Chapter 6

  John was the first to wake up. Which was surprising for him. He saw the TV turned off and Alex was cuddled up next to him. John's hand was still in his. His face heated up and he smiled. He took a quick photo of Alex and himself cuddled up together. He saw Laf and Herc on the floor in front of the two, leaning against the couch. A blanket over their heads. John shifted his legs from under Alex. Causing Alex to stir in his sleep. John stayed still, hoping the Alex wouldn't wake up. He didn't succeed, and Alex woke up, he yawned, but stayed cuddled against John. "Morning.." John whispered to him. "Good morning...." Alex responds, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. John frowned upon Alex leaving. His body felt cold where Alex had left. When Alex had finished rubbing his tired eyes, he realized he had been cuddled up with John all night. His face went scarlet red. "S-sorry for lying on you.." Alex apologized sheepishly. John sat up and grinned, "It's fine, you kept me warm." John commented, before getting up, making sure not to run into the couple on the floor. Alex's face flushed as he stayed frozen on the couch. John went into the kitchen to make breakfast, he wasn't the best cook, but he could make basic food. "Need help?" Alex asked quietly from the doorway. John smiles at him and nods before getting the pancake mix out. Alex grabs some eggs and milk out from the fridge and sets it on the counter, before rolling his sleeves up. John grabs measuring cups from a drawer, and puts 2 cups of the mix into a large bowl, as Alex starts to make scrambled eggs. John goes to grab some eggs, glancing at Alex when he does. He looks at Alex's forearm, and sees pink lines and dark scars across his arms. John couldn't help but stare, "How could someone so delicate, so smart, so kind, so strong.. do something as terrible as that?" John thought to himself, still staring at the scars on Alex's arm. He counted the darker scars. 18. He counted the pink marks. 10. He counted the faded marks. Over 20. Last... he counted the scabbed lines. 6. John frowned at this. He could've been helping him through that... Alex notices John's lack of motions and glances over at him, causing John to jump out of his trance. Alex frowned, knowing what he was staring at. There were times Alex never wanted to live, but he was getting better. "How long..?" John asked quietly, while pouring some oil into a measuring cup. Alex sighed and looked down, adding salt to his mixture. "It's been 2 weeks since I've done it last..." Alex admits, while bending down to grab a frying pan from a cabinet. John started to mix the pancake batter together. "2 weeks..." John repeated, while pouring some oil into a frying pan Alex had gotten out for him. Alex nodded. Before starting the stove, John looked at Alex with an emotionless face. Alex tilted his head, trying to see John's emotion, or what he was thinking. John grabbed Alex's wrist, and placed a soft kiss on a scar, causing blood to rush to Alex's face. John kissed up Alex's arm, where ugly scars and scabs laid, infesting his soft skin. Alex's face only grew hotter as John did this, until John reached to Alex's upper arm. John looked Alex in the eyes, and kissed his cheek. Damn... Alex thought to himself. John's face was flushed a bright pink, before he turned and put the flame on the stove. John put pancake mix into the pan, making it sizzle. "Sorry.." John apologized. Alex was confused, "For what?" Alex asked, trying to fix his confusion, his face still scarlet. "Not being there." John replied blankly, as he put the egg mixture on another pan next to the pancake pan. "It's not your fault." Alex replied to him, guilt rising in his stomach for making John feel bad. A silence hung in the air, while Alex debated what to do.

