not wanting to disturb the quiet.

She hesitated before answering, “How great this all has been...all of us, together. It’s pretty amazing.”

“That it is,” Laf kissed her forehead and smiled. “I wouldn’t trade these past months for anything.”

Y/N leaned forward and captured his lips, not moving until he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He held her cheek with care, pecking her lips a few more times before pulling away.

“Get some sleep, Y/N. For all I know you could be schemeing with all this kissing.” She chuckled and kissed him one last time before turning over and leaning into his chest. He kissed the back of her neck before wishing her sweet dreams.

~~~~~

Classes had finally ended for the semester, which meant Y/N was making plans to catch up on sleep. Yet, despite her wishes to stay in her dorm for the break, the boys offered for her to switch between their homes, saying that it would allow them to spend more time together, and, let’s face it, they all didn’t like going to sleep alone.

The first weekend, they all wanted to celebrate her successful school semester, and while they wanted to go out and party, she was perfectly content with ordering take out and being lazy on Alex’s sofa.

Y/N was spread out across John, face buried in his chest while he ran his hand up her back comfortingly. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, startling between an explosion on the TV and Hercules loud laughter.

She was almost asleep when she felt John’s fingers begin to move across her spine. He had a pattern, going back and forth and up and down, almost like he was writing something. A couple minutes later she went to turn over so her face would be towards the cushion, before she figured out what he was writing.

“I love you, too,” Y/N mumbled, barely giving it a second thought before she knocked out completely.

John stared at her in shock, eyes wide and a blush across his cheeks. Even though the volume was loud, the other boys could hear her clearly, looking over in amusement, shock and adoration.

John swallowed and embraced Y/N, nuzzling into her neck and smiling as she snored.

Let me know if you want to be tagged!!!!

@dontblinkumightmiss @wwaywardwinchester

[stonerbughead]

Maria watches friday night lights (#6)

Season 3 continues! 3x04-3x06~

let’s get it, under the cut:

-oh we have a COWBOY on the scene? Lovely.

-Correct, Cash, Tyra IS a goddess.

“You are a molder of men and i find that admirable and I find that sexy.” Tami and Eric Taylor invented marriage, crazy!

-I respect Julie’s game yo she’s out here tryna study with Matt. Get it, gurl! Get ya man back!

-aww Matt’s trauma with his mommm, my poor babe

-isn’t it funny how my posts were longer when the show was more off the rails? now you get why my Riverdale podcast works lol

-omg the way Eric Taylor has dealt with this Saracen/JD conundrum has been heartwrenching!

-it’s so wild that this Landry and Matt car scene, pulling into the school parking lot together, feels so full circle to the beginning of the show when Saracen was QB2 and never expected anything different to happen

-Tyra: “I’m allowed to have a boyfriend.”

“Didn’t look like a boy to me.” Yesss Tami stays calling out these adults preying on teens, we stan!

-omg Tim keeps quoting Buddy garrity’s dumbass quote about flipping houses I’m dead I cannot 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

-omfg billy, you are not doing business with GUY, the methhead roommate from season 2!!! Whyyy

-like come on how did you not know this was a bad idea?! This isn’t even the first time the Riggins brothers have sped away from this particular guy shooting at them!

-even with a baby, Jason is still boring. Like, his roommate Herc is more interesting.

-they give Tyra the wildest plotlines—a couple eps ago she was running for student body president and now she’s skipping school to hang out with a cowboy while indie folk music plays in the background?? I can’t

“It’s not a big deal, everyone has one.” “It doesn’t mean anything, its a tattoo!” is this Julie Taylor or my sister Sofia as a teenager bc I see no difference

-oh fuck not Matt’s mom finally wanting to go see him in a game the first time Matt’s QB2 since the first game of sophomore year 😭

-alright soooo excited for 3x06 which had Matt and Julie at a lake in the description. Teen drama goodness already guaranteed.

-ewww I don’t like the “have you found any cheerleaders you think are cute” comment from JD’s cringe mom. An adult being so involved in a 15 year old’s love life creeps me out. Anddd of course his controlling dad then follows up by saying JD can’t be serious about a girl! (meaning he’ll inevitably want to date a girl this season at some point)

-oh wow Landry’s metal band is still going strong?! Oop jk this is the scene where they break up?! I forgot it even existed!

-lol so Riggins is skipping school to work on this house but is still showing up to practice. Wild.

-are there fairy wings on this wedding dress Mindy is trying on????

-yes Julie and Matt taking advantage of grandma yelling at Eric Taylor in the grocery store to flirt! Here for this. Also LOLYES to grandma still hugging Eric Taylor by the end of the convo. “I can’t stay mad at you.”

-oh Jason you shouldn’t have ever gotten into this with the Riggins brothers 😭 omg Billy saying “I’ve worked construction before” all angrily then accidentally hurting himself a second later

-JD plays awkward freshman way too well

-JD’s dad in the locker room is so cringe tho omg, this poor kid already has it bad enough trying to fit in as it is!!!

-Ohhh there’s a cute girl trying out for Landry’s band ok I see you!!

-ayyy Jason’s baby mama’s a Jersey gurl? Represent!

-omg Saracen just came over and asked Julie to go to the lake after borrowing Landry’s car? They’re so cute! They’re both trying now awww I’m too soft~ we love loveeeee

-And just like that, Lyla and Tim adopted JD from the dance

-ah, andddd he’s drunk! These flip phones with the grainy quality filming in the party!! Are the early days of camera phones about to be the downfall of JD McCoy?

-OK that Matt and Julie frantic reunion makeout by the fire did NOT disappoint! Can I tell you how much this reminds me of the getting back together bughead scene in 2x12? See my separate post. TEEN DRAMA PERFECTION!!

-Ugh and the long soft kisses as they said goodbye when Matt drops her off I am 🥰

-Ah and they locked eyes in church the next day. Young southern love.

-ew why is jd’s dad ratting out JD for drinking to the coach for no reason? Like who the fuck do you think JD was drinking with, dumbass?

-Jason singing to his daughter over the phone was actually super endearing. I can tell this is the set-up for his exit arc, which is kind of sad bc I feel like he’s finally interesting to me lol but it does kinda feel in some ways like they didn’t know what to do with Jason’s storyline ever, is it just me?

cc anyone who has shown they care at all about this journey: @iconic-ponytail @lockitin @heartunsettledsoul @investigativeduo @miss-eee

[justanoutlawfic]

Life Unexpected: Chapt. 5

Story Summary: 15 years after the events of Why Did It Have To Be Me? and much has changed. Mary Margaret and David are back living in Storybrooke, but don’t speak to one another. One day, David gets a knock on his door from the daughter they gave up all those years ago. She wants to get emancipated from the foster system, but they can’t let themselves sign the papers. As they split custody and try to help her heal from a lifetime of pain, will they find their way to each other?

Chapter Summary: David works on his relationships with Mary Margaret and Emma. Later on, Ruby helps her friend try to take her mind off things.

Also on AO3

Mary Margaret was surprised to get a text from Emma saying that she needed to be picked up. Had David not showed up? That didn’t make any sense. As much as she was hurt, she knew that he wouldn’t just leave Emma there. He had fought to have a role in her life, to make sure that they’d get 50/50 custody.

 Yet, when she pulled up at the school and saw Emma sitting on the curb, a tear stained face, she felt a strange sense of protection budding in the pit of her stomach. David had made her daughter cry. She should’ve known all of this was a mistake. He had let them down before and he was doing it again.

 Emma looked up and walked to the car, climbing into the passenger seat. She threw her bag down at her feet and stared out the window.

 “Emma, how long have you been out here?”

“Not long.”

“I can’t believe David didn’t come for you.”

Emma looked over at her, confused. “He did come.”

Mary Margaret’s brows furrowed. “Then why did you go back here? What happened?”

“Nothing. Can we just go back to the loft?”

“Emma…”

“Please, Mary Margaret. I have a lot of homework.”

 Mary Margaret bit down on her lip. She knew she should push, but she worried it’d just put a bigger rift between the two of them. She’d get answers later. In the meantime, she drove back to the loft. The only sound in the car was that of the radio, classic rock playing through the speakers.

 As soon as she unlocked the door to her loft, Emma stormed up the steps to her room. Mary Margaret sighed, dropping her purse onto the counter and running her fingers through her hair. So much for Emma having a great first day.

 She was halfway through prepping her notes for the next day’s show when there was a knock on the door. She found David on the other side, looking panicked.

“Is Emma here?”

“Yeah, she’s upstairs, doing her homework.” Mary Margaret folded her arms over her chest. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Really? Because why else would she walk back to the school and have me come get her?”

“I think she…” David rubbed the back of his neck. “I think she got a little jealous of Alice.”

“Alice?”

“My roommate’s daughter. I’ve been helping Killian take care of her for the past 7 years and there’s lots of pictures of her everywhere. I didn’t think about how that could upset her.”

 Mary Margaret pursed her lips. Clearly David didn’t realize that this bit of news was going to upset her either. He wasn’t ready to raise a child with her, but he would some random girl with his roommate? She knew she was being irrational, he was a teenager when they got pregnant. He was an adult when this Alice came into his life. The two situations were so different and yet…she had this overwhelming desire to smack him. How could he not see that this was going to hurt both of them?

 “Are you dating this Killian?”

“No. We’re just really good friends, we helped each other through a really tough time.”

“Clearly, you helped him with his kid.”

David gnawed on his lip. “I know how it looks. I didn’t think about it that way when I brought Emma over, but trust me…I thought about the irony every day when I was living with them. I should’ve been there for you and Emma.”

“You were 18, so was I. We both made our choices.”

“Mare…”

“Look, she’s really upset. You can try talking to her, but I don’t know if she’s going to want to.”

 She stepped aside and he walked inside, heading up the stairs. He was trying, Mary Margaret told herself. That didn’t make it any easier. If he hadn’t shown up to try to make things right, she could hate him. Yet, she could see that he was doing all he could to be a good father. He messed up and she would too, but in the end as long as they both tried…could she really be mad at him?

 Mary Margaret shook it off and headed back to her work. She needed to focus on that, she couldn’t risk losing her job, not when she had another mouth to feed.

David walked up the metal steps to Emma’s room and found her at the desk, filling out a worksheet. He cleared his throat so she’d know he was there and she looked up, a frown overtaking her face.

 “I’ll pay for a new frame,” she said simply, before looking back down at the sheet.

“I don’t care about the frame. Em, can we please talk?”

 Emma didn’t say anything, her eyes stayed focused on what was in front of her. David let out another sigh and dropped down on the bed. He reached over, grabbing the baby blanket that was folded over the side of the bed. He picked it up and ran his fingers over the white wool.

 “I should’ve explained Alice more to you before I brought you over,” he said.

“You don’t owe me an explanation. You have a life.”

“Still, I know it can’t be easy to see that. I took care of her and I didn’t have you with me until now…you have to understand that a lot changed between the time I was 18 and then 26.”

Emma spun around in her spin chair, rolling her eyes. “I get it, okay?  You were a different man. You would go back and change things if you could, but you can’t. It doesn’t change that you want to get to know me. That about sum it up?”

“I just don’t want this to get in the way of our relationship.”

“What relationship?”

“Emma…”

“Look, I didn’t want this to begin with. I wanted to get emancipated, but you and Mary Margaret refused. Now I’m stuck in your custody. You already have a family, I don’t need to be a part of it. I can just live with Mary Margaret until I’m 18.”

 David’s face fell and he pulled the chair so it was in front of him. Emma went to get up, but he grabbed her hand.

 “That’s not what I want, Emma.” He looked her right in the eyes, the ones that so perfectly mirrored her mother’s. “I want you in my life. You’re my daughter. And every day I took care of Alice, I thought of my little girl. I thought “What would it be like if I got to do all of this with her?” But I knew I couldn’t. She wasn’t your replacement, she and I have a special relationship. I’m not her father, I’ve always been more of an uncle. I don’t want to be that to you, I want to be your father. I am your father.”

Emma looked down at the hand that was on top of hers before meeting his gaze again. “I can’t be her, you know. I’m not Alice.”

“I don’t want you to be. I just want to get to know Emma.”

 Emma frowned for a few moments, before slowly pulling away.

 “I’m sorry I broke the frame.”

“It’s fine. I can get another one.” He checked his watch. “Maybe after your homework, I could take you to get something to eat. I promised you an afternoon with me.”

“I…”

 Emma was going to blow him off, but she could see the desperation in his eyes. He wanted to try. She was so used to pushing people away, but maybe she could give him a chance.

 “Sure. I don’t have a lot to do.”

“Awesome.” David kissed her cheek and then stood up. “I’ll be downstairs.”

 David headed back down the stairs and found Mary Margaret sitting at the island with her index cards. She looked up at him when she heard the floorboard squeak and adjusted the glasses that she was wearing on her face.

 “How’d it go?”

David shrugged. “She’s still hurt, but she agreed to have dinner with me. If that’s okay with you.”

“It’s fine.” She paused. “So, the social worker is coming by tomorrow, make sure the place is up to code and everything.”

“Yeah, we’ve got one of those too.”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“You mean romantically?” David dropped down on the stool next to her. “No. You?”

“Not anymore.”

“Yeah, weren’t you with Herc or whatever?”

“We were, but it didn’t work out.”

“Was he a bigger jerk than me?”

Mary Margaret laughed, shaking her head. “He was actually a really great guy. Good at his job, sweet, romantic.”

“What was the problem?”

“He wanted to get married and I didn’t.”

“Interesting.”

She tilted her head. “What?”

“It’s just…if he was such a great guy, I don’t see why you wouldn’t say yes.”

 Mary Margaret ran her fingers around the rim of the coffee mug that held her tea.

 “I wasn’t in love with him.” She saw the surprise on David’s face. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved him. You don’t date someone for two years and not love them…but I wasn’t in love. Not the kind that means that you should get married.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“I’m surprised you’re not snatched up by now,” she shot back with a smirk.

David chuckled. “It’s not for lack of trying. I dated a bit in college, but nothing came of it. Around here, I feel like everyone knows everyone and you either get paired off at 16 or your past is enough to scare them off.”

“Maybe it’s best we’re not with other people. I can’t imagine what their reaction to Emma would be.”

“If they had a problem with it, they wouldn’t be worth it.”

“You’re right.”

 They were silent for a few more minutes. Mary Margaret decided to tap into her hostess skills and poured him his own cup of tea and offered him some cookies, which he politely declined.

 “I wanted to apologize,” he said.

“David, if this is about the past…”

“It’s about when we ran into each other a few years back.”

 Mary Margaret flinched. She could remember that day clearly. She had been expecting to see David, but not to have him yell at her in the middle of the street. A part of her was still embarrassed that she had confessed her feelings to him, admitted that she had held a candle for him for so long. How could she have allowed herself to become so vulnerable?

 “David…”

“I was wrong to just yell at you about all of that. You were right, you had no obligation to tell me anything about Emma.”

“You were hurt.”

“I put myself in the situation I was in. I chose to leave you and there’s not a day that’s gone by that I don’t regret it.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I know. I’m only doing it because I mean it.” He shook his head. “I should’ve been braver, I should’ve believed in myself. If I had just told my mother…we could’ve been a family now. You never would’ve been forced to give Emma up.” His hand fell over hers. “I am so sorry, Mary Margaret. You deserved so much more than me, you still do.”

 The tears gathered up in Mary Margaret’s eyes. She had been waiting for this apology for 15 years and suddenly it was in front of her. It was too much, he was so sincere. He seemed to really care and she couldn’t let that keep happening. She couldn’t open up her heart and admit what she was feeling inside, not again. Far too much time had passed.

 “Well,” she cleared her throat and blinked the tears away. “Thank you.” She pulled her hand away. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. We just have to give Emma the best life we can.”

“Of course.”

 Emma came down the stairs a little bit later, her backpack pulled over her shoulder.

 “Finished,” she said. “Ready?”

David nodded and got up. “Yeah.” He looked over at Mary Margaret. “Do you want to come with us?

 Mary Margaret wanted to say yes, she wanted them to have a family meal and pretend that nothing had happened. That she could sit at a table with David and not feel an overwhelming sensation in her to just lean in and kiss him. No, she had to wait until the feelings she had went away. It was the only way they were going to be able to co-parent Emma. She needed parents that got along, not ones that were longing for each other. Or, one in that case. There was no way that David was ever going to feel the same.

 “Thanks, but I’ve got to get ready for tomorrow. Have fun, though.”

 She kissed Emma’s cheek and watched them walk out the door. Once she saw that David’s car had disappeared from the front of the apartment building, she went into her closet and started rooting through all the shoe boxes until she got to the back where there was a bigger box. She dug through all the high school mementos, prom tickets and football game flyers, until she got to her yearbook.

 She flipped through the pages until she landed to the only picture of her and David from any of the books, probably the only picture of them, period. They had been at a basketball game with all of their friends and somehow, they ended up sitting next to each other. Kathryn was on the other side of him, but she had been cut out of the shot somehow. David was pointing to something on the court and smiling, while Mary Margaret had clearly let out a laugh.

 She traced their faces with her finger and allowed a tear to fall down her cheek. David had signed the yearbook before prom, before their lives changed forever.

 Never stop smiling. Good luck with everything.-David Nolan

 Mary Margaret threw the book to the ground and allowed a sob to escape her lips. How could she still love him?

Mary Margaret found herself at the Rabbit Hole that night. David and Emma had decided to hang out a bit longer, to make up for the time they had missed out later. She figured she owed herself a drink. She had forgotten it was karaoke night, but she tuned out the tone deaf and those that got overly sappy as she nursed a margarita. Ruby walked over to her, a smile on her face.

 “What are you doing here, Mommy? Don’t you have a kid to take care of?”

“She’s with her dad.”

“Still, this isn’t exactly your scene.”

“I needed a drink, to take my mind off things.” She looked around. “Where’s Archie?”

“Hiding so I don’t make him sing a song.” Her eyes lit up like wildfire. “But maybe we could?”

Mary Margaret groaned. “Ruby…”

“Come on, just like old times. Except, instead of hairbrushes and cheap wine I stole from Granny, it’ll be actual good booze and a real karaoke machine.”

“I don’t sing.”

“I’ll let you pick the song…” Ruby dragged out her voice in a sing-song like one and then pouted, which made Mary Margaret sigh.

“Fine, fine. You win.”

 Ruby clapped her hands and practically dragged her friend to the book. Mary Margaret flipped through them, wanting to make it count. She came across something that she knew her best friend hated, musicals. She smirked and pointed to an ABBA number that just so happened to fit her feelings. Ruby groaned, tipping her head back.

 “You said I could pick the song,” Mary Margaret pointed out.

“But ABBA? Really?”

“Suck it up.”

Archie walked over to the two of them, smiling. “So, Mare, you saving me from having to sing with her?”

