The curb outside the school was fucking gross, Alex observed as he sat on it next to John. His shoes, already a mess, were now covered in some kind of paint dust and his jeans were now damp from something on the sidewalk.

The sun was beginning to creep towards the horizon and the clouds in the sky were shot with streaks of orange and red.

"You okay?" Alex turned to face John where he sat twisting his hands together.

No response. Alex stared at the gum stuck to the road in front of him.

"John?"

His foot tapped nervously against the ground, hands twisting faster.

"John." Alex grabbed his hands. "What is it?"

There was a few beats of silence.

"It's my dad," John whispered. "What am I going to tell him? He doesn't even know I was at school or anything—he thought I was at the library."

They sat quietly. Alex rested his head on John's shoulder. Laurens stiffened, and Alex withdrew, hoping no one would see them.

"I think you were amazing," Alex whispered, still holding John's hands, "also, Lee is a dick and totally had that coming. You were fabulous. I'm gonna rename the group chat 'Laurens Punch!' or something. You were amazing."

John almost laughed. "That doesn't change anything."

"'Course it does. Tell your dad you were fighting over, I dunno, a library book? Or he stole a pretty girl's laptop and you were righteously getting it back. Or you were building character. Dads eat that shit up, right?"

John laughed a little bit, brushing his thumb over Alex's hand.

"Or—I know—you accidentally tripped him down the stairs and he thought it was on purpose. Maybe he fell into a tree? Shit, that'd be funny."

John was actually laughing now.

"Wait! I got it! You dropped an encyclopedia on his head!"

"What the fuck, Alex?"

"No—a laptop!"

"Alex, this doesn't help my situation at all." But John was smiling as his said this and Alex knew he had done something good after all.

Alex leaned on John again, and this time John let him, "Or you could tell him the truth. You know, that you were defending your boyfriend's honor or some shit." John stiffed against Alex.

"You know I can't do that."

"Well, why not?" Alex pressed, shifting closer to him.

"Alex …"

"What's the worst that will happen? You get grounded for a few months? You'll be fine, John, and if shit gets bad I'm sure Mrs. Ross would let you stay with us for a bit."

"I can't, Alex. I'd be fucking disowned. Do you know how bad it would look for conservative former South Carolina senator trying to succeed in business to have a gay son? I can't do this, Alex."

"But John—just look around! We're so lucky we are to be alive right now. Things are changing, new ideas being more accepted. Maybe it would be good for your dad's image—you never know."

John pulled away from Alex and stood up, "I can't do that, Alex. I can't risk my father's anger."

"Okay," Alex said softly, standing up as well and taking his hand again. "Okay."

The silence pressed in on them.

Alex wasn't a stranger to angry parents, foster and not. But still...he couldn't imagine how hopeless John was feeling. At least he had always had the guarantee of having an orphanage to go back to when things didn't work out.

"Look—I don't pretend to know the challenges you're facing. But I'm not afraid, I know who I'm dating, and I know you're strong, John, I know you can make it through this. As long as you come back to me at the end of the day—that would be enough."

John leaned into Alex's shoulder.

"Let me be a part of your life, John. Let this moment be the first chapter where you stay with me. If I could grant you peace of mind, if you could let me inside your heart—"

John wrapped Alex in a tight embrace. You poetic fucking bastard.

"—that would be enough."

The next Wednesday, a rock almost shattered Laurens's window.

He opened it, the cold wind flooding in. Alex was standing there in his backyard. Of course. "What the hell?"

"I need to see you—"

Laurens waved his arms around in an effort to get Alex to be quiet.

"Sorry! I thought that this would be romantic."

"I'll come outside," Laurens sighed. You romantic fucking idiot.

He crept downstairs, sneaking past where his dad sat in his study, bent over some paperwork.

The afternoon sun was warm on his back, a weird contrast to the cold air surrounding him. Wasn't school still in session? What was Alex doing here?

He found Alex sitting on a stone bench in the back garden, partially concealed by some hanging ivy. It was a very idyllic, with the grass carpeting the ground, the rose bushes surrounding them, and the hanging ivy hiding them from outside view. The sun shone down on them, making the situation even more dreamlike than it already felt.

