The baby was a little girl no older than five months. She had tan skin and almond eyes that were scrunched up as she screamed in defiance. Her crying simmered down slightly when Thomas held her close to his chest, allowing her to feel coddled and warm. Thomas bounced her gently, hushing her.

He shook his head, looking up from the baby to Alex, his eyes distressed. "Who the fuck would just leave a baby like this!?"

Alex stepped forward, glancing into the front seat of the car, "These guys, I guess."

Inside the car, in the front seat, was a mess of blood and grey matter. Alex scowled at the couple, clutching each other's hands tightly, eyes open and mouths agape. Flies were just starting to find their ways into the car. The man had a deep red - almost black - spot leaking in the middle of his shirt. The woman's hair was a mess with drying blood. The scene was fresh; the baby must've been alone for only a few hours. Alex swallowed and looked away.

He could feel Thomas move behind him, peering over his shoulder. Alex heard him such in a sharp breath, and he turned around to look at him. "Thomas?"

Thomas' voice was shaking as he said, "They- they just left her. They didn't even bother to shoot her too, they just-"

Alex put a hand on Thomas' shoulder, "Not everyone can do that kind of thing. It was selfish, but it didn't-"

"No, it's unacceptable!" Thomas interrupted, "Either she dies with you or you live with her, but you don't just abandon a baby!"

Alex looked away, pulling his hand off of Thomas. He scratched his neck and said, "Well, I mean, technically, she'd die with them, sooner or later."

Thomas' expression grew dark. "You want to leave her here?"

Alex hesitated, before sighing, "Thomas, we can't take care of a child."

"Why not?!" Thomas clutched the baby closer to him. She had calmed down now and was simply watching them bicker, unaware that her fate was in their hands.

Alex tried to keep his voice even as he said, "We have no food. We can't even feed ourselves, what makes you think we can feed a baby?"

"So you want to leave her here to die?" Thomas asked, his tone accusing. "You want her to starve? Or you want to suffocate her? Shoot her? Feed her to the zombies?"

"No, none of that!" Alex said, shaking his head, "I just want you to think rationally!"

Thomas scoffed, "I'm not being unreasonable. You can't justify leaving a baby out here, in the wilderness, like this."

"I can't." Alex agreed, "But… just… don't get too attached, okay?" Thomas' eyebrows twitched as Alex continued, "This baby, it… it's going to get hurt, Thomas. It's probably not going to survive. And I don't want you to set yourself up for heartbreak."

Thomas was looking down at the baby, his expression soft. "Yeah, well, too late."

"Don't name it." Alex warned, "You'll only get more attached."
"I've been calling her 'Baby' in my head." Thomas said, brushing his fingers across Baby's cheeks. She babbled at him, grabbing for his hand. Alexander sighed. His point was already lost. The situation was out of his hands, now, it seemed. He just had one question.

"When are you going to stop trying to fix what you did?" Alex asked after a moment. He observed as Thomas froze. His shoulders stiffened and he cradled Baby even closer; like he was trying to merge with her. His teeth ground together, the tension in his jaw evenident. Alex paused, shuffling his feet, before he continued, "You can't bring Martha or Minnie back. You keep trying to make things better; with the pregnant woman, with Baby… When will this stop?"

"This isn't about that!" Thomas said sharply. He wouldn't make eye contact.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The harshness of Thomas' tone made Alex pause. He swallowed and said, "...Okay. Okay. If you're sure, then… Let me hold Baby while you see if there's any baby supplies in the car. God knows we don't have any."

Thomas shifted, unwilling to let the infant go. When Alex held out his arms, Thomas finally, carefully, transferred Baby into Alex's arms. Alex stepped aside so the other man could explore the hot, smelly, dead-people-filled car. Thomas shot him a glare as he stepped closer to the van.

As Thomas opened the door a little further; all the disgusting stench of blood and slowly rotting flesh flooded out. Alex scrunched up his nose and backed up, keeping himself (and Baby) out of the range of the smell. Thomas gagged and made a sad noise in the back of his throat. He covered his nose with his shirt and dove into the smelly abyss.