“Yes and it’s a song she hates.”

He chuckled. “I suppose karma is a…” He trailed off when he looked over her shoulder. “Oh, David’s here.”

Mary Margaret turned around and found him heading towards them. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a guy grab a drink?” He asked.

“Where’s our daughter?”

“I dropped her off at the loft, it was getting late.”

“Oh.”

Ruby nudged her in the ribs. “Come on. It’s almost our turn.”

 They gave their song to Lacey, who was running the machine, and she flicked some buttons to have it come up on the screen. Mary Margaret watched the first lines appear, before realizing that it was the version from the second movie…which meant she’d be doing most of it. She shot Ruby a dirty look and she just smirked.

“I told you I don’t do ABBA.”

 Mary Margaret sighed, but knew it was almost her time. She clutched the mic, looking out into the crowd.

  I was cheated by you and I think you know when

So I made up my mind, it must come to an end Look at me now, will I ever learn? I don't know how but I suddenly lose control There's a fire within my soul Just one look and I can hear a bell ring One more look and I forget everything

 Ruby joined her for the chorus, as promised, but Mary Margaret could barely hear her voice over the sound of her beating heart. She scanned the crowd and found Archie was looking at Ruby like she was the most amazing thing in the world. David was staring at her and it was like he could tell exactly why she had picked this song.

 Mamma mia, here I go again My my, how can I resist you? Mamma mia, does it show again My my, just how much I've missed you?

 They continued on with the song, Ruby getting more into it as time went on. When it ended, those around the makeshift stage were clapping. Mary Margaret put the mic back in place and barely noticed Ruby run into her fiancé’s arms. She grabbed her jacket and was starting to leave, when she heard David’s voice.

“Mare.”

“I’ve got to get home. It’s getting late.”

“I just…”

“It doesn’t mean anything, David. Just let it go.”

 With that, she was gone.

[hamilton-one-shots]

Hamilton High School AU 45

And things were just fine with Thomas and John. The movie was just ending and John wasn't sitting so close to Thomas anymore, a choice that he respected.

"... Do you think you can bring Lucy over? I can cover my bruises.. I was just getting hungry and I was thinking I could go make dinner and we can catch up when you bring her.."

Thomas smiled. John really did care about his sister. "How about this, Lucy's a little too young for that kind of thing and it's getting kind of late for her. Why don't I take you over to mine and I can make us some dinner?"

"I don't know.."

"You have my vow that I will not do a thing. You know you could kick my ass if I tried."

John thought for another minute before nodding. "Okay.. But if you try anything, I'm walking home. And you might just lose the ability to walk."

"Noted. Don't worry." He got up and watched as John left the room and went towards the bathroom. Once he came back a few minutes later, he got up and walked out with him, taking him to his car. It had been so long since he'd been anywhere near him for so long without any tension, any malice. "I'm just going to say it, you deserve so much better than Alexander. Hell, you deserve better than me. I want to apologize for being so pig headed. I know what you've been through and I should have been more understanding. At first, I thought you were overreacting, but I know that was wrong. I shouldn't have reacted so childishly to you liking someone else.."

"Thank you for apologizing.. I can't forgive you for what you did to my friends, but I do forgive you for that night.."

"I understand completely." He got to his house and Thomas walked with John to the front door, letting him in. "Lucy! I brought you a friend!" Within a second, Thomas heard feet pattering down the stairs and smiled as Lucy appeared, running to John just as she had the last time.

"Johnny! You're back! You said you'd come back and you did!"

"Of course I did! I can't just abandon my princess." He smiled and hugged her tightly.

Thomas disappeared into the kitchen as John took Lucy to the couch and sat with her, popping a frozen pizza into the oven.

"So, now that we have a little more time, why don't you show me your beautiful artwork?"

She dashed up the stairs and came back with a pink notebook, showing John the drawings inside. There were all sorts of animals, dogs, cats, birds, anything she could see long enough to draw.

"Wow! Did you make all of these? They are so good." He smiled.

"Tommy says that I might be as good as you one day."

"Obviously. You're such a good artist."

Thomas joined them on the couch. "Johnny wants to be an art teacher some day."

Lucy gasped and looked up at him. "You do? You'll still teach me, though, right? I had you first!"

"Of course!" He smiled. "I'll help you be a great artist."

"Yay!" She smiled and hugged him tightly.

Thomas smiled and got the pizza when it was ready, then listened as John and Lucy spoke, both of their smiled as bright as the sun. He missed that, simple moments like that. And, clearly, so did Lucy and John himself. After about half an hour, Lucy began yawning. Well, she was already supposed to be asleep. She was even in her pajamas already. "Come on, Lucy, it's past your bedtime."

"Noooo!" She whined. "I want to stay with Johnny."

"I know.. But Johnny has to go home too. Come on." He gently pried her off of him and began walking towards the stairs when she started screaming and thrashing. "Oh my god- Lucinda Jefferson, cut that out!"

"No! I won't get to see him and, and it won't be fair!" She continued her ear piercing screaming as Thomas carried her towards her bedroom. "Take me back! I want Johnny!"

"You have to go to school in the morning! Just calm down!"

"No!"

John sat downstairs and ate pizza, listening to the screaming from upstairs. Lucy wasn't going to stop until she got what she wanted, he knew that, and what she wanted was him, so it was best that he stayed where he was. It took a whole ten minutes before Thomas came back down the stairs.

"Sorry.. Kids... You know how it is."

"I know. It's fine."

"Let's head back to your place before Laf beheads me."

John nodded and followed him back to his car, getting in and buckling his seat belt as he began driving.

"So.. Is Laf spending the night with you?.." It only made sense to ask. John was in too bad of a position to be left alone.

"I don't know.. I'll ask." He texted Lafayette. [Hey, are you free to spend the night?]

Lafayette frowned as he checked the message, just pulling up at his house because George saw that Alexander was online on Facebook. If he asked to spend the night, it would look suspicious to his parents. After all, John had four siblings to watch after him and a father who, for lack of better terms, hated Lafayette. He turned to Herc. "Hey, Herc, do you think you could spend the night with John?.. What am I supposed to say if George asks me why I'm staying over with him and his father, who hates me?.."

"You're right. I can do it, no problem."

"I'll take you to get your things after this." He went inside with him and found George on the couch with his laptop.

"He just went offline again. I messaged him and asked where he was and he just said he was at a friend's house. I can't imagine where that would be if now with one of you guys. Where's John? Is he okay?"

"Yes, he's with his friend, Maria. He's calm and just waited there in case he came back. Alexander left his phone there, too. I don't think he wants to be found.."

He sighed. "Well.. Wherever he is, at least he's safe.."

"Right.." He went upstairs and got Rosie, figuring that John could only benefit from having her there, and left with her and Hercules, driving to his parent's shop. When they got there, Lafayette put Rosie in her harness and let her sniff around as they waited for Hercules to get back.

She began sniffing the floor and stood at attention, pulling Lafayette around.

"What are you up to, Cherie?" he asked, though he figured that nothing could go wrong from following her.

She kept sniffing around and walking until she ended up at a bus stop. She began sniffing in circles.

"I wonder.." Lafayette muttered as he read the stop schedule. The last bus would've left right when Alexander disappeared. And the stops.. There he was.

"Laf, I'm ready to go. Are you okay?.."

"I think I know where he is. We have to go."

"I'm on it." They got in the car, Hercules holding Rosie, and began driving.

John walked upstairs and went into his apartment, Thomas trailing behind him. "Thank you for everything.. I wish I could make it up to you."

"You have nothing to make up. You did nothing unjustifiable." He sat beside him on the couch once they got inside.

John sighed and looked down at his hands, then up at Thomas. "Still.. You've been great today." This wasn't good. He could feel his heart beating in a way that he hadn't felt in a year. Or, rather, in a way that he spent the past year trying to ignore. Thomas really was different than he was just a week ago. But Alexander... John couldn't deny that he still loved him, suffering or not. He'd have to figure this out on his own.

Thomas smiled back at him, glad to see him feeling so much better. Alexander was scum for making him suffer and, well, he himself was no better. Not yet. He put his hand under John's cheek and turned his face. "I want to apologize, too... But.. I have to say, Alexander's been a shit boyfriend to you. Getting you into fights, stressing you out, you don't deserve that. You deserve flowers everyday, love notes, things I can give you if you just give me another chance.."

This wasn't good.. This wasn't right.. "Thomas.. I-" He was interrupted as Thomas's phone began ringing over and over again, all showing him messages about the same thing.

The Laurens Pamphlet.

"Finally, I'm done," Alexander sighed as he leaned back.

"Alexander.. Maybe it's about time you got home.. I'm sure everyone is so worried about you. And your boyfriend isn't going to like this.."

"I'd rather him be mad at me than sad and scared. I did this for him."

Eliza sighed. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..

Hercules checked his phone as it buzzed, Lafayette's doing the same in his pocket as he drove. He checked it and his eyes went wide. "Laf, you need to drive faster." He read him some of Alexander's post and felt Lafayette speeding up.

"I can't believe him! John is going to kill him, if I don't beat him to it." His brakes screeched as he arrived at the Schuyler estate.

"I think your brother is here," Eliza said.

"I heard him. It's fine, I'm done. Its done. Thank you."

"Of course." She walked him to the door and waved as he left.

Lafayette was steaming as he sat in the car, unable to even glare at Alexander as he got into the car.

Even Hercules didn't bother scolding him as Lafayette drove. If anybody was going to have the first word, it was him, and he didn't think it was a good idea for anybody to try and change that.

"Where do I even begin? We've all been worrying for hours. I drove all around town looking for you. George and Martha are worried sick. And John.." He paused and sighed. "John was a mess. Emphasis on was. Imagine my shock when I received a text telling me that he was having a panic attack. I wonder where you are, but not without going and helping him. He was already calm by the time I got there, but I stayed around because leaving him was the worst thing I could do. I wanted to ask where you were, but just saying your name triggered a panic attack, triggered the thought that you left him when he needed him the most."

Every syllable stung. Alexander felt physically attacked with every word. After all, if anyone knew how to keep their cool with Alexander, it was Lafayette. And now, here he was, furious.

"And, icing on the cake, guess who'd with him right now? Guess who calmed him down and kept him calm while I went out to find you?"

Naturally, Alexander assumed it'd be Maria. He opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Lafayette.

"Thomas Jefferson. And he's almost as angry with you as I am."

Alexander's eyes went wide. "Tho... Thomas Jeffer-"

"Yeah. John was left all on his own, panicking and-"

"And you thought Thomas fucking Jefferson was a good babysitter?!"

"Hey! You don't get a say in this, Alex!"

"Exactly. You caused this mess and it was John's decision to ask him to come over, not ours."

Alexander frowned. They were right.. "Can I talk to John?.. I have to talk to him.."

Hercules tutted and grabbed his phone, calling John.

John was looking over Thomas's shoulder, reading what all the fuss on Facebook was about. 'The Laurens Pamphlet'?.. His eyes went wide as he took in the beginning words.

{This is an open letter to the fat, arrogant, anti-charismatic, national embarrassment known as Mr. Henry Laurens.} Alexander had made a /very/ public post was a calling out every abusive action John's father had ever held against him according to Alexander's knowledge... in gratuitous detail. From homophobic attitudes, to separating John from his siblings, to mental abuse and name calling, to physical abuse, scars and bruising. It painted Henry Laurens publicly as the monster he was and the worst part...? It was spreading like wildfire. 1 share, 3 shares, 8 shares, 17 shares, 34 shares... it just kept increasing and increasing. Angry comments spewing in with outrage against the disgusting man, many claiming to have already contacted police and other authorities about the man... If Alexander’s aim was to make this as public as possible, he’d certainly succeeded. The document concluded with {Of course, I know my dearest John Laurens would never allow such a post to gain such attention from the public. I very much doubt I will have the privilege of calling him my boyfriend after tonight... but his safety is my paramount priority. If he is safe from the horrendous clutches of the demon that is his father, my happiness is something I will very willingly sacrifice. I have no doubts he will quickly discover the existence of this document, and so, my wonderful John... my incredible Jackie... I’m sorry. I have no words for how much I love you. You make my heart flood with emotion and my head spin out of control. I struggle to get you out of my mind, and undoubtedly always will. I can only beg your forgiveness, and hope for your happiness, with or without me in it.}

But the last paragraph didn't change a thing for John. He only had one thing in mind, one worry that mattered. "I have to make sure they're okay!" he said as he jumped up, bursting into a sprint for the door.

Thomas caught him before he could, holding him against his chest and waiting for him to calm down. "No, sunshine, you can't! That's nothing but a bad idea right now and you know it. Please, you know he'd never hurt them. They're safe, John."

It was only a few minutes before John collapsed into Thomas's arms, crying softly. "I never wanted this... He's ruined everything..."

"Shh.. Maybe it's best if you stay calm, sunshine. Just relax, okay? You're smart. I know you can get through this.." He kissed his cheek and laid him down on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. "Just take this one step at a time. Can you do that?.."

John nodded. "What about my art?.. With this over my head.."

"Hey, none of that. You're so talented, people would be crazy to let this stop them from buying it." He sighed. "Still.. Alexander should not have done this. I know you keep secrets for him and he just gave up all of yours for the world to see.."

"Don't remind me.." he muttered, checking his phone. "Hold on.. Herc's calling me."

"Want me to leave?"

He shook his head and let him rest his hand on his side as he answered the phone. "H-Hello..?"

Hercules frowned. He trusted Lafayette when he said that John was okay, but this didn't sound okay. "Hey, Jack.. How are you doing?"

"I was okay until I read that stupid pamphlet.."

"I know.. I'm sorry.. We found Alexander. Do you want to talk to him?"

"No. I don't want to see him or talk to him."

"Okay. I understand. I'll be there in a minute. We agreed that it's better if I stay with you instead of Laf and I'll even bring Rosie for you."

"Thanks.."

"No problem." He waited until John hung up and sighed.

Alexander didn't have to ask. He knew John didn't want to see him. He cried in the backseat as Lafayette drove.

When they got to the building, Hercules got out and headed up to John's apartment and Laf went to the backseat, helping Alexander calm down.

"Hey.. I'm mad at you, but I don't want you to suffer.. Look at me. You're okay and that's what matters."

"John's g-going to br-break up with with me.." he sniffled. "He-He's going to date Tho-Thomas..."

"Do you really believe that it's going to be that easy for him? You know better, I know you do." He sighed and pulled him against his chest. "Listen.. What you did was wrong, but I know John. He's going to give you a chance. He's going to talk to you before he makes any decision like that."

"I just wanted to-to help him.."

"And I understand that, but John's smart.. You should have trusted him with some choice on whether or not you made this or whether or not he was okay. I know it looks bad, but John's a fighter. He knows what he can take and what he can't. It's awful, I know it is.. But it was wrong to tell everyone his secrets like that and whatever he decides, he'd never try to hurt you. Do you understand?"

Alexander nodded.

"Good. Let's go home, okay?"

He nodded again and Lafayette moved to the driver's seat, driving home.

Thomas got up when he heard knocking on the door and answered it, Hercules glaring lightly at him.

"Jefferson."

"Mulligan."

"He doesn't need you here anymore."

He tutted and went back to John, taking his hand and kissing it. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay sunshine?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

He smiled and left.

"What a night, huh?.." Hercules began as he sat beside John. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright."

"That's good. So.. How about ending this crazy night with just some movies and snacks?"

"That's just what I need right now. I'll get some snacks. You can pull something up on my laptop."

"Will do."

Within minutes, the two guys had a large bowl of popcorn, chips, and soda on the table and Justice League playing on John's laptop. If there was one thing they could agree on, it was the fact that Wonder Woman made everything better.

About halfway through the movie, Hercules looked down and smiled when he found that John had slumped over in his sleep. He needed some rest after the crazy day he'd just had. He covered him with a blanket and fell asleep with him after cleaning up.

In the middle of the night, Lafayette woke up to Alexander shaking him lightly.

"Laf.. Can I sleep with you?.. I can't.. Nightmares.."

"Yes, of course. Come here." He made room for him and let him lay down before falling asleep with him and Rosie, who Herc had forgotten to take in all of the drama.

Alexander laid beside him and moved close, gripping his shirt tightly and squeezing his eyes shut.

In the morning, he was awaken by Rosie purring on his face. It was pleasant, but it didn't stop him from feeling undead. There was so much that was no doubt going to happen. There was George and Martha, who'd let him off easy after the long night but no doubt had something to say about his disappearance, Hercules, who was probably furious, Thomas Jefferson no doubt wanted to throttle him, and then there was John. That's who scared him the most. Not because of what he could do, but what he could say.

He slowly sat up, waking up Laf, and left to get ready for school. He burst into tears at the sight of John’s shirts in his dresser and pulled one out, holding it to his chest and taking in John’s scent. It may have been the last time he got to.

Lafayette sighed. Today was not going to be easy. He frowned before getting ready for school as well.

John was already gone by the time Hercules woke up and left breakfast and a note on the coffee table. [Hey, I'm feeling alright and I'm already at school. I wanted to work on a painting real quick. I'll see you there. : )]

Hercules smiled a bit and got ready for school before eating and leaving. He was worried, but at least John seemed to be a bit better.

And he was, to the naked eye. He was standing outside of the school and painting, his bandana over his face, just like nothing ever happened. This time, it was a simple commission just in time for Valentine's day, a silhouette of a couple dancing. He calmly painted away, jumping a bit as he heard a familiar voice.

[hamilkilo]

Blinding Fear

Prompt: Just throwing this out here but you can never write to many storm centered hurt/comfort fics with our resident writer who gets too distracted by work to heed the warnings of his s/o or to pay attention to the changing weather.

Paring: Poly!Hamilsquad X Reader

TW: Storms, swearing, fear, aggression, violence(?), mention of blood, anger and hurtful words, angst?

A/N: Hey guys! I’m probs in a mania tonight, explaining why I’ve written and posted three fanfics in the span of a few hours. Anyways, this should be the last one tonight since I have shit to do tomorrow. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope y’all enjoy it and find some sort of solace within it. As always, if something triggers you, let me know so I can tag it! I want you to feel safe when reading my work! I love all of you so much! Happy reading!

Word Count: 2803

“Alex,” you say gently, trying to catch his attention as he typed away on a document. He didn’t look up, his eyes still trained. “Honey, don’t forget to come home early today, okay? I looked at the weather…”

His typing paused, and he glanced at you, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to your cheek. “I know, sweetheart. Thank you for the lunch. I’ll see you at home soon, okay?”

You smiled softly at him, kissing his lips softly before you finally stood up to your full height and adjusted your top. You lovingly ran a hand through his hair before you left his office. On days when the weather had been forecasted to get bad, you’d stop by his office to remind him of the thunderstorms. He never liked to admit it, but they triggered him. They were his weak point.

