Hamilton Song Fics DISCONTINUED

Mullette - Begin Again

Inspired by Taylor Swift's song "Begin Again"
Laf uses they/them pronouns and prefers to dress femininely

Laf stood in front of their dresser, fingers tight as they gripped the edge of it. They took a deep breath and looked up at their reflection in the mirror one last time before straightening up.

He didn't like it when you wore high heels, said the nasty little voice in his head that didn't leave when he did. 'But I do,' Laf shot back.

They walked out of their apartment and locked the door. They slipped their headphones over their ears and pressed play. The first song that came on was a French lullaby their mother had sung to them as a young child.

He never got this song, the voice whispered again. Laf squashed it down with the same thought as before. 'But I do.'

They walked in, half-expecting Hercules to be late or not have shown up, but he was there early and he stood up with a grin, waving at Laf. They walked over, feeling slightly out of their depth by not having to wait.

"Hey," Herc breathed, his eyes never straying from Laf's. "You look amazing." Laf blushed lightly tucking a stray wisp of hair behind their ear. Herc stood there staring at them for another moment before rushing to pull out their chair and helping them in.

Laf stared at him as he walked back round to his side of the table. Herc looked like it had been of no consequence, and Laf knew, deep down, that he didn't know how nice it had been, but they did.

Herc offered them a menu and a soft smile, both of which Laf accepted, returning the latter. Laf scanned the menu unnecessarily, placing it back down after a second. "What are you gonna get?" Herc asked.

"I was thinking of getting a mocha and an almond croissant," they admitted, praying that Herc didn't think they were too greedy.

Instead, he grinned and nodded. "Sounds nice. I've never been here before, have you?" he asked. 'Yes, with him,' Laf thought silently.

But out loud, they replied, "Yes, more frequently in the last couple of months. It has become a place of security for me." Herc smiled at their confession and rested his hand on top of Laf's.

"Maybe after this, I could show you my place of security?" he offered shyly. "It isn't anywhere near as nice as here, but it's mine."

Laf hesitantly turned their palm upwards and took his hand properly. "Anywhere would be nice with you," they replied quietly. "Well, I may have to draw the line at a pig farm, have you seen these shoes?"

Herc threw his head back as he laughed, like un petit enfant, Laf realised. It's strange that he thinks you're funny, the voice tried to squeeze in, but Laf pushed it out. 'You only think that because he never did,' he snapped, shocked when the voice went silent.

"You know," Laf started talking once Herc had calmed down again, "I've spent the last eight months thinking all love does is break and burn and end." Herc hummed sympathetically, pulling Laf's hand up to his mouth to press a kiss to it.

'But on a-' Laf did a quick mental calculation '-Wednesday, in a cafe of all places, I believe I watched it begin again.'

An hour later, the two were still sitting there, drinking their second coffees and talking about random things. Herc put his cup down and said, "You know, I've never met one person who had as many Taylor Swift albums as me, but you do."

Laf nodded shyly, thinking about their extensive collection. The two traded stories about their mutual friends, Alex and John, and then about themselves. Laf was hesitant to tell Herc too much, and the man wasn't sure why they were suddenly so shy, but he didn't press too hard, just steered the conversation into safer waters.

"Backstories are unlocked at level three," he explained after cutting Laf off from talking about their first kiss (which had been with him). "By level three I mean at least the third date, later if you're not comfortable talking about it," he promised.

Laf started giggling, which made Herc's face split into a grin, which in turn made Laf laugh harder and Herc eventually joined in with his head-thrown-back laugh.

Once they calmed down, Laf admitted, "No one has ever found me funny before." Herc's face softened into a smile.

"God knows how, you're fucking hilarious once you loosen up," he told them. "Are you seriously saying Alex and John have never laughed at your jokes? They laugh at everything!"

"Exactly, which was what confirmed that I wasn't funny," they argued back playfully.

Face suddenly serious, Herc leaned over the table and took their hands in his. "Alex and John are idiots," he said fiercely. "And so is everyone else who doesn't think you're funny."

Laf blushed, though they weren't sure why. "Um, you wanna ditch this joint?" they asked, the words sounding strange in their accent. Herc smiled and called a waiter over, handing him his card as he waved off Laf's protests.

The two left hand in hand and Herc led them to his car. Laf was filled with a desire to tell Herc about him, but Herc started rambling on about Christmas with Alex and John. He spoke about the movies that John insisted on playing, even though he knew the script off by heart and spoke along with the actors.

Laf felt their heart fill as they listened to Herc talking. Maybe, the voice conceded, for the first time, what's passed is past. And then Laf could no longer sense it in their head. They smiled giddily and leaned up to press a kiss to Herc's cheek. 

Looking surprised, Herc asked, "What was that for?" 

"Nothing," Laf giggled. "I'm just happy to be with you." Herc smiled and pulled them tight against his side. 

"Happy to be with you too," he returned. "Would you want to go on another date?" Laf nodded happily as they reached Herc's car. "I'll text you then?" Herc checked.

Laf nodded again, taking his hand and pressing their lips to his palm. "You better," they murmured against his hand before releasing it. "See you around Hercules."

Unlocking his car, Herc chuckled, "See you around, Lafayette." Laf walked away, a bounce in their step.