Sickness, Freckles, and Magenta (ON HIATUS AND SLOW UPDATES)

Chapter 33

Once they had all woken up and gotten dressed, Philip grabbed his letter and put it in his bag, looking around as if he'd just been sentenced to death. Thomas had to convince the boy to eat a bit of bread for breakfast. James kissed his head and the boy wrapped his arms around the Congressman, nuzzling into his chest and hugging him tightly.

Thomas gently rubbed the boy's shoulder. "Ready, darling?", he asked quietly. Philip nodded into James's chest.

"Yeah...", he said softly, reaching for Thomas's hand. The taller man sighed softly. Philip was usually a bright, loud, inquisitive boy, and now he looked completely lost and broken and crushed all over again. The only other time he'd seen the boy like this was when he'd first come to him after the Reynolds Pamphlet.

If anything, Jefferson and Madison's disdain for Alexander rose to a new level. To take away the innocence of falling in love by implementing fear. To weigh this on the boy's shoulders was too much.

The plan was to finish the Congressional session and talk to Schuyler, and ride to the Hamilton house and have a talk there. Philip stayed curled between the two in the carriage on the way to the meeting. James gently ran his hand through the boy's hair to reassure him they were there for him.

When they arrived at the meeting, Thomas talked to Schuyler and James was able to convince the Rhode Island delegation to switch tables with Virginia, so he could keep an eye on Philip. The rest of the meeting went smoothly, the majority voting to pass the taxes.

On the way out, Philip and Alexander caught glances of each other, and Alexander looked away guiltily, walking faster. Philip watched him awkwardly.

James grabbed the boy's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. The boy smiled a little, walking to the carriage, Thomas following. The boy settled himself in Thomas's lap, leaning against his chest, fidgeting with Thomas's shirt, deep in thought.

The carriage ride was fairly quiet, the trio speaking in hushed tones. Thomas and Philip gently playing with each other's clothes. It seemed to be somewhat therapeutic for the boy in calming his nerves.

In the Hamilton house, Eliza sent the children off to their rooms to read as Alexander came home, Schuyler following quickly in an irritated way.

"Father?", she asked as he stood in front of her.

"I'm here because of Philip.", he said shortly. Eliza nodded and led him to the couch and went to make tea for her father as Alexander sat down in a chair across from the sofa. A few moments later, there was rapid knocking on the door as the other trio arrived. She opened the door to see Jefferson and Madison, with her son standing behind them.

"Philip? What are you... Come in...", she said quietly, stopping herself at the hard looks on the politicians' faces. Thomas's face softened.

"No, no, Eliza, don't be scared of us. I'm sorry if we intimidated you.", he said gently, motioning to James who smiled softly at her. She smiled genuinely at them and ushered them in. Thomas and James stopped in the entry hall to watch as the boy basically crumbled into his mother's arms, sniffling quietly.

Eliza had her motherly instinct and cradled his head and rocked the hug back and forth, rubbing his back gently for a few minutes. Her son wrapped his arms around her and held on tightly. After a few minutes, she took a few steps back and delivered the boy to James's arms.

Philip took a few deep breaths as James held his hand. Madison kissed his forehead softly and Eliza cooed softly at the adorable sight of her son and his lover. Philip sighed softly, getting his emotions under control, pulling the letter out of his back and walking in and handing it to his father.

Alexander shakily took the letter, opening it and beginning to read his son's story. Philip sat silently in the chair next to Thomas, who'd settled in one of the many chairs in the living room. An eerie silence fell over them, tension thick in the air, as if daring one of them to break the quiet hush. James and Eliza had sat on the couch as well.

When Alexander had finished reading the story, he put his head in his hands after putting the letter in his lap. Eliza reached over inquisitively to pick up the stack of papers to read it herself.

"I'm so sorry, Philip...", Alexander choked softly. "I-I should have let you go earlier, instead of-" He swallowed, a few tears threatening to fall as he breathed in shakily. "Instead of trying to force you to hate them... God, I've made a huge mess of your life... I also should have been there as a father more... I'm so sorry, Philip..."

Eliza read through the letter, while half listening to the conversation. "Philip... How much do you love them?", she asked softly. The boy looked at her.

"God, I-... I love them so much, there aren't- there aren't words to describe it, but I want to stay with them... They've done so much for me since I've been with them, and they're amazing...", he said, getting lost in thought. James and Thomas beamed. "I-I can forgive you, but it'll take time, and promise me you won't use this against them for political purposes...", he added quietly.

Alexander nodded. "Alright... I won't use it against them...", he said. Eliza got up and went to get tea to calm the tensions in the room. She handed her father his tea first and the letter so he could read it.

Once everyone in the room had tea, the tension had dissolved most of the way. Philip was talking to Alexander about what being in a relationship with them had entailed so far. James had wedged himself in Thomas's chair, cuddling with him, watching Philip fondly. Eliza smiled at the two Virginians.

"Would you all like to stay for dinner?", she offered. James looked at the boy, who nodded quickly, grinning.