Tango

Monticello

As Alex had expected, the next morning was no fun as he was woken by his sickness once more. He opened his eyes, confused since he was unfamiliar with his surroundings. He couldn't find the toilet so, he spit up in the closest trash can he could find. Bile, being the only thing that came up, his stomach having been emptied the night before. Against his will, he created a lot of rustling, which woke Thomas, the older man, as always scolding him for his denial of his well-being.

"Please, Thomas. Drop it. I don't want to fight. That's not why we're here."

The words resonated with Jefferson. Hamilton was right; they weren't here to fight. Instead, the Virginian gave up and simply hugged his lover.

"I just care about you. I can't help being concerned about the one I love."

Alexander looked up, slight disbelief appearing on his face at the words he had just heard.

"I love you, Alex." He spoke openly.

The younger man was stupified by the confession.

"I love you too, Thomas."

The pair stood in the middle of the room half-dressed - holding each other in a light embrace. Their very first 'I love yous' uttered and gone in the ether of this room. They smiled at each other, content.

The silence lingered longer. The two men not being able to tear their gazes off of each other.

"So, does that mean we're a thing?" The younger man smiled.

"I think we've been a thing for a while now." The darker man laughed.

"Do I call you my boyfriend?" Alex questioned, obviously facetious.

The Virginian cringed at the word.

"Sounds a bit too juvenile for me; you're my life partner, my mate, my lover. You're my other half, Darling."

Alexander was practically melting at the adoration in the other man's voice.

"Come back to bed, huh?"

Thomas pulled the shorter man along with him, sitting at the edge of the Queen-sized bed. Alexander stood in front of him, holding his lover's face in his hands.

"I don't deserve you."

The taller man noticed a twinge appeared on Alex's face when the words left his lips. He was hiding something again, Thomas could tell. But this wasn't something he could just ask and get a straight answer. This was that godforsaken secret the younger man wasn't ready to spill yet. It ached him to keep it for so long but, now was not the time.

                                                                     *

The couple cuddled in bed for the rest of that morning, reveling in each other's company. They had only stopped at the request of their stomach's rumbling, Alex understandably reluctant to touch any sort of food but opting to eat something at the request of his partner. They spend their day leisurely, for the first time actually doing nothing together without the pressure of their jobs on their backs.

"Wanna go for a walk?" The darker man asked, a hand twirling his cane while the two were, enjoying some fresh air out on the top terrace looking out onto the estate.

Hamilton had figured the place would be big when Thomas had mentioned his other home. But it was huge. He had had the chance to admire the Italian-inspired architecture of the building, the many columns, and arches framing the long white halls. Looking out into the vast, now temporarily dead greenery that lay ahead of him, he wondered just how big it was in its entirety. They left the mansion and began to walk down a small dirt and gravel path. The way led them down, overlooking absolutely gorgeous lands. They walked past some staff houses and sheds, and soon enough, they were passing by where vegetable gardens would grow in the summer. As is - in December, everything was covered in snow, acres upon acres of white coating the grounds around them. During their walk, Hamilton noticed the vegetable garden didn't seem to end.