Chapter Text
XOXO
John Laurens was patient. He prided himself on that. He had waited patiently to tell his father to kindly 'fuck off' and move out. He had been patient while he scrolled through hundreds of online dating profiles when he first moved to New York. And he had patiently waited for the man he only knew as 'A. Ham' who was handsome and wore really nice suits in all of his pictures and who's eyes crinkled a little in the corners when he smiled, to ask him out on a real date. So sitting in the coffee shop they had agreed on and waiting for him was easy.
Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette was more than punctual. If he wasn't at least five minutes early for something, he considered himself late, and he appreciated when other were on time as well, though he could tolerate a little lateness. Ten minutes tops. He understood that traffic in New York was crazy. Okay, in this case he was pretty sure he could wait forever. He didn't go on many dates and he usually wouldn't let a friend set him up on one but Adrienne had insisted. Apparently this man, Mulligan, was one of the best tailors in New York and was Lafayette's type. Tall, built, great smile. So Lafayette stood in line at the little coffee shop on the corner of 3rd behind a nervous looking young man with his curly hair pulled up into a ponytail and a whole galaxy of freckles across his nose and cheeks, he ordered his coffee, sat down a couple tables away, and the barista called his name at three o'clock on the dot.
John sipped his coffee slowly, trying to focus on the game he was playing on his phone and not the minutes ticking away. It was ten after three already. They had agreed on three hadn't they? He went to check the messages on his profile to double check the time or see if 'A' had canceled on him last minute. Yup. Three o'clock, coffee shop on the corner of 3rd. He had signed the last message as 'Alex', but hadn't given John his number or another way to get a hold of him. Shit...
John started tapping his foot nervously. Quarter after.
'He's probably stuck in traffic. Calm down. He'll be here.' He scolded himself. He noticed a man around his age a couple tables over checking his watch every few minutes and glancing at the door, his scowl growing each time.
By three thirty, John had finished most of his coffee and what little was left was just cold enough to be unpleasant. He watched the guy a few tables away while he debated getting another cup. He looked as pissed as John was starting to feel, glaring at his phone and jabbing at the screen, typing out, what one could only assume, was a very angry text.
“I'll take another large coffee, two cream, two sugars and one of whatever that gentleman sitting in the corner table had.” He smiled over the counter at the barista who scribbled his name on two cups with a smile of her own and went about making the drinks, making small talk about how nice the weather was and how she couldn't wait for her shift to be over so she could go out and get some sun. While he waited, he kept glancing at the other table to make sure he hadn't left. He paid and took both cups, saying a quick 'thank you' before going over and setting the cup with the star drawn on it in front of the stranger.
“Waiting for someone?” He asked, cradling his own coffee in both of his hands and smiling sympathetically when he looked up, surprised.
“I was.” He sighed, his voice carrying a thick French accent. “But he's half an hour late now.” He rolled his eyes and took a sip of the coffee John had set in front of him.
“Same. May I?” John put a hand on the back of the other chair at the table.
“Please.”
“Thank you. I'm John by the way. John Laurens.”
“It's a pleasure John. My name is a mouthful, and I will spare you that much. Please, call me Lafayette. So, who were you waiting for?” He asked, leaning forward casually. John sighed.
“I uh... it's kinda silly actually, I had a date with this guy that I met online and he just never showed... Eh, c'est la vie, right?” He laughed a little nervously. “What about you?”
“I think we were destined to meet today John Laurens.” Lafayette laughed. John couldn't help thinking that his smile lit up the entire shop. “I got stood up too. A friend set me up on a blind date with this tailor, I think she said his name was Mulligan?”
“Hercules? I go to his shop sometimes. I know him a little. I'll give him a piece of my mind next time I go in. He'll kick himself for not showing up when I tell him about you.” John grinned.
“And what about your mystery man? What's he like?”
“His name's Alex. His last name starts with an 'H' I think. He writes like there's no tomorrow.”
“Oh my god. Non. Alexander Hamilton?”
“That might be it. His screen name is 'A. Ham'” John pulled up the profile, showed Lafayette the picture and he burst out laughing.
“Oh my god! I work with him! Come here.” He motioned for John to pull his chair over to the other side of the table and pulled Snapchat open on his phone, snapping a photo of them and adding the caption 'vous merdé con' to it before sending it, still laughing. “He's been talking about this for a week! I can't believe he missed this!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The poor fool probably crashed from all the sugar he pumps into his veins. Well you know what they say, 'you snooze, you loose', non?” Lafayette grinned. “Would you care to go on a date with me this afternoon, John Laurens?”
“I would love that.” John smiled back.
…
“So tell me about yourself.” John prompted as he walked down the sidewalk arm-in-arm with his unexpected date.
“I grew up in France, came here when I was twenty to go to University. And now I'm a lawyer over the Washington and King firm.”
“Impressive.” John hummed.
“And what do you do?”
“I run an animal rescue upstate.” His freckles disappeared under a dark blush. “Just a parcel of land that I inherited from my father. He didn't want me to get involved in any sort of activism, he wanted me to be a doctor, so I became a vet and opened an animal shelter. He was pissed, but he's dead so I don't really give a fuck.” John paused. “I'm sorry, I'm rambling.”
“No, no not at all.” Lafayette patted his hand and smiled. “I think it's wonderful. I'd like to come visit it some time.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I love animals.” Lafayette's phone started ringing in his pocket. “Excuse me for a moment.” He grinned and pulled out his phone, not even needing to look at the caller ID, but John caught a glimpse of the contact picture- Alex with a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth, flipping off the camera. “Hello?”
“Laf! Ce que le baiser!?” John laughed, hearing him yell over the line.
