"Crap," Alexander muttered as he bolted upright in his bed, being awoken by the shrill screech of an alarm. He groggily looked to his left, his eyes still adjusting to the darkness that enveloped him, and saw that his digital clock read 5:45 AM. He paused, still deciding whether or not to go back to sleep. After a few seconds, he unsteadily stepped out of the comfort of his bed and walked towards the bathroom down the hall, his socks hitting the cold tile floor at a slow and steady pace. He snuck into the bathroom, closing the door as softly as possible, so as not to wake up John, his roommate. Alexander had always felt a certain way about John since they had met, but that story is for another time. He brushed his teeth and took a brisk shower, trying his best to stay quiet. After retreating back to the safety of his bedroom, he looked once again to his clock, now reading 6:32 AM. He rushed through the process of getting dressed and brushing his hair and tiptoed out to the kitchen in the small apartment he and John lived in.
For the eighth time and counting, John reached over to his clock and hit the snooze button. I might as well get up, it's not like I'm going to be able to fall asleep again, he thought to himself, sitting up slowly and being thankful for the sunshine bleeding through his blinds that was making it a lot easier to see. His alarm clock showed the numbers and letters 6:37 AM, which he stared at blankly for a moment before unplugging his alarm clock to prevent it from letting out another scream. He stretched his arms and legs out and began walking up the hall to where the bathroom he shared with his roommate Alexander was. He decided that he didn't have enough time or energy to shower so he used the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Once back in his room, he took about 20 minutes deciding what to wear, then another 10 putting it on, and finally using 5 minutes simply staring at himself in the mirror, attempting at counting his freckles. After becoming bored of this, he walked into the kitchen, where Alexander had been spread out across their small couch typing away at his computer. John had never expressed interest in females, rather in males, and he definitely expressed interest in Alexander. "Good morning, sunshine," he joked, grinning at Alex as he heat up the stove, preparing to make breakfast. "Uh-huh," Alex mumbled, not looking away from the screen. John used this to his advantage as he gazed at Alexander, studying his facial structure, the way his eyebrows furrowed when he was deep in thought, how quickly his eyes moved when reading the words on his computer. John knew it wasn't for their job, after all they only taught third grade. He wondered if Alexander was adding a new addition to his essay series. John was pulled out of his daydreaming as he felt a buzzing in his back pocket. He pulled out his cellphone to be greeted with a text from their close friend, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette-Marquis de Lafayette, or just Lafayette for short.
labaguette: where are you??
johnny appleseed: home why
labaguette: we have work today!!!
johnny appleseed: yes I know that lafayette
labaguette: okay bye!!
Alexander had closed his laptop and was looking at his fingers, sore from how much he had been typing, when he heard John let out a giggle. He looked up at John and couldn't help but grin as he admired the beauty and happiness radiating from him. He focused on how his curls bounced when he laughed, and how he scrunched up his freckled nose. But Alexander forced himself to look away. John didn't want to be more than friends and John definitely didn't like him. In fact, Alexander didn't even know who John did like. Regardless, one thing was for sure. It wasn't Alexander. Now, wasn't the time to think about that, though. As he got up from the couch, he noticed John had made breakfast. He and John each served themselves a spoonful or two of John's world-famous scrambled eggs and returned to the couch, this time sitting together, side by side. As they ate, Alexander was almost sure John was teasing him. It wasn't anything huge, just the brushing of fingertips, or casual stretching as an excuse to get closer to him. Once again in fear of rejection, Alexander brushed the thought off and finished his meal. He stood up and walked to the sink, dunking his dishes into the soapy abyss that awaited them.
