Richard acts like he's extremely fine, when truly he isn't. The only person who makes him show how he feels, slowly, is Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas makes him actually have a reason to live after he loses both his wives and most of his children.
Thomas has always done this to Richard that Richard starts falling in love with him. As he slowly has deep feelings for Thomas, he starts not hugging him, nor touching him.
In which, Thomas is confused as to why. When he touches Richard, Richard can't look him in the eye. But slowly Thomas shows that he had developed feelings for Richard too. But in response to everything Thomas does to show it, is escaping, or hiding. Soon, Thomas begins to get annoyed with such reactions, and when they're together at Thomas' place, he makes Richard know that he feels the same, as Richard almost kisses him many times.
This story is JefferLee, and is set in the 1700s, when they're both congress men, and delegates of Virginia.
Warning, there may be sexual contact between the two later. There is also self harm and extreme depression. Since Richard did both those things, but the chapters with these themes always end on a happy note!
Ps. The depression part is something important to me, for I have bad depression as well... not to the point where I self harm, GOD NO. But to the point where the other things go on... do not think I'm exaggerating, because what I write on it is what depression is...