Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There couldn’t possibly be anything that compared to the pain of searching for a job as a recently graduated journalism major. Especially in New York. Alexander never liked the job hunt, especially because it always ended in him working in a position that he was too good for, even if it didn't look that way on paper. That was an issue that he could talk about for hours—the value of a piece of paper outweighing someone’s actual skills. But it wasn’t like he could do anything about that now.

Being unemployed was one thing. Plenty of people don’t have a steady source of income and are in a much worse situation than he is—Alex has a roommate who is very forgiving, and no children or loved ones depending on him to live. But rent in East Rutherford, New Jersey was not exactly low, even though Alexander and John’s apartment was located near that hellzone of a stadium. So, he needed to finally find something sustainable. He couldn’t be a barista at the local cafe anymore, that’s for sure. Thankfully he had his friends trying to help him find jobs as well.

“You know, Alex, I’m sure there is some newspaper that needs a position filled. They just might not be advertising it on these websites.” Hercules suggested, scrolling on his phone. He was sitting in John’s recliner, his legs draped over the arm.

Alexander sighed. “Yeah, but that means they aren’t worthwhile. No one reads the paper anymore, and if someone isn’t advertising online, I doubt that they’re going to pay anything spectacular.”

“There’s an opening at Geno’s,” John mentioned. He was in the kitchen, making something to eat since he just got back from work himself. He worked at Geno’s, which was short for Geno’s Grab ‘n Go, a gas station that Alexander knew for certain would not give him what he was looking for.

“No offense, John, but I don’t think that’d be much better than working for some dusty old newspaper. I need something that I can use to get my name out there, so that I don’t end up like all the people who wasted their time studying journalism.” Maybe he should have gone to law school instead. He’d probably at least have better networking opportunities. 

John turned towards Alexander, grinning. “Fair enough.” He also needed to find a new place to work, and everyone here knew it. Geno’s wasn’t exactly known for being a great place to work unless you were ready to handle being held up on the regular. John once told a story about how Geno, the owner of the little convenience store/gas station, had stared down an armed robber until the police arrived. Of course, it was only a teenager who had assumed things would go his way and would never have pulled the trigger, but Alexander couldn’t imagine himself ever really knowing how to respond to a life or death situation. Geno’s was not the place for him.

“There is always the opening that I told you about with us.” Lafayette said. By his tone, Alexander could tell that Lafayette wasn’t trying to convince him to apply for that job. He was suggesting that Alex take the path that is clearly the best current option.

Still, Alexander sighed. “I do not want to work for a group of rich assholes who watch a bunch of men run around together. It sounds like a living hell.” 

The job that Lafayette (and Hercules and Peggy) wanted Alexander to apply for was at none other than the wretched hellzone that is MetLife Stadium. He’d be one of two social media managers, the other one being Peggy, and he didn’t see how that helped him with his journalistic career at all. From the way Peggy described her average day at work, it had very little to do with anything that mattered at all and more so on things that distracted everyone from what did matter. He didn’t think it was terrible for the people who want to be distracted, but he simply wasn’t one of those people and never would be. 

Lafayette and Hercules also worked there, all three of them managing to be employed by the New York Giants by some weird miracle. Not that working for a team that horrible would be a miracle, but it probably kept them employed. Lafayette was one of the several athletic trainers on staff, and Hercules worked in the equipment department. It was perfect for each of them, their respective roles with the Giants, but Alexander didn’t have the personality to work alongside Peggy. Surely she knew how to get the players involved and having fun, something he’d certainly fail at.

“Do you think that John wants to work for Geno?” Lafayette questioned, as if this was the most obvious response to have to Alexander’s distaste. “Because I don’t think many people want the jobs they have now, or that they wanted their first jobs. Most people just suck it up because at the end of the day, that’s all any of us can do. I wish I didn’t work in this stupid American society, but here I am. I am making a name for myself in my career, and you should take this opportunity to do the same, my friend.”

Well, shit. Lafayette had an unfortunately good point, one that Alexander knew he couldn’t really argue against. It wasn’t like he’d be worsening his odds at getting somewhere great in life, and he’d have three friends that he could talk to. Besides, if he applied and didn’t even get the job, Laf would stop mentioning it and he’d know that it wasn’t meant to be. Or, more likely, he’d become obsessed with proving them wrong and apply to work for the Jets, but that’s beside the point. 

“Fine.” He said, waving his hands dismissively as if he was only agreeing to get Lafayette to let it be rather than having nothing else to say. “I’ll apply for the job, and if I don’t get it, then I’ll just look for something else. Something that’ll get me where I need to go and will appreciate me for my skills.”

—

“What the hell?” Alexander whisper-yelled to Lafayette, who was apparently now his coworker. He'd gotten the job after an interview with the hiring manager, and was informed that he'd be given a tour of the facility so that he could begin to familiarize himself with the buildings. Thankfully, the tour was given by Lafayette, which actually made sense given his personality.

Beside him, Lafayette smiled. “What? Now you're employed, and you get to work with three of your favorite people. When Peggy finds out, she'll be so excited.” 

Alexander was, admittedly, pretty relieved to be able to expect a paycheck in a few weeks. It was like a weight was lifted off of him, because now he could pay rent and buy the good toilet paper. But still, this was far from desirable, and this building was not at all what Alexander thought it was going to be.

Lafayette was guiding him through the building, which from the outside looked like a school. Inside, it wasn't much different, but it'd have to be a very nice school. There were team themed decorations all throughout the building, collages and the like of previous games. Trophy cases filled nicely with memories of when the Giants were well rounded and respectable. The last time they won it all was in 2012, and Alexander would have been ten years old.

“This is the cafeteria,” Lafayette said, pointing to a pair of dark blue double doors with skinny windows, just like in a high school. Alexander peered inside, trying not to scrunch up his face too much in case anyone was in there. 

“This feels like I'm the new kid at school.” He said as he turned back to Lafayette, who smiled and waved him along.

To Alexander's surprise, they were going outside, where there was what must've been a practice field. There wasn't anyone out there, which seemed a bit odd given that he was pretty sure the season started soon. But he didn't bother asking about it, because Laf didn't seem concerned and he was a trainer. Instead, the two continued towards a large building, which Lafayette entered using a keycard that Alexander hadn't noticed. High security made sense, there were technically celebrities here, but it still felt weird for some reason.

