My Head Hurts

Just so you know I WILL be waiting for whatever other works you work on‼️

Okayy 😭😭 I started a one shot yesterday and I’ll maybe finish it, I’m just trying to plan out ideas rn tbh (unless anyone has requests 😻😻)

Hey, roomie! ch. 9

thomas j. x reader

Warnings: swearing, AAAAUUGFFHFHGHHHHH

Wc: 2.5k? I think?

Your master plan backfires, cue the crying.

Notes: I think I’m gonna write one more chapter after this and be done, enjoy

Equipped with the new realization that you have a crush and that crush may like you back, you didn’t know how to feel.

You had a date lined up tomorrow night with Samuel who was turning out to be a really pleasant guy, and you couldn’t just ditch him. You were in too deep, and now you have to crawl out of the hole that kept digging itself deeper and deeper.

Options were limited. You could either ditch Samuel for Thomas and confess as soon as possible, or you could show up and let Samuel down gently. Tell him nicely during the dinner that you weren’t feeling it, and you would prefer to stay friends more than anything.

You figured the latter was the safer option. And maybe you wanted to see if Thomas would get jealous.

It was all so obvious to you now. The flirting, the kiss, the pet names, the lingering stares and touches. All of it meant something to you at least. A nagging thought in the back of your mind kept whispering that was just who he is, and if he really liked you then he would tell you himself.

He is a natural flirt, after all. And he does sleep with women on a regular basis, although he’s slowed it down, and come to think of it he hasn’t brought anyone back in a couple months.

What didn’t make sense to you is why would he help you get a boyfriend if he (maybe) liked you? He offered to give you advice, and he watched you walk up to guys to be their potential lover. Would that not hurt? Or did he not like you then and start liking you sooner?

Did he even like you in the first place?

Lafayette didn’t give you a clear answer. All he gave was a hint for you to solve this puzzle by your lonesome. You just assumed that the man you’ve been secretly pining for has secretly been pining for you as well.

You rushed home from Lafayette's apartment building, no clear goal in mind. Your heart was racing and hands were shaking at the thought of seeing Thomas.

The drive home was spent procrastinating as much as possible. In fact, you made a stop at Target to shop for yourself and pick up some things you know he likes. Try and butter him up a little, y’know?

While picking up ingredients for macaroni and cheese, a philosophy book he's been itching to read, and a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, you thought about the advice he had given you. Be a better listener, be polite, be authentic, be confident, and compliment him.

You wondered if you tried those tactics on him, would he fall for you?

No other way of knowing then to do it, you decided. If you were subtle enough, you could pull this off. You totally could.

—

Lafayette called Thomas the moment you exited his apartment. Neither would ever tell you that, of course, but he still had to fill in his friend on what went down.

He didn’t say that he told you you’re the only girl Thomas has talked about, but he implied that he merely suggested you both have feelings for each other. Thomas was a little pissed that Lafayette almost said something he shouldn’t have, but in his defense he’s been in the middle of this drama for way too long, and he is sick and tired of it.

So when you got home, Thomas wasn't surprised to see how anxious you were. After having an awakening on your attraction, he’d be having one too. He was surprised that you picked up the things he loves. It was sweet. There weren’t many times you did things like this for him.

“You got stuff for mac ‘n cheese? And you got The Alchemist? Sweetheart, you know me too well,” he grinned, taking the book from the target bag and flipping through the pages.

“Not only that, but I got ice cream.” You pulled out the frozen tub of sugar and milk. His face lit up.

“Am I dying or somethin’? Or do you just really love me?” The words rolled off his tongue so naturally it felt like you really did love him. It made your stomach flutter with excitement, and you couldn’t suppress the smile growing on your lips.

“Just wanted to do something nice.” You shrug, putting away the groceries.

“This is seriously the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you.” He stared down at the book, softness in his voice and an even softer smile.

“Really? You say that as if I just saved you from drowning. Seriously, all I did was buy you some stuff,” you scoff.

He shook his head. “It’s not the items you bought. It’s the fact you remembered and cared enough to buy them for me.”

Your movements slowed. That statement alone made your heart hurt. He was so sincere, no one has ever done this for him before. It made you want to go out and buy the whole world for him if it made him happy.

“…I’m glad you like it,” you say slowly and gently.

His eyes lingered on you a moment more—a different tone to them. They flashed from something darker to adoration to sadness, then back to normal.

It made you second guess your thoughts of going out with Samuel. But then again, you still had no definitive proof that Thomas likes you back. Maybe him and Lafayette were just fucking with you, because why not?

The silence that consumed you was spent choosing your next words carefully. How to break it to him that you were going out tomorrow night with another man. You envisioned how he would react; would he show clear signs of jealousy? Maybe distance himself a little? Be angry or upset?

You hoped for nothing too strong, because you had it all planned out. After going to dinner with Samuel, you’d come home claiming you realized you’ve been in love with Thomas this whole time, and would much rather spend that time with him instead. Then he confesses his undying love for you and you kiss, and you both live happily ever after. The End.

At least, that’s how your fantasy went. Of course you couldn’t control how either Samuel or Thomas would react, and if Thomas would be happy that you bailed on your date to reunite with him. You could only hope.

You cleared your throat, nerves immediately starting up again. “Did I ever tell you about Samuel?”

He was turned around, so you missed the scowl on his face. “No. Is he nice?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty sweet, calls me pretty ‘n whatnot. He’s cute.”

“I’m pretty sweet and cute, too,” he grunts.

“Never said you weren’t, sweetheart,” you laugh, walking around the counter to face him.

