*Let's kick it off with some fluffy Hamburr, shall we? This one was inspired (coughcoughdirectlycopiedfrom) this tumblr prompt: post/144505629353/aaron-and-alex-au-where-they-are-actually-already
Happy reading!*

The weak sunlight filtered through the blinds, and Alexander sat with his head on the table, still half asleep, as he listened to the sizzling of the oil in the pan and his husband's soft humming. As he stifled a yawn behind his hand, a soft chuckle from the stove turned it into a smile- also hidden. He feigned offense instead, muttering 'shut up' under his breath and burying his face into the crook of his arm. The man only laughed again- that warm, easy sound he'd become so used to over the years, and that he used to have to work so hard for. Not now, he thought.

"Perhaps, if you went to sleep at a reasonable time, you wouldn't be so tired." came the voice. Alex grunted, his reply muffled.

"This time was your fault. You had to go and wear that damn grey tank top, you know what your arms do to me. And you were up just as late- by rights, you should be as tired as I am." He raised his head, pouting, to see his husband turn with a fondly sceptical expression on his face.

"Well, I wasn't up until 4am every night this week writing, so you've only yourself to blame, Allie." he said, shaking his head and cuffing Alex's nose lightly with a finger. Alex only scowled.

"Hey- it's an important essay and I had to get it done and-"

"-and there are thirty other students in that class who got everything they needed to say down in about three pages. You're the one who had to go and write thirty." He turned back to the stove, picking up the pan and tipping the contents onto a plate. Alex huffed and blew the hair out of his eyes.

"Ugh, I hate it when you're right."

"Honestly, Alexander, I thought you'd have gotten used to it by now." There was a teasing twinkle in the man's dark eyes as he came back to the table and put the plate of pancakes down in front of Alex. Alex felt his expression soften- they really did smell delicious. He sighed and offered his husband a small smile.

"You know, Aaron, you really didn't have to-"

"I know I didn't have to babe, I wanted to." Aaron shook his head again, pushing the plate towards him. "Big debate today, get your strength up, yada yada."

"Well, thanks."

"You are most welcome. Now I-" He kissed the side of Alex's head and went to grab his jacket from the hook by the door. "-have to go, or I'll be late for my lecture." He flashed Alexander a million-dollar-smile, one only Alex ever got to see, and pulled the jacket over his shoulders. "Eat up, kick Jefferson's ass, and I'll meet you for dinner, yeah?"

"Bye, babe. Hey- wait!" He stood as Aaron made to leave, and the man turned in surprise.

"What-" He made a surprised sort of squeak as Alex gripped the front of his shirt and pressed his lips to his. For a second, he was tensed in surprise, but he relaxed as Alex pulled him closer. Alex felt him grin against his lips. As they drew apart, Alex saw that Aaron had his eyes closed, and felt a swell of something warm in his chest.

"I love you." he murmured. Aaron opened his eyes and smiled, his eyes crinkling up.

"I love you too." He pecked his lips once more, then backed out of the apartment, still smiling.

"See you later, Alexander."

"Bye" He blew Aaron another kiss as he left, watching as he rolled his eyes and waved, then slowly shut the door and returned to his pancakes. A warm, fuzzy sort of feeling stayed in his stomach- not the jitters he used to get when Aaron kissed him or held his hand- but a calm softness that he had come to recognise as contentment.

What had he done to deserve someone like Aaron? People had warned them against marrying, had said they were rushing into things; they had only been eighteen and nineteen when Aaron had proposed, and they'd got married less than a year later- but they had been together for years before that. They had known each other since middle school, and started dating while both very young, and neither could imagine being with anyone else. Despite all the warnings, they'd gone through with the marriage, and never regretted it for a second. Now, three years later and both in college, they were going as strong as ever, and Alex knew he was one of the luckiest people on earth for it all to have gone so well. Sure, they bickered and teased like nobody's business, especially in public, but nothing ever got serious- not any more. They had learned early on that talking to each other when anything was wrong was always the best course of action- and though Alex wouldn't swallow his pride for many, he would do it for Aaron. He knew his husband was the same.

As he sat, finishing his pancakes, he ran his thumb over the tattoo on his ring finger- the little black mark that he'd got for Aaron- one you'd probably miss if you weren't looking. It was an ellipsis- three inky dots running horizontally along the inside. They'd opted for the tattoos rather than rings, partly because they couldn't really afford them, and partly because neither were big jewellery wearers- and Alex would probably have lost his by now anyway. Changing a surname, too, had seemed like an awful lot of hassle at the time, so they'd decided just to keep their own- neither belonged to the other, after all, and the fight over whose they kept would have brought the house down- not in a good way. They had their tattoos, then, to remind them that they have made that promise. Alex had chosen an ellipsis for his because of the quiet comfort he found in Aaron- a welcome pause, he had said, in the midst of his hectic life. He'd told Aaron in his vows that he was the only person he could ever be quiet with. It was also a teasing reference to Aaron's "talk less, smile more" motto (he'd thought a smiley face might be a little too much). Aaron himself had speech-marks. It fitted them very well.

