The next few days went by quickly, with Alex spending the little free time he had with John. Between his school schedule and Johns work schedule at the cafe, it was really mostly a few stolen minutes spent together in between classes or an hour or so at night before Alex had to head back to his lonely apartment. Alex was ecstatic when, on a breezy Thursday, he and John actually had the whole afternoon off from their various activities.
Finally! We can go do something together for one, just the two of us! He thought as he walked towards his apartment after his final class was over. John had texted him the night before, asking if he wanted to go do something with him. He didn't say what they were going to do, and Alex was dying to find out. Unlocking his door, he entered his quiet apartment. He still had a little bit of time before they were to meet, and he plopped down on his matters.
He thought about getting up and changing into something nicer, but decided against it. I'll ask John if I need to change when he calls. He didn't say to dress up, so I doubt I will have to. He looked down at his outfit. It was a little grungy, just one of his typical graphic tees and a pair of slightly threadbare jeans. Maybe I should change, actually. I look kind of... Sloppy. Groaning, he for up to search for something else to wear. He found some nicer jeans and a plain black long sleeve shirt and slipped them on. As he was putting on his jeans, he heard his phone buzz. It was John, letting him know where to meet him.
Alexander nearly raced down the stairs,he was so anxious to spend time with John. It didn't take him long to get to the meeting spot, just a few blocks down from the coffee shop. He saw him almost right away, but didn't approach him immediately, instead taking in the sight of him. John was sitting on a bench, looking intently at his phone. His hair was down today, the weak fall sunlight tinting it with a soft golden glow. Alex stood there, transfixed, until John looked up from his phone and saw him. The wide grin that spread across his face was enough to break Alex free from his spell, and without a second thought, Alex was beside him.
He smiled at John as they met. "Hey-" he was cut of by Johns lips crushing against his. He gasped, and John took the slight parting of his lips to be an invitation to deepen the kiss. Too soon in Alexanders opinion John pulled away, leaving Alex with a spinning head and the desire to forget whatever plans they had and just go back to the apartment. He couldn't help but smile, though, as he looked into Johns eyes and saw a twinkle in them, as if he was think in the same things.
"Hey you." John said softly, brushing cheek with the back of his hand gently. "How was your day?"
"It was OK. Boring, really. Its better now, though. What about you? Anything exciting happen in the shop?" As they started walking down the street, Alex grabbed Johns hand, entwining their fingers together. "Jeez, John! Your hands are freezing!"
John chuckled, putting both their hands inside the pocket of his jacket. "Sorry! Its been a long day already. Lafs stressing out about this weekend, and Peggy was nuts. She just wouldn't shut up! She wants to know all about Martha This way, Alex, this is the station we need to gt to- but I have no idea what to tell her since I haven't seen her in so long. And- wait. I'm not supposed to be complaining right now! I'll shut up now."
Alex just rolled his eyes. "You don't have to shut up. I asked a question because I wanted to know about your day. Also, where are we going?" The two swiped their cards and made their way down to the platform. They barely made it in time to get on a cart, and both sat down in a huff as the car jerked into motion.
"You'll find out in a bit! Just be patient, Alexander." John laughed at the pout on Alexs face. "You're really cute when you pout, you know that? I'm still not telling you though!"
Alex made a face at his boyfriend. "That's not fair! If I'm cute why aren't you telling me?", he whined.
John just rolled his eyes. "You don't have to know everything Alex! Just relax. It'll be fun, I promise." He flashed his sweetest smile at Alex and laughed to himself when he saw the annoyance on Alexs face melt away at the sight of it. He's so cute and easy to calm down. Who would have thought a simple smile could change his mind so quickly?
"Fine. I'll stop asking about it then. You said Laf is stressing. What about?"
John shrugged. "Who knows. He's not really stressing, just anxious about having everything perfect for Martha. I'm not sure why. I talked to her for a few minutes the other day and she doesn't really want anything special. Its pretty funny watching him flit around the apartment though. Wait till you get there tonight, Alex. He's been on a baking spree. And Herc has been cleaning non-stop. He had us up till 2 a.m.. last night deep cleaning. You should have seen it. He was blasting the music from the Broadway show he's doing costumes for- Someone, someone, and the Great Comet of 1812- and starts dancing around and singing while cleaning, like some very large and tattooed Disney Princess. I swear to God, I've never seen anything so funny in my life!"
By the time he was finished telling the story, Alex was in hysterics laughing so hard, tears streaming down his face. "Please tell me you have video of that!"
"Of Course! What kind if boyfriend would I be if I didn't get you videos of my roommates acting like fools!" He whipped his phone out and pulled up the video before handing it to alex. Before long, the two were laughing so hard they couldn't breathe and were getting dirty looks from the other people in their cart. The video ended with Herc noticing John was recording him, throwing a pillow at him to get him to stop.
"Oh fuck, that's too funny!" Alex managed to get out as he wiped the tears from his face. "My face hurts from laughing now!"