Alex glanced around as Thomas searched the back of the car. He had a bad feeling about this; his gut curled as he shifted on his feet. Thomas made a pained noise, and Alex looked back at him. The man was stretched far into the car, his back muscles shifting under his shirt as he dug around. Alex's eyes travelled lower, lower, lower to the tight jeans that stretched over a rather toned ass.

Baby let out a loud screech and Alex was so startled he forgot about that glorious, wonderful ass.

Stop getting distracted. Alex mentally scolded himself, focusing instead on the infant in his arms. She whined; kicking at him as she complained. Alex wondered, bitterly, if the baby wanted him to drop her. He wouldn't, obviously, but it certainly seemed like a possibility.

Ogling aside, that brings up a good point… Alex still needed to talk to Thomas about what happened last night. He knew that the other man was still embarrassed about it. And, secretly, Alex wanted to try to ensure that Thomas knew that they could definitely do such activities again. Every day. All the time.

"Baby bag!" Thomas called as he dropped a light pink bag on the ground behind him. The bag was full to the brim with baby stuff; which Alex was thankful for. He stepped forward a little and snatched the bag off the ground. He slid it onto his shoulder and situated Baby in his arms better.

She was still crying, which only made Alex flashback to a time when the baby in his arms was his own. The two instances really aren't that different. Alex: hungry, tired, and without guidance. A baby: unconsolable and angrier than thought possible. And a man: who Alex trusted dearly, although unexpectedly...

Angie was screaming so much, Alexander wanted to cry along with her. She kicked and swung her little arms around, demanding that her voice be heard. Alex heard her alright, he just didn't know what she wanted. Her diaper was clean and she had eaten only an hour ago. He racked his brain to figure out what was wrong; bouncing the baby on his hip as he thought. Every time he was close to a solution, Angie's pitch would spike and Alex's thoughts would scatter.

Philip had ran off to his room, just as grumpy as his little sister. Alex knew he had to take care of the toddler, too, but he had too much on his hands right now; there was no way he could juggle both of them.

He needed help, which is exactly why he called his friends.

John and Herc couldn't get away from work, but they promised to come by afterwards to pick up Pip. "Don't worry," John had told him, his voice crackling in the phone, "he can stay at his uncles' for a few days until you get your feet under you."

Alex wanted to kiss him; John had been like a second father to Pip; he always had Alex's back. But that was still four hours away, and Alex was exhausted on his feet. He swayed and gently patted Angie's back, hoping that would calm her down somehow. It didn't.

There was a knock at the door, and Alex jumped in surprise. The knock was immediately followed by a screaming from inside the house. Alex looked up and watched as Pip ran full speed, screeching, towards the door. His chunky legs didn't allow him to run very fast, but the four year-old still whipped past before Alex could react.

"Pip! Stop screaming!" Alex ran after the kid, holding Angie close to him. They met at the door, where Pip was too small to reach the doorknob. He was standing on the tips of his toes, reaching up, whining pathetically.

"Mommy?" Pip asked, hitting the door with his small hand, "Mommy! Mommy!"

"It's not Mommy, honey." Alex mumbled as he opened the door. Like an overexcited puppy, Pip tried to push himself out the door to get to whoever was on the other side.

"Mommy!" Pip shouted, before he was picked up by decidedly masculine hands. Pip stared at the face that was holding him, confused. "Not Mommy."

"Not Mommy." Aaron chuckled in agreement. He smiled at Alex, taking in the other man's pitiful appearance. He spoke over Angie's screams, "How's it going?"

"I-I don't know what to do anymore." Alex said, using his free hand to run his fingers through his greasy hair. "I needed help and I didn't know who else to call."

He let Aaron inside his home. The other man set Pip down, who sulked off once more. Aaron then took Angie from Alex's arms, allowing him a moment's rest. Alex shook the blood back into his hands as Aaron gently brushed his fingers over Angie's hair. The baby quieted a little, blinking up at Aaron between tears.

"She's not hungry or anything. She won't sleep, I don't understand - she wouldn't stop crying." Alex explained.

"Drink some water, take a breath, and sit down." Aaron ordered him, his kind eyes never leaving the baby. "Your anxiety is going to be the death of you. Don't worry about little Angie; I have her, she'll be okay."

