Love Doesn't Discriminate
It was a typical day for Aaron Burr, and it was an uneventful one at that. His classes had been unproductive, his mood was in the gray area between good and just-alright, and the weather was bland— a blue sky with no character. And a blue sky with nothing to hide.
As they always seemed to, Aaron's thoughts drifted to Theodosia. His first official date with her had been almost two weeks ago, and she came and visited him at the bookstore every day during his shift in lieu of their old tradition of writing letters. Burr smiled at the thought; the extra time he got each day with Theo was enough to make the sun rising and setting each day worthwhile. She had his work schedule memorized by now.
However, Burr, ever a man of caution, always had a nagging sense of paranoia in the back of his mind. This was bound to come; after all, Theo did have a boyfriend who was quite sizable an opponent. And, considering Aaron liked to avoid fights in the first place, it seemed it was best that the relationship he and Theodosia shared remained a well-kept secret.
The trouble was that this secret grew harder and harder to keep as the relationship progressed.
Burr found himself holding Theo's hand in public, openly displaying his feelings and the extent of their relationship simply on the basis of instinct, impulse, or absentmindedness. For someone who was careful in everything he did, Aaron did an awful lot of slipping up on this point. He couldn't be blamed, though; his usual mantra seemed to slip and fade around Theodosia. So much for talk less, smile more; Aaron saw little difference in the time he spent talking and the time he spent smiling around her, and a surprising amount of overlap between the two. Surely time had a hand in this, for as time progressed, Aaron's heart seemed to swell more and more at the notion of Theo being his and him being hers. What was it about the nature of their relationship that seemed to shift so smoothly over time? Perhaps it was time itself, instilling comfort and security into Burr slightly more by the day. If Theo was certain by now that their relationship would not cause conflict with Jacques, the idea of this became more and more normal for Burr. He restrained himself less, he expressed his feelings for her more, and damn, it felt good. And Theodosia... With each show of affection she granted him, Aaron's world shifted. With each show of affection she granted him, Aaron gained a little more sweet confidence that the feeling that had overtaken him in regards to Theodosia was, in fact, mutual.
It was a typical day for Aaron Burr when his world turned upside down.
English class was sure to be a bore, as Seabury always made sure it would be. Nevertheless, Burr gathered his books for the class, making a pitstop at his locker as usual. He could sit through English, and at the other side, his lunch break waited for him, which was just another wonderful opportunity to see Theodosia.
Aaron's whole life seemed to build itself around those moments with Theodosia.
Needless to say, his day took an unexpected turn when this planned moment shifted itself forwards in his schedule.
"I'm surprised you're not already in class!" A sweet, familiar voice near Aaron said, and, flooding with recognition, he pivoted immediately to face the speaker.
"Are you?" Aaron grinned at Theodosia. He could've looked out the window several feet away and gotten a face-full of the morning sun, but that would have been unnecessary. He already knew she outshone it. "Good morning."
"I would call it a good morning," Theo smiled, the certainty in her expression causing Aaron's heart to beat faster. She eyed the books in his hands. "Do you have a moment before your oh-so-important English class?"
"It can wait," he replied, closing his locker.
"I have a question, actually," Theodosia started, shifting her gaze to her side at Aaron as the two began to walk.
"I have an answer," he answered, smiling.
"You always have an answer," she raised her eyebrows, pausing. "Are you ready to go public?"
Aaron stopped. Whatever he was expecting, this was not it.
Public?
As in, people would know for sure the two were seeing each other?
This was not exactly what he didn't want, per se, but he was simply surprised by the question. All he'd really wanted was for his affections to be returned by the girl he adored so much; the nature of this relationship in the public eye held little importance to him. And he kept himself free from this particular attachment to reputation and publicity for good reason, too— Jacques.
"Theo, I... What about Jacques?"
A sudden grin crossed Theo's face, and she turned to face Aaron, taking both his hands in her own. "Well, that's my news."
"What?"
"I broke up with him." There was a gleam of blissful freedom in her eyes that made Aaron's lungs betray him, trapping his breath.
"You...?"
"I told him I didn't want to be with him anymore. And he backed off. And... Look, I don't want you to feel forced at all. If you aren't ready, we can still keep it all a secret. But—"
"I'm always ready when you are. Don't worry." Aaron's smile was beginning to return.
"I told him there was someone else."
Now, at this proclamation, Aaron's insides shifted slightly within him. It would be important to note that he was by no means unintelligent, and that Burr clearly understood the implications of this statement. But his intelligence had little effect on his paranoia, and he had become accustomed to paranoia relating to his connection with Theodosia. So he asked, just for clarification and affirmation (almost like a pinch to ensure he was awake), "Someone else?"
"That would be you." Theo smiled at him, but her eyes betrayed the joyful determination her face endlessly displayed. In them, Aaron saw a glimmer of vulnerable hope. Did Theo think he would say no? Burr felt a part of his heart ache at the thought of this. He waited for her at every step, and he always sought to be a hand for her to hold through strife or through common days. Aaron would always wait for Theodosia. There wasn't a single thing he wouldn't do for her. The uncertain hope in Theo's eyes activated a sense of urgency in Burr.
