Harry Mason was honestly incredibly surprised he got into college. Not because he was dumb, but because he didn't think he had the money to pay for college. When he was 14 his father lost his job. Sad, but his mother was a lawyer who made lots of money, so as long as their father searched diligently everything would be fine. That's what Harry thought for two years, but then Mom went to work on a case and never came back.
They said she was killed as soon as the car hit her.
Soon after, Harry's father found a job as a sewage worker. They were a paycheck to paycheck family, living in a lowly apartment in the bad part of town. School wasn't appealing in the slightest either, as Harry was known as the 'freaky kid who has to get a job to sustain his family'. That's right, he had to find work, which ended up with him working as a waiter. He met his closest friend, Katelyn Black on the job.
It had been a normal night in February, which meant most people there would be on dates. Katelyn had walked in, claiming her date was just late. He never showed up. Feeling bad, Harry bought her a drink and introduced himself, the two becoming friends instantly. It might've helped they were in the same grade and went to the same school.
Around a year later Kate doing out her date stood her up for a cheerleader that wanted his money.
Anyway, it broke Harry's heart when Kate told him she had gotten into college. Not just any college either, Columbus University. Basically. he would be left alone in a dusty house, with a father who always smells like dirty water and a little brother who wanted more than anything to join the U.S. Army.
Honestly, he had to thank whoever decided he'd be good for a scholarship, because that's the only way he got into college. Kate, the kind soul she had, baked an entire cake in celebration. She also said she was proud of her child for coming to college with her, but that's a whole other thing to unpack. She even bought him a phone because of how proud she was, courtesy of her parents.
Harry liked Kate's roommates a lot. Max was absolutely crazy and wanted to know every little thing about everything. The two had quickly bonded over their similar interests. Peggy, on the other hand...
Well, Peggy kept asking Harry about everything. His interests, how he grew up, whether he believed in reincarnation... It was all very strange. Today, according to Max and Kate, was going to be a day off bonding for him and Peggy. Harry was sure she put the other two up to this.
That was how they got to this moment, playing an incredibly tense game of Uno while it was raining heavily outside.
"Draw four," Harry said, placing down a wild draw for card. Peggy cursed under her breath before complying. She had been very close to getting Uno. "The color is yellow."
Peggy smiled and put down a yellow skip. "Skipped," she then put down a blue skip, "wow, skipped again!" She ended with a blue five. Harry stuck his tongue out at her. He was at two cards, so she was doing everything in her power to stop him.
He put down another' wild. "The color is yellow." Peggy jumped out of her seat, eyes blazing.
"YOU DIDN'T SAY UNO!" Harry smacked the table, angry at himself. He begrudgingly picked up the cards she exiled him to. Peggy sat down, face smug. "Hey...I want to apologise." She confessed, a slight blush on her cheeks.
Harry looked up from his cards in surprise. "For what?"
"Bothering you about everything." Peggy said, plucking an eyelash with her fingers. "It's obviously making you uncomfortable and that's the last thing I want to do."
Startled, Harry blinked. Then he smiled softly. If Peggy was home enough to apologise for making him uncomfortable, maybe she wasn't so bad. "Apology accepted."
Peggy smiled, relief evident in how she held herself. "Good," she grabbed a card from her hand. "because Uno." Harry gaped at the play. She was good. He didn't even have a yellow card anymore, much less a card that could hurt her!
"You suck." he grumbled. She only smirked back, eyes lighting up with newly sparked fire. Sadly, he had to take a card, resulting in her twinning the game.
"Good game," Peggy smuggly said, hand outstretched to shake his. Harry accepted, liking her better the more they talked.
Normally, it would take forever for Harry to warm up to someone, but something about Peggy was different. She seemed familiar, like they knew each other. That couldn't be the case though, right? In any case, something about her seemed important.
Harry sighed. "Hey, can I get your number?" Peggy smirked, pulling her phone out.
"Is this your way of flirting, Mason?" Asked Peggy, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Harry laughed at her humor. She had a good personality, it just seemed they had first gotten in the wrong side of each other.
"Just give me it." Harry and Peggy slide their phones across the table to each other, punching in their numbers. Now, Harry didn't know if Peggy preferred to have normal names, but he sure hated having normal names on his phone; So he named himself 'untitled'. He didn't want to work to actually think of something. Let her actually put in the effort.
Peggy gave him the phone back, and he gave her her phone back. Neither knew it, but this interaction would jumpstart the reunion of the founding fathers.