"I know! Oh, its our stop, come on Alex." John grabbed Alexs hand and dragged him to his feet. They left the subway, still laughing at random moments as they remembered something from the video. Alex blinked as they stepped into the sun, trying to get his bearings. "Where are we John?"
"You'll see in a second!" John pulled him down the street to the closest cross walk. Alex could hear the sound of water close by, so they must be near the river. His assumption was proved correct when he saw a sign for Bowling Green.
"I know where we are now! He exclaimed. He hadn't been down this way yet, but he had been planning on coming eventually. They crossed the street and arrived at their destination; the Battery, the very tip if Manhattan and a place Alex had been looking toward to visiting for several years, ever since his mother had mentioned it when he was a child.
John smiled at him. " I wasn't sure if you had been here yet, but I love coming here. I figured you would like it too, sine you like history so much."
"You're right, I like it a lot! I haven't been here yet, actually, so I'm glad we are here! Are we going anywhere specific, or just wandering?"
"A little of both, actually. I was thinking we could get coffee and wander down to the water. We don't have time enough to explore the whole park today, sadly. We can come back soon, though, if you want?" He sounded unsure about the last part, which made Alex smile a little.
Stepping closer to him, Alex said "Of course I want to come back here with you, dork. Why wouldn't I? Let's go get some coffee, OK? I haven't had any in an hour and I'm going through caffeine withdrawal." He headed in the direction that he hoped held coffee.
John just laughed and followed after him. "You have a serious coffee problem, Alex. Maybe you should switch over to decaf..." He ended that sentence quickly when he saw the mutinous look in Alexanders eyes. "Or not."
"Death before Decaf, John! Why decaf is even a thing, I'll never know. Oh look! Coffee! I knew it was down this way!" They stood in line to get their coffee before taking off in the direction of the water. Eventually they made their way to the waterfront, where Alex got his first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. He had seen it in pictures before, of course, but never before in person .
"Hwy, next time we come down here can we go to the statue? Please?" He asked as they sat on the grass.
"Of course. You can't move to New York City and not go there Alex. I'm pretty sure its a law or something."
"Have you been before?
"Yeah, when I first met Laf and Herc. They drags me out because they were tired of me being depressed all the time when I first got here."
Alex sat up straight. This was new information to him. "What do you mean? Why were you depressed?"
John sat in silence for a moment, gazing at the Statue of liberty across the water, before he answered. "I wasn't in a good place then. I had just left home, my siblings and everyone I knew. It was a good thing, of course, since I got away from the abuse, but the memories of it... They didn't stay behind. It took a long time for me to stop having nightmares every night." He didn't dare look at Alexander, knowing it would cause him to burst into tears.
Alex was shocked, not having known any of this. No wonder Herc and Angelica want me to be careful with him. His voice barely concealed the anger he felt at knowing someone had hurt John so bad he had nightmares of it. "You said abuse? What happened, John?" Realizing he was being tactless, he stopped his line of questioning. " I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"No, its okay Alex. I don't mind telling you. You would find out anyway. It wasn't what you think. Not usually at least. Mostly it was mental, Henry telling me I was worthless or disgusting. He hit me a few times, but I played football so that didn't phase me too much. I was never quite up to lead in the perfect life of a politicians son, and that pissed him off to no end. It got real bad when he found out my best friend that I stayed with lot was gay. I guess he thought being around him would turn me gay, and he forbid me to go near him anymore. It was the summer after I graduated, so I snuck out one night to go hang out with some friends, and Jamie happened to be there. I had no idea how he found put, but when I got home, Henry was waiting for me. He surprised me and damn near broke my nose. If he hadn't caught me by surprise... Anyway. That was the day I left. Didn't say good bye to anyone, not even my siblings. I just... Left. I went and stayed with a friend who was vacationing in Wilmington, North Carolina, not Delaware, then came up here. I stayed in a hotel for a few da before I met Herc, who was looking for a third roommate. I had no where else to go, so I said why not." He huffed a small little laugh, finally looking at Alex, who had amazingly stayed quiet the entire time."I'm glad I met them, otherwise I probably wouldn't be here right now."
Barely able to hold back tears, Alex gruffly said "I'm glad you did too then." He leaned his head onto Johns should and the two sat in silence. Once he had managed to compose himself a bit, Alex spoke again. "John?"
"Hmmm?" John mumbled into Alexs hair, gently pressing his lips to his head.
"Does your family know you're gay?"
John stiffened slightly. Wasn't expecting that question. He needs to know though. He sighed, toying with Alexs hand before interlacing their fingers together. "They don't. I never told them, and for good reason, seeing how Henry reacted when he found out Jamie was. He would have killed me, I'm sure, if he knew."
"I guess he didn't know you were dating Jamie, either?"
John laughed a little at that. "Figured that one out quick, didn't you. No. He may have had some suspicions after I left, but we had broken things off by that point anyway. Either way, its never come up in any conversation, so I just don't say anything. I rarely speak to him, and when we do its not something want to bring up." He could see Alex biting his lower lip and knew he wanted to say something. "What, Alex? I know you have something to say. Just ask."
