Dinner had just been served, Jefferson still slightly annoyed with Burr for not packing any macaroni. Famished, almost everyone began to devour their meals. Everyone, except Alexander and Thomas. Alexander was the first to notice Thomas was poking at his yams, his eyes narrowing a bit. "Thomas? Is something wrong?" Thomas snapped his head up at Alexander and sunk back in his seat somewhat.
"Oh, I'm fine. Just a little seasick, that's all."
"Oh.... That makes sense."
Thomas quirked a brow and pointed at Hamilton's plate with his fork. "Aren't /you/ going to eat?"
"Hm? Oh, I.... I'm not too hungry."
".... Alex, we've been traveling for months with a measly amount of food. I think I'd feel more comfortable if you ate."
"Thomas, it's fine, I'll eat---"
"I don't want any excuses."
Mulligan, Lafayette, Laurens, and Burr all looked at Jefferson out of the corners of their eyes, Hamilton blinking at him. He's never been deemed to be intimidating, but with what's happened and how he looks changes that.
".... Beg your pardon?"
"That command didn't get through your thick skull? Alright, I'll repeat it much slower this time; I. Don't. Want. Any. Excuses." Thomas stabbed his yams, shot Alexander a dark glare, and caused Hamilton to shrink and finally take a bite out of his meal. Satisfied, Thomas smirked and resumed eating, his upbeat attitude quickly returning. "Has anyone else realised that we've been hanging out with each other for some time now and we still hardly know anything about any of us?" Madison tapped on Jefferson's shoulder, Thomas feeding James at the action. It got Alexander and John to smile.
"Well, aside from the negative attributes in our personalities we've learned when we were in politics, anyways," commented Alex. Thomas laughed and shrugged.
"Fair point. Let's find if there's any good in us!"
".... Can I start?"
"Sure thing, Alex! You have the floor, sir!"
John, Hercules, and Lafayette shifted. They knew what he was about to ask.
".... Thomas, why are you so happy?"
".... What?"
"Why are you so happy? After everything that's happened to us? Considering what we're about to do - Knowing that Washington is /dead/ - How in God's name are you still happy?!"
Thomas was slowly cutting his food, gradually stopping while the other spoke.
".... I dunno. I just am."
Aaron perked his head up now. "I find that rather hard to believe. Your career is ruined, the White House is demolished, and the pride of Mount Vernon is.... You know...."
"So?"
".... Come again?"
"I said, 'So?' So what if we've lost everything? Are we just gonna mope around and give up? /You/ can, but I'll pass. You know what we haven't lost? Each other. So long as we can work together and act like a team, we will join forces and fight for what's right. We will avenge the president, rescue the Schuyler sisters, and go to our families in one piece. And if we don't have a family...." His voice trailed off as his eye widened, like he had just realised what he was saying. ".... Then.... We'll come back to each other."
Hercules stopped chewing, swallowed his bite, and grinned for what felt like the first time in an eternity. "Wow, Thomas.... That was the first time I've ever heard you say something agreeable. You're not as dumb as you look."
"Thanks!"
"You're welcome." Mulligan will let him figure it out. When Thomas did, he frowned and cocked his head to the side.
"/Heeeeeeeeeeyyyy/."
The group laughed. Even Hamilton. James chuckled and tapped on Thomas's shoulder again, Thomas happily feeding him. The way Jefferson looked at Madison caught everyone's attention, John being the first one to say something. "Yo, are you seeing the way Tom's looking at James?" whispered he. Lafayette nodded, making sure to bring his voice down to a mutter.
"Oui.... He looks.... 'Ow you say, lovely?"
".... You mean 'in love'?"
"Oui!"
Alexander chuckled. "Doesn't surprise me," he whispered, "Thomas is craaaazy for him."
Aaron twirled his fork. "Are you guys /just now/ realising this?"
Hercules shrugged. "/They/ might be, but not me."
