Soft | Lams

Chapitre Quarante-Six

The drive down was fun. To South Carolina, that is. They left a couple days early. John said that it was always a competition between him and his siblings for who could get to their parents' house first. He hadn't told any of his siblings, nor his parents who he was bringing. Apparently every year, however, his parents, and his sister Martha, always encouraged him to bring somebody. He told Alex they would all be absolutely thrilled to meet him.

Alex listened to John talk about his family for most of the drive. He had four siblings, Martha Henry, Mary, and James. His parents were Eleanor and Henry. His mother had gotten very sick during and after her last pregnancy, barely making it. Thankfully, she did, and she brings it up a lot, typically teasing his his sister Mary, saying she tried to kill her mother. John told Alex it was okay to laugh at that joke.

John informed Alex that Martha was currently around seven months pregnant, and that she might snap at him but would definitely apologize later. He also told Alex that Henry Jr. could be a bit temperamental. Some years he didn't even come, but John was pretty sure he was this year. If anybody in John's family was going to be homophobic, it was Henry Jr.

"He's a total softie inside," John assured Alex. "If you don't let him get to you, then he'll stop trying to." Alex took note of the advice and made sure to use it.

They listened to random musicals and albums on th way down. Alexander had never really traveled anywhere far away in a car, and could barely take his eyes off of the scenery, constantly pointing out small things like birds flying in flocks and trees that were pretty colors. They sang along to the High School Musical soundtrack, along with an assorted Disney playlist Alex brought along.

The drive was over before they knew it, and they pulled into the driveway of the Laurens household. They were the first ones there, and John rejoiced, saying that ended up being about fifty bucks for him. They walked up to the front door, and John could feel Alex shaking as they held hands. John squeezed his boyfriend's lightly, and felt Alex calm down a little bit. They knocked on the door and heard a woman with a strong southern accent yell 'I bet it's Martha!'. The door unlocked and opened, and they two men were greeted with a cheerful face of a chubby, older woman.

"John! I can't believe you're first! What's the special occasion?" She laughed. She seemed like the type of woman who always laughed as she spoke. John cleared his throat and tilted his head slightly towards Alexander, who was blushing profusely. "Oh my Lord, John actually got himself a boyfriend." The woman sounded genuinely awestruck.

"Which one is it, honey?" A deeper, and once again southern voice asked. A very tall, strong looking man came to the door, too. He looked at John and started nodding slightly, until he noticed who the woman had been looking at. "Christ, it actually happened." John, at this point, was ridiculously embarrassed, and slightly worried about his boyfriend. Thankfully, Alex started laughing a little bit.

"Um, hi. It's nice to finally meet you," Alex started, sounding cautious at first but slowly being more confident. "My name is Alexander, Alexander Hamilton, that is. But you can just call me Alex." John's parents were beaming, and John breathed a slight sigh of relief due to the fact the Alex was amazing at introductions. Goodness gracious, Alex was good at practically everything. John was constantly amazed by him.

"Well, I'm Eleanor, but you can just call me Mom, even if that boy of mine says otherwise," the woman told Alexander. "Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home! You can bring your stuff in later. I want a good look at this Alexander." Alex could tell his boyfriend was embarrassed, but he was in absolute heaven. This woman's cheerfulness was practically contagious. They stepped in the house, which felt warm and homey even just in the foyer.

"Handsome, healthy, charming. You picked a good one," Eleanor said, batting at John's arm. He rolled his eyes and looked at his dad for assistance. Henry stepped over to the group.

"Eleanor, you should go get the things you were going to give all of the kids, or wake up Mary and have her come down" Henry suggested. For a large man, he seemed relatively quiet and peaceful. Eleanor's eyes lit up and she dashed up the stairs. Henry chuckled, turning back around to his son and his companion. "Sorry. She can be a bit... excitable sometimes," he said, winking at the two.

"Is she gonna be like this all weekend?" John asked. Alex internally smirked at the southern drawl already seeping into John's voice. Henry shrugged, and turned to Alex.

"My name is Henry. I don't really care if you call me that, or Mr. Laurens, or even Dad if that's what you prefer," Henry held out his hand for Alex to shake. Alex took his hand and shook it, and then Henry directed them all to the couches, where they waited for everyone else to arrive.

So.. I might end this soon. But if I do then I might do a sequel. I'm not sure right now.

Also, the highlights look bomb dot com and I'm so happy about it haha