“You can’t use my own pet name against me!” He gasps dramatically.

A sickeningly sweet smile crawls on your lips. “All is fair in love and war.” He shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips and you knew you were about to wipe it off his face from the news about to drop. You bit your lower lip and prepared for battle.

“I uh, have a date with him tomorrow night,” you cleared your throat, the confidence that had built up from the playful banter diminishing. “Thought I should let you know.”

He nodded, avoiding your gaze, and looked like you just punched him in the stomach. “Have fun. Remember what I told you.”

“How could I ever forget your wise wise wisdom?” You attempted to lighten the mood, but he never did laugh.

Instead, he forced a smile that failed to reach his eyes and sucked in a breath. “I told you I was a good teacher, didn’t I?”

“That you did.”

And he walked off, book in hand and mumbling something about how he wanted to go read it. You nodded and let him escape the awkward conversation of your love life. But you couldn’t shake the feeling that what you were doing was wrong. It clearly upset him, and a sick part of you was curious to know if he would be, but now that you have your answer you wish you hadn’t said anything to begin with.

—

The date was only an hour from now. You had already picked out what you were gonna wear. He was taking you to a semi-nice restaurant called the White Stallion and advised you to dress nice.

You were in the middle of doing your hair and makeup, smoothing out any loose baby hairs and touching up mascara. The clock kept ticking as you continued getting ready, ensuring your go-to black dress fit right. It always did. The vanilla-coconut perfume filled your senses, and no matter what you did, you couldn’t help but over think how wrong this is.

You drew in a sharp breath, clipping the necklace on your neck and eventually the earrings, and walked into the living room. Thomas was sitting on the couch, munching on the ice cream you bought him.

He froze when he saw you, his eyes trailing over your outfit. The face he made yesterday when you told him you’d be going on a date with Samuel—the one where he looked like you punched him in the gut and knocked the wind out of him—haunted you. Because it was back, and this time a flicker of sadness flashed in his eyes.

“Do I look okay? Does it look like I’m trying too hard?” You ask, worry furrowed deep in your eyebrows.

“No, you look perfect.”

Now it was your turn to have the wind knocked out of you. The words were a direct elbow, punch, and kick to your stomach. You nodded, thanking him and nervously fidgeting with your hands.

Of course you were going out with another guy. What Lafayette had told you the previous day must’ve meant nothing to you, because if it did, surely you wouldn’t be walking out the door, about to meet up with someone other than Thomas. Then again, he didn’t know about your mastermind plan (it was actually really fucking stupid and had a 99% chance at failure, but you like to think it will work).

Samuel was outside waiting to pick you up. His pale skin flushed completely red when he laid eyes on you, following it up with how beautiful you looked. You thanked him and tried to feel complimented from it, but it didn’t have the same ring to it when Thomas said you looked perfect.

The drive was about fifteen minutes—it was filled with listening to Laufey, Radiohead, and The Cranberries. Male manipulator music, you deemed. But he had good stories and was genuinely interested in what you had to say, which only added to the guilt of knowing you were to reject him later that night.

When you arrived, he informed the hostess of a reservation for two. She led you to the table, and almost immediately a waiter came and set down a basket of bread and butter. The fancy, brown seeded bread, too.

“This is really nice, Samuel, thank you.” You smiled awkwardly. He lit up, a beaming grin on his face.

“Consider it just the first of many,” he winked. Bold.

“Haha, yeah…” you trailed off awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. God, could you be any more obvious? To avoid this issue, you peered into the menu, eyes scanning over the options and their expensive prices.

He must’ve noticed the shift in your demeanor, because his smile faltered slightly. It was back when the same waiter from before asked for drinks and your order.

You ordered the cheapest thing and a water, and didn’t pay much attention to what Samuel got. You had to prepare yourself for the heart-wrenching news you would eventually tell him.

Wow, this would be harder than you thought.

The end of the night came around. Too slowly, you thought, but it happened. And in the events leading up to it, you felt like a bigger and bigger dick. Every compliment replied with a fake laugh just made you want to rip your heart out.

You split the bill since there was no way in hell you’d let him pay for all of that, even if he insisted that he should pay. You were about to tell him outside his car, but figured it would be better to wait til he dropped you off at your place to save for an awkward ride.

But that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?

“Do you maybe want to go back to mine?” He asked, a twinkle of heat in his eyes as his hands gripped the steering wheel.

Fuck.

“Ah—Sam, I…” you winced.

“We don’t have to, I’m sorry for asking,” he added quickly.

“Sam, as nice as you are—and trust me, you are—I think we would be better friends than anything.”

He paused. “Ouch, okay,” he breathed out. “If that’s what you want.” A short response, but you didn’t mind. He turned up the radio louder, Paranoid Android blasting from the speakers. The rest of the ride was dead silent. And extremely awkward.

“What made you change your mind?” He broke the silence.

“I’ll answer this truthfully since I feel like you deserve an honest answer,” you sigh. “My roommate, Thomas. I didn’t think I would, but I’ve really grown to like him. Love him, even.” You ramble. He keeps his eyes set on the road and nods.

“I kind of had a sneaking suspicion. The way you talked of him…it was so fond. I knew there was no way you hadn’t had some sort of attraction to him.” He turns into your apartment building parking lot.

“Was it that obvious..?” You muttered, gathering your purse and stepping out of the car. He laughed out a yes. “Well, either way, thank you for dinner and taking me home. I’m really sorry it had to end this way.”

“It’s quite alright,” he smiled sadly. “Have a good night.”