John was next to get home, tugging off his jacket. The wind had picked up over the course of the afternoon. “Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?”

He approached you and joined you on the couch, pulling you in for a brief kiss. “It was good, you?”

He grinned at you. “It’s good now.”

You snuggled up against his side as you fixed your attention back on the television.

“Have you heard from Alex at all?” You asked suddenly, and he glanced down at you.

“No. Have you?” You shook your head in response, and he frowned.

“I’m sure he’ll be home soon,” you muttered, but you still felt nerves tug at your gut.

Laf was next to get home in his pair of dark blue scrubs, curly strands of hair hanging in his face.

“Long day?” John asked with a smirk, and Laf rolled his eyes.

“You have no idea!” He leaned down and kissed John, long and sweet, before he kissed your cheek. “Where is our Alex?”

You shrugged. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”

Laf nodded and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. You pulled your legs up beside you and cuddled even closer to John. You texted Alex, asking him where he was, just for good measure.

It was when Herc got home that you really began to get nervous. You could now hear the wind howling outside as it pulled at Herc’s scarf. He shut the door behind him, shaking his head from the cold. He put his scarf and coat on the rack before he went over to the two of you and gave you each a kiss. Laf came out of the kitchen, a cup of tea in his hands. He probably made it after he made the coffee. He’d always been more of an herbal type of person. He gave Herc a gentle kiss, and a soft smile graced his lips when Herc took a sip from his mug.

“Earl Grey?” He handed the mug back to Laf, who smiled.

“You know me so well, babe.” He leaned in and eagerly met Herc’s kiss.

When they separated, Herc looked around. “Where’s Alex? He should’ve been home by now.”

His words hung heavy in the air. You knew he was right. Alex should’ve been home forever ago.

“I… I’m not sure… I reminded him at lunch today, and he’s not responding to my texts.” You admitted as you checked your phone again. Still a blank screen.

“Merde,” Laf swore softly, and Herc squeezed his shoulder. John scrolled through his phone, tapped it a few times, then pressed it to his ear. You all held your breath, then let it out in disappointment when he didn’t answer.

“We’ve gotta go find him. Now,” John was adamant, and you nodded in agreement. You needed to find Alex before the storm and get him home.

Laf sat his tea down on the side table, and Herc pulled his keys from his pocket. All of you grabbed your coats and were quick out the door. Herc drove quickly towards Alex’s office at the Law Firm. It was when the rain started to softly pitter patter against the windshield that your breath caught. Laf rubbed your arm in understanding.

As soon as the car was in park, all of you were jumping from it and running towards the door. And you didn’t care that you looked like soggy, desperate mad men. Alex was in danger, and that was all you could think about. You didn’t stop at the secretary’s desk like usual, and you didn’t pause to converse with Angie when she greeted you. You didn’t even pause when Mr. Washington called out your name. You were on a set path.

You threw open his office door, the first there, and panic gripped at you when you saw the lights were out, the blinds were drawn tight, and the room was empty. Your boyfriends paused behind you, then John shoved past into the room.

“‘Lex!” He called out, quickly moving around. “Alex?!” His voice was frantic, and he was met with a soft whimper from behind the desk. He walked behind it and crouched down. After a moment, he popped back up and nodded at the lot of you. He had found him. You let out a breath you knew you’d been holding, and you moved forward. You crept slowly around the desk and found Alex curled up in a ball, his face pressed against John’s stomach. The man that usually cared if his tie was slightly off kilter was now on the floor, crumpling his perfectly ironed suit. It broke your heart.

“Alex,” your voice was soft as you joined them on the ground. Herc and Laf stayed behind the desk, not wanting to crowd him in such a state.

A soft roll of thunder could be heard from outside, and he whimpered again, curling closer to John. You rubbed his back soothingly as John held him.

You needed to get him home. He’d feel safer there. But you didn’t know how to.

“I… The storm…” He tried to speak, but his voice came out tight and strained. You ran a hand through his messy ponytail. How long had he been curled beneath his desk?

“I know,” John murmured to him, and Alex pulled away to look up at him through teary eyes.

“I was about to leave when… when I heard the wind…” He whimpered when the thunder grumbled, a bit louder than before. You were losing time to get him home.

John shushed him. “I know, sweetheart. I know… But we gotta get you home.”

Alex gripped at his shirt, his hands tight. “Outside? No, John… Please, I can’t. I can’t face the storm, please-”

John pried Alex’s hands off his shirt and held them, pressing kisses to each of his knuckles. “I know you’re afraid, but your pills are at home, and you usually feel more secure there. And we’ll be there the entire time, okay?”

When Alex didn’t respond, he moved to get up. Alex panicked and latched onto him again. “Where’s Herc? Where’s my Hercules?”

You moved out of the way and Herc took your spot. Alex’s wild eyes settled on him, and he was quick to wrap himself around him.

“I’m right here, ALex… It’s okay,” he whispered as he rubbed his back. After Alex’s breathing had calmed down a bit, Herc stood up slowly with him, Alex holding fast.

“Don’t worry, honey. It’s a short walk to the car. You’ll be in my arms the entire time, okay-”

“The-The storm, Herc-” Alex’s voice was frantic.

“I know. We can make it. I’ll have you the entire time, okay? You can do this.” Herc sounded sure, and Alex took several deep breaths before he nodded. Herc’s grip on him tightened, and he started to walk towards the door.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. There had been a few storms none of you had been prepared for. His work environment knew about his past and his fear of storms, and they also knew all of you and even Mr. Washington would beat the shit out of anyone that had something to say about it.

Herc’s steps were deliberate as he carried Alex through the building, all of you flocking them. A few gazes lingered on you as you passed, but you only focused on Alex. You could see that it was pouring as you neared the glass doors, and from Alex’s tense posture, you guessed that he knew this too. It was when Herc stepped out into the storm that Alex lost his Moxie and began clawing at Herc.

“No! Hercules! No, please! Let me go! Please, don’t make me go out! Please!” He cried and pleaded like his life depended on it, and he squirmed and fought, but Herc’s hold was persistent. Laf unlocked the car. Since you’d been through this before, you knew that Laf would now drive. Herc and John would try to hold Alex down and keep him sane in the backseat. You would sit shotgun. And that’s what happened, only, this time, something went wrong. Herc was fighting to buckle Alex in when a bolt of lightning jutted across the sky, and Alex went batshit. He lost his mind to the blind panic. He ended up hitting Herc in the face, taking him completely by surprise. Herc’s hands hesitated, only for a moment, but that was all he needed. Alex scrambled from the car, evading any hands that reached for him, and he took off towards the building, John in hot pursuit. The rest of you followed, but John was the closest. Alex was just a hair away from the doors when John tackled him and pinned him to the ground. Alex cursed and screamed, reaching desperately for the doors.

“Fuck you, John! Fuck you!” He screamed out bitterly, clawing at the pavement. “I hate you! I fucking hate you! Get off of me, you fuck! Let me go! I can’t believe you’re killing me! You’re a fucking murderer!” To any untrained eye, it would look like rain, but you knew it was tears that ran down John’s face as he pinned Alex down. It was hard to see him like this. “I’ll fucking kill you! Fuck you! Someone help me! Please! Don’t let them take me! Please! I can’t die! It’s too early! I-I’m not ready! Someone, please! George! Angie! For fuck’s sake, Thomas! I didn’t think I’d make it this far… I can’t die now, I can’t… I can’t…”

Alex had stopped struggling as he openly sobbed beneath John, and all of you helped slowly pull him up and drag him back to the car. He had road rash on the palms of his hands from being tackled and his fingernails were bleeding from him clawing at the pavement. All of you were sopping wet. He struggled, swore, and cried the entire car ride home.

When you finally made it, you knew you were approaching the hardest part: getting him inside. The storm was in full swing. The thunder was so loud that it shook the car around you. Rain pelted down from the sky. Lightning was the only lighting available since the sun had set. Laf and you had gotten out first, and you waited until Herc and John had signaled they were ready to open the door. As soon as you did, Alex went rabid. He even went as far as to bite John, who swore sharply, but to his credit, he didn’t release him. Thunder boomed around you, and Alex howled. He thrashed in their hold and even Laf joined in to hold Alex around the middle. You shut all the car doors and followed them. They moved slowly, each step a war.

“Please, don’t let them kill me, Y/N,” his screaming had changed and his eyes met yours, begging you sincerely. “Please, don’t. You love me, right? I know you love me! They’re going to kill me, but you… you can stop them! Please, help me!” You bit your lip and looked away. You were already helping him, whether he could see it or not.

When you didn’t reply, he turned bitter. “Fuck you, too! I knew you didn’t love me! I knew it! You’re just going to let me die? Fuck you! I won’t miss you, then. Maybe, when they lay me in the ground, you can tell them how you signed my death certificate yourself!”

His words were sharp like the cutting rain, and they pulled at your heart like the wind stripped the trees. You knew he didn’t mean it, that he was lost in his fear, but it hurt nonetheless.

“Just kill me already!” He cried out desperately as the rain drilled down. He stared up at the sky for a moment, still struggling. “Why prolong the inevitable? Just let me die, please? Make it quick! Can’t you see I’m suffering? Put me out of my misery, please, please. What have I done to deserve this? What have I done?”

You finally made it to the front door, and you held it open as they struggled. However, as soon as Alex saw the sanctuary, his struggling seemed to be in the direction of home. As soon as they crossed the threshold, his body went slack, and he stopped rambling. You went off to find the pill bottle while the others tried to stabilize him. When you came back, he was wrapped in a blanket and pressed against John. He looked so small and vulnerable. Laf was holding a warm cup of tea. You knew he had decided against coffee since the caffeine could add to his panic. It took some coaxing, but he finally took the pills and began to sip the tea. Thunder rattled outside, causing him to wince and curl against John. Her sat on the other side of him, seeming to hide him from the world. You moved forward, seeing Alex’s body language moving towards sleepy. “Hey, let’s get you into some dry clothes, yeah?” You asked softly, his cruel words still chipping away in your head.

His eyes darted up to yours, unsure, but then he nodded. You gave him a reassuring smile, and you helped him stand. He clung to you as you led him down the hall, through the bedroom, and eventually to the closet in the bathroom. The storm wasn’t so loud on this side of the house, and that helped to calm him. You carefully helped him remove his soggy and somewhat bloody suit, leaving it crumpled on the floor. He could be upset about it tomorrow. You held him up as he slowly tugged on a pair of sweatpants. He let you pull Herc’s hoodie over his head, and once it was on, he was quick to pull you into an embrace. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, his breath quick and warm. He said nothing, he just held you there briefly. Eventually, he pulled away, and you were able to lead him towards the bed. The others had already gotten changed and were waiting in bed. You helped him crawl up to join them, giving him a kiss on the cheek, before you went to change. You stripped as fast as you could and carelessly threw dry clothes on, eager to get back to him. The storm still raged outside, but his meds were kicking in, and he was safe inside from it. You grabbed your phone and headphones from the nightstand, racing to opening the playlist you’d made him. You placed the headphones over his ears and turned up the volume, blocking out the storm. You could tell it was working by the way he relaxed against all of you, and his eyes began to drift shut. In the blink of an eye, he was asleep. These episodes took a lot out of him. Once you realized he was finally safe, you felt tears fall down your cheeks. Herc pulled you against his chest without a word. Seeing Alex so afraid got to you, no matter what you did. Seeing your loved one so distressed and being unable to ease his pain crushed you, all of you. The four of you whispered to each other for a bit, discussing the night, sharing your feelings, comforting each other. Eventually, you found enough peace to fall asleep.

In the morning, after the storm was nothing but a blurry memory, Alex would profusely apologize, despite you telling him it was unnecessary, and it seemed like he would spend weeks trying to make it up to you all. It didn’t matter, though. You loved him. Nothing he ever did would make you stop loving him.

[schuylerful-blog]

Uh Oh (Hercules x Reader)

Request: @crazypup110 (i can’t tag you???) “Can you do a little something in a Hamilton College AU where Alexander sister is secretly dating his friend Hercules and he finds out when he catches them on a date in a secluded area?”

A/N: *yells* I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW HORRENDOUSLY LONG THIS TOOK ME AND I APOLOGISE FOR THE BAD QUALITY AND THANK YOU FOR BEING SO PATIENT IM SORRY please enjoy

T/W: Nothing I’m aware of???

If you have a request, drop it here! If you wanna see my masterlist, click here!

Your foot tapped up and down against your apartment floor.  Fiddling with the seam on your shirt, you glanced up at the clock above the front door. 6:29pm. The seconds hand ticked slowly over the clock face. You were waiting for Hercules to pick you up for your first date. 

It was no secret to your friends Eliza, Angelica, Peggy and Maria (who had helped you get ready minuets earlier) that you liked Herc, and you were ecstatic when he asked you out after class last week. Unfortunately, despite the fact Herc and your twin brother Alexander were best friends, Alex made it clear he didn't like the idea of you and Herc dating, so you had to keep it quiet. You were excited all week leading up to the date, but now as the time drew near you were filled with nerves. You, Herc and Eliza had a plan to keep Alex away but you still couldn't help but worry about what would happen if you were caught. 6:30pm. The minuets hand ticked and, on cue, you heard a knock at the door. You stood up, swung your bad over your shoulder and took a deep breath. Opening the door, you were greeted by a familiar face.

“(Y/N)”, Herc smiled. “You look amazing. I meant, that’s not to say you don’t look amazing usually- You always look amazing. It’s just- Oh!”, he stopped himself. “These are for you”. He handed you a bouquet of flowers and nervously shifted from foot to foot. You were glad he was just as nervous as you were.

“Thank you Herc”. You pressed a quick kiss to this cheek. You both blushed deep red. You offered him your hand, which he took quickly.

“Let’s go, before you realise how clammy my hands are”, he joked. “We’re going to the little coffee shop you like just off campus”.

“Javier’s?”, you asked. “I thought we were going back to your dorm. That was the plan we made with Eliza”

“Don’t worry, I texted her and let her know. Alex won’t be around”

“You sure? That’s his favourite cafe”

“I’m sure (Y/N). Don’t worry ‘bout it”. You walked hand in hand out your dorm into the cool summer’s breeze.

A quick peak at the clock revealed the time to be 8pm. Thank god Javier’s was open late tonight, because you and Herc was having so much fun you wanted to stay there all night. You sat together on a love seat, your head on Herc’s shoulder and two long forgotten cups on the table in front of you. You talked about everything, from class, to music, to the tailoring business Herc wanted to open after school. You were so engrossed in conversation, you didn't notice a text from Eliza pop up on your phone screen. 

Eliza

Hope things are going good! We’re just going to get coffee then Alex will be back. I’ll keep you updated xx

“(Y/N), can I tell you something?”, Herc asked.

“‘Course, anything”

“Actually it’s more of a question”

“Ask away”. Hercules put an arm around you and pulled you close.

“Can I kiss you?”. You had no clue what to say. The obvious answer was ‘YES!’, but no words came out of your mouth, so you just leaned in. Herc reciprocated and your lips met his. He carefully held you head in his hand and deepened the kiss. Just then, the door to the cafe opened.

“And so I said, ‘Thomas, that was a real nice declaration, but welcome to the present, we’re running a real college. And then he- (Y/N)?”. Alex’s jaw fell open. Eliza stood behind him, gaping. You and Herc jumped apart. “Herc?!”

“What are you guys doing here?”, Eliza frantically asked.

“You knew?”

“I sent you a text!”, Herc responded.

“What text?”

“Oh no...”. ‘Uh oh’ was the only thing you could think. You were sure Alex was going to get angry. He didn't want you and Herc together, yet, here you were.

“Alex, before you get mad,”, you began. “I’m an adult too. I can make my own decisions and I don’t need your approval and Herc is a great guy and-”

“(Y/N)”, he cut in. “I’m not going to get mad”

“You-, you’re not?”. You were confused. Alex was very hot-headed, and this is exactly the thing that would make him mad. 

“No”, he stepped towards you. “I’ve been thinking. I know I’m really protective of you but that’s only because I love you. And, maybe I shouldn't be getting in the way of you and Herc, because, if you want to date anyone, I’m glad it’s Herc. I’m sorry”. You stood quietly for a moment, shocked.

“Thank you Alex”, you whispered. “I love you”

“Love you too (Y/N/N)”. He pulled you into a hug. “We’ll let you get back to your date now. But please, don’t make out in front of me again”. You laughed as your brother and Eliza left the shop. You turned back to Herc.

“Sorry, where were we?”

