Critical (Jamilton)

13. Dear Theodosia, Your Dad Kinda Sucks

"Rough," Ham said sympathetically. Jefferson thought back to how he reacted to his own mother's death. He was twelve years older than the girl in the other room and it still hit him pretty hard. Thomas didn't want to think of how Theodosia might handle it.

But it wasn't Thomas's job to tell her so he wouldn't find out first hand.

After a while of gossip that mostly surrounded the Burrs, the adults dissipated around the place. Thomas had moved to the stove to make boxed mac n cheese for the kids while Eliza sat playing with Georges's hair on the couch watching a movie. Alex was sitting in the kitchen with Thomas and Pip was with Theo at the table with coloring pages.

"You know that stuff is horrible for you, right?" Alex laughed as Thomas cooked.

"Oh, shut it. You have no place to be lecturing me about health, Mr. Coffee's-Better-Than-Sleep." Thomas turned around and pointed the spoon at him with a sassy pose.

"Caffeine is the best thing on the planet, Thomas."

"Second best," Jefferson corrected.

"In comparison to you? No, still the best."

"Hey!"

"Caffeine gives me the power I need to do the things I do! Technically, you hold me back."

"I hold you back from arguing with everything that moves."

"Exactly!" 

Thomas rolled his eyes and kept cooking until Philip walked in. 

"Uncle Alex?" Pip said nervously.

"What is it, sweetpea?" 

"Theo's sad." He pointed to the table where Theodosia was coloring slowing with her head resting on the table. "Mama's busy and Uncle Tommy's cookin', so you gotta talk to her." 

Thomas looked at Alexander, who looked like he wasn't at all prepared to talk to a kid. Jefferson gave him a supportive thumbs up as Philip dragged him off. 

A couple minutes later, Alex and Theo walked by the kitchen, heading outside. Ham told Thomas that they'd be back in a second, so he kept cooking. When the two weren't back inside after he'd finished, he went to go get them. Instead of opening the door right away, though, he stopped and listened to what was happening on the other side. 

"Pip told me you're a superhero," he heard the little girl say. 

Alex laughed. "That's right, I beat up tons a bad guys, but you know what?"

"What?"

"I lost my mom too. I was a little older than you though, so you can grow up and be a way cooler superhero, right?"

"Yeah. . . But I don't wan'er to leave," Theo said. "Daddy's gonna marry the other guy."

"Is he nice?"

"Uh-huh, but he isn't Mama."

"I know, but remember, you can just be a cooler superhero after this, okay?"

Thomas decided that he'd done enough eavesdropping and opened the door, seeing the two sitting on the porch. 

"Food's done," he said quietly. 

Alexander nodded and patted the kid on the head, sending her inside to eat. She seemed to be happier as she ran inside to eat with her friends. 

"What was that about?" Thomas asked quietly before Alex had a chance to go inside. 

"She heard her dad talking to Lee about her mom. She doesn't want anything to change." Ham looked at her with nothing less than sympathy as she put two noodles on her teeth and pretended to be a cheesy vampire.

"Well she seemed to talk to you pretty easy," Jefferson noted. 

"What can I say? Kids love a calm guy." Hamilton shrugged. 

Thomas couldn't hold back a laugh as he went fully into the house. 

"What! I can be calm if I want to be!" 

"Right." 

"I can be!" 

"I completely believe you." 

"You sound sarcastic." 

"I would never use sarcasm with you, darlin'." 

"That's a total lie! This entire relationship is built on sarcasm!" 

"Well, ya got me there, Alex," Thomas shrugged. He laughed again as his boyfriend went off about how he could definitely be calm if he wanted to.