Tango

Ignore Him

Within a few days, Thomas began to prepare the guest room for its transformation. The guest bed had to be taken down and sold, and the furniture that was left would shortly be filled with baby clothes. The closet and commode were originally white, so they would fit with any color scheme they'd choose. The wooden floor would stay, so before he started painting, Jefferson laid down a huge sheet of plastic. He'd gotten several buckets of a warm pastel yellow color, to paint the walls. Unfortunately, he only had the time to paint once he'd come back from work or on the weekend, and he had of course forbidden Alex from trying anything himself in fear the younger man might hurt himself or inhale too much of the fumes.

Thankfully the room wasn't huge, to begin with, so it didn't take long. Between work days and small breaks, three coats and a week later and the room was brand new. Thomas had installed new white shelves that would match the furniture and unbeknownst to Hamilton, he had taken the time to add stickers with different motifs on the wall that all together, formed a cute mural, adorned with bees and flowers. A couple of rugs were added to make the room more cuddly and all that was left was for them to fill it with toys and stuffed animals. But that would come in time, first Thomas wanted to unveil his handy work in front of his lover. As soon as he had finished, he crept down the stairs and blindfolded Alex from behind. The shorter man squeaked, surprised.

"It's alright, it's me."

"Thomas! What the hell are you doing, get this thing off me." He tried to pull at the blindfold but the taller man kept his hold.

"Come with me first."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Thomas, I swear to god if you're going to make me go up the stairs blind-"

He was cut off by the other's strong hand on his mouth. They'd slowly made their way up the stairs, not without a slew of giggles and groans from their respective parties. They finally made their way to the nursery, as Thomas undid the blindfold, leaving Alex standing in the middle of the room.

For a long time, only silence veiled the room. The younger man standing in awe of his lover's handiwork, Alex did not utter a single word as he twirled around several times, his jaw on the floor. The longer he stared the blurrier his vision got until finally, the surface tension in his eye broke, and a small tear escaped.

"Come here."

He grasped at Thomas' hands, quickly placing them on the mound of his belly, they shared a smile in excitement.

"She likes it." The brunet confirmed.

"Do you?" He was always seeking the other's approval.

"I love it." Hamilton beamed.

Jefferson pulled him in closer and sat on a rocking chair that stood in the corner of the room, letting Alex sit in his lap. He wiped away at the leftover, stray streak on the Caribbean's cheek, marveling at his features.

"Your eyes are so deep. How have I never noticed that before?" He mused, making the other laugh. "What?"

"Thomas..."

The taller man didn't know what the younger meant.

"You're always looking to the past, you won't find me there."

The remark amused the Virginian with its hypocrisy.

"I could say the same about you, you know."

"Yes, but you've helped me through it, you've been there for me at every step, and I haven't done anything for you."