   About 10 minutes goes by, and the food is ready. The two place 3 pancakes on each plate (four plates) and a scoop of eggs on the side. John starts to cut up strawberries to top off the pancakes. He halves the strawberries first before cutting them into fourths. Alex sneaks a half of a strawberry from the cutting board and plops it into his mouth. John giggles, as he finishes cutting the rest of the strawberries. Alex grabs whipped cream, and tops each set of pancakes with it, as John puts strawberries on each one too. Alex finishes, and puts some whip cream on John's nose and giggles. John smirks, and wipes it off before smearing it on Alex's cheek and mouth. Alex rolls his eyes on the comeback John made. "Great, now I gotta clean this off so I can eat pancakes." Alex complains. John chuckles and his face flushed. A very tired Lafayette walks into the hallway with a blanket wrapped around his head. "Good morning.." he says tiredly. John and Alex chuckle at him. "Good morning sleepyhead." Alex says while raising an eyebrow at Laf and handing him a cup of coffee. Laf smiles gratefully, and takes the cup from Alexander. Herc walks in behind Laf, rubbing his tired eyes. All friends sit down and eat their breakfast. Mostly in silence, except for John and Alex. The two kept talking, making Lafayette think to himself. Laf knew they liked each other. They should go on a date. Lafayette thought to himself machevelously. "Alors, Alex, êtes-vous et John ensemble?" Laf asks Alex in French with a smirk, making Alex's face flush. "Non! il ne m'aime pas et je doute qu'il aimerait n'importe où avec lui et moi!" He replies, face a bright red. John tilts his head and Herc looks confused by the conversation. Laf rolled his eyes, "tu te rends compte, tout le temps ce mois-ci, que tu l'as ignoré pendant que tu travaillais, il parlerait de toi. il se sentait terrible." Laf says while finishing his plate. Alex looks down ashamed. "Can you guys.. ya know... not.. talk in French?" John asks, looking extremely confused. "Y-yes." Alex says while getting up and putting his plate in the sink. Alex left the room in a rush almost, leaving John concerned. John follows him, and he sees Alex heading to his room to go on his laptop. "Alexander Hamilton, if you go onto your goddamn laptop I swear to God.." John nearly yells at him, his face growing red from anger. Alex stopped in his tracks, John never got mad unless he was talking to his father.  Laf and Herc exchanged glances, and quietly left the two alone. John took a deep breath, trying to control himself. Alex still stood in the hallway. "If you go into that room again I'll lose you again. You'll be emotionless again. You won't care about me again. You won't talk to me again! I thought I changed your mind Alexander. I want to help you but I can't if you don't let me." John says trailing off. His eyes were brimmed with tears, threatening to overflow. "John... I..." Alex struggled for words. John approached Alex and put a hand on his shoulder. "C-can we just hang out t-together..? A-alone..?" John asks nervously. Alex's eyes went wide, was he asking him out on a date..? "You don't have to if you don't want to I just.." John trails off panicked and worried. "As in.. what..?" Alex asks, still facing away from John. "Like... a date.?" John states in almost a question. Both men blushed, as a silence filled the air. "I would love to.." Alex finally says, turning towards John with a red face, smiling. John let out a breath of relief, that he didn't know he was holding in. "Hey John, you have something on your face." Alex states, pointing at John's face. John giggles, "Shut Up!" He exclaims playfully. Alex chuckles, "No really! You have syrup or something on your face." Alex says while smiling. John put his hand up to his face for a second. "I do?" He asks Alex while raising an eyebrow. Alex nods, "I'll get it." Alex states quickly. Before John could react, Alex kissed John on his lips. John's eyes went wide at Alex's actions. He melted into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Alex's waist. Alex stood on his tippy toes to reach John, while smiling into the kiss. Alex pulls away and giggles, "See at 6 o'clock at our date!" Alex states while rushing out the door. Leaving John in shock, but smiling. John touched his lips, that felt weird from the kiss Alex had gave him. He chuckles and smiles wider, letting out a squeal in excitement. Before running and jumping onto his bed. This date is going to be amazing.. he thought to himself.

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(Hey look I'm gonna do a P.O.V. For once.)

  John's P.O.V.

  It was 5:45 right now, and I'm a nervous reck. Lafayette was helping me get ready. "Mon ami, sit still, it's going to be fine!" He tells me while pulling at my hair. Alex was getting ready with Herc.

"Ouch!" I exclaim as Laf pulls another part of my hair.

"Well stop moving!" He yells back and me. He does a side braid with my hair, putting little flowers into it as well. I had a red and black flannel on that was open and had a black tank top on. I also had black leggings on. "What if he just agreed to pity me? What if my outfit isn't okay? Do I look okay?" I asked Laf as I paced around the room biting my nails. Lafayette sighed, "It's going to be fine Mon ami." He states, while adjusting his makeup in the bathroom.I sigh and rub my temples, trying to calm myself down. "He likes you a lot Mon ami." Laf states, putting his eyeliner away. I take a deep breath, finally beginning to calm down. Then I heard a knock on the door.

