Hercules wouldn't exactly consider himself a necessarily romantic individual. In his two decades on this earth, he has only had a handful of girlfriends. Not because he wasn't attractive or a total catch; simply because he rarely falls in love. Unlike his best friend, Alexander, who pines after anything with a pulse.

"Damn, he's so cute." Alexander sighed as he stared wantingly at the boy across the room. Hercules groaned loudly in annoyance. Alex's lips twitched up slightly, "Sorry, but it's true."

Herc glanced at the newest target of Alexander's affections. He was a light skinned boy with wild curls, pulled back in a tight bun, and freckles that scattered his skin. There was a smear of charcoal on his forehead, making him look like that mural of Simba. Blinking, Herc muttered, "I don't see it."

Alexander scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Heteros."

Herc laughed, "That's not fair, I can't say 'homos' like that!"

Alex stuck out his tongue, "Not my fault you don't love the sweet sweet taste of dick."

"Oh, stop. Please." Hercules chuckled, watching as Alex stood up.

"I'm going over there." Alex declared. "I'm going to talk to him."

"I believe in you!" Herc called as Alex slowly stepped forward to meet the dashing boy. Hercules watched as his friend let out a spew of conscious thought, his hands waving in a mix of excitement and nerves. Despite how confident he usually was, when it came to attractive people, Alexander was a bit of an anxious dork. The boy laughed at something Alex said and Herc could see the way his shoulders bunched up in tension. They slowly relaxed and Alexander started to chuckle too. Herc smiled softly at the exchange.

It wasn't too long before Alexander made his way back to the table Hercules was sitting at. He was grinning and shyly glancing over his shoulder at the boy, who was now packing up his stuff.

"Well?" Hercules raised an eyebrow as Alex watched him leave with a goofy smile on his lips.

"Don't look in his eyes," Alexander warned, "You'll be taken in."

"You said the same thing about that George King guy." Herc muttered, resting his chin in his hand.

Alex waved his hand dismissively, "He was beautiful, too. Scum of the Earth and should rot in hell. But beautiful."

Holding back a grin, Hercules nodded his head towards the empty spot where the boy sat and asked, "And what's this scum of the earth named?"

"John," Alex sighed, "His name's John and he's super not scumy."

Hercules watched his friend, the soft blush on his cheeks, the wide smile and the half-lidded eyes. He snorted, "God, you're wrapped."

That shook Alex out of his daze. "Wrapped? The term is whipped."

Hercules shook his head, "I don't like that. Saying you're 'whipped' makes the other person sound like a slave-driver. Especially when guys are talking about how they're 'whipped' for girls. It makes the girl sound like some kind of psycho bitch or something." He paused, staring out the window, "like the relationship is a one-way, 'I'll do anything to please you' kind of thing. Which isn't how it should be, you know? It makes me think of the 'happy wife, happy life' saying. I'd rather say, 'happy spouse, happy house', because it's less gender-specific and, once again, doesn't make women be the villain."

Alexander listened quietly as Hercules continued.

"Anyway, I like wrapped, because it sounds a lot nicer. Like you're wrapped around them, protecting them, feeling their warmth, touching them. There's no pain in wrapping. Babies get wrapped up in blankets and stuff." He looked back to Alexander, shrugging, "Like 'wrapped around their finger', you know? Then it makes the relationship sound like a ring, like a promise. Something that's always with you."

Alexander thought for a moment. Hercules could see the gears turning in that big head of his. Then, a wide smile spread across his face, "I like that. I like that a lot."

Herc watched as Alex pulled out his phone. "Whatch'a doin'?"

"I'm telling that to John. He'd love it." His fingers were rapidly typing across his screen, "He told me about the art project he was working on, it was about slaves and the civil war and all that. He's all for equality, I bet he's a feminist. He'd definitely start using 'wrapped', I can just tell."

Herc let out a low whistle as he glanced at the paragraphs of words on the phone, "Like I said, wrapped."

