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mintypothos · 7 years

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An Apology to Everyone Who Followed Me For Jamilton Content

So, here’s a sequel to the modern day Jamilton I wrote where Jefferson is good with Philip. Coincidentally, here’s also the end to all, if any, integrity I had as a writer. In the end, my love for “hijinks of dubious plausibility force the ship to spend time together” was too great. More under the readmore

Alex still didn't understand Jefferson one bit. The next day, after the Philip fiasco, it was right back to normal again. Jefferson took one look at Alex, wrinkled his nose in that irritating way again, and insulted his fashion sense- again.

Well, if Jefferson wanted to forget that day's events, who was Alex to stop him? He shot back with an insult of Jefferson's value as an employee, if fashion was the main thing he was concerned about, and the status quo resettled itself.

Except, of course, for one change.

“Dad! Dad! When can we go to the movies with Tommy?”

Alex choked on his hot chocolate. “Tom- you mean Jefferson?”

Philip grinned broadly, bouncing in his chair. “He said I could call him Tommy, as long as he gets to call me Pip. I like Pip anyways, so joke's on him.”

“Right,” Alex coughed. “Jeff-er, Tom,” He couldn't bring himself to finish the childish nickname. “Tom's... busy.” He misdirected. There was no way Alex would be the one to bring that evening up again, and certainly not at work- the only place he ever had to interact with Jefferson.

“Busy?” Philip furrowed his brows, as if immediately seeing through the lie. “He said he wanted to come.” His voice tipped down, hurt.

Alex winced. “Well, sometimes adults have other obligations that they forget about. I'm sure he'd love to go if he could. His work is as busy as mine, though.” The best excuse was a true one. As much as Alex hated to admit it, Jefferson did plenty of work for the firm. He was Alex's rival for good reason, even if he was a pompous jerk who got everything handed to him.

But the excuse did nothing to console Philip. His shoulders drooped. “He said he would,” Philip whined, not quite teary eyed, but certainly upset. “Does Tommy hate me after all?”

Alex froze. “No, of course he doesn't,” He found himself saying automatically. “Look, I'll ask him again, maybe I can help him clear a date, how does that sound?”

Philip smiled, bright as the sun. “Yeah!”

Alex smiled back, silently cursing his big mouth.

Jefferson was, of course, Jefferson. Alex studied him carefully, the next day at work, thinking of the right angle to take. He could just walk up and ask, but he needed a 'yes', for Philip's sake.

Jefferson, for his part, stared back with equal wariness, almost as if he expected something. Or maybe it was because Alex didn't respond to his morning taunt, too wrapped up in what he'd have to do sometime today.

Alex lost his first chance, when Jefferson strolled by to steal Alex's stapler.

Alex lost his second chance, when he chickened out at lunchtime and went out for a burger instead.

The third time, though, Alex went for it. It was the end of the day, and James had gone on ahead- they were neighbours and best friends who carpooled; and Alex didn't care how rarely they were apart, he was not doing this in front of James. Alex took a deep breath. He was not throwing away his shot.

“Yo, Jefferson,” Alex raised his voice before he could change his mind. Jefferson turned, looked genuinely confused for a moment, before raising one slender brow. “I need to ask you something.”

Jefferson's brow raised further as he sauntered over. “Oh really?”

Alex swallowed down his instinctive frustration. Why did Jefferson have to be so damn condescending? “You remember Philip?”

Instantly, Jefferson's entire demeanor shifted. His perfect back posture slackened, his annoying smirk disappeared, something almost friendly flashed across his face as he blinked once, then twice. Then, he frowned, brows creasing; but Alex had already seen it.

“Yes, why?” Jefferson spoke cautiously. It was so unusual, Alex hesitated, knowing instinctively that he was in strange, new territory.

It was worrying, but Alex didn't get this far by shying away from new territory. “He's been asking about you. Wants you to go see that movie with him. Us.” Alex firmly resisted the urge to nibble his cheeks and shift his weight. He would not be a nervous schoolchild, not with his sworn enemy.

Jefferson's eyes blew wide for a single split second, before being masked behind confused wariness once again. Alex wondered where all these facial expressions had been hiding this whole time. Jefferson had been nothing but smug arrogance since they'd met, and only now he was being a three-dimensional human being?

“I...” Jefferson trailed off. “Uh, okay.” He coughed. “For the kid's sake, sure.”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded quickly, not sure how to take Jefferson's reaction. “This doesn't change anything.” Jefferson's eyes hardened, scowl turning sharper, more familiar. For a moment, Alex was disappointed. He decided not to dwell on it.

Philip was overjoyed, both at the news and throughout the actual event. That's all that mattered, Alex told himself. He'd even believe it, if only he could take his eyes off of Jefferson.