Inside the giant building was just another football field, except this one was turf instead of real grass. There was some equipment on the sides, but still no people. Finally, Alexander's curiosity got the best of him.

“Where is everyone?” He asked. So far, he’d only seen the man who hired him and Lafayette, and that felt like it wasn’t right. “Shouldn’t there be like, practice happening or something?” For a professional sports team, it seemed that there was an extreme lack of training, but Alexander knew he probably shouldn’t say that part out loud. 

“In meetings.” Lafayette answered simply. “A lot of what happens around here is meetings, they don’t train extremely hard every day. Otherwise, they’d destroy their bodies.”

That made sense, but Alexander had always just assumed that all these guys did was work out and get paid for it. “What kind of meetings do they have to go to? I don't know anything about this stuff, I don't even know how I got hired.”

“Well, it depends. Right now, it's just about performance and preparation. When the season goes on, it'll be the same, adding stuff about specific games. And of course, there's the guys who might be finding out about being released, stuff like that.” Lafayette explained, leading Alexander back into the school-like building and up a flight of stairs.

“Where are we going now?” He asked. Finding his way around this complex was not going to be fun, especially at the beginning. Surely there was a directory or something that he was missing.

“Up to your desk and stuff. You get your own cubicle and everything,” Lafayette teased. Even though he was pretty new himself, he already got his own office because of his job.

Alexander only rolled his eyes, following Lafayette into a room with clean gray carpet and little cubicles. It almost reminded him of The Office , which could be a nice experience if his coworkers were pleasant instead of crazy.

Lafayette stopped suddenly, turning to Alexander. “Wait here, I want to surprise Peggy. She has been waiting to find out who her new..apprentice will be.” He then continued on, leaving Alexander standing there looking (or maybe just feeling) like a fool.

But Alex could still hear the conversation that his two friends were having. Peggy wasn't a particularly quiet person, and Lafayette's voice was so distinct because of his accent. 

“Where's the new hire? I thought you were giving them a tour.” Peggy asked. Alexander could only imagine how eager she was. After all, she finally got to be someone's ‘superior.’ 

“He's just in the bathroom, he should be coming any second now.” Lafayette replied. He was always so nonchalant, and Alexander sometimes envied that.

Peggy sighed, a bit dramatically. “It's a man?” She grumbled. “I was so hoping that I'd get to slowly build an all female team. I’m pretty sure enough men work here.” 

Lafayette peeked out from the little cubicle wall that he'd gone behind, waving Alexander over. It was a bit silly, given that Laf was taller than the divider, and Alex couldn't help but smile. 

“Peggy, this is your new co-admin. I think you'll get along well enough.” Lafayette said, crossing his arms comfortably. 

“It's nice to meet y—No way! Alex? I didn't know that you were even applying, you jackass!” She said, smacking his arm. “I guess I can be okay with it being a man if it's one that knows less than me. This is gonna be so fun!” 

Lafayette left, saying he had an appointment with some guy called ‘Grub.’ Alex thought that had been a highly out of character insult, but apparently it was just what everyone called one of the players. Maybe he needed to look further into this team and its culture if he was going to work here.

—

The first thing Alexander did when he got home was simply Google the team. He didn't ever care about football as a kid, his favorite sport had been baseball, but he remembered when the Giants were good and people were proud to support them. Now, there was a distinct lack of team pride and a losing record year after year. 

None of the information that came up seemed all that important. The head coach was probably someone he wouldn't spend much time with, and he definitely had no reason to interact with the owner or GM, so he decided to change his search to ‘new york giants players.’

For some reason it surprised Alexander when the players came up in the same way that actors do when searching up a show. The first player was someone Alexander had actually heard of, John Adams, a quarterback. He was the starter last season, and led the league in interceptions thrown. He was well past his prime, having been in the league for twenty years. At forty-one years old, everyone was just waiting for him to retire. So much so, that even Alex and John had a small bet on when that announcement would make the evening news.

After Adams was James Madison, a wide receiver. Alex had heard his name on the TV as well. Then Thomas Jefferson, another quarterback. His picture was from college, based on the uniform, and his smile was unfortunately beautiful. Alexander clicked on his name, absolutely just curious to see who he might be working with. Peggy said that a big part of their job was making content with the players, and she said that it's good to know some stuff about them for pranks and other kinds of fun videos. That's all Alexander was looking for.

Jefferson's birthday was in April, and he was the same age as Alexander. It made sense, if Alex just graduated and Jefferson was just drafted. Alexander continued down the page, looking at the brief preview of the Wikipedia page.

“Thomas Jefferson is an American professional quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was selected seventh overall by the Giants in the 2025 draft after playing college football for William and Mary. In 2024, he was a Heisman trophy finalist and Maxwell Award winner.”

So, there wasn't much on the guy yet. That didn't matter, it wasn't like Alexander was going to become his friend anyways. He scrolled down to the ‘People also search for’ part of the page, finding random dudes Alex had never heard of in his life. Finally, another name from the team he was supposed to be looking into, James Madison. He clicked on the name, and read up on him the same way that he had for Jefferson.

There was even less information. He went to the same college as Jefferson, but that was about the only notable piece of information. After looking into some other details about the team, Alexander decided he'd just have to learn about them through experiencing it all himself. He officially started on Monday, and Peggy told him that it'd be fun because it's just the preseason and doesn't mean anything yet.

Even though it was just another job, Alexander felt an odd sense of nervousness. Usually, he was plenty knowledgeable about anything he was involved in. But he'd never cared about football, and now he felt like he didn't know anything at all. Would he even fit in there? Peggy did just fine, but she could get along with literally anyone. 

Either way, Alex would just have to suck it up. He knew that much, but the weight that had been lifted from his chest that morning was replaced with a new one. One thing Alexander knew for certain is that his fears would never prevent him from succeeding. He hasn't let them yet, and he sure as hell doesn't plan on it ever happening.

Chapter Text

Thomas wasn't quite sure when his mild liking of sports had turned into a career. As a kid, he'd done little league just because it was a way to bond with his dad. He wasn't coordinated enough for baseball, especially when they kept trying to put him on first base as he grew taller. When he played basketball, he was great at getting in the way of the smaller kids trying to shoot, but he'd get dangerously close to fouling out too quickly because he didn't know how to put his arms away.