And just like that John became a permanent member of their small group. Herc couldn't tell if he and Alex were dating or not. Sometimes they were super affectionate with each other and then other times they were very shy and reserved. If they were dating, they didn't want it public yet. If they weren't dating, they really wanted to be.

Either way, it drove Herc insane. Because Alex went everywhere with John. But he didn't want to go alone, because he was an awkward child around people he liked and some friends there helped him out. Unfortunately, the Schyler sisters were spending a semester abroad in London, which meant that Herc was the only friend around for Alex to drag everywhere. So that's how Hercules Third Wheel Mulligan ended up at some fancy bala in the Student Center.

It was a greeting ceremony, welcoming all the foreign exchange students to America. Since John was the Vice President of the Student Union, he had to be there. There were many-a nights were Alex and he practiced his speech in preparation for this. The two of them were fidgeting with excitement. Herc was bored out of his mind.

Until a very pretty girl showed up. Imagine his delight when she sat in front of him. Glancing over at John and Alex, who were engulfed in their conversation, Hercules subtly switched seats so he was right next to the pretty girl.

He tapped his fingers on his lap a little, trying to work out the nervous energy inside him. Looking over at the welcome banner over the stage, he slowly built up the courage to get her attention. Rubbing his neck, he held out a hand and said, "Hi, my name's Hercules Mulligan."

The girl blinked in surprise, glancing up and down at him. He felt a shiver run down his spine as she smiled and took his hand in hers. Her nails were painted a glossy red that matched her lipstick.

"Je m'appell Marie du Motier de Lafayette." The girl tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ear. "Enchanté, monsieur."

"Oh, so, you're from France?" Hercules asked. "Is this your first time in America?"

"Oui. I come from Chavaniac. I have always want to visit America. I learned from it on the TV, and I, how do you say, fell in love with it." Marie shrugged, "So, I made it my mission to go to school here."

"I hope America has treated you kindly." Hercules said, quieting as the Dean of Students took the stage.

Marie smiled flirtatiously, "I have very much enjoyed what I've seen so far."

Hercules' ignored the dark blush that shot through his skin as they turned their attention to the stage. They listened to the Dean of Students greet all the foreign exchange students. It was a long speech about the trials of coming to a new land with no real idea what might be there.

Hercules kept glancing at Marie Lafayette. She was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was a puffy ball, pulled back by a blue ribbon. Her skin was a beautiful deep brown that made Herc's mouth water. Her long legs were gracefully crossed, her hands perched calmly on her knee. She caught him looking and shot him another wink. Herc's gaze flew forward, trying to ignore the soft snort of laughter from the girl next to him.

When it came time for John to speak, Hercules forced himself to pay attention to his friend. John spoke with practiced elegance, although his eyes kept shifting to Alexander for support. Hercules applauded as John finished, and laughed at Alexander's delighted cheering. John blushed as Alex wolf whistled.

At the end, when everyone was leaving, Herc watched as Alexander ran up to John and practically threw himself into the other man's arms.

"You did fantastic!" He shouted, pulling away just enough to see John's wide smile.

Herc averted his gaze to look back to Marie. "I have to go. Those two idiots over there are mine. But, um, can I see you again?"

"I most certainly think so, Monsieur." Marie patted his cheek, her skin so soft against his face. "Until we meet again."

Hercules watched as she sauntered away, a soft sway to her hips. The man had to force himself to close his mouth and stumble over to his celebrating friends.

When Hercules excitedly told them about the gorgeous girl that flirted with him and how excited he was to see her again and how stupid he felt for not getting her number, the two boys chuckled at his expense.

"Too gay, can't relate." John deadpanned, and Alexander's eyes lit up with mirth and hope.

Hercules was sketching an idea for a new outfit. He was sitting against a tree, the sun hidden behind the shades of the leaves. It would be fall soon, and the slow changing of colors did wonders for Herc's inspiration.

"Hey, is that Herc?" he heard a voice say, he looked up to see John, sans Alex. It was such a rare thing to see, it made him do a double take. Where was Alexander? Regardless, in his usual spot by John's side, was a tall man with his hair pulled back. The man's eyes were locked on him. "Herc, come here. Have you met Gilbert?"

