Hamliza Valentine's day one-shot. One day late, but happy Valentine's day! Enjoy!

Alexander Hamilton roamed the card aisle, looking for just the right one. It had to be perfect-he wouldn't settle for anything less for his Eliza. Even though they'd only been dating for a few months, he was determined to get her something that proved to her that he was worth it. And Valentine's Day was the perfect opportunity.

Finally, his eyes landed on one. He pulled it out and saw that it read, "I've loved you since I first laid my eyes on you."

He smiled to himself. It was true. From the moment he saw her, she'd made his heart pound. He wished he could relive that moment; their first meeting. It had been one of the best moments in his life. And, of course, one of the most nerve-wracking ones, since he'd been the one to ask her out.

But, with the help of his friends, he'd gotten the courage, and he was continually thankful that he did. There was nothing better in his life than Elizabeth Schuyler.

He purchased the card, then drove back to his dorm. His roommates, John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, and Gilbert Lafayette were lounging around, doing next to nothing and definitely not working on the essay that was due the next day.

"I can see that you're all being very productive," Alexander said, putting his bag on the counter.

"I am converting oxygen into carbon dioxide," John said, reaching out his hand from where he lay on the couch as if trying to get his friend to picture it. "Very productive."

"Uh-huh. You guys know Valentine's day is tomorrow, right?"

"Psh. I'm not getting a girl anytime soon, anyway," Hercules said.

"Same here, mon ami."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Laf, you literally have the choice of any girl you want. You know they'd all love a Valentine from you."

"Eh. Valentine's day is overrated anyway." The Frenchman shrugged, like he couldn't care less about the way girls nearly fainted when he walked past.

"John is being pretty quiet over there." Hercules glanced up from his phone.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "Are you planning anything, Laurens?"

John blushed, and that was all Lafayette needed to jump up from his position on armchair and say, "OH! John is going to get a girlfriend! Who is it, mon ami?"

"I am not going to get a girlfriend, Laf. There's no way I'd stand a chance with her."

"See, that's what I said when I first saw Eliza," Alex pushed John's feet off the couch and sat down. "Since you helped me get my girl, I'm going to help you get yours."

He rolled his eyes. "You'll laugh."

"I promise I won't." Alex held up his hands. "Please tell us. I am really tired of being the only one who's not single around here."

John chuckled. "All right. It's Peggy Schuyler."

"Eliza's sister? Dude, that's awesome!"

"But you are right," Lafayette said. "The chances of you getting her are slim."

"Laf! We're supposed to be helping here!"

"Sorry, sorry."

Sighing, John sat up. "He's right, though. It's never gonna happen."

"Yes, it will. We'll make it happen. Now, I'm going to bring you to the store tonight, and you're going to get her a card. Then you're going to give it to her tomorrow, okay?"

"I have to actually hand it to her?"

Alex thought about it. "I mean, I suppose you could put it in her locker, but you have to sign your name."

"Do I have to write anything else?"

"Nope."

He blew out a breath. "Okay. I think I can do that."

"Awesome. Now what's for supper?"

He was met by blank stares. He sighed. "Pizza again, I suppose."

*cue timeskip* (or a line break)

Later that night, after Alex finished his essay, he wrote out a nice long note for Eliza in the card that he bought. Using his talent of writing, he wrote just enough where it wasn't too long, but long enough where she would know that he put thought into it. Reading it over once more, he put it in an envelope and attached a bracelet that he had bought a while ago for her to it. It was blue, her favorite color, with a heart charm. He hoped she would like it.

Poking his head into John's room, he saw that his friend was hunched over the desk, pen in his hand, but not writing anything. Alex stepped in the room and to his side.

"Having troubles?"

John groaned and dropped the pen. "I don't know if I can do this."

"All you gotta do is sign it. I can sign it if you want."

"No, it has to be me." He picked the pen up again and hovered it over the page. Taking a deep breath, he brought the pen down and scratched his name on the pink paper.

"Okay. There it is," he said.

"You know that's not the most stressful part, right?" Alex reminded him.

"Oh, shut up and get out of here so I can worry about it alone."

Alex laughed. "Okay, okay."

He left the room while John put the card in the envelope. Alex would definitely be watching from the side to make sure John actually gave it to Peggy and didn't chicken out. After all, when Alex had nearly run away, John had given him that shove that he needed to talk to Eliza.

Alex smiled to himself. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

(Another time skip to tomorrow morning.)

He found out the next morning that he could indeed wait.

"Chill out, mon ami." Lafayette watched from the kitchen as Alex paced the living room nervously.

"I can't! What if she doesn't like it? What if she's not there today?"

"Why would she not be there? It will be fine, Alex. She will love it."