But when Thomas played football, somehow he managed to be good at it. He couldn't remember when he started practicing to be a quarterback, since that couldn't start at too young an age, but he did remember playing with his dad and brother in the yard. Thomas would stay in one place, while his dad and brother ran at varying distances to see how far he could throw the ball and how well. Surely that helped him in the later days.

When Thomas’ dad died, it was hard for Thomas to want to do much of anything. His dad had been his favorite person in the entire world, only to be stolen away from him by an illness that Thomas refused to learn about. It took about a year for Thomas to really come out of his shell again, just in time for him to start high school sports. 

Maybe he was trying to hold onto the memories with his dad, but Thomas always told himself that he was only playing any sport he could so that he didn't have to go home too quickly after school. With about a million (or nine) younger siblings and a mother he didn't particularly get along with, Thomas avoided his house any chance he got. 

Most weekdays were spent at school or games, and then on the weekends he worked at a local donut shop. Deep down he knew that it wouldn't fix any of his issues, but he didn't particularly care. It got him somewhere, after all, even though he still didn't have his sights on the NFL when he started playing football in college.

While studying at William and Mary, Thomas’ goal in life was to become a lawyer or something. He was good at that sort of thing, and it'd be a good career for a long time. But he still played football, because it was fun, and he couldn't stand having free time. And he was glad that he played, because it brought him closer to his best friend in the entire world, James. 

It surprised basically everyone when James played high school football, and then even more people when he also played in college. Thomas was honestly just glad to see his friend still. They were quite different from one another personality wise, but they had similar goals in life. They were both hoping to make a career and were just in extracurriculars for something to do.

But at some point, someone convinced James to submit for the draft. Thomas was surprised that anyone persuaded James into doing anything at all, but that year James was picked up by the Giants and Thomas was all alone. James even tried to get Thomas to submit with him, but their coach told Thomas that he should wait another year before he considered that. 

Thomas didn't understand it at that time, but his coach hadn't believed in him. And that was frustrating, because Thomas was the one who brought in such an increase of attention to that program. But it didn't matter, because the next year was big for Thomas.

First, he announced that he'd be submitting for the draft. Then, he and his girlfriend broke up. It wasn't fun, but it was a mutual sort of thing. They were still good friends, and Thomas still bombarded her with random issues on a regular basis. He was invited to the combine, but he was sick and stressed and didn't do as well as he could have. Or should have, really. 

Thankfully, he was still picked up, and by some miracle he got to go to New York and reunite with James. And that brought him to now, standing in the training facility in late August, next to John Adams of all people. Adams had been playing since Thomas was a little kid, and Thomas had really looked up to him for years. Now, he was going to be his backup and should probably hope he wouldn't need to play.

“So, Thomas, you’ll be starting for the preseason games, just to get you in the feel of the league and also to keep John here safe and sound. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept.” Thomas’ new coach, George Washington, explained. When Thomas met Washington he was a little nervous, but after spending most of his time with the man, he learned quickly that Washington simply wanted the best for everyone. Even if he was coaching a team that finished 30th out of 32 last year. 

Thomas nodded, glancing at Adams who was standing beside him. He looked a little impatient, but Thomas assumed that it was probably because he had a lot to do. The starting quarterback always had to be extra available to the media and stuff, which Thomas was not looking forward to when he became starter. Still, he’d likely have an entire year to prepare for that. Adams may be old, for a player at least, but he made it clear that he wasn’t looking to retire any time soon.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to run drills with receivers. Since you already have chemistry with Madison, we’re going to pair you up with Sherman.” Washington said, looking directly at Thomas. It seemed like he expected Thomas to ask specifically to be paired up with James, which is exactly what would have happened. 

“Can I go now?” Adams asked, the first thing he’d said the entire time. He was only a few years younger than Washington, which was kind of like only being a few years younger than your teacher. Thomas couldn’t tell what kind of relationship the two had, but he knew he wouldn’t be speaking to his coach in such an impatient tone.

Washington waved him off, keeping his attention on Thomas. “We picked you for a reason, Jefferson. I’ve seen you play countless times, and now I’m watching it every day. Keep it up, and you’ll go far.”

—

It was definitely taking some getting used to, moving to Manhattan. Thomas had never particularly enjoyed cities, and now he was in the biggest one in the entire country. It didn’t seem that people really noticed he existed, though, unless he was in their way. But he didn’t mind no one looking at him, he just wished he could tell that there was an end to a building when looking up at it. Skyscrapers made him feel like he was trapped, so he tried to avoid too much exploration in the city. He also wasn’t a fan of the city smells, or all the noise. His list of complaints could go on forever, so to make a long story significantly shorter, he wasn’t going to bother buying a home here even if he spent his entire career with the Giants.

Thomas’ plan was to rent an apartment in the city and live there during the season, but his permanent home would always be Virginia. His entire world revolved around his life there, from his family to the homes and land he inherited from his father. Thomas had far too many responsibilities to even consider leaving if he really wanted to. 

Anyways, he had moved here in the beginning of June so that he’d be able to become settled before training camp started in July. Thankfully, he didn’t mind living away from home minus some bouts of homesickness. It definitely helped that he had James with him all the time, such as right now. The two were sitting in Thomas’ little kitchen, which he hated. He could hardly maneuver in it due to his awkward lankiness. 

“Are you excited for the season to start?” Thomas asked, resting his chin on his hand with his elbow propped up on the table. 

James nodded, and despite his expression Thomas knew that he was probably actually thrilled. James always had a tendency to look irritated, or mean, or a number of other negative things that people had called him. In reality, he just seemed to not try too hard to make other people more comfortable when it wasn't his job.

“I hope it goes better than last year, but I can’t say I’m too confident.” He tapped his fingers on the table, watching Thomas intently. “I think..that our offense needs some serious restructuring. None of the guys want to show out.”

Thomas’ brows furrowed. “I don’t see why. Washington is a great coach, and there've been plenty of winnable situations in the last few seasons with him. And Adams clearly knows what he’s doing, the guy’s won MVP four times.”

James sighed. “The guy’s forty-one, Thomas.” He said flatly, as if that was supposed to be some groundbreaking argument. “You can't tell me you don't see any problems with him, even looking past his age.”

“Well-” Thomas wasn't really sure what to say here. In theory, Adams would be good. But after the last several years and all the articles that have come out of his weird attitude towards literally anyone, it was difficult to defend him.

“I get that he kind of has a bad attitude, but I feel like a lot of guys do. Half of these people don't grow up like..ever.” Thomas shrugged. “You don't like him at all?”