And with that, he drove off, leaving you stranded in the empty parking lot. You sucked in a breath and headed up the flight of stairs since the elevator has been under maintenance for months now.

Catching your breath and calming your nerves, you unlocked the door and opened it softly. The words you planned to say replayed in your mind over and over, although in the moment you’d likely forget your preparation.

“Thom—“

You froze.

There on the couch, Thomas sat with another woman in his lap, kissing him fiercely. Both were only in their undergarments, and his hands were in places you wished they weren’t.

Thomas unlatched from her with a gasp of surprise, craning his neck to look at you.

“Y/n—“ he started, but you stopped him.

“I’m sorry for intruding. I didn’t know you had…company over.” You croak out, stepping out of the apartment.

You couldn’t stop the flow of tears that burst from your eyes as you hurried downstairs.

You were wrong. He didn’t like you, he was about to fuck another woman, and now you didn’t know what to do.

its 3am in my country, i just finished your roomates series with thomas and can i just say it's genuinely the best fanfiction ive ever read im literally in tears

That being the best fanfiction you’ve ever read is wild but thank you 😭😭 let me yap real quick: it still astounds me how people genuinely like my work bc chat like I’m just some random highschool girl I feel so proud of myself for creating things 🥹

Masterlist

Hamilton

T. Jefferson

Hey, roomie! | one two three four five six seven eight nine ten bonus snippet [COMPLETED]

In which you room with the most insufferable, arrogant man crafted by the devil himself sent to personally annoy you.

Always | one [COMPLETED]

Soulmates are tied by having the song of whatever the other is listening to written on your wrist. So what happens when you realize your soulmate is the man you deemed arrogant, annoying, and conceited?

High and Dry | one two three four [ONGOING]

When starting your fourth year of teaching at a new high school, you come face to face with your old friend-turned-enemy: Thomas Jefferson. To make it worse, he’s the other English teacher you’re supposed to work with the whole year. (Rewritten version)

M. De Lafayette

Baby I’m Yours | one [COMPLETED]

In which your best friend, and the man you’ve been in love with from the start, gets jealous at a bar over you. (Request)

J. Laurens

A Night To Remember | one two three [ONGOING]

You work as an assistant to one of the most influential journalists in New York City. One fateful day, he invites (more tells) you to go to a ball with him and pretend to be his date. How do you manage being on the side of a very attractive businessman?

Requests are open! I cannot guarantee I will get to all of them or do them. But yk. Always nice to try, right?

High and Dry | ch. 4

thomas j. x reader

warnings: swearing, lowk me being a therapist for myself

Wc: 3.6k

A/n: to anyone who reads or interacts with my work: thank you so so much for the support. Seriously. Reading y’all’s comments genuinely makes my day so much better. The authors curse has been hitting but y’all fr give me a reason to keep going. So thank you. Anyway enjoy the chapter 😝

“How are things?” You therapist, Suzanne, asked.

A half-hearted shrug was given, and you shifted on the blue sofa she had. It was the kind of couch that was so comfortable you could sink into it for eternity and be fine like that. It made you consider stealing it—or buying one for yourself, which was probably the more logical option. You were almost scared to ask her where she got it, because you knew it would be way out of your price range. “Things have been a little rough lately, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Liar. She knew you were lying. You knew you were bluffing, too, because everything is always hard to handle. Despite that, Suzanne crossed her legs, patience creased in her eyebrows. Opening up had always been a difficult task; nothing ever came easy, especially after the trauma of having the one person you trust turn on you, and especially when your birth giver was the cause of so much insecurity and doubt in your life. Suzanne was always lenient with your struggles. It would take a bit of warming up during therapy sessions for you to really start pouring out the emotions that had built up. She worked around your brief answers by letting her questions breathe, then digging a little deeper.

“Is there anything you’d like to tell me about?” She tilted her head. You tried to ignore how the rhythmic ticking of the clock was irritating you.

“My mom called. Well, her ward did, then I spoke to her,” you rambled, hugging a navy blue pillow to your chest. “But she wants me to visit and I’m just… I’m not ready. I don’t know if I can speak to her quite yet.”

Concern wrinkled into her tan skin. “Is there a reason why you don’t feel ready yet?”

“I’ve just been overwhelmed lately. It’s been hard to even deal with myself, let alone other people.” You picked at your cuticles, a nervous habit you developed in middle school that stuck around.

She paused for a moment to see if you’d say anything else, but upon hearing silence, she spoke. “You told me you started a new job at a high school. How has the environment been treating you? Do you think the start of a new school year could be an attribute to your stress?” Her eyes flickered to the fidgeting of your fingers.

Right. Work. Thomas. How could you forget about him?

“It’s been fine. We just finished the first week, actually. A lot of the people I’ve met have been good to me so far, but there’s just one minor inconvenience,” you winced. She waited for you to continue. “Thomas, the guy I used to be friends with in high school that caused me to be bullied, is the other teacher I have to work with the entire year. And, um… it hasn’t been pretty.”

“That’s great that you’re surrounded by a lot of good coworkers! It’s important to have a supportive circle. As for Thomas—It must be hard to face him after all this time. I’m sorry it hasn’t been going well. How have your conversations with him been?” She jotted something down on her sky blue notepad, paired with a fancy blue pen. The woman was obsessed with blue, if you couldn’t tell.

“Bitter. A little teasing, but they usually all end in some form of argument.”

“What do these arguments consist of?”

You paused. “The incident. How he hurt me. I can’t let him forget what he did and act like everything is fine and dandy while I suffer.”

