A/N: Just a heads up in case it wasn't clear, while there's not gonna be smut on this book (sorry not sorry) the sex will be heavily implied and talked about. My wording is weird but, yeah, you get the idea. I just want to to put that out there in case anyone is uncomfortable with those things and would like to know in advance.

"And she has the most beautiful marrons eyes,"

"Your club leader?"

Lafayette nodded enthusiastically. "Adrienne." He says. "And such a sweet voice,"

"You two seem... close." I say carefully. Lafayette would probably freak if I told him he liked his club leader before he figured it out himself. We were laying on his bed, our sides smushed together as we watching a repeated episode of Arrow, when Lafayette started rambling about the famous Adrienne. I don't blame him. I know that if I could I would burst out talking about my ridiculous crush on John Laurens to anyone that would listen if only that was an option. But it's not. So I let Lafayette have what I don't without complaints.

"Oui, we have truly bonded because of our roots. Did you know we used to live in the same city!?" He yelps and moves his hands around him energetically.

"No, I did not know that," I say. "Sounds like you two were meant to meet,"

My brother smiles dreamily at the comment. "We did, didn't we?"

As Lafayette goes on singing praises about his new lady love, my phone dings on my sweatpants and I immediately know it's my John because of the ringtone. Before I even take it out I'm already biting my lip in attempts to suppress the smile threatening to scape to my cheeks, and after I do I unlock it as discretely as I can and check my messages.

Angie: You doing anything rn?

I smirk. Booty call.

Alexander Hamilton: Not at all, good sir, would you like to make any plans for this evning?

Alexander Hamilton: **evening

Angie: Dont be a tease

Alexander Hamilton: Sorry not sorry gumdrop ;)

Alexander Hamilton: Luckily for you, I happen to be quite free

Angie: Hahaha.

Angie: Get over here you dork

Alexander Hamilton: See ya in a few <3

I grin to myself and then look over to Lafayette. I'm actually not particularly free. I mean, I didn't have it in schedule to watch Arrow with Lafayette but either way, I'm not exactly doing nothing, so I have to come up with something.

"Who was that?" My brother unsurprisingly asks.

"Just Angelica, she wants me to go over and help her do some research for the upcoming English essay and stuff," I say and mentally pat myself on the back for coming up with that on the spot.

He pouts, and I feel bad for a moment. Almost guilty. Almost.

"Hey, how about you call Adrienne and invite her to that French coffee shop you were telling me about?" I suggest.

"You think I should?" He says hesitantly with a subtle blush.

"Of course! You guys can talk and criticize the badly imitated French pastries together,"

He smiles and sits up with an excited air around him. "It does sound amusant."

With Lafayette happier, I exit the room and yell at Thomas that I'll be out for a few hours. He yells back at me to not get kidnapped from whatever room in the house he is and with that I leave, barely being able to keep myself from skipping my way to John's house.

•••

"The reason the wall is such a stupid concept is that it would literally solve nothing, so many immigrants don't even come from the border illegally but—"

"They come legally and overstay their visits, yeah. I don't see how a wall could solve that unless Mr. Annoying Orange plans on building a dome around the United States—" I gasp.

"Like that one Simpsons episode!"

He snorts in an uglily cute way. "Exactly."

"I honestly wouldn't put it past him."

I've always liked sex. It makes me feel good, validated, and pretty. And who doesn't like to feel pretty? I admit I perhaps started my sexual life a little too early and that there are many things I regret and wish I could change but in the end, I like sex. It's something I enjoy, regardless of how much of a "whore" that makes. I mean I'm sorry, I'll just change my libido at will next time if it makes you comfortable. But point is, I've had lots of sex with many different kinds of people. Sex with John Laurens though? It should be a category on its own. It's wonderful, the process of slowly getting to know each other's bodies and likes and how to get certain reactions from the others by doing specific things. It feels so strangely new. I am no doe eyed virgin but every time I lay with John I feel like I'm about to explore something completely unknown. Which made me think back to that initial question, the curious itch that started all this spiral into lovesick madness: who is John Laurens?