“No.” James replied firmly. “I’m not going to break myself to bring him glory. I don’t have any respect for people who think they should be treated like a god, especially when they haven’t done anything to benefit anyone else.” His words were mean, and angry, but the way he said them was so calm that it was barely detectable. James was like that, making it clear when he really didn’t like something or someone, but fogging up the glass with his cool demeanor. 

Thomas didn’t like the sound of that. If everyone on the team felt the same way as James did, then there was no chance of them getting very far. “But there’s nothing anyone can do about that. He’s the star, whether his teammates want it or not.”

“Washington can do something.” James said, once again like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And so can you.”

“What?” Thomas said, short and quiet despite the fact that they were alone. “I just signed with the team, I’m not going to undermine the guy who is supposed to..supposed to be my guide, or whatever.” He stuttered, gesturing hopelessly with his hands.

James rolled his eyes. “We both know you don’t need a ‘guide,’ this clueless shit of yours is going to dissipate when you get bored. You forget that I’ve known you for years, and I’m not an idiot. You know your worth, and you know it’s more than a washed up diva who should have retired years ago.” 

Before Thomas could speak, James held up a finger to stop him. “Don’t you say ‘Oh, how am I supposed to do anything, I’m not in charge.’ Show up and show out in Detroit, get people talking. Then really give Adams a run for his money in Houston. Give him the final blow here, and Washington will have no choice but to have you start.”

Thomas couldn’t pretend that anything James said was incorrect. He had thought about this plenty of times himself, because he didn’t spend so much of his time training just to end up a professional benchwarmer. By now, he could be making a name for himself in something genuinely important. And he did know that he was better than Adams. For one thing, he could actually run. And another, he was actually better than those around him, he didn’t have to convince himself the way Adams does.

James must have seen the gears turning in Thomas’ mind, because he got up from the table and tapped his finger to his temple. He clapped a hand on Thomas’ shoulder, standing over him. “We’ll see how it goes.”

—

After Thomas was no longer disgustingly sweaty from the August heat and was properly clean, he went to his spot in the locker room to put his things away. No one was in there, which was fantastic because Thomas had never quite gotten used to the locker room environment. Everything portrayed in TV shows was unfortunately accurate, at least in high school and college. He obviously had yet to find out what behaviors were accepted in an NFL locker room. After all, there were constantly cameras in there during the regular season. Thomas had pretty much always been comfortable with who he was, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear the jokes and slurs thrown around like it was nothing. It definitely impacted him, and probably would for a long time. The only one of his teammates to ever know about Thomas was James, because they were best friends. He never got around much in college, because he had a girlfriend, so there wasn’t ever a chance of his teammates happening upon him and another man. He couldn’t imagine the way his supposed friends’ demeanor towards him would change if they knew he liked men. The assumptions that he was attracted to them would surely come pouring in, as if he didn’t see how gross they acted behind closed doors.

Not only did Thomas appreciate putting off learning more new social cues, but he also enjoyed the peace and quiet. Although he somehow made a reputation for himself, becoming an image of some spotlight loving star, Thomas had a tiny social battery and needed several hours of alone time to decompress after big events. This was a luxury he rarely experienced in college, because he was always around his teammates. Now, maybe he’d have an opportunity.

Much to Thomas’ dismay, however, the door to the locker room opened. Instinctively, he grabbed his towel to cover himself with, before remembering that he had already gotten dressed in the other room. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, but honestly he rarely did if he didn’t have to, so he put the towel back and decided to just put his hands in his lap and put on what was hopefully a friendly face. Thomas had been told plenty of times that he didn’t look mean, especially when people were rudely comparing him to James, but he still worried. He never could control his face, which got him into a lot of trouble as a child.

Thomas had been expecting one of his teammates to come through the door, but as it clicked shut he looked up to find a small woman. She looked to be around his age, and had big curly hair tied into a ponytail. Behind her was a man, who was quite a bit taller than her but still looked small compared to just about every other man that was employed here. Thomas could only assume that he wasn’t a player, because his arms were much too small. Unless he was a kicker or something? 

The man looked interesting, and weirdly nervous. Thomas thought that was a little funny, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the guy so maybe he actually thought it was endearing. He had short black hair that was barely styled, and his clothes seemed like they didn’t fit him quite right. Thomas kind of wanted to know more about him, and the guy hadn’t even opened his mouth let alone uttered a word. When the two noticed that Thomas was sitting there, they stopped in their tracks.

“Oh, shoot! Sorry, usually no one is in here around this time.” The woman said, glancing back at the man behind her. She didn’t look nervous at all, or like she was doing something wrong. The man did, though. “You’re Jefferson, right? You’re new to the team?”

Thomas wasn’t sure who these people were, but they had badges so it wasn’t like they weren’t allowed to be in the building. Thomas hadn’t exactly been there long enough to know who everyone was anyways, he’d only even lived here for like two months.

“Yeah, that’s me,” he answered, watching the man intently. He still looked nervous, but now he was looking back at Thomas. “You can just call me Thomas, though.” Now he looked at the woman, since she was the one he was speaking to. He wasn’t raised to be rude, after all.

The woman smiled, then seemed to trip over her own thoughts or something, because it took her a moment to say anything. After a prolonged silence, she said, “I’m Peggy, and this is Alexander. We’re the social media admins for the team. I hope we didn’t disturb you, I was just trying to show him where things are.”

Thomas smiled, waving his hand in the air to indicate that it was no big deal that his precious silence had been interrupted. He really wasn’t irritated, at least not as much as he usually would be. This Alexander guy was intriguing (at least he was from this tiny interaction), and if Thomas was just going to be Adams’ shadow, he’d at least want some excitement. If that had to be gained by paying too much attention to the media team, then so be it. It wasn’t like he was going to be on camera much or anything.

“It’s no problem at all, I’m just trying to get used to things too. Are you new to the..team, I guess?” Thomas said politely, turning his attention to Alexander, whose expression was difficult to read. He looked surprised that Thomas was speaking to him, but not in the way that a fan might. More like he thought that Thomas would be a dick, which was probably a result of headlines that were still following him from college. 

Thomas didn’t do anything bad, he didn’t have any reason to be painted the way he always was. But for some reason people started talking about him in ways that he didn’t really appreciate, and it ended up in some magazines and newspapers that apparently didn’t have anything better to do than write about random college athletes. He didn’t even go to a school that was known for its sports programs.

