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Alex was so engrossed in his work that he barely noticed AJ standing in front of his desk. It was only his years as a father, which required him to be prepared for anything, that allowed Alex to pull himself from his work. AJ looked nervous, his fingers tangled with each other and tugging slightly in a habit he had learned from Alex. It was odd to see, AJ hardly ever got nervous in this visible of a fashion since he had started high school.
“Hey, buddy,” Alex greeted slightly absently, since mostly focused on the proposal he was writing. He didn’t need to present it to the President for another few weeks, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.
AJ hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking up, “I need some advice, dad.”
Alex saved his document and gently shut his laptop, showing his son that he had his father’s full attention.
“What is it, AJ?”
“Well,” AJ said, looking down at his hands and, as if just noticing that he was fidgeting, unwrapping his fingers from their bundle, “So, senior prom is coming up.”
Alex had to stop himself from grinning. So, that was what AJ was worried about. He’d been dating a girl for a couple years now and still all Alex and Eliza knew was that her name was Harper and she wanted to be a psychiatrist. They had never seen a picture of her, let alone met her, but the way AJ’s whole face lit up when she called was indication enough that she was probably amazing. Hamiltons tended to attract and be attracted to people who were of a high caliber. Eliza always joked that Alex had passed on his overachieving genes to all seven kids.
“You want to ask Harper,” Alex completed.
AJ nodded, “I just...don’t know how to ask. I mean, how do you even ask that kind of thing?”
“Have you talked to Philip?” asked Alex.
“That would be completely unhelpful,” AJ replied, rolling his eyes, “Philip had about fifteen girls ask him to go to prom, he didn’t need to go through this. And,” he continued on, “don’t ask me if I’ve talked to Angie. She took Philip .”
“Touche,” Alex laughed, “So what’s the problem?”
“What if...what if Harper doesn’t want to go?”
“Of course Harper will want to go, she’s your girlfriend,” Alex soothed, “Not that I’m saying she only wants to go because of that.”
“Harper’s not my girlfriend,” AJ mumbled, looking away.
“Okay,” agreed Alex easily, “but you’ve been dating for, what, two years?”
“Two years next week,” responded AJ, that small, smitten smile making an appearance.
It was, Alex thought, absolutely adorable.
“Nearly two years, then,” he continued on, “It doesn’t have to be some kind of big pronouncement in front of the whole school, regardless of what they always show in the movies. Flowers!” Alex said with a grin, “No girl alive can resist a big bouquet of flowers.”
“I don’t think--” AJ began, but Alex was on a roll now.
“Roses, definitely not roses that’s too cliche,” he was musing, “How about flowers that are the same color as Harper’s eyes? I’m sure she’d love--”
“Harper is a guy!”
Alex stalled mid sentence, his grin fading into a look of confusion, “What?”
“Harper isn’t my girlfriend,” AJ said, “He’s my boyfriend. I think that I’m,” he paused and swallowed, “No, I know it,” the boy let out a gust of air, “Dad, I’m gay.”
AJ’s hands were thrust deep into his pockets and his face was turned to the floor. He seemed to be wincing, as if waiting for some kind of explosion. The closed off expression only became more pinched when Alex rose and walked around the desk to stand beside him.
“AJ, look at me,” Alex commanded softly.
The boy complied slowly, his body tensed and ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Slowly, so as to show his intent, Alex wrapped his arms around AJ, pulling his son into a tight hug. AJ leaned into him, burying his face in the crook of Alex’s neck with a small sobbing sound, his body relaxing bit by bit. Alex made a soothing, hushing noise and squeezed his son tighter.
“I am so proud of you for telling me,” hummed Alex, “That took a lot of guts. You know that I fully support LGBT rights, you didn’t have to wait until you felt like you were going to explode to tell me.”
“I know,” AJ sighed out, “but Harper’s parents are also big supporters, but when he came out, his dad wanted to kick him out and nearly beat him and--” It dissolved into a small sob.
Alex felt the moisture of tears dampening his shirt collar and he squeezed AJ even tighter, rocking slightly the way he used to when the kids had been babies, his way of soothing them and getting them to sleep.
“There was never any reason to tell you guys this,” Alex said after a moment, “but I’m actually bisexual.”
“Does mom know?” AJ murmured, his voice slightly watery.
Alex chuckled, “Of course she knows. You know, I wasn’t actually single when I first met your mom. I was dating your Uncle Laurens at the time.”
“Really?” asked AJ with another sniffle.
“Really,” Alex confirmed, “Well, I say dating , but it was more like we were--”
“Ew dad, stop right there, I get it,” laughed AJ, pushing him away playfully.
Alex allowed AJ to slip from his arms, but kept a light grasp on his son’s forearms.
“I’m happy for you,” he said seriously, “That you’ve figured yourself out, that you’ve found someone like Harper who makes you so obviously happy.”
AJ smiled crookedly, reaching up to wipe the tear track from his cheeks, “Thanks, dad.”
“So does this mean that we finally get to meet him?” asked Alex hopefully.
“I guess.”
“Your mother is going to want tons of pictures before you go to prom,” Alex said resolutely, “Oh! Do you want to tell your mother and your siblings or do you want me to?”
“Angie already knows,” AJ muttered, “because she’s too smart for her own good. So I’m sure Philip does too,” he let out a shuddering sigh, “I’ll tell mom.”
“Okay,” Alex agreed, releasing AJ with a bright smile, returning to his desk chair and flipping his laptop back open.
“Oh, AJ?” Alex called out and boy turned, his hand on the doorknob of Alex’s home office, “I love you, buddy.”