Chapter 6
They walked together through their quiet neighbourhood. It was spacious and beautiful, yet somehow also quiet and quaint in a way.
Most of the couples kept to themselves but a few greeted them as they walked down the lane.
Apparently Alexander's friends had their mating house on the same street, which explained why it was so easy for them to arrange a surprise visit. Though they did live at the other end which sort of gave Burr a feeling of freedom so he wasn't shackled to the worry that he'd have to impress them somehow.
The road outside their estate led to a much busier street.
Hamilton had offered driving him with a car but Burr had insisted on walking.
He got a better idea of where he was when he walked around.
The evening breeze was cool against his skin and he couldn't help but smile a little as they walked through the city and saw the sites.
Alexander introduced him to all the important spots around here too.
There was the grocery store, the nearby clinic, the mall, the juicer.
All the necessary spots to know around their street.
"I used to live on this street before I got a mate." He explained. "In a nearby apartment. Only mated people get to live in that estate so some of the houses there are empty and most of the people there already have a mate. This helps to take down harassment issues that some mates could suffer from single people."
"That does make sense." Burr said impressed with the system.
"Doesn't it?" Hamilton grinned and stuck his hands deeper into his pockets.
"Though I guess to some people it's also like a cage."
His tone suddenly dropped out of nowhere that it surprised Burr.
"A cage?" He had to ask and Hamilton shrugged glancing towards another road that led to a different estate.
"There's no one else around but mated people. It makes one wonder what happens to partners unable to escape an abusive mate."
"Well surely they can seek help from the government." Burr frowned.
"Also mated pairs aren't confined to the environment alone. They can come out and possibly meet someone that lives around here. Just like you and I are doing." He smiled a little trying to lighten Alexander's mood but Hamilton's face seemed neutral for a few seconds.
Then Hamilton smiled, lighting up at Burr's words.
"Yeah." He grinned linking his fingers with Burr's so slowly it was almost seductive.
It made Burr flush as he was dragged along by Hamilton and they explored more.
"Ah look a cinema. You ever been to one before?" Hamilton asked Burr excited and his mate shrugged.
"Once or twice."
"We're kind of free this evening so maybe we can watch a movie together." Hamilton suggested and Burr thought about it.
A movie.
"Isn't going to the movies kind of like a date?" He asked and Hamilton blinked at him surprised.
"Perhaps." Hamilton said with a nonchalant expression. "But going to the movies isn't a very proper date. Couples spend hours focused on what is happening in the movie after all. While it might reveal a few things about how a mate conducts themselves when in public it's doesn't allow for a lot of conversation so we wouldn't be opportuned the chance to get to know each other. It's just what teenagers do for fun."
"Even though you say that the Movies does provide a sort of mood for a date you know. There's the darkness that allows for a couple to cuddle unseen. Some may even touch in that darkness. Also the movie being watched dictates the mood. If it's comedy naturally most forms of romance are lost on it. However a romantic movie or horror movie leans more towards a genre where the couple have to find comfort in each other in the dark."
"So there is the dilemma huh?" Hamilton grinned. "On one hand I consider a movie date not a real date and you consider it acceptable."
"Well I mean...." Burr said backtracking at once.
"I can't dispute your opinion as it is yours...."
"Then let's do an experiment to see who's right!"
"I'd rather not...."
"We'll just have to see a movie to see if it really can force feelings from each other in the dark. I'll flip a coin." Hamilton grinned and pulled one from his pocket.
"Heads we see a horror movie, tails we see romance. These are the two genres you stated sure to spark romantic response right?"
"It's just a theory...." Burr said nervously amazed by how into this Hamilton was.
"What are theories of not hypothesis to be studied and proven?!" Hamilton laughed energetically and flipped his coin with gusto.
"Here we go!"
It was heads.
**
Burr let Hamilton choose the horror movie since he knew more about what was showing than he did.
Hamilton picked without argument, which was an honest relief, but then he explained that he'd gone ahead to choose the most horrific movie showing that night so that their experiment would guarantee a 100% chance of success.
