A/N: Hello! This is my first-ever Hamilton fanfic and I'm really excited to write it because Hamilton is basically my life. I'll try to update frequently, even if my towering pile of homework gets in my way. The good news is that it's almost Christmas break! YAY! That means I have plenty of time to update my stories and keep writing. This story revolves around the characters in their point of view, but it's still in third person. I hope you like it, thanks for reading!
Aaron
Aaron sighed. He was standing behind the dark brown counter of the cafe, watching as his shift manager yelled at everyone except for him. It was nice, of course. It wasn't like he liked getting yelled at. It was just that it was getting a bit dull, listening to the same thing every day. There was always a complaint about how an employee was too mouthy or had an attitude that the customer didn't like.
The assistant manager, a girl named Angelica, who they all called Angie, was currently scolding John Laurens, the main barista of the shop. Of course, it was him who was getting yelled at. He was very talkative and him and his friends would get into all sorts of trouble outside of work. He would probably be in first place of a 'Who gets yelled at the most by Angelica contest' if it weren't for Charles Lee and his friend, Horatio Gates. They were both twice as obnoxious as John, and almost never got to work at the counter. That was fine with Aaron. He didn't like talking to them, and they didn't like talking to him.
John, who was listening to Angelica's rant about good behavior, crossed his arms in annoyance. "What was I supposed to tell her?" he asked Angelica, referring to one of the customers from yesterday, "It's not like I could change the laws of physic and keep her ice on the bottom. Ice floats to the top! You know that perfectly well, Angie."
The overworked assistant manager sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know that, John, but you could have nicely told her that wasn't possible instead of being rude. We pride ourselves in good service, and if this keeps going on, there will be consequences."
John smirked, rolling his eyes. "What, are you going to make me take extra turns cleaning the bathroom? That wouldn't even be a punishment because there's nothing to clean. It's always pretty much spotless because we clean it all the time."
Angelica tapped her chin in thought, then mockingly smiled, blinking innocently. "What a great point, John. I guess I won't make you clean the bathroom. Instead, I'll take your daily free cup of coffee away for a week."
Aaron cringed. That was harsh. They were all broke and exhausted college students, and that free cup of coffee was basically a life saver to them all. It was remarkable, really, what a large dose of caffeine could do for them.
John's confidence instantly disappeared, and he paled. "Please, no, don't take my coffee, Angie."
She smiled in triumph, and patted his shoulder. "Then lose the attitude. I mean it."
"Yes ma'am," John mumbled.
Angelica beamed. "Great. Now, if you'd be so kind as to gather everyone, I have an important announcement to make." John turned and trudged to the back of the building, where most of the employees were eating their breakfast and drinking their coffee. It was a full work day because most of them didn't have any classes during the weekend. Of course, some of them had a few, but that was beside the point.
Turning around, Angelica noticed Aaron, who was still sitting behind the counter. She walked towards him and he instantly straightened up, nervous for what she would say to him. She just grinned at him and gave him two thumbs up. "Great job so far to you, Aaron. I still haven't received any complaints from customers about you yet." She gave him a bright smile and held up a hand for a high five. He returned the smile and high-fived her back. "Keep this up," she continued, "and you could be promoted."
"R-really?" he stuttered. "Promoted into what?"
She shrugged. "Probably a shift manager."
"That's awesome!" his eyes widened at the prospect of a promotion. A promotion meant higher pay and a higher position."
"Yep," she laughed at how shocked he was, and flipped her dark curls over her shoulder. "Just keep doing whatever you're doing, and I have a feeling you'll move up very soon."
"Well, you know me. Talk less, smile more and all that."
Angelica was about to reply when John and all the other employees gathered into the room to hear what she her announcement was.
Marquis de Lafayette, one of John's best friends, sat himself on the top of a table, still sipping his drink. "So," he began, "what is the big a-an" he struggled with his English for a moment and thought it out carefully. "Ah, right. What is the big announcement?"