"You know me too well." Alex said, smiling a little. "I just... You said the don't know. But Martha's going to be here tomorrow. What are you going to tell her about me? I'm assuming you weren't planning on hiding me in the closet."
John snickered. "Like I could hide you anywhere, Baby Girl. No, I was actually going to ask you to stay with me tonight and then come with me to pick her up tomorrow. I'm not going to lie to her about it. I like you to much to deny we are dating." John could see the pleased smile on Alexs face and his heart melted. He pulled Alex into his lap and rested his cheek on the top of Alex's head. He let put a contented sigh. "I'm not going to lie, Alex. I'm scared shitless about telling her. I don't know how she's going to take it, or what she's going to say to Henry about it. I actually don't even know why she's visiting, and that scares me just as much. But it doesn't matter, because I know you're here, and that's more important to me than my family's opinion." He felt Alex's back heaving. Incredulously he asked "Are you crying, Alex?!" He pulled Alex away from him to make sure he was OK.
To his shock, Alex wasn't crying, he was laughing! "You are so corny, John! Cute as can be, but corny!"
Indignant, john tried to push him off his lap."Are you seriously laughing at me, Alex! I just opened my heart up to yiu and your-"
Alex cut him off with a quick kiss. "I'm not laughing at you, John. I think you're freaking adorable and I love your corniness. I would be honored to go meet her with you, okay? And no matter what she says or does, I will be here for you. As for Henry, let him try something. He will regret hurting someone I care about for the rest of his life, and it probably wouldn't be a long one. Hey, look at me, babe. We will figure this out, okay?"
John nodded, grinning widely. "Okay." Was all he could get out before Alex kissed him again, a deep passionate kiss that set his entire body on edge. Their tounges danced together, and John gasped when Alex pulled away and laid a trail of kisses to the sensitive skin on his neck. "Alex, what are you... Christ!" Alex had nipped him gently where he felt the thudding of his pulse, then gently started sucking at the same spot. "Alexander, you got to- you got to STOP!" Unwillingly, John pushed him away, trying catch his breath. He narrowed his eyes at the laughing face of Alex. "We can NOT do this here!"
"Fine, I'll behave," Alex said gleefully. John snorted." What! I will!"
"Whatever! I don't believe that for a second. Come on, we need to get going. Its getting late and I want to try to get a little bit of sleep tonight! We have to be up at 5 tomorrow to go get Martha." He gently dumped Alex out of his lap and got to his feet, brushing off the grass from his jeans.
Alex looked up at him in astonishment. "We have to be up at 5! You didn't tell me this! Why so early!" He held his hand up for john to grab. John pulled him to his feet and brushed some of the dry grass from his hair.
"You didn't ask, that's why. You already said you would come though so no backing out now!" He laughed as Alex tried to push him, dodging out of the way.
"Ugggggj, you better be glad I like you, John Laurens. I don't wake up early for too many people!"
"I know!" John smirked, taking off in the direction of the subway station. "I'm too cute to say no to!"
The subway ride was uneventful, the two of them talking about things they were wanting to do while Martha was in town. Lafayette messaged John to see where he was as they approached the apartment building. Apparently the girls were coming over tonight, and Jihn sighed. "So much for a nice quiet night cuddling with my boyfriend." He grumbled as they ascended the stairs.
Alex laughed. "Don't worry, John, I don't think the girls will mind too much if we disappear to make out for a while."
John scoffed at that. "You know Peggy won't let me do that. She just wants to pester me about Martha all night." They had reached the door and John was patting his pocket for his keys, unable to find them.
"Looking for these?" John turned around to find Alex swinging them around his finger, looking pleased with himself.
"Give those here, Alex!" He grabbed at Alex, who dodged under his arm but was prevented from escaping by the apartment door. He turned around quickly but found himself cornered by John, who was grinning like a wolf who had just caught his prey.
Jihn snatched the keys from Alex but didn't move to unlock the door, instead leaning into Alex, whos heart was racing at the close contact they had. John was just inches away from his lips, their bodys mere centimeters apart. Alex could feel each of Johns breaths, and it was making him crazy. "You're being a little tease tonight, Alexander. What am I supposed to do with you?"
Cheekily, if a little breathless, Alex replied,"Well for starters you can kiss me!"
John let out a breathy laugh, forgetting he was trying to be imposing. "That I can do, love." He closed the gap between their lips quickly, then-
The door behind them opened, and the two of them fell into the apartment. "Surprise! I'm here- OH CRAP!", said an unfamiliar female voice.
"Martha?!"
Authors note.
Oh my gosh I had entirely too much fun writing this one! Especially the ending! I want to thank the amazing iJustCameHereToComment for being my muse for this chapter. Next one will be up Friday! Also, I couldn't help throwing in the Oak reference! Tonights his debut in The Great Comet, yall!