Alex nodded in agreement, wholeheartedly willing to give up control for a few minutes. He slowly walked into the kitchen, his headache subsiding slightly as he filled up a cup and took sips of water. A soft tune drifted in from the other room, and, not a second later, Angie's cries fell silent. Thank you, Jesus. Or, in this case, Aaron. Same thing in Alex's mind.

Alex took another second to clear his thoughts before he returned to the living room, where Aaron was swaying back and forth, humming softly. Angie had fallen asleep in his arms, her face slack and peaceful. Alex felt his shoulders relax for the first time since Eliza left.

"She just wanted her pacifier." Aaron said, raising an amused eyebrow.

Alex groaned, "I'm so fucking stupid."

"It's okay, you look sleep-deprived." Aaron said, his eyes glancing up and down Alex's body. "It's not your fault. Sit down."

Alex did as he was told, sinking into the couch with a soft sigh. He closed his eyes and already felt himself try to drift off. He forced his eyes open, looking up at Aaron. "I thought I'd be okay on my own; it's not like I've never taken care of a baby before. But Angie doesn't like me, she cries whenever I hold her. She wants Eliza back."

"I think you just want Eliza back. Angie's an infant, Alex. She doesn't understand who's her mom and who isn't." Aaron said, "You just need to take a break, that's all. Go and take a nap, I'll watch over the kids."

Alex shook his head, standing up, "No, you don't have to-"

"That wasn't a suggestion, Alexander." Aaron said, holding Angie with one hand and using the other to steer Alex towards the bedroom. "Trust me. I left work for this. Washington thinks it's a family emergency."

Alex paused, frowning, "You could have just told him that I needed help with the baby."

"Sure, but then he would try to leave to come over and help." Aaron chuckled. "Now, go sleep. And change your shirt, you have baby puke on that one."

Alex glanced down and sighed at the sight of Angie's dried vomit. Begrudgingly, he shuffled away from Aaron, mumbling, "You're a life-saver."

"Here," Thomas said as he handed Alex the handgun that was in the woman's hand. Alex scowled, but put it in the baby bag. He didn't really want to use a gun that was a part of a double suicide, but they didn't really have a whole lot of options, here. Thomas started walking back to the horse, gesturing for Alex to follow him. "It looks like they ran out of food and gas, and instead of walking for forever, they decided to just…"

"Yeah." Alex said, bouncing a still-crying Baby. Thomas climbed up onto the horse first, settling himself at the back of the saddle. Alex grouched, "God, can you make her stop? I don't know what she wants."
"Give her here." Thomas said, and Alex obeyed, carefully reaching up to transfer the baby. The man cradled Baby so gently, and the infant ceased screaming almost instantly. Alex scoffed, but Thomas beamed, when Baby turned to curl closer to Thomas' chest. "Aw, she likes me."

"Whatever." Alex grumbled, climbing onto the horse, careful to not jostle Thomas too much.

"Don't be jealous." Thomas teased, which only made Alex scoff again.

They started down the road once more, and Alex couldn't help himself from shaking his head. God, what were they doing? Taking a baby that they had no ability to care for. It didn't stand a chance, and Alex knew it.

The rocking of the horse's steps, along with Thomas' expert care, quieted the baby into silence. Alex was thankful for that, but then came another issue: If Thomas was holding Baby, Alex couldn't lean back into him.

And he knows that the jealousy quip was just a joke, but Alex still felt a little green monster awaken inside his chest at this realization. A child's life is more important than your dumb crush, Hamilton. He reminded himself. And then reminded himself again. And again.

It was going to be a long ride.

They had to stop often for the baby. She wanted food or her diaper was full. Or she was too cold. Or the horse scared her. Or she just wanted to give Alexander a headache worse than a hungover rock concert.

Every time she screamed, Alex expected a hoard of zombies to jump out of the bushes and chase them down. He kept all these thoughts to himself, since Baby - however loud she may be - brought a smile to Thomas' lips.

No matter how many times the girl screeched or threw up on him, Thomas just brushed her little hair back and spoke kind words to her. Jealousy aside, it warmed Alex's heart to see the other man fuss over Baby. Thomas was such a gentle soul, which is completely unexpected, considering how he acted when they first met. It was bazaar, wasn't it? How much Alexander's opinion of him had changed. Alex wondered what Thomas thought of him.

