A/N: My very first fic in the Hamilton fandom! Modern-day AU where the characters are still in their late teens (or somewhere around there). Soon-to-be lams fluff galore. Enjoy!
Chapter One
"Cheese!"
Hamilton practically hissed the dairy product through clenched teeth and, promptly three seconds later, did not hesitate to shove Jefferson and his shit-eating grin away from his face after he was sure the picture had been taken, startling Lafayette to his left and sending Madison (on Jefferson's right, the unfortunate victim he had been knocked into) into a coughing fit.
"Mon dieu, Alex, can you not play nice for just one day?" Lafayette scolded, but the words fell on deaf ears because the two were at each other's throats again, Hamilton defending himself complaining about how Jefferson's way-too-poofy hair had been blocking his view of the camera and Jefferson claiming that Hamilton's inability to grow into a better height (and while they were on the subject, a better attitude) wasn't his fault.
Had it not been for the several guests (the numbers were steadily increasing) in the adjacent room turning their heads to look over at the ruckus outside, Lafayette probably would have left the two to figure it out for themselves like adults for once, but the chaos was quickly getting out of hand and Lafayette noticed that while the audience could clearly see from their side of the glass, from his friends' side outside of the hall it was not as easy to recognize the transparency due to the still bright morning sunshine.
Lafayette finally groaned in exasperation, apologizing quickly to Madison who simply nodded in understanding and grabbing Hamilton by the wrist, ignoring how he continued to spit insults at Jefferson's general direction even being as he was being dragged away from the balcony where a crowd was starting to form, back into the party hall that they had left merely five minutes earlier to take a photo before a certain someone had to go and start yet another argument.
"Mon ami, I did not drag you out here to fight people - you are here to take a break and enjoy summer vacation like you are meant to!" Lafayette deposited Hamilton into a chair at a table comfortably further away from Jefferson's, despite Hamilton's squirming and insistent whining. "We literally have just arrived and you are already making a scene. You are disturbing the guests, or did you not notice?" Lafayette chastised in a hushed but firm whisper, much like a mother would do to her child.
Hamilton opened his mouth to argue but Lafayette would have none of it.
"No 'buts'. Now sit down, shut up, and enjoy the catering. The Schuylers were kind enough to provide for this celebration, and if nothing else you are going to eat and appreciate the food. Heaven knows how you are still alive with that poor habit of cup noodles for meals every goddamned day."
"It's not my fault Costco knows their marketing tactics. Twenty-four cups for under ten bucks, Laf, just imagine how much time I've saved microwaving instead of cooking, and at a discount too because obviously I'm consuming all of them with none being put to waste, opposed to buying singles for a buck every time-"
"Stop, stop it! Alexander, I will remind you once more that we are here today to have fun." Lafayette sighed, looking away for a moment to greet a friendly face before turning back to Hamilton. "Since you love to talk so much, why not go and mingle? You do not have many friends, and it would be nice to meet some new people, non?"
"You're just saying that because you wanna hit up the French girls," Hamilton protested, not missing a beat.
"And so what if I am? I am not the only one who is reliable with the ladies," Lafayette winked, and the Frenchman's overflowing charisma finally got to Hamilton as they both grinned, shared a not-so-discreet fistbump.
"Fine. Fine. I'll go talk to people. But," Hamilton said before Lafayette could have the chance to run off, "if you find someone, you better give me her friend's number."
"What if she has a sister?"
"Or her sister."
"Deal. 'Till we meet again, Alexander."
"Cake?"
Hamilton looked up from his phone, startled to find a human attempting to make contact with him. His attempt to mingle hadn't lasted very long because he had quickly come to realize that most people here were like Jefferson: rich and obnoxious. There was that guy who couldn't ever talk without consulting his wife first, another who just could not stop talking about the amount of property he owned... Even though he had attended at Lafayette's invitation, Hamilton found himself regretting the decision more and more with each lasting minute he was forced to act like he was busy texting (Lafayette had specifically asked him ever-so-demandingly to 'leave the work at home').
The server smiled politely, so politely in fact that Hamilton felt bad for having ignored him even if it was just for a second. What a decent-looking man; and here he was just staring at his phone wasting his time and probably coming off as a rude poor guy which was probably even worse than being a rude rich guy - my God this was why he preferred to just stay at home or the library during the weekends getting ahead on work instead of coming to such high-priced social events where in the first place he didn't even belong...
"Oh, pardon. Did you already have some?"
Crap. He did THAT again.
"No, no! I didn't. I'll have some. Thanks, uh…" He glanced at the nametag on the man's sharp black suit. "Mr. Burr."
The man raised his eyebrow for a brief second, so quickly that Hamilton wasn't sure if he had just imagined the look because the well-practiced smile soon adorned the server's features once again.
"Here you are, sir."
Burr placed in front of him a small paper plate carrying a plastic fork and a slice of rainbow-colored pastry, a piece of strawberry near the top.
