(John P.O.V)

I woke up to Alex sitting at my feet, tapping away at his keyboard. I saw two empty mugs of coffee in his lap, and it looked like he'd reused both of them multiple times. I saw that he had bags under his eyes and his hair was messy, as if he'd untied it and retied it multiple times, which I'd noticed was a habit he fell into when he was nervous, or just when he was thinking. I propped myself up on my elbows and he looked up from his laptop.

"Hey John." He murmured, keeping his voice low to no wake the others.

I sat up and crossed my legs, putting my head on his shoulder. He put a hand around my shoulders and played with one of my curls. I felt him rest his head on my own and yawn widely. I sat up and looked at him. Alex's face was tired, bags were heavy under his eyes, staining them a darker color. He looked disheveled and there was this light in his eyes which just made him seem constantly nervous. I wondered what was wrong.

"Alex?" I hummed.

"Yeah?"

"Did you get some sleep last night?" I asked, examining his tired pose as he slumped over his computer.

"...no." He sighed, shaking his head softly. "I... could you... whatever." He trailed off, closing his eyes and leaning back.

"What do you need?" I asked, but he didn't seem like he was going to tell me.

"I'm going for a walk." He stood up, setting his computer aside. "I'll be back, not as late as before."

"It's 6:37." I told him, reading off my watch.

"I'll be back by 7 or 7:10 ok? I just need to grab something at the store."

"It's Christmas day, none of the stores are going to have anything good." I commented.

"Not that store." He shook his head and got up, going over to his bag and pulling out a paper after a bit of rummaging. "I'm going somewhere else."

I wasn't sure where he was going, or why he was being so vague, but I let him go, stepping cautiously over sleeping people. Alex pulled his coat on and put his hand on the door handle. I pulled him in for a hug, tilting his face upwards and pecking his lips.

"I love you Alex." I murmured as he opened the door.

"Love you too." He grinned and walked out down the steps into the garden.

I closed the door, locking it and walking back to the couch, hoping to get some more sleep. No one else was awake, why should I be? I curled up in the blanket and started drifting off to sleep when a hand tugged at me. I looked down to see Eliza, sitting up by the couch.

"What was that all about?" She whispered, dipping her head towards the walls, and I assumed she meant outside, wherever Alex was.

"I know about as much as you. He said he was going to the store and then he left." I shrugged, my whisper matching hers.

"I just hope he comes back soon, Pegs should wake up soon, and when she wakes up on Christmas, there's no stopping her." Eliza chuckles softly.

"Alex says he'd be back by 7:10." I informed her.

"He better, Peggles wakes up at 7:34 on Christmas, she has every year. I think she'll wake the others up, so we shouldn't worry about that."

"Yeah, I guess." I sighed. "I feel like there was something that was actually bothering him, something seemed off."

"We'll just have to wait it out I guess."

(Alex P.O.V)

I rushed down the path, needing to get to a pharmacy and back before 7. I clutched my prescription in my hands as I hurried down the street, breaking into a run as I rounded a corner. I was puffing for breath, glad I'd made myself learn the route to the pharmacy before leaving. I stepped into the lighted building and walked up to the register, handing the cashier my prescription. She took it and smiled sadly at me, which I hated, but I guess when you hand a pharmacist papers from a doctor that say you need medication against anxiety attacks, depression and flashbacks often triggered by ptsd, they have reason to feel sympathy.

I sighed, tapping my foot anxiously as I checked my watch every few minutes. The girl came back and handed me what I needed, along with a receipt, and I pulled the money out of my pocket, having grabbed it before. I handed her the cash and took my medicine, shoving that in my coat pocket and pulling up my hair, only to remember I didn't have a hair tie, so I let it fall back down over my shoulders.

Peggy's house came into sight as I rounded a corner and I checked my watch again. 6:56. I still had lots of time, so I didn't need to run. I leaned against a wall, panting slightly, catching my breath for a second. Then I took a breath and walked up to the door of Peggy's house, knocking softly. Eliza opened the door and beamed at me, and I smiled back at my friend.

"Hey Alex, where were you?" She asked quietly.

"Store. Got some stuff I needed." I shrugged her off, keeping my voice as low as hers.

She raised an eyebrow, but I shook my head and went to the bathroom, filling a glass with water. I swallowed the pills and downed the water to wash them down then went into the living room. John was curled up under the blankets I poked him, wanting my boyfriend to wake up. He grumbled and batted my hand away. I pouted and pulled out my laptop, turning it on and going onto my account to continue what I'd been writing.

Peggy woke up with a screech and I jumped, toppling into John, startled. The young Schuyler got up and shook everyone who hadn't woken up from her pterodactyl shrieks. So that meant she was clutching Angelica and Theo's arm, shaking them furiously. I checked my watch. 7:34. Wow, time sure does fly. Peggy hopped around frantically squawking like a parakeet. I watched her antics until everyone was awake and she sat down calmly, satisfied.

"Ok, it's Alex's first Christmas, you come sit down." Laf commanded, everyone sat down.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Theo yawned.

"It's not my first Christmas, I've lived though 20. It's just the first one that I've properly celebrated." I retorted.

"Yeah yeah." Peggy waved me off. "Ok, gift swapping time!"

(time skip because idk what to give lots of college kids)

I leaned back against the couch, holding my gifts in my hands, smiling. I was snuggled against John, wrapped up like a burrito in the blanket Hercules had given me. Angie and Maria were in the kitchen, putting their new utensils to good use. Whatever they were cooking smelled good.

I'd jokingly painted a stormy ocean for James, and, dare I say, I believe it turned out quite well. Theo curled up near the tree, and she was reading one of her new 'human brains and how to emotionally dissect them' book, courtesies of my brother, Lafayette and Eliza. John was playing with my hair a bit, and I leaned into him further, willing to fall asleep now. Which I promptly did.

(John P.O.V)

Alex fall nestled into my side, one of my hands in his hair. Why on Earth was he sleeping now at not at night?! I looked over the gifts I'd received and those made it clear either my friends knew me well, or I was just to open about my preferences.

Eliza had gotten me a book on birds all over the US. Herc had made a sweater for me, and it fit really nicely, it was baggy and very fuzzy. Angie and Theo has worked together to make a absolutely amazing redrawing of the gay flag, Theo painted, Angie designed and it was amazing and ever so gay. Laf, being the amazing mess he was, had made what was pretty much an entire playground for my turtles. I didn't know James much, but he offered me a book full of random animal trivia, so I could immediately tell how he and Alex were related. Peggy and Maria had said my gift was waiting back in the dorm, which kinda scared me. Alex gave me a worn blue notebook, filled up with scribbles and notes. I wanted to read it the second he handed it to me, because I loved Alex's writing,  but I was expected to continue the Christmas tradition. But now that everyone had gone off to do their own thing, so I decided I could read the notebook now.

(I'm not even gonna try to mimic Hamilton's writing, I am not at that level of eloquence)

I set the book down halfway through, because Alex had started shifting and waking up. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning. He looked really cute burritoed in the blanket Herc had given him, the blanket was a warm yellow, (unlike Peggy's vivid and bright yellow) and had a black star on it.

"So, did you like your first Christmas?" I asked him once he seemed at a stage of awakeness that he'd be able to answer me.

"As I said before, it's not me first, I've lived through 20. But the first Christmas that I've properly celebrated was very fun." He replied, voice still groggy with sleep.

"Glad you liked it." I kissed his nose gently and he batted my hands away lightly.

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a / n: Woo! Christmas! Ok so the I want to say is thank you for reading my story, I really appreciate it.

See you next chapter my precious sleepless beans