She took a sip of herbal tea, scribbling a few words. The lemon scent wafted from the liquid, soothing your tangled brain. “Do you think,” she said, “that you can’t let him forget because you can’t let yourself forget?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is you seem to really hold on to what happened all those years ago. There’s something holding you back, keeping you from fully healing.” She explained, looking up from her notes. You could never decipher how old she was; her curly black hair and flawless olive skin made her look like she could pass for twenty-five, but the analytical, empathetic wisdom she carried herself with was far too mature for that to be true. “It might do you some good to let it go so you can find peace.”

Your lips tugged downward.

“I know it’s easier said than done,” she continued, “but it is possible. You cannot let the past control you. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting, it means that you stop carrying the energy of the past into the present. We can definitely discuss some strategies to live in the present moment when you’re ready. For now, I’d like for you to tell me about how he is now compared to the past.”

Squirming uncomfortably, you nodded. “He’s different from when we were kids. In a good way, I suppose. He’s still very temperamental, but it seems like he’s better at managing it now. He’s changed a lot,” a soft smile appeared on your face without realizing it, “but he’s still the same guy I befriended.”

A brief silence filled the office, letting both you and her digest what you said. “If he apologized, genuinely apologized, would you forgive him?” She asked. Suzanne was straightforward, she didn’t sugarcoat her questions which you appreciated. You needed the push.

The question hung in the air while you weighed it. Considered it. “I don’t know. Probably? I want to. But I just—if the old me could hear me right now, she’d probably freak out at the possibility of forgiving him.” A dry chuckle left you, although it wasn’t real.

“My dear, the old you no longer exists. That part of you is what’s stopping you from growing. The question is what would you say if he apologized?”

Goddamnit, she hit the nail right on the fucking head.

“I… I would forgive him. I would forgive him if he apologized.” You repeated, firmer. It surprised you that when you said those words, they were true. The choice of forgiveness was so freeing, and saying it out loud confirmed those feelings.

A satisfied smile grew on her red-tinted lips, and she leaned back. “Acknowledging that is a great first step towards healing. I’m proud of you. Now I have to ask, has he done anything recently to show he’s trying to change?”

A warm surge of confidence swelled in you when she said she’s proud. It wasn’t something you grew up hearing. You took a moment to bask in the feeling, then responded to her question. “I guess—I guess he brought me coffee, if that counts for anything.”

“That’s a sweet gesture,” she commented.

You stared at the picture hanging on the wall behind her, depicting her kids when they were younger. “Yeah.” You blanked, “it was my favorite kind. I don’t know how he remembered my favorite. It’s been years since I’ve seen him and it was the exact order I still get to this day.”

She took another sip of her tea. “It sounds like he is trying, then. I know it will be hard, but show him a little mercy. And give yourself grace, too.”

A reluctant frown formed on your face, but you nodded anyway. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” She smiled. “Would you be ready to talk about those strategies now?”

You acquiesced, and for the rest of the session that’s exactly what you did.

—

“Okay, class, since my partner in crime only wants to review this week, that’s what we’re doing,” you announced.

The room was rearranged to have every desk in groups of four, with plastic baggies that had a set of task cards in them. The assignment was to match a title card to its descriptor. They were to work in groups of either three or four, letting them choose who to work with because you’re not evil.

“Call me over when you’re done so I can check it!” After giving instruction, the room erupted into light chatter. You sat at your desk, taking attendance and eavesdropping on conversations.

There were some… questionable discussions happening. You had to ignore a lot of foul language, penis jokes, and friends that were ripping on each other. This continued up until fourth period; Thomas’s lunch while you had class.

The door pushed open, and every student paused for a second to inspect whoever was entering. Upon seeing it was another teacher, they quickly went back to their task at hand. Thomas glanced around the classroom before strutting to your desk.

“I thought about it a little more, and if you really want, we can start readin’ To Kill a Mockingbird this week,” he said, leaning against the table. The sleeves to his black polo were rolled up, revealing every detail of his forearms. It was one of those oddly attractive things men do, and you hated how it was him who was doing it.

Your eyes lit up, and a bright smile grew on your lips. “Really? What made you change your mind?”

He glanced away in a sheepish manner. “Thought a week of review might be a little extreme. Figured we could introduce it to ‘em on Thursday.”

His answer was vague, but you weren’t complaining. You got what you want. Now what you really wanted to know was what led him to change his mind?

“Okay, yeah—sure, Thursday works,” you stammered, trying to keep your voice level. For some odd reason, you found your eyes wandering to his chest where he had the top button undone.

“We’ll talk about it later,” he said, eyes flickering to your hair. “You have somethin’…” he trailed off, reaching up and picking out a spec of lint, his touch featherlight against your head. The hitch of your breath didn’t go unnoticed by him.

The action was small, insignificant, but your cheeks flared with embarrassment in response. All of a sudden, the classroom was too hot and he was too close and your clothes were itchy and why was his cologne so intoxicating?

He straightened up, scanning your appearance, not saying much else. Reality of where you were and who he was hit. There were a few hushed whispers of students around the room, only a handful having seen the encounter. Most were too engrossed laughing with their friends to notice Jefferson was still here. For a moment, you wondered what else he would say if the classroom were empty, if it were just you and him alone. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

So you calmed your racing heart and came to your senses. What Suzanne had told you about showing him a little mercy echoed in your head. Forgiveness, you reminded yourself. Forgive and forget. It won’t happen overnight, and it sure as hell won’t happen now, but if you want to heal you have to make conscious efforts every day.

