Chapter Text
James was a calm, collected person. He thought out every argument and examined every point of view. He knew the opposition’s argument better than they did. He knew every single hole, every single weakness. He could turn their strengths into their weaknesses with ease. Even his opponents said he was always the most prepared for any debate, and he could not, for all his modesty and shyness, find it in himself to disagree.
James was always a cool, collected, and reserved person. There was only one human who could turn him into a stuttering, blushing mess. Only one person who could fluster James into submission, even when he knew he was right. And that person was Thomas Jefferson, a flamboyant, rude, pain in the ass who annoyed every single person he knew to their wits’ end.
At least, that was what James was thinking about in history class as Thomas and Alexander Hamilton argued about who was better, Theodore or Franklin Roosevelt. James could not even contribute because he was so taken in by Thomas. The way his curly hair bounced into his face when he got angry, or how Thomas’s large, dark eyes sparkled with anger and intelligence. The way he moved his hands in a whirlwind around him when he spoke. How his crisp, clear voice rang out, contrasting with Alex’s slightly deeper one. Even the way he scowled at Alex, with furrowed eyebrows and lips pursed together, desperately trying to keep himself from interrupting his opponent. He barely even registered what Alex was saying. James was absolutely starstruck.
He was hopelessly entranced by the man, James realized reluctantly.
Finally, a deep voice cut into the argument, making both Alex and Thomas shiver and face their teacher.
“Boys, while I appreciate your love of history, I must remind you that we are not even close to learning about either of the Roosevelts yet. We are studying the Civil War. Save it for another day.” Mr. Washington spoke with deliberate calm, as if his temper was just about to get the better of him.
“Yes sir” both students slumped back into their seats in a way that made James bite back a chuckle. They had vastly different principles, and would claim to be polar opposites, yet they were more similar than they realized. They were both passionate about what they believed in, and determined to make it happen. They were both confident and loud in a way that James could never be.
The bell signaling the end of class finally rang. As the students packed their backpacks, Washington assigned homework:
“There is nothing to do except study for the test next class. Have a good day class.”
“Thanks Mr. Washington” James almost whispered as he scurried out of the room.
He thought he was safe when he came face to face with Thomas in the hallway, a smirk permanently plastered on his face.
“Hey James, have you had English yet?”
James almost stopped breathing as Thomas began to walk in step beside him.
“No, why?” James let out a shaky breath and prayed the beautiful boy beside him had not noticed.
“Oh, I was wondering how the test went. Dr. Franklin’s tests befuddle me to know end.”
Befuddled? What a strange thing to say, yet it rolled off his tongue like it was an everyday word. James knew this had to stop. He had to pull himself together and subdue the butterflies in his stomach. Thomas was just an everyday person, just like him. He was not perfect or Godlike. Hell, Thomas even annoyed him at times, especially when he fought with Alex. Their rivalry was absolutely ridiculous. There was this one time they argued about which brand of slipper socks was more fuzzy. James tried to maintain his cool. What else did he not like about Jefferson? He flirts with every girl, even Angelica Schuyler, who punched him the last time he tried to make a move on her. He has a very odd friendship with John Adams. They can go from fighting and bad mouthing each other to being best friends the next day. James did not need a person in his life like that. Did He? James groaned internally. Why couldn’t he make this feeling stop?
“Yo, James? You in there?” Thomas waved his hand in front of James’s face.
“What?” asked James, jerking himself from his thoughts. He realized they had stopped at Thomas’s locker.
“Before I forget, can you help me study for Washington’s test, I really want to beat Alex’s score this time.”
James bit back an irritated sigh.
“Yeah, of course. Whatever you need.”
“Cool! Here’s my number, I will text you the address.” Thomas started jotting down his number on James’s hand. It took James a minute to breathe again. His brain refused to function and only could muster “He is touching me oh my goodness, oh my goodness.”
James sat down in his next class, math with Mr. Lee, the most incompetent teacher on the face of the earth. Before Mr. Lee walked in. He typed the number into his contacts and texted:
James: Hey it’s James
TJeff: Hey the address is 413 Monticello Ave. See you tonight ;)
James was briefly confused about the winking face, but he played it no mind. There is no way Thomas Jefferson could possibly mean it suggestively. He was smart, bold, and popular. He would never go for a quiet and shy guy like James. Hell, he didn’t even know if Thomas was attracted to guys. He found it unlikely, given all the flirting he did was with the opposite gender. James sighed. “Why are all the hot guys straight?” His irritated brain asked.
“Hey, James, are you ok?” Aaron Burr was looking at him with a concerned look in his eyes. “You were staring into space, are you alright?”
“Yeah I’m fine” James smiled at Aaron as Mr. Lee walked into the room. He might be able to become friends with guy he had a crush on. What could possibly go wrong?