[poly-hamilsquad-readers]

You Have One Chance. (( Poly! HamilSquad x Poly! Reader ))

Prompt: no one requested this, but it occurred to me, I haven't seen this. But that doesn't mean it hasn't been made before. But Alex cheated on Eliza, so what if he cheated on them all? So this is where Alexander cheats on you all. Time: Modern Warnings!!!: will include a small scene of sex/smut/nsfw and mentions of it, cussing, crying, panic attacks, lots of yelling, and a few other things like cheating, poly, etc. Asked for by: no one Notes: (( hope you guys enjoy, I'll check for typos but I might miss some. So let me know if you see any, also I'm trying to do this little thing above. That I didn't do in the first one, tell me what you think of that as well. Also I'm sorry anyone who is not female, I accidentally ended up doing this with feminine pronouns )) ============ You had arrived home as normal, nothing seemed off. No body else was home, Hercules probably in his shop. Lafayette most likely working, along with Alex and John doing the same. You set your stuff down heading to prepare dinner, but first you wanted to change. You knew they should all be home soon, at least once a week, sometimes more. You all are home in time for dinner, and get to enjoy time with each other. So you where pumped, you wanted to go change into something cuter than what you where currently wearing. You headed towards the bedroom, a small prep in your step as you placed your fingers around the handle opening the door. You froze, time seemed to pause, you heard a moan, a loud one. Not one of your boys'..... You gulped and cracked the door open, there, was Alexander. Making out with another female, one whom you'd never met. She was only in her underwear, he had his hands all over her. She was the one moaning. You quietly shut the door and rushed downstairs sobbing into your hands, you heard a door open and shut. Before you, at the entrance, where the other three boys. "Hey princess, we stopped-!" Hercules froze and they all stared at you as you where breaking down in front of them. Gasping for breath, sniffling and hiccuping. Tears running down your cheeks, you already where a mess. "What 'appened!" Laf gasped rushing forward bringing you close, you felt like you couldn't breath squirming loose gasping for air. Hercules quickly grabbed your hand leading you outside, finally able to breathe, you had to get out of there.... You couldn't stay here! "What happened?!" John asked and you shook your head sobbing out with agony. Lafayette approached you counting to ten in French a few times, it always calmed you, his accent was thick as he let the words slip from his lips. John placed his hand in the dip of your back and kissed your temple, Hercules began to try and copy Lafayette. Accidentally, succeeding in making you laugh. "What's wrong?" John whispered, you finally caught your breath. "Go into the bedroom." You whispered, your voice raspy and hoarse. Hercules exchanged looks with the other two before nodding to you, Laf stayed there with you, while Herc and john went inside and headed towards your guys' room. Soon you heard screaming and yelling from inside, glass shattered and the girl rushed out in your robe. You began to break down and Laf looked on in horror as Herc was not one to get angry easily. He was the loudest, screaming and soon Alex was rushing out of the house with John and Hercules after him. "How could you" John was a mess as well, the most hurt expression shining in his eyes. You could almost psychically see his heart being shredded, his mouth agape as he watched the girl hide behind Alexander. "You cheated on us!" Hercules roared tears streaking down his cheeks, Lafayette finally understood and held you close as he stood up no longer crouching on the floor with you. Suddenly he began to holler awful curses and insults in French at the top of his lungs, so much yelling frightened you. You barely understood what Laf was saying, but you knew Alex spoke near perfect French, he began to tear up as well staring at Laf and Herc. Both of them not much of fighters, but once they where mad and ready to fight. They where ready to take on an entire army, Lafayette was a ticking time bomb when he was angry. And Hercules stayed much calmer than laf, but he was ready to throw down and yell. Like he currently was. You broke away from Lafayette's arms, taking off down the street, unaware that you could even run this fast. It felt like the wind guided your steps, you had no shoes on and only jeans, a tee shirt, and a little thin jacket. It was pretty cold and you instantly regretted your clothing choice, as your feet stung from the cold and running on the pavement. But it was too late, you didn't know if you wanted to come back, you didn't even have your phone or money..... Yet, you kept running, it felt like you couldn't stop. You weren't sure if you wanted to stop either..... You couldn't even hear the yells anymore, you kept pressing on, feeling like passing out. It was growing dark out already, you knew you had been running for more than an hour.... Unsure of how really long, you finally gave out on your self. You collapsed in some grass near the pavement you where running on, you laid there barely able to breath or see. The area was lit up with lamp posts, and there was a near by pond. Benches littered around, the area mostly fenced in. Quickly you recognized the park you guys had your first date all together in public. You began to break down again, remembering curling up between Alex and Herc. You slowly pulled your self up to you knees and looked around, very few people where in the park. Some of them cast strange looks at you as they passed, you stood up shaking, you looked at your hands and tried to still them but to no avail. You headed towards a bench and curled up, you would need to find a place to stay. It was freezing out, you couldn't stand it. You curled up into a tight ball on the bench and just kept crying, you couldn't believe it... Before you even realized, you felt so tired you couldn't move, you couldn't even cry anymore. Your eyes felt dry and itchy, but you wanted to cry more. *** The next morning, you had slept under a tree on a bench nearly hidden away. You curled up tight, the night was so cold you felt like an icicle. You began to cry more realizing last night was real, soon someone touched your shoulder lightly. "Peggy? Eliza? Angelica?" You whispered sitting up turning towards the three sistsrrs. "(Y/n), what on earth could you possibly be doing out here!" Eliza hissed pulling you up, she gasped and let go of you. "You're freezing!" Angelica yelled out in realization, all three pulling you close to them. "It's so cold! How long where you out here?" Peggy asked shuffling against you closer, tears pricking their eyes. "All night, since before dark." You whimpered, your fingers and toes numb. It didn't feel like you even had feet. "Where are your shoes!" Peggy asked shrilly shaking you by your shoulders. All three girls where bundled up, nice clothing and thick jackets. "Take these." Eliza whispered unzipping her coat and slid it over your shoulders and Angelica undid her fuzzy boots. She took them off and with Eliza and Peggy's help she slid them over your numb feet. "I can't even feel my feet." You whispered your voice shaking and dark. "Come on! We're getting you home!" Angelica said sternly and they mostly carried you to their car. They put you in the backseat curling against the warmth Peggy brought. After what felt like hours of driving, though you knew it wasn't even 15 minutes. Angelica stopped the car and carried you with the other two girls help. Peggy got aggressive and slammed her fist on the door shouting for those idiots to open up. Soon Lafayette opened the door, he looked like a mess. He screeched suddenly and all three other boys appeared behind him, they all lit up and John began to sob holding onto Hercules. "Why the fuck was this poor girl asleep in the park! No shoes and a tiny jacket! You're all very lucky Eliza wanted to see if she was really who we thought she was! I was afraid it was some homeless prick." Angelica had a dark snarl in her voice as Peggy held you close. Eliza was livid as well, you sneezed and shuttered snuggling closer to Peggy. "What the hell happened!" Eliza snapped not giving them a chance to explain. They all shared some looks before all eyes landed on Alex who cleared his throat. "I-It was my fault...." he muttered and the three girls shared a look before gazing at you. "I... made a big mistake last night..." he continued and Eliza's head suddenly shot up. "Don't tell us...." Peggy trailed off and he nodded, suddenly you and Eliza held onto Angelica's arms. "You little shit!" Angelica cried out nearly attacking Alexander, he jumped back as she snarled ready to attack him. You had to switch with Peggy, your feet and hands still numb barely able to cling to Angelica. You slowly sank to your knees your feet unable to hold you. "Moi ange, what's wrong?" Laf whispered seeing you. "I can't feel my feet or hands" you whimpered and he shuffled past a raging Angelica who was lunging and nearly escaping her sisters. "Come here, you need to come inside. I'll get a heating pad, a few blankets, and food..." Lafayette said picking you up and carrying you past the girls, Angelica saw you and began to calm down and smoothed out her skirt. "I'm good." She said her breathing heavy, both girls let go of her and she walked in after you and Laf. The other two girls following suit. "(Y/n), hun, you sure they'll take care of you?" Eliza asked sweetly, you nodded nuzzling closer to Lafayette. He was always freezing cold, but after staying out all night, he'd never felt so warm.... "Herc, come, you're warmer!" Lafayette called and he pushed away from john kissing his head lovingly. Both Hercules and john coming over, you made grabby hands at Herc. You loved how warm he was, john suddenly rushed upstairs to get much warmer clothes. "Then, we'll leave you all be." Peggy nodded shuffling Angelica towards the door, Eliza nodded all three girls bidding them goodbye. Hercules took you into his arms, he was so warm. You felt so safe, you snuggled against him closing your eyes. Overtaken by sleepiness, but you needed to wake up, you needed warmer clothes. Soon John returned down the stairs, he was carrying a shirt and some sweatpants. "Here, dear." John muttered as Hercules got up, he held you up as you didn't yet trust your self to stand. John pulled your shirt and jacket off, you whimpered as the cold reached you. John cast you an apologetic look, he slid a large "black lives matter" shirt over your head. Most likely Herc's, you made a noise out of content. Hercules smiled lightly kissing the crown of your head, they pulled your jeans off and slid on the sweat pants, john lightly kissing along your thigh as he pulled them up. You shook your head and he quickly stopped as he tied them on, he kissed your cheek lightly and you fell back onto the couch. You curled up against Hercules and felt Lafayette press against your back and john basically sat on you. But you didn't mind, you wanted his warmth. You held onto john as all four of your cuddled. "I'm going back upstairs...." Alex whispered running off quickly. "What happened last night?" You croaked, Laf sighed lightly as he nuzzled closer not answering you. "Well.... We fought for awhile, but... We nearly broke his nose I think, Laf lost it when you ran off. You scared us." Herc muttered the only one answering your question. "I'm okay, I have a little tingly feeling in my finger and toe tips." You said with a raspy voice. "But all night? In the freezing cold? Some of us cried all night." John said with a slight growl, snuggling closer to the three of you. "I'm fine." You whispered about to fall asleep, you inhaled their scents and fell asleep trying to think what to do for Alex. You guys couldn't kick him out, if anything he could kick you out. The house is mainly under his name, he bought most of it. It's not cheap to buy big houses like this.... And you all really loved him... didn't he love you all?.... You weren't sure. Later on you woke up and it was dinner time, finally you could feel all of your limbs. You shuffled away and realized all three of them where still snuggled against you, you maneuvered John off of you. You got up, and went to the kitchen. You didn't think you'd ever been that hungry or thirsty before. You got a glass of water, but while you where drinking. Alex came in, his eyes red and cheeks puffy. "You scared us all..." he whispered seeing you, you stayed quiet and kept drinking your water. "I know... you all hate me. I hate me too.... I don't think there's anything I can do, but I love you all.... I dont know how to prove it, but I'd do anything for you all. In a heart beat." He whispered, you suddenly gagged on your water. You set it down as he attention snapped to you, you choked on your water and spit it up into the sink. You rushed into his arms sobbing, he stared at you in shock before hugging you close. "I'm so sorry" he whimpered about to cry as well, he never hated him self so much to know he caused this... "I never would do anything like this... it was a one time thing. A mistake, she convinced me too.." he growled and held you close. "Are we not good enough?" You sobbed and he made a whimpering noise, he hated this. "No, that's not it.. You all are too good for me. That's it.. I didn't think I deserved you all." He explained and you began to cry harder. "Why?! How could you think that! We try to love each other equally? Did we not show you?!" You demanded breaking away holding your self. "No! You did... Self doubts..." he said his voice cracking. "Maybe... we can give you one more chance?" Suddenly Hercules' voice sounded, all three other boys standing in the door way. "Please... I've never regretted something so much." Alexander said about to cry as well. "Fine... ONE.... One chance." You said softly and he brought you close kissing you, but you pushed him off wiping your lips. "I can't kiss you.. We will give you one more chance... But..." You trailed off. "It feels dirty, to get intimate with you..." Lafayette continued. "You touched her, and it feels gross." John said a snarl in his voice. "That's totally fine, I understand. I'll give you all the space you need." Alex said sticking his hands up, you forced a smile, though they all saw how hurt you still felt. "Lets just all go to bed, Alex..." you trailed off. "Yes?" He asked his eyes shining. "You sleep in your office... not even the couch." You said sternly, his gaze dropped but he made not effort to protest. "Hey, be lucky the lady didn't make you sleep outside." John snickered, it was clear most of you where still salty and petty about it. "Don't give me ideas" you said in a real voice and john began barking with laughter at how serious you really where being. You couldn't help but split into a grin and kiss his cheek, he nuzzled closer and you four went upstairs... Leaving Alexander with his thoughts, he didn't know why on earth he would want to give that up. He wished he was going to cuddle with you all, but he knew better.... One chance... And he never missed his chance, he stuck to his word and was never unfaithful again.

[everythingislegalinsantafe]

Planned & Unplanned (H.Mull x Reader)

a/n: i decided to steer away from a happy ending on this one #oopsies

request: I would KILL for an imagine with Hercules x fem!disguised!soldier. I know that there were a few women who passed off as men during the war so they could fight, thought it might be an interesting idea!

word count: 1,886 words

Ever since you were younger, you wanted to do something more than just marry a rich man and live the rest of your life as a house wife.

Your parents knew this but didn't know it would lead you into sneaking into the war effort disguised as a man.

"God this was such a bad idea." You say as you tried to make your binded chest less uncomfortable.

You've been fighting the war for the past 8 months and you couldn't feel more alive. You were a spy with Hercules Mulligan to steal plans from the British and return them back to your commanding officers.

After spying with Hercules for the past couple months, you couldn't help but develop feelings for the man. He always cared for you and made sure you were comfortable which sometimes causes problems with you as you had to hide your blush in these occasions. Although he was your closest friend, you couldn't allow anyone to know your true identity.

Every mission you went on Hercules was a successful one since the two of you were so close and worked together well. However, a mission went wrong when General Washington commanded you two to bring an extra solider along.

"I don't know, Herc. I think Benedict will just mess up the mission." You say to your partner in crime as you packed up your supplies.

Hercules sighed, "He's fine, (L/N). We're the best spies of the revolutionaries and Washington letting him come with us shows he'll be fine."

"I know, but I get a bad feeling about him." You shook your head.

Hercules sighed again but just replied to hurry up and the three of you were leaving at dawn.

The mission was simple enough. Go into British territory, find out there plans for the next battle, and get out.

This was an easy mission and you and Hercules have been through harder missions, so it didn't worry you too much about bringing Benedict.

~

After many hours walking, you finally reached the outskirts of the British camp, so the three of you changed into red coats in switch of your normal blue ones. Although the plan was meant for you to be kept out of sight, the disguises were just for precaution if something went wrong.

The three of you snuck into the camp, inching closer and closer to the commanding officer's tent which sat right in the middle. You were silent, afraid if you made a sound it would wake up the entire English army.

Successfully, without any intrusion, you made it to the tent.

"Alright (L/N)," Hercules whispered. "You and Benedict go in and grab the plans. I'll stay here and keep watch."

You nodded and the two of you quietly snuck in the tent. You checked your surroundings to see the snoring British commander and on his side were the plans you needed. You stealthily walked around the sleeping commander and was about to grab the plans from him when the man's head suddenly snapped up.

You almost screamed but Benedict grabbed hold of your waist tightly and wrapped a hand around your mouth. You started thrashing your body to get out of his grasp but you efforts were futile.

"Well well well, guess we finally caught one of the infamous spies from the patriots," The man spoke to you as he stalked around the room. "And it's all thanks to Benedict for leading you right to us."

Your eyes widened, you knew that Benedict was not who he said he was. You tried to break from his hold but it was no use. He led you outside of the tent and into the forest nearby to tie you tightly to a tree. You tried to break out of the roped but they didn't budge.

The British officer was starting at you with such lifeless, cold eyes that you were shaking in Benedict's hold. The man walked toward you and grabbed your face to take a look at you. He stared for a long time before finally walked away with a "tsk", almost dissatisfied at your appearance.

"Y'know," He said as he stalked around you before he finally grabbed something out of his coat. "There's a rumor about you, Mr. (L/N)."

You saw that he took out a gun and examined it as if it was nothing more than a pen. You tried to back away, but you were completely immobile.

"Or should I say, Miss (L/N)." The man said with a smirk on his face.

Your heart dropped at this. How did he know? You made sure to be careful of your identity and you told no one about it, even your closest friends you fought side by side with.

It didn't matter how he found out as Benedict ripped your cap off letting your hair fall which furthered proved your femininity.

"Hm," The man said after he gave you a good look. "It's such a shame we have to kill you. You're such a pretty little face" And he aimed the gun at you.

You panicked and tried to think of ways to stall him. Maybe Hercules heard what happened and will try to save you. It was far fetched, but you had to do something.

"Yo-you don't want to know if I have any information?" You asked.

Benedict rolled his eyes, "We know you'd rather die than give away information. So we're just going to cut to the chase and kill you now. We can't let anymore secrets fall into American hands."

"Enough talking," the officer spoke harshly as he loaded and pointed the gun to you. "Let's just get this over with."

You took a shaky breath and stood tall, determined to die with dignity. You heart started pounding and you felt your palms sweat. You were going to close your eyes but decided against it as you wanted the man to see your eyes before he shot you.

He was about to the pull the trigger when Hercules bursted through the trees with a gun in his hand.

"Shoot her and I shoot you." He growled and cocked the gun.

The officer looked unamused as he was held to gunpoint. He lowered his gun and cocked an eyebrow, "Go ahead then, shoot. You don't have the plans for the next battle, so do it."

Hercules hesitated, but as soon as he was off guard the man lifted the gun to shoot and you closed your eyes.

You heard gunshots pierce through the air and you flinched. Benedict and the British officer fell to the ground lifelessly. You sighed as you realized you were safe. Your heart was still pounding and you could still feel the adrenaline rushing through your veins.

"(L/N)?" Herc asked terrified as he untied your binds. "Are you alright? Or should I call you something else? What's your first name?"

You smiled at Herc's questions, "My real name is (Y/N) and yes, I'm f-"

You doubled over in pain and fell into Hercules's arms. You groaned and reached down to your stomach and felt a warm liquid oozing from it. You were shot, you were bleeding out, you were dying.

"Oh shit, (Y/N). C'mon let's get you back to camp and y-you'll be fine."

He was trying to comfort you from not panicking but it sounded more like he was doing it to himself. He laid you on the ground and ripped off your red coat as he searched for your wound. He got to the last layer of your clothing and he looked up to you for permission. You rolled your eyes and nodded. This wasn't a time for modesty since you were bleeding out.

Hercules ripped off a piece of his shirt to clean your wound, but the white cotton immediately turned into a crimson. He tried to not stare at your binded chest while he worked on disinfecting your wound but it was unsuccessful.

"Wow Herc, I'm dying here and you can't help but stare at my chest. What a gentleman." You said sarcastically.

You both laughed, but you started coughing up blood which led Hercules to panic more. He started lifting you up and muttering that you needed to get back to camp and how the nurses will fix you up. You knew, however, that from the amount of blood leaving your side indicates that there is nothing either of you can do about it. You vision started to go a bit fuzzy and your body started to shake.

"Herc," You muttered to him. "Herc, I'm not gonna make it."

He shook his head and you saw their were tears in his eyes, "You have to, (Y/N). You just have to."

You smiled weakly at him, "Herc can you lay me down?"

He gently put you on the ground like earlier and took off his coat for a makeshift pillow for you.

"I know I don't have much time," You say softly. "But I have some things to tell you."

Hercules sat next you and grabbed your hand, rubbing his thumb over yours to comfort you.

"I-I'm sorry for not telling you that I'm a girl, but I had to protect myself. I wanted to tell you so so badly." You coughed.

Hercules shushed you, "I understand, (Y/N). I'm not mad..."

You smiled weakly at him, "There's one more thing I need to tell you before I die."

"You're not going to die!" He cried. "You're gonna be fine, sweetheart, I swear."

You couldn't tell if your breathing picked up because of the pain in your side or the fact he called you 'sweetheart'. With this you decided to just tell him the truth.

"Hercules, I love you."

With Herc's gasp you closed your eyes since you didn't want to see his reaction. You know he doesn't like you and only thinks of you like a brother or in this case a sister. Your battered self couldn't handle another blow.

It was silent for a long time before you felt him cup your cheeks and press his lips to yours. This time you were the one that gasped and weakly wrapped your arms around his neck as best you could to deepen the kiss. You pulled back after a while since you felt yourself drifting off.

"Where'd they go? I can't see a trail anymore." Hercules head snapped up as he heard British soldiers make their way through the forest in search of the two of you.

"Herc, you have to leave me behind."

"No! I love you too and I will not leave you alone here to die!" He tried to quietly whispered.

As Hercules was looking around in search of an escape, you reached into your pocket to grab the plans you snatched from the commander's office and put it into Hercules's hand. You squeezed and he looked down at you with tears in his eyes when he realized he had no choice but to go on without you.

"Go, Herc. I'll be fine. Give the plans to Washington. Win the war." You weakly demanded.

He kissed you once last time and stood up when he heard the soldiers coming closer. He slowly backed away, staring at you as he tried to memorize your face before he finally took a deep breath and turned around. You smiled and your last sight before you finally closed your eyes was Hercules running safely off into the forest.

[cinnalin-roll-blog]

annalise hamilton (part five)

summary : songs included are “stay alive” and “meet me inside”. (it’s a little modified to fit the situation.) it is long though.

