Alex sighed heavily and rolled over, John rolled with him and molded his form around Alex's, he was sleeping deeply. John's body was warm from sleeping and it comforted Alex, who could find no rest for yet another sleepless night. He tried nuzzling back into John who started snoring faintly. Frustrated by how simultaneously tired and awake he felt Alex wiped his eyes of the sleep that refused to come and got out of bed, pulling a hoodie off the floor beside their bed and tugging it over his head.
He slunk down the hallway to their makeshift dining room study and sat at the dining table that had never actually been used for a meal. Teetering piles threatened to come crashing down, he would sort and handle them... eventually. He opened a pad of paper to a clean page and yawned before beginning to write and got lost in his thoughts, his mind a cavern filled with treasures in the form of words. He didn't hear the bedroom door click open, or notice John's presence until he felt hands on his shoulders.
"What are you doing up?" John yawned and wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders.
"Can't sleep, don't worry about me. Go back to bed." Alexander hugged John's waist
"Alex, these late nights have got to stop. What do you think the last time you got a real night's rest was?" John now crouched beside his chair.
Alex pondered this for a moment before shrugging.
"Babe, I know there's a lot going on, God, I do, but you have to have all of your faculties if we're going to do anything." He pulled the pen out of Alex's hand.
"No, I, I have to do everything I can," he retrieved the pen from John's grasp, "this isn't right. I can do more."
"Alex, you need to rest, you killing yourself isn't going to get us anywhere."
Alexander bit his lip and looked at the ground past John.
"I have to for the Ramirez's, Tonio had papers and everything, now Alicia is alone with three kids now, kids without their father."
"I know watching Tonio leave was hard. It was hard for both of us. I'm scared too, but this isn't productive. We have my rally tomorrow, and the one on Sunday, we're doing what we can."
"Those numbskulls don't get it. They don't see what's really happening, maybe if I just get this out, maybe then they'll see."
"What, another smear campaign? Babe, the people who know what shit bags are in office already agree with us, the others, they aren't going to change their minds, we have to start change on the ground, that's what we're doing. Washington's strong, and he's got a huge following, you know how much higher he is in the polls already. I'm confident, I mean, look at how of that is because of you."
Alex's lips twitched at the mention of his success, the gubernatorial hopeful was becoming a shoo-in with Alexander acting as his campaign manager, "John, go back to bed. I have to finish this."
John stood back up and pulled the chair out beside Alexander, "we're in this together, if you're not sleeping then I won't either, give me some paper."
Alexander smiled at him and tore off a fresh sheet. They worked until the sun came up. John had resorted to mostly flow charts and doodles, but Alex had nearly finished the notebook. He set his pen down and stretched, his wrist clicking loudly with each rotation like it did every time that he wrote for an extended period of time.
"Jesus, you're giving yourself carpal tunnel. You know we have a laptop you can write on just as easily, you're gonna end up just typing it all up afterwards anyway." John looked pointedly at Alex's hands in wide eyed horror.
"No, I prefer to really write, computers work in a pinch, but I like the catharsis of actual pen scratching paper."
John rolled his eyes and picked up his phone, it was nearly eight.
"The guys will be here soon, we should get ready, it's going to be a long day."
Alex agreed and closed his notepad. They stood and John enveloped Alex in his arms, he relented and leaned into John, resting his cheek against John's collarbone, breathing deeply, his scent a balm to Alex's weariness. John squeezed him and let go, disappearing to take a shower. Alex rubbed his eyes and went to get dressed for the day.
There was knock on the door, Alexander hurried to open it. Lafayette and Herc were standing in the doorway, a drink carrier filled with takeaway coffees in Laf's hand.
"Bless you." Alex took one of the coffees before stepping aside to let their friends in.
"Hello, hello, are you ready for this day? Why do you look so tired?" Lafayette was too cheery, it was too early to be so alert and peppy.
John answered from behind them, now dressed, hair dripping, "because someone has kept themselves up every night this week, determined that everyone in our building is going to be deported." He cleared his throat accusingly and tied his wet hair up.
Lafayette set the coffees down on the table in front of the sofa and wrapped an arm around Alexander, "they will have to take me too!"
"They aren't really sending people back to France..." Alexander trailed off, setting his jaw.
"Stop, stop, mon ami, you do this all the time, work yourself up, and then it's all fine." Lafayette gently shook him by the shoulders.
"No, I don't," Alex knit his eyebrows together.
The three other men laughed around him.
"I don't!" He clenched his fists, turning red.
"Alexander, you kind of do." Herc murmur into his coffee, he was sitting with his knees to his chest on the far end of the couch.