When he had finished, he quickly got dressed, pulling a t-shirt and hoodie over his head- which messed up his hair- and finished the last swigs of his coffee before he left. He wasn't worried about the debate- sure, he was determined to grind Jefferson into the mud, but he knew he'd have Aaron to complain to or celebrate with, whichever way it went- not to mention his other friends. Speaking of…

He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his best friend, John Laurens, and another to his roommate, Lafayette.

To: Turtle-fucker

eyyo u ready 4 debate 2day? Mac-fucker needs some ass-kicking pronto

To: Baguette-fucker

Yo remember booze 4 l8r? Will txt later to tell u if its sorrow-drowning or a partayy

He then tucked his phone into his pocket, slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out, ready for whatever Jefferson had to throw at him. It was show-time.

"You know what?" John said through a mouthful of cereal, sitting at the kitchen table with a surprisingly authoritative expression, considering he was wearing a turtle onesie. His roommate, Hercules, didn't look up from his sewing.

"What?"

"Aww, come on- don't be like that. It's an actual good idea, ok?" Herc raised his head, arching one eyebrow.

"Sure, John, whatever you say." John flipped him off.

"Just trust me, alright?" he pleaded. At that, the man let out a short laugh.

"Trust you? Like we trusted you with that-" John groaned loudly, rolling his eyes.

"For the last time, how was I supposed to know it would blow up?"

"Oh, be quiet John. You are disturbing my beauty sleep." came another voice from the couch. Their other roommate, Lafayette, was sprawled out on it, mostly hidden in their own hair.

"Like you need it." John scoffed.

"Touché."

"So, what I was going to say-" John tried again, glaring pointedly at Hercules, "-was that we should find Alex a date."

His two friends blinked at him in surprise.

"Why?"

"Because he's lonely and single, duh."

"He's been single the whole time we've known him, dude" Herc said, apparently still not convinced. "Why'd you suddenly notice?"

"I'd just been thinking." John shrugged. "You know, he never picks anyone up when we go clubbing-"

"Neither do you, mon ami," Laf pointed out.

"Well, duh, of course I don't. Ace, Laf- remember? But Alex is bisexual, right? So I figure it's cause he wants a committed relationship, not just a one-night-stand. Which is cool, I respect that, but he, like, never leaves his apartment if it's not to go out with us, or hang out with his roommate, so he's never going to find someone on his own. I just thought it'd be nice to help him out." There was silence for a few seconds, his roommates seeming to think over what he'd said.

"You may have a point, mon ami." Lafayette said slowly.

"Yeah." Herc admitted. "It'd be cool to see Alex with someone. He's always stuffed up in his apartment, you know? Bet he's sick and tired of Burr by now."

"Exactly." John said, a note of triumph in his voice. He'd known he'd win them over. "Friday, when we go out, let's try and get him talking with someone." Herc held up a hand, still holding his needle.

"Hey, hold up. Do you think Alex will be OK with it? You know he's a fucking peacock when it comes to pride."

"That's why we don't tell him it's a set-up, idiot." John told him slowly, as if explaining something to a small child. Hercules mimed slitting his throat with the sewing needle. John ignored this. "We just introduce them, and see where things go. We'll tell them that he's single, obviously, so they make the right impression."

From across the room, Lafayette shrugged.

"It sounds good to me, John." they said, before frowning and glancing at their watch. "But hadn't you better get going, mon ami? You have that debate with Thomas, do you not?"
"Oh yeah, you're right! What time is it?"

"About 10:30?"

"Shit, I'm late." John scrambled out of his chair and into his room, and the other two could hear him frantically pulling on clothes before he barrelled back through, grabbing his bag and a cookie from the sideboard, before waving to them both as he backed out. They waved, exasperated, and watched him leave, still mulling over what he'd said about their friend.

On his way, as he checked his phone, he saw a text from Alex that he'd missed.

From: AdotBitch

eyyo u ready 4 debate 2day? Mac-fucker needs some ass-kicking pronto

Grinning to himself, he walked a little faster to catch his friend at debate. He was pretty proud of himself for his 3am epiphany- and he'd had a lot of time to think it over while Lafayette and Hercules slept. Alex would finally have a date, and he'd be able to thank John for it, to boot. What could go wrong?

Alex made his way to the corner café with a beaming smile on his face. He and John had thrashed Jefferson- the look on his face when they'd finished was one Alex would be able to remember for a long, long time. If he'd had a microphone, he definitely would have dropped it. The rest of his day had been spent in glorious triumph, winking at Thomas whenever he passed, and deciding exactly what to say to Aaron about it. He always gave him a blow-by-blow account, no matter the outcome, and he had already started basically scripting it out in his head. A few blocks down, a little 'ping' from his pocket made him pull out his phone, and smile still wider at the message showing there. He quickly replied.

From: Rent-payer

Waiting at the café- I ordered for you. ETA?