“Alexandre! Bonjour! Comment vas-tu mon amour? Avoir un bon jour, je l'espère?” Lafayette leaned against the wall of a building with an easy smile while Alex kept talking. John pick up a few words here and there but it was muffled. “Oui, je suis toujours avec lui. Voulez-vous dire quelque chose?” John looked up when Lafayette nudged him. “Est-ce que vous parlez français, John?”
“Oui?”
“Good, because he's worked up and will probably babble in French.”
“Oh shut up Gil!” Came Alex's muffled voice over the phone. “Please let me talk to him.”
“Alex?” John took the phone from Lafayette.
“John.” Alex breathed. “My god, John I am so sorry. My boss called me in to help him with this case and I totally forgot about our date until about five minutes ago when I saw Lafayette's Snap. I am so, so sorry.”
“Alex, it's okay.” John smiled. “I understand. I'm not mad at you.”
“You're not?”
“Nah. Shit happens. I totally get that.”
“Oh my god, thank you. Hey- let me make it up to you. I'm leaving the office now, maybe we can meet up and grab some dinner?”
“Actually...” John glanced over at Lafayette who was looking into a shop window a couple doors down. “Um, actually Lafayette and I are kinda out on a date. He got stood up too- not to say that you stood me up on purpose of course- so we're bonding a little, but maybe Friday evening?” Alex breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the line.
“Okay. Alright, that sounds great. Thanks again for understanding John. It means the world to me. I can't wait to meet you.”
“I can't wait to meet you either, Alex.” He blushed when Lafayette elbowed him in the side. They said their goodbyes and John handed the phone back to Lafayette.
“So did you two love birds make up?” He teased, linking arms with John again.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “He wanted to meet up tonight but I told him I was on a date with you.” He hoped he wasn't being too bold by laying his head on Lafayette's shoulder, but his boldness was rewarded with Laf moving to hold his hand, giving it a little squeeze.
“You're sweet John. If Alex's fucks up again just let me know and I would be more than happy to date you.”
“I would be delighted.” John laughed. “What did you have in mind tonight?”
“Netflix and Chill?” Lafayette teased, John slapped him on the arm playfully. “No? Alright then. Dinner and a movie? Forgive me for being cliché.”
“No more cliché than meeting someone at a coffee house for a first date.” John snorted.
“True. So where would you like to go?”
…
Dinner was lovely. A small place, out of the way and owned by a nice old Greek couple. John couldn't stop smiling. He considered calling Alex (Lafayette had given him his phone number) and calling off the date and just going out with Lafayette but he wanted to give the guy a chance. Plus, whenever they talked online, then the one time over the phone John's stomach did flips and his heart raced at the thought of just being in the same room as Alex. But Lafayette was having the same effect on him. His stomach was full of butterflies and he was having more fun than he had had in a long time.
“What kind of animals do you keep up at the rescue?” Lafayette asked, picking at the last bits of food on his plate.
“Small stuff. Mostly cats and dogs that we've found abandoned. There are a few deer that we raised. Found most of them on the side of the road after their mother's had been hit. One had an arrow through her shoulder.”
“Poor thing...”
“We've got a little family of raccoons, a couple foxes and some turtles, too. Those are my favorite.” John smiled.
“That all sounds wonderful. You're doing a great thing.” Lafayette reached across the table to hold John's hand and he smiled.
They paid the bill and John hailed a cab when they got outside. He found himself flirting all the way to the movie theater, laughing maybe a little more than was necessary, and putting his hand on Lafayette's knee whenever he got a chance. His impromptu date didn't seem to mind though and even put an arm around his shoulders and shared a soda with him at the movies.
Both were laughing when they left the theater, arms linked, hips bumping together.
“Would you like me to call you a cab home?” Lafayette asked.
“Nah. I don't live too far from here, if you wouldn't mind walking me home?”
“Not at all. It would be a pleasure.” John asked more about Lafayette's childhood in France and told him about his own strict upbringing in South Carolina with his political father who, after his mother passed, had run the house like a military compound.
“Well your father sounds like a real piece of work John.” Lafayette frowned. “Horrible if you ask me.” John shrugged.
“He had a heart attack and died two years ago. I wasn't too upset about it.” He stopped short. “This is me.” He pointed at the brownstone he had stopped in front of and Lafayette walked him up the front steps. He felt like a teenager again, standing out on the stoop, holding hands with his date and looking down at his feet nervously. “I uh... I had a really great time tonight Lafayette.” He smiled and blushed a little.
“So did I.” Lafayette smiled back. “And I meant what I said before. I would date you in a heartbeat. You're lovely.”
“Thank you. So I guess, I'll give you a call sometime.” John looked up at Lafayette, who was about a head taller than him, for a moment before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek, turning away quickly to fumble with the lock to his door.
“John.” Lafayette called when John was a step into the door. He turned and before he could say anything, Lafayette's hands were on either side of his face and his lips were on his. After the initial shock had worn off, John wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck and kissed him back slowly.
“Wow...” He whispered when they pulled apart, noses still brushing, breath mingling between them. “That was...”
“Ne parle pas...” Lafayette whispered back, kissing him again, running his fingers through his hair softly, pressing in closer, his other hand on his waist. A car honked from the street and Lafayette pulled away, smiling a little. “That's my ride.” John figured he had ordered an Uber while he was trying to unlock his door. “I had a wonderful night.”
“Me too. Text me when you get home, okay?” John smiled, leaning up to press one more kiss to his lips.
“Will do. Goodnight, John.”
“Goodnight, Lafayette.” John didn't go into his house until he saw the car turn the corner down the block and he leaned against the door once he had closed and locked the door.
“Oh John... You fucked up buddy.” He sighed to himself, rubbing his eyes. “You fucked up big time...”
XOXO