The thing was, he wasn't just good with kids. He was great. Alex watched blankly as Jefferson laughed and ruffled Philip's hair, acting for all the world like he'd known Philip for years. He looked like he belonged there, making Philip laugh and smile and swing their arms back and forth together.

Then, Jefferson would glance up, and catch Alex's eyes, and the moment would shatter. His lips twisted, his eyes narrowing. Philip hummed the movie's end credits song as they walked out of the theater, utterly content.

“What are you staring at,” Alex hissed, when Jefferson refused to let up.

“Shut up, Hamilton.” Jefferson hissed back. “You're being weird, the kid's noticing.”

Anger bubbled up, as hot as it was unbidden. “Don't talk to me like I can't parent my own kid!”

Jefferson's eyes flared, incensed. “Then act like it! You can't even keep a half decent eye-”

“Are you fighting?” Philip cocked his head, frowning.

“O-of course not!” Alex and Jefferson both startled at the same time. “We just... don't always see eye to eye,” Alex tried for an honest explanation.

“Yes, your Dad's to short to see things on my level,” Jefferson joked, shooting Philip a conspiratorial grin. “That's why he's always angry at me.”

“Excuse me-!?” Alex started, and then cut himself off. It would only prove Jefferson's point, and he was far too aware of Philip's expectant face. He couldn't take the bait in front of his own son.

Still, Jefferson's eyes lit up, not missing the reaction in the slightest. Philip frowned deeper, before shrugging. “You should get along, Dad. Tommy's great!”

“Yeah...” Alex agreed reluctantly, not wanting to disappoint Philip. Jefferson snorted, but left it.

Yeah, there wasn't a chance in hell of that happening.

“Hey, Dad?” Philip asked the next day, at breakfast. “How come you never got Tommy to come over before? He's tons of fun.”

Alex narrowly avoided spilling his breakfast down his front, only controlled because he was partially expecting it. “Well, as I said last night, we don't always... get along.” Before Philip could frown, Alex tried to make a better explanation. “Sometimes that just happens. You find someone who doesn't like you, and you don't like them, and that's all there is to it.”

Philip stared into his cereal, looking more thoughtful than crestfallen, thankfully. “But he's nice. And you're nice. Why don't you like him?”

The question was uncomfortably piercing. Alex decided to go for honesty. “It's not that I dislike him, more that he dislikes me. We have a lot of different opinions, and he's always challenging me at work, so I have to challenge him back. So we fight a lot.”

“Oh,” Philip fiddled with his spoon. “I asked Tommy the same thing, when he was taking me home the first time we were gonna see the movie. He said the same thing, that he thinks you don't like him.”

Alex froze, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable at the words. “I see,” he couldn't read into it, Jefferson just didn't want to upset Philip.

He still wasn't in a position to fully understand his feelings over Jefferson actually being invested in Philip's happiness either, to be honest.

“So, if you both don't actually not like each other, if you just spent time together you would get along better?” Philip grinned, impressed by his own idea.

“Err, I'm not sure if that would work,” Alex waved his hand. “We'd probably get mad at each other and stop hanging out in the first minute, anyways!”

Philip hummed, finishing his breakfast. “So if you weren't allowed to leave, you might get along?”

“Sure, Pip.” Alex ruffled his hair. “But that's not likely to happen. We're already forced to spend time together at work, we'd probably have to be attached at the hip for it to work.”

Philip brightened, like he'd come to some sort of conclusion. It might have been worrying, but he dropped the subject, which was all Alex cared about.

The rest of the week went thankfully, mercifully normal. Philip visited his friends- Lafayette's and Burr's children, plus that Eacker kid. Jefferson continued to snipe and snap, and Alex continued to give as good as he got.

Until, the end of the week, when Philip nearly demanded to see 'Tommy' again. “Dad, come on, please? I'm going back to Mom's tomorrow and it'll be a whole week before I can ask again!”

“Philip, it's only a week.” Alex reminded, somehow expecting this moment. “You've gone your whole life without meeting Tom, you'll survive a bit more.” He suppressed a wince at addressing Jefferson by his first name, and a nickname on top of that. It was weird.

Philip wrinkled his nose. “You're only saying that because you don't want to ask, and you're afraid of actually getting along.”

He really was the most troublesome of his parent's traits- Eliza's sharp perception, and Alex's blunt ambition- well, the ambition may well be from both of them. “Nice try, kiddo,” Alex said even though Philip was spot on for the first part; but he wasn't about to address the 'afraid to get along' part.

“Aw, come ooon” Philip whined. “Just for a bit, before Mom picks me up?”

“Sorry, Pip. There's only so much Jefferson- Tom, that I can handle in a week.”

If anything, Philip only looked more determined. “I just think if you gave him a chance, then you'd have a boyfriend too, like Mom has Mars...” Philip pouted. Alex paled.

“Tom is never going to be my boyfriend. Philip, is that what this has been about?”

Philip nodded. “I just want you to be happy too. Mom smiles a lot more now that Mars is hanging around all the time.”