To: Rent-payer

5 mins. Thx 4 ordering- unless it's mac n cheese. Ive butchered enough of that 4 1 day xx

Tucking away his phone, he continued, picking up his pace as he felt a few spots of freezing rain on the back of his head. Damn the New York weather.

When he got there, he saw Aaron look up from the book he was reading to see who was at the door. His face split into a smile as he saw Alex, and he tucked his book into his bag quickly.

"Alexander, hey. I take it debate went well?"

"Did it ever." Alex sighed, slumping down in the seat opposite him and dumping his bag at his feet. Aaron reached over and took his hand across the table, surprising Alex a little- Aaron wasn't one for PDA. At all. When they had first started dating, he had tried to pester him into it, being the cuddler that he was: trying to hold his hand or kiss him in public, but Aaron had always shied away. After he'd properly talked to him about it, and found out just how uncomfortable it made him, he'd felt awful. But hey, they were past that. And it meant Alex could claim right to double the affection when they were alone… still, the gentle cycle that Aaron was now rubbing into the back of his hand was certainly something he could get used to…

"Alexander?" Aaron said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Just zoned out, you know." There was a short pause, which Aaron broke with a chuckle.

"Well, get on with it. I know you're dying to re-live the glory." Alex couldn't suppress his beaming smile at that. He shifted in his seat, letting go of Aaron's hand and planting both of his flat on the table.

"Right, so it was on the ethics of prostitution, right?" he said, watching Aaron settle in his chair, listening intently. "Obviously, John and I were for the rights of sex-workers, and Jefferson was against, and since he won last time- according to some people, anyway, he got to start- and, man, you won't believe what he opened with- he actually had the fucking nerve to suggest that-"

Aaron smiled fondly at his husband as he rambled on- practically quoting every point that had been made word for word- letting the chatter wash over him. He had used to find that so annoying: Alexander could talk for hours if you didn't stop him, and they had argued about it no end when they were younger. It had infuriated him, the endless babbling and complaining, but that was just Alex. And he loved Alex, so he had come to love his chatter too. He grew most worried, now, when his husband wasn't talking- that generally meant something was up.

They still argued about it, of course, but there was no malice behind the words now, no matter how strong a front either of them put up. Their most serious bickering ended in someone pouting and the other paying for drinks that night. Nothing more.

He let himself get lost in watching the man before him. He gestured so wildly, his face completely animated, looking up now and then to check that he was still listening. How could I not? he thought to himself You don't really leave anyone in the vicinity with much of a choice. Alex was so absorbed in his recount that he didn't even notice when their food arrived several minutes later. When he did, he picked up a fork and shovelled in mouthfuls between his words, never breaking stride- years of practice had made him an expert at this kind of multitasking. Aaron doubted he even knew what he was eating. He worked slowly through his own casserole as he listened, nodding and murmuring assent when Alex paused for breath, which wasn't often, and gave a smile and a tip to the waiter when they returned to collect the plates.

"-and he just walked out!" Alex finished triumphantly, slamming his cutlery down onto the empty plate with a loud clash. Aaron grimaced and muttered an apology to the waiter, who only rolled their eyes and took the plate from under Alexander's nose. "I fucking decked him!"

"You sure did, babe." Aaron assured his husband, stifling the laugh that was building in his throat. After all these years, Alexander was still adorable. A grown man shouldn't be allowed to be that precious, he thought, watching the beaming face across from him, and yet here he was…

"So-" Alex said, a little out of breath from his ranting, "-how was your day." Aaron chuckled.

"Nowhere near as nice as yours." Alexander pouted at that, making the disgruntled puppy face that meant he wasn't pleased with the answer.

"Oh, come on." Aaron shook his head.

"I just took notes at lectures all day- nothing exciting. Oh, and speaking of things that aren't exciting…" He pulled a large booklet out of his bag, ignoring Alexander's groan, and put it on the table between them. "We need a new carpet for the sitting room- ours is falling to pieces. What colour do you want?"

"Aaron…"

"Alex, we both know you'll throw a hissy fit if I choose it without you." Alex folded his arms and pouted again, but pulled the thing towards him. He flipped through the booklet, peering at the different colours.

"I can't even tell the difference between half of them!" he complained, frowning at the pages as if they had offended him.
"Just give me a rough idea, I'll refine the shade of it."

Alexander furrowed his brow, looking from shade to shade in confusion.

"What the- 'Baby's breath'? That's not a colour- 'Light sand'- it's fucking beige! Just say beige!" He turned the pages faster, and Aaron put a hand on his arm.

"You don't even have to use the booklet, babe, just give me a rough idea. How about blue?" Alex shook his head.

"Blue is depressing. If I learned one thing from that literature class, it's that blue means sadness- and I do not want a sad carpet in our living room."

"Alright then, how about purple?"

"Oh, hell no, that's like, Jefferson's signature colour! If you think I'm going to walk into our living room and immediately think of Jefferson, you've got another thing coming!"

Aaron sighed. This was going to take a while.

*Thanks for reading! Once again, please give suggestions and prompts in the comments so I can write more! Love you! 3*