“I’ll speak to you later?” He asked, a hopeful undertone as he tried to play off what just happened.

“Y-yeah,” you whispered, watching him retreat back to his classroom right next door. How he managed to seem so unaffected was beyond you.

You were freaking out more than you wanted. It didn’t help that one of the girls closest to your desk turned to you, her gaze full of mischief and curiosity. “Are you and him together?” She asked.

Immediately, your eyes flew wide open. High schoolers are a different type of beast. The confidence that the popular, pretty volleyball girls have is unmatched by society. Seriously, they have no shame in walking up to somebody and just talking. The temerity in her question also astounded you; if you had asked your teacher that when you were a freshman, she’d probably slap you.

Drawing in a sharp breath, you spoke steadily. “No, Mr. Jefferson and I are not together. We’re just fr—coworkers,” you paused mid sentence. It was too early to consider Jefferson your friend. Even an acquaintance would be too far.

She raised a quizzical eyebrow, clearly not convinced. Her friends behind her snickered, and that moment sent you back twelve years ago when you were sixteen and every girl in class would laugh at you. A sense of dread gnawed at your stomach.

“I think he likes you, Ms. L/n,” she said, snapping you out of your flashback. “You’d be a power couple.”

Okay, pause. What kind of high schooler tries to set their teacher up with another teacher? Kids these days really don’t fear any sort of repercussions for their actions. Then again, this girl in particular already established herself as a troublemaker.

You snorted. “There are more important things to be doing than trying to play matchmaker with staff. Like, for example, are you done with your work? Because I can see from right here that you only have two cards paired up.”

“We’re like—halfway there,” she mumbled, giggling with her friends. You sighed, perking up when another group raised their hands, signaling their completion. It gave you the perfect excuse to focus on anything other than Thomas Jefferson.

It being even plausible that you and Thomas would be a power couple was insane. Far as you’re concerned, he still never apologized properly. You weren’t ready to be anything more than coworkers, and these asshole teenagers were suggesting he ‘likes you.’ It’s a bunch of crap. Just teens thirsty for drama.

—

You staggered into the teacher workroom, desperate for the chicken wrap you brought for lunch. Lafayette and Laurens were already sitting in there, chatting with each other.

“Y/n! Ami, join us,” Lafayette waved you over.

Exhausted, you smiled and joined them. “Hey guys, y’all doing okay?”

“Yeah, are you? You look like you crawled through a dumpster to get here,” John teased. Laf kicked his shin, eliciting a groan from Laurens as pain shot up his leg.

“Okay, asshole.” Despite his insult, you laughed, knowing he meant no real harm. Plus, it felt good to have someone who was comfortable enough to make those kinds of jokes and know you won’t get hurt by it. “But yes, I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Aren’t we all?” Lafayette hummed, popping a grape into his mouth. “A kid told another student he wanted to tuez-le avec un marteau. I don’t know where he learned zat. I certainly did not teach him ‘ow to say zat.”

You raised an eyebrow, glancing at John for clarification on what the hell Lafayette just said.

“He said ‘kill you with a sledgehammer.’” Laurens said without missing a beat. You sputtered, nearly choking on your food.

“Jesus Christ. That’s—wow. Did you report it?” You said, an incredulous laugh escaping you. Again, high schoolers are fucking insane. Most of the time, they were joking, but being mandated reporters and all, you have to speak up about those kinds of things.

“Oui. I ‘ave no other choice. I can’t just let zem walk around threatening each other with improvised weapons! It’s only the second week, and I already ‘ave to deal with zis?”

You hummed sympathetically. “I feel you. My fourth period was… interesting, to say the least.”

“Oh yeah? What happened?” John asked, sharing a knowing glance with Lafayette. Rumors had already circled around from students gossiping to teachers, which in turn led to teachers gossiping to teachers. They had a general idea of what your relationship status is.

“Well, Thomas came in to tell me something, and then afterwards a girl asked me if we were together,” you said, “can you believe it? Then she suggested that he ‘likes me’ and that we would be a power couple! I mean, c’mon, what kind of student plays Cupid with her teachers?”

Lafayette chuckled, shoving a forkful of salad in his face. “It’s kind of believable. Who knows, maybe he does like you?” He smirked, his gaze darting to Laurens. No way he actually thinks that.

“Please don’t tell me you actually believe that,” you groaned. “I would never even look at Thomas like that. Uh-uh.” Really? Because you were looking at him like that on your first day here, before you knew it was him. Clearly there’s some underlying attraction you’re not recognizing.

The Frenchman shrugged, “never say never, mon ami.”

Your eyes narrowed at the mockery he made of you. Who the hell does he think he is, trying to spark something that isn’t there? Something that you would never let happen?

“In other news,” John started. It was starting to become tense at the table, and he figured a change of subject would do some good for the sanity of everyone. “On friday, we’re getting a bunch of teachers to go out to a bar. It’s a little ritual we do at the start of every year. You should join us!”

Worn out nerds all getting drunk together? Sounds like a damn good time right there. “That sounds fun,” you grinned.

He went on to tell you the location, what time to show up, and that you better come because he’s counting on doing shots with a new friend. Somehow, it escalated into the story of how him and Charles Lee got into a fight. You recalled him talking about it on your first day meeting him, but he never went into detail.

“—sayin’ Washington was a bad principal ‘n shit. And I’m not about that, Washington was way better than George, so I told him to keep his mouth shut or I’d make him.” A thing you noticed about John was how animated he was. He talked with his hands, and when he got worked up, his Brooklyn accent was very prominent. Although he did mention he was from South Carolina, so how he developed a New York accent was interesting. “It was almost Alexander that got into the fight, actually. But I got a little temperamental, and well… you saw how that ended up.” He laughed, nudging Lafayette who did the same.

