Everybody's Got a Dream

three

Like I've said every time (you guys know the drill by now!) thank you for reading/voting/commenting! Every little interaction you do makes my heart happy!

***

It seemed like the world was working against him- which is something that John never really said often, but when he did, he was being brutally honest.

Not only did John decide that wearing a t-shirt and shorts was appropriate clothing for a February reunion, but he also decided that he would somehow be able to wade through a foot of snow in Vans tennis shoes.

To add upon his current state of misery, John's mind was unhelpfully supplying himself with memories of Alexander pouting from the extreme cold. That adorable frown and his rose-pink cheeks. 

Like he said, miserable. 

Unlike me, he thought, Alexander should be adapted to the cold weather. He's been here for like the entire time after college got out. 

It was almost a twist of cruel fate when John stepped out of the airport and was immediately attacked by the unrelenting weather that he knew and hated. In the middle of the snowy blizzard, he saw two bundled figures standing with a somewhat-soggy sign reading "John !!!!!!"

"Laf! Herc!"

"John!"

John felt like he was in the middle of a rom-com where the main protagonist runs dramatically in slow-mo towards their love interest, with a swelling theme playing in the background. 

Except Laf and Herc weren't his love interests. And the fact that John launched himself off the curb and lept straight into a knee-deep pile of slush.

An icy cold pain shot through his leg, and he froze. He could vaguely hear the laughing of his friends in the near-distance, and John resisted the urge to curl up and never show his face in public again. 

He felt warm hands grip his torso, and he was yanked out of the snow and dumped unceremoniously onto the sidewalk. Letting out a groan, John examined and rubbed his ruined jeans, trying to get circulation back into his frozen limb. 

"You should have seen your face, mon ami. You looked like you wanted to cry or die. Or both!" Lafayette let out a cheerful giggle folding the sign and sticking it into his fluffy, white jacket. 

John glared playfully at his friends, "After all this time, and this is the welcome I get?"

Before he could finish the sentence, Hercules wrapped John and Lafayette in a bear hug, lifting them onto their tiptoes and rocking them gently. 

"I missed you guys."

"Yeah, and I missed you too. But honestly, can we get into your car? It's like 3 degrees out here and I don't know about you, but I'm literally freezing to death."

"There's the John we know and love. Always super dramatic."

John hit them over the head with his airplane ticket as he ducked into Hercules' car, which felt as warm as it was cozy.

"Herc, bless your soul for turning on the heater. How can I ever repay you?" John called, buckling his seatbelt and reaching forward to plug his phone into the charger. 

He heard Hercules' chuckle from the driver's seat as Lafayette slipped into the shotgun seat.  

Immediately, his now-charged phone lit up with a few text messages from his old college buddies, asking if he was going to the reunion. After rubbing circulation into his fingers, John tapped out a few affirmative replies.

All the while, he was searching and scanning for a number that would indicate Alexander wanted to meet up at the reunion. 

John set his phone down and tried not to show his disappointment. He was back at his college after all this time, and he wasn't going to let an ex ruin it for him. Not today.

***

"Alexander?" A sickeningly sweet voice called from the outside of Alexander's office, and Alexander internally groaned. 

"What. Do. You. Want." He replied, rubbing his temples in preparation for an upcoming headache. 

There was a flash of purple and Jefferson clambered into the seat across the desk without invitation, crossing his legs dramatically over arms and seating himself sideways to quirk a knowing eyebrow at Alexander. 

"News on the street is that you are still hung up on-"

"Thomas. I don't want to talk about it."

"Can you shut your mouth for a minute and let me explain?" Jefferson snapped, pointing his finger accusingly at the shorter man.

"Now, what I was going to say before you so kindly interrupted-"

"Thomas!"

"Oh my god." 

Thomas shot him a look, daring him to speak again. 

"If you interrupt me again, I'm just going to leave. And you'll never hear the super-awesome-fantastic-brilliantly-foolproof plan I have for you to win your college sweetheart back."

Alexander openly gaped at him, blinking slowly. "What?"

Jefferson, seeing that he had captured his coworker's attention, smirked. "Basically, you'll pretend to date me in order to get John jealous. And then, we'll pretend-breakup and John will be there to help you 'recover' from your breakup. Then y'all will get together and get married and yada yada." 

Alexander blinked in shock. "Why would you want to help me?"

Then it dawned on him. 

"What do you want in return?" Alexander asked exasperatedly. 

Thomas' smirk crept higher on his face as he examined the man in front of him. "Does this mean you're in?"

Alexander tilted his head, deep in thought. Was it really worth it? Would John even care?

And of course, Alexander, with his poor judgment and impulsive decisions, agreed.