Sighing and setting down his pencil in the grass, he stood up. Walking closer to the two, there was something a bit familiar about this man. His eyes sparkled with mischief and his lips were certainly something Hercules remembers. Finally, he decided it must be because he looks a bit like Thomas Jefferson, a junior that got in fights with Hamilton often.

"Can't say I have." Herc replies to John, holding out his hand, "My name's Hercules."

"Je m'appelle Gilbert Lafayette." The man winks, his lips pulling into a smirk. Hercules' throat ran dry at the sight of it, but he honestly couldn't tell you why.

"Gil is one of the French foreign exchange students. I was showing him around campus while Alex was in class." John explains, "He's a political science and personal relations double major. He and Alex have some classes together, I promised to keep him out of trouble."

"I have been known to leave people shake." Gilbert added, his hand coming up to play with the small hairs of his beard.

"Shook." John corrected, "You leave people shook. Or shaken, I guess. But I think you meant shook."

Gilbert flicked John, "Your language is fou."

"I don't know what that means." John laughed, "But I agree." Turning to Herc, he said, "I was going to show Gil the gym. Do you want to come?"

"I was actually in the middle of drawing something." Herc gestured to his abandoned tree. John's eyes lit up, and Herc already knew that he wouldn't have any peace and quiet for about half an hour. Art was a great way for them to bond, but John never does anything calmingly.

Sure enough, the smaller boy practically shouted, "Can I see?" At Herc's reluctant nod, John squealed and turned to Gil, "Hercules is a fashion design major, and his art is absolutely beautiful. I love watching him shade."

"I can only draw clothes." Herc mumbled, "John's the real artist."

Gil placed a large hand on his shoulder, "Nonsense, I love fashion. Let's see what you've got."

Slowly, Hercules led them back to his tree and picked up his sketchbook. He flipped it to the page he was working on and showed it to them. It was just the outlines thus far of an elegant dress. It was a one-strap that faded down unevenly, like the leaves of trees falling off a branch. It wasn't the most original piece he'd ever thought of, but fashion is hard, dammit. Consider it a warm-up piece.

After inspecting it, John nudged Gil, grinning, "I bet Marie would love this."

"Oh, I'm sure she would, indeed." Gil grinned back. The two snickered with each other and Herc blinked in surprise.

"You've met Marie?" He asked. That only made them laugh harder.

Gil nodded, giggling like a child, "Oui, you could say we're very close."

"She would look fantastic in it." John said, his eyes back on the drawing, "Herc, are you actually going to make this?"

"Sure, maybe." Herc shrugged, still thinking about the pretty girl from the welcoming ceremony. "Do you think she'd model for me?"

Gil thought for a moment, tapping a clear nail against his chin, "I'm sure I could convince her."

John snorted.

"I'll have to ask her someday." Herc smiled, more to himself than to anyone else. He could feel a slight blush forming on his cheeks. When he looked up, Gil was giving him a strange look. His lips were tugged into a warm smile, his eyes were warm and his eyebrows were slanted up. Hercules almost would describe it as adoration. But that would just be weird. Because he wasn't gay.

The words were spoken so softly, almost like a prayer, "Oui, monsieur. You should."

"We should get going," John said as he set the sketchbook back down, "We have to meet Alexander in a while and I still have to show you the rest of the campus."

"Then I bid you adieu." Gil said, picking up Herc's hand to press a soft kiss to his knuckles. John laughed at how fast his face grew bright red. Herc stood in that same spot long after the two left, his fingers gently brushing over where the other man kissed.

Slowly, he sat down against the tree and stared at the dirt, his head in his hands. His heart was still pounding and his stomach felt light. What the hell was this feeling? He shouldn't feel this way for a guy. Besides, he liked Marie.

When he picked up his sketchbook again, he drew with shaky hands a face on the figure wearing the dress. He wasn't the best artist, but he thinks that he got the poofy hair held back by a ribbon right.

After a second, he decided that the dress needed a wrap to go along with it.