Work Text:
Thomas shuddered and pulled his coat closer around him. Past 6 pm wasn’t really a good time to be outside during this season but frankly, Christmas Eve wasn’t really a time to go into the office in general. He didn’t really have a choice though if he didn’t want Washington to kick his ass, so he couldn’t drive down to his family and just leave the unfinished project on his desk.
It felt odd to walk through the entirely empty hallways, the whirring of the lights he’d just turned on was the only sound that accompanied his steps echoing through the empty building. Well, up until a sneeze disrupted the almost creepy quiet, making Thomas jump, then pant in an effort to regain his breath.
His curiosity sparked, he made his way to the office the sudden sound must’ve come from. He found himself in the doorway of Hamilton’s office. He really shouldn’t be surprised, if anyone in this office would work through Christmas, it was Hamilton.
That guy would rather work himself to death rather than take a break, but Thomas has suspected Washington wouldn’t let his favorite employee work over the holidays, as he had to threaten him into taking his legally required vacation days last year, but even then Thomas was pretty sure Hamilton must’ve accomplished more from home than most people who worked in the office.
Still, something didn’t feel right, seeing the man in front of him slumped over his desk, dark shadows under his eyes, strands of his long dark hair falling out of his ponytail. Hamilton had always had a slim frame but right now he seemed so frail, Thomas had a feeling he would pass out any moment.
“Uhm, Hamilton?” Thomas said hesitantly, breaking the silence and startling the other man, who knocked over a paper cup that had been perched on his desk next to his laptop. Hamilton cursed and rushed to pick it back up before realizing it was empty. He froze in his actions and looked up for the first time since Thomas had entered the room.
“What the fuc- Jefferson?” Hamilton looked at him in disbelief before pulling himself together. “What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped at Thomas, who did want to be annoyed, who would love to resume their usual bickering, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
“I’m just here to pick something up, but what are you doing here?” he said, speaking in a neutral tone, trying to ignore the worry nagging him when he looked at Hamilton again. He did not need to care about his “enemy” right now, he needed to grab his papers and go. Then why was there an uneasy feeling in his stomach when he watched the other man turn his gaze back down to his computer screen?
“I’m working, duh,” Hamilton replied, though the irritated edge on his voice had disappeared, and Thomas caught himself thinking this was even worse, seeing his coworker, his rival so… defeated. He swallowed the lump in his throat, speaking up again.
“I know I’m probably the last person you want to ask you but, are you okay? You don’t look… great.”
Hamilton let out a snort, looking back up at Thomas, his eyes tired, even with a forced looking smirk on his face. “Thanks for the compliment.”
Thomas grew more and more uncomfortable, he wasn’t used to this dynamic between him and Hamilton. He was used to insults, yelling and red heads. But the warmth he could feel spreading across his cheeks now had nothing to do with the familiar argument. He looked down leaning against the doorframe, trying to choose his words carefully when he spoke up again.
“I just mean you look… exhausted. And you don’t seem like you plan on stopping to work any time soon, and it’s Christmas eve, even a guy like you should take a break today.” He kept his eyes on the carpet, not wanting to have to look Hamilton in the eye after saying that. Goddamn, he basically just admitted that a part of him, that he did not understand at all, actually cared about the man that he was known to hate, to disagree on everything with.
“Pff, to do what?” Hamilton snorted, his tone more cold, but still different from their usual exchanges. He dared to look up to see the other man staring at his laptop, not moving a finger or actually focusing on the screen, and Thomas felt something like a jolt in his chest. Yes, they were technically rivals, but Hamilton looked so defensive and almost pathetic. Thomas sighed.
“Do what pretty much everyone else does over the holidays? Use their days off, go home, see their family… not work?” Thomas relaxed a bit more, though still treading carefully, but he trusted Hamilton not to be suspicious of why they were having this conversation. He felt like he really didn't want the other man to question it, mainly because he wasn't sure himself.
Hamilton replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, his eyes not meeting Thomas's, “Mh, yeah you're right. I really should stop working and celebrate Christmas with my family because, as you know, I totally have one of those.”
Thomas's stomach dropped. God, he really was an idiot. Hamilton did not like to talk about it but it was common knowledge that the guy had lost all of his family at a young age, and Thomas really just told the guy he should stop working and spend time with his family.
Hamilton kept talking while Thomas beat himself up for what he'd said, the sarcastic tone not leaving his voice.
“Yeah, thank you so much for reminding me. It's totally not like I've been actively avoiding being home today because an empty flat is oh so nice to be in.” It may just be wishful thinking but Thomas was quite sure his words had lost some of their sharp edge towards the end.
But that didn’t mean that Hamilton didn’t just admit to being hurt and Gosh, Thomas was the biggest idiot in the world. He wanted to apologize, admit he fucked up, and somehow help the other man feel better, but any thought that ran through his head didn’t sound good enough to say and the silence that settled in the room felt suffocating. Thomas could feel the lump in his throat and thought that he had to say something because whether he admits it to himself or not, he cared about Hamilton and it felt impossible, so wrong to just move on now. No, he had to speak up.
“Look, Hamilton, I’m an idiot. I’m sorry, I feel terrible for bringing that up. I completely forgot.” In the second before Hamilton looked up from his screen, the knot that had formed in his stomach pulled tighter and tighter, until the other man met his eyes with a smirk on his face.
“You? An idiot? Damn, Jefferson, I think we might actually agree on something.” he replied, more his usual than he’d been during this entire conversation, even though his words lacked their usual bite. Thomas let out a breath, relieved that Hamilton was okay and that even if he may have picked up on the fact that Thomas at least slightly cared about the man in front of him, he didn’t seem taken aback by it.
“Uhm, you know, I’m actually alone tonight too because I’m driving down tomorrow. Do you maybe wanna… come over for dinner? You seem like you haven’t eaten in a bit.”
To his relief, Hamilton chuckled and said “I mean, you’re not wrong. And that sounds nice actually.”
“Uh, great. I just need to grab something from my office, I'll be right back.”
Hamilton hummed in response, returning his laptop. Before Thomas left the room, he took a quick look back at him, his stomach flipping a little at the sight of the smile on the other man's face.
“You can call me Alex by the way.” Ham- Alex said without looking up from his screen, and Thomas felt the heat rise in his cheeks. “Uh, sure, Alex,” he replied, grateful to have a reason to leave the room and calm down a little.