"How do you know?" Alex demanded.

Lafayette put a hand on his chest. "Mon ami, I am from France. I know all about love."

Alex eyed his friend skeptically. "Uh-huh."

Laf sighed. "Well, I do know that she is head over feet for you-"

"It's head over heels."

"-and I know that she will love anything you give her," Laf finished, ignoring Alex.

"I know, but… What do I say? 'Happy Valentine's Day?' Should I give a speech?"

"No, no speeches. Just say that you love her."

Alex blew out a breath. "Okay. I can do that."

"You will be fine."

"Right."

Despite Lafayette's encouragement, Alex's heart was still pounding as he walked across campus to his first class, which he actually had with Eliza, so it was perfect.

He stepped into the classroom with the card in his hand, scanning the room for his girlfriend. His heart sank a little when he didn't see her, but he jumped when he felt a familiar pair of hands rest on his shoulders. He turned his head, smiling.

"Hey, Liza."

"Hi. How are you?"

"I, um, I'm fine. I, uh, I have something for you." He took her hand in his and turned around.

She raised her eyebrows, a hint of a smile on her face. "Yes?"

He cleared his throat and said, "Eliza, I really like you…" Crap. That wasn't what he meant to say. "I mean, I like you a lot, and…"

She looked like she was about to laugh before she leaned forward and kissed him.

It wasn't like it was their first kiss, but Alex's heart still took off running and whatever words he'd had left in his mind disappeared.

She pulled back, a real smile on her face. "I like you a lot, too."

He opened his mouth, then closed it and held the card out. Eliza took it, her fingers brushing his. She first took off the bracelet and slipped it in her wrist, smiling all the time. Then she opened the card and read it, her smile widening as her eyes flicked over the lines. When she finished, she looked up at Alex and said, "Alex, you are amazing."

"You're even more amazing," he murmured, kissing her once more.

"Thank you so much," she whispered, then pulled away. "I left yours in your locker."

"Okay, I'll see it after class then."

"Supper at your dorm tonight?"

"I mean, if you're sure you don't want to go out to a nice restaurant?"

"I'm sure. I like your friends."

Alex had tried to ask her out, but she'd insisted that she would rather have a home Valentine's dinner.

The bell rang, and the students hurried to go and find their seats.

Once the class was done, Eliza caught Alex afterwards and said, "I'm not sure I'll see you until tonight."

"Busy?"

"Yeah, cause of the holiday. Anyway, I'll see you tonight." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek before turning and walking away.

Alex watched her go, feeling like his Valentine mission had been a success. Then he remembered John, and hurried to his next class, which John was in since they both took law.

Spotting him across the classroom, Alex walked over and sat next to him. "Did you put it in her locker yet?"

John smiled proudly. "I did one better. I actually handed it to her."

"Really! What did she say?"

He scratched his head. "Well, um, I may have run off right afterwards…"

Alex sighed at his friend and said, "So you didn't see her reaction at all?"

"Nope."

"Well, I'll give you credit for handing it to her."

Once their class was over, Alex didn't have any other classes for another hour. He checked by his locker, ready to see Eliza's Valentine, but when he opened it, there was not one, but two taped to his locker door.

That's odd, he thought. They couldn't both be from Eliza. He took the first one out and read it, his smile blooming as he read over the words that were clearly written by Eliza, and her name was signed at the end. It said that there was a surprise waiting for him at his dorm for him and the rest of his roommates, which made him slightly nervous. He hoped she hadn't gone out and done anything too expensive, like a pet or something. After all, he'd only spent about ten dollars on her bracelet.

He tucked the card away in his bag, then looked at the other one. He couldn't think of anyone it could be from, unless it was a joke one from his roommates. He smiled. It probably was. He took it and opened it.

But as his eyes ran across each line, it became clear that this was from a girl. Only Lafayette's handwriting was this good, and his English wasn't good enough for him to be able to write this.

It read, Dear Alexander, I hope this letter finds you. I have had my eyes on you for some time, but I couldn't tell you because I have a boyfriend. However, he has just left me. I know you have a girlfriend, but writing this made me feel better, even though I know I will never be able to have you. However, it can't hurt to dream, and I dream of having you as my own. Eliza is too good for you, though, for me to interfere. So I will be content for you to read my letter and to avoid any complications, I am not going to sign my name. I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's day, dear Alexander.

It indeed was not signed. Alex felt extremely puzzled, but his mysterious admirer hadn't wanted any complications, so he just stuffed it in his bag and left it at that. He'd tell Eliza about it later.

The rest of his day was rather calmer and less confusing. When his classes were finished at the end of the day, he hurried to catch up with his friends, who were waiting for him by the door.