a/n : sorry it took a long time to get it out, but it’s here. please leave feedback! and reblog! and songs belong to lin-manuel miranda! i don’t own the lyrics!

warnings : cussing and war, but that’s it

~

Annalise woke up in John’s cot with one of his shirts on. She threw the covers off and got up to find out what had happened last night. She opened a flap to their tent and peered outside. Anna saw John sitting around the fire with a couple of the other soldiers. One of the men saw her in John’s button up and patted John on the back while saying, “So you got lucky last night? Hamilton’s wedding must have done you some good!”

John gave him a confused look and then saw Anna dart back in the tent. He let out a nervous chuckle and walked towards where Anna was. What was she doing? If she didn’t want people to find out about her secret, she shouldn’t make it obvious. He got in the tent and whispered, “What are you thinking? They’re going to see you!”

Oh, right. No one knew that Anna was a girl. To them, she was General Allen Hamilton. She looked down and said, “I know, I know. I forgot. What the hell happened last night?” Anna looked back up at him.

He scratched his head and said, “I don’t exactly remember. I know bits and pieces, but we were both super drunk. Erm, it all started when I was talking with your brother about his wife...and freedom…”

Anna sighed. “I remember that. But please tell me I didn’t do anything stupid.”

John looked away. “You sorta...slapped me.” Anna cursed. “Don’t worry! I deserved it! All those things I said about how having a wife taking away your freedom, and I’m sure that made you feel bad-”

Anna cut him off, “John, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that...and I know you didn’t mean those things...right?”

John looked her in the eye and said, “Of course! God, I would never say that in my right mind.” He hugged her and whispered, “I love you.”

She giggled and said, “I love you too, John.”

They released and he said, “Now, the boys all think that you’re some random girl from the wedding, so I can just tell them that you snuck out the back while you change.”

Anna nodded and after John left the tent she quickly slipped out of his shirt and into her uniform. Next, she put her hair up and into a hat. She walked out of the tent and ran right into Hercules. “Are you and John okay?” He asked.

Anna nodded and said, “Yeah, we both said things we shouldn’t have, but I promise, everything is fine now.” Hercules squeezed her shoulder, unable to hug her without questions from the other men. They went their separate ways, Anna to talk to the general and Hercules to who knows where.

Anna entered Washington’s tent. He sat her down and said, “I heard about the mishap between you and Laurens. I understand you were both drunk, but it was in public and some of the soldiers might have seen you two. You weren’t in your uniform, but someone who took notice of your face might have noticed. It can’t happen again. We can’t risk it. Okay?”

She gulped. “Yes sir, I understand.”

Washington’s face softened, seeing how nervous she looked. “Now today, I assume the British are going to attack. We need to be prepared…”

 +++

Later in the day she was writing to Angelica, who had become her best friend, about the incident with John. She had begun to explain what George had said to her in his tent when she heard a big boom. She grabbed her musket and rushed out of the tent to see all of the others had done the same. They rushed into battle, ducking and maneuvering through the field, and somehow Anna ended up next to Lafayette. “Bonjour, mon ami,” he said.

She gave a smile and dragged him behind a small hill. “You better watch out.”

He chuckled and nodded, “Always watching out, right Anna, er, Allen?”

Anna would have responded if one of the younger boys called to her, “General Hamilton? General Washington requests that you be in the front to lead your battalion.”

She got up and mumbled, “Duty calls.” When she got to the front, there was a new man. He introduced himself as Charles Lee. She stuck her hand out to shake, but he looked at it then up at her face and turned away.

“I don’t shake hands with someone below the rank of me,” he spat.

She managed to keep her cool. Anna rolled her eyes. “Sir, we both have a battalion and we’re both generals. I was a general before you, if you want to get technical. So you might want to lower your ego before you drown in it,” she retorted. He looked at her with a blank face before turning away for good. She sighed and got back to instructing the men on what to do. Everything was going well and it looked like they were going to win until out of nowhere, Charles yelled, “Retreat!”

Anna yelled back, “No! Attack!” Charles yelled a couple of more times before Washington came over to him and all of a sudden, Lafayette had taken his post.

They had been successful and returned back to camp to celebrate. Most men were cheering and drinking with each other, while John and Alex were whispering to each other in their tent. Anna asked Hercules, “What are they doing?”

His face made an expression she couldn’t quite read. He stuttered and said, “Oh nothing. They just...are talking about their essays against slavery.”

Anna shrugged. It was nothing out of the usual. She was usually apart of those conversations, but figured they would be able to have one by themselves. She went back to celebrating.

Anna had noticed that all of her friends had been acting weird. Little did she know that the boys were conversing about a duel that would happen between John and Charles. After the brief conversation between Anna and Charles, he had gone off to talk to Thomas Conway about her. He had noticed that her chest hadn’t been binded since she had ran into battle so quickly. They spread the news about her being a girl to lots of the other men, but somehow it didn’t come back to her.

Hercules and Lafayette were concerned about her reaction and how mad or upset she would be, but John and Alex were infuriated about it. Alex had tried to challenge Lee to a duel, but Washington made him back down. Instead, John was going to be in the duel. Laf and Herc were going to distract her. They saw her going in the tent, so they followed her.

“Hey Anna,” Hercules said. Anna sat down and began finishing her letter to Angelica.

“What are you doing?” Laf asked. Anna gave him a weird look; he never talked to her like this.

She answered, “Uh...I’m writing a letter to Angelica...Why are you guys being this way?”

Hercules and Lafayette locked eyes. Laf said, “We’re your friends!”, while Herc said, “John’s in a duel.” Lafayette stared down Hercules, and Anna realized what he had just said.

“Wait...duel...John? As in my John...our John? Laurens?” she asked as her face got red. No one answered, so she grabbed Hercule’s jacket and said, “Hercules. Tell me what you just said.”

He paused before answering and said, “Erm...John is sort of in a duel. With Charles Lee.”

Anna’s face got red. She turned to Laf, who was looking down at his shoes. He look up at her and said, “Lee may or may not have found out that you are a girl.” Anna tried to storm out of the tent, but was held back by her friends.

“You have to let me go! He is going to get hurt! Please guys!” she protested. Herc and Laf were struggling to hold her; she was strong. Everyone froze when they heard a gunshot. The men let Annalise go. She ran out of the tent, not caring if she still had her hair down. She had to find John. When she saw where the smoke was coming from, she marched up the hill.

She saw Alex, whose eyes turned wide when he saw her. He walked over to her to try to calm her down, but she hit his hand out of the way and found John. He visibly gulped and grabbed her hands before she could slap him again. “Hey...hey...Anna! Look at me! I’m alive! Nothing is wro-”

She cut him off. “Meet me inside.” He tried to stay behind, but Anna dragged him back to the tent. On the way, she walked past General Washington. He probably knew what had happened, as he looked furious too. She grimaced at him when they locked eyes. He just shook his head in response. Great, now George was probably upset with her too for revealing her secret.

When they got there, Anna closed the flap to the tent. She turned to John. “Look, this war is hard enough with my situation-”

“But Lee called you out, we called his bluff,” John argued.

She rolled her eyes. “You solve nothing.”

“You’re right, I should’ve shot him in the mouth, that would’ve shut him up. You’re not my mother,” John said.

“Watch your tone. I’m not a maiden in need of defending. I’m grown, and I have a higher rank than you,” she said, pointing a finger at his chest.

“They took your name through the mud! I know I don’t have your title or your rank but you know that’s not my fault…” he growled.

“No, I know that! But you could die!” she said.

“You could die too! I’m more than willing to die!” he said, almost yelling.

“We all need you alive! John, I need you alive!” she pleaded.

“Talk to me like your son one more time-!” John threatened.

“Get away from me, John. That’s an order from your commander,” Anna said in a low voice.

“But-”

“GO AWAY!” she yelled. Then, she crawled onto her cot and for the first time since her mother died, she cried.

~

a/n : okay but for real, leave feedback!! i really appreciate it, and it helps me know what you like. this story is almost to act 2!!

[costaxserena]

Introducing Zeus Vitalis. He is a Businessman that belongs to the Summer District. He’s 52 years old and strongly resembles Mads Mikkelsen. He’s an open Plot-related character.

Get to know him…

Zeus is the kind of man that hates being chained to the past, he rather charge forward and try to make amends as soon as the offense has occurred; especially when he’s the one responsible for screwing things up. Tough, but fair; he has a great mind for long-term goals and is more persevering than most people on Earth, which has got him as far as he has. Most times, he’s great company and will always have a great sense of humor. Unfortunately, he does not handle conflict well. If he can’t get one of his underlings to fix it for him, he’ll ignore the problem for as long as he can. This tactic proves to backfire when it comes to his family affairs, when he can’t put up the entrepreneur front and has to rise up to his hardest, most important roles: father and brother.

Welcome to the coast…

Ever since he was born in Athens, Zeus remembers his whole life as being praised and looked up to. From his parents to his friends, and even those older than him; they all knew Zeus Vitalis would amount to great things. He too was bestowed with amazing powers, being able to control weather patterns (especially storms) and create lightning bolts out of nowhere– it made for an ego bigger than Mount Olympus. Zeus’ natural charisma and leadership opened a lot of doors for him, those that were slammed to his face the moment his parents sent him and his two younger siblings to America, enrolling them in Ancora. Moving was the next big adventure. It took seconds for Zeus to fit in and learn the ropes around the school; ropes he ended up moving by himself. He became president of the Student Council and captain of the Debate team. In his college years, majoring in Business with a minor in Economy; Zeus felt on top of the world.

He felt invincible and thought nothing would ever compare… that, until he met his future wife, Hera. Zeus immediately fell head over heels for the woman and married her the moment they both graduated; moving back to Greece. It wasn’t long until their Golden boy, Hercules, came into their lives. Unfortunately, settling down had never been one of Zeus’ strong suits. Even though he did love and miss his family whenever he was away, he never turned down any business proposition that involved him traveling– though those weren’t the only propositions he was incapable of saying no to. Being around the world meant he could be with as many beautiful women as he pleased– so he thought. Hera, even if it took her around three years to finally open her eyes, figured out his cheating. Instead of confronting him about it, she waited until Zeus went away again; he returned to a vacant home and a hard-worded letter.

Like a madman, he turned all of Greece upside down in the search for his wife and toddler. Nothing came off his investigation, it was as if they had vanished. Zeus hit rock bottom, at least emotionally; his businesses were thriving as his will to live diminished. The only communication he had with any sort of family, was writing alimony checks for the other Vitalis children he had neglected; he hadn’t even bothered remembering their names. It wasn’t until his first born’s eighteenth birthday that he heard from his family again– well, more like he saw his boy on TV, ready to enter UFC’s octagon for the first time. Zeus used every single connection he had to track his son down and reconnect with him; which he did– much to the Demirci’s dismay.

Stay a while…

Zeus firmly believed that his Costa Serena days were over. He realized fate had other plans for him when, out of the blue, Hercules had retired and went into hiding in the little town he once had talked to him about. Not wanting to press the subject, Zeus took the first plane to Florida and decided to move his life for a while. Knowing that the locals would appreciate all of his sudden investments in their businesses, he now can keep making money without lifting a finger and finally enjoy a well-deserved vacation in over twenty years. Zeus is unsure about how he feels going back to Costa, but he’s glad he literally has family there– even if he tries to completely ignore the fact that none of them are as happy with his return as he pleads them to be.

Connections:

Poseidon & Hades Vitalis (Brothers): Zeus would do anything to protect his younger brothers, even if they didn’t ask– nor wanted it. Currently, he tends to get along better with Don, cause he’s partially oblivious to Hades’ disdain.

Hercules Demirci (Son): Even if he didn’t get enough time with him as he wished to, he basically holds Herc on a pedestal. Although he tends to be overbearing at times, he just wants to make it everything up to him.

Joseph Radley (Acquaintance): Zeus is enthralled with the young man’s story and drive; Joseph reminds him of the youthful, ambitious spirit he once had.

[isntthisenoughwhatwouldbeenough]

Just The Same

A/N: Hello! Lovely Wonderful People! My second request finished! Yay! You guys have been so incredibly sweet, you make me so happy! Thank you so much for all your support and kind words, they mean the world to me :) To the Anon who requested this, I hope you like it! If you would like me to rewrite please let me know, so that I can do that for you! Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this! And as always I wish you all the happiest of days, and I'm sending big hugs your way for all your kindness! Enjoy!

Request: Prompt number 2 for alex x reader? Prompt: “After everything you did, you’re asking ME to apologize to you for snapping at you ONCE?”

Warning: There are a few curse words and a jerk Alexander! (Please let me know if the curse words bother you Anon! So that I can change it.)

. . . . . .

You had been with your boyfriend Alexander for two years. Within these two years you had gotten to know him pretty well. You had both moved in together after a year, and you were both very happy. But, still like every couple you had your bad days, and you seemed to be having a lot of those days….

It all started when you both had decided to move to another apartment. It was a mutual decision, but Alex had seemed to forget that and pinned the choice on you.

“Why do we have to move? We could just stay here. Never mind, we can’t. You didn’t renew the lease because you wanted to move.”

You didn’t remind him that just two months before he was ranting about how much he hated the apartment and wanted to move. You didn’t take it personally, you knew when he was stressing about work that he brought that stress home. Instead, you just take a deep breath, and said ‘I’m sorry babe, but this will better for us.’

Then came the packing. To say Alex hated packing was understatement. He complained the entire time…

“Why do we have so much stuff?!” He says throwing a dvd into the box he was packing.

“It just seems like a lot right now, babe,” you say from your spot on the floor, taping up a box.

“Do we really need so many decorations? We should just leave them here, or give them away.” You look up and frown at him.

“No, Alex, they pull the room together, and make the house feel homey,” you say smiling, trying to deflect him from his bad mood.

It didn’t work, he just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“What does that even mean?” he says picking up a snow globe from the shelf.

“It means, by placing these decorations around your house it makes the atmosphere more comfortable.”

He scoffs once more, before beginning to pack again. You got another box so that you could pack up the rest of the living room. It’s only minutes later when you hear him curse.

“Dammit!” He yells as he kicks the box he was packing and clutched his hand around his index finger.

“What happened?” you ask as you walk over to him.

“The stupid box, fucking cut my finger.”

“Here let me see it.”

You take him to the bathroom to clean his cut, and bandage it up.

“I hate moving, stupid box,” he mumbles.

“I know babe, but once we get settled, everything will be better,” you smile at him.

He just gives you a nod and a tight lipped smile. You internally sigh, why is he being such a jerk right now?

“You know what honey, why don’t you try and get some rest, I’ll finish packing,” you say thinking it’ll be easier to just let him rest.

“You’re not coming to bed?” he asks annoyed.

You can’t believe that he’s the one annoyed, when you’ve had to put up with his crap attitude all day. You take a deep breath and remind yourself that he’s just frustrated and to keep your cool.

“I’ll come to bed when I finish packing up the living room okay, baby,” you say kissing him on the cheek.

He huffs before mumbling a ‘fine’ and going to the room. You sigh once more and slightly groan. He was being such a brat, you were getting so frustrated, but he worked hard and so you tried your best to be understanding.

From the living room to the kitchen to the bathroom and bedroom, you packed the apartment yourself. You were irked and tired, but you pushed through. You finally had all the boxes packed and ready to go. You even got through a day of Alex complaining about all the boxes without exploding at him. Then, the moving day came…

You were lucky enough to know three strong guys, who were kind enough to offer their help. The lovely Schuyler sisters said they would take a half day at work to help and you couldn’t be more thankful. Honestly, with Herc and Laf around you were sure loading and unloading would be a breeze. You were telling the boys which boxes you wanted to take over first, while Alex stood in the kitchen, yelling at someone on his phone.

“Has he been as much of pain at home, as he’s been at work?” John quietly asks you.

“You have no idea,” you say rolling your eyes, as he chuckles.

“Don’t worry once this case is done with, he’ll be better,” he says pulling you into his side, giving your forehead a peck.

You smile at him and nod. John had always been so sweet, all the boys were sweet, but John always had a way of making you feel better in situations like this. You hoped he was right, the sooner his attitude changed the better. As you and the boys haul boxes to the moving truck and your car, Alex finally decides to help with the last few.

When you got to your new place, you went up to receive boxes. Once the truck was unloaded, you let the boys look around the apartment. It was bigger than your last apartment and had an extra room you were going to make into an office for Alex.

“This place looks really nice,” Herc says coming to stand next to you in the living room.

“Oui, I think this was a good choice,” Laf says smiling.

“This is great, I think we need a party to really break it in,” John jokes, you playfully slap his arm.

“Can we get going, I’ve got work to do and want to finish this as early as possible,” Alexander says clearly irritated.

His friends frowned at him, while you quietly sighed.

“Of course, babe,” you tell him kissing his cheek.

“Come on boys, we’ve got work to do.”

You make it back to your new apartment in record time, and bring the last box into the apartment. Well, more accurately, Herc brought in the last box.

“We did it, guys!” you say smiling at the group.

“Now, we just have to unpack everything.”

“Do you think you can take care of this on your own, I have to work,” Alex says cutting into the happy atmosphere.

“Babe, why don’t we all get something to eat, and the”-

“DAMMIT! CAN YOU JUST LET ME WORK!”

The boys all look shocked at his outburst, but for you it’s the final straw. You had put up with him being an ass for weeks and now he’s yelling at you? You felt all the anger you had held back bubble up inside you.

“YOU KNOW WHAT ALEXANDER, GO! GO WORK, I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN LIKE I HAVE BEEN FOR WEEKS!”

He looks taken aback for a moment before, glaring at you and turning to leave.

“UGH!” you scream into the room turning away from the boys.

They flinch as it echoes off the walls. John steps towards you, and places his hand on your shoulder. You turn to look at him, tears brimming in your eyes.

“Hey,” he says pulling you in for a hug. “I know he’s being a huge ass right now, but it’s because Jefferson has been hassling him.”

“He shouldn’t be taking that out on you, though,” Herc says, and you give him a small smile. He was always so protective.

“Maybe, we could talk to him” Laf says trying to find a solution.

You shake your head, stepping away from John.

“No, just let him cool down, it’ll be okay.”

They all nod at you, and you all decide what to get for lunch. You were in a better mood, when the Schuylers showed up about an hour later.

“Hey sweetie, how’s it going?” Eliza greets as she pulls you into a hug.

“Its going pretty well, the boys have been a big help,” you say as hug you Peggy and Angelica.

“Where’s Alexander?” Angelica asked.

“Oh, he had to work.”

“He should’ve taken the day off,” she says frowning.

You just shrug and change the subject to unpacking. With your friends help you were able to get everything unpacked and put away. Having all of them around lifted your mood, but Alexander never left your mind. As they left for the night, you thanked them all profusely for their help and the food they generously bought for you.

“Let us know if you need anything,” Eliza tells you as she hugs you goodbye.

“Yeah, also let us know when we can have a movie night,” Peggy says smiling as she hugs you.

