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If Alexander Hamilton had to describe his first impression of Thomas Jefferson in a few words, he would have to get a thesaurus to find stronger words for obnoxious, annoying, and arrogant. For the most part, his college experience up to that point had been decent, good even. He showed up a few days early and moved what little possessions he had into his new dorm room. His roommate had not yet shown up, so he had his pick of the two, dingy beds. It wasn't glamorous, but it is by far more than he's ever had before.
After putting his things away in the dresser on what he will now call his side of the room, he went to go and get some dorm building coffee. He promptly decided that dorm building coffee is the work of some being more evil than Satan, and promptly threw it out. After that, he walked around outside a bit, finding a few nice places that he could sit outside when he wanted to study out of the library. He quickly decided to go back inside after seeing all the bittersweet partings that his fellow students were having with their families.
When he entered his dorm room again was when things decidedly went to utter shit.
Now, the thing about Alexander is that he doesn't always have the best brain to mouth filter. Anyone that spends more than a few hours with him will learn that quickly. Whatever part of his brain that is supposed to keep him from saying a bunch of stupid shit doesn't work properly or something. So, when he walks into the dorm room to see the person that he will have to be living with for the next year he says something extremely stupid.
"Floof." Now, it wasn't like he didn't know how to introduce himself to make a good impression. He's gotten very good at charming people to get them to like him. He has to in order to get where he is today. But, the thing is, Alexander also happens to be very gay a lot of the time. And, his dorm mate happens to be a very cute boy.
Despite all of that, he still manages to just point out the levels of floof of the other boy's hair.
Now, let's not be mistaken here, the other boy's hair is very floofy. It is a very prominent feature. However, that doesn't mean that he can just go around and point that out. And yet there he was, standing in the dorm room and being looked at like he's an idiot.
"Excuse me?" The boy asked, his look of confusion changing to one of annoyance and arrogance. It was probably right then and there that Alexander decided that he did not like his dorm mate in the slightest.
"I...I meant hi." Alexander said with a soft tremor to his voice. If he had known the absolute shitstorm that was about to hit, maybe he would've been more eloquent, maybe he would've apologized. But then again, if he could go back in time he probably would've said something snarky so he could've dealt the first blow to Jefferson.
"You meant hi? That's how you say hello to someone you've just met? Were you ever taught how to introduce yourself in whatever hole you crawled out of? Or do you just say things about people that you meet? Should I have just said short to you? Or maybe dull. I'm not sure which one if your most prominent feature at the moment." The words dealt to him were biting, clearly meaning to hurt and leave Alexander without anything to say in return based on the smug look on his dorm mate's face.
However, Alexander Hamilton is not a man to be left with no words.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't told that my dorm mate would be fluent in asshole. It sounds like it's your native language." Hamilton threw back, his whole body tense and looking as if he's ready to jump up and fight if he needs to. However, the other boy doesn't snap back, just growls and stalks back over to the box of school supplies that he was unpacking before Alexander walked in.
Alexander stays there for a few moments, glaring before deciding to let the matter go for now and walk over to the desk in the dorm room that he's claimed as his own. It doesn't have much on it yet (though, it will no doubt soon be covered in papers and sticky notes). It has his used laptop that barely runs but it happens to be all he can afford. There's a few pencils and pens, and a few packs of paper and post its on corner of the desk.
A quick side glance tells him that his dorm mate either hasn't got anything to put on the desk, which is unlikely due to the amount of stuff the other boy has and the expensive looking clothes that are half unpacked, or just hasn't gotten around to putting things on the desk. There is only one thing on the desk, a student ID. And that ID shows him that his dorm mate is called Thomas Jefferson.
A pompus name for a pompus dickwad.
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It turns out, living with someone you hate never really gets easier. For one, Jefferson has a shitty taste in music. The absolute worst pop music played at all hours without headphones. Asking him to turn it down just results in it being turned up. Hamilton has been planning on destroying every speaker that Jefferson owns, but that requires him having some kind of backup plan if he gets blamed.
Another thing is the fact that Jefferson is a morning person. A cheery, loud morning person that has no respect for people that had gone to bed thirty minutes ago. It’s absolutely horrible and Hamilton has threatened to strangle the taller student many times. And then, Jefferson had the nerve to call him out one night on staying up late and making too much noise. Some people have papers to write and scholarships to keep, unlike others who are just in college because of their money.
There’s also the time that Jefferson looked so shocked upon finding out that Alexander is fluent in French. Like the pompus dickwad thought that just because he didn’t go to some fancy private school he couldn’t know French. What an asshole.
But by far the worst thing that Thomas Jefferson has ever done, is infiltrate his friend group.
On the second night of school, Hamilton decided to go to his first college party. And at that party he met a few people. Three boys one year ahead of him that saved him from getting his ass kicked by a group of seniors. They managed to get him out of harm’s way and a drink in his hand that probably had more alcohol in each sip than he had consumed in his entire life. Then, the boys got to introducing themselves.
“John Laurens, art major.” Said the boy with the mess of freckles and curly hair pulled out of his face. Upon seeing the look on Alexander’s face John grimaced, slumping his shoulders and looking defeated. “Yeah, the homophobic politician Laurens. That’s my dad. You should’ve seen how he acted when I told him I was majoring in art and in a relationship with two guys.”
Alexander decided that he liked John then.
“Lafayette, history major” The next one said in a thick french accent. Alexander wasn’t completely sure what it was about Lafayette, but the taller student had something about him that made a person want to trust him.