------
Lafayette walked to his dorm building with a bounce in good step, ignoring the eerie quiet of the campus. Yes, it was 7:00 in the morning, but he expected more people to be out. Against his wishes, Laf had to stay home an extra day with his mother, and so he couldnt go with his father and brother to get set up in the dorms. Luckily, he and his brother would be sharing a dorm, so this stuff was taken with them.
The brothers were incredibly close, and so neither could wait for Lafayette to arrive. He bounded down the hall, somehow quiet as a mouse, the backpack on his back bouncing with each step. Each room that wasnt 188 made Laf wanted to hit something. He missed his brother dearly, as the two suck together like glue. It had only been a few days, but he knew his brother well. Alex tended to neglect his health when someone wasn't there to take care of him.
Finally, Lafayette was in front of the door, and as he knocked her held his breath. He'd finally get to be with his dear Alex again, and undo whatever damage he'd done to his sleeping schedule.
The wood door swung open to reveal, not the energetic man with the points and being eyes, but exactly what Laf was afraid of. Alex had his happy down and in a mess, his eyes were dull and tired, he seemed to sag down, and the bags under his eyes were dark like bruises. "Laf!" Alex croaked, reaching forward to his hope brother. Immediately, he sagged into Lafayette, tired, but tense as a tightly wound spring.
After dealing with this for 20 years, Lafayette knew exactly how to get Alex to sleep. He knew it so well he had steps that were proven to work.
Number one: no mentioning the problem.
"Mon ami, I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you too..." Alex's wakes were muffled, as his head was buried in Lafayette's chest. They had a crazy height difference between the two of them. Gently, Laf began to card his hands through his brother's hair.
Number two: give subtle comfort.
Lafayette pulled away from his brother and put an arm around his shoulders. Alex put his arm around his older brothers waist, holding on tight as if they would be separated again.
Number three: present a way to rest
Quickly scanning the room, Lafayette's eyes latched onto the TV in the front room. There was a couch right across from it. Perfect. "Hey, do you want to watch a movie?" Alex loved spending time with his brother, and Laf loved to exploit that. It was no surprise when Alex only gave a single weak argument.
"I'm working on an essay..." The younger ("IT'S ONLY TWO MONTHS, LAF!") brother quietly argued, always wanting to work. Lafayette couldn't blame him, they had both learned you had to work to survive in this world from a young age, Alex especially. It was just that he worked himself to the bone.
"Well...that's too bad..." Lafayette put his bag on the floor, moving away from his brother. "I brought our favorite movies too..." Alex's eyes widen, clearly interested in what Laf has to offer. "Coco, The Greatest Showman, Iron Man, Moana..." The older brother knows how to trap his brother into this, so he leaves their ultimate favorite movie for last. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame..." That is the one that breaks Alex's resolve down.
Defeated, Alex nods and Lafayette puts the DVD into the DVD player. They both love this movie because they both love France. Alex was born in the Caribbean, but his mother knew french and taught him french. Lafayette was born in France and lived there until he was ten years old, which was when he was adopted by the Wilsons. In summary, both of them loved France and loved the story Hunchback told.
Almost every time the brothers had been separated, Laf immediately got Alex to watch a movie with him, and many times it was Hunchback. This proved to work, and so it worried him when the sleep deprived gremlin didn't immediately go to cuddling. He adored cuddling with his brother, especially when he was tired.
"Mon petit lion, what is wrong?" Alex looked down, and for the first time Lafayette noticed faint tear tracks on his brother's face. "What happened?" He purposely kept his voice soft for his brother.
Alex sniffled and launched into Lafayette's arms. The only words he mumbled was "Storm. Yesterday." Laf froze as he held his little brother.
"Oh, Alex..." When Alexander still lived in the Caribbean, he lived through a hurricane, and ever since had been thrown into a panic attack whenever a storm occurred. Usually someone could be there for him, but Alex was alone this time. Lafayette couldn't imagine how terrible that was. "I'm so sorry..."
Alexander only clinged to his brother tighter, sobbing into his chest. Carefully, Lafayette maneuvered them to a more comfortable position on the couch, where he began to card his hands through his brother's hair and rub his back. Whenever Alex got like this, it was good to just cuddle and hug each other. As his brother's sobs got quieter, Laf pressed play on the Hunchback of Notre Dame, knowing this would distract him.
As time went on, Alex fell asleep to the tune of God Help the Outcasts. Lafayette would later fall asleep during Heavens Light, hugging his brother close to his chest so that they may not be separated.