Did he still think Alex was weak and annoying? Was he still willing to leave him to fend for himself? Or did he like Alex? Or, maybe, at least, find him useful enough to keep around?

Yes, a deep and powerful affection bloomed inside Alexander while he watched Thomas play with the baby, but so did a cold and painful doubt, and a sharp twist of envy that wound around the two; tying them together for eternity. It was in his design: Alexander could not experience love without also getting an accompanied dose of fear.

A voice, that sounded very much like the man he was thinking about, echoed in his head 'That's called anxiety, Alexander'. It sounded nicer when Thomas said it.

As night fell, they deemed it unsafe to continue travelling in the dark. The horse was tired, as were the humans, and it grew harder and harder to keep a look out for zombies.

They stopped on the side of the road, tying the horse to a road sign, while they sat around a small fire. Baby had thankfully fallen asleep easily. The poor girl was probably tuckered out; she had a stressful day. Alex munched on some chips he had taken from the druggie's house. Remembering where he got the chips reminded Alex of what happened there.

His eyes darted up to seek out Thomas. The other man was already looking at him, his lips parted, his gaze traveling up Alex's bruised neck.

Alex felt his face burn, he quickly looked away; choosing instead to stare into the fire. It was quiet, except for the bugs and the horse. Alex absentmindedly chewed at his nails, anything to keep his mind off his dumb, gay crush.

"Can I ask you a question…?"

Alex almost sighed. He knew that phrase very well. And that tone of voice, the nervous, hesitant kind of tone that hets got when they wanted to know about The Gays. Thomas had even used the same tone, the same phrase, on him before. He wondered what complex gay thoughts were confusing Thomas this time.

"Sure." Alex shrugged. Whatever Thomas wanted to know by now, it can't be that bad. They had already had the awkward coming out conversation. What would be next?

"Well, two questions, actually…" Thomas shifted. He was holding Baby, he seemed to like having the familiar weight of an infant in his arms. When Alex gestured for him to continue, he said, quietly and with a great blush, "Can you, like, feed Baby? With, um, you know, like…"

He cut himself off, clearly trying to not say 'like a woman', but his expression made his thoughts clear enough. Alex physically jerked back in surprise, that wasn't the question he was expecting. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but a conversation about chestfeeding wasn't it. He felt his heart twist painfully, "No! Well, yes, but, no! I mean, technically, I probably could, just like you could, too. It's possible for cis men to produce milk. So. Um. Yeah." Alex cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest self-consciously. "But it would be… not good. For me."

Thomas nodded, looking away. "Okay, cool, cool. Sorry, I was just curious; I didn't know…." He took a deep breath and then mumbled, "My other question, uh…"

Alex glanced over at the other man when he didn't continue his sentence. Thomas was staring down at his feet, his fingers fiddling with Baby's blanket as he thought. Alex whistled, startling Thomas into looking at him. He raised an eyebrow and said, "The second question?"

Thomas stared at him for a moment, his eyes wide, then his gaze skittered off and he muttered, "Nevermind."
"What was it?" Alex prodded.

"No."

"Tell me."
"No."

"Thomas, c'mon, what's so bad that you won't even ask?" Alex said, a touch of annoyance leaking into his voice. He was playing with fire, he knew it, but what else could he do? If he ignored it, the curiosity would kill him. How often does Thomas think about him? And in what ways? Is he interested because being trans is a fundamental aspect of Alex's life; because he cares? Or does he simply see Alex as a science experiment? You can never tell with straights.

Thomas took in a sharp breath and said, all in one, "Are you gay?"

"W-what?" Alex sputtered in surprise. He sat up straight, running his hands down his thighs nervously.

Thomas couldn't look him in the eye as he backtracked, "I just meant, since you're married to Eliza, but you're, um, a transitioner-?"

Oh. Alex thought, somewhat relieved, He's just being transphobic again.

"No." Alex sighed, unsure if he should feel grateful for the slight change of subject or not. "Since I am a man, and Eliza is a woman, our relationship would be considered 'heterosexual' in the eyes of cishet society."