"Hey, man," Hercules said. "Did Eliza enjoy your gift?"

"Yeah, she did!" Alex was about to tell them about the second Valentine when John suggested that they go down to the coffee shop down the road for a "friends' Valentine's day."

The coffee shop had always been their favorite, mostly because it was owned by the Schuylers, and the three sisters worked there.

During the walk there, John said, "Hey, did you guys here about Maria? Her boyfriend just broke up with her."

"That's cool," Hercules said, face in his phone.

"Wow," Alex said, trying to care. "James?"

"Yeah, apparently he was mistreating her, so he finally just left."

"Right before Valentine's day?"

"Yep."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"I wonder if she even celebrated Valentine's day," Lafayette mused.

"She's probably in love with Alex," John laughed.

"She is not." Then it came to him. "Oh."

"What?"

"I think I might've gotten a Valentine from her."

"Say what?" Now Hercules was listening.

"Yeah, she didn't sign her name or anything, but she said that her boyfriend just broke up with her and-"

"Let me read the letter," Lafayette interrupted.

Alex fished it out of his bag and handed it to his friends, watching as the three of them read it together, Lafayette taking slightly longer to finish.

"This is Maria," Lafayette announced once he was done.

"How do you know?" Alex asked.

"I just feel like it is her. It sounds like her, does it not?"

He shrugged. "I never really talked to her."

"Well," Hercules said, "if it is Maria, you should talk to her. Let her know that you're not interested."

"No, I think she knows that," John said. "She made it clear that she didn't want to interfere between you and Eliza."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm going to leave it. If I see her..."

"Just say 'Thanks for the card.'" John suggested.

"Yeah, I'll do that. I'm not sure about telling Eliza, though. I mean, it's not like it's going to affect our relationship. I like her much better than Maria."

"I do have sympathy for Maria," Laf said. "Her boyfriend just broke up with her."

"I'm not sure I blame him," John said quietly, and no one said anything about it. Alex knew they all agreed. It was known around the school that Maria was the biggest flirt there was. Stay away from Maria, or she'll make you lose your girlfriend. Stay away from her, or you'll regret it.

"You know, not all of the rumors are true," Hercules said, always trying to find the good in people.

There were a couple murmurs of agreements.

They were greeted by a very excited Peggy as they walked through the door. She dashed out from behind the counter to John, whose face turned immediately red.

"John! I'm so glad you came. I really want to thank you for the card. It was beautiful! I just want to say that I would love to be your Valentine."

"Oh, um, thanks."

She smiled, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Then she left a dumbstruck John and bounced back to behind the counter.

Hercules and Lafayette clapped John on the back and congratulated him loudly.

"Guys! Shut up."

Alex laughed. "You can thank me now."

John rolled his eyes, but he was definitely smiling, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

"Let's get food now," Lafayette said, dragging them forward.

Once they had gotten their food and paid-Eliza always gave Alex half off-they sat at their usual spot.

"So did anyone else get Valentines?" Alex asked.

Lafayette groaned as Hercules laughed.

"Oh, you should have seen my locker, mon ami. I am pretty sure I nearly suffocated from all the cards. It will take weeks to clean out all the glitter."

The rest of them laughed while Laf pouted.

"There's probably gonna be more in the mailbox, too," John added.

"En effet..." Laf sighed.

"It's your fault for always trying to look your best every morning," Hercules said.

"Excuse me, these looks come naturally."

Hercules snorted.

Once they'd said goodbye Eliza and Peggy-Angelica had stayed in the back room-they walked back home in the cold February air. There was just a dusting of snow on the ground, but Alex knew that there was more on the that he didn't mind snow. It was just so different from the Caribbean where he had grown up.

Inside their warm dorm, Lafayette hurried to the mailbox, then turned around to face them with a pile of pink and red cards in his hands and an exasperated look on his face.

"Have fun!" Hercules told him, starting up the stairs.

Lafayette groaned and shook his head as he followed his friends.

It was John's turn to order pizza that night, and Alex was helping Lafayette open his cards while John talked on the phone.

"Oh, this one is sweet," Alex said.

"Hm…" Laf seemed uninterested as he tore open another envelope. Hercules was sorting through all of them, glancing over the unopened ones.

"Um, Alex? This one has your name on it," he said.

Alex set down the one he was reading and took the one from Hercules.

"Read it out loud," Lafayette said.

"Um, okay. It says, 'Dear Alexander. Please don't tell my sister about this.'"

"Well, this sounds like a good start," John said, finished on the phone.

"Shush and let me finish. 'I know that you two are dating, and I really don't want to interfere. I just felt like Valentine's day was the perfect time to confess my crush on you.'"

"Angelica?!" Lafayette exclaimed. "No way!"

