(no subject)

[iniquiticity]

wellreadfan asked
For Greenhouses, maybe a little something about how Alex settles into the position at the treasury? Does he complain to George about the people who work under him?


All in all it was an unideal arrangement. Either they could rent a home in the city nearer the government, and leave Washington apart from his precious flowers (not to mention the rest of his estate), or Hamilton would leave for two or three weeks at a time, and come home for a week or two, and then return back to his work. There were some times, admittedly, that Washington found it wonderful to have his solitude returned to him, but in all honesty more than otherwise he found that he missed, in a new way he had never known, the sound of the man’s footsteps and his never-ending discussion of literally every topic. When he had once relished solitary meals and hours by himself, he found that he missed another person in the space. (Of course, there had been Lafayette. He knew that. Lafayette had been different. Lately he had doubted.)

Regardless, Hamilton was scheduled to returned today. He did not deny the excitement. The first one or two trips Hamilton had come home days late, and they’d had an argument. His husband was prompter now.

There he was, appearing at the end of the path from the outer gates to the manor. Perhaps noticing him, Hamilton sped up, and then slid off the horse without trying. He hadn’t been able to do that before.

“George,” Hamilton said, and smiled at him. Hamilton could never actually look to miss him too much, the sort of man that he was.

“Hello, dearest,” he said, and bowed a little bow. The truth was, seeing Hamilton always made Washington feel a bit lighter and years younger. It worked the aches out of his bones better than a poultice. “How is the government?”

“Terrible,” Hamilton said, and he took Washington in, and Washington very seen in only the way his husband - and perhaps Martha, and Lafayette, and maybe Henry, if Henry was really looking at him - could manage. “Every one of them is a lout.”

“You have hired some of them, if I recall,” Washington replied, gently, and folded his hands behind his back. Hamilton reached for one of his hands and intertwined their fingers, and walked into the manor, holding his hand rather tightly.

“Some of them are barely tolerable,” Hamilton said, “Most of them bear a striking resemblance to a bad rash.”

“Have you attempted to resolve some of their complaints?”

“Attempted?” Hamilton gave an unexpected tug on his hand, pulling him close. He smelled horse and the road and his cologne, which Hamilton had taken to using. “Of course I have attempted. There is no curing the disease of stupidity.”

“It cannot be helped, with politicians,” Washington replied, and a bit lost about how to handle the close-quarters, took another step in and kissed his husband on his slightly dirty, slightly sweaty forehead, “You must learn best how to accomodate them.”

“Oh, you shall hear all about the accommodations they required,” Hamilton said, after a queer little pause, and a touch to his forehead which Washington secretly delighted in.