hi everybody it's been almost a year since i updated this so here's a little thing that took three months to write

John was exhausted.

He was up all night worrying about Alex. He had a massive panic and had to stay at the apartment for today, being in no condition to come to class. Of course, not being able to go to class only stressed him out even more, which led to some chaos in the morning. John managed to get Alex to calm down, but it took long enough to make him late to his 8 AM History class. Thankfully, Professor Washington understood the circumstances and let it slide, but John still ended up feeling like shit all morning.

In the early afternoon, he had his shift working at the campus bookstore. It was going easy for the most part, with only a few students coming to buy things. Right after his shift ended, he would be able to go back to the apartment and see Alexander and hopefully end the day on a good note.

And then came his least favorite customer, Thomas Jefferson.

John suppressed a groan when he saw that magenta coat in the corner of his eye. This guy was responsible for about twenty-five percent of Alex's stress as of late, and he was just an all-around bother to the rest of their friend group. He was genuinely smart and could be nice at times, so they didn't honestly hate him, but they didn't like him either.

Thankfully, his visit here was short. He approached the counter with a packet of scantron sheets and a bottle of water. He slid a twenty-dollar bill to John.

"You're looking kind of rough today, Laurens," he teased. "What's going on with you?"

John didn't look at him, focusing on getting the transaction done as quickly as possible. "Nothing, just Alex stuff."

"It's always Alex stuff, isn't it?" Thomas shook his head condescendingly, accepting his change. "You know you can leave at any time, right? Take a break, maybe find someone else that won't drain you of every last drop of energy you have?"

John glared at him. "He doesn't completely drain me, Thomas. It just gets tiring sometimes, but it's fine. It's work, and relationships take work." He hastily finished processing the payment and put the packet and water in a plastic bag. I wonder how much work it takes James to keep dating this guy, he thought, but kept that little comment to himself.

"Seems like it's a little more work than it has to be."

"Just stop, Thomas. I know you don't care about what we go through; you just like to fuck with us."

Thomas chuckled, taking the bag and strolling out with his head held high.

John rubbed his temples. His shift lasted ten more minutes, and the store remained empty for the remainder of that time. During that time, he gave some serious thought about how wrong Thomas was about this. John got tired and stressed sometimes, but he was never totally drained. He could still get his school work done, have a job, and maintain close friendships all while still making Alex his top priority. He had the determination to not give up on him, and he had no plans on abandoning him.

He clocked out and left the store the second his shift ended. He walked from the campus to the apartment building, thinking about his boyfriend every step of the way. It was not unusual for him to be on his mind and in his heart every second of every day, but now he was thinking about him even more, thanks to the fact that he hadn't seen him since that morning.

He felt quite a bit of nervousness as he arrived to the door of the apartment.

He was on the couch, reading a book. And it wasn't one he needed for school. John smiled; it had been months since the last time Alex had read casually.

Quietly, John walked up to the couch and sat next to his boyfriend. He didn't say anything; he knew he didn't need to. He gently rested his head on his shoulder, silently reading the words with him.

"Is this any good?" he asked.

"It's okay," Alex replied. "The author has good ideas, but the writing style is too simple for my tastes."

John laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "You're so extra, babe."

Alex smirked at him, folding the corner of the page and shutting the book. "You say that as if I'm the only one."

In an instant, they were in each other's arms as they lay on the couch, holding each other close and peppering kisses all over each other's faces. John felt Alex's warmth all over his body, and it was the most reassuring feeling he could ever imagine.

Relationships take work. Relationships are tiring sometimes. But even just moments like these make even the most strenuous struggles worth it.

I'm not even like half as into Hamilton as I used to be. I still love it, I've just been more into other things. Great Comet is my current favorite musical (I have a fic for it that's AO3 exclusive), and even then as of late I've 100% devoted my fandom life to Danganronpa and Camp Camp. So consider any updates to this collection a rare treat.