The Flower of the Heart

The Flower of the Heart (Chapter 1)

John Laurens was having a bad day. He and his father had had a massive fight earlier and he was now at a tavern with a few of his buddies, The Marquis de Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan, trying to get drunk enough to forget the day's unsavory events. John felt like the entire universe was against him. That is, until Aaron Burr walked in with someone he hadn't seen around before.

John lightly elbowed Lafayette. "Hey, do you have any idea who that guy is?"

The Frenchman spat a mouthful of beer all over the table and looked at his friend curiously. "I don't think so, but why do you want to know mon ami?"

Herc shoved himself between the two of them and interrupted enthusiastically, "I bet John thinks he's cute!"

The freckled man blushed intensely and hid his face in his hands. Laf and Herc smirked knowingly at each other before the taller man spoke up again. "Why don't we introduce ourselves? He seems nice enough! John, you can go first!"

John glared at his friends, but begrudgingly agreed. He quietly cleared his throat, stood up from the table and began his introduction. "Yo, I'm John Laurens in the place to be! A-two pints o' Sam Adams, but I'm workin' on three, uh! Those redcoats don't want it with me, 'cause I will pop-chick-a pop these cops 'til I'm free!"

As John was sitting down, he caught the stranger looking at his friend group in awe. The man was closer now and he took a sip of his beer and admired him as Laffayette stood up to speak.

"Aye, oui oui, mon ami, je m'appelle Lafayette. The Lancelot of the revolutionary set. I came from afar just to say bonsoir. Tell the king casse-toi! Who's the best? C'est moi!"

John snickered at his baguette buddy while Herc held back his laughter enough to be the last one of the three to be introduced.

"Brrah, brrah, I am Hercules Mulligan! Up in it, lovin' it, yes I heard ya mother said 'come again'! Aye, lock up ya daughters and horses, of course, it's hard to have intercourse over four sets of corsets!"

Laf was a little taken aback by that last line. So much so in fact, that his only response was simply, "Wow."

John noticed the Frenchman's reaction and attempted to change the subject. "No more sex, pour me another brew, son. Let's raise a couple more-"

"to the revolution!" The three friends shouted together.

John then pretended to have just noticed the two leaning against the bar as he remarked, "Well, if it ain't the prodigy of Princeton college!"

Hercules jumped in, because of course he did. "Aaron Burr."

John gave him a look of annoyance before continuing. "Give us a verse, drop some knowledge."

Burr looked annoyed to say the least, but responded rather politely. "Good luck with that, you're takin' a stand. You spit, I'ma sit, we'll see where we land."

Herc and Laf booed him as John tried to return Burr's politeness in his response. "Burr, the revolution's imminent, what do you stall for?"

The man John had been staring at all night finally spoke up. "If you stand for nothing Burr, what'll you fall for?"

John almost melted on the spot when he heard this man's voice. That's how beautiful it was to him. He shook his head to regain his composure before finally asking the question he had wanted to all night. "Ooh, who are you?"

Herc then repeated the question as did Laf and then together they asked one final question; "Ooh, who is this kid, what's he gonna do?"

The man looked a bit nervous at the sudden interrogation, but eventually answered rather confidently and winked at John. "My name is Alexander Hamilton, but you can call me Alex!"

"Alexander," John thought, "What a perfect name!"

"So, Alexander," Laf began.

He was immediately interrupted by Herc loudly exclaiming, "What brings you to New York, Alex?"

Laf shot Herc an annoyed glance before shifting his gaze over to John for a moment before looking back at Alexander, who laughed.

"Well, a hurricane destroyed my town a few years ago, my father left, and my mother died, so there wasn't really anything left for me there." He stared off into space for a moment after he finished.

John's heart ached at that. After all, he had never had a good relationship with his father, but at least he had stayed to raise John, no matter how much they argued. John wanted to help Alex feel better. He wanted to make him happy. He wanted to be the reason Alex smiled. John was completely in love with this man.

Alex spoke up again. "How about you guys? Why are you in New York?"

Laf piped up first. "I heard there's going to be a revolution and I wanted to help America become free. Simple as that."

Alex nodded and turned towards Herc. "I grew up here. My parents came from Ireland and moved here in 1746 to raise me."

Finally, Alex turned to John with an interested look on his face. John gulped and started his explanation. "In all honesty, I came here in an attempt to get away from my father, but he followed me here with the rest of my family..."

He trailed off and looked down. Alexander looked confused and furrowed his brow as he tried to surmise what John might have been about to finish that thought with.

After a few minutes, Alex broke the silence. "Y'know what? I like you guys! What do you say we have another round?"