"Oh joy." Burr said sarcastically his face morphing into an exasperated expression.
He should have expected Hamilton to do this. This was going to be....interesting to say the least.
Since they'd burned a lot of time walking around the town that day, the sun was already setting when they bought their movie tickets.
They had to wait a few minutes before the start of their movie so they walked around some more, although Burr would have preferred to sit. Alexander was so energetic and he didn't have the heart to tell him "No" while he was having so much fun, so he ended up burning even more of his energy before the movie began.
Burr was actually not much of a fan of horror movies. The movies often had people dying left and right while some plot chosen main character looked on in helplessness.
Down for the count and drowning in it.
They made him jumpy and uncomfortable, and the whole gore thing was just way too extra. Who even enjoyed watching that?
Apparently His mate, Alexander Hamilton.
He wouldn't say Hamilton loved horror movies per se but his reaction to them was definitely unique.
As they settled in the cinema right before the movie started Hamilton explained the plot to him.
"The story follows a sort of possession. An alternate universe where a curse makes people's shadows hunger to shed blood and starts slaughtering them all."
"Sounds ghastly." Burr said grimly his fingers drumming a little against the arms of the chairs.
"Possibly." Hamilton hummed. "I haven't watched this movie before so I can't give any spoilers. It's perfect that way for the surprise element. Do you think you're a screamer?"
"Um...no." Burr said surprised by the question.
Alexander nodded as if satisfied by the answer.
"Good. Neither am I."
That turned out to be a lie.
"Silence now the movie is starting." Hamilton smacked him and Burr sighed.
"You scared?" Hamilton asked glancing at him because of his intake of breath.
"I don't think so." Burr said and Hamilton cocked his head at such a weird answer.
Burr didn't think so.
"How come you're not sure?"
Burr raised a hand to his lips to hush him and Hamilton made a zipping motion against his lips.
The movie had begun.
Alexander Hamilton WAS a screamer.
A very loud one too.
But not in the way one would expect.
"Oh my God what is she doing?! She's going the wrong way. That! That is obviously a trap..... Oh she's dead! Oh! Oh!"
All his screaming and jumping and crying out like he was getting attacked right beside him was absolutely terrifying.
Burr wished he would stop it already.
"Alexander." He begged but gasped as Hamilton jumped violently.
"Fuck that was close!" Hamilton declared and Burr wished so badly he could tie his mouth shut somehow.
His heart was beating too fast from fear.
He felt he'd throw it up for sure.
Alexander Hamilton was exceedingly dramatic.
He was coming to learn that from watching him just watch something.
His gestures, his screams and sudden gasps of fear made Burr feel like they were getting attacked right there in the theatre.
It was making his already jumpy nerves twice as jumpy.
"Oh shit he's got her. Oh shit he's gonna. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Hamilton screamed suddenly like he was the one getting eaten and it really sent shivers down Burr's spine in all the not so nice ways.
"Ooooh that sucks." Hamilton shook his head gravely.
"They've got absolutely no brains. None of em."
Horror movies unnerved Burr.
They were loud and stuffed full of terrible surprises, violent in everyway that they could manage, horrendously graphic too.
Yet in that moment his mate was probably the scariest thing in the theatre!
"Run you idiot. Ruuuuuuuuuun!" Hamilton yelled making him jump for the fifteenth time in thirty minutes.
His sudden jerks and loud screams of passion were adding nerves on top of Burr's already troubled nerves.
"Damn it's always the blondes."
There was absolutely no room for any form of a romantic atmosphere because Alexander was entirely freaking him out.
Forget having a romantic partner to cuddle, his romantic partner was scarier than the movie itself!
He was also bothering all the other watchers.
"Will you fucking shut up already mate!"
"What?! Who said that?! Come and say it to my face!" Hamilton whipped around immediately on the offensive.
The way he could switch gears so fast was also rather alarming.
