Chapter 3
Alexander Hamilton woke up early the next day.
Despite having spent more time awake and on his feet the precious day he’d still made sure he’d be the first one to open his eyes.
He needed this chance so he could gaze unashamed at the sleeping face of his handsome mate from across the room.
Hamilton had never expected his mate to have such a beautiful face. Although he had a picture to help identify him, it was a far cry from how striking his mate’s features actually were.
Darker skin, intelligent stern eyes that seemed to stop his heart for a second as he’d asked his first spoken question.
_'That depends who’s asking?'_
His voice had sent shivers down Hamilton’s spine.
How magnificent.
His mate was the epitome of perfection.
Standing he was even more thrilling to behold. He might not have been of a great height but he was taller by a considerable amount of inches with a more muscular build.
Everything about him screamed perfection. Hamilton was so eager to engage him in intelligent conversation and dissect every corner of his mind!
However hesitation began to creep in when he realised though he was excited to meet Aaron Burr, the same couldn’t exactly be said about his mate.
For one thing, he seemed to have believe he’d be a girl.....
Despite the mix-up Burr didn’t seem put out by his apparent gender. He most definitely wasn’t voicing any disapproval so Hamilton tried to convince himself that he had no reason to be nervous. Burr was his soul mate. They were meant to be.
Even their names seemed to match. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
He wanted to try it. He wanted to try saying Burr's name.
Hamilton kept up conversation in a hope that the opportunity would present itself to try it out. However, the longer he talked the more he realised.....that Burr was not calling him by name.
At first he ignored it. Decided to excuse it as Burr not being sure how to address him or being nervous since it was their first time in a situation like this, but at every given chance that Burr could have used his name he called him Hamilton instead.
Hamilton. Hamilton. Hamilton.
It was an unconscious thought but one that started to distress him.
Did Burr not want to call his name? Was it because he’d thought his name was going to be Alexandra?
Did Burr feel duped because he was not a woman?
Various thoughts breezed through Hamilton’s mind as he helped Burr pick furniture for their room and even when they came back for dinner.
He managed to push away these dark thoughts when Burr asked about himself because he wanted to show that he could be interesting too. Even more interesting than any girl. He talked about his work, his life, his friends.
He dodged any and every topic concerning his past.
He didn’t need to talk about that. Every time he came close to straying towards the subject he dodged it like an enemy bullet, his fingers curled into fists.
Despite his minor insecurity, he found that he enjoyed talking to his mate. His mate who he couldn’t take his eyes off.
What a stunning man he was. He hardly said anything at all too.
Was that how he normally acted or was he shy? Or did he just not want to talk to him?
Hamilton wasn’t sure but he was testing the latter by continuously talking to Burr, hoping that he’d be able to tempt him with an interesting topic or two.
He’d been rather put out that Burr had agreed to the separate beds. He wasn’t exactly sure he was ready to share a bed either but Burr hadn’t put up much of a fight to share a bed with him.
Did Burr....not like him?
These questions returned as they lay in bed that night.
Burr trying to fall asleep and Hamilton looking on.
The uneasiness threatened to swallow him when he got a message from his friends.
They wanted to know how the whole mating thing was going. They wanted to know the story of the night.
Hamilton dragged himself from bed so he wouldn’t disturb his mate and headed out to reply them with long paragraphed text messages.
He explained that his mate was fine and that they’d set up all of their furniture in their home. Burr was asleep now as he’d had such a tiring day but when he got the chance he’d definitely get them all to meet.
They talked about random topics after that from the weather to how work was doing these days. Eventually his friends had to clock out of the video call and he went on with his stroll along the neighbourhood, his mind floating back to Burr.
It was supposed to be impossible for the Cupid system to make a mistake as it was a machine but then machines could only function as well as the programmer could make it function and Humans were of many flaws.
Perhaps he and Burr matching were just one of the many flaws that the Cupid system created.
Like the one that had doomed his mother and later on himself.....
The thought made Hamilton so depressed. He didn't want to have to say goodbye to Burr, but if being with him was just going to make Burr unhappy then he didn’t see why he had to make himself stay.
If Burr wanted freedom he aught to give him a chance to.....
Whatever his thoughts were going to be he couldn't recall because he never finished that trail of thought.
Someone was calling his name.
