Chapter Text
The first time John meets Alexander, it’s his third day working front desk at the dance studio near his university. A small mop of curls peered over the counter, wide brown eyes locked with John’s. John smiled.
“Hey kiddo! Need something?”
The child nodded, wild hair falling out of his bun.
“My daddy hasn’t come to pick me up yet,” he says in a small voice. “Ms. Eliza said to ask you to call him.”
John’s eyes soften, “Oh my goodness. Can’t have that! Do you know his number, sweetheart?”
“Ms. Eliza says you can look it up on the computer. Is that okay? I forgot it.”
John’s heart clenched at the sweet request from the little boy in front of him. He was going to tear whoever hurt him apart.
“Okie dokie, what’s your daddy’s name, kiddo?”
“Alexander Hamilton!” The boy responded.
John sniffed a grin and turned to his computer. He found the number rather quickly. Eliza had it highlighted in red, signifying his habit of lateness.
“Pull up a chair, jelly bean. I’m gonna give him a call, see where he is.” The boy John now knew as Philip dragged a chair next to John’s and hopped up. He hummed quietly and kicked his feet while John punched the number into the desk phone. It rang a few times before a tight voice came through the receiver.
“Hamilton.”
John exhaled slowly, preparing himself for a potential fight.
“Good evening, Mr. Hamilton. This is John Laurens from Ballet of Sunshine. Your child’s class is finished and we were wondering if you are on your way?”
The voice on the other end started swearing in an odd mixture of Spanish and French and John pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment.
“I am so sorry, oh my god,” Mr. Hamilton started. “I got caught up in work, I’m at the cafe down the road. I’ll be there in five.” The line went dead.
John took a deep breath and paused before putting the phone back on the desk. What the fuck kind of whirlwind disaster did he just talk to? Shaking his head, John looked to the small boy next to him.
“Hey Philip, your dad is on the way!” John called, plastering another cheerful smile on his face.
Philip raised his head and locked his far too tired looking eyes with John’s.
“Work again?”
“He get caught up a lot?”
Philip nodded, far too solemn for his small frame.
“Yeah. It’s okay. He’s very, very important.”
All at once, John felt a weird camaraderie with this five year old, more than he did with even his coworkers. He got it. A workaholic dad, far too busy and important to deal with the inconvenience of children. Henry Laurens was the same. Throwing John aside, signing him up for every extracurricular and placing near unrealistic expectations onto his shoulders. John’s heart ached for this little boy, and was determined to give Alexander Hamilton a piece of his mind.
Both boys sat side by side, and were lost in thought when real life tornado Alexander stumbled into the studio. It is clear all at once that Hamilton is nothing like Henry Laurens.
“Oh my God, Pip. I am so sorry.” Hamilton ran to Philip and lifted him into a hug.
“Daddy, you’re squeezing me too hard,” Philip squeaked. The out of breath man didn’t let go immediately but when he did, he placed Philip next to him, hand making its way to the boy’s hair.
“Oh,” he laughed, a sound that should not have made butterflies erupt in John’s stomach. “Sorry, Pip.”
Alexander was getting far too comfortable with forgiveness, in John’s opinion. He cleared his throat, leveling his most intense glare at the other man.
Alexander only responded with the disarming grin of a man familiar with charming his way in and out of situations.
“Hi. John Laurens, right?” He extended his hand.
“Yes.” Tight. Displeased.
The tone made Alex stutter for a moment, blinking fast and dropping his hand. He recovered quickly enough, letting out a full body laugh.
“Lord, your disappointed glare is worse than ‘Liza’s. Is she still here? I’m sure she’d love a chance to yell at me again.”
John kept his arms crossed, ready to begin a lecture of his own but Philip cut in.
“She had to teach another class, daddy,” he said, moving his father’s gaze to him. Alexander visibly relaxed, grateful for the chance to avoid consequences for his slip up.
“Alexander. Hamilton.” Eliza’s voice was ice, standing in the doorway of the main studio. She matched John in crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows in clear disapproval.
“Fuck.” Alex’s shoulders went up to his ears, immediately defensive.
“How many times must we go over this?” Eliza scolded. “If you cannot finish your work in time to pick up your son, you should not have started it in the first place.”
Alex put his hands up in a placating manner and had the common sense to look sheepish. “I know, I know.”
“You know and yet you continue to do so, Alexander,” she continued. “That’s a bit worse don’t you think? I won’t hesitate to have Maria ban you from her shop again.”
Alex’s eyes went wide.
“Oh please don’t, she makes the best coffee and it’s the only place that carries apple cider donuts all year round,” he begged.
John started to feel a bit like an intruder as Eliza continued to upbraid Alex for being an “inconsiderate child”. It was clear to him that this was a far too common occurrence and he decided right then that he would not allow it to continue. That thought process was only strengthened when Philip wandered over to his side and placed his head on John’s leg. John pet Philip’s mop of curls, heart melting when Philip hummed.
“You okay, jelly bean?” he whispered.
Philip nodded, his small face twisting with a yawn.
“You’re new, Mr. John,” Philip said, smiling up at him. “This happens every week.”