“Yes, and tell Alex that I think he’s a jerk for not being here to help,” Angie says as she hugs you goodbye.

“I’ll try to mention it,” you joke.

You hug each of the boys, and as John pulls you into a hug, he tells you to let him know when Alex got home and that everything was okay. You nodded, as you saw them all out. As you close you breath out a sigh, as you think about how long Alex might take to get home.

That was two hours ago and you were still waiting for him to get home. You had tried calling him several times and he didn’t answer. At this point you were more frustrated than worried. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, you went open it and there he was. He walked in past you and stood in the living room.

“Look, we were both frustrated earlier and I’m not mad at you anymore, babe,” he says his hands in pockets, his eyebrows raised.

He wasn’t mad anymore? Was he joking? You thought.

“Okay, I’m glad you’re not angry anymore,” you say, with your eyebrow raised.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“What do you want me to say, Alexander?”

“An apology would be nice,” he says indignantly.

You scoff, as your mouth falls open. He couldn’t be serious, but as you look back at him you could see he was.

“After everything you did, you’re asking ME to apologize to you for snapping at you ONCE?”

You couldn’t believe him, after having to put up with him the past few weeks? What the Hell?! He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I’m giving you a chance to work this out and apologize, I know I yelled too, but you were a little much.”

“I swear, Alexander,” you say rubbing your hands over your face trying your best not to yell. “Do you know what you’ve put me through, these past few weeks?” You say looking at him, he just stares back.

“All you’ve done is complained, I would go to work, come home and pack, wake up and I would pack. I mean, I even looked for this apartment on my own because you were too ‘busy’.”

It felt so good to finally get all this frustration off your chest, but under all the frustration was hurt. He hadn’t been very sweet to you lately, and it made you feel alone, and pushed aside.

“I feel like you haven’t been happy, for the past month. Is there something you want to tell me?” You say as insecurities take over.

“What do you mean?” he asks confused, his defense finally down.

“Do you,” you take a breath, “do you not want to be with me anymore?”

His eyes grow wide, as he shakes his head and makes his way over to you.

“Baby, of course not,” he pulls you into his arms, holding you tight. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he says into your hair, as you rest your head on his shoulder. “I’ve been such a dick lately and you don’t deserve it, I’m sorry.”

He pulls away to look at your face, and brushes away the tears that had fallen down your cheeks. He gives you sweet, loving kisses all over your face. First your forehead, both cheeks your nose, chin, and finally your lips. You sigh as you pull away resting your forehead against his.

“Maybe, next time work sucks, you could just talk to me about it, instead of taking all your frustration out on me.”

He pulls away to look you in the eyes, as he nods his agreement.

“I’m sorry,” he says solemnly. “Jefferson has been riding my ass with this case. He won’t fucking let me be, and I have to keep my cool at work because Washington has been keeping an eye on me. If I lose my temper at work, I could lose that promotion, and”-

“Hey,” you whisper as you caress his cheek. “Everything will be okay, I’m sorry Jefferson has been such a jerk, but just think of it as a challenge to over come.” He scoffs slightly, while shaking his head. “And as for Washington,” you say grabbing his attention again, “you know he loves you like a son. He just wants you to reach your full potential and maybe, that means watching your temper.”

He nods and gives you a smile, as he pulls you into his arms once more. Your head tucked under his chin, as he rubbed soothing circles on your back.

“What did I do to deserve you?” he says holding you tighter and moving to bury his face in your neck.

“I have no idea,” you reply, a smile on your lips as you play with his hair.

He chuckles into your neck before nuzzling you and making you giggle. He lifts his head to kiss your lips, sweet and slow. You pull away and smile at each other, and without warning he lifts you into his arms.

“Alex!”

“I think I have some making up to do, for my behavior these past few weeks. Let me show how much I cherish you, love.”

You giggle as he carries you to the bedroom. He may have been a major jerk, but he was your jerk and you loved him all the same, just as much as he loved you. That night, and the next weeks that came he showed just how much that was.

[vinndicate]

But The World Turned Upside Down

request: Promp requests?!!???? 17, 52, 78 laflams please! (Or any combination of the guys if that's not your thing)

17: “ Are you upset with me? ” 52: “ Can we cuddle? ” 78: “ Hold me and never let me go. ”

notes: laflams will be the death of me ALSO WTF THIS IS SO LONG NOW ALSO UMMM IMPLIED PAST!POLYSQUAD BUT SOMEONE DIED BECAUSE SOMEBODY COULDNT STAY ALIVE *GLARES AT HERCS GRAVE*

warnings: slight angst??? but it goes to fluff quickly because i'm a romantic sucker, also alex working non-stop because he's an insufferable brat....... And if you’re not cool with America’s favorite fighting Frenchman and a certain bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman from Nevis getting mad at each other (even for like three minutes), then this may not be for you… also Herc died like before the events of this story

-

The only noise that either Lafayette or John could hear from the other room was the furious banging of the keyboard from Alex's writing rampage. John was already asleep though, but Laf lied there awake still. Laf's arms were wrapped around John, who was facing Laf. Their legs were tangled together, and if Laf concentrated, he could hear the soft breathing coming from John. The moonlight was shining on John's face, and Laf found himself reminiscing while staring intently at the spots of freckles.

It had been like this for a while, Laf realized. Laf and John would be in their shared bed, waiting for Alex to take a break and actually go to sleep with them. More times than often, they would fall asleep waiting, wrapped around each other. Without Alex's body warmth, both often felt chilly during the cold winter nights.

Laf wanted to hate Alex sometimes. He worked too hard, always trying to work on whatever project that he had decided to take on. Alex had been wrapped up too much in his work lately, and Laf often found himself wiping away John's tears. John understood Alex's frenzy, of which Laf still didn't understand himself. John was still so heartbroken though, and Laf wanted to smack Alex for causing John such pain. Laf hated to see his two boyfriends causing each other pain.

Laf couldn't hate Alex, though. Alex was fighting his own internal battles. Oftentimes, Alex worked himself to the point of going unconscious, and Laf was worried about him. Alex wanted to leave his mark on the world, and this is the way he went upon it. Writing, writing, writing as if he was running out of time - that's the way Alex went upon doing these things. Alex felt that if he didn't try hard enough, he was wasting his time and not fulfilling his purpose in life.

Laf hated the way this had all turned out. Laf just wanted Alex to stop, come back to bed, and make everything okay again.

-

"Mon petit... mon petit lion!" Laf whispered from the edge of the room. He had slowly untangled himself from John in order to not wake him up. Laf decided that he needed to get Alex away from his goddamned computer and take a break with them. It was past midnight, and Laf needed Alex. Laf needed Alex to come back to them as much as John himself. How long would he go on like this? Laf needed to do this for not only his and John's sake, but for Alex's sake. He didn't want to see Alex putting himself through so much suffering.

To Laf’s displeasure (not that he didn’t expect it), he was ignored. Alex was just sitting there still, as if he hadn’t heard Laf at all. That was ridiculous – Laf whispers loudly and Alex has sharp hearing. Alex just blocked him out and continued to sit there, not budging.

The smash of keys on the computer keyboard was the only sound in the room.

"Alex!" Laf protested louder, and this time, Alex reacted.

"What?!" Alex stood up from his chair turning around. Laf couldn’t see his expression clearly, but based on his tone of voice and body posture, Laf knew that Alex was angry. Or, perhaps, the better word was pissed.

"Alex, you..." Laf started to say, but Alex cut him off.

"I don't have time for this! I need to work!" Alex sat back down, hands back on the keyboard. Alex started typing again, but before Laf even knew what happened, he found himself at Alex's desk in a quick flash and stopped Alex's hands by grabbing at them and pulling them away.

The resulting reaction was Alex, drained of energy, fell onto the ground due to the sheer force of Laf's pull. Alex was lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Laf would normally feel bad for him, but Laf honestly couldn't give a damn anymore about anything. Alex needed to stop, and if Alex had to learn his lesson the hard way, Laf mused, so be it.

"What the hell!?" Alex looked back towards the computer.

"Don't you-"

"I need to get this done!" Alex, frantically, tried to fling himself towards his computer as a last resort. Unfortunately for Alex, Laf was in that direction, and Laf ended up grabbing Alex instead of letting him pass.

Laf set Alex down on the floor, and put himself at his level. They were both sitting in the middle of the living room. They were sitting so close together that their foreheads were almost touching. From afar, it may seem like an intimate moment, but even the most oblivious person could feel the tension in the room grow.

"... Hamilton..." He whispered, looking directly into Hamilton's eyes. Alex's eyes looked intelligent with a sense of fury and anxiousness inside them. Alex's eyes, however, seemed to be empty at the same time, which Laf found strange and honestly sort of disturbing.

"What?!" Alex responded with wrath laced into his voice.

"Alexander Hamilton, you listen to me, and stop interrupting me!" Laf whispered with a voice that could rival Alex's sharp-tongued anger.

Alex immediately shut up.

"You're an ass, you know that? Do you know what you're doing? Your actions are toxic to both yourself and your relationships. You haven't come to bed in a week. Either you go without sleep or you sleep in your chair, your hands still on your keyboard ready to type more."

"You always do this! You just... the only thing you seem to care about these days is your damned work! What about me? What about John? What about us?"

"You..." Laf hesitated. "You need to stop. You can't keep on hurting yourself like this. You're hurting you and me and... John... and I can't tell you how terrible it's been since you've stayed up so late doing this. Please... Please, Alex... I love you, don't continue doing this... please..."

Laf grabbed at Alex’s sleeve, pulling it towards him. Their foreheads touched, and Laf felt a flurry of emotions go through him simultaneously. The most prominent emotion was anger, but Laf felt a bunch of smaller emotions that could have passed by without him noticing. He felt the pain of a bastard orphan that needed a break desperately, the sorrow of a self-starter that needed to be non-stop to prove himself, and... surprisingly, the fear of a child that suffered at the hands of despicable foster parents.

"Alex, mon ami, mon amor... you can't..." Laf found that the words he wanted to say couldn’t come out of his mouth to reassure Alex.

Alexander let out a small high-pitched whine. Alex knew what Laf had felt, the pain and the sorrow that had swept through Alex himself in the past days.

Alex moved to get up, pulling his arm away from Laf’s grip. Alex stood back up, shaking. He muttered excuses – something about having something to do. Laf swore that he saw Alex’s eyes welling up.

Laf saw Alex start to turn around and Laf panicked. If Alex stepped out that door... Laf went through tons of imaginary scenarios in his brain: Alex found dead on the side of the street, Alex kidnapped for ransom, and Alex battered and bruised in all areas in some alleyway. Laf’s vision blurred at the thought of any of that coming true. Laf knew he was being irrational at that moment, but Laf knew he needed to stop Alex, because he couldn’t risk Alex’s life. He couldn’t bear to think that this could be the last moment before Alex was gone forever.

Laf, with his blurred vision, reached out blindly to grab at Alex. In the end, he grabbed Alex’s leg, falling over himself in the process. A gasp of surprise came from Alex.

“Laf? Laf? Are you okay?” A voice called out. Laf was lying face down on the floor, and he felt the water that had been threatening to leak out before was now flowing out of his eyes in a steady stream.

“Don’t... don’t leave. Please. Please... I love you...” Laf’s voice said shakily, and before he knew it, Alex had sat down beside him, as the sudden presence that Laf suddenly felt near him indicated that.

“Are you angry with me?” The voice stumbled over the simple words, and Alex seemed to be in the same state that Laf was in.

Laf pushed himself back up with a lot of effort, and found himself face-to-face with Alex again. This time, however, the anger had dissipated and the only thing that was left was a sense of love and satisfaction. Tears were running down Alex's face, and Laf moved to wipe those tears away. Laf was vaguely aware of the same tears dripping down his face.

"No... of course not, mon petit lion..." Laf whispers. "I could never be mad at you, baby girl."

Alex got closer to Laf, whose arms closed around Alex comfortingly.

"Can we cuddle?" Alex rasped out.

Laf nodded. "Hold me tight and never let go, okay, Alex?"

Alex's only response was nonverbal. Laf felt a pair of arms snake around his body and clench him tightly around his back. Alex was clinging onto him as if his life depended on it.

The two remained there for a while, their souls connected for the first time in weeks.

"I'm so sorry..." Alex sniffed.

"Why?"

"I... I caused all of this..."

Laf buried his face into Alex's hair. His hair was let down for once, and Laf found that he liked Alex's look better like this. Laf thought that Alex had always smelled like ice cream for some reason. There was no reason, and even now, Laf could smell the faint smell of vanilla ice cream.

"Shh... that's all in the past now."

Laf, still holding a strong grip on Alex, had pulled both himself and Alex up. The two were standing up now. The two of them were still clinging onto each other like the other was all that they had left in the world. The only light in the room was the computer screen that was still on. Laf moved towards the computer, saving the document and turning off the computer.

Alex voiced no protest, and when Laf started pulling him towards the bedroom that Alex had not entered for days, Alex let him be pulled towards the bed.

-

John was still there, asleep. His slow breathing could barely be heard when Laf and Alex walked inside the bedroom.

Laf led the two of them towards the side of the bed that Laf had left only a couple minutes ago. Laf carefully laid Alex down in the middle of the bed, before getting into bed himself.

"My dearests, Laurens and Lafayette." Alex whispered softly. Alex was lying on his back, but he turned his head back and forth to look both at John and Laf.

"Mmm... Laf?" A murmur came from a drowsy John. Alex looked back at John, and Laf got up in bed to stare at the interaction between both of his boyfriends.

"John... it's Alex."

"Alex... mmm..." A smile emerged on John's face. "... I love you."

John reached towards Alex and cuddled closer to him. Laf laid back down, a smile on his face. He was content. This is how it was meant to be. Alex, John, and Laf were all sleeping in the bed together.

Laf himself cuddled Alex. The bed was warmer than it was before Alex had joined. Alex was the missing part that made the nights so much better. He had almost forgotten what he felt like. Laf made himself an unspoken promise that he would never let Alex leave them ever again.

"Alex... I love you. We both love you." Laf whispered before he let himself succumb to the darkness of the temporary escape of reality.

-

Meanwhile, Alex couldn't help the smile that emerged on his face. He chuckled softly and thought about it. Laf had got him here in the bed for the first time in probably two weeks, and this was the happiest that he had been since Hercules had left from the living world. The three of them were okay like this, and Alex needed a break desperately. He just didn't want to admit it. He wanted to drown himself from his work and maybe avoid the memories of Herc.

Herc... Alex remembered how it was when he was gone. The three of them had broken down, and their relationship was strained due to the loss of their fourth member and best friend. The memories of Herc with the three of them always seemed to haunt the three of them. The world seemed to be upside down, and there wasn't a way to get back down.

Alex distracted himself with his work, but he knew. He knew it wasn't the way he should approach things, but it was his natural response.

But... now, everything was okay.

"I love you both so much, too. More than you'll ever know."

[hollywoodx4]

Sticking With the Schuylers (25)

Hello, and happy Sunday! This chapter kind of grew a mind of its own-sometimes, plot happens I hadn’t even planned on. And then I get done writing and there are things I never even meant to happen. This is one of them. But there is purpose behind everything, we’ll just have to wait and see how the events of this chapter affect everyone.

As always thank you for reading-you all are truly the best <3

In this part, there is a ‘family meeting.’ Alexander is forced to make a decision.

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When I was 18, I met a man named James Reynolds.

He and I were vacationing in the Hamptons with our families. Peggy was at some camp that week, so it was just me and Angelica at the pool. We were just hanging out-me and her and Church-when they left to go a walk. Finally it was just me, sitting on the edge of the pool with my legs in the water, drinking some virgin cocktail we got because we thought we looked cool. I mean, I definitely didn’t pass for twenty-one back then so I probably looked really lame, but he didn’t think so. Or he did, and he knew I was probably the most vulnerable girl at the pool that day.

Honestly, it’s probably that last one.

Saturday night.

Her nerves are building as she sits on the edge of the couch, legs bouncing up and down as her hands fiddle in her lap. She feels Alexander’s presence; hand on her hand, soft-spoken words. Eliza does not answer them. Even John attempts to reassure her, sending her his calm through deep soothing breaths and a nod of the head, lips slightly upturned.

There’s a drama to it all that sends Eliza’s head spinning, eating at the flesh of her mind and the vulnerable pieces of her soul with words that she’s heard-that she’s said to herself-so many times before.

You’re being dramatic. This whole situation is nothing, it’s your imagination running wild. And you’re disrupting their lives with it. You’re needy, and restless. They’re all going to say no. They’ll see through you for what you really are; a coward. You’re a coward.

She pulls her phone from her side again; glances at it, and then sighs before putting it back on the couch. Time has come to a trudge through thick and gelatinous mud at this point, and its snail pace has driven her mad.

“They said they’d be back at eight?” Her voice, anxious yet unwavering, floats through the apartment for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. From the moment they’d made their plan-had decided that tonight was the night-it had been nothing but a pounding heart and unsettled stomach for Eliza Schuyler.

She was happy that her unexpected outing with John had gone so well. He was her closest friend out of Alex’s friends, but having support from a side other than her boyfriend’s unwavering defense of her felt nice-soothing. And their conversation hadn’t been so painful, either. He’d expressed his concern about her-about Alex. And she’d understood fully and completely, listening to his side of their previous night in horror. Amongst other things she felt an immense wave of apologetic embarrassment about the entire situation. Especially since it had come from John. She loves John like a brother-like a best friend.

But then, he’d accepted her apology. He’d listened to her watered-down version of her story. John had even been the one to come up with this concept-of them sitting on the couch, talking together as roommates as well as friends. He thought it might make things less awkward, for all of them to be there as she talked. Then, at least, they’d be able to discuss the matter with things still fresh on their minds. A family meeting is what John had called it. He’d even stopped eating his ice cream to phone each of them individually, ordering them home at eight to discuss a family matter. She felt accepted-loved. John simply winked at her.

“You’re my friend now.  We’re in this together.”

He came walking up to me with this confidence I’d never seen before-sat next to me and dunked his feet right into that cold water. And then, he lifted his sunglasses from his eyes, held out his hand, and said his name. Just his name. That’s how he introduced himself. And he had these really unique, really crazy green eyes. And he was freckled, but in a way where it didn’t make him look boyish. And when I held my hand out and he shook it, James winked at me. He had this really subtle way of doing it that made it look casual and not completely calculated.

He asked me questions about myself-he said he’d known who I was, that he was sorry and he felt kind of weird already knowing. But that year, my father had been reelected to the Senate. A lot of people started knowing who I was. That’s kind of when the media craziness really began. I was kind of just starting to get used to that craziness again. I accepted it.

Hercules is the first to enter, backpack on his shoulders. He slings his belongings into his room before coming back to the living room. And without question, he finds a seat on the couch, greeting everyone with a lifted voice before taking out his phone. He’s casual; happy. It pacifies the mood within the room even more.