“Yeah, I am. I just got hired on Friday, so Peggy’s been showing me the ropes and stuff.” Alexander replied. He seemed to be struggling with his personal mind to mouth highway, pausing before he said anything more. “You’re the new quarterback, right? I’m trying to learn who people are as I meet them.”

“That’s me.” Thomas nodded, remembering what he and James had talked about last week after practice. It felt kind of…exhilarating, to know that his intention was to become the starter. He wasn’t sure that it’d be a successful plan, just because of Adams’ reputation and seniority. But Thomas knew he was the better option, especially after what James said about the state of the offense and how they all felt about Adams.

“I’m sure you won’t be talking to me much, so if you don’t remember who I am, it’s no problem at all.” He added. As soon as he was done talking, Thomas realized that he might sound like he was looking for sympathy or like he was feeling sorry for himself, but he wasn’t quite sure how to backtrack without making a fool of himself, so all he could do was hope that he didn’t sound like some weenie chump.

Peggy shrugged. “I personally like to talk to anyone and everyone. Besides, lots of people already know who you are, so it’d probably be good content. It’s definitely never a bad thing to have fun quarterback content on the page, and we all know Adams isn’t about to offer anything fun.” She whispered the bit about Adams, making Thomas remember that anyone could walk in on this conversation at any time.

That didn’t stop his curiosity from escaping his mind, though. “Does he not participate?” He asked, and Peggy came and sat right next to him, as if it was her locker room too. Alexander followed suit, but he stood behind her instead of sitting down.

“God, no. Do you ever see him doing anything fun on the page? Nuh uh, and you probably never will. I try, and he just walks right past me like I don’t even exist.” Peggy explained. “And poor Alex is probably gonna struggle with people doing that, the way he runs his mouth.”

“I’m literally right here.” Alexander said, and that’s when Thomas realized that these two were already friends despite Alexander being a new hire. Kind of like him and James, maybe. 

Thomas smiled at Peggy, because she seemed kind enough and Adams definitely had no reason to be ignoring people so rudely. “I’ll never ignore you guys.” He said.

Peggy looked back at him, a grin on her face. “Cool. I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Alexander tapped Peggy’s shoulder and said, “Will you please show me the rest of the building now? You always end up talking to someone for ages, and now I’m just gonna have to relearn everything by myself anyways.”

Peggy rolled her eyes, looking at Thomas the way mothers do when their children do something mildly irritating too many times. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go.” She got up and started towards the door, Alexander only a moment behind her.

Without thinking, because he never seemed to, Thomas said, “It was nice meeting you, Alexander..and Peggy.” He was hoping that the pause between their names wasn’t too obvious, but why would they think too much about it? Thomas hadn't flirted or anything, so he was probably just being paranoid and overthinking. He had a knack for that, and could only hope it wouldn't impact his playing.

Chapter Text

As far as Thomas was concerned, things did go according to plan. In the first preseason game, which was in Detroit, Thomas managed to cause a raucous even without much of a supporting cast. Even though he was currently a backup himself, Thomas was obviously better than that, and it showed when he made a borderline practice squad team look amazing. The Lions practice squad were embarrassed, even if it didn’t matter yet, and Thomas’ name was showing up in headlines without the usual negative undertones.

The following week, Thomas started in the preseason game against the Houston Texans. It was far from exciting for either fanbase to watch, but that didn’t matter to Thomas at all. He played as hard as he could without looking like a fool, making sure not to make any decisions that could be deemed reckless or straight up dumb. That was the biggest gripe people had had with him as a potential draft pick: if he wasn’t too reckless, then his play style was too brash. To many people, Thomas was a risky option, and that caused the disappointment that Giants fans felt when he was chosen. Oh, well.

The Giants won again. It still didn’t matter, at least in the grand scheme of things. But Thomas was working towards a goal, and he was determined to achieve it. Even if these two wins wouldn’t count towards the Giants’ record for the season, Thomas was getting his name out there and Washington was watching every move he made. The news articles about him that week were even better than they were the week prior, and some even began to call him New York’s ‘secret weapon.’ He thought it was a bit silly, especially because people were watching him on TV, but it was better than the way people responded to him back in April.

By the time the final game of the preseason rolled around, Thomas was feeling quite confident. Adams, who was supposed to be giving him advice and leading the way for Thomas to eventually take over, barely said a word to him or anyone else on the team. Thomas lost most of his respect for the guy already, and wasn’t expecting to see any of it return. It didn’t matter, though. Thomas was far from perfect, but whatever he was doing was working well. His receivers seemed to appreciate that he made choices based on the team rather than himself, and that was already vastly different from Adams’ attitude. 

Still, though, Thomas had to make sure that Washington had no choice but to start Thomas in the regular season. The only way to do that was to demolish the competition, even if it meant nothing. That, or he’d have to wait until Adams fucked up, which likely wouldn’t take long but was still the less desirable option. Thomas wasn’t a fan of sitting around and doing nothing, and even if he was in his gear on the sidelines, he would just be a benchwarmer. 

The next and final preseason game was against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were…something. Thomas wouldn’t call them a force to be reckoned with, more like a team that you would be both embarrassed and unsurprised to lose to. For the last several seasons, the Steelers had given their fans hope of a ring, just to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Not that the Giants were better, they had consistently been one of the first teams to be eliminated from contention, but the point stands. It didn’t even matter, though. The two teams weren’t even in the same conference and wouldn’t see each other again for a while.

But Thomas focused, and he led his team of second string players to a surprisingly exciting victory. At least, as exciting as a game that no one cared about at all could be. Regardless, Thomas looked amazing and the same fans that hadn’t even wanted him were suddenly fawning all over his skills. That was a little entertaining, really, even if it was also a little bit insulting. Now all he could do was wait and see what Washington thought about the whole thing. It would still be a bit of a bold move to start the rookie over someone with as many accolades as John Adams, but maybe Washington was a bold playmaker. Thomas honestly wouldn’t know. 

At practice the following Tuesday, Thomas acted as he had been for the past..however long he’d been with the team. Time wasn’t his friend, he tended to just go through life without worrying about it too much. Anyways, he and his receivers ran drills alongside Adams and the other starters, and then they switched partners. Thomas practiced handling the pocket, and keeping his feet where they should be. Unfortunately, he was a little clumsy, which wasn’t something anyone wanted to see from a quarterback, so the quarterback coaches made him practice with his feet on either side of a skinny foam block without looking at it. He may have fallen once or twice, but he didn’t think Washington was worried about that.