"Okay, maybe, I do. So what?" the redness in his cheeks spread over his face.
"Are they picking on you, baby?" John wrapped his arms around Alex's waist from behind.
"I can handle it." Alex grumbled, playfully glowering at his friends.
"Okay, guys, let's get to work. The rally starts at 11, the streets are already blocked off, I'm sure there will be police presence so keep it clean, there's probably going to be some counter protesting, let them do their thing, and we'll do ours." John retrieved his own coffee and sat on the floor across from Herc and Laf.
"They can't just come to our rally, and act like we're the problem!" Alexander complained.
"They can do whatever they want, you need to thicken your skin, my love, just anticipate it, and please for the love of all that's good and holy, don't make a scene. We need to come across as peaceful, this is going to be hugely in the public eye and you already know what Washington thinks about you being radical like this." John rubbed his face.
"I'll try... for you." Alexander sulked.
"Everyone knows their positions?" Lafayette tried to bring the attention away from Alex's sulking.
"Yup, we all have a rendezvous point at Starbucks if we get separated, Angelica will be running the PA." Hercules stated, mentally running through a checklist.
"God, we're lucky to have those girls." John smiled. The Schuyler sisters had been an unstoppable force and had helped John carry the torch, Angelica was the most vocal, she was in a band and used her platform to raise as much awareness as possible. She'd been Alexander's first friend in the states and introduced him to John. Eliza was passionate, she wanted the future to be better for the next generation, she was a social worker and had seen horrible things, her passion was quieter, but she was just as driven. Their youngest sister, Peggy came along because it made her feel important, but she didn't seem to have too many dogs in the fight.
They kept discussing the plan for the day. John looked far off, deep in thought. Alexander roused him, "what are you thinking about?"
"Herc, have you been photographed with us, at these rallies?" John asked.
"I... I don't know, I don't think so." Hercules pondered the thought.
John beamed at Alex.
"Yes!" Alex bolted to his feet.
"Yeah?" John stood with him and they grasped each other by the forearms.
"Absolutely." Alex nodded enthusiastically.
"What are they doing?" Herc asked Lafayette.
"I think they are about to make passionate love right here on the coffee table. Here, move your things." Lafayette said inquisitively and picked up his own coffee.
"No, you French free-loving pervert." Alexander retorted, he grabbed notebooks from the dining
table and rushed back, throwing them down on the coffee table.
"I knew it involved the coffee table." Laf smirked.
Alexander got to scribbling, his handwriting quick and jagged loops.
"John, can you translate?" Hercules looked helplessly at John.
"Uh, right, yeah, I forget you guys don't speak fluent Hamilton-ese. So, Herc, you're not as... loud at the rallies as some of us, which is perfect! Great, actually. Listen, you know that Charles Lee is outspoken about being completely against Black Lives Matter, Alexander is already doing what he can to improve the standings for George, but if you can get in with the Lee campaign, you can get vital information for us and maybe you can burn their house down from the inside. It has to be you, Alex is, well, very opinionated, and it's clear that he's the campaign manager for Washington, so that would never work. Lafayette, you've been my right hand man this whole time. But, Hercules, you, you could slip in there, be our double-agent. What do you say?" John bit down on his lip waiting for an answer.
"Fuck yeah." Herc fist pumped.
"Okay, so the plan is, Herc, you get in on the Lee team, and be like our double agent, see what information they let slide, and then you can report it back to us, and I'll take it to Washington, and it'll be a sure victory for him, absolutely, and if you find out anything else, well, I'd be happy to let the Post get ahold of that information, too." Hamilton looked up from his notebook.
"John literally just explained that." Lafayette shook his head at Alexander.
"Oh. you did?" Alex looked up at John.
"Kind of, yeah." John rolled his eyes.
"Oh... Sorry... Was writing, I, well... Yeah." Alex blushed again.
"I'm in." Hercules reiterated.
"Outstanding, it's all coming together. You're off the hook for today, unless you want to do our dishes." John smiled.
"I'm good, besides, you guys have Hulu." Hercules kicked his feet up on the table. Alex pushed them aside to have enough room to continue writing.
"Alright, well let's get going." John patted Alexander to coax him away from his notebook.
He insisted on bringing it, they all bundled up seasonally appropriate coats and attire, Alexander wrapped a scarf around his neck, he'd never totally acclimated to the New York climate. The three of them left the apartment and made their way to the park for the rally that John had spent so many months working to orchestrate.
"This is going to be amazing," Alex announced a little too loudly.
"We have worked very hard." Lafayette concurred.
"I just hope I don't fuck this up." John sounded nervous.
"No way you could." Alex wrapped his arm around John's waist.