Thomas looked uncomfortable again, "Was Eliza gay?"

"Not that it would matter, but she was bisexual." Alex said with a sniff, the cold wind whipping at him. "We both are."

"You- you are?" Thomas' eyebrows rose, his entire posture changing. He shifted, averting his gaze to look down at Baby, who was sleeping peacefully in his lap. Alex watched as the other man licked his lips, mouthing something to himself. Alex thought the conversation was over then, so he turned to look at the sky. He was surprised to hear a tentative, "But… you married a woman. You had kids."

Alex looked back at him, keeping all frustration out of his voice, he said calmly, "That doesn't make me any less bi."

"It doesn't?" Thomas sounded unsure.

"When you date a woman, are you no longer attracted to other women?" Alex asked. When Thomas shook his head, Alex made a vague gesture, "Same thing. Being married to a woman didn't make me any less attracted to both men and other women." Alex jabbed his thumb at himself and said with a lazy grin, "Married, still bi."

"...Oh." Thomas said quietly, looking up at the stars once more. The horse sneezed somewhere to their left. Alex wrapped his arms around himself to fend off the cold. A sudden voice made him look back over to Thomas. "How did you know?"

"That I was bi?" Alex clarified. When Thomas gave him a shaky nod, Alex shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I was just one of the ones that always knew. I didn't have a big gay realization or anything. I just always liked who I liked and I never really saw a problem with that."

He had enough on his mind juggling his gender dysphoria to worry about silly things like sexuality. It was obvious from the very beginning; Alexander Hamilton was bi, and he always will be.

Thomas didn't say anything else after that, and Alex was so cold he almost died. The fire was doing little to warm him against the cold night air.

Thomas, noticing his shivering, suggested that they move to the wagon. "It'll be good to get off the cold ground. And there's blankets."

Alex agreed instantly. The two men climbed into the wagon, carefully keeping Baby close to them as they settled. Alex somehow ended up on his side, pressed up against Thomas, on his right. Thomas' arm was around his back, and Baby laid on top of Thomas' chest, with Alex's hand over her small tummy. Alex had a leg across Thomas' waist, something he doesn't remember doing. Alex glanced up at Thomas, who shifted under his stare.

"Have to keep Baby warm, right?" Thomas sniffed; his way of asking if their positioning was alright. Alex hesitated, only just then realizing how close they were pressed up together. Was it normal to be platonically cuddling another man like this? Even in apocalyptic situations, such as their own? Did Alex even care what was considered "normal" anymore? He didn't know.

Alex closed his eyes, fighting his blush, as he snuggled closer and mumbled, "Yeah, exactly."

"Good." Thomas' voice was soft with strange emotions hidden underneath. Alex closed his eyes, his heart fluttering in his chest as he curled closer to Thomas. He put faith in the horse to cause a loud racket if a zombie approached, and gently lulled himself to sleep.

Baby's screaming woke Alex up. He startled, lurching forward, and in doing so smacked his head against Thomas', who was doing the same thing. They both hissed in pain and pulled away from each other. Thomas recovered faster, turning to pick up Baby.

Alex rubbed his head and glanced around, ensuring that there's no zombies approaching. They were safe. For now.

Thomas shushed Baby easily; she curled up against him, her tiny fingers gripping his dirty shirt. She continued to cry, although quieter now. Thomas checked her diaper before sighing, "She's probably hungry."

"There was baby food in that bag we stole." Alex yawned, turning to search for it in the supplies around them. He spotted it a few feet away and pulled it closer to them, looking inside. With a satisfied smile, he pulled out a bottle and a packet of formula. "It needs water."

"Use some of mine." Thomas nodded to his water bottle. Alex glanced up at him, wondering if he was aware that this meant that he would have less water for himself.

Well, Alex thought as he grabbed Thomas' water bottle, wouldn't you give Pip and Angie your rations?

With that reasoning, Alex felt guilt rush in him. Should he be giving the baby his rations as well? Is he being selfish by not sharing? Is he supposed to feel morally obligated to help the baby, like Thomas is? Or is it also guilt that fuels Thomas' motives…

It is far too late to be thinking such things, Alex decided. He handed the bottle, now with formula-milk inside, to Thomas, who took it gratefully. Alex watched as the other man sat up and plonked the nipple of the bottle into the screaming baby's mouth. The infant stopped protesting immediately, happily slurping down her meal.