Finally, at the end of practice, Washington called Thomas and Adams over for a chat. Thomas was trying not to get his expectations twisted, because for all he knew this was just the usual process that Washington did before regular season games. Thomas even tried guessing based on Adams’ expression, but he got nothing from it. Adams always had a specific look about him, like he was actively trying to intimidate his peers. Weird way to be a teammate, it was no wonder no one wanted to play with him.

“I’ve been studying both of you for the last three weeks, and I have to say it was very telling. It’s great that we have such different play styles between our top quarterbacks.” Washington said, keeping his eyes on each of them equally. Thomas felt like there was an insult hidden in there somewhere, but he couldn’t tell if it was for him or Adams. “Are you both prepared for week one?”

Thomas nodded. “Yes, sir.” He still didn’t know how to address Washington, but he was raised to use proper manners, so he did. “I’m ready for anything.”

Beside him, Adams shifted on his feet impatiently. “I’m always ready.” He said, and by his tone it was clear that he didn’t feel that this conversation was at all necessary. Thomas had been accused of arrogance plenty of times, but he would never act like Adams did.

Washington looked between them, nodding slowly. His hands were behind his back, holding his clipboard. “Great. Thomas, you’ll be starting against the Vikings. I’ll be announcing it tomorrow in the press conference, so you’ll both probably be asked for a statement. Adams, you’ll be his backup for week one, and we’ll reevaluate after the game. See you tomorrow.”

Thomas did his best not to look too pleased, even though he absolutely was. He turned to Adams and smiled politely. “I really hope you don’t step foot on that field Sunday, that’d mean something went horribly wrong.” He then walked past him to go find James and tell him the good news, feeling Adams’ gaze follow him the entire time.

—

The following morning at 11:45, Washington sat down with reporters to discuss the starting lineup for week one against the Minnesota Vikings. By now, the entire team had found out that Thomas would be starting in place of Adams, and the general mood of the team was bright enough that Thomas wasn’t worried at all. Of course, Adams’ behavior was not nice to look at, especially coming from a man of his age, but Thomas wasn’t worried about that either. If Adams made an ass of himself, it would only help Thomas out.

Thomas was standing off to the side, with Adams and James there too, watching as the livestream began. In the audience, sitting directly in the front, were Peggy and Alexander. Peggy was recording with a phone while Alexander held a camera. Thomas was still curious about Alexander, and needed to come up with a reason to talk to him.

Well, now he’d have one, if he was becoming the starter. Thomas found himself wondering if the other workers already knew, like the team did. Did the media team know? Did the nutritionist? He still wasn’t quite sure how all of these people interacted with one another, and he was beginning to think that he should probably at least talk to them more. Being shy never exactly helped people think he wasn’t an asshole.

“Good morning,” Washington said into the little microphone in front of him. He didn’t seem to be a man of many words, and it looked like every reporter in the room was well accustomed to that fact.

Many reporters seemed to have a list of questions they planned on asking, and a lot of them were pretty basic. What has it been like to prepare for the season, are the Giants hoping to make it out of the hole they dug themselves last season, things like that. Washington did a good job answering them without mentioning how repetitive and stupid most of the questions were. Then, finally, someone asked about starters.

“Have you decided who will be starting in Minnesota?” The reporter, a young woman, asked. “Many teams are making changes to their starting lineups after the preseason. Will the Giants be joining them?”

Washington glanced at Thomas, James, and Adams so briefly that Thomas wasn't sure anyone would really notice. Washington nodded then and said, “We've decided that Thomas will start for week one. For now, everything is going to be played by ear.”

Beside Thomas, Adams let out a deep sigh from his nose, like he had expected something different. On Thomas’ other side, James didn't seem to move at all. He was extremely focused on the conversation happening in front of them.

A little while later, it was Thomas' turn to speak to the reporters. This was something he wasn't looking forward to, and probably never would. Beside him was James, which made things a little better, but he knew he'd have to act like it was all a great surprise that he miraculously became the starter and that he was simply so grateful to have Adams as his mentor. He'd have to lie.

Some of the reporters asked slightly daring questions, and Thomas couldn’t stop playing them out in his mind even after the press conference had concluded. He simply couldn’t imagine being so bold on a livestream that thousands of people were watching, and the clips that could come of it. What even was journalism at this point? These people know he can’t answer the way they want him to, so whatever they write is going to be pure speculation. And the public will eat it right up.

Question: Do you feel that you are a better fit to be starting the season than Adams?

Official Answer: I think that any opportunity should be used to the fullest, and I am grateful for any chance I have to prove myself.

Honest Answer: Of course I do.

Question: Given last season’s result, how do you expect to turn things around for the Giants?

Official Answer: All we can do is play one game at a time. The focus is on the next step, not step seventeen.

Honest Answer: I have nothing to do with the failure from before, it was because Adams is a piece of shit that no one wanted to help.

Thomas could go on for hours in his mind about how entertained he was by the press conference, but he had other things to focus on. For example, leaving and getting some peace and quiet at home by himself. When he went into the locker room to grab his things, it was mostly cleared out because the media hadn’t requested to speak with very many people. The only people left were himself, James, and Adams.

“Congrats on opening the season.” Adams said from his locker, which was in the same general area as Thomas’ except his was better and staged to look good for pictures to be posted online. “It’s a big job, think you can handle it?”

Thomas considered Adams’ tone for a moment. He didn’t necessarily sound polite, or like he genuinely cared, but he also didn’t sound rude. What he sounded like was a high school girl trying to pick on the quiet girl of the class. How embarrassing for a grown adult.

“Sure,” he answered. “I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Same rules, same field. No big deal.” Thomas continued to grab the things he wanted to take home with him. The lockers were more like cubbies and didn’t have doors on them, and he just couldn’t bring himself to trust that these guys wouldn’t use his things if he wasn’t there to ask. For a lot of people, sharing deodorant or something with a teammate wasn’t a big deal at all. But Thomas thought that was one of the most repulsive things in the world.

Adams clearly wanted to continue the conversation, suddenly deciding to be chatty after two months of barely even looking in Thomas’ general direction. “The NFL is different, bud.” He sighed, learning against the side panel of his locker. “I mean, just imagine having a huge linebacker whose sole purpose is to lay you out, running full speed at you. Doesn’t that stress you out?”