“Hercules Mulligan, textile design major.” The last one introduced himself with a bit of apprehension in his eyes, seeming ready to defend himself if his choice of major is questioned. However, Hamilton isn’t one to judge on things like that. After all, what does he have to judge when it comes to other people's’ lives?
“Alexander Hamilton, I’m studying pre law and I’m on a full scholarship. Just moved to America to go here, actually. I wrote an essay, a really good one I guess since the school wanted me here after I sent it in. Actually I….” Alexander trails off then, looking at the group of boys who are now staring at him. He quickly realizes that he has been rambling to these people that hardly even know him, and all his confidence suddenly disappears as he looks down at his hands.
“Oh, I’m rambling. I’m sorry, I said too much didn’t I? I’ve never really had a group of people to talk to before. I won’t do it again.” Hamilton manages to look up at the trio then, seeing them all smiling at him fondly.
“Nah, You’ll fit in just fine with us, Alexander.” John says, the other two nodding and starting up conversations about their interests in clubs outside of classes.
Now, having a group of friends to spend time with is actually pretty great. They remind him to take breaks from studying sometimes and help him get into mischief that seems like a part of the college experience. When Lafayette mentioned bringing a friend to hang out with them one day, he didn’t think anything of it beyond Lafayette wanting to hang out with all of them.
But then Jefferson showed up.
Honestly, it’s a wonder that they didn’t start trading blows right then and there. The only thing keeping them from that is no doubt the presence of the other members of the trio standing in the way of them. Instead, they both looked to Lafayette, a bit helplessly in all honesty. When the frenchman offered no explanation they turned back to each other and took up their normal defensive postures.
“You.” Jefferson spat, eyes narrowing as he looks down at Hamilton.
“You.” Hamilton snarls back, seeming to try to make himself bigger to match Jefferson’s height on him.
Seeming to sense that they were about to come to blows, Lafayette steps in between his two friends, while Laurens and Mulligan get ready to pull them off each other if need be. However, once their line of sight is broken both of them relax and back down, walking a bit away from each other and still seeming ready to snap at the smallest comment.
“So, Thomas is your hated dorm mate then, Alexander?” Lafayette asks, looking a bit lost at how this night had gone badly so quickly. Before Alexander could answer though, Jefferson cut in.
“Lafayette, I thought you had better taste in friends than people like him. Honestly, how do any of you stand being around him willingly?” Jefferson has the utmost disdain in his voice when talking about Alexander, glaring at said man as they all begin to walk towards the bar.
“Watch your mouth, Jefferson.” Laurens speaks up, though being a bit smaller than the Virginian he still shows no fear when defending Alexander. For that, Alex is pretty damn grateful.
The venom in Laurens’ tone seems to be enough to stop any further comments until they get to the bar, and once they get to drinking? The atmosphere seems to relax as much as it can with Alexander and Jefferson in the same space. That is mostly achieved by seating them as far away from each other as possible, and keeping them distracted from each other.
As more drinks are downed though, it becomes harder and harder to keep them separated. The inevitable yelling match that breaks out nearly leads to a very drunk Hamilton smashing his beer bottle on the table and challenging Jefferson to a fist fight. Once again, that is only stopped by Lafayette (who really should consider some kind of model UN club for how good he is at breaking them up) and they all manage to stumble out of the bar before they’re kicked out.
None of the trio seem too horribly content leaving Alexander and Jefferson at the dorms alone but they don’t have much of a choice, both of them getting instructions to go to bed and try their best not to kill each other once they get into their room.
They drunkenly stumble up the stairs together and, through their combined efforts, get the door open, both of them stepping inside only to have Alexander slammed onto the door. The noise that makes should’ve been enough to wake someone up but by some miracle of god it doesn’t. Any shout of annoyance or pain that Alexander might’ve made is cut off by a fierce kiss that has Alexander grasping up-
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“ALEXANDER!” Thomas yells from the doorway, giving his husband a seething glare from there.
The scene is actually pretty cute, Alexander sitting in a chair by the fire with three kids sitting on the floor around him. There’s a Christmas tree nearby and the smell of pine fills the room, since Alexander insists that real Christmas trees are the only real way to celebrate instead of a fake tree. There’s a fire nearby, warming up the sitting room. All of the kids are looking up at their father, looking anxious to hear the next part of the story.
Said father looks to his husband and smiles, seeming to look the picture of innocence.
“What’s wrong Thomas? I was just telling the children about how we got together.” Alexander gestures down to the children as if to prove his point as Thomas walks further into the room, rolling his eyes at his husband.
“Did you really hate dad that much papa?” Their youngest boy asks, looking up at his other father with wide eyes.
“Of course they didn’t hate each other! Dad is just zagerating.” The oldest boy says, though oldest is only eight years old.
“Shhh, be quiet! I wanna know what happens next!” Their one daughter hisses, swatting at her younger brother’s arm and looking back up at Alexander.
Thomas can’t help but smile fondly at the two’s arguing, though he can’t let this story go on for much longer.
“I think that’s enough story for tonight kids. You’ve all got to get to bed if you want Santa to come tonight!” At that all the kids scramble up and seem to race to the stairs to go and get ready.
“Come on Thomas, I wasn’t really going to tell them how you kissed me all the way over to the bed and then-”
“NO ALEXANDER!”
At that, Alexander stands up and smiles, giving Jefferson a kiss on the nose before starting to walk towards the stairs to help the kids get ready.
Jefferson smiles fondly at his husband once the shorter man’s back is turned, shaking his head fondly and chuckling to himself as he clears up the small mess the children left behind.
“An absolute terror, how do I put up with him?”