"Alexander please." Burr begged although he really wished he could tell his mate to 'shut up' too. At this rate they were going to get kicked out.
"Yeah I'm talking to you, ya fucking clown! You're spoiling the movie!"
The protester seemed a youth. Possibly in his early late twenties. A rather decent size on him for his age so it seemed like he could throw a real mean punch or two.
Really the kind of person Burr would rather placate than cause a scene.
Of course Hamilton thought differently.
"This is my first time watching I know no spoilers and therefore can't spoil a single thing about this....." Hamilton said very seriously then whipped around as movement in the big screen once again caught his attention. "Oh. Elizabeth's going to die."
"I mean you're ruining the experience for everyone!" The protester didn't seem about to forget about his anger so easily. But then he also got distracted. "Ah shit! He got her!"
"He's gonna grab her in a choke hold now." Someone else pipped up.
"No no wait! It seems she's fighting it!" Another added.
"Go on Lizzie ol' girl show that fucking shadow who's boss!" A third one cheered and soon the entire theatre erupted into noise.
They cheered and whooped and yelled encouragements and curses, Hamilton at the head of all the chaos.
"Yeah! Yeah yeah! Kick him! Fuck him up! You can fucking do it!"
Burr was absolutely speechless.
The entire atmosphere was ruined as it was amazingly rowdy and yet everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"Ah fuck! What the hell was that?" Someone complained when the character they'd been cheering for got taken down.
"Cheap ass move. Stupid movie writers!"
"Boo fuck the movie writers!" Hamilton agreed.
Somehow now the horror movie seemed even less scary.
Burr couldn't help but marvel at just how amazing his mate was.
When the movie eventually ended Hamilton cheered and grabbed Burr in a tight hug admist the cheering and screaming of the other watchers.
"That was awesome!" He grinned at Burr who could only stare at him with a dumbstruck expression.
Awesome?
Hamilton was the one who was awesome.
They left the movie in good spirits and Hamilton laughed among his former enemies who invited them out to a drink of they ever were free or in town.
"Beautiful mate you got there!" The previous protestor laughed as he shook hands with Hamilton who immediately puffed like a peacock.
"That I do."
"You take care of him you hear?" The man told Burr before happily bouncing off into the night, in clear high spirits.
Take care of him huh....
"Hey. It turned out that theory didn't work out after all." Hamilton grinned lightly punching Burr on the shoulder. "It's easy to get wrapped up in so many other people when you're at the cinema."
I think that's a you problem Hamilton.
Still Burr found himself saying "Yeah" while he looked at his mate with a dazed expression.
He could not believe that...that really had just happened.
"You really made friends with all those people."
"They're acquaintances now. Perhaps one day we'll run into them in life again and they can aid us or we can aid them." Hamilton laughed.
They began walking back home but Hamilton stopped midway to stretch out his hands and sigh in satisfaction.
"Ah this felt great. I usually do this with Laurens and the others but it was thrill being able to do this with you."
Do what with me?
I didn't do anything.
For a second Burr felt depressed.
He really hadn't been able to join in.
They'd been so rowdy he thought the Usher would come in and just throw them all out yet the Usher ended up getting enraptured in the movie and shouting as well.
Joining in the chorus of madness and laughter.
In an effortless way that Burr couldn't seem able to follow.
"Did you get scared Aaron?" Hamilton asked taking his hand in his.
Burr couldn't help but stare down at their joint hands while Hamilton massaged his fingers.
"I don't think you did. If you did your fingers would be trembling."
"Trembling." Burr repeated.
Yeah.
His fingers.... weren't trembling.
He was fine now.
It had....stopped being scary and unnerving somehow in the middle.
And that was because of his crazy mate who was even scarier than the movie itself.
Scary in a way that Burr had not expected.
Burr stared at Hamilton still amazed and his mate beamed up at him looking radiant, like the sun despite the darkness around them.
His face shining like he hadn't just gathered s bunch of strangers together due to his out of place noise.
His mate it seemed...had a gift.