Hamilton One Shots

Take Care

Requested by: daedaluslaptop

"What were you thinking?!?"

Grabbing onto her friend, Theodosia hurriedly walked alongside her limping companion. She felt horrible, as though she had caused this.

The boy beside her winced. "It's fine. I can handle myself." Practically yelling back at him, she helped him sit down on a nearby sidewalk, clear of any passerby. "Well, you obviously can't handle yourself if you're getting into fights!" Shaking her head, unable to believe he would do such a thing, she checked his hand.

The cuts were still visible, blood seeping out from the skin. She touched them, maybe a little too hard, for the boy yelled loudly. "Philip, this is going to take quite a while to heal."

A breeze swept overtop of them as Philip said, "I will make sure to take good care of it." He smiled goofily. "You know me, Theo." Unable to hold back a grin any longer, she chuckled, but let it all fade away quickly.

Theodosia tucked a curl of brown hair behind her ear as she pulled down the collar of his shirt. Flinching at her touch, Philip turned away, trying to pay attention to something else, as his wounds were sensitive. The bruises hidden beneath his collar were turning blue and black colors almost immediately.

Sneaking a glance up at Philip, she saw to her surprise that he looked slightly worried. She hesitated before speaking to him. "Are you okay?" There was a moment of silence, except for the sounds of the city around them.

Philip sighed, shutting his eyes. "If my father finds out..." He trailed off, not needing to elaborate anymore. The space between them closed as Theodosia placed one arm around his shoulder, the other on his knee.

"Look at me."

Hesitantly pushing his curly hair out of his eyes, Philip looked over at his friend. When he looked at her, truly and deeply, just for a moment, he felt as though he could breathe again. Being with Theodosia made him feel safe, in a way that neither of his parents could foster for him.

Clearing her throat, she tapped her feet against the cobblestone road as she spoke. "You can't keep hiding this from him, you know you can't, if-" Philip glared at her, making her change her wording. "If you tell him, maybe it's for the better."

Philip's eyes darkened and he looked down at the ground. "If he found out, he'd only make it worse." With her caring instincts kicking in, Theodosia touched his arm gently. "But he loves you, Philip. You're his son. He-"

"You don't know him. If he knew about this, he'd just grow angry and isolated. He'd take out his frustration in his work, on my mother and-"

Tired of the arguing, Theodosia interjected quickly, "Well, whether or not you tell him, you need to be more careful and restrain your urge to fight." She smiled a little bit, trying to keep the spirits up.

He turned and looked at her, his expression completely unreadable. "I will be fine. You needn't worry about me." But there was something in his voice that cracked, showing the weak side within him.

Theodosia hit the inside of her cheek. "Philip, are you sure?" Philip grinned this time, nodding, lifting her heart up again. "Yes."

Even though there was an edge still between them, Theodosia didn't give up. "Shall we take a walk?" A little timid, she grabbed his hand, watching her friend's face.

Philip glanced down at their linked hands before giving a definite nod in response. He winced as they stood up, his feet aching. To his thanks, Theodosia supported his back.

"I'm here."

Something between them clicked, as their footing picked up pace. They mostly exchanged conversation, not mentioning the recent fight, and the consequences to come.

After a few blocks of walking, Philip stopped them, turning to face the girl beside him. "I should be on my way home..." He trailed off, slightly mesmerized in her eyes. Shaking his head, getting out of his trance, he smiled.

Theodosia gently touched one of his visible wounds, not paying much attention to his words. "Make sure you look after these wounds, okay? They'll need to be tended to frequently." As she rambled on about how they would begin to heal, Philip chuckled, admiring her need to look after him.

She stopped rambling, when she realized Philip wasn't really listening. Ducking her head down, she whispered so only he could hear, "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

When she lifted her head up again, Philip realized she was starting to be in tears. Not knowing how to comfort her, he stuttered, "Th-Theo-I'm going to be fine." Her curls waved back and forth in response, as she shook her head.

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

Sighing, Philip placed one hand on her shoulder, thinking of the right words to say to her. "You know me, you just have to trust me."

It wasn't the greatest response he could have given her, which he knew, but it was good enough. Theodosia wiped her eyes, sniffling to herself. She knew it was foolish to get emotional over this, but she cared for Philip so dearly, she couldn't imagine him getting hurt and never recovering.

As though he was struck by a sudden act of kindness, Philip leaned down and timidly placed a kiss to Theodosia's forehead. A little surprised, she leaned back, gripping his shoulders. "And what was that for?"

Philip looked as though he wanted to say something, but he held it back. Instead, he smiled, and said, "I should be going." She watched him turn on his heel before half limping down the street.

Her eyes followed him until he was out of her sight. She let out a long sigh, staring at where her friend had just been seconds before.

She knew that Philip would do the right thing. Whether it'd be telling his father, or staying out of fights, he'd do what would be right.

And deep in her heart, she only hoped that she was right, for Philip's sake.

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A/N: Thank you daedaluslaptop for the request! I really like Philip and Theodosia's relationship, I mean, it's great to write with.