"Benefits" [Under Editing]

Bar Friends

"Alexander won't talk to me,"

"Boy, what the hell did you do?"

Laurens found himself in a bar on Friday night, which was nothing unusual. What was unusual was that instead of wallowing in self-hatred as he flirted with girls he was wallowing in self-hatred as he drank with the one and only Peggy Schuyler. She never seemed to be amused by him, and John liked that, so they would hang out occasionally.

It had been a week since Alexander rejected John's advances, which John thought nothing of. But then as the days kept passing Alexander became more cold and distant. He had always been quite dedicated to his schoolwork but this? This wasn't the usual, it was like he was doing it to purposely evade John. And even though the South Carolinian hated admitting it, that hurt him more than he would've ever expected. It took his absence for John to realize that at the end of the day, regardless of all the sex, Alexander was his safe place. His best friend.

John ached to have his Alexander back.

"I-I don't know Peggy, it started a week ago and I just don't know what I did or what I said or anything!"

The Schuyler snorted and took another shot. "You must've really fuck up, Laurens. Cause last time I checked, Madison was the person Hammie hated the most and he still talks to him. Only when fighting, but still. Have you asked him what's up?"

"I've tried!" John screeched with frustration. "But every time he shuts me down and I— I just miss him a lot, okay? I don't know what to do." He sighs. "I'm so fucking lonely without him,"

She smiled. "You like him, don't you?"

Laurens almost spits his drink out. "What? No! I mean as a friend of course, but—"

"You're not gay," Peggy says in a bad imitation of John's voice. "Sure, whatever you say, fuckstick,"

"Hey—"

"I'm just saying, I've seen the way you look at Jefferson's ass and you my boy are not straight,"

"I— okay but that doesn't prove anything! Have you looked at that ass? You're a lesbian and you still look at it,"

Peggy shrugs. "True,"

John sighs for what feels like the millionth time tonight and timidly looks at Peggy. "You won't tell anybody, right?"

"Of course, a gay shall never betray a fellow gay," She exclaims dramatically, making John chuckle.

"Thanks, Margarita–"

"Don't call me that."

"–I still don't know what to do, though,"

Peggy thinks for a second. "Aight, you probably wont remember this in the morning cause you're drunk as hell. But, Alexander cares about you, you just gotta make him know that you care about him too. He's a helpless romantic, y'know? Do something with that."

John nods. "A romantic. Okay, yeah I think I know what to do,"

*Extra*

"Hey Alex, it's me, Peggy, I came to check on you."

"¡Hush! ¡Cállate! ¿¡Que ni vez que Maria Juana Carmen Violeta Elena Cruz De La Rosa está a punto de besar a Jose Carlos Franchesco Feliciano Alberto!? ¡Y ni siquiera saben que son hermanos!"

"Alex are you drunk?"

"¡No! ¡Estoy perfectamente bien! ¿Que te hace pensar esa pendejada?"

"You only speak Spanish like that when you're drunk Alex, and I can smell alcohol from here"

"Casse toi"

"And now you're speaking French? C'mon Alex you know I don't know French, please go to sleep"

"¿¡Pero y la telenovela!?"

"You can see it tomorrow now gO TO SLEEP ALEXANDER"