Raise a Glass to Freedom

Just you wait

Modern university alternate universe
Hamilton x Laurens in this chapter,

Alex's POV:
I'm not very good at making friends. I tend to exhaust people. I wasn't expecting much when I arrived at kings college, the plan was to study and graduate as fast as I could then become a lawyer. Therefore, one could say I was surprised to find myself surrounded by friends within days of arriving. It all started when I, after arriving at my dorm, decided to stop by the local bar before heading home for the night.

Laurens POV:
Lafayette grabbed my arm. "Don't look now," he whispered in my ear, "but a super cute guy just walked in". I immediately spun around. Hercules rolled his eyes. Lafayette certainly wasn't kidding about the cute part. He stood in the doorway, looking a little lost, then walked in and sat down. I sauntered over to him.

"Hey," I said, cringing at the sound of my own voice, "you new here?" He looked up at me, surprised, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"I suppose I am," he replied, "I'm Alexander Hamilton. And you are?" Wow. I struggle for something cool to say, anything, but I'm speechless. There is an awkward silence.

"Hercules Mulligan." Hercules comes up behind me. My friends, always have my back. "Marquis de Lafayette." Lafayette extends his hand out toward Alexander. "You are all alone tonight? Come have a drink with us," Hercules offers. Alexander gets to his feet and follows us to our table.

"So, Alexander, what brings you to Kings College?" He grins, "well, I'm here to study law, of course, I'm here on a scholarship and I've got some big dreams." I watched his face as Alexander went on and on about everything he would do. His eyes seemed to light up, reflecting the dim lighting of the bar. The clatter and rowdy talking around the bar seemed to fade into a distant blur. It was kind of magical. It was time for me to say something.

"So, Alex," I say, trying to seem relaxed,"where are ya from?" He seemed to quiet a little. Why can't I ever do anything right?! He almost seems sad, Hercules and Lafayette looked at the both of us with concern. "I'm from the Caribbean. But anyways-" he seemed to struggle for something to change the subject with,"how did you three become friends with each other?" I answered him, looking to redeem myself, "well, there's only so many kids looking to fight in the revolution and build a new nation," I joked. That was not funny. "We just kind of found each other," Lafayette said.

"Hey Alex, you want to come hang out at our dorm?" Hercules offered, glancing at me and raising an eyebrow. Alex, a little surprised and blushing but happy, nodded and followed us when we got up to leave.

It was dark as we walked across the grounds of Kings College and a strong wind was blowing leaves across the side walk. Alex was shivering. "Hey, you cold?" I (half)jokingly put an arm around Alex in a pointless attempt to warm him up. He didn't move away. "Well, you know it's a lot warmer in the Caribbean." It was clear he didn't want to talk anymore about where he came from. I changed the subject. "Have you ever watched Friends?" I asked. "No, actually, should I?" I laughed,"Hercules," I called,"were watching Friends with Alex when we gat back to the dorm!" Lafayette said that it was fine by him.

Alex POV:
Isn't it funny how one thing leads to another? One moment I'm stepping off a boat into New York, ready to reinvent myself, the next I'm being accepted into Kings College, then next I'm walking through the darkened grounds with one very cute John Laurens.

When we arrived at the dorm, John made a big show of holding the door open for me and escorting me in. I stifled a giggle. It surprised even me how quickly I was falling for him.

We settled down on the couch to watch Friends, though I couldn't really pay attention to it. I was sitting on the couch next to John and there was a bowl of popcorn between us.

Laurens POV
I have this habit of kind of checking out of reality and just kind of noticing things. Like, I'll just slow down and notice how the corners of Hercules' coffee table come together or the way the ways the plaster on the ceiling kind of swirls around. Now I'm noticing things about Alex- the way he blushes a little when he laughs, the way he picks up one kernel of popcorn at a time and crushes it in his teeth, the way he closes his eyes and swipes stray hairs out of his eyes. I notice the way his nose connects to his face, the way his eyes seem to sparkle when he smiles.

Once we're a few episodes in, Lafayette mutters something about a good nights sleep and goes to his room. I swear Hercules just left so Alex and I would be alone together. Those two know me too well.

I turn to face Alex on the couch. "Looks like we're out of popcorn," he says. "Do you want more? I could totally go get some- it's right here." "No, no, I'm fine, thanks." He puts his hand on my shoulder. I smile and he leaves it there.

Alex POV:
He's smiling at me. We're alone. What better chance could I have to ask him? I gently slide my hand off his shoulder. He grabs my hand. "Hey." He smiles. "So," I start, "would you..." My mind, so often buzzing with ideas and words is blank. "Would you ever want to hang out some more sometime? Just the two of us?" I ask. He grins. "You know what," he replied, squeezing my hand in his, "I would love that. I really would."