Work Text:
Jefferson and Madison were chained up against the ships walls. They had signed the Declaration of Independence a few days prior and were captured by the redcoats. Jefferson was fatigued, but he refused to fall asleep.
Madison was on the other side of the room, his breath wheezy. He had been in a lethargic state when they were first taken, and the sea breeze had only seemed to make it worse. Jefferson's heart clenched as Madison coughed, waking up slightly to spit out mucus, before passing out again, his breath even more labored than the first time that the man had fallen asleep from the excessive coughing.
An hour had passed from the last time Madison woke up from a coughing fit, and two redcoats yanked Madison to his feet, laughing as they pushed him between each other, sneering at him as he stumbled.
"Don't touch him! He's sick!" Jefferson yelled, fighting the four redcoats that yanked him up, "You're going to hurt him!"
Madison coughed, stumbling. Every time he was about to fall, the other redcoat would push him up and to the other one, jeering and making crude comments about Madison. "He'd be nice if he wasn't so crippled."
Jefferson tried to yank out of the four redcoats' grip, only resulting in them laughing at him, and gaining a punch to the ribcage, knocking the wind out of his body with a loud whooshing sound. He wanted to help Madison, but it seemed that he wouldn't get the chance to do so until they came to the palace, which partially, Jefferson was relieved was close to the dock, but was extremely anxious of what would happen when they got there.
~~~
Surprisingly, they weren't sent straight to the King, or straight to somewhere they could be questioned, but put into a dungeon. Madison was pushed to the floor, his head cracking on the stone, and Jefferson rushed forwards as blood trickled from his head. Madison coughed up blood.
Jefferson turned to the gate to yell at the redcoats for hurting Madison, but they were already gone. Jefferson turned back to the coughing Madison and scooped him into his arms, "Hey, hey, stay with me."
Madison looked at Jefferson, coughing, wheezing for breath. The head injury seemed to be the final straw. "Jefferson."
Jefferson held Madison, muttering under his breath, "Breathe. Breathe, Madison, breathe!"
"Jefferson." Madison wheezed, trying to get the older man's attention. "Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson. Jeffy." The last nickname made Jefferson look at Madison with his full attention, and Madison spoke again, wheezing every few words, "Tell the people- If you make it out- Tell them Hamilton is a- a prick for me."
"No, you'll tell them. We'll get out and you'll tell them!" Jefferson said, running his hand over Madison's reddening cheek, "We'll tell them that together, Maddy. Me and you, we're going to grow with this country. We're going to see it thrive."
"Not me," Madison wheezed, "You will. Promise me- Promise me to make fun of- make fun of Hamilton in my name," He tried to breathe, but the air simply wouldn't come, and he turned pale, "Promise me."
"I promise. Madison. James. I have to tell you this- I can't let you die without knowing-" Jefferson's voice cracked, holding him tighter, pressing his forehead against Madison's, "I love you. I've loved you since the day we met."
Madison smiled weakly, "I love you too..."
Jefferson leaned forwards, brushing his lips against Madison's, his tears falling onto his face, "Please, don't go..."
"I'm sorry," Madison apologized, his eyes glossing over and his voice getting quieter. His fingers went limp, "I'm so sorry. I should've told you that I love you ages ago... I love-" The sentence went forever unfinished as his eyes stopped moving, staring blankly at Thomas.
Thomas let out a screaming wail, "JAMES! COME BACK!" He held James body tight, and sobbed.
~~~
The redcoat that found him sobbing over James' dead body scoffed, "Damnit. Fucking useless." He muttered, walking out of the hallway and returning moments later with a musket, "Damn them for not getting a nurse."
Thomas looked up as the musket was aimed directly at his face. His eyes shone with tears, but he didn't show any fear as the trigger was pulled.
The bang echoed through the entire castle, and Thomas fell limp onto James' body, blood pooling from his head and onto the floor around them. The redcoat walked away from the scent of blood and death, putting the musket away and going on about his day, leaving the two estranged lovers on the floor.
Their symphony.
Their legacy would live on for hundreds of years, but they wouldn't.
Their lives together were gone before it even started, taken from the very hands that the both had sworn to destroy and never speak of again.
END