Thomas shrugged. “Nah.” He replied, trying to get Adams to receive the message that he wasn’t succeeding in psyching Thomas out. There were a number of things that Thomas could say about Adams’ success rate the last several years, but he was choosing not to, and they both knew that very well.

“Well, I hope it goes well for you. Your debut will probably be short lived anyways.” With that being his apparent big conversation ender, Adams grabbed his bag and walked his cocky self out of the locker room, leaving Thomas alone with James, who had been lurking the entire time. Adams probably hadn’t even noticed that he was there.

“Uh oh,” James teased. “You’re in the big leagues now, little Tommy. Better not get scared.”

Thomas grinned, rolling his eyes. Adams must’ve thought he’d accomplished something, but Thomas wasn’t about to let some hard core loser get in his head. Instead, he’d focus on the more interesting aspects of becoming the starter.

—

Thomas supposed that he should be feeling upset after that run in with Adams, but really it was just fuel. It wasn’t like Adams was going to be around for much longer anyways. The amount of teams willing to deal with his attitude didn’t quite match up to what he seemed to think he was worth, and Thomas was a young prospect that had already proven to be a potential weapon. So, as he was leaving the locker room, he wasn’t feeling any less confident than when he went in.

As he walked through the halls, he listened to the areas surrounding him in case he heard Adams or anyone else saying something he’d need to be aware of. Thomas didn’t really think that anyone would be scheming against him, not like he and James kind of were with Adams, but anything is possible. Adams was kind of known for causing problems with people he didn’t like. It was just ignored usually, because for some reason he still had weight in the conversation.

“What the hell,” he heard from somewhere nearby. It was a quiet whisper-yell from a man who sounded particularly irritated, but it was definitely not Adams. This man’s voice didn’t have that annoying, grating tone that distinctly belonged to Adams.

As Thomas turned the corner, he found the source. It was the media guy he’d met in the locker room that he liked the look of. “Oh,” he said, brilliantly. “Hey. Alexander, right?”

The guy turned to look at him, his expression a mix of so many emotions that Thomas couldn’t keep up. First came the irritation that Thomas had heard in his voice, then what could only be embarrassment. After that, Thomas was unsure, so he chose to believe that Alexander was trying to look normal and maybe interesting. Thomas was beginning to think that maybe he was only one of those things.

“Yeah, sorry, I’ll get right out of your way.” Alexander huffed, stepping aside despite the fact that there was plenty of room in the hall. The building was designed for several larger than average men to exist in at the same time, it’d be weird if there wasn’t plenty of space.

Thomas stuck his lips out thoughtfully, hoping that Alexander wasn’t somehow offended by his entire existence. It kind of seemed that way right now. “You weren’t in my way.” He narrowed his eyes slightly at Alexander, wondering what could have made him so huffy and puffy. Was being a media manager that difficult? “I hope this doesn’t somehow come off the wrong way, but are you alright? You look..less than happy.”

Alexander rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s just these asshole players think that they can shove people around just ‘cause they’re big or something.” He then seemed to remember who he was talking to and sighed, shrugging hopelessly. “I’m gonna manage to get fired and I’ve been here for less than a month.”

“I’m not sure where you think I’d get the power to fire you,” Thomas said before adding, “Besides, I’m not Adams.” He also grinned, because maybe that would make Alexander understand that he wasn’t one of those ‘asshole players.’ At least, not in the way that Alexander was referring to. Thomas is definitely an asshole.

Alexander seemed to visibly relax, looking at Thomas like he was finally the only person to understand. “Oh my God, thank you! He’s..ugh, he’s just insufferable. Thank God I don’t have to spend any time with him for pictures and shit.” He sighed. “All I was trying to do was leave, but this place is a maze that I still can’t find my way around.”

Thomas nodded in understanding. “Ah, yeah, it’s set up in a weird way. Which is sad, since it was only built like twenty years ago.” He shrugged, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. “Follow me out, I’ll show you where to go. I’m new too, but I guess not quite as new.”

Alexander did follow him, which Thomas was glad about, even if he couldn’t quite think of a good conversation starter. He wasn’t quite used to wanting to flirt with someone from work, given that he was absolutely not going to date (or even hookup with) one of his teammates. Ever. Thankfully, though, Alexander didn’t quite seem to notice that Thomas was searching for words, because he started talking himself.

“So you don’t get along with him then?” He asked, which would normally be a pretty risky question to ask. For Thomas, it was definitely risky to answer. Even though they were most likely completely alone, he still wasn’t about to say anything that could cause trouble.

“He’s fine. I just know that a lot of people have said he isn’t the friendliest to them. I think it’s a part of his whole schtick, but I’m starting to wonder if he even realizes what it does to his name.”

Alexander shrugged. “I don’t think people like him care too much.” He said, and honestly he was probably right. Adams was an entirely different kind of arrogant, and Thomas wished anyone who had ever called him an arrogant bastard could meet him. “Me and my friend even have a running bet for when he’ll finally retire and we don’t even watch football. But I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”

“Probably not. I shouldn’t have brought him up, but here we are.” Thomas smiled, and Alexander smiled back. If anything, Thomas could maybe make a new friend that wasn’t James and also wasn’t on the team. “Wait, did you say you don’t even watch football?” It didn't matter, but Thomas thought it was funny that someone who didn't watch the sport worked for one of its teams.

“Oh, yeah, I didn’t watch any until the preseason games. Good job, by the way. I’m assuming you did really well since you’re starting now, or whatever.”

Thomas couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied with that. Someone who didn’t know the sport understood that he was doing well, and that could only be a good thing. “Thanks, but those games don’t really matter anyways. I’m lucky that I’m starting at all.”

Alexander looked up at him quizzically, eyes narrowed, before he responded. “You’re extremely media trained, huh?”

Thomas was honestly really surprised by this response, because no one had ever looked right through him like that other than James. His reaction must’ve made it obvious that he wasn’t expecting it, because Alexander only laughed.

“I’m just teasing, you know. But don’t worry, I’ll wait to compliment you until you’re starting indefinitely.” He said, which brought Thomas back to a smile. “I guess we’ll see each other a bit more, though, if you become a starter. And you thought I’d forget you.”

There is no way that Thomas was misreading that, Alexander had to have been flirting. So Thomas had to as well, even though they were now exiting the building and getting to the parking lot. “Oh, you better not.”