"I'm ready for anything you are," he grinned, a sudden glow sparkling in his eyes. "So I'm ready to tell the world."
Theodosia's eyes reflected his glint, the hope dissolving into joy. "Me too."
The bell would ring for class shortly. Aaron knew this. However, neither that nor the books that were stacked in his hands stopped Burr from leaning in and kissing Theodosia on the cheek. "So you're certain Jacques isn't gonna come burn my house down with rage about all this?"
"I'm certain." Theo grinned, her blush still prominent. "So I'll see you at the bookstore later?"
"As always," Aaron replied, and the two reluctantly parted ways.
All was, of course, not as always.
All was incredibly, suddenly, so shockingly and indescribably better than always.
"I knew it!!"
"You knew it," Aaron laughed, taking a bite out of his sandwich. Hamilton's reaction to the news of Burr and Theodosia's relationship was, he had to admit, terribly amusing.
"I knew it since the day of the election!" Alexander was suspended between states of sitting and standing, bouncing up and down with incredible conviction. His lunch remained thoroughly untouched. "I absolutely knew it, Aaron, I saw you two and— remember what you said in the library? And— you went and you got her!! So now you're gonna tell everyone and oh my God Aaron Burr, congratulations!!"
"Sweet Jesus," Burr said, exasperated but grinning. "Thank you, Alex. Actually, I hear you're in a relationship now, too."
Alexander beamed. "Mm-hmm! You don't get a win unless you play in the game."
"And who's more of a player than you?" Aaron smiled, leaning back in his chair. Alex was one of those people who could talk about themselves for a long time and never completely bore their listener. This arrangement suited Aaron rather well, for he was perfectly content taking a backseat in conversation.
"No one! It's impossible. Well... Not anymore, I suppose. Your sources are right; I'm very much in a relationship." Alexander grinned, raising his eyebrows.
"And with Laurens, no less?" Aaron took another bite of his sandwich, glancing at the clock to check how much lunchtime was left. "I have to admit it, I was surprised."
"He's wonderful," Burr noticed that Hamilton seemed to light up the slightest bit at the mention of Laurens. "John is... He's so insanely adorable. And he takes care of me like no one ever does. I mean, you have to be a certain level fantastic to do this to me, but... When I'm with him, I'm satisfied."
Aaron looked at Hamilton. A warmth stirred inside him. It was almost as though a new, curious bond had formed between the two of them, linking them together further— this particular brand of joy, built from the new form of love that was now present in both of their lives, was something they could agree on, something they could both find harmony in.
And it seemed to suit both of them well.
"I feel the same way when I'm with Theodosia," Aaron replied, and the two shared a smile. Briskly, he switched topics. To Burr, it seemed it was best to leave something sweet or pure at its height and move on, so as not to destroy it. The conversation the two had just had followed that pattern. "From what I hear you've made yourself indispensable on Washington's student council, huh?"
If Aaron had expected Alexander to be happily enthusiastic about this, then he was quickly surprised.
Hamilton's reaction was almost comically animated. "Oh, I wish. But you wouldn't believe the idiocy there is in the council. Charles Lee is the most incompetent person that could possibly have been elected. His plans are uninformed and absurd, and he's insufferable. And then there's Jefferson, who's obnoxious and biased and hypocritical and disgusting, and he's always got Madison backing him up and they all think they can do the job of the treasurer for me and Washington just might agree with them and so I'm not as indispensable as I'd like to be at all."
Aaron was a bit taken aback by the increasing volume of Hamilton's voice. "I see."
"So I've been drafting a plan for finances that neither of them can deny. Which limits time I get to spend on other work, and limits the amount of time I can see John." Alex crossed his arms. "But it's almost done. I know it."
"How're you gonna get your plan through?" Burr finished his lunch, closing the bag and leaning forwards.
"I'll do whatever it takes."
"Seems like Lee and Madison and Jefferson are merciless."
"Well," Alex said, his voice taking on a grim tone, "Hate the sin, love the sinner."
Aaron took a long look at Alexander, still silent. Imminently, the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. Hamilton and Burr stood up, and the latter pushed his chair in carefully. "Will I see you this afternoon?"
"Nah, I'm going out before I get back to work on the financial plan. John and Eliza are forcing me. But I'll see you for the meeting on Friday?" Alex shouldered his bag, and they began to make their way out of the cafeteria.
"I'll be there." Burr smiled. "Congrats again, Alexander. Smile more."
"No, congrats to you!" Alex's grin returned, and he looked at Burr with a certain mischief in his eyes. "You two make an exceptionally cute couple, I might add."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Alexander," Aaron laughed, turning to enter the stairwell leading to the math wing. He stopped in front of the crimson poster by the staircase, looking back at Alex with a smile pulling at his lips. "I'm still only convincing myself this isn't a dream."
Alexander's grin only grew. "It is completely real. Shout it to the rooftops, Burr!"
Aaron chuckled and shook his head, waving goodbye and climbing the stairs to the second floor. Alex stood before Angelica Schuyler's presidential campaign poster, the only one in the school that had not yet been taken down. Before Burr had left, he had been covering two words. Alexander now looked at this phrase, tilting his head with amusement. If only Aaron could have seen how apt the hidden words were.
Satisfaction guaranteed.