Lafayette is the last to come home-he staggers through the door and hangs his belongings on his designated hook-the one nobody else will touch. There is a wall of coat hooks, always at least three empty, but it is an unspoken knowledge that the first one on the left is his. And as long as they have this apartment, it will always be his. Once his things are hung neatly he crosses the room, standing and staring at the scene in front of him with curious eyes and crossed arms, gesturing to the friends in front of him.

“So, ‘family meeting?’ Since when has this been a thing?”

“Since now.” Alex gestures to the open loveseat and Lafayette obliges, albeit hesitant and a bit skittish. He perches himself on the edge of the couch as Eliza has, patting his hands on his knees in an internal rhythm before sighing.

“Is this like an intervention thing, or…”

“I just-I had something I wanted to say to all of you.” Eliza begins her sentence with a more reserved voice. Her eyes shift between Alexander and John looking for comfort. Alex’s hand finds her knee. John nods.

               “Okay. So first, I wanted to apologize for any kind of distress I might have caused this past week. And by that I mean I’m apologizing for all of the PDA.” She can feel the mood of the room switch-and although she can’t see her boyfriend’s face she knows exactly what’s happening. “Alex, don’t roll your eyes. They deserve an apology.”

               “Fine. Sorry.” It’s mumbled, covered by downcast eyes and a forced smile, but she allows it.

               “But that’s not it. There’s more that I need to say.”

               We sat at the pool and talked for hours; Angelica and John came back and we all decided to go to the beach. It was nice, the four of us walking around, even when Angelica started questioning James. He took the questions like they weren’t a big deal at all. He even asked her a few himself. I thought it was a sign.

               I kind of always believed in signs-that things would just come your way if you wanted them hard enough. I always thought that things were meant to be. And I guess in a way they are-there’s about one million different things that can happen to a person every day. And then, that person makes a choice and those one million things are shifted to another one million things; another group of possible outcomes. But there’s no way that James didn’t happen for a reason. I’m not extremely grateful for him. I’m not happy that it happened. But it happened; I met James, and I fell hard for him. And everything that happened after that was supposed to happen-whether I want to remember it or not.

               James and I had this crazy summer romance-we met in August but we spent the entire month together. He met my father the second week. He kept asking to, saying how important it’d be. And my father really liked him, and I felt like things were clicking. I thought that James would be my John Church. I idolized Angelica’s relationship with John, I wanted that so badly. And James was older-he was 24 when we met. I felt mature, and everything was so exciting. Until it went horribly wrong.

               Long story short, James Reynolds is nothing but a lying, manipulative person who’s done a lot of wrong in his life. I let him run eight months of my life. I let him tell me what to do, and who I could see…I missed holidays because of him. He isolated me from everybody I loved. And he was physical with me.

               This stirs a host of reactions within the room. All four boys sit up in their seats, although both Alexander and John have heard versions of this story. Each time she tells it-each time Eliza gets to this part-her voice cracks as the memories blind her vision. Alex is the worst, shifting in his seat and restraining himself from too much a show of affection. He squeezes Eliza’s hand, lets her know that he’s there. She nods, but her eyes remain trained on the wall for a moment. She breathes, letting the silence and the presence of her friends wash over her. She lets herself look at them, each in turn, before continuing.

               “I’ve seen James this week; on my way home from work, walking here from my apartment…at first I thought I was seeing things but I know that I’m not. He told Page 6 that he wants me back. And now he’s everywhere I look-literally. And so, I was kind of hoping that you might consider letting me stay with you guys for a little while. I know that it’s not ideal, and it’s completely up to the four of you, but I just-“

               “You have my vote.” John smiles at her from the sofa before standing up to hug her, holding her in a long embrace. When he pulls away from her John scans the room-he’s expecting something. His eyebrows are raised, arms crossed over one another as he gauges the reactions of the remaining two roommates. Herc nods too, standing up to meet Eliza at the couch.

               “I say yes too.” He puts a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her with earnest eyes. Hercules is soft, always soft, and his kindness warms her heart. “You’re a good person, if you’re in trouble I just want you to be happy. We’ll help you out.”

               Then, four pairs of eyes move to Lafayette, who has not said a single word or made a movement since Eliza has begun her story. He looks at each of them in turn before sighing, bringing his elbows to his knees and leaning forward.

               “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

               Silence hangs through the air-thick, stoic. Lafayette brings forward no other explanation, simply shrugging when he’s met with their shocked expressions. Eliza nods, taking in a breath and accepting his answer as truth. Alexander, however, will not. It takes him a moment to process what his friend has just said, through a mixture of bewilderment and complete disbelief. But when it finally hits him he stands from his place next to Eliza, throwing his hands into the air. His voice pierces through the silence with arrow-like proficiency, aimed straight at Lafayette.

               “What the hell, man? This isn’t just some stupid story-it’s not something you can just take lightly and accept. How can you listen to that and not want to do something? How can you sit there and just let this happen? Does our friendship mean anything to you? This feels like a slap in the face, it really does You’re such a-“

               “Slow down, Alex.” John stands to put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. He’s waving his arms around, pacing in front of Lafayette with fiery eyes and a body of static movement. John, however, is more level-headed. He stands with Alex, holding him back, and casts a disapproving glare down to their friend. “I’m pissed too but we don’t need to start this. But we do need to talk. Laff, Eliza is one of us. She’s a good person, she’s trustworthy,”

               “-I gave you my answer.” His French accent is thick and his voice drawls through the sentence, sure and certain as his staccato diction cuts through their arguments. He leans back in his chair, crosses one leg over the other. In his mind, the argument is over. Alexander is red, fuming. Hercules steps to his other side.

               “Laff, I can see where you’re coming from. This is kind of a big deal. But if it concerns Alex,”

               “-If it concerns Alex that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s my business too. You told me I have a say in this,”

               “You do have a say, you’re right.”

               “He has a say but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get to listen to our reasoning.”

               “Enough.” Four heads turn toward Eliza. Her voice has brought their argument to a screeching halt. The beginnings of tears mist her eyes but she pushes them back, replacing them with thin lips, a pointed glare. Through the softness of her demeanor there is a wall of sharp reasoning; a direction. She aims her glare at Alex, standing and letting her gentle hand find the middle of his back. “I’m not going to let you guys fight over this.”

               She turns to Lafayette, who is still relaxed on the armchair. When she looks at him she finds, through his relaxed posture, a hint of remorse within the depths of his firm façade. She smiles, head tilted and eyes shining. Her stance is straight-polished and practiced, graceful movements subconsciously urging her forward. But as she looks around-Alex, John, Herc, Laff-there is a serious weight about her that cannot be ignored. She is firm.

               “I respect you.” Her words move throughout the room like silk, spinning a web of truth and honesty that hits each roommate with its own interpretation. For Lafayette, she shows nothing but reverence. “I respect your opinion, and I respect your wishes. I’m not going to argue with you and neither will anybody else.”

               “Eliza,”

               “Alexander.” She wheels around to face him, maintaining her gentle tone although a hint of tenacity has crossed in front of it, holding him in his place. Showing the strength of her own decision. “You’re not going to argue with your best friends over something as stupid as this. I can make things work, it’s alright.”

               “When it’s a matter of your safety it’s not alright.”

 “It’s okay. It’s fine.” She makes her way to the door, putting her coat on and grabbing her things with slow, purposeful actions. Eliza then looks around the apartment, her eyes finally landing on Lafayette. “Thank you guys-for considering, I mean.”

When the door of the apartment clicks, the tension billows back into the room in full force. It hangs in the air, surrounding the roommates with deep breaths and calculated movements. For a moment nobody speaks; there is too much to be said, not enough words to convey the severity of the situation that has just gone down. There is a shift; an invisible change that can be felt in each expression, each reaction.

Alexander refuses to lift his own eyes-betrayed, hurt-away from Lafayette. Through them, he wishes he could convey the heat that weighs heavily on his own body. He wants Lafayette to feel what he has felt. There is a bit of transfer; the French man begins to fall, a hint of wavering guilt crossing his features. But it is not enough. His refusal to change opinion is evident.

Alexander walks with heavy feet back to his room. From the living room only the sounds of slamming break through the silence. Each motion is purposeful, deliberate. Alexander fills the silence with sounds equivalent to the weight of their decision-of his decision. In his mind, he had known what he was going to do from the moment the idea of their refusal crossed the path of his thoughts. There were no options to be weighed-only one very clear choice.

“I’m not staying here if Eliza can’t. I’m sorry that this is a choice I have to make but I’ll make it. I can’t let her stay by herself. I can’t let her be around people who won’t protect her. And if that means that I have to move out to keep her safe,”

He cuts himself off then, unable to finish the sentence. I will make that choice-I will choose her over you. It seems like a severe decision-rash, unplanned. He knows that they’ll still be friends-surely, this decision won’t affect them in the very serious, very deep way that his mind begins to remind him of. The thoughts of Eliza alone-Eliza in danger-Eliza with James-weigh heavier on him than those of losing his friendship. Both would hurt him, but only one would break him.

He tosses his key to John, who catches it with one hand. He’s upset, too. But unlike Lafayette his eyes are laced with understanding. He takes a bag from Alex and nods at him, accepting. Agreeing. The two make their way out of the apartment, John with a hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

“You’re making the right choice.” Alex sighs; tentative, unsure.

“You know what’s scary about all of this?” He stops, one bag slung over his shoulder, as they wait to cross the street. He looks over at John, eyes clear for the first time that night. “It was never a choice. I knew from the minute I thought one of you might say no that I would go with her. I don’t want you to think that I think anything less of you guys, but the thought of being without her,”

“-You chose her because you care about her more than yourself-more than anything else. You love her.”

“That’s the scary part.”

[dvddggs]

To the Four of Us (Part Twenty Four)

premise: modern AU chronicling the squad as they make their way through college and deal with general life things. words: 2,276 warnings: death mention, swearing, i think that’s it  all chapters: x tags: @heythereitsloey​ @anitheunicorn​ @newyorkyoucanbeanew​ @lafbagxette​ @justafangirlwithanavy​ @iamgrayfox​ @ordinaryornate​ @schuylerjoon​ @angelica-peggy-eliza​ @trashyperson101​ @crazydragon15​ @but-if-you-had-to-choose​ @geespilots​ @marvelous-hamilfan​ @5p00kygh05t @panda-powers​ @lafeyettegunsandships​ @schokoobananaa​ @allthegoodurlshavebeentaken @aphboi @hell-yes-puns-and-ships​ @aham-threw-his-shot-away​ @hesitantcat​ @nonstopspook​ @hamrevolution​ @writethewayout​ @alexander-did-you-know​ @allthegoodurlshavebeentaken @sun-tree​ @angelizaandpeggy​ @isis278 @idk-destiel @engulfedinstars​ @hamiltrashuniverse​ @ahrupe​ @just-me-an-asshole​ @readfizz​ @skeletonmelodies​ @gum-and-chips​

a/n: something a lil kinder for all ur patience <3

“I don’t think I can go through this again.”

Have you ever spoken words that you didn’t realize you were thinking until they tumbled out of your mouth? Have you ever shocked yourself with the opinion of your subconscious? Have you ever said something that made you want to cry because how could you say that? Why would you think that? Is it true?

And you genuinely don’t know.

Alexander didn’t mean to say it. He didn’t want to say it. But he’d said it, and he feared that a part of him meant it. He watched his father’s eyebrows scrunch together in the rearview mirror as he opened his mouth to speak.

What would he say? Would he be disappointed? Would he understand? Would he tell Alexander to grow the fuck up and deal with it? Tell him to leave John? Take a break?

“Alex—” George began.

He was interrupted when John began to stir and lifted his head off Alexander’s shoulder. His cheek had the imprint of Alexander’s sweater on it and his hair was flattened on one side. He flashed a small, close-lipped smile, still half-asleep.

“Good morning,” John said.

Alexander raised an amused eyebrow.

“Welcome back to the world,” he said, chuckling, though he could feel his father’s concerned eyes still trained on him.

“Oh,” John replied conversationally. “I’m not staying awake. I just need to pee. Really bad.”

Fair enough.

George pulled off the highway and into the rest stop at the next exit. While John was in the bathroom, George and Alexander waited in line for coffee.

“Alex,” George tried again. “You can’t just—give up.”

Alexander took a deep breath.

“Do you think I want to? I just—I feel like I’ve been suffocating ever since I read the text, Dad. I feel like I’m reliving everything that happened with Mom. And I don’t know if I can do that again.”

George’s expression softened when Alexander’s voice broke on the last word. He grasped his son’s shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes, adopting his old military-esque discipline tactics.

“Alexander. You know what you signed up for. Even if you weren’t together, he’s still your best friend—”

“—Herc’s my best friend—”

Alexander dropped his gaze to the floor and shut up under his father’s glare.

“—and would you abandon your best friend? No man left behind. Haven’t I always taught you that? I thought you were better than this. We don’t leave people when they need us.”

Alexander sighed. He knew that his father was right.

“But—”

“But what Alex? But it’s going to be hard? You’re goddamn right it’s going to be hard. But it’s going to make you think of your mom? Yes, it is. But you don’t know how to help him? You’re helping him right now. As we speak, you’re helping him. Because he knows that he’s loved and he knows that he has someone in his corner, no matter what. When he showed up at the train station, you were helping him. When he woke up in your bed, you were helping him. Hell, when you told him that his father died, you were helping him. Because he found out from you, who he loves. You’re not going to give up on him, Alex. No goddamn way. Not on my watch.”

“Hey,” John said, shoving his hands in his pockets and sauntering back to Alexander and George.

Alexander shook the swirling thoughts from his head and mustered a smile.

“Good to go?”

John nodded, so Alexander and George got their coffees and headed back to the car. Within five minutes, John had fallen asleep again. Alexander was bored, but he didn’t mind. He knew that John was probably exhausted from all the over thinking. And if sleeping was the way he wanted to cope, then Alexander would let him sleep.

It was a long drive, though John didn’t know it. He slept almost straight through the entire twelve hours. Whenever he woke up, he would squeeze Alexander’s hand, then sigh or yawn, and the calming bump of the car speeding down the highway would lull him back to sleep within minutes.

Right now, sleep was simple. Sleep was quiet. Each time John awoke, it was like the voices in his head started screaming, thoughts started swirling, and the inside of his skull transformed into a hurricane. It was as if he awoke into a nightmare, instead of the opposite. The reality was the nightmare.

So, he slept.

Alexander, however, could not sleep. He knew that his father was right, but he was absolutely filled with doubts. Not doubts about John necessarily, but self-doubts. He knew that John needed him—that wasn’t the problem. He just didn’t know how he was possible going to get through this. He felt like he was losing his mother all over again.

George tried talking to Alexander during the drive, knowing that he would overthink until he went mad, but Alexander wasn’t really in the mood to talk. He responded with short, one-word answered until George stopped trying and focused on the road.

Alexander’s thoughts consumed him so extensively that when George pulled into a hotel parking lot and stopped the car, it took him a full minute to realize that they were already in South Carolina.

“I called and made a reservation before we left,” George explained. “I’m going to go check in. Can you park the car and meet me inside?”

Before Alexander got a chance to wake John, his phone began blaring Anaconda.

Why was Hercules calling him?

“Hello?” Alexander said, confused.

“Alex!”

“Laf?”

“And Herc! Guess what?! Laf changed his flight this morning! He’s in my car right now! Guess where we’re going?”

As soon as he heard his best friends’ voices, Alexander’s worries flooded out of him and he was consumed with a warm, smiley feeling.

“Where?” he asked, strongly anticipating the answer.

“SOUTH CAROLINA!” Hercules and Lafayette sang in unison.

Alexander gasped, his heart full to bursting.

“Are you serious!? Oh, my god, John is going to be so excited! I’m so excited! Wait, I’m not going to tell him—let’s surprise him. Okay, I’ll text you the address of our hotel. How far away are you? Will you get here tonight? Oh my god I cannot wait to see you guys—”

“Alex, chill,” Herc laughed. “We literally just left my driveway; we’re going to be driving all night. My GPS says we’ll be there by about nine AM if we don’t stop and, considering Laf can’t drive for shit, I’m gonna need to stop and take a break at some point.”

“Okay, first of all, fuck you,” Lafayette interjected. Alexander’s laugh made John stir. “I can drive, Herc. I just can’t drive these idiotic left side driver cars. Like, why is this even a thing? I miss you, Alex.”

“Miss you too, Laf. Okay, I gotta go, John’s waking up. See you tomorrow!”

After Hercules and Lafayette hung up, Alexander redirected his attention to John, unable to contain his grin.

“Why are you so smiley?” John asked grumpily. “Who was on the phone?”

“It was just Herc and Laf checking in. And no reason, don't worry about it. We’re here, by the way.”

Alexander’s smile grew wider as John ripped off his sweater and jumped out of the car, breathing in the warm southern air.

“Thank god,” he sighed. “I fucking hate the cold. Did you know?”

Laughing, Alexander led John inside to meet up with George, who handed them each a room key.

Without much more than light small talk, the three of them grabbed their bags, went up the flight of stairs, flopped onto their beds, and fell asleep almost immediately.

John was pulled from his deep and peaceful sleep by a relentless slamming on the door of the hotel room. It was only ten o’clock in the morning—why would housekeeping already be this adamant about making sure they had enough towels?

“What the fuck?” John muttered. When he ripped the sheets off, Alexander’s eyes snapped open.

“Wssgoinon?” he mumbled, tapping a finger to John’s wrist.

“Someone’s trying to beat the door down.”

John pulled his shirt on and stood up, stretching his arms out in front of him. In a flash, Alexander realized who it must be and jumped up beside him. John gave him a weird look but shrugged it off, crossing the room to open the door.

“JOHN!” Lafayette screamed, throwing himself into John’s startled and unready arms.

Hercules stood in the doorway grinning, hands shoved in his pockets. Alexander smiled, giving him a quick hug before turning around to watch the antics. Lafayette had jumped onto John’s back and was ruffling his hair, absolutely squealing in excitement. He was like a puppy who hadn’t seen its owner in days.

Across the small room, George stirred, opening one eye in annoyed confusion. When he saw that the number of boys in the room had doubled, he sat up in bed and turned the lamp on.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” he remarked, eyeing Alexander. He shrugged in response, grinning.

“Neither was I,” John laughed, letting Lafayette smooch him on the cheek.

At John’s comment, George turned to Alexander and smiled. He knew that his son was trying his absolute best to listen to what he’d said yesterday.

“By the way, John, you were right,” Hercules piped up. “The weather is pretty great here.”

John’s grin widened and he hopped over to hug Hercules.

“I missed you guys,” he said into Herc’s broad chest. “What are you doing here!? How did you get here? Laf, you crossed the ocean!”

Lafayette chuckled. “You need someone other than the Angst Queen to keep you company, so I came back early.”

John beamed, everyone he loved grinning back at him in a half-circle.

