Chapter Text
“Your being difficult.”
A wave of water entered James’ lungs, causing him to squirm and gurgle as he felt the water agonizingly drowning him from the inside. The towel tightly pressed to his face was forcefully yanked off, revealing the familiar environment of the rusty old barn he’d been living in for months, his two faceless captors standing infront of him. He took a deep breath as he choked and spat. “Please. I dont- I dont know!”
“Bullshit!”
One of them stepped forward, one hand pulling his hair to throw him backwards and the other hand pressing the towel back onto his face.
“Where is Washington’s army? what is he planning?”
“I dont know!”
“wrong answer.”
⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
He shot up from the bed, sweat running down his temples as spit formed around his mouth. He heaved a heavy breath when he realized it was just a dream. A dream that in its true form was a memory, but a dream nonetheless. It took years for James Madison to realize he was no longer a prisoner of war. No longer ransom strapped to a chair in an abandoned barn in the middle of the woods.
Normally after his initial shock would wear off, he’d attempt to calm himself down. He’d often go on short walks around his house, grab a glass of water or look at the darkness of the night outside his window. But it wasn’t enough to stop the visions. the memories. He never liked to talk about it. Every time he’d try he’d remember the fear he felt whenever the men in the red coats would berate him with threats and questions he couldn’t answer.
He would instinctively brush his hand over the healing bruises on his arms or around his neck, and remind himself that he was no longer just ransom. Every other prisoner of war was released before he was—like he was last in the line of priority. Another thing he never liked to talk about. He would often find himself having a hard time sitting down, constantly shifting his legs to make sure they werent tied, pressing his lips together to make sure his mouth wasnt taped shut, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasnt being watched.
He was subtle about his habits, the only person knowing about them being Thomas. Thomas.
he was startled by an obnoxiously loud knock on his bedroom door. “James? Hey, i know your awake. Get up and get your stuff, i parked my car on the sidewalk so you might wanna hurry up”
Thomas had a habit of sneaking into his house at the crack of dawn—taking advantage of the key James carelessly left under the doormat—to drag him out to what was normally a very early, and often heavy breakfast.
He drouzily dragged out of bed to his desk, stuffing all his papers from his desk onto his open briefcase. “Ugh, you wont BELIEVE the night ive had. I could barely get any—Hey! you better be almost done in there!” The knocks grew more insistent as James rushed. “Im coming! Im coming!” He hurriedly grabbed his coat off the rack, spritzed on his cologne and jumped into his shoes.
“Cmon! I wanna grab a table by the window that way i can watch the people from the outside watch the people from the inside and wonder how we got reservations at such a high class—”
James swung open the door. “Your very chatty today.” “Only because ive been dying to complain about last night’s disaster!”
Thomas talked his ear off from the room to the front door, to the car haphazardly parked on the sidewalk, all the way down the street across the junction to the continental, the restaurant they frequented every morning before venturing to their office just down the street. The building itself was overwhelmingly tall but had a warm and welcoming feel. The inside resembled that of a cheesecake factory, the tuscan furniture accompanied with the tall water fountain in the middle of every floor created a soft ambiance that James was fond of. The pair often sat on the second floor next to the window that would give them a clear view of the central park when the sun would rise.
The perk of sitting by the window gave James the opportunity to observe the outside view while Thomas made mountains out of molehills from his latest problems. “Do you know how delicate silk is? i oughta fire that maid. I bought that gown from the most expensive store in Versailles and now there is a big black hole where my ass would be.”
He noticed he was being ignored and scowled, snapping his fingers infront of James wandering eyes. “Hey. Ya’ listening?”
“Yeah, Yeah—sorry i just didnt sleep very well”
“Do you ever?”
The waiter arrived with their food just then, Thomas immediately picking up his cutlery to attend to his Belgian waffles, dusted with sugar with a side of assorted fruit, as James barely acknowledged his steaming cup of single espresso. “Did you have another one of your..dreams?”
James frowned as he reached for the teaspoon in his cup and stirred. “They wont stop. No matter what i try they come back more vivid than what actually happened. Im starting to worry that maybe they just wont go away…Thomas?”
Thomas was peering over James’ shoulder, intensely staring at whatever was behind him. He turned two men behind them being escorted to a table. One was a tall man in full black formal attire, black shades covering his eyes, his hair tied back in a tight pony tail. The man next to him was slightly shorter than he was, same attire with a blue bandana wrapped around his forehead. James noticed the earpieces they were both wearing, the taller man having his tucked behind his ear. He looked down to see the walkie talkies they had around their belts, and he turned around to raise a brow at Thomas.
“Quit staring, its rude. Do you know them or something?”
“Something like that, their Washington’s body guards,” Thomas stood up and threw his napkin on the table.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“Im going to say hi to Lafayette. Hes an old friend of mine, havent seen him since the war ended. Ill also acquaint myself with Mulligan—I believe his name was, get to know him. I heard hes a tailor— Hey! maybe i can get him to fix my gown!”
“Thomas, their clearly busy. Maybe you should—wait!”
Thomas was already approaching the table the two men were seated at not too far away from them.
“Well, well, well if it isn’t America’s favourite fighting Frenchman!”
The man—Lafayette, stood up, taking off his classes and wrapping Thomas in a tight hug. “ Thomas! Mon dieu! I havent seen you since, when was it—the inauguration?” The man spoke with a thick French accent, mixed with poise American language
“Indeed, you look well. How’s things?”
“Ah, same old. Stand next to Washington and look all mad, follow him around the country. Its child’s work really” He gestured to his friend who stood up and straightened his blazer. “Ah, Herc, this is my friend, Thomas. Thomas, this is one of my closest friend, Mulligan.”