Thomas kept shooting them a glare whenever he heard them, Alexander just smiling innocently in return. He mouthed, "I am not!" Nobody seemed to believe him. Thomas blushed horribly and rolled his eye, a heavy sigh escaping him afterwards. James tilted his head to the side.
"Thomas? Are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, just peachy. Are you finished?"
"Yes. Thank you for your help."
"Anythin' for you, Jemmy!"
A quiet "oooo" from the others. Thomas cleared his throat harshly.
"Geeeee GOLLY, does anyone else have any questions for me?"
John raised his hand, Thomas looking slightly afraid. "Y-Yes, Laurens?"
"You got anyone special on the side, Thomas?"
"U-Uh---"
"Cuz /Iiiii/ heard you got a special someone on the siiiiide, friend.~"
"MARTHA WAYLES."
They all looked disappointed, Madison especially. Thomas shifted and awkwardly cleared his throat.
"M-.... Martha Wayles, yes."
Aaron didn't buy it. "Isn't Miss Wayles already married?"
"Haven't you heard? Her husband died young, Burr."
".... Oh.... That's.... Tragic...."
"Yes.... But, in any case, it's her. Believe me."
Lafayette seemed most doubtful. "Nous savons que c'est James, Thomas." (We know it's James, Thomas.)
Thomas forced a laugh and waved a hand away at the thought. "Ce ñ'est pas!" (It's not!)
Hercules gently swayed his cup to the side. "Beeeefore you guys start speakin' in French, let's just open up already." Thomas nodded rapidly.
"/Please/."
---
".... I was a captain under General Montgomery until he caught a bullet in the neck in Quebec...."
".... I was a kid in the Caribbean, I wished for a war...."
".... I came from afar just to say bonsoir...."
".... I don't need no introduction...."
".... I'm John Laurens, wishing I was in the place to be...."
Soon, it was Madison's turn. He hesitated, his glassy eyes mindlessly wandering. "Oh.... Uh.... I, uh.... I grew up in Port Conway, Virginia with six other siblings. Nothing fascinating."
Thomas tilted his head and looked at James with a confused look. "I thought it was twelve?"
"No, Thomas. It was six."
"But---"
James looked to the right, Thomas actually being on the left. "/Thomas/. It was six."
Thomas frowned and had James face him, noting the tears James tried to blink back. It broke his heart to see him cry, and it broke it more seeing his eyes a shade of silver, signifying he could no longer see. The scars ran deep in his face, his chest shattering at the sight. ".... Alright...." Thomas tried to face the other way, but James quickly wrapped his arms around him, Thomas hugging back as his friend sighed shakily. They all caught wind; if James /did/ have twelve other siblings, the other six must've died. Alex cleared his throat.
"Let's, uh.... Thomas? Do you care to speak?"
Thomas hesitated. ".... Who am I?"
"Yeah. Where are you from? Who raised you? Got any siblings?"
".... Hmm...." Thomas rubbed James's back, who wiped his eyes and looked up at Thomas. ".... Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."
They all went silent, Thomas smiling away as usual. Alexander gripped the ends of his sleeves nervously. He used to act, he never thought, due to recent events, but.... There was something about being reminded about that and it sparked a familiar flame in his chest. Action will delineate and define you. Burr popped his neck.
"Those are wise words, Jefferson. Who told you that?"
"No one, sir! I just made it up!"
".... /Really/?"
"Mhm! Especially since I know there are some in here who would've preferred to act than to speak," his gaze fixated to Alexander, "Hamilton."
Alexander widened his eyes a bit, his lips stretching downwards as he looked away. Aaron, James, and Lafayette all nodded.
"Never do tomorrow what you can do today. Something may occur to make you regret your late action," said Burr.
"Of all the enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be needed, because it comprises and develops the necessity of every other," added Madison.
"Humanity has lost its battle. The British now have our country," murmured Lafayette.
Hercules, John, Alexander, and Thomas all appeared unsettled. They never believed in such pessimistic or violent thoughts. Alex gripped the ends of his sleeves once more. He thinks to himself,
Those who stand for everything fall for nothing.
