Lams One Shots (Hamilton+Laurens)

Take That Train

This was inspired by a song called Take That Train by Ward Thomas (video above) and you should totally listen to it cause it's a great song.
P.S. You don't need to know the song to understand this one-shot. Okay let's go!

- • -

John Laurens was not in a good mood. His best friends, Hercules and Lafayette, had gone out on a date or something, and he was feeling downright neglected. It wasn't really fair; the two other boys had only been dating for a couple of weeks.

Still, John felt awful. He'd got up and left his dorm angrily, striding off campus in a very unsettled manner and going wherever his legs took him.

They took him, of course, to his favourite coffee shop. So here he was, sat alone on a two-person-sized table with a mug of coffee, trying to appreciate the antique aesthetics of the place but failing because he was too distracted.

The coffee shop wasn't a chain like Costa or Starbucks, it was a family run place that seemed almost out of place at a train station. It's antique design and neutral paintwork gave it the feeling of stepping back a century as you walked in, and the only thing John didn't love about it was the shouting people outside whenever a train came in. Like right now.

The familiar sound of squealing brakes reached his ears, and he braced himself for the babble that followed.

But strangely, today it all washed over him. John felt like it had only been two minutes, but when he realised the voices had gone silent he glanced at the PARIS clock on the wall. It had been 15 minutes.

"Hey, do you know how to get to platform 3?" Asked an inquisitive friendly voice, much louder than the rest.

John looked up to see a gorgeous young man standing before him. Was he talking to me? He thought, then dismissed it because this guy was cute and he wanted to talk to him.

"Yeah, you have to go down the steps over there-" he waved his arm, "-and back up on the other side of the tracks."

The young man sat down in the chair across from John. His dark hair, held in a loose ponytail, was clean and shiny, and fell gracefully onto his shoulder. "You see, I've been wandering around for ages trying to find a map..." he blabbered on but John wasn't listening properly. He was trying to draw his eyes away from the soft brown ones and the stubble beard that framed his lips -

"So what brings you here?" He asked. John cleared his throat to answer, but the man continued talking.

"I was in this lecture at college right, and this professor was going on about budget cuts and shit so I was like, this isn't okay, I need to do something. So I stood up and yelled some pretty good insults if I do say so myself, and ended up in his office. But they can't cut student loans! I barely got in and I had one! You know what I mean?"

This was a lot to take in, so John nodded and asked, "what college are you at?"

"King's." Was the reply.

"Oh my god that's so weird. I'm at King's too," John exclaimed, "how come I've never seen you around?"

"I dunno but I'd like to see you around more often. Thing is, I might get kicked out now." The young man's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Oh? Why?" John laughed.

"Because I'm going to get at train to Washington D.C. And talk to someone about these financial cuts. Preferably someone who's high up in the government." He let out a breath of a laugh then, smiling to himself adorably.

"And I don't know why I'm telling you all of this," he looked at John properly then, with his heart in his eyes, "but I gotta take that train."

"Damn right you do." Was all John could say.

The guy started half talking to himself, half to John, "I can't be afraid of the that train. I'm gonna take that train."

John leaned forwards, "Dude. You actually do need to take that train and put the wrong things right."

"Yeah. Yeah you're right. It's good of you to listen so well." He smiled genuinely, letting off a helium balloon inside John's heart.

"I'm a good listener." He laughed in return. "What time's your train?"

"Uh...1:20? I think."

The two boys checked the clock simultaneously. "Damn. It's quarter past." John sighed.

"I better go," and as the train pulled in, he grabbed his things; all the files of paper filled with hope and pain and the want to put things right.

He stood to leave, grinned at John, and walked out of the coffee shop. John watched him go - the slight sway of his hips, the bounce of his ponytail, the one untied lace trailing behind him.

And then he looked back. He and John locked eyes for a second, then a group of people walked between them and broke the moment. By the time they'd moved, the young man was gone.

"He looked at me..." John breathed to himself. He downed the last of his coffee and left the tip, then strode out of the train station.

And if he had a slight spring in his step, and a smile plastered across his face, that was nobody's business, was it?

- • -

Heyy sorry it's been ages since I updated  ^~^

Please let me know in the comments if you want a part two of this where John and Alex meet again by chance and it gets even cuter ;)

AND DONT FORGET TO VOTE ILYASM <3

~ Ruth XD