Smile More (Hamilton Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

You bit down hard on your hand to keep from giving yourself away. You heard shouting and thundering footsteps overhead as men readied the ship for departure. You, however, were hidden behind a few rows of barrels, the scent of the rum clawing its way up your nostrils. It was an effort not to gag. You hoped that no one would come and remove the barrels. 

You heard a rat scamper nearby and forced yourself to choke down on your squeal of disgust. You prayed it didn't come closer. 

About ten minutes later, the swaying of the ship became heavier and the footsteps quietened. It seemed to be safe to come out. As if right on cue, the rat squeaked, closer now.

"Nope, nope, nope," You said as you stumbled from your hiding spot, a shiver running down your spine. 

A safe distance from the rat, you brushed off the battered skirts of your old dress in repulsion. "What are you doing?" Came a voice from behind. You whirled to see a young man around nineteen years old. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his beard had begun to grow out from days at sea without shaving.

"Uh..." You had been so focused on getting away from the rat that you hadn't checked to see if anyone was coming. 

"Why were you behind the barrels?" You didn't reply but you could tell that he knew what was going on when his face changed and his head tilted to the side. "You're a stowaway." 

"Yeah..." You admitted. "You're not?"

"No. I'm not." He said, he looked down at your dress, it was mudstained and crumpled. "I boarded in the Caribbean, heading to the Mainland."

"I jumped on from London," You said. "The streets got boring."

"Orphan?" He asked, something in his eyes told you that he was one.

"In a way," You said, wondering if you should tell him more. "I'm sort of running."

"Me too." He said, blessing you with a small smile. 

"Orphan or running?" You asked, this didn't look like a man who was running from something.

"Both," He said. "Though I'm running towards something."

"A new future?"

"Yes." He scanned your face for a moment. "Do you have a name?"

"My name is Y/n Brag- I mean... L/n," You provided, almost forgetting that your last name might accidentally raise a few questions. The man's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off. "What, may I ask, is yours?"

"Alexander Hamilton," He said, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Do you disembark at New York?"

"Yes."

Out of the blue, a British soldier turned a corner and headed in your direction. The British do not take kindly to stowaways, there was a chance that this man would throw you overboard. Alexander, thinking quickly, wrapped his arm around your shoulders and guided you in the opposite direction, acting like you were nothing more than a mere muse for the night. The soldier didn't question it and turned a blind eye. As soon as you were out of sight, Alexander withdrew his arm and you let out a rush of breath. 

"That was close," You said.

Alexander looked at you for a few seconds and said, "I found an unused room suitable for two hammocks, you could stay in there with me to avoid the British soldiers."

You looked him in the eye and found that he wasn't kidding. "That would be great. Thank you," You said.

"You are welcome," He smiled again, this time wider than before. 

Alexander led the way. You wondered why he was inclined to make space for you, he had just met you. But you supposed that you wouldn't take up much space because you didn't have any belongings save for the clothes and jewellery already on you. And he was doing you a big favour, it could be weeks before we reach the mainland, you can't spend that whole time hiding behind barrels. Alexander left you in the room while he got you a hammock to hang up. You looked around. Alexander's belongings were unpacked, books in piles against the walls, clothes folded and put inside a bag. Alexander was a neat person. You sat down on the ground, back against one of the walls, and waited for Alexander to return.

It took him a while but Alexander finally returned with a hammock. "I couldn't find any spares so I took the one that looked like it had been used the least," He explained. You smiled as you got to your feet and helped him hang up the hammock. 

"Thank you again," You said. 

Alexander just smiled and said, "I'm going to head up to the deck for some air," He gestured upwards. "I'll see if I can snatch some food or maybe some clothes for you."

You nodded. "That would be greatly appreciated."

"My pleasure," Alexander said and left, closing the door behind him. 

You got bored waiting for Alexander, so you decided to see what his books were about. You knelt in front of the piles of books and opened each one. You couldn't read this text. It hurt your brain to even imagine what the titles say. 

Just then the door opened with a creak and Alexander walked in. He had clothes slung over one arm and a jar of beans in each hand. His head tilted to the side when he saw you kneeling before his books. The action made your spine straighten. 

"Hey," He said.

"Hey," You replied, rising to your feet and combing through your hair with your fingers. 

"Were you reading?"

"I was trying to," You said, bending down to rearrange the books to their original position. 

"You don't know how to read?" Alexander asked, seemingly surprised.

"I do, just not this." You said, gesturing to the books. "It's a very long story."

"Would you like me to teach you?" He offered.

You were speechless. No one has ever been this nice to you, even when you were at home. "Um... Yeah, of course. That would be really helpful."

"It is no problem," Alexander said as he closed the distance between him and you. He handed you the clothes and then set the jars down in a corner of the room. You looked at the clothes. Reasonably simple; white pants, a lace-up shirt,  a white waistcoat, a white frock coat, white socks, and a pair of black leather boots. They were similar to what Alexander was wearing. "Those were the best I could get," He said with a shrug, you simply smiled and thanked him again. "The sun is going down, it's almost night. I brought those beans, they won't last the rest of the voyage so we might as well eat them now." You looked at him for a moment, then down at the clothes, then back to him again. "I will wait outside, shall I?"

Alexander left the room and you got dressed as quickly as you could. After about thirty seconds, Alexander began pacing, his footsteps sounded outside the door. You hurried, hoping no one would pass by and take notice of his pacing. 

The door creaked as you opened it, fully dressed in the clothes that Alexander had found for you. Alexander looked at you, proud of his estimations on size.

"How do I look?" You asked. 

Alexander seemed lost for words. "Like... A man," He said with a laugh. 

"That's good," You said. "Maybe I'll be able to go up on deck tomorrow."

"I'll have to find you a hat," Alexander said looking you up and down. "To hide your hair."

Neither of you knew what to say for a second. You ran your fingers through your hair, trying to think of what to say, as Alexander fixed his eyes on the wall behind you, a blank expression across his features. 

After a moment you said, "Shall we eat?" Alexander ripped his gaze away from the wall as though it pained him to do so. He nodded silently and began to divide the food between the two of you.

After your meal, Alexander suggested sleep and you agreed. That night you fell asleep to the rhythm of the waves as you thanked the Norns for the luck they had granted you.