“Lots of good times at zat bar,” Lafayette hummed. “You will ‘ave fun, Y/n, we are ze best drunk teachers you will ever meet.”

—

The overhead lights to Thomas’s room were off, leaving the faerie lights and lamps as the only source of illumination. Reluctantly, you knocked to signal your entrance. He glanced up from his computer, and you could’ve sworn his eyes lit up at the sight of you, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Hey,” you awkwardly shuffled in. It was rare you would go into his classroom; being in it felt like stepping into uncharted territory.

“Hey yourself,” he stopped typing, leaning back in his swivel chair. “Somethin’ I can do for you?”

“Just came in to ask about your plan for the book,” you answered, hesitantly pulling up a plastic chair.

His face hinted at disappointment, his shoulders dropping the tiniest bit. “Right. Well, I was thinkin’ to explain to them the background, the characters, and the historical context before readin’ the first chapter. Then I thought about assigning a character sheet for them to fill out as we go along.”

“Sounds good to me,” you nodded. “So I see you decided to finally take my advice, huh?”

“Oh shush,” he rolled his eyes. “I came to this conclusion on my own. You had nothin’ to do with my thought process.”

“Mm, sure I didn’t,” amusement and sarcasm laced your tone.

“‘M bein’ serious. The world don’t revolve around you, y’know,” he huffed, folding his arms over his chest. Okay, so did you have a thing for forearms or something? Because why were his arms so attractive when he barely did anything?

“I like to think it does.”

“Yeah, I know you do.”

A playful defiance shot your eyebrows up. “Care to elaborate on what that means, exactly?”

“Sweetheart, I would tell you, but I’m scared you might hurt me. Some things are better left unsaid,” he scoffed. The pet name slipped by his lips so naturally, he didn’t act like he noticed he said it. You didn’t want to reveal how much of an effect it had on you, because Thomas Jefferson calling you sweetheart is not something that should affect you. Not at all.

If anything, it pissed you off and oddly enough comforted you at the same time. Physically, you grimaced immediately, but internally your heart skipped a beat.

“I’m sure you know a lot about leaving things unsaid, sweetheart,” you mocked. His face fell, contorting into a mixture of discomfort and irritation.

“Y/n,” he warned, “let’s not start an unnecessary argument. We were just becomin’ friends.”

“I wouldn’t go that far to classify us as friends,” you retorted. That’s right! Stand your ground, ignore everything your therapist said about forgiveness, and continue to berate him every possible chance! “Maybe getting along.”

Hurt flashed on his face, and he bitterly grumbled, “Right. We wouldn’t want to get too close, would we?”

For a second, you regretted your actions. Was it possible that you were doing more harm to him now than he did in high school? Was holding onto a lifelong grudge really how you wanted to spend the rest of the year? Apparently, because despite the back of your subconscious mind whispering that it wasn’t right to hold it against him, you said, “No we would not.”

Tension filled the air. It was thick, uncomfortable, suffocating. You didn’t want to be there anymore, with him, focusing on all the negatives while he tried to be positive. So you stood. “I think I better be leaving now. See you tomorrow, Jefferson.”

His gaze lingered on you, a tight frown forming. “Lookin’ forward to it, L/n.”

The latest chapter should be labeled as murder for ripping my heart into shreds 💔💔

I’ll put it back together don’t worry 😉

Francesca‘s Master-list

| A organization collection of stories i’ve written, and ones yet to come |

Hamilton

Thomas Jefferson (x reader)

Beyond Monticello (complete) - One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten.

Listen before I go (complete) - One

Alexander Hamilton (x reader)

What we leave behind (complete ) - One, Two

Jamilton (Jefferson x Hamilton)

Quiet evenings (complete) - One

ugh been thinking about red string of fate soulmate AU w Lafayette or Laurens … js a little idea. unless?

Or a celebrity au.

hey twin omg I just showed ur Lauren’s fic to a friend and she’s reading it rn 😊 I HAVVVEEE to promote my fav writer ofc’!!

This is so sweet thank you 😭😭 it’s still crazy to me how people actually enjoy my writing

Hey, roomie! Ch. 2

thomas j. x reader

warnings: swearing, not proofread

After another failed date, Thomas offers some pointers.

Word count: 2.5k

alrrr guys ch 2 done 🥳 thank y’all to anyone actually reading this it means a lot

“Thomas! Did you put my white socks in the washer?” You yelled, pulling out the now pink Nike socks.

“To be fair, you trusted me with your belongings.” He held his hands up in defense with an irritable smirk on his face that made you want to punch him.

“I’ll be sure to remember that next time,” you say through gritted teeth. He laughs, leaning against the wall as he watches you move clothes from a beat-down washing machine to the even shittier dryer.

Week three, already off to a bad start. So far you’ve rolled your ankle during a run because it unexpectedly started pouring, you had to run back in the rain with a sprained ankle that sent jolts of pain through your feet with every step, Thomas won’t stop bothering you, and now all your white clothes are pink because he couldn’t complete a simple task. You even asked him as nicely as you could (so, not calling him a shithead in the process.)

He seemed to get some sort of satisfaction in your misery. It was all just a game to him. He was the cat and you were the mouse, running in circles of pissing each other off.

You sighed, turning on the dryer and pivoting to face him. He was met with your death glare burning a hole in his head, which only made him grin wider.