"Thank you." Hamilton smiled his gratitude and the server left to offer more slices to guests at the other tables. He had already spent the first half hour at the food tables taking advantage of the quality meals he'd never get to buy on his own (at least not with his own wallet) - but, well, there was always room for dessert. He might as well take Lafayette up on his offer and try as much of the cuisine as he was allowed.
And thank God he did, because that cake tasted pretty amazing.
By the time he finished (which was, admittedly, pretty quick), Lafayette had floated over to some faraway table to chat with another coworker, and only a couple of strangers were left seated at the table across from Hamilton. He glanced around; guests were now lining up at the makeshift photo booth, holding up silly accessories and decorations in front of a vividly-colored backdrop.
He shifted his attention to the grassy hills outside. As it was, today was one of Lafayette's coworker's birthday - some rich young lady by the name of a popular drink, always with her two older sisters in the picture slideshow that was projected up on a large screen at the front of the hall. It also happened to be someone's wedding, a separate event in the same venue, evident in the many guests dressed in suits roaming around near the area. A photographer followed the bride and groom across the balcony, kids boredly clinging to their respective parents as they walked a few steps behind.
The day was still young, early afternoon sun streaming through the windows and what a beautiful day to go home and finish that school funds' use awareness essay, Hamilton thought with a silent grumble as he stared out the glass wall. It seemed like the bride had finished her walk, because the families in suits no longer stood around, but rather gathered at the gazelle a long ways below.
And that's when he saw it. A rather well-dressed boy wandering outside on the balcony (his freckles weren't difficult to see despite him being several tables and a thin wall away), outside the clear glass that, from the outside, didn't seem see-through at all. Wrong. He was about to make the same exact mistake Hamilton had. He figured it was none of his business but God wouldn't let him just stand by and watch another victim fall prey, right? Out of pure obligation Hamilton sighed and stood from his seat to help save the stranger from embarrassment - he had to play the guardian angel sometimes, too. Who knows, maybe that's what the universe intended? Was fate trying to set him up with someone? If so… well, that'd be pretty miraculous.
The suit gave away that he was probably part of the wedding group, but the kid seemed lost - Hamilton figured he could at least entertain him for a bit, then he'd send the boy back on his merry way.
"Hey," Hamilton called out, as politely as possible but still unable to keep the rough edges in his practiced-speech-and-debate voice from betraying him. "Are you alone?"
"Huh?" He looked bewildered for a moment, then scrambled to his senses and stood up straight. "Uh, yeah." The still-unknown boy cleared his throat. "Hi," he added, a bit awkwardly to boot, Hamilton found himself thinking wryly.
"Y'know the glass is clear? Everyone can see you from the inside." He smiled so as to make the blow less painful and opened the door to the venue. "Come in. Unless you wanted to be the star of the show?"
The boy's ears flushed red as he blinked, but at Hamilton's cheeky grin his shoulders visibly relaxed, some of the tension seeming to have finally left him. "Oh… oh. I see. Thank you," he called out a little louder than before, finally realizing the other's intentions. Hamilton chuckled seeing the boy's expressiveness after figuring out Hamilton wasn't a total weirdo and nodded to the inside of the room. The boy followed suit shortly, mumbled a thanks while Hamilton held the door open and they both entered.
"Wow…"
"Don't worry, you fit right in. I mean, they let me in here, so."
The boy laughed, smile reaching his eyes and Hamilton couldn't help but look, at how soft his features seemed, yet how his eyes held something of raw confidence. "What's the occasion? And dress code?"
"Birthday party, and semi-formal. Basically, dress up if you want but no one'll judge if you don't. Hence," Hamilton gestured up and down at his own hoodie and jeans, "this sexy combo."
He laughed again, this time dropping a hand casually on Hamilton's shoulder. "Well, thanks for saving me back there. I owe you one, man." He met Hamilton's eyes after taking a second to catch his breath. "John Laurens."
"Alexander Hamilton. And you, Mr. Laurens, are in the place to be." Quickly getting comfortable with his new friend, Hamilton wrapped an arm around Laurens's shoulder and made a grandiose gesture with his other to the air around them. "2017, a summer's ball, sponsored by none other than the Schuyler sisters. Finger foods and desserts-way-too-tiny-to-fill-you-up galore. And of course, your host, an unbelievably attractive 19 year old."
"Oh, how I am flattered. But Mr. Hamilton, you aren't too bad yourself." Laurens grinned as Hamilton turned around to elbow him, mock-pouting.
It was at that point that the actual host of the party, a man by the name of Mulligan who had been hired to keep watch of the event, went up to the podium at the front of the hall to gather everyone's attention.
"Alright, who's ready for a round of bingo?" he called out through the microphone, earning a helpful cheer from Lafayette which then sparked some more interest from the audience when he started listing the prizes.
Laurens turned to his new friend with a mischievous grin. "May I challenge you to a bingo duel, good sir?"
"Oh, you are on." Hamilton returned his grin, but then followed it up with a comment that left Laurens only a little puzzled, more than a little hopeful. "But I think I've already won."
