Lucky Boy [Hamilton AU] (Lams)

15

five more chapters

Alex had let me sleep in a bit, I assume, because when I woke up, the clock read 11:46 and he was fully dressed, in black slacks with black socks and a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves folded up, just sitting cross-legged on the bed next to me reading some book. Alex always let me sleep in, and I wish I could once just wake up before him, but alas, I'm far too lazy and love my sleep far too much. I sat up and ran a hand through my tangled mess of hair and leaned over to put my head on Alex's shoulder. He turned to me and smiled, putting his book down.

"Good morning," he said.

"Barely."

"What?"

"It's barely morning still. Why'd you let me sleep in? We both know you could use the sleep as well."

"I know but... You need your sleep John. I can imagine you still have some medicine perpetuating in your veins anyhow."

"Perpetuating? I'm sorry, what year is this? Who says 'perpetuating anymore?" I teased.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious John. Now why don't we get some breakfast."

"Have you not eaten yet?"

"I did, but that was at 9 this morning and I'm hungry again."

I rolled my eyes and climbed out of bed, trying to finger brush my hair, though that was practically impossible. Once my hair was dried in a position for a while, it was just going to stay there. That's one of the many, many things I hated about my hair and its curly thickness. I couldn't stand it.

I sat at the table, for once, because Alex didn't want me to put any stress on my upper body by trying to jump onto top of the counter. And when I asked if he could just pick me up, he said his 'noodle arms' could hold anything up. He insisted on making me my food, which really mean that I was going to be sitting at the table while Alex tried to figure out how to work Laf's new microwave for much longer than it should take anyone to learn how to use a microwave. He warmed up a plate of pancakes and eggs, nearly burning them, and placed the steaming hot plate of leftovers in front of me.

He took half for himself.

A little more than half actually.

But I didn't mind. I ate quickly, ignoring the potential fact that I was probably burning the shit out of my tongue because my 'genius' boyfriend decided that instead of just 45 seconds of reheating, the food needed a good five minutes before it was good enough and hot enough to be eaten. Dear God.

Alex finished eating and politely waited for me to finish before throwing away the plates and putting everything else in the sink or the dishwasher.

"Alex, why are you so dressed up... In Laf's clothes?"

He laughed nervously.

"Yeah... Laf left to go to work you know that. So I asked if I could borrow some of his nicer clothes."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I have a job interview. Hercules apparently has some connections and he got me an interview for some law firm. I'm just going to be a data clerk, but it's better than nothing and it's a pretty decent pay for the hours I'm doing. But I have to go in for this interview and I''m really nervous. I have no idea what I'm in for or if they'll even hire me-"

I cut him off by pulling him into a soft kiss. He turned red. "You'll do just fine Alexander. I know you will. You should probably get going before you're late. Oh! Wait," I said before dashing back into my room. I searched and searched in my closet before finding a black tie hidden in the corner. I brought it out to him and tied it around his neck, centering it and making sure it looked perfect. Although on Alex, it was hard for anything not to look perfect. He slipped on a pair of Laf's black dress shoes and fixed his sleeves before kissing me on the cheek.

"Thanks babe, that really means a lot to me. I'll be back soon, and I promise I'll stop stealing you guys' clothes."

I said one more goodbye and he closed the door behind him. I was proud of Alexander using his connections to his advantage. He was still pretty new to the city, to the country even. But he was smart, I mean, he was going to Columbia University. Majoring in law, no less. I know he's capable of so much. I just wish I believed in myself the same way I believed in Alex. I mean, what the hell is  transgender man going to do with a degree in history in one of the most populated cities in America. I could become a teacher, but I could already see so many opportunities shutting me down because of my gender. It was ridiculous, yes, but it's the world we live in.

I walked into the bathroom. It was the first time since my surgery that I was alone in the apartment. If Laf wasn't here, Alex was. If Alex wasn't here, Laf was. If neither of them were here, Herc was. As much as I loved my friends, I appreciated my solitude. I stood in front of the mirror and slowly lifted up my shirt. I was still a little sore, but nothing I couldn't tolerate. More something I just kind of noticed. The scars were still noticeable. As was Alex's 'love spot' or whatever that he left on me last night. I pretended not to notice it, and I hope Laf would do the same when they saw it.

I ran my finger gently along them. This was supposed to be am amazing thing for me, a huge step forward in my transition. But instead, it made me even more insecure. I just stood there, my shirt hanging off the toilet, my hands on my hips, which still were slightly too feminine for my comfort. I was just staring at myself. After getting way too self-conscious for one day, I tugged my shirt back on and trudged back to my bedroom, pulling the laptop over my lap and watching my daily dose of American Horror Story. I let it play as I slowly started to drift back into sleep, waking up to the canned scream of someone getting killed. After a couple episodes, the door was unlocked and in stumbled Alex. He looked a little disappointed.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Alright I guess. I think I got it, I don't know. They just said that they'll be in touch and it was nice to meet me. I really hope I got it John, I need a job."

"Aw, Alex. I'm sure you did great. They'd be idiots not to hire you. Why don't you just change into some spare clothes and we can just relax okay?"

"Will you come with me to my dorm? It's just that... Well you know, I don't want to keep having to borrow clothes from you or Laf. And I don't want you to be by yourself any longer than you hav-"

"I don't mind you borrowing my clothes and I'm sure Laf doesn't mind either. But if you're really that uncomfortable then fine, yeah, I'll go with you."

He smiled and kissed my forehead before telling me to change and grabbing his keys.