Well, John Laurens is a man. A young man. He has freckles that expand like sand grains across the beach of his body, awkward ears, and the cutest dimples. John Laurens is a nerd, he knows more random nature facts that should probably fit on that cute head of his which is probably why he spits them out too often, to make space for fresh knowledge. He's opinionated and kinda hot-headed, but I have to admit he looks pretty hot when he's angry. Even hotter then he's getting into an argument and looks so pissed while simultaneously destroying the other person with facts and it's so—

John Laurens is not okay. He has issues, insecurities, and shitty coping mechanisms I'm trying to make him drop. It has worked, kind of, he hasn't gotten into any fist fights recently but he still argues quite a bit, but I don't think it's possible to keep John from shouting his opinion. He's not broken, though. Perhaps a little scratched and bent on the sides but he's still whole.

John Laurens is wonderful, and all the people who made me think otherwise in the past would agree if only they took the time to get to know such marvelous human being.

Sex, that's not all want with him. I want so much more. But after experiencing it for a bit I'd much rather have this than nothing.

"Not only that but it would actually be keeping immigrants from returning to Mexico once they've gotten enough money to help their families," John continues and I listen as I lay on his back, absentmindedly playing with the curly jungle that is his hair. There are hickeys and finger marks and scratches all over his back and I'm sure he will scold me once he realizes. But for now, I smile at it with guilty pleasure.

Suddenly, cutting him off in the middle of a sentence, the door downstairs opens and John stops talking immediately.

"Shit." He mumbles, though he doesn't sound particularly stressed.

"Who is it?" I ask as he scrambles off the bed and from under the blanket to put on some clothes. I do the same and internally mourn the view of John's back.

"My siblings, two of them at least. They returned sooner than I expected." He finishes dressing up and tries to make his hair look like he wasn't just fucking me.

"You have three, right?"

"Four," He corrects. Holy shit.

"Should I– should I leave?" I stammer once I'm not naked anymore and John turns to me, staying silent for a moment. I prepare to get kicked out.

"No, you can— I'll introduce y'all." He says, and my face lights up in a way it shouldn't. It's just John's family. But then again, it's John's family.

Right before I leave John's room I check my phone quickly for any messages.

Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramirez: How is research going????

Alexander Hamilton: Awesome :)

•••

Downstairs we find less John-like but still pretty John-ish medium John, who turns out is apparently named Harry, and a girl John I had never seen before named Martha.

"Hey Jack," Harry mumbles as he fist bumps his brother. "Who's this?"

"This is my friend Alexander, he's hangin' out here for a while."

I know it shouldn't sting the way it does, but it stings.

"Nice to meet you," He says in the same low voice and then retreats to the kitchen. He seems nice.

"Hello, Alexander!" Martha says enthusiastically. "John has told me a bit about you."

"He has?" I can't help but say.

"Yeah, you're like a huge nerd, right?" She says with a wink and I don't understand the hidden subtext but laugh anyway.

"Anyway," John cuts in. We'll be upstairs if you need us, now please—"

"We're gonna watch a movie," Martha interrupts him in returns. "You guys should totally join us,"

I look at John for guidance. I'm not sure of how to respond.

He sighs reluctantly. "What type?"

She smirks, and it looks fairly similar to John's smirk. Same dimples and everything. "Horror," She whispers for dramatic effect.

"Isn't it too early for scary movies?" John questions just as Harry is leaving the kitchen with an apple.

"There's no such thing as too early for scary movies, Jack," He says seriously.

Eventually, John accepts the offer and ends up squished beside me and Martha on the couch. There's more than enough room for everyone to have their own personal space but we are all comfortable pressed against each other under the fluffy blankets. Plus it gives me an excuse to be touching John, and I would never complain about such thing.

Martha's pretty nice and energetic. She has a small notebook she seems to keep on her pocket where I can often see her writing what looks like prompts and notes. I have the hunch she's a writer. Harry's sort of reserved but still hilarious in a deadpan sort if way and I'm genuinely not sure if it's intentional or no, and I'm too afraid to ask. Overall, if I had to describe this evening, my word of choice would be warm. Warm like John's body, like the popcorn, and the blankets. Like the hints of the sun as it starts to hide. Like the blush on my cheeks.

And like the comfortable feeling in my chest. This is what John Laurens is, a sunny afternoon in a sea of freckles. And I've finally gotten consumed by flames.