The rays of sunlight shifted, now falling over Hamilton's face, quickly coaxing him awake. A groan escaped his lips. He felt terrible and the sudden change in light wasn't helping the splitting migraine forming behind his eyes.

"Oh, hey," he heard John Laurens whisper beside him. Immediately all memory that hadn't been completely clouded in drunkenness, came rushing back. He smiled at that last piece of the night he remembered, the soothing sensation of Laurens running his hands through his hair and the word "baby," being whispered to him with such love.

Trying to move slow enough to insure that his head didn't implode, Hamilton turned to face Laurens. He was met with the brightest smile. Laurens' face was so beautiful, seeing him just awoken seemed like seeing him at his most raw. He slid an arm around Hamilton's waist and pulled him closer, until they were holding each other close enough to feel each other's heart beats. "Morning," Hamilton finally replied. He let his nose touch Laurens', so softly. One of his hands tangled itself in Laurens' hair, holding his neck, caressing both skin and hair with his thumb. Their lips met slowly, gently. Hamilton smiled into the kiss, noting how sweet and careful Laurens was with him. The hands against his back slid up to his shoulders, and when their lips parted they let their foreheads rest against the other's. "Laurens," Hamilton breathed, just because he wanted o hear his name aloud.

"You punched Burr."

"Great."

"It was heroic. My drunken hero."

"I can't believe you didn't get drunk."

"It was only 5 pints, Hamilton."

"I know but..." he signed, "I guess I was nervous and hadn't eaten. I was drunk off every word that spilled from your lips. I don't know."

"Maybe you're just a lightweight," Laurens met his eye again, to wink, teasing.

There was a lull in conversation for a moment, and Hamilton used the opportunity to place quick kisses along Laurens' cheeks and nose, tracing his freckles like a traveller would follow the stars.

"You're too perfect, Alexander," Laurens whined. Somehow hearing his first name in that voice gave it so much more appeal, and for once he didn't mind it. At all.

"You're perfect," was the greatest Hamilton had in him to retort. His head was still, maybe, killing him, and it didn't help that Laurens' eyes had hardly left him since they'd awoken. He felt so devoid of air, like he was drowning in the oceans that were John Laurens' eyes.

"Do you have classes today? We could just work from here if not.."

"Oh shit." It was bright out. Fuck. He'd missed his first class. "What time is it?"

"11:30AM"

"I had a lecture at 8:30AM.." he smiled, "I'm not going to fret, though. The longer I leave it until I see Burr again, the better. It might make it less awkward if his face isn't swelled to twice its size."

Laurens nodded. "True.."

"Hey, Laurens?"

"Ya?"

"You know the way you called me baby in the Uber last night?"

"Mayyybe," he shot him a joking wink. He'd begun to run his hands through his hair again, gently teasing out any small knots and twisting it in and out of his fingers absentmindedly. Hamilton couldn't think of anything more relaxing.

"Well. Dating has been...let's just say complicated for me recently. In all honesty, I haven't had a proper relationship in years.. and I was just wondering if you wanted to give it a shot? You've infiltrated my defences, yes, but I was of knowing and I just want to mean something? I want this to mean something."

Laurens kissed him, harder this time, holding his face in both hands. "Yes." He said in between kissing him. "Yes." Their lips met again. "Yes." Hamilton let his lips retreat from Laurens' long enough to let out a laugh, then fell back into his embrace. Time was maybe being wasted, yes, but he didn't totally see it that way. He felt like he was fulfilling his purpose just being there and kissing John Laurens. The lack of space between their bodies seemed more important and far more urgent than any words written or typed. Yet, he knew no words he wrote from there on out would go untouched by the love he felt towards this man.

They'd fallen back to sleep, curled up against each other, when Hamilton's phone buzzed. Enjoying this newfound comfort and the unfamiliar feeling of a good nights sleep, he didn't move to answer it, but when it fell silent again and a text came in, Laurens reached over, grabbed it and handed it to him. "It might be important. I don't wanna be getting you in trouble or anything." He smirked, so adorable. He had sat up in the bed to reach the beside table, and it was only then that Hamilton saw his bare torso, how his freckles spread across his shoulders, scarcer, and dotted his chest occasionally. Trying so hard not to get turned on, he found himself appreciating how toned Laurens was. This also made him feel terrible about how skinny and repulsive his own body was in comparison, and he sank down further beneath the sheets to try to cover the top half of his bare chest. While he'd been passed out, Laurens had taken his shirt off and folded with his trousers beside the bed, and he was grateful. Sitting in the gutter had made them gross and he could smell them from where he lay, a good number of feet away.

When he reached over to take his phone from Laurens, he let their fingers touch for long enough to make Laurens smile wide. But both of their smiles faded when they sat back down and read the message together.

Burr : Hamilton, I'm sorry about last night. The things I said about Laurens were uncalled for, but you need to understand that not everyone is going to agree with you.

Burr : But also, fuck you.

Burr : Let's agree to never get drunk around one another again?

Hamilton sighed. "Now I feel bad. Do you remember what he said about you? I was too drunk... Help me feel less abominable?" He curled himself around Laurens again, propping his head on top of his chest. The warmth of his skin felt so great on Hamilton's, he tiled his head to place a small kiss just below his collar bone.

"Well. He insulted my intelligence and intellect, first off, then went on to rant about my political thinkings, telling me I was brainwashed by my cause...a lot of bullshit, really. You seemed to be the one paying more attention. He really riled you up."

"He has the tendency to do so."

Laurens' hand found Hamilton's hair again and he sighed. "I don't get how you're friends with him. I know you just punched him, but you'll pretend like nothing happened, right."

Hamilton shrugged. "I don't know. I've never punched him before this is setting a new bar."

Laurens laughed in response. "We should probably get up, and get to work. Jefferson emailed earlier, when you were sleeping. He wants to talk to us tomorrow, on how we've been doing."

"Shit."

"I know. Literally nothing. We haven't wrote a paragraph."

"Laurens, what are you turning me into? Who is this monster who strikes their friends and falls behind on work?" He sighed. "I'm glad it's you I get to write about. You know.." He kissed his chin, quickly, in recognition.

"Love is a sort of insanity...and I know that everything I write will savour strongly of it."