Alex sighed. “Pip, I know you mean well, and you're very smart for your age, but you're too young to be matchmaking.”

Philip frowned, but wasn't deterred. “How do you know, if you don't even try?”

“I just do, now please leave it.”

“Fine, then I'll wait till next week and ask Tommy why he won't date you.”

Alex froze. “You wouldn't.” He could hear exactly how Philip would phrase it, as if it were a question Alex was asking himself, and not the work of an overeager child.

Slowly, Philip smiled. “Then ask him to come over today, just for a bit, before Mom picks me up.” This was it, he was being blackmailed by his own son.

“I could ground you, you know.” Alex tried.

“Okay,” Philip shrugged, apparently so dedicated to this scheme that he was willing to bear the punishment- which meant that the chances of him just forgetting this over the week with Eliza was slim. Damn it, Alex realized, he was being successfully blackmailed by his own son.

“We'll see. But if Tom can't make it, I better not hear a word from you.” Alex warned. Philip shrugged. It wasn't a good sign.

Jefferson, of course, was available, somehow. It was a Saturday, he should have been off doing whatever asshole things he did in his leisure time; but one call to Madison and a phone pass later, and it was set up.

“Is this going to be a regular thing, because Jemmy about had a heart attack from sheer confusion.” Jefferson griped as Alex met him in the driveway. Philip watched them from inside the house, the opposite of subtlety.

“God, I hope not,” Alex griped in return. “Philip won't shut up about you, unfortunately. He hasn't met a new adult in a while, it'll pass.”

Jefferson's face softened, just a touch. “Well, your kid has better taste in company than you. Must get it from his mother.”

“Now listen here, you-” Alex trailed off, glancing at the window. Philip grinned back with both thumbs up, obviously excited. “You know what, nevermind. Just come in.” Alex could at least try to get along for a bit. It was only a matter of time before Philip's fascination faded.

Jefferson stared, taken aback. Then, he shook himself and nodded. “Don't mind if I do.”

“Right,” Alex hesitated in front of the door. “Eliza will be over in about half an hour anyway, so you won't need to stay long. And,” Alex swallowed. “I guess, uh, thanks for humouring Philip.”

Jefferson gaped. “I'm sorry, what?”

“You heard me!” Alex snapped back. “You could have been a bigger asshole about this but you aren't, okay? Being an asshole about this specifically, you still are one in general.”

Jefferson's eyes stayed wide for another moment; and then they crinkled into a laugh, rich and pleasant compared to the usual scathing cackles Alex was used to. “Okay, Hamilton. Sure thing.”

“Oh, shut up.” Alex opened the front door instead of finding a proper response, cheeks reddening.

Philip wasted no time bounding over. “Tommy! You came!”

“Pip!” Jefferson laughed, once again warm and empty of spite. It did something uncomfortable to Alex's gut. He decided not to analyze it.

“Now you need to hold hands!” Philip put on his most innocent grin. His most innocent grin, of course, was full of lies- Philip was far too clever for his age.

Alex tried to cut if off. “Philip, no, seriously.”

“Just for a second! Please?” Philip batted his eyes.

“You don't want to make a guest uncomfortable, Philip, not when he visited just for you.” Alex reprimanded, as gently as he could. Jefferson was right there, and oh God, Philip better not bring up the date thing-

“Pff,” Jefferson scoffed. “You think that's enough to make me 'uncomfortable'?” He crossed his arms. “I'm not some fragile flower.”

Alex glared helplessly. “Hey, I'm just trying to- ugh,” He shook his head. “Philip, you don't just tell people to hold hands. That's something people only do together if they want to.”

“Are you trying to give the enthusiastic consent speech right now? Over hand holding?” Jefferson rolled his eyes.

Alex bit back a sharper retort. “Will you just-”

Jefferson cut him off with a loud, fake sigh. “Don't worry about it, Pip. Your Dad can't handle something like holding hands.”

In that moment, Alex saw red. “Okay, you know what, fine!” He seized Jefferson's hand in the fiercest grip he could manage. It wasn't nearly strong enough, Jefferson only rolling his eyes and gripping back. “Are you both happy, now?”

“A-almost!” Philip swallowed an excited giggle. He reached for something behind his back. Alex had a split second to fear it was a camera, before something far, far worse happened.

With two harsh ratcheting noises, Philip snapped a pair of handcuffs tight against Alex's and Jefferson's wrists. Then, he pushed past them and ran out the door, laughing.

#fic #jamilton #matchmaker pip au #IM SORRY #IM ALSO NOT SORRY #BUT AT THE SAME TIME I AM SORRY #this has a conceptual part 2 where they get up to handcuffed shenanigans #while i invent ways for them not to go call the police or something and get themselves freed #but im not sure when ill write it #maybe if i get some nice comments on this i will #sorry im greedy for validation like that

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