“How are you, John?” Lafayette asked. His demeanour changed immediately as he wrapped an arm around his best friend and looked at him seriously.

For just a moment, he’d forgotten why they were there. He’d forgotten all the bad things. He’d forgotten that he was broken.

“Oh,” he said quietly as the memories crashed over him. So much had happened in the past few days that he staggered backwards with the flood of images circling through his head. He felt his knees buckle suddenly as Lafayette’s grip tightened, the only thing holding him up.

Lafayette led John to the edge of the bed where he took a seat, immediately surrounded on either side by Alexander and Hercules. George got up quickly, slipping on shoes and muttering something about grabbing coffee, leaving the group alone.

“John,” Hercules started. “I’m really sorry about your dad.”

John nodded, eyes tracing the pattern in the carpet. His excitement left him as quickly as it had found him. Everyone was so worried about him breaking that they couldn’t let him have a moment of happiness before getting down to business trying to put him back together again.

“I’m not,” Lafayette said quietly. Everyone looked at him. “I’m not sorry.”

Hercules raised his eyebrows desperately, silently begging Lafayette to stop talking.

“Laf—” Alexander interjected.

“No, come on, guys! You can’t be serious! John, look me in the eye and tell me you’re upset. Tell me you’re genuinely sad that you’ll never see your father again.”

John swallowed hard and looked up, finally. Alexander and Hercules looked like concerned parents, but Lafayette’s gaze was intense. Fierce.

“I—I have no idea,” John admitted weakly.

“John,” Lafayette continued, voice stronger. “Look at the scar on your knee, remember that? From when he pushed you and you sliced it open on a rock? Look at your arms, for God’s sake! I swear, there are still bruises from Thanksgiving. Look me in the fucking eye and tell me you miss him.”

John shook his head. He couldn’t find the words to respond. How could he possibly admit to that? How could he admit that he didn’t care if his father was dead? He felt like throwing up. He didn’t know what to think.

“You feel guilty because you aren’t sad, mon chéri. And know what? That’s okay. He hurt you, John. You don’t have to forgive him.”

John felt a hot tear run down his nose and watched it drip onto the carpet. Immediately, Alexander pulled him close.

“You’re right,” John whispered. “Wanna know something? My first thought when Lex told me was relief. I was relieved. How fucked up is that? How do you own up to that?”

“You’re allowed to feel like that,” Lafayette said gently. “He treated you like shit, John. He doesn’t deserve your respect, not even in death.”

Sighing, John wiped another tear from his cheek. “I still feel sad. It hurts.”

“You’re allowed to feel that, too.”

John nodded, leaning his head on his best friend’s shoulder.

His phone buzzed with a text from his brother.

James: The funeral is tomorrow at noon.

John typed a quick reply and clicked the screen off, managing a small smile.

“I hope you guys brought clothes other than sweaters,” he said quietly.

He would be damned if he wasn’t going to show off his hometown to his friends now that they were all finally in South Carolina.

He wanted to have one good day before dealing with whatever plethora of emotions his brain would throw at him during the funeral.

To his intense surprise and amazement, Hercules and Lafayette both took their sweaters off to reveal the ugliest button-down Hawaiian shirts he’d ever seen.

“We’re prepared for anything, John,” Hercules grinned over John’s peals of laughter.

Alexander smiled, but stayed silent. He was thinking. Thinking about the funeral. Thinking about how his mother never got a funeral. Thinking about what John’s father did to deserve a funeral when Alexander’s mother didn’t get one. Thinking about how excruciating the next day was going to be.

[swan-archive]

you: so, swan, wanna explain to the class why you haven’t filled 90% of those prompts your kind and delightful followers sent you?

me: :)

you: oh no

me:

--

Trust Burr, Herc thinks sourly, nursing his beer, to ghost on you right when you thought he was about to commit to something for once in his life.

He’s not really sure what he expected, honestly; it’d taken weeks to get him to agree to a meeting, just to talk about the idea of having him try and make connections with some of the British higher-ups, not even to agree on a course of action. Herc would’ve liked to scrap the whole idea ages ago, but names have power and unfortunately, even the British have some folks on their side who know better than to run their mouths around the good-natured, unthreatening help. Would’ve been worth trying that reserve against Burr’s upper-class mannerisms and modish style, but—well, no point in fussing about that now. A more hopeful man might say to himself, give it another quarter of an hour, perhaps he’s been delayed, perhaps he’s just being cautious, perhaps he doesn’t know if he can trust you yet, you know how that is.

Herc is a pragmatist. It’s been two hours since they said they’d meet. Caution has a place in these dangerous times, but at a certain point it tips over into pure foolishness, and Herc’s already got his fair share of fools knocking around.

He knocks back the rest of his drink and pushes his chair back just as some sort of disturbance erupts at the corner of the bar. He winces. Yeah, he’s getting too old for this shit. He can remember a time when he’d’ve thrown in on one side or the other, completely at random, just for the hell of it, but he can leave those kinds of shenanigans to Laurens or one of his fellow hotheads now.

Beth would laugh at him for that. Would say you’re not even old, Hercules, quit being such a grouch, and boy, that’s how he really knows he’s a grown-up, because the thought of going home and crawling into bed with her sounds like the best thing in the world right now, fuck Burr, fuck the Sons of Liberty, fuck a bar fight. God, he loves his wife.

He’s fighting his way over to the door when he catches a flash of oxblood red in the thick of it, over by the bar. Familiar shade. Burr with a new coat, adjusting his cuffs and making polite non-statements as Herc had tried to pin down a time to meet with him privately. So he bothered to show up after all, then.

Herc groans a little bit internally. Really all he wants right now is to go home, but Burr’s right there and it’d be a waste of an evening and god only knows if the man would be coerced into another meeting if Herc failed to make this one. Damn it. Herc turns around and starts pushing his way toward the oxblood coat. If it turns out that Burr has been here the whole time, Herc is gonna pummel him, vital espionage or not. Best not to make that obvious, though, so he hitches up his ruffian’s grin as he draws closer.

“About time, Burr, thought you weaseled out on me!” he says loudly, throwing out a hand to catch him by the arm—

The young man he’s grabbed spins around, stares at Herc from behind an untidy fall of black hair. Very obviously not Burr. Oops. Herc drops him, and he jerks back against the bar, baring his teeth like an angry dog.

“What do you want?” he snaps, rather shrilly.

Herc’s about to tell him to step off, kid, I just thought you were someone else, no need to get all excited, but the bartender’s noticed them talking. “Friend of yours, Mulligan?” he says. “You wanna tell him not to waste my time if he can’t pay for his drinks?”

“I can pay, I have money, it’s just—it was just here,” the young man retorts, fumbling at his pockets like a man who knows his pocketbook is long gone and is hoping to be subject to an act of God in the immediate future. Ouch. Tough break. None of Herc's business, though, and his family’s waiting for him at home, so all he can do is mentally wish the young man good luck and that his money’s in his other pocket.

The young man locks eyes with Herc for just a moment in his flurry of motion. Desperation stamped all over his face. He’s very young, just a kid, really, for all the sharpness in his voice. The bartender is giving every sign of being ready to chase him out of the tavern. Herc feels a little pang.

He just yelled at you for no good reason, says the reasonable part of Herc, and that may be true, but—Herc’s not made of stone. He has a heart. He’s always quite liked doing folk a good turn. It feels nice. And you can always cash in on it, later, if you need to, with the right sort of person. It never hurts to have an extra favor in the bank.

Herc makes up his mind.

“Relax, Mo,” says Herc, “I’ve got his. And while you’re at it, another for me.” The bartender glares, but when Herc digs in his pockets and slaps the money on the counter he more or less obligingly draws two beers for them. Herc pushes one of them at the kid and steers him over to the first free table.

“You’ll have to excuse poor Moses,” Herc says, “he’s dealt with too many people trying to skip out on a tab in his day to remember what it’s like to have a little patience. Sorry about your wallet, pal. At least take a load off.” He pulls out a chair gallantly before settling back down himself.

The kid’s chin bobs in what might be a jerky nod and what might just be a twitch, and he crumples into the chair. Up close, he looks even younger, with big dark puppy eyes and an outsize nose and not even the slightest hint of peach fuzz on his chin. He clutches his beer and stares at Herc as though he suspects him of poisoning it. Doesn’t take a sip. Tense, Jesus. Herc takes a swig of his own drink and makes himself comfortable.

“Hercules Mulligan,” he says with a flourish, by way of introduction. Gives the kid a second to enjoy the name; he knows it’s an impressive one. “You got a name, friend?”

The kid looks, if possible, even more rattled. “Yes,” he says, his knuckles going white on the mug. There’s a long, awkward pause. Herc sits with it. Let him come to it in his own time. “Oh,” the kid says, finally, and then, “Alex. Alexander. Alexander Hamilton.” Can’t quite hide the pleased little smile that curls his lips as he says it. Pride. Which is funny, thinks Herc, given that he himself wouldn’t know a Hamilton from a hole in the ground.

No point in being antagonistic, though. “Well, Alex Alexander Alexander Hamilton, let me be the first to welcome you to our fair city. I am the first, right? Let me guess, you got off the boat, what, maybe four o’clock this afternoon?”

Hamilton scowls in a way that suggests Herc has hit pretty close to the mark. “How would you know that?”

“Call it intuition. I can tell a New Yorker when I see one, and you’re not quite there yet.” In truth, it’s that the tavern they’re in is close to the waterfront, a bit off the beaten trail, and someone wearing clothes as fine as Hamilton’s probably wouldn’t have bothered giving the place a second glance if he hadn’t just stumbled off a ship. Simple deduction.

Although he wouldn’t have blamed himself for guessing wrongly, given the kid's general state of dishevelment, the hair falling into his eyes, his half-buttoned waistcoat and sloppily tied cravat, like someone who’s been drinking for several hours already. But that’s impossible; no one could be that sloshed and still be as jittery as Hamilton is. So—newcomer.

“And what brings you to New York, Mr. Hamilton? You here for work, or pleasure, or—” he gestures grandly with his mug of beer, “—just to seek your fortune?”

To his great amusement, Hamilton perks up at that. “Last one. Definitely the last one,” he says. Herc can’t help but smile back.

“A romantic, huh? Cute. No, no, don’t be mad,” he says, when Hamilton bristles at his tone, “I think it’s nice. We could always use a few more dreamers in this world.” He waits for Hamilton to calm down again before continuing, “So you must have big plans for this city, huh? Gonna knock out a couple of life goals while you’re here?”

“I, um.” Hamilton stares down into his mug. “I sort of—I’m new here, like you said. I just wanna learn. Wanna see what there is for me to do.”

“You’re trying to do some learning, this isn’t a bad place for it. Not bad at all. Some great colleges around here. If you’re a scholarly sort, good with your words, you can get a solid start there.”

“College. Yeah.” Hamilton’s eyes brighten. “Yeah, I’m—I was—I’m pretty good with words. Numbers too. I used to think, maybe I could still—college. I like that. How do you do college?”

Herc snorts, but otherwise lets that slide. “Can’t just walk in off the street, for the first thing. You’d have to apply, there’s an exam to prepare for and everything. Might need to do some schooling before you apply, even, depending on how prepared you are. There’s places you can go for that nearby, though. It’ll be work, but if you buckle down—”

“I can figure it out.”

“What, just like that?”

“I’m smart. I remember a lot, I—” Hamilton frowns a bit, like he’s let too much slip, but goes on. “Anyway. I’m good at that kind of stuff. Reading. Studying. I’ll be able to do it.”

“You got your Greek, your Latin? Gonna need those if you’re interested in going down this path.”

“I’m sure I could pick ‘em up,” says Hamilton with absurd confidence, and Herc rolls his eyes. Yeah, okay. Just pick up some dead languages like it’s no big deal. Kid must already have some schooling under his belt, to be talking like that. Cheeky. But Herc kind of likes that swagger coming out.

“Well, once you do, give me a shout. I know a guy at Princeton, I could introduce you.”

“I, sure, yeah. Thank you. Princeton. That’s, is that in New York?”

“No…it’s in Princeton.”

“Right.” No comprehension on that face.

“Princeton, like, across the river and inland a ways. Jersey, you know. Or maybe you don’t, where are you here from…?”

“Oh. Inland. Okay.” Some of that nervousness filtering back in. “I was sort of trying to stay around these parts. If I could.”

“Yeah, well, slow down a little, you haven’t even applied yet, you don’t have to make any decisions right this minute. Although between you and me, might be safer for you to get out of the city, if you can. You’ve chosen a risky time to come here. We’ve got more than our fair share of unrest right now.”

“Do you?” Hamilton leans forward, raises his eyebrows with interest. “What is it, what’s going on?”

Herc sips his beer. Glances at Hamilton, without looking like he is. Could be a Redcoat, could be a spy, mutters a cautious voice in his head, you know they’ll use anyone. But Herc trusts his gut, and his gut is telling him that the Brits would be idiots to send a spy dumb enough to get in a noisy public argument, lose his wallet, and not know where Princeton is after him. Amateur hour. They’re better than that.

Hamilton is looking at him with what must be genuine curiosity, dark eyes like blank slates, and he had said he was a dreamer, hadn’t he? Give him some dreams to work on. No such thing as a bad time to recruit for the cause. Carefully, though, always carefully.

“Lotta stir, what with that rebel army up north,” Herc says in his most casual tones. “Gets people saying all sorts of things. Scandalous things. Downright seditious, even. They say folks are organizing, right here, in the city. Our King’s not too pleased with us right about now. Of course, I wouldn’t know anything about it,” Herc continues, lightly, “hardworking, law-abiding citizen like me. I just listen. Just hear things.”

Hamilton has caught on, though, and fixes Herc with a stare that puts Herc in mind of some hunting animal, cat, hawk. No, not a hawk, something colder, something sharper. Hamilton wets his lips, opens his mouth, and…

“What king?”

“…You serious? Where did you say you were from, again?”

“The—the Caribbean?” says Hamilton, sounding rather uncertain. He shakes his head and tries again. “The Caribbean. St. Croix. Nevis, and then St. Croix.”

“Right. You know you have the same king down there as we do, right?”

“Do we?” A little concerned line appears between Hamilton’s brows. “I mean, yes. We do. Obviously. Yeah, I know. The king, that king over in, in, uh…”

“England.”

“England,” Hamilton says, a little too hard on Herc’s heels.

“Really, though, how old are you, that you don’t know who the king is?”

“I’m nineteen! And I know, all right, I do, it’s just, I just…” He trails off, drops his eyes. “I’ve had. There’s been. Other stuff to think about. King didn’t really seem important.” He looks back up, beseeching. “Should he have been?”

Herc studies that expression for a moment. Shame mingled with desperation to be right, to understand. “Nah, you’re okay. We all miss things,” he replies, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

A few more pieces click together in Herc’s head. Came to New York to seek my fortune, right; translate that into came to New York for a fresh start, came to New York running from whatever—whoever—was dogging me so hard that I couldn’t even be bothered to look at whose face was on the money. Explains the jumpiness, and the badly-concealed lies—Herc’ll be damned if Hamilton is nineteen, not with that girlish complexion, and the way he stumbled over Nevis and St. Croix was more than a little suspect.

A runaway, then, huh. Poor kid. Which, Herc supposes, is all the more reason to give him a solid mooring, ideological if nothing else. And if people tend to stay loyal to their first benefactors, well, so much the better.

“Anyway, you wanna learn something about what’s really going on in this city, come to Fraunces Tavern two nights from now. Some friends of mine are having a meeting, we can show you the ropes. Where are you staying? I can tell you how to get there from your place.”

Hamilton smiles unconvincingly. “Oh, uh, I was just planning to, you know, find somewhere around…”

“Got it. You have nowhere to stay. ‘I was just planning to find somewhere.’ Jesus, you really are new to this city, aren’t you.” Herc pushes his hat back on his head, sighs, and then rises from the table. “Nothing for it, then. Finish your beer, and then you’re coming home with me.”

“What? No, it’s fine, I don’t need, you don’t have to do that!”

“I do, unless you like the idea of sleeping in the gutter. No arguments, my man, I’ve got a spare bed and you don’t wanna spend your first full day in New York in the lockup for vagrancy.”

Those huge eyes of Hamilton’s get even bigger, and he stammers out a few words of argument before falling quiet. Herc can almost see his brain working at this additional unexpected generosity, like he doesn’t know what to do with it.

In the end, he just says, more quietly than he’s said anything all evening, “Thanks. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Now, you gonna finish your beer or what?”

Alex looks dubiously down at his full mug of beer. Lifts it to his mouth.

“Whoa, hey, I didn’t say inhale it—shit, Hamilton, are you crazy, cut that out!”

Hamilton makes a noise like huuurghlgh and spews half the contents of the mug across the table before doubling over, choking. He looks very green, and for a second Herc is afraid he’s going to vomit, but he recovers his color, sits up and paws at his mouth in abject disgust.

“Fucking—what the fuck—what is—vile fucking shit—”

“All right, all right, take it easy,” says Herc, pulling out a handkerchief and mopping at the beer splattered all over Hamilton’s coat. He’s contrived to spray it backwards, somehow, so it’s dribbled into his hair and down the sides of his collar. “Look, forget what I said, I’m cutting you off. You got your stuff?”

Hamilton coughs several times, makes a face at Herc. “My…my stuff?”

Herc rather belatedly realizes he hadn’t seen Hamilton carrying a bag at any point in the evening. Good God. Lost in New York without a wallet, without connections, without anything but the clothes on his back. He’s lucky Herc found him, or he would’ve ended up dead in a gutter before the end of the week.

“Never mind. C’mon, up. We’re going.”

With a last vicious glare at the mug of beer, Hamilton gets up and follows Herc to the door and out of the tavern, and they set off for the house. It’s slow going; Hamilton’s unsteady on his feet, and keeps stumbling until Herc throws a steadying arm around his narrow shoulders. And what’s that about? He can’t possibly be drunk, not on a mouthful of beer he didn’t even swallow. Herc leans over and sniffs discreetly, willing to walk back on his earlier judgment of this kid is not an uncontrollable lush, but can’t detect a whiff of anything harder under the smell of the beer.

“It’s not far, your place, is it?” Hamilton says with a bit of an edge to his voice. He glances back over his shoulder towards the waterfront.

“Like ten, fifteen minutes’ walk. Not bad at all. Hey, don’t worry,” he says, clapping Hamilton on the shoulder and almost causing his knees to give out, “you stick around until after my shift’s done tomorrow, I’ll show you around town a little, help you get your bearings. You’ll be a New Yorker before you know it.”

“Yeah,” says Hamilton. He shivers. Looks back at the harbor. Catches Herc noticing, and points his face back homeward. “It’ll be fine. I’ll figure it out.”

“That’s the spirit. Watch the cobblestones there.”

Hamilton yelps and hits the ground. Herc hauls him back to his feet. It’s gonna be a long walk home.

--

(part the second)