Mulligan extended a hand, “Pleasure to meet you, Thomas. Our friend Alexander has told us alot about you”
Thomas’ face twisted. “Hamilton..Has he now?”
“Oh, its more complaining than anything. Ive made sure to tell Mulligan here that Alex’s constant complaining comes from annoyance, not truth”
Thomas’ face softened. “I see…”
“Were here to see him now, actually. Were just here to swing by for a bite before heading down to the firm.”
“Oh, Im headed there right after i finish up breakfast with a friend. Oh, right. James!”
Thomas waved James over frantically, a look of ‘please stop staring at us like an idiot and get over here’ written all over his face. James stood up and awkardly walked towards the table, hands pressed into fists at his sides. “Gentlemen, this is my friend and colleague, James Madison.”
James smiled slightly as Lafayette grabbed his right hand and shook it. “Mr Madison, its a pleasure to meet you! That piece you wrote during the revolution sparked motivation for all our fighters, although im sure you knew that”
And knew it James did. That blasted piece was what got him taken in the first place. It made the uprising monarchists think that he was some sort of orchestrator for the war that they could take and torture for information he didn’t have. He tensed at the mere memory of him placing the final full stop on his page, staring proudly at the thing that would ruin his life.
“Ah—thank you. Just James is fine, and im..glad. glad to hear it.”
“Well, how about we all sit and get to know eachother? since were all headed to the same place?”
Mulligan pulled up an empty chair for James to sit on, their table was coincidentally a four seater. Thomas’ face lit up, “I’ll get the waiter to move our stuff”, He disappeared away from the table. All attention was now on James
“So, im presuming since you work with Thomas your a government lawyer too?” Lafayette excitedly placed both elbows on the table to prop his head up. “You must know our Alex, dont you?”
“Geez, Laf. Your making him sound like he’s our son.”
“Isn’t he though? A son we never get to see! The four of us never hang out anymore.”
James raised a brow. Lafayette and mulligan plus Alex made them three. “Forgive me, the FOUR of you?”
“Oh! silly me. There are four of us, our dear John is attending to the president right now. The man must have one guard with him at all times, and he seems to be most reliant on John since he’s probably the most serious about his job”, Lafayette chuckled as he twiddled with his thumbs
Mulligan furrowed his brow as he muttered under his breath, “Thats not the ONLY reason we dont hang out anymore.” Lafayette looked at him, his faint smile disappearing into a slight frown. The table went silent, James fighting the urge to ask them what they meant. He wasnt used to socializing, after the war he only did so during work and with Thomas, so he decided to refresh his skills to lighten the mood.
The second he opened his mouth, Lafayette spoke first. “Their both being stupid. I just wish they could understand that!”
“Laf, weve told them our piece already. They dont need to hear it again almost ten years later.”
James was already painting a picture in his head. This John, Alexander, feuding? for almost ten years?
“Oh, forgive us James. This isnt something we should be catching you in the middle of” Mulligan patted James on the back slightly
“Oh, you mean how WE have been stuck in the middle of John and Alex’s little quarrel for an unbearably long time?”
“They dont even talk anymore. I’d hardly call it a ‘quarrel’.”
“Im really sorry to interrupt.” James interrupted as the two turned to face him. He was tempted to ask what they meant, but he knew it was none of his business. He was going to try and gently shift the conversation to something more lighthearted to calm the frenchman down. “Uh, if you dont mind—”
“To elaborate on this énervant feud? gladly!”
“Lafayette.”
“Well—”
Thomas and the waiter returned just then, setting down their food from their table as well as plates for the other 2, both containing the same dish of eggs and greasy bacon. Thomas sat down beside the Frenchman. “So, whatd i miss?”
Mulligan spat, “Nothing. Thomas, tell us about your endeavours. I was told you spent afew years in France?”
“Oh please. Just afew?” Thomas could never pass up an opportunity to talk about his old bustling life in France, leaving James to sit awkardly with the thought of this ‘feud’ at the back of his mind.
𖤓°⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Alexander arrived at the firm early. The sun had just settled into the sky, and streets soon began to fill with the usual new York traffic. He walked in through the doors of the firm, his usual messy hair and overflowing bag, ready to take on the day, before immediately hit with the sight of his friends Laf and Herc, sharing hearty laughs with a rambling Jefferson as Madison stook awkardly beside them. Heat twisted in his chest, anger mingling with suprise as he mouth gaped open. How could his friends even fraternize with that jerk?
Lafayette noticed him first. “Alex! mon petit lion. Its been so long, how ive missed you!”, Laf spun him around in a tight hug as he chuckled. “Good, Good! what are you both doing here?”, Laf set him down as herc ran up to him, wrapping him in a tight hug “Were here to see you, man! well, that and Washington is on high security.”
Alex raised a brow, “high security? what for?”
His friends exchanged a small glance. “For now? we cant say. But we should take advantage of the fact that were all here!” Mulligan patted both of them on the shoulder
Alex felt his heart jump. all. He knew that he didnt mean just the three of them. He tried to shake the nervous flutter in his stomach “..all of you?”
“Yes Alex. All of us. Look! theres Washington right now!”
Washington was talking with Jefferson and Madison now, looking abit distraught, but that was the last thing on Alexander’s mind as he locked eyes with the person Washington was next to. Curly hair, dressed head to toe in formal black attire, just like his other friends. His hands holding eachother in a firm stance, his shades tucked neatly into the collar of his shirt. Their eyes met, and it was like itself stood still, and everyone around them faded into oblivion. The man was visibly took back, his jaw tightening as his hazel eyes widened. He looked alittle older— boy, did he look different from when they last saw eachother.
But Alexander could recognize John Laurens in any time, day or place by his eyes alone.