He’d been trotting down the road lazily as he talked to his friends that he hadn’t even realised that so much time had passed and Burr had come out into the street.
Burr had risen from bed and was calling his name.
Burr had been worried.
Burr had come outside.
Burr.....cared.
And then....Burr said his name.
_'Let’s go home Alexander.'_
Home.
Hamilton found himself so dumbstruck that he wanted to cry.
Burr....
No. Aaron. Aaron was calling him home. Aaron wanted him to come home.
To their home.
Not only that but Aaron took his hand.
It was the first actual contact they’d had with each other and Aaron had been the one to initiate it. He didn’t even seem to notice when Alexander linked his fingers in with his and tightened his grip on his hand.
Aaron took them home and watched over him as he prepared for bed again, like a child.
Aaron was watching when he crawled into bed and there were the slightest traces of satisfaction on Aaron’s face when he saw him settle down.
He’d welcomed him home.
Their home.
It might be a work in progress and they still had a lot to learn about each other.
But something told him it would all be worth it.
He was watching him sleep now, trying to determine which steps were the right ones.
He wanted to be able to call his name.
“Aaron Burr.” He whispered to himself a small flush coming to his cheeks.
No, just Aaron.
“Aaron.”
Saying the name alone seemed to mean so much more.
“Aaron..... Burr.”
He couldn’t help himself.
The bathroom was big enough for both of them to use at the same time but he wasn’t sure they were ready for that stage yet so he went in to take a shower as quietly as he could manage because Aaron looked like he really needed to rest. He was so drained.
Absolutely dead to the world.
Hamilton found himself staring at him again when he was done with his shower. He towelled off and changed into fresh new clothes. Then he walked closer to stare down at him.
Beautiful Aaron Burr.
His mate was beautiful.
Aaaaaah, he wanted to take a picture.
Carefully, he put off the flash and took one carefully angled picture then smiled in success at the finished product.
It couldn’t possibly be creepy to have pictures of your own mate. Besides, it wasn’t his fault his mate was so damn fine anyway.
After that he tried occupying himself while Aaron slept. The wait was long and tiring.
He cleaned up the house and made breakfast. Swept the yard. Read an entire book.
Aaron was still sleeping.
Now Hamilton began to worry.
Had he died in his sleep? Had meeting him been too much?
Did it overwhelm him? Did Aaron have a weak heart? He’d gone over his medical files though and he was fine.
“Aaron.” He said softly, fear filling his heart as he crouched beside his mate’s bed and held his hand. Fingers wrapping around a darker larger hand. Pushing closer so he could hear him breathing.
Surely he was still breathing.
His memories were beginning to flash back to a terrible time in his life and he shivered with fear.
_'She was holding me....she was sick and she was holding me. I couldn’t seem to die........’
Please wake up.
He lay his head against the bed holding tightly to Aaron’s hand. He didn’t plan on letting go for the rest of the day if that was what he took. He’d just got a mate. Was life really this cruel to him?
“Aaron.” He said nudging him with his head, his voice breaking into a whimper.
Please don’t take him, he found himself silently begging. Please give me back my shot, I won't throw it away.
“Alexander.....what are you doing?”
Burr's words were slurred as he woke in confusion, his hand instinctively tightening it's grip on Alexander's.
He looked confused and a little sleepy, but then he was just waking up.
He was moving and yawning and.....alive.
“Burr! Aaron Burr.” Hamilton stared at him with relief flooding his senses. He threw himself on top of him with joy choking Burr with surprise.
“Alexander!” Aaron gasped and Hamilton rejoiced that he was still being called by name.
“Aaron, you’re okay!” he laughed as he grabbed him in a hug. “You slept forever. Why didn’t you wake up? You were that tired? I was worried about you. Hope you had nice dreams. Did you dream of me? Did you dream of work? It doesn’t matter anyway I guess....”
He couldn’t stop talking.
As he spoke his hand settled on Burr's chest as if to confirm his heart was beating. It was!
It was beating.
Oh Aaron you’re okay.
“Alexander.....you’re squishing me.” Burr complained.
No not Burr. Aaron.
Aaron looked upset with Hamilton on top of him and he couldn’t help but blush at that.
“I’m sorry.” He said scurrying off him and watched him curiously.
“Are you alright....Aaron?”