Alex continued. "'Ever since I laid my eyes on you, I have been in love. Your eyes draw me in, and I will forever be helpless at the sight of-'"

"Hold up!" Hercules held up his hands. "I think this is getting a little personal."

John pretended to gag. "I didn't know Angelica was capable of such... sensational writing."

"Me neither, but Hercules is right. I think...Alex? Mon ami, what is it?"

While they'd been talking, Alex had skimmed over the rest of the letter. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked worried.

"It's just...this is pretty serious. Angelica is actually in love with me."

"That's...terrifying," John said.

"I-I don't know what to do."

Neither did any of them, apparently, because none of them spoke until there was a knock on the door, and then it opened to reveal Eliza with a smile on her face.

"Hello, all!"

Alex stood up, and, remembering the beginning of Angelica's letter, stuffed her card under a mattress on the couch.

He walked over to greet his girlfriend with a gentle kiss.

"Hi."

"Hey. Did you find the gift I left you?"

"Um, no," Alex admitted. With Lafayette's card, and then Angelica's letter, he'd forgotten about it.

She sighed, but not in an exasperated way. "Check in your room."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

He went to his room and opened the door. On his desk was a box of the four friends' favorite food.

"Donuts!"

"They're to share!" Eliza called before John, Hercules, and Lafayette rushed into the room Alex and John shared. Lafayette was the first to get there due to his standing position before he'd heard there were donuts and his long legs. He grabbed the box and was about to take off with it when he was tackled by John. Alex joined in by trying to hold off Hercules as John wrestled the box from Laf.

"Boys."

The four of them immediately stopped, the box of precious donuts in John's hands, all of them looking embarrassed, but also trying not to laugh.

"There are eight donuts in there. I bought each of your favorites. Each of you get two, okay?"

They all nodded. Eliza shook her head and laughed. "You are all ridiculous."

Alex smiled sheepishly as he stepped forward and engulfed her in a hug.

"Sorry."

She laughed again. "It's fine. It's actually sort of cute."

"Did you hear that, Alex?" John said excitedly. "Your girlfriend called me cute!"

"I was referring to Alex."

"Oh."

"But if it helps, Peggy called you cute."

"Oh!"

"Hey," Alex said. "So, I wanted to do a nice supper, but I was outvoted, so we're having-"

"Let me guess. Pizza?"

He nodded.

A smile spread over her face. "That's all right. I like pizza."

*Timeskip*

"How about a movie?" Eliza suggested, and was met by choruses of agreement. They sat on the couch, Eliza near the place where Alex had stuffed Angelica's card-which made him a little nervous-and Alex right next to her. John was on Alex's other side, and Hercules and Lafayette were in chairs. They picked out "The Knight Before Christmas," even though it was nowhere near Christmas.

Alex was enjoying the movie, and had completely forgotten about the letter when Eliza said, "What's this?"

Oh crap, Alex thought.

She pulled out Angelica's card. John hurried to pause the movie and quickly said, "It's just a Valentine Alex got."

"Who is it from?" Eliza looked at Alex questionally.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's from Angelica."

"My sister?"

"Yeah."

Eliza peered into it, then closed it again, setting it on the table. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

Alex glanced around the room before standing up, then pulling Eliza to her feet.

"Come here," he said, and led her away from the living room.

Once they were alone, he said, "Angelica told me in the letter that she didn't want you to know."

"But...Alex, I'm your girlfriend. Wouldn't you want to know if I got a Valentine from a boy?"

Well...he would, yes. "Yes, but this is your sister."

"Alex," she interrupted. "I've known Angelica has a crush on you. I didn't think it was serious, but I could just tell. I mean, who wouldn't have a crush on you? Anyway, I don't care about the card. I care about our relationship and communication."

He thought about what she said. "You're right. I'm sorry, I should've told you. I'm really sorry."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "No more secrets?"

He pulled her into a kiss, whispering against her lips, "No more secrets."

They stayed like that for a few moments before Alex said, "Oh, I got another Valentine, too."

"From whom?"

He hesitated. "Maria."

"Alex-"

"I know, I'm not going to talk to her or anything. It just said that she liked me."

"Okay. I do feel bad for her because of James, but still…"

"I know, Liza. I'll be fine."

"Okay."

"Wanna finish the movie?"

She smiled up at him. "Sure."

(Linebreak)

In the end, it had been a great Valentine's day. Alex had thanked Maria and Angelica for the cards, and that had been that. Well, the awkwardness between Alex and Angelica might take a while to go away, but it was fine. Alex still had his wonderful and beautiful girlfriend, Eliza, and that was all he needed.

The end! Don't worry about Maria, we don't need to ruin Alex's life yet. Review if you liked it!