AN: Woo next chapter! This is being copy pasted directly from my wattpad and the story's done so updates should be as swift as this all the way through. Very gay stuff. This is when Burr saves everyone's asses. Also I have no idea how court works. Enjoy!
-AP
"Why do you always do that?" Alexander asked, pulling the tie off of his head and handing it back to his friend. "I mean, it looks awesome and I'm not complaining, but..." Hercules shrugged, tightening the knot on his own head.
"My father gave me it when I was young. It's lucky." He sighed, still looking at the door warily even though they were at Alexander's home. "I've just always had it." The nineteen-year-old nodded.
Lafayette had been quiet since the Seabury incident.
"Are you alright?" John asked suddenly, eyebrows knitting together in concern as he noticed Lafayette fiddling. The Frenchman didn't answer, staring at his lap forlornly. "Lafayette-" Hercules started, but seeing as the guy seemed completely caught up in his own head, he interrupted.
"It was."
"What?" The other three said in almost perfect unison. Alex cocked his head to the side, John looked confused in general, but Hercules seemed to know exactly what he was saying. "It was. It was gross ind-...ind-..." He could've pronounced it if he focused hard enough, but he was too stressed, simply letting out a frustrated groan and burying his face in his hands. "I know. We know. We can't keep pretending."
"They'll hang us." Hercules said simply, speaking like he was cornered, in pain and scared. Lafayette let out a bitter laugh that was muffled by his hands. "So let them! Let them. I don't know how much longer I can hide this. Maybe they're right. Maybe this is wrong."
Alexander's expression turned furious. "Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, don't you ever doom yourself like that! You have no choice in who you are! We all know that! If it wasn't that way, why would I be here? Why would any of us be here?!" Lafayette flinched at use of his full name, but gave a small smile. "Sorry, Alexander. I know. It just gets so stressful having to hide it all the time, I mean, for God's sake, our anniversary date was at 4AM with cold dinner on a log in the middle of nowhere, Hercules!" John sat next to Laf and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. Hercules nodded sadly.
"I know, mon amour, I know. It's difficult." He kneeled in front of his boyfriend and took his hand, smiling. "But after the war, after everything...We'll start protesting for something different. For us. Right, Alexander?"
"Absolutely." Hamilton grinned. Laurens nodded as well. Lafayette's smile became wider and honest, and he let out a genuine laugh this time. "Thanks, guys. You're the best."
"Seabury is an asshole." John said quietly, making the others chuckle.
Seabury was an asshole. But he'd only get worse.
LATER
"Aaron Burr, sir." Alexander gasped out. The man looked confusedly at the hunched over smaller one. "Alexander. What's your trouble?" He knew by now that Hamilton wasn't the type to swing by for surprise visits and a cup of coffee to catch up.
"I need your legal assistance."
EARLIER THAT DAY
"Mr Mulligan and Marquis de Lafayette, you are under arrest for gross indecency with another man. You'll have 24 hours to get attorneys before the trial." The policeman was enjoying this way too much. "Good luck finding someone qualified enough to defend homosexuals." He spat the word as his partner started dragging Hercules towards a separate cart. "NO!" Alexander shouted, but John had his arm on the man's shoulder, holding him back. Lafayette looked desperately at Hercules, and then to Alexander. "Alexander. Mon petite lion. Please. They can do what they want to me, but don't let them hurt him. ALEXANDER, YOU CAN'T LET THEM HURT HIM!"
"Where did you get this information?" Laurens asked a police officer who was glaring at Alexander wearily, as if aware he could go off like a grenade any second. He shrugged. "An anonymous tip from a civilian." As soon as the carts had gone, Laurens and Hamilton looked at each other and whispered in unison with the same amount of venom in their voices. "Seabury."
NOW
"Alexander...I'm not even a lawyer yet."
"Yet, but you have the qualifications, I'm sure they can make a consideration!" He begged.
"I'm not British."
"It doesn't matter!" Alex continued, looking pleadingly into the other's eyes. "I don't care if you hate me, I don't care if you never stand for me again in your life, but please...These are my friends."
Burr sighed. "I told you, didn't I? Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead...I'll defend your friends, but the King's Court is ruthless. I can't promise anything." Hamilton nodded and shook his hand enthusiastically. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
THE TRIAL
"Marquis de Lafayette, defended by Mr Aaron Burr." The judge presented. "And the accusatory, Mr Bailey Markman." The accusatory side had multiple witnesses that Hamilton and Lafayette both recognized. John squeezed Alexander's hand as he started shaking in his seat.
"Thank you, your honor." Both the lawyers said, before sitting down at their respective tables. Lafayette was bouncing one of his legs nervously, and darting his eyes around. "My client, Marquis de Lafayette, is innocent. Present your first witness." Burr said simply. Alex was getting more nervous by the second, and Laurens had paled considerably. This was it. Do or die. They could be killed before they got to fight in the revolution. Laurens and Hamilton could lose their best friends.