“Don’t look so happy, Jefferson,” you growled.

“I’m not happy. I’m devastated. My favorite person in the whole wide world is upset with me; now is not the time to feel joy.” He quickly turns his smile upside down and laced his words with sarcasm. You rolled your eyes, pushing past him.

“I don’t have time for your shit. I’m going out,” you grunt. He perks up.

“Where to?” He trails after you, plopping on your bed as you scoured your closet for a casual dress.

“Uh, none of your business?” You scoff, raising an eyebrow at him. He huffs, kicking his foot outward and shifting on the edge of your bed.

“I just wanna know. What’s the harm in tellin’ me, sweetheart?” He pouts.

“The harm in telling you is the potential situation you go with. Can’t have that happening.” You give him a pointed look and he fights back a smirk.

“I won’t follow you. Promise. I planned to stay up gaming with James, anyway,” he quickly defends himself. You give him a suspicious look but decide to just tell him. It won’t hurt to have someone know where you’re at just in case anything goes wrong, right?

“Okay. I’m meeting up with a guy at a bar,” you say, pulling out the familiar black dress and brushing it off.

“Again?” He gapes before furrowing his eyebrows. You give him an offended stare. “I mean, didn’t you just go out with a guy like, three days ago?” He rambles.

“Yeah, so? Don’t slut shame me. I want to have a long-lasting relationship and the only way to do that is to get out there and search.”

“Uhm, I wasn’t slut shamin’ you, but alright. Who’s the lucky guy?” He scoots forward, intently observing you pick out the perfect heels.

“His name is Gary.” You respond quietly.

“Pfft—Gary? The hell kinda name is that—that’s stupid. His name being Gary is a red flag in and of itself.” He laughs, causing your eye to twitch.

“Lay off, Thomas. He’s a sweet guy,” you grunt. He was seriously testing your patience today. “What are you still doing in here, anyway? Go, scram, skidaddle,” you shoo him off and he stands, holding his hands up defensively.

“My bad, just wanted to spend some time with you. How horrible of me, I know,” he states before backing out, shutting the door behind him. You sigh and get changed into the black dress and heels, doing your makeup and hair afterwards to get all dolled up.

—

“Hey! How are you?” You said with a bright smile when Gary found you in the bar. He looked quite handsome. His blond hair was neatly laid to the side and had a slight wave to it, and his piercing blue eyes captivated you.

“I’m good. My, don’t you look pretty?” He grins, opening his arms for a hug. You embrace him and start up some small talk, mentioning things you chatted about online and expanding on those topics. He seemed pretty interesting and didn’t show many red flags. So far so good.

After ordering a few drinks, he suggested doing shots. Bold move, you like it. Or was he just trying to get you drunk so he could take you back to his and lay you on his bed? You couldn’t tell. But he was paying and he smelled nice, so you didn’t really care.

When the end of the night rolled around, you were having a great time. You felt like you got along perfectly. He was sweet and funny and charming, and you thought he liked you, too, but when you asked if he wanted to do this again (or more) he grimaced, looking around awkwardly.

“Listen, you’re really great, but I feel like we would be better friends than anything, you know?”

Ouch. Did you say something wrong sometime during the night?

“Oh. Okay, sure.” You frowned, clutching your purse a little tighter. He hugged you again to let you down easy and then left to his car. A sigh escaped your lips.

Another date failed, and this time it was something wrong with you which you couldn’t shake. How come you can never keep a guys attention for longer than an hour? Are you acting too easy? Too hard to get?

A frustrated groan left you as you called a cab.

The moment you got back, you slammed the door and stomped to the couch, aggressively shoving off your heels and carelessly throwing them on the floor.

“What are you slammin’ doors for?” Thomas walked out of his room, an irritated frown on his lips. You really, really didn’t want to deal with him right now.

“He just wants to be friends. Friends! I mean, c’mon! What am I doing wrong?” You groaned, crashing back on the couch and covering your face with your hands.

Thomas shifts his weight, his frown turning to an uncomfortable one. He opens his mouth to speak, furrows his eyebrows, closes his mouth. Then he opens it again. “Y’know, I can help you if you want. Get a guy, that is.” He adds on quickly.

You stare at him, mind a little fuzzy from the alcohol you ingested. “What d’you mean?“

“I mean I know what guys like. I can give you some pointers, maybe coach you on what to do or say or how to act. You interested?” He slowly moves closer before gently sitting next to you, his knee brushing yours.

You let your mouth hang open for a moment as you knit your eyebrows, weighing your options. On the positive side of this offer, you could possibly be able to land a real man with any advice he gives you. He could be bullshitting and accidentally giving you horrible advice just to ruin your chances with some other man, but the way he’s staring at you so patiently leans you otherwise. He seems genuine. On the contrary, you’d have to actually spend time working with him to learn anything. You’d have to let him call out your mistakes which would be a blow straight to your ego.

Swallowing your pride, you know which decision to make.

“That would be helpful,” you mutter, and a wide grin spreads on his face.

“Great! We can discuss this further tomorrow. For now, you need to get some rest. And shower, you smell like vodka,” he grimaces, his tone teasing you.

“Don’t tell me what to do, asshole,” you mumble under your breath as you stumble over to the shower. He laughs airily, watching you fumble over your own feet.

—

“Did you forget to buy strawberries?” You call while bent over searching the fridge.

“No,” Thomas replies with minimal concern in his voice, “they’re in the bottom drawer. Just look, sweetheart, you’ll find ‘em.”