"Oh, shit!" John said, looking at the time on his phone and realizing that he and Alex were due for work in less than 15 minutes. Alexander must've noticed this too because he grabbed his computer bag and slung it around his shoulder. "Let's go!" John said, grabbing Alexander by the hand and leading him out the door of their apartment, then down three flights of stairs, then out the door of their building, and finally down the sidewalk. As they ran, John couldn't help but blush furiously when he realized that he was still holding Alexander's hand. He fought to restrain the blood rising to his cheeks, but to no prevail, as they now glowed a vibrant pink color. Luckily, he was running in front, so as long as he managed to avoid facing back at Alexander, he'd be fine. After about 10 minutes of non-stop running, the pair finally arrived at their destination. They tried their best to sneak in and avoid drawing attention to themselves, only to be caught by the vice principal, Charles Lee. "I can't wait to see how Washington decides to punish you for this," Lee smirked. John clenched his fist with so much strength that his fingernails dug into his palms and drew blood. As he and Alexander walked towards their classrooms, John couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't for any particular reason, it was just there. Eventually, Alexander began laughing too, and soon enough they were leaning on each other for support. John felt like nothing else mattered. Like it was just him and Alexander.
Alexander would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy teaching. Of course, it was a younger grade level so he couldn't let himself get too into his rants, but he felt as if he was important, as if he was needed. The kids were amazing, and they had a sixth sense for noticing Alexander's feelings toward John. Incredible, how these little third graders could even begin to grasp a concept so complicated and twisted as human emotions. They also, for reasons Alexander could not understand, believed that John was attracted to Alexander as well. They would always give Alexander little stories of how he and John will fall in love and get married one day, and they almost always end in happily ever afters. If only happily ever afters existed. Maybe then Alexander could fearlessly confess his true feelings to John. But until then, he would have to keep his thoughts to himself. He was interrupted by a burst of laughter outside his classroom door. Sure enough, as soon as he opened it, he was greeted by at least 20 children, each with a smile on their face. He wished he could go back to when he was as innocent and hopeful as they were. Back when he had both his parents with him. Back when he had a family.
"Laurens, I drew this for you! I know its not the best, but I tried!" said a small voice from behind John's desk. He had been grading papers when he looked up and saw Grace, a little girl with choppy jet black hair who knows how to work a paintbrush. She was presenting him with a small portrait of him and Alexander holding hands with a shiny pink heart behind them. Oh my god, John thought. She even got the shading right. "Grace, this is amazing. Thank you very much." John said, gently taking the art piece from the girl's hands and laying it on his computer monitor. She grinned, revealing her two front teeth were missing, and hurried back to her seat, surely starting another one. John smiled to himself when he thought of Alexander and how they had held hands today. It had been incidental, of course, but John couldn't help himself. After staying in this thought for a moment, he got up from his desk and noticed a boy in the back of the class had been waving his hand frantically. "What do you need help with, Nathan?" John said as he walked over to the boy's desk. "I can't do it, Laurens!" he said, gesturing at the blank piece of paper on his desk. "Listen, when I was in college, I didn't think I could do anything either. But I didn't let that stop me. I worked hard to get better and look where I am now. If you think you can't do it, you never will. That's why you have to believe in yourself." John said, patting the boy on the shoulder before walking back to his desk. The next few hours practically flew by and soon enough, it was dismissal time. The kids and teachers alike cheered as they walked down the crowded hallways and outside into the windy fall atmosphere.
"First week of school and I'm already receiving fanfictions," Alexander laughed as he met up with John near the teacher's parking lot, which was ironic since neither of them owned a car. That parking lot was just their spot. They had met there when Alexander spilled his coffee all over John on the first day of school nearly 3 years ago, although it seemed to Alexander as if it just happened yesterday. "You and me both," John said, laughing as he held up Grace's art piece. "Wow, a third-grader drew that?" Alexander said in disbelief. "Best in the class," John said, grinning.
Considering the fact that he and Alexander were both exhausted from the first week of school, John draped an arm over Alex's shoulders, only to have Alexander do the same to him. Little did he know that the "sweet" and "innocent" Grace Hua just became $5 richer from betting on them. They stayed like this the entire walk home. They didn't speak, but the silence wasn't awkward, it was comforting. Eventually, the golden moment had to end when they reached their apartment. Alexander was the first to let go, heading towards his bedroom and shutting himself in there for the rest of the night, no doubt working on his essays. As for John, he stayed up until at least 2:00 in the morning, contemplating his emotions and his life overall. He didn't know where he was going in the future or what was going to happen in his life but one thing was for sure, he loved Alexander. Whether it was as a friend or something more, he was certain that he felt unconditional love for Alexander Hamilton. And that's all he needed to know.