Aaron blinked slowly as if he was trying to register something. He stared at Hamilton who stared back at him in worry.
“You alright?” he asked again and Aaron nodded slowly.
Great! Hamilton beamed and jumped to his feet.
“I made breakfast. I wasn’t sure which one you’d like so.......” he trailed off with a guilty expression on his face but Burr seemed to get the idea of what he'd done.
“Oh no.....” Aaron groaned and just fell back unto the bed.
*
Burr started his first day at his new home on a rather weird crazy note.
He’d woken up that morning to find Hamilton holding on to his hand desperately like a man struggling not to drown. It had surprised him enough that he’d groggily pushed himself into waking. Then Hamilton attacked him with hugs and touches.
It was unbelievable.
Talking about how he’d been worried about him. It turned out he didn’t wake in the morning but the afternoon after all. Perhaps that was why Hamilton had been so worried.
_'Are you alright Aaron?'_
He began to notice.....that Hamilton was now calling him by name. All the time.
He wanted to call him out for the familiarity of it but then did it really matter? They were mated now weren’t they?
If Hamilton was calling him by name then perhaps he aught to start doing the same. He’d actually been unconsciously doing it.
It’s just that his name was so entertaining to say.
Alexander.
One could do anything with that name.
Even mis-gender it, it appeared.
Now what the hell were they going to do about all this food.
“I made bacon, eggs, sausages, toast, pancakes, waffles, tea, coffee.”
“All the breakfast meals.” Burr sighed massaging his head with his fingers.
Hamilton sure had money to waste being extravagant but there was only so much of this they could actually eat.
“At least you didn’t make oatmeal.” Burr shrugged.
“Yet.” Alexander corrected. “I actually boiled some water for it in case.”
Well thank God he didn’t make it.
“What did you plan on doing when we’re unable to finish this food?” Burr had to ask.
“I guess I’d give it to my friends.” Alexander shrugged.
Burr was not satisfied by that answer.
He looked round at the food present and began sorting them out into food that could be preserved and food that they had to eat right now.
“I know that you mean well Alexander but we cannot continue like this.” He scolded having to put his foot down on this wastefulness. “If you wake up before me and you get hungry make something for yourself. Then I will make something for myself when I get up.”
“That seems such a bother when whoever it is that gets up first can just make for two.” Alexander sulked. “It makes works easier and cuts off the time we could spend doing something more profitable.”
“Like the time we’re going to spend now eating this breakfast?” Burr raised an eyebrow.
Alexander had no comeback for that and he seemed very put out by it.
Burr guessed part of the bridges they’d have to cross when it came to living together would be how to handle basic things like breakfast and how to wake up in the morning.
“Also don’t wake me up unless I ask you to, or if I’m going to be late for work.” Burr cherished his resting time.
“Rules.” Alexander grumphed obviously not pleased by this new development.
“Yes Rules.” Burr smirked just a little as he carried the sausages, pancakes and bacon back to the fridge. A little reheating should fix them up so he’d just have to battle with eating what they had left. “Feel free to put down some of yours if you have any.”
Alexander fell silent for a while as he pondered the offer and Burr was curious what sorts of rules his mate could possibly make.
“Call me by name more often.” Alexander said softly startling Burr.
His cheeks tinted pink slightly and he raised the neck his large sweater to his nose, eyes gazing down at the fingers he pressed together.
“Alexander?” Burr asked just to be sure that was what he meant and Hamilton turned to him with a happy smile.
Oh.
“Alexander.” Burr said again and his smile grew more.
That was nice.
Alexander looked so cute when he smiled.
A knock on the door caught them both off guard.
Especially when the knock upped quickly to banging.
“Yo Alexander! You up!” a loud voice coloured with laughter called.
The voice and banging was quickly joined by other voices . One shouting out in French and another whooping and constantly saying what sounded like “Brah Brah”?
“What the hell is that?” Burr gaped staring at the door.
How could they possibly have visitors? He’d just gotten up from bed.
Yeah it was kind of early noon but still!
Alexander for his part looked rather sheepish with his face coloured. He glanced at the door and winced again at the loud banging.
“Oh those are.....my friends.”
Wonderful, Burr thought sarcastically as he realised that Alexander + friends possibly meant people who were just as loud and as hyper as Alexander.
He was in for it now.