Quiet snickers from the back made Lafayette duck his head in embarrassment. He had always been a little sensitive about how he struggled with English a bit, but he still tried his hardest. John apparently had heard the laughing, and he whipped around so quickly that it looked painful, looking directly at Charles and Horatio. Aaron sighed. Of course, it was those two. They were jerks and idiots, so it wasn't really surprising that the laughter came from them.
John stared Lee down with rage in his eyes. He took a few steps towards Lee, putting as pleasant an expression as he could on his face. "Is there something you were laughing about, Lee?" He said each word slowly and dangerously, and Aaron could tell that Lee was going to get it if he didn't shut up and apologize.
Lee's eyes glinted with malice and hatred as he looked up at John. "That's none of your business, Laurens." He looked at his friend and gave him a look as if to say, 'Can you believe this guy?'.
John took another step forward, clenching his fists. "I don't like your attitude, Lee," he spat.
Angelica, who was watching this exchange, had apparently decided that it was time to intervene before someone got hurt. "John!" she barked. "Charles! Both of you quit it and pay attention!" Both boys looked over and lowered their eyes, mumbling apologies.
Aaron had to suppress a small smile. Almost no one could control these two boys, but, somehow, Angelica could. She was just so confident and powerful that anyone would listen. Aaron personally was terrified of her, and would do whatever she told him to.
"So," she started, "The announcement is that we are getting a new employee!"
Everyone groaned, including Aaron.
Angelica looked incredulous. "What was that for? A new employee is a good thing!"
It was silent for a moment, then Horatio Gates finally spoke up. "It isn't really a good thing. You see, that may mean less work for us, but that also means less work for us. We're all broke college students. We can't afford to lose any chances to earn money." All of the others nodded their heads, for once agreeing with what Gates said.
"Don't be ridiculous," Angelica snapped. "You won't lose any chances to earn money. You know how we're stretched pretty thin. There's only six of us! One more won't hurt. Besides, I know most of you like your stations, and a newbie doesn't even know how to do some of the jobs, and he'll most likely not pick it up too quickly."
"So, the new employee is a he?" Lee asked loudly. "We'll have to make friends with him before he falls into the hand of these pricks." He gestured over to John and Lafayette, who glared at him.
"Tais-toi, Lee," sighed Lafayette. "Nobody wants to listen to you right now." John nodded in agreement.
Angelica sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this," she muttered. "Anyways, you'll have to be particularly patient and understanding with this one. He's an immigrant from the Caribbean. I don't know how well he speaks English, and he's probably frightened to be in a new country. I beg of you, please be kind to him. If any of you make fun of him for his English, there will be consequences. Got it?"
All five of the boys nodded. "When do we get to meet him?" asked John.
Angelica looked at the clock, and then down at the printed-out email. "It just says he's arriving today, but I'm guessing he'll be here soon, probably in the next hour or so."
The boys sighed in disappointment. "Well," Aaron said quietly, "I guess we should get to work."
Angelica smiled in approval. "You're absolutely right, Aaron. We open in forty-five minutes, people! Get to work!"
The employees grumbled but quickly got to their stations. John took his usual place behind the counter beside Aaron and began to prepare all the ingredients for the coffee. Aaron began setting up the cash register, sorting out the money they had earned before into neat piles. Charles and Angelica made their way to the back of the shop where they started to put muffins and other assorted baked goods into the ovens. Lafayette and Horatio began wiping off tables and sorting the menus in the wooden slot by the entrance, making sure that the place was clean and orderly.
That was the normal routine here, every person did a certain thing. Of course, the pairings were the way they were for a reason. In each group there was one more responsible person to look after the less responsible (and slightly psychotic) person. Though Lafayette was normally far from responsible, he took his job seriously and that was enough for Angelica, who placed him with Gates (who was more manageable than Lee or Laurens). Aaron liked their little routine, and had no clue how much the new guy would mess it up when he arrived. Whoever he was, he had better not mess up his chances of being promoted.
