Chapter Text
Alexander paced up and down the room. In contrast to his normal clothing of a worn hoodie paired with baggy jeans and old sneakers, he looked rather stunning in his navy blue suit and red tie. He ran his hands along his slicked back ponytail and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stopped pacing and glanced at the clock on the wall. He grimaced.
Lafayette burst through the doors muttering in French. Alex tried to appear nonchalant as he raised a questioning eyebrow so as not to frazzle Laf anymore; it didn't work.
"She is not here." Laf said plainly, "She has decided not to come."
Alex rolled his eyes at the dramatic statement, "There must be a multitude of reasons why she is running late, other than the highly unlikely possiblity that she's decided she's not in love with you after all."
At that Laf made a noise akin to a choked off sob.
Alarmed Alex glanced at him, "Gilbert, she loves you very much. I honestly cannot say I've never met a couple who are so in love with each other- who are meant for each other- the way that you and Adrienne are."
Laf nodded, verging on tearfully, "You never call me Gilbert unless it's serious."
"Trust me, my friend, she seriously loves you. There is no way that you're getting stood up on your wedding day." He reached out his arms and Lafayette gratefully melted into a hug.
Angelica chose that very moment to burst through the door, "Adri is kinda terrified you're going to call it off because we got stuck behind a funeral hearse, for the last forty minutes, so I'd like to report back good news to her. So...are you boys ready to start?!"
Smiling nervously, Lafayette responded, "I'd wait a thousand years for her."
With an almost older-sister-like fondness, she rolled her eyes, "Fucking sap." She looked towards the clock, "I guess I'll see you on the other side gentlemen."
With that she was racing off, leaving the sound of doors banging in her wake. Alexander was almost envious of the ease with which she ran in her stilettos.
Alex took a deep breath, "Ready Laf?"
Lafayette looked at him, "As ready as I will ever be." He sighed, "You know, when I first met Adrienne, I thought she was an annoying little...brat."
Alex nodded his head and jerked it towards the door but Laf seemed to be in no hurry.
"She was seven. I was eleven and I thought myself...too cool for her. Then I met her again when I was seventeen at a large dinner party. I did not even recognise her. My parents had told me to be on the look out for Adrienne de Noialles as I had been betrothed to her, but when we ran off to hide in the kitchens, I did not even know her name. It was coup de foudre- love at first sight, I suppose."
Alex nudged his friend who had a far-off look in his eyes, "Well, we'd better not keep the love of your life waiting then."
At that Lafayette snapped back to the present, "No, we shall not. Let's go!"
Alex would often reminisce on the memories of Adrienne and Lafayette's wedding. They were some of his happiest.
The barely suppressed laughs when the bridal procession was lead by Hercules, diligently sprinkling the ground in front of the bride with rose petals. The joy he felt as Angelica entered with John on her arm and how the breath caught in his throat when he caught his eye and grinned. The heart-stopping moment he caught sight of Adrienne walking up the aisle, smiling at Lafaytte as if he were the only thing that mattered in the world. The swell of his heart as he saw how tightly she gripped the elbow of George Washington, like he was the only thing to stop her sprinting up the aisle. The pride that filled his chest as he saw Eliza and Maria enter, arm-in-arm, carrying Adri's train behind her. The smirk that reared up inside him as Peggy Schuyler entered, clinging to the arm of a mildly uncomfortable looking Aaron Burr.
The ceremony was a blur. Vows were said, rings were exchanged and love filled the church.
It was time for Alexander to speak far too soon- Adrienne had asked for a Bible verse from him. He had spent hours trawling the Bible, looking for a quote that did the job, and that he agreed with. Putting his sweaty palms and shaking legs aside, he climbed the steps to the pulpit. He unfolded and smoothed out his sheet of paper. "From the Bible, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12" He coughed, "'Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord made of two strands is not quickly broken.' Thank you." He looked over to check with Adrienne if he'd said the correct thing. Judging by her glistening eyes, he'd got it exactly spot on.
John sidled up to Alex during the reception afterwards, "You spoke beautifully in the ceremony today."
Alex turned to him, "It was all rather beautiful, wasn't it?"
John nodded his assent then rested his head gently against Alex's shoulder as he gazed upon the throng of people talking and laughing. The people parted like a sea to allow Laf and Adri to reach the floor for their first dance.
Gently, they began to sway to a soft love song. John took Alex's hand and swayed along with them, despite the fact they were both half-leaning against the buffet table. In his peripheral vision, Alex noticed the determined walk of Angelica making her way towards him and John.
"They want us to join them. Apparently in France the best man and maid of honour have a dance together before everyone else starts to boogie."
John bumped Alex with his hip, "Go on, show me your moves."
Alex stuck his tongue out as he was lead away by Angelica for an awkward number during which he crushed her toes at least three times. Each time her hand on his shoulder tightened further- Alex prayed for time to speed up but it seemed intent on dragging out the song for as long as possible.
He joined John back at the buffet table with flaming cheeks. "You haven't done that before have you?" said John as Alex huffed and leant against him.
"Not everyone was taught to ballroom dance when they were five, John."
He felt John chuckle behind him, "Hey, calm down. It looked fine honestly. You were both just... too stiff and awkward. You need to loosen out- like this."
John moved to stand in front of Alex and placed his hands upon his waist. John started to slowly move his hips in time with the music and shifted his weight so that Alex began to move slightly as well.
By the end of the song Alex was actually enjoying the feeling of rhythmic movement between them and asked John if they could maybe do another song. "Anything for my baby." he said with a smirk.
They continued to shyly dance near the table until a tipsy holler from Hercules entered Alex's awareness, "HEY LOVER BOYS, FANCY DOING SHOTS WITH ME?!"
Alex yelled back, "DUNNO HERC, HAVE YOU ALREADY STARTED?"
Despite his obvious intoxication, Hercules shook his head with a maniac grin. "YOU'RE ON!" Alex shouted with a smirk, "You game, John?"
John winked, "You bet I am, Hamilton."
A raised eyebrow told him all he needed to know- this was going to be a competition, and one he wasn't sure he'd win.