You roll your eyes, swinging the bottom drawer open and pulling out the plastic cage of fresh strawberries.

It was a messy Saturday morning. You had woken up with a slight hangover, but it didn’t affect you too much. Just a headache and light nausea, nothing a little rest and ibuprofen couldn’t fix.

Thomas had gotten up at a similar time as you since you slept in, and now he joined you in the kitchen for a late breakfast/early lunch. He sat at the small table, scrolling mindlessly on his phone.

You fixed his and your breakfast consisting of eggs, avocado toast, and fruit. He thanked you as you slid his portion across the table to him.

“So, tell me, what went wrong?” He asked, taking a hefty bite of avocado toast.

“I don’t know, that’s the worst part. In my opinion, it was going really well. But when we were outside and I asked if he wanted to do this again, he said I would make a better friend than anything,” you sighed, recalling the memory of being rejected.

He furrowed his eyebrows, pursing his lips and thinking momentarily. After a second, he nods, “well what’d you do to make him think that?”

“Wha—dude, I thought you were gonna help me figure that out!” You huff.

“Whoa, chill out, I don’t know all the details so I gotta ask.” He motions his hands for you to calm the fuck down, which provokes you to narrow your eyes at him. “How did the conversation start? Give me exactly what happened from beginning to end.” He instructs, leaning in with all ears.

“Well first, we said hi, he hugged me and said I was pretty,” you started, trying to recount your conversation with him. If you had been looking for it, you would’ve noticed the slightest flicker in Thomas’s expression when you said you hugged. “Then we ordered some drinks. Talked about each others interests, some stuff we talked about over text like his love for football, although I don’t really care for it too much—“

“Ah, stop right there. When he was talking about football, did you look uninterested or change the topic?” He cuts you off.

“Uh, maybe a little? It’s hard to remember, ‘cause like I said, I don’t give a shit about football so I didn’t listen that intently.” You shrugged, biting into a strawberry.

“Well there’s your problem. If you don’t give him your full attention even on stuff you don’t like, he’s not gonna give you his,” he claims. Your eye twitches.

“So I need to be a better listener?”

“Exactly,” he smiles, “you’re already getting it.”

You roll your eyes, stuffing some blueberries in your mouth. He winces, setting down the toast he was halfway through.

“Maybe don’t roll your eyes too much. Or shove food in your face.” He recommends.

“I only act like this around you because I don’t care what you think,” you rebutted, raising your eyebrows.

“Wow. I’m hurt, princess.” He puts a hand to his chest dramatically, although his tone was mocking.

“Don’t call me princess.” You warned. He laughed, putting his chin in his hands.

“Well then—tell me what I should call you.”

“Call me my name.”

“Ooh, I dunno, I think sweetheart has a nice ring to it. Or maybe mon petit chou—Lafayette taught me that one.” He beamed, giving you a toothy grin.

“I know what that means, that’s stupid,” you rolled your eyes. What kind of pet name is ‘my little cabbage?’

“Hey, don’t insult French culture like that. I love France.” He frowns.

“Don’t care.”

“You know, you should really start being nicer to me. I am helpin’ you out here, after all,” he advises. You let out a dramatic groan, sinking into your seat.

“When I actually have a boyfriend, I will.”

—

You hummed, waiting for Peggy to arrive at the Starbucks you so often frequent. It was a peaceful Sunday morning, not too many people crowded the cafe but just enough to where it felt lively.

You had just finished a run, and already had plans to meet up with Peggy around 8 for coffee, so you decided to push yourself further and just run to the Starbucks. When the door flashed open, your dearest friend walked in and your day instantly brightened.

Her coffee was already sitting waiting on the other end of the table—you knew exactly what she liked so you went ahead and ordered it for her: an iced blonde vanilla latte with whole milk and extra vanilla.

“Awh, you already ordered for me? How sweet,” she cooed, taking the seat across from you. You couldn’t hide the grin that spread on your face.

“Well, I know how bad you suffer from crippling anxiety when it comes to ordering food, so I thought I’d be nice and not let you stutter over asking for whole milk.”

She scoffs, “Way to ruin a good thing. Anyway, how ya been? Jefferson been treating you nice?”

“He’s been okay,” you shrug, “he’s actually helping me out with something. And he initiated it.”

“Oh? Do tell.” She raises her eyebrows, leaning in curiously.

“So you know I’ve been trying to land an actual relationship,” you lean in as well, “and the other night I was frustrated because Gary rejected me. Anyway, Thomas offered to give me some advice on how to talk to guys,” you explain.

“Interesting. He tell you anything helpful?” She asks.

“Eh. Just told me to be a better listener, nothing outstanding or thought provoking.”

“Well, if you ever need any more help, I’m your girl. You know I’ve been with my man Steph for 6 years now, if you’re having trouble keeping someone down,” She offers.

“Thanks, Peggy.” You smile softly.

After catching up with her and just chatting in general, you head back home with another coffee in hand for Jefferson. You figured it wouldn’t hurt to get him something since he is helping you out, and maybe you should be a smidge nicer to him. Not verbally, of course, you’ll always find a way to berate him, but at least show him you care somewhat through the language of coffee.

You enter and he hasn’t awoken yet, so you set the hot black coffee down with his name scribbled on it. He claims that this is his favorite way to drink coffee and all the sugar or milk additives take away from the rich flavors, but you have a theory that he’s bullshitting and secretly loves frappuccinos.

After a quick shower, he still wasn’t up, so you left to run some errands. While at the store, your phone dinged.

Thomas: thanks for the coffee.