Chapter Text
The snow was just beginning to fall. It was early but the winter sunset had already melted into the New York skyline, painting the sky a heather grey with the light of blue tinging it. December was heralded only by sleepy mornings, the smell of cinnamon wafting from every coffee shop and the bright lights that lit up the city in a more magical way than usual. Before this month Alexander hadn’t even thought it was possible for New York City, the greatest city in the world, to feel more magical than it already was. That was before he had experienced the Christmas anticipation, hot and tangible in the air. That was before he met Mr John Laurens.
John was wrapped up in a huge scarf that covered half of both his shoulders in its woolen embrace. His freckled nose poked out of the top of it, turning slightly pinker with every second that it was exposed to the cold. One hand was holding a steaming cup of coffee that had a distinct smell of mint coming from the top of the plastic lid, and the other has holding tightly onto Alex’s. He sipped slowly at his coffee, the mint hitting his tongue like the back flow of a wave over a beach while he listened to Alex chatter on about his day, his work and the city. He didn’t really need Alex to explain the sights of New York to him, he had his own eyes to see the floating stars plastered on every shop and streetlight and he’d been in New York to experience the Christmas season in the three years leading up to this moment but there was something comforting about having Alex by his side with his mouth running a mile a minute in his efforts to profess everything he thought of.
Alex made a particularly wide gesture with his own coffee cup (far more full than John’s as he barely stopped talking to drink it) and John smiled at him. Alex was happy here, happy in this moment, with him, and he could see it. The lights were making the snow behind his head glow in patterns of blue and red and he was really beautiful, smiling freely and talking passionately.
Alex noticed his boyfriend was staring at him with a smile that could almost be called dopey and stopped what he was currently ranting about (Burr’s distaste for the ludicrous decorations Jefferson had and how he didn’t want to agree with Burr but he had to). “What is it?”
“Nothing,” John grinned.
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you’re beautiful and happy. The fact that you’re so happy makes you more beautiful and I just -”
“Oh, Laurens, you’re not so bad yourself.”
John knocked against his side. “I was trying to have a moment here.”
“My apologies, my dear, do go on.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“But I’m your asshole.”
John’s smile did the impossible and softened even more. “I love you, bebita.”
“I love you too.”
Alex tugged at John’s oversized scarf and smiled into a kiss that tasted of Christmas; of cinnamon and mint and love, with the snow nestling on their shoulders and the feeling of home in their hearts.