Alex yawned and shared a tired look with Thomas. He tried to smile, but it probably just came out as a grimace, "I haven't been woken up by a baby in, like, seven years."

"I guess I'm still used to it." Thomas said quietly, "It's like, instinctual, to just wake up and save them. What's wrong? Why are you sad or scared or angry? Are you hurt? It's the first thing I think, before I'm even fully awake."

"Hmm." Alex hummed in agreement, his half-lidded eyes watching Thomas intently. What was it about children that made guys look more attractive? He could tell he was going to drift off, watching the distracting man feed Baby. As he curled up and fell back into slumber, he thought he heard a soft humming.

Alex didn't complain the next time they stopped at a body of water, only because Thomas promised him that he didn't have to bathe. Instead, he watched as the man lovingly washed the dirt and sweat from Baby's skin. As if he couldn't get any more perfect, the man started to sing quietly to Baby as he washed her.

"Rubber ducky, you're the one…" He said as Baby splashed the water around her, "You make bath time so much fun. Rubber ducky, you're the one for me..."

"Boo!" Alex jeered, causing Thomas' head to snap up to look at him. He blushed a little as if he forgot Alex was there. Alex shifted at his spot on the shore; Thomas and Baby were only a few feet away from him, resting in the shallows. "How cliche, mix it up a bit. You don't want her to be basic, do you?"

Thomas rolled his eyes and continued to bathe the child. Alex laughed, and figured that he wasn't going to continue his song. He started to space out, but was jolted back to reality when Thomas did, in fact, continue his song. "I love my rubber ducky, I'm in this lake, all muddy, my ducky isn't fuzzy, I know my ducky loves me-"

Alex's mouth fell agape; he laughed, but immediately covered his mouth with his hands, in fear that Thomas would stop again. The man was - he was rapping about Sesame Streets. Alex wanted to dance, this was amazing. He wished he could record it; keep this moment forever, watch it over and over and over again.

Far too fast, Thomas was done washing Baby, and the show was over. Alex was still smiling, even as Thomas raised an innocent eyebrow and strutted past him without a second glance. Even still, Alex could see the blush high on the other man's cheeks.

"Impressive." Alex praised casually.

"You'll come to find, I'm a man of many talents." Thomas said with a wicked grin. Alex shook his head and wondered what why that felt like a promise.

They've spent three nights with Baby, and it did not take long for Alex to fall back into the routines of early parenthood. When Baby woke them up with a great and mighty screech. Alex groaned and ran a hand down his face. He sat up and gently pushed Thomas back down.

"I got this one." Alex mumbled, getting up as Thomas laid back down.

Yawning, Thomas mumbled, "Thanks, darlin'."
It was far too early in the morning for Alex to correct him. He smiled to himself, but forced his focus to remain on Baby. He took her into his arms, grabbed the baby bag, and climbed off the wagon to give Thomas some quiet. Alex hushed Baby gently as he sat down a few feet away. With one hand, he pulled open the baby bag and shifted through to find a formula packet. He glanced inside and frowned when he saw there were only six packets left. He shuddered to imagine what would happen once they could no longer feed her. He shifted uncomfortably and pushed away the thoughts. With minimal help from Baby, Alex was able to fill a bottle with his water - yes, he's sharing now, apparently - and the formula. He shook it up and promptly stuck it in Baby's mouth.

Silence at last.

Alex relaxed and tilted his head up to look at the slowly rising sun. He let himself take a deep breath, realizing just how exhausted he was. His body hurt; his heart hurt. Everything was so different from before, the world wasn't even recognizable anymore.

"I'm sorry, Baby." Alex said, looking down at her, "You'll never get to know an easy life. No child ever will again. Not with zombies on the loose."

He pauses, thinking. He stares at the clouds slowly slinking across the sky. He curls up closer to the child when the wind picks up a bit. It's getting colder. Alex clears his throat and continues, thinking out loud, "What's worse? To be in my generation; and to know a world of peace, and have it ripped away from you? Or to be one of you, the young ones, who will never be safe?"

