It's A Long Story - Lams [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter Twenty

Alexander sighed in content as he shut his car door behind him, his briefcase in hand. It was a long day, and Thomas was incredibly difficult at work. He still didn't understand why John was still friends with him.

"I'm home!" Alex called out once he had gotten in the door of the house. His response was nothing but silence, which never ceased to worry Alexander. He always had a fear John would leave him for Thomas, and take Philip with him, which was probably why he hated Thomas so much. He knew, however, that John would never even think of such a thing, that John loved him with all his heart and wouldn't dare take his son away. That didn't stop him from worrying. "Baby?" He asked, setting his briefcase down on the coffee table. "John?" Alex walked through he house, hearing not a sound. Until he got close to the door of John's art room, where he could hear the sound of faint childish giggling. Alexander smiled in relief, wrapping his hand around the doorknob before opening it. "Oh my god."

"Alex! You're home!" John said in surprise. Philip grinned, seeing his father in the doorway. The small boy was coated in paint, and a canvas covered in bright handprints was next to him. "We were just... uh... painting?"

"I'm not cleaning this up," Alexander chuckled, shaking his head.

"Daddy, Papa let me watch him work," Philip said excitedly. "And then he let me paint, Daddy!" Philip looked like he was about to run up and hug Alexander, though John grabbed him, holding him back.

"Not on Daddy's work clothes," John said, wiping a bit of bright green paint off of Philip's cheek. "Now come on, Pip. Let's get you cleaned up," John stood up, Philip in his arms as he gave Alex a kiss on the cheek before rushing off. Alexander chuckled, shaking his head as he glanced at Philip's painting. He made a mental note to hang it up somewhere once it dried. He stepped out of the room, heading towards his bedroom, hellbent on getting out of his stuffy clothes. He threw on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie before tying his hair into a messy bun that looked as if it was on the brink of coming undone.

Alexander entered the living room, taking a seat on the couch, grabbing a book, knowing it would take a while to get all that paint off of Philip. "And John says I'm the irresponsible parent," Alexander muttered, chuckling to himself, though he knew he really was the irresponsible parent.

A long, long while of waiting later, John carried Philip into the room, looking nearly exhausted. "Hey Lexi," John mumbled, taking a seat next to his husband, resting his head on Alexander's shoulder.

"Did you get any actual work done with this gremlin in your art room?" Alexander teased, pulling Philip into his lap.

"Actually, yes," John said, grinning. "I started working on a new piece. I don't know what it is yet, but I'll work on it more tomorrow. I'm thinking I'm going to ask Laf to babysit so I can work in silence."

"That reminds me, John I have something to tell you," the mention of Lafayette brought Alexander back to the particularly shocking news he had to tell John. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't necessarily good either. "Laf and Herc... They're moving to France. They've already started packing."

"What?!" John's head snapped in Alexander's direction. "What do you mean they're moving to France?!" Philip stared at his fathers in confusion, wondering what was making John so upset. "They can't just move away! What about Georges?!"

"Georgie?" Philip asked, his bottom lip quivering. "Is Georgie going away?" Philip had been best friends with Lafayette and Hercules' son, Georges ever since they were in diapers, they were inseparable. John glanced at Alex, completely unsure of what to say, not wanting to break his son's heart.

"Pip, honey, he's not leaving forever," Alex said, trying, and horribly failing, at making the situation better. Philip burst into tears, immediately sending John into what Alex called mom-mode. He stood up, pulling Philip into his arms, rubbing his back comfortingly. "John I didn't mean to-"

"Quiet," John said calmly, giving Alex an "I'll handle it" look. "It's going to be okay, Pip. Shh, honey you don't need to cry," Philip looked up at John with his mint green eyes that were full of sadness, though his tears stopped. It was like John was magic, one second Philip was sobbing, the next he didn't shed a single tear. "Uncle Laffy loves America. He'll be back so often and you'll get to see Georges all the time. It'll be like he never left. Okay?" John wasn't just trying to tell Philip this, it was also a message to himself. He couldn't bear the thought of Hercules and Lafayette leaving, but he smiled at Philip, hoping a smile would make it better.

"Okay, Papa," Philip nodded, resting his head against John's shoulder. Alexander smiled as John returned to his previous position, cuddled up next to Alexander.

"You're so good at that," Alex said, kissing John's forehead lovingly, joining their hands. John nodded, giving Alexander a small smile.

"I know."