Work Text:
From: Marty J.
Hey! I know it's a bit last minute, but I feel like we should get out project wrapped up tonight, so we can sand off any rough edges tomorrow afternoon! You guys up for it?
Phillip was staring at the text for the umpteenth time. It was absolutely puzzling to him. At 3:15 A.M., Marty Jefferson had sent out a text to the group chat, imploring her classmates to aid her with their shared science project. Normally, Phillip would immediately have refused the invitation. His mother would be scandalized by the idea of her son out at this hour of the morning, and his father at that of him hanging out with a Jefferson. Combine the two forbidden scenarios, and you're left with what Phillip was struggling to refuse. It wasn't that he was thrilled of sneaking out to hang out with the daughter of his father's mortal enemy (even if Will, Frances, and Georges had agreed to be there). It was the thought of who else would be showing up. He stared at the message underneath Marty's.
From: Theo B.
Marty are you asking me to sneak out of my house and away from my overprotective father just to finish a project?
From: Theo B.
Because YES
Cheesy as it was, Phillip could have sworn he felt his heart swell just a little at the thought of Theodosia Burr. Sweet, kind, opinionated, no-nonsense Theodosia Burr. He wrinkled his nose and made a mental note to separate the sappy poetry from real life. Whether or not he's waxing poetic, he couldn't help smiling as he thought of the bright flare in her dark eyes, the slightly smug laughter in her smile, the melodious tones of her voice, strong and supple. There was no hiding it. As Frances had teasingly put it recently, he had it pretty damn bad for Theodosia.
To: Marty J.
I'm on my way!
He swallowed the apprehension in his gut and climbed onto the fire escape, shoving his phone into his bag and beginning his descent into the humid summer night.
-------
John greeted him at the door to Marty's house, looking somewhat frazzled. Phillip guessed he's just one of those people who becomes empty and confused after 2 A.M. The two were left staring at each other awkwardly for a minute, not quite knowing what to say. After all, Hey, my dad hates your family's guts! didn't seem like it'd be an appropriate conversation starter. Just as Phillip thought he might die of embarrassment, Frances swooped in to rescue him.
"Come on, guys," she announced, patting them each on the back. "The sooner we're done with this, the sooner we can go home." The two boys simply nodded and followed her as she made her way to the Jeffersons' family room, where Will, Marty, Theo, and Georges were heatedly discussing which font their research paper should be in.
"We are not putting our paper in comic sans!" Theo sounded exhausted and exasperated, and Marty hummed and nodded in agreement on the couch beside her. Georges and Will, on the other hand, were snickering and elbowing each other in the sides. Phillip sauntered over and flopped onto the couch beside the two, casually slinging his arms around them.
"Lay off, you meme-loving shits," he drawls playfully, ruffling their hair. Amidst Georges' cackling and Will's pouts, he sees Theo staring at him with a slight smirk, gratefulness shining in her gaze. He feels a blush coming on and looks away, opting instead to pull out his laptop and open the document they're working on. The rest of the group follows his example, and they silently get to work.
The work in relative quiet for about an hour, alone with the sound of tapping keys. Occasionally, someone will break the silence to ask what format they're using on the works cited page, or to say something like, "For the last time, Frances, 'Expand Dong' is not part of the scientific method!". They work until there's two sentences left in the presentation, and they feel like they might go mad if they here the name of one more seventeenth-century scientist. Finally, it's Theo who breaks the silence, having finished her portion of the work. She's scrolling through Fandango on her phone.
Without looking up, she asks, "Anyone wanna see Suicide Squad on Friday?" All the gets is murmurs and grunts, so she repeats her question. This time, she gets a few definitive answers and some maybes. The only person who doesn't reply is Phillip, who's caught up in a very important train of thought (something along the lines of Oh my god Theo's invited my somewhere oh my god she wants to hang out with me but not me specifically but shit come on!. He snaps out of his serious reverie and flashes a grin at her.
"Yeah, sounds fun."
Theo laughs and begins to gather her things, satisfied with the evening. "Great then, see y'all Friday."
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Phillip gets home at 4:35 A.M., texting Marty as he climbs in from the fire escape. For someone he didn't know extremely well, she had been insistent that she know he made it home safely. As soon as the text was sent, Phillip flipped on the lights in his room, very nearly screaming at what awaited on his bed. A very awake, very pissed off Angie Hamilton sat on his bed, arms crossed and face stern.
"Say, Phillip," she asked in a firm, clipped tone. "Care to explain why you're out at 4 in the morning?"
He groaned. "It was for school." Angie scoffed. "No, I swear it was, listen-" He paused. "If I pay you will you not tell Mom and Dad?"
Angie appeared to think for a moment, before nodding. "Sure, if you want. I just want to know you're not doing anything stupid or illegal. Promise you're not?"
Phillip held up his pinkie. "Promise." He fished ten dollars out of his pocket. "Here, now go back too your room."
Angie got up and walked to the door. She stopped under the frame and pivoted. "Pip?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck with Theodosia!"
Phillip's retort sputtered on its way out, and before he could ask how, or why, she knew about Theo, Angie was out the door.