A knock on the front glass doors startled Aaron out of his bitter thoughts, and he turned to Laurens. "Do you think that's him?" he asked breathlessly.
Laurens smiled widely, excited to meet the new worker. "I think so. Go open the door. I'll get Angie." He excitedly rushed to the back where Lee and Angelica were preparing the baked goods, and Aaron could hear him shouting to Angelica, "He's here! I think he's here!"
Aaron chuckled and made his way to the front doors, grabbing the keys, and peering out the glass. On the other side, dark brown eyes met his and Aaron opened the door to greet the newcomer. "Hello," he said politely, "are you the new employee here?"
The man nodded confidently, his short brown ponytail bouncing up and down. "I am. My name is Alexander Hamilton." He stuck out his hand and Aaron, taken aback at the level of confidence, slowly grabbed it and shook it. He quickly released his hand and looked off to the side, where Angelica and the rest of the shop were making their way to the door.
Alexander looked in the same direction, and then back at Aaron. "Are you in charge here? I was told I would be meeting with an Angelica, and I'm guessing that's not your name."
Aaron chuckled. "No. I wish." He pointed in Angelica's direction, and she quickly hurried forward, facing Hamilton.
"Angelica Schuyler." She said, sticking out her hand and smiling kindly, "I'm the assistant manager, it's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Alexander Hamilton," he said, in that same, self-assured voice. He shook her hand firmly, and smiled back, though it looked a little forced.
Angelica, clearly startled at how confident he was, pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting."
"What's interesting?" he asked defensively, crossing his arms.
"I was told you didn't speak fluent English." She looked him up and down and then back at her clipboard. "Do you?"
Hamilton nodded, still in a defensive position. "Yes, as well as French and Spanish, and a little bit of Mandarin Chinese."
Angelica dipped her head and smiled, looking amused. "Well then, Mr. Hamilton, let's get you started. These are all of my co-workers. You've obviously met Aaron already." She began pointing to the others, introducing them. "This is Charles Lee…" she began, getting cut off by Lee who stepped forward and stuck out his hand.
"The one and only," he said arrogantly. Aaron rolled his eyes and made a face, which made the newcomer smile.
Hamilton reluctantly shook Lee's hand, who obviously thought the genuine smile was directed at him. "Uh, nice to meet you."
Lee shrugged and smirked, strolling back to the group. "I know," he said.
Angelica sighed before continuing. "This is Horatio Gates," she said, directing Hamilton's gaze to Lee's slightly less awful best friend. He stepped forward and shook Hamilton's hand, and then walked back to Lee, standing beside him. "And this is Lafayette." She pointed at the Frenchman, who had been whispering with Laurens. He looked up and smiled brightly, stepping forward to clasp Alexander's hand with both of his, shaking it up and down enthusiastically.
"Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette at your service!" He exclaimed proudly. "You can call me Lafayette, though. That's what everyone else does." He stepped back, chuckling at the slightly flustered Alexander, who stumbled back, surprised by the very warm (and loud) welcome.
"And finally, this is John Laurens," she said, pointing at John.
A/N: Well, that was unexpected. I never thought I'd start on Aaron, but it's not very typical, and I don't love clichés. Of course, it's hard to avoid them, so of course there will be some in this story. I'm not sure if you caught it in the summary, but this IS a Lams story. Expect some Lams! *Squeals in delight* Anyways, thanks for reading my first chapter. I'm already hard at work on the second, and Alexander and John will most definitely interact, just not in the way you expect.
Oh, something I almost forgot to mention. Horatio Gates is not an original character. He was historically a friend of Charles Lee, so I put him in there. Everyone needs a friend, right?
Anyways, thanks again for reading! Remember to leave reviews! I'm always open to suggestions and constructive criticism. See ya!