Reversal
In which John picks a fight and Alexander has to worry for once
Domestic au
Quick successive raps at the door pulled Alexander from a state of deep sleep. He glanced at the alarm clock while untangling himself from an excessive number of blankets, then trudged to the door in complete darkness.
Through the peephole he identified his boyfriend in the dim light of the hallway and opened the door to let him in. "I gave you a key for a reason, why don't you just use it?" he grumbled, stepping to the side to let him in and closing the door behind them.
"Y-yeah I couldn't uh I couldn't wi-" his stumbling sentence cut off with a watery laugh that caught Hamilton by surprise. In that moment he became fully alert and noticed the way his love's eyes were downcast and posture was curled in upon hisself.
He flicked on the hall lights and couldn't help the small gasp that escaped when he took in the appearance of the man in front of him. With gentle urgency he pulled him towards the kitchen and ushered him into a chair. "John what happened?" he asked, gently pushing the hood of his green jacket back to reveal a split lip and a gash above the temple bleeding sluggishly.
Alexander crossed the room to dampen a rag with warm water, and tenderly wipes away the blood and grime as he listens intently to the rushed response.
"I was craving a cheesesteak so I went to get one but there was a girl in the alley and these guys had her cornered so I walked over and told them to screw off but they wouldn't and it got physical. There were three of them and one of me but I-I couldn't just let them hurt her."
All this time and John's face eyes hadn't looked up from the ground. Mindful of bruises, Alex tilted his chin up and placed their foreheads against each other. For a few moments the world around them melted away and breathing got easier.
They pulled apart slowly and John acquiesced to Alex delicately removing the torn and stained jacket. His wince did not go unnoticed as they got to his right arm, and Alex shot him an apologetic look before fully revealing the mangled hand he'd been keeping clutched close to his body.
At the look on his boyfriends face, he stole a glance at his arm and blanched. His knuckles were raw and bloody, while his wrist was swollen, purple, and bent slightly crooked.
"You should see the other guy" he joked gently, unable to read a specific emotion from Alexander's face.
"John... your wrist, we need to go the hospital" he insisted, fumbling to pick up his keys. Identifying an emotion was too hard; it was easier to take action than to try to sort out the feeling that had building up in his chest since he'd switched on the light.
"It's not a big deal can't even really feel it. I'm fine-"
"You are not fine!" The sudden sharpness of his voice startled them both. "You could have gotten seriously hurt! Picking risky fights is reckless!"
John couldn't get a word in for all his efforts. Every time he opened his mouth his voice was overpowered by angry ranting.
"I mean you aren't even that good at fighting, you're lucky you're not laying dead in an alley right now! What would I have done if you'd gotten killed, huh? What were you thinking?"
"I took my lead from you!" the injured man demanded, pushing himself to stand with his good hand. "You pick dozens of fights, necessary as often as not! Imagine how I feel when you do this on a biweekly basis!" His breathing was growing more panicked by the moment, but the passion in his eyes seemed to keep the attack at bay.
Understanding began to ebb at Alexander and he visibly grimaced. "John, I-"
"No, I'm not done. I couldn't just walk away and I don't regret what I did. In fact I'd do it again without a second thought. The way you stand up for what you believe in? It's an inspiration! Don't you lecture me on recklessness because I have to live with the way you feel right now every single day."
John's body was visibly shaking and it made Alexander ache to the core. After a long moment of mental deliberation Hamilton settled on a response, "you're right." He knew that apologies and admitting to mistakes were not his strong suit, but if anyone deserved it then it would be the love of his life. "I'm sorry that I've caused you to fret. And I'm proud of what you did, it was the right thing."
The gap closed between them as Laurens moved closer and rested his head on Alex's shoulder. He grimaced upon the agitation of the bruise on his temple.
An arm looped around his waist and warmth immediately consumed his existence as they made their way down to the parking garage.
"Maybe we should both take a break from physical altercations for a bit," he muttered tiredly.
For once Alexander had no rebuttal.