Baby blinked slowly at him, starting to fall back asleep. He shrugged and looked over at the wagon, where Thomas soundly slept. "I don't know, either."

"Hello?" Alex answered the phone, sitting up in his bed. With a yawn, he glanced at the clock; it was almost three in the morning; one of the rare times Alex is asleep.

"Bitch, I'm pissed." A familiar voice said. Alex held back a chuckle as he shook his head and responded with his usual, "Tell me, bitch."

Pegs' voice flooded over him as he sat up and stretched. He knew he wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. He could practically imagine Pegs pacing around their room as they said, "So I called the disability center and told them that I was having trouble in class and you know what they did? They gave me a fucking iPad, like that would help me somehow. And Angie doesn't see anything wrong with it, big shocker there, and I've been up all night on this dumb ass iPad, not doing homework-"

"Pegs," Alex said gently, "Do you want to go to the gym?"

The sigh that followed was full of relief, "God, yes, I need to punch something."

Alex chuckled, climbing out of bed. "I'll be by in a little bit to pick you up, okay? Let me get ready."

"Okay." Pegs sighed, "Thanks, Al. I didn't want to wake up Lizzy..."

"No problem." Alex waved it off, even though he knew they couldn't see him. "You'd do the same for me."

"Exactly. Okay, I'll see you in a bit." Pegs said before quickly hanging up.

Alex pulled his hair up into a ponytail and changed into sweats. He grabbed his keys and put his phone in his pocket, silently stepping out of his room; careful to not wake up John. He snuck down the hall swiftly before slowing at the sound of soft conversation. He frowned, was it the tv? John should be asleep, who else was here?

He halted just around the corner and listened intensely for some kind of clues.

"...sorry..." That was definitely John. "I-I didn't mean to drop all of this on you or anything, I just..."

"Hey, hey, hey, shhh..." That was Herc. Alex' frown deepened; he didn't know the other man came over. Why did John sound like he was crying? What did he do to him?! Alex was ready to rush around the corner and beat the shit out of the other man, but his next words made him pause. "You're so strong for telling me this... You didn't have to. I'm-I'm sorry that happened to you, but I would never do that."

Alex slowly peaked out at the duo. They were sitting on the couch; John curled up on himself, his face turned away. Herc was completely facing him, his eyes wide with concern. John wiped his nose with his arm.

"I-" John started, then stopped. He swallowed hard, and then tried again. His voice was so quiet that Alex almost couldn't hear him, "I'm sorry. I guess Alex just got in my head. He's intimidated by you, cuz you're so damn big."

Herc let out a breathy little chuckle - a playful scoff - that was quickly silence. He carefully took John's hands, "I promise you, I will never hurt you. Never."

"I know." John said quietly, his eyes averted. Alex wondered how many times he had been told the same thing, only for it to be a lie. Alex's heart ached, he just wanted to protect his friend. John took a deep breath, then said, still staring down at his lap, "I think I would like to date you."

Alex watched Herc's entire reaction. He saw how his eyes flashed wide, how his lips parted, then spread into a grin. He saw how Herc's gaze darted away, then back, then away again. He saw the little squirm the bigger man's body did; excited energy escaping. He even saw the forced calm that washed over him as he gently turned John's head to face him. John was stiff, unwilling to make eye contact. Herc ducked to get a better look at him, "I would love that. Yes, God, I want to be your boyfriend so bad."

John's gaze darted up, locking with Herc's. "What?"

"I want to date you, too." Herc said, almost giddy. "I've been trying to figure out how to ask you."

Alex stayed just long enough to watch John's face melt into excited wonder and joy. He snuck back to his room, deciding to give the two some privacy. He figured he could wait twenty minutes and then casually stroll out then. He texted Pegs to let them know he'd be late.

Guess I don't have to worry about Herc anymore. Alex thought to himself as he replayed what he just saw over and over in his head. Peace washed over him for a moment; that's a huge weight on his shoulders. Now he just hoped that their relationship didn't crash and burn. He had no predictions; he really had no idea what the future would entail now.

Tell me what you think!