"My first witness, the barman at the bar the four men frequent, Mr Smith." The man took the stand, looking like a cornered animal. "Mr Smith, did you or did you not witness Marquis de Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan performing romantic acts together last week?"
"W-well, I wouldn't call it romantic exactly..." Although they knew for a fact the barman wasn't exactly okay with Lafayette and Hercules' relationship, he wasn't the type to rat it out either. "Mr Smith, I must insist you provide a clear answer."
"...They did seem to be getting handsy with each other, your honor." The American said ashamedly, like he wished he didn't have to. In truth, he probably did. "OBJECTION!" Aaron Burr shouted. He was a good lawyer, but he was starting to look nervous about defending what was essentially a lie. The judge simply nodded, showing Burr he was free to speak. "Mr Smith, your bar is a mahogany wrap-around, yes?" Burr asked, suddenly seeming more confident. Hamilton had a small smile on his face for a millisecond. "Y-yes, I believe so."
"Aha! Mahogany wrap-arounds only come in a certain size, and if I'm correct, according to other witnesses I present today, they were at approximately 20cm from the bottom of the bar. Therefore, it's impossible for Mr Smith to have actually witnessed whether or not my client was actually fighting with Mulligan or committing gross indecency!" Markman looked taken aback, and the judge peered down at the barman in the stand. "Your comment?"
"Well, as I said, they seemed a little handsy, but that's...that's correct. I couldn't see them from where I was standing." The barman said. Hamilton pumped his fist slightly under the seat in front of him. The barman was called down. "Mr Burr, your first witness." The judge ordered in his thick British accent. Burr nodded.
"I call Mr Alexander Hamilton to the stand!" Hamilton stood, already being nervous about being in front of such a huge court. He took the stand, hoping to God Burr had a good plan as he swore on the Bible. Irony at it's finest. "Mr Hamilton, you, Mr John Laurens, Marquis de Lafayette and Mr Hercules Mulligan, not including Mr Smith, were the only ones in the bar at the time of the accused, correct?"
"That's correct, yes." Alexander could feel his nerves getting the better of him, and was struggling to keep his hands placed firmly in his lap instead of fiddling. Burr continued, pacing in front of the stand. "And your claim is what?"
"That they were fighting, Mr Burr." He said simply, hoping he sounded legitimate. Burr nodded. He made it look like he was processing the information, but really the nod was an encouragement, paired with a look that said 'I got this'. Hamilton let out a sigh of relief to himself as Burr continued.
"Can you describe the events exactly?" Aaron said, turning as sending a glance as if to dare the British lawyer to challenge him. This was possibly the only time Hamilton had seen him do anything vaguely rebellious. "Um, well, we were out for a drink, obviously. Mulligan came late, when Lafayette was buying another round. There was a joke between us about Mulligan, but he took it too far and got offended, and accused Lafayette of starting it, and then a fight broke out. It wasn't that violent, more of a friendly squabble." Alexander had come up with the cover story himself, and was pretty proud of it.
Burr nodded. "If I'm correct." He turned to the judge looking satisfied with himself. "This doesn't contrast Mr Mulligan or Marquis de Lafayette's story, does it?" The judge looked over the file and shook his head, then nodded for Burr to continue. "OBJECTION!" Markman shouted. The judge nodded, and he stepped forward. "Hamilton and these two are friends of the revolution! How do we know this story isn't just a plot between them? These Americans are known to be cunning, after all." Alexander planted his feet to the ground and tried his best to keep his mouth shut. Now was not the time to go off at the British.
"Your response, Mr Hamilton?" The judge asked. Alex gulped and took a deep breath before replying.
"We are indeed friends of the revolution, but allowing personal beliefs to get in the way of such a serious offense would be unprofessional of me." The judge seemed satisfied with that answer, and commanded Markman to sit down.
Hamilton let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding when he got back to his seat.
Witnesses came and went, and then the judge told the jury to deliberate. Lafayette smiled at Burr at the break. "You are a good man, Aaron Burr." The other sighed in response and then ran a hand over his head. "I told you, I'm on your side, we just have different methods. Just don't get caught again."
Lafayette nodded solemnly.
The jury came back in, and everyone was trembling in anticipation. Mulligan, who was being held at the back of the room, was looking at the floor, and Hamilton and Laurens were squeezing each other's hands so hard they were sure they were cutting circulation off. Burr's expression was deadly serious, and Lafayette was still bouncing his leg.
Do or die.
"We hereby pronounce Marquis de Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan..."
AN: SORRY LADS! I'm a sucker for a cliffhanger haha. DON'T KILL ME! Or do, I mean, I can't control you, but like, I would appreciate not dying today, thanks. The next chapter'll be up soon. Also, like, people wondered about this so I'll clear it up. Marquis de Lafayette has more status than Hercules, but if Hercules was having an affair with someone else of his status there wouldn't be a trial and they would both be hanged. Or at least, that's how it used to work in Britain. I have no idea how court works. Thanks for reading, review if you liked!
-AP