"Don't you have school?" John said as he walked towards Alex, who jumped and turned around.

"Yes?" Alex grinned sheepishly. "But in-school suspension sucks. I wanted to see you."

"That's fair," John laughed, and sat next to him.

Surprisingly, Alex let the silence stretch on for a bit. John was quiet, thinking back to their conversation from a couple days ago. He wondered if Alex had expected him to tell his dad. He wondered if he should.

"Hey, Alex?" John said before he could stop himself.

"Yeah?" Alex turned to face him, sunlight glinting off his hair.

"Are you okay with being a closeted person's boyfriend? Not able to tell everyone that we're together?"

"John, that's the fucking worst," Alex said. "I just want to be your boyfriend. I don't care if you're out or not, Jesus, that would make me an asshole to the max, because you're really amazing just the way you are, and you have to do things at your speed, and...oh, fuck." Talk less, Alexander. "I love you."

He blushed bright red as he realized what he had just said, "I mean, um…"

John laughed, also blushing.

"I know we've only been together for a little bit oh my god I'm so sorry, it just slipped out—"

"I love you, Alexander."

"—I didn't mean it—wait, what?!"

"I love you too." John took his hands in his, "I love you so, so much for everything you've done for me and how much you've supported me."

Alex grabbed John's face. He knew that they were being young. He knew that they were being stupid. But this felt so right. "Look, I get that it's hard for us to be together. But I love you. And I'll do whatever it takes to be with you."

John kissed him gently.

"I love you I love you—"

"Shut it, Alexander!" John laughed.

"I love you."

John smiled and squeezed their hands together. "I love you too."

They snuck out through the bushes surrounding the Laurens property with only a few scratches to show for it, giggling like schoolchildren the entire time.

"We should go to the pizza parlor," John suggested when they were free of the grabbing branches of the plants. He hadn't let go of Alex's hand yet.

"I agree, my dear Laurens," Alex joked, squeezing his hand.

Once there and settled with their slices, they sat talking aimlessly, a rush of adrenaline coursing through them both at being out of where they weren't supposed to be.

Then—

"What the fuck, Burr?" Burr was pushed in through the doors of the pizza place, followed closely by none other than Jacques Prevost. John and Alex stared, pizza abandoned on their plates.

"You thought you could get away with fucking my girlfriend without me knowing? You think you're so fucking slick?" Now they had everyone in the parlor's attention.

Has the great Aaron Burr actually messed up?

"You and I both know she was happier with me than you, Prevost," Burr spat back.

"You lying, cheating piece of shit," Prevost growled. "You'll be sorry you ever even looked at her."

"The only sorry I am right now is sorry for you, you pathetic coward. Couldn't even face off with me without there being witnesses." Burr's hands were balled into fists. "You disgust me."

Prevost's face turned bright purple, drawing his fist back, presumably to hit Burr.

The doors to the pizza place burst open once again, and in stormed Theodosia Bartow.

"You sneaky son of a bitch!" It was unclear who she was talking to as she stood in between Burr and Prevost. "Thinking you were off defending my honor when all you're doing is humiliating yourself in front of everyone!" She gestured wildly around the room, "And you, Mr. Prevost—it's not like you've ever been there for me before! Only when your precious reputation is in danger of being ruined do you come running back to me!

"Oh, and little Burr. Off being a sneaky little weasel, thinking you could deal with this without me knowing?! Well, fuck you both! Do you guys think that you're the only two guys in the world? I'm pretty fucking amazing, if I do say so myself!" She flipped her hair in Burr's face as she turned to face Prevost. "Not that you've ever bothered to tell me that, Jacques! Maybe I'll find some guy who will actually respect me as a human being, you dicks! Fuck off!"

Theodosia stormed out of the restaurant, Doc Martens hitting heavily on the tile floor as her braided hair streamed out behind her. Burr followed her out immediately, with Prevost close on his heels.

The man behind the counter shook his head at where Burr and Prevost had stood, then went back to wiping down the counter.

Laurens looked at Alex, his eyes wide. "Holy shit."

X

Lams flangst! (mostly fluff this time, yay!) And Burr/Theodosia misery! Yay! Thanks for reading