"MEEP!" I screech out and jump onto my bed. Laf rolls his eyes and goes to open the door. OMG OMG OMG!! I'm going to ruin everything! "John! C'mon! Alex is here!" Lafayette yells for me. I take another deep breath. I walk out of the room shyly, and I see Alex there. He's wearing jeans, a green hoodie (which I think is mine..), and his hair in a ponytail. He looks at me and smiles, with rosy cheeks. "Hi John.. you look amazing.." he comments, and I walk more out of the doorway I was hiding in. "H-hi..." I stutter out, blushing like mad. Alex holds out his hand for me, and I take it with a smile. When his hand is in mine... I feel more comfortable. Like all my nerves shouldn't be there. Safe... "Alright Love birds. Go on!" Herc says while rolling their eyes. I shot them a glare and Alex just giggled. I held his hand on the way out the door and to the elevator. We sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. We walk out of the large building, and down the street, hand in hand. "Where are we going to go?" I ask him, as he leans on me. "We can go get dinner, then we're going to the park." Alex states the schedule he had planned out. I smile and nod, as I lean my head on his. We head to a small restaurant down the street from campus. We walk in, and sit in a table for two, near the corner of the restaurant. I look at the menu, but steal glances at Alex at the same time. He's so perfect... he's smiling at the menu... "What're gonna get?" He asks me suddenly, breaking my trance. "I think spaghetti.." I say, closing my menu. "Hey guys! Welcome to- Wait.. John? Alex?" I hear a familiar voice say. I look up and see none other than the one and only, Margarita Peggy Schuyler. "You work here Peggy??" I ask, surprised and happy to see her. She nods with a smile. "Maria hooked me up with a job here! It's been great!" She explains to us. "Oooo! How's are things with Maria too?" I ask, smirking at her. She blushes a bright red. Alex raises an eyebrow at me, "She has a mega crush on a girl named Maria Lewis." I explain to Alex, who nods his head understanding. "Shut up! And she has yet to notice me... I mean, we talk sometimes.. but I don't have the confidence to ask her out..." Peggy explains with a frown. "Anyway.. what would you like to drink?" Peggy changes the subject. She takes our orders, and heads off to the kitchen with a red face. "She really does deserve somebody. She's so overlooked, yet her personality is so great. She's just seen as the younger sister." I say with a sigh. Peggy was my best friend out of the entire group of the Sisters. Alex nods, "We should set her up.." he mumbles. I raise an eyebrow at him. "Maria is a manager, and sometimes they go around tables to check on the customers. Maybe we could bring up Peggy to Maria and see what happens." Alex whispers to me. I nod and smile at him. I hear the bells on the door chime, indicating someone is here. I look over and see a face I don't like... Thomas Jefferson... don't get me wrong, he can be an okay guy. When he wants to. Alex would sometimes talk to himself about how much he hates him though. Alex seemed to notice that Thomas walked in too.. "Jefferson..." he grumbles under his breath annoyed. "Just ignore him Le- I mean.. Alex.." I say in a whisper, my face growing hot. Alex takes a deep breath and turns his attention back towards me. "You can call me Lex or Lexi, John." He tells me with a smirk. "J-just last time I did, y-you blacked out a-and.." I trail off. Alex chuckles, "I was just thinking about my mother." He explains to me, his smile dropping a bit. This, causing me to frown, "I bet she was a wonderful person.. and I'm glad to have her son in my life." I whisper to him, making him blush a crimson red. "Hey guys! I'm Maria, a manager here, how are y'all doing tonight?" A girl with a red shirt and black leggings asked us with a smile, breaking the hushed talking between Alex and I. Maria...  Alex grins triumphantly at me. "We're doing good! How are you?" Alex asks her, a grin still plastered on his face. "I'm very good! So you guys have one of my workers, Peggy, how is she doing?" Maria asks us, placing a hand on her hip. "She's doing great, she's our friend too. She's super sweet, great service." Alex tells her. Maria smiles and nods in approval. "It's nice to meet some of her friends! She's such a sweet girl." Maria says, while writing on a pad of paper she had. I look at the apron she had across her waist, and notices and Asexual and Bisexual pin on it. I smile brightly, " Maria, can I let you in on a little secret?" I ask her suddenly. She tilts her head and nods at me. "So, our friend Peggy, she thinks you're really cute. And she talks about you a lot, but doesn't have the courage to ask you on a date. Do you think you can seal the deal with that?" I ask her, while worry filled my chest. She blushes a bright pink and smiles, "Sh-She does..? W-well.. Umm... maybe I'll talk to her after our shift.." Maria says while holding back her excitement. I smile at her, "Go for it! Here, let me write down my number and let me know how it goes and you can ask me for advice whenever you need!" I tell her, while scribbling my number on a napkin. She takes it and nods, then goes back into the kitchen. "We just started something beautiful.." Alex says to me and I giggle. "Alrighty! Here's your food!" Peggy exclaims, while handing us our food. We thank her and begin to eat. "Well well well, is that Hamilton I see?" I hear Jefferson's voice boom from across the room. Alex tensed up and rolled his eyes. "What do you want Jefferson?" Alex asked Thomas, clearly annoyed. "Nothing.. just to bother you." He states. Alex groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes once again. "Well you've succeeded." Alex tells him, his fists clenching. I look down in my lap, knowing I couldn't stop him. "Lexi lets just go..." I whisper to him. Alex lets out a breath, and nods, leaving some money on the table. He grabs my hand, and leaves the restaurant in a hurry. I follow behind him. "Lexi..?" I ask him stopping. He stays still, "Lexi are you alright..?"

"Yes."

"Are you lying to me?"

"No..."

"I don't believe you." I say to him, wrapping my arms around him from behind him. He sighs and looks down at his feet. "Let's not let Jefferson ruin our night. Let's go to the park..." I say to him in a whisper. He nods. I smile and take his hand. He walk in silence, to the park on campus. It was now around 7:30. "I'm sorry I got mad." Lex apologizes. "It's okay Lexi.."

"It's not.. I shouldn't have gotten upset."

"Jefferson is mean, and he wanted you to get mad. It's fine Lex." I tell him. We arrive at that park, and sit under a tree, watching the sunset. Lex leans his head on my shoulder, smiling. "H-Hey Lexi..?" I ask him, a nervous pit in my stomach. He hums in response. I bite my lip. "Can we do this again..?"

He pauses.

"Of course John.."

I smile brightly and sigh in content. "I don't want you working your butt off nonstop 24/7. This is so nice being with you. Please let me stay by your side... I want to be there for you. We don't need our names to be known... we don't need profit or money... we have each other.. and I love this.... if I could grant you peace of mind...."

I pause, as Alex looks at me.

"Would that be enough..?"