the 1980s series and the washingdad who stepped up, pt 2: The Staircase Incident on Speed Mode
once again: we can have historical accuracy or we can have this scene that shows the aftermath of the staircase incident as alexander explodes at washington until the apologetic and hurt general backs away, giving him that command.
did the real apology and reconciliation come this quickly, or even directly from washington? nope! but idc - this series provides me with my daily hamilton-washington-complex-relationship hit and i'm eternally grateful. it and the sequel are the ultimate whamilton dealers.
everyone chant with me: historical washingdad historical washingdad historical washingda-
Okay purely Hamilton musical verse but Meet Me Inside drives me insane because it's such an emotional song(but also lowkey is so borderline romantic confession). Like you can tell that they've been arguing over this for weeks-about Hamilton getting a command for a while. And Hamilton is being obtuse and doesn't realize. That Washington dies everytime he prattles on about a command. About glory and status.
About all the things Washington doesn't give a damn about because he. just. needs. Alexander. alive. And Hamilton doesn't realize cause he just wants. But it's not about wants.
And if you strip the song of all contexts and histories, there's a universe where this song is about George is in love and terrified to risk Alexander and Alexander is too glory obsessed to realize what he holds in his careless hands(Ooh, I love that line. Too glory obsessed to realize what he holds in his careless hands. I cooked there). Like I've thought for such a long while the tension building in that song should lead to a kiss
If not for historical context. For Eliza and John and Lafayette(EDIT: AND MARTHA OMG I did not forget Martha! To be fair I was very much thinking of the Hamilton musical squad and they left her out so it's not my fault. It's Lin's for leaving out our very wonderful very first First Lady so blame him :< ) and we obviously know they weren't historically but in the musical their dynamics are kinda sorta like.
It's such an emotional song that it'd be so easy to make it romantic.
And then you have everything else-Washington knowing Hamilton got Eliza pregnant, Alex having woken up fearing John would die that morning in the duel, the tension of Washington shrugging off Lee's disrespect and John and Alex taking it all personally.
Like no wonder weeks of arguments finally bubbled over and Hamilton was finally sent home that day.
Idk this has just been bouncing in my head for weeks and needed to be freed everytime I listen to that goddamn song cause I'm like "Hammie you're an idiot for not getting it when a man tells you he needs you alive in that voice. Like that's a very clear I'm deeply in love with you and I need you alive please stop asking this of me I cannot send you to die" Cause I would die for Christopher Jackson telling me he needed me in that voice.
Oh I wrote a piece of a something. Angst ridden Whamilton ahead. Enjoy!
***
“Somebody knows,” Washington mutters, his voice barely audible with the heavy weight of revelation. The words are simple, yet they suck every breath of air out of the room. Washington sits, tense behind his desk, a scrap of torn parchment clutched in his fist. There’s an unfamiliar intensity in his eyes Alexander has not seen before.
Alexander’s brow furrows, eyes narrow. He tries to catch Washington’s gaze but he keeps just barely avoiding him. “Knows what, sir?”
The General hesitates, closes his eyes. His knuckles go almost white. “They know about us, Alexander.”
The words hit in a punch, driving the air out of Alexander’s lungs. He stands, frozen, stunned. “What?” At last he manages to speak, throat dry. Alexander reaches out for the parchment clenched in Washington’s hand-
Only for him to draw it away. Alexander barely touches him and he acts as though he’s been burned.
“Sir, do you not know who-”
“Do you think for a moment if I did I wouldn't have taken care of it?”
The pain in Washington’s voice makes Alexander's heart ache too. He wants to scream, rip the paper from the General's hand. The room spins around him.
yes we can have historical accuracy or we can have the scene in george washington (1984) where washington shakes his soldiers' hands and embraces them- but gets to hamilton and ignores the offered hand to pull him into a tight hug with tears in his eyes.
so i don't know what you want from me.
btw the curly haired dude before hamilton is tench tilghman. my aides de camp.
Before him, leaning against the kitchen island, were two teenagers. And not just any teenagers, he knew those faces, the dyed blonde hair with dark roots on the girl and the perpetually messy dark mop on the boy, those eyes, the same eyes that stared up at him from George’s phone lockscreen whenever he asked Alex to hand it to him-
George’s children. In his kitchen, on a Saturday, at half past seven in the morning, with Alex, who-
He dropped his phone, paying no heed to where it bounced off to, and hurriedly yanked the open tails of his shirt closed, concealing the dozen bruises in the shape of their father’s teeth that littered his neck and torso, and, oh yeah, the ass-hugging, sheer piece of lace that was the only thing protecting the innocent eyes of minors from glimpsing his package.
Or, George's children turn up unannounced one beautiful Saturday morning, and everything goes downhill from there.
I don't know when this became a fic rec blog but YOU HAVE TO READ "The Icarus Division" by @theother51 on AO3!!!!
Honestly I can't give you a succinct description of the fic and the reasons why it is an absolute must so you're just gonna have to trust me and I'm just gonna say that not only did this fic preserve my sanity through 6 hours of school but it also have me such a peace of mind that I did homework. Not last minute. And not hating every second of it. This is big...