Alexander grinned. “Thanks for showing me the way, Thomas.”

“Anytime, Alexander.”

Chapter Text

“Who the fuck is spending that kind of money?” Alexander blurted, forgetting that he wasn’t exactly in the privacy of a real room but instead was in a little cubicle. He was looking at ticket prices for upcoming games, hoping that maybe John could come since pretty much their entire friend group had to be there.

Peggy poked her head over the little cubicle half wall that separated their desks, likely unable to resist whatever Alexander was whining about. “What kind of money and on what?” She asked, brows raised curiously. 

Alexander shook his head, motioning to his computer screen disparagingly. “I was trying to see if there’s tickets that John might be able to get since the rest of us are always here anyway. Who is paying six hundred dollars for one ticket to a three hour game, that’s just absurd.”

“That’s not the highest they go for. It can get up to like tens of thousands of dollars for one ticket.” Peggy said, as if that was a normal fact that has been and will be true forever. “Anyway, are you ready to go over to the field?”

Alexander nodded, grabbing the camera from his desk that he’d already gotten ready. Kickoff wasn’t until one o’clock, but Alex and Peggy still had to get shots of the players warming up and the crowd that was filing in, especially since this was the home opener. The Giants were hosting the Washington Commanders, a team in their division, so it was a big game. They were projected to lose, which wasn’t great, but would make it more fun to post if they won. Especially because of Coach Washington, the puns were endless.

As Alexander and Peggy got closer to the stadium, the commotion of people trying to get there was both irritating and a little intimidating. Alex was admittedly a bit surprised by how many people even wanted to go to these games after the horrible seasons the Giants had been having year after year. Apparently he underestimated the loyalty and dedication of these fans. Thankfully, he and Peggy entered through a ‘secret,’ employee-only door in the bottom of the stadium where they could get their media vests and head directly to the field where the players were. They’d already posted pictures of the star players arriving at the stadium, which was apparently a thing that Alexander hadn’t been prepared for or learned about until Minnesota. It also apparently mattered what the players wore to the stadium, which he thought was really odd.

It was a different experience being on the game field. Practices were one thing, and he knew that this was the same 120 yards as every other football field, but it felt surreal to be in the stadium surrounded by people. Alexander didn't mind attention, but he couldn't help but add this to his new list of reasons he's glad he isn't an athlete. 

“Why don't you go start taking videos of them warming up, and you'll be on the field today.” Peggy said, handing Alexander the phone that was designated for quick posts to socials. 

“What? I thought I was supposed to stay up there.” He pointed vaguely to the stands, which he had stayed in during the game in Minnesota. 

Peggy shrugged. “You can take pictures and videos, can't you? All you gotta do is that, and send them to me to post.”

Alexander would ordinarily take any chance to get ahead, but this wasn't exactly what he was hoping for. There were a ton of reasons he didn't want to be directly on the sideline the entire game, but he knew Peggy wasn't going to listen to him.

“Alright.” He sighed, looking around. “Does it matter where I stand?” 

Peggy nodded. “Yeah, it does. For starters, don't go onto that side of the field since that's obviously where the other team is. We don't want to really post about the other team unless it's with a player that used to play here.” She thought for a moment and then waved a dismissive hand. “There's none today. And then don't get in the way of the players on the sidelines, they absolutely will not see you. And obviously don't go onto the field itself until the game is over.” 

Alexander looked around. “Okay..and does it matter who I record and take pictures of?”

“Well, during the game, focus on whoever is doing something important for the sake of winning.” Peggy said, which was so painfully obvious Alexander hoped she knew that isn’t what he meant. He was referring to right now, during warm-ups. “For right now, focus on whoever people like seeing. Oh, and definitely put some attention on Jefferson, since he’s starting again.”

Before Alexander could say literally anything else, Peggy was walking away, leaving him to navigate this new setting all on his own. In Minnesota, he hadn’t left the media box at all, not even to go to the bathroom. He’d been too afraid of getting lost in that unfamiliar stadium and asking an opposing fan for help. But Peggy had said to take pictures of who was important..and Thomas. Looking around, it was kind of difficult to find anybody in particular, until Alexander saw the big block numbers below Thomas’ last name on the back of his jersey.

“Told you we’d see each other more.” Alexander said as his way of getting Thomas’ attention. He was warming up with Madison, as the two always seemed to be around each other. It reminded Alex of himself and John, or Hercules and Lafayette. It was always nice to him to see that people had best friends, especially after he went so long without one.

Thomas turned around and looked at Alexander, smiling. “I’m still not ‘starting indefinitely.’ No compliments.” He said, turning to throw the ball back to Madison and waiting to catch the pass back before looking back at Alexander again.

Alexander rolled his eyes. “Bold of you to assume I was going to compliment you. Anyways, I have to take pictures and stuff so please try not to kill me or something. I’ve never done this before.”

“I’ll do my best.” Thomas said, his smile still evident in his voice as Alexander’s focus shifted to his job rather than trying to flirt with the new face of the Giants. 

Working as some kind of double agent, Thomas’ indisputable beauty actually made Alexander's job easier. At least, it did now since they weren't talking to each other. Even at the most random of angles, it was impossible to get a bad photo or video of Thomas. Eventually, though, he switched over to Madison (who was also very attractive, but also intimidating) and then to a running back that had done a lot last week. Without the banter from Jefferson, Alexander's mind swirled.

Even if Thomas seemed to be flirting back (unless Alexander seriously did not understand social cues anymore), there were a million reasons that it was a bad idea. Number one being that Alexander couldn’t be too sure, and wasn’t about to test his luck to find out. Number two of course was that Thomas was on the verge of becoming a household name, whether he was ready to acknowledge that or not. Alexander glanced at the sideline, where Adams stood fully padded up but not making any effort to warm up with his teammates. Yeah, their little banter could continue. Thomas wasn’t going to be benched anytime soon.

—

Come halftime, Alexander was really getting the hang of things. The Giants were winning by fourteen points, and the Commanders seemed genuinely shocked that they weren't dominating. Alexander assumed that it was fair, but isn't the whole point of being a professional to be prepared for situations like this?

He had thirteen minutes (what a random number) to spare, so going anywhere else in the stadium wasn't really an option. Thankfully, Peggy came down to check things out and see how everything was going.

“You're doing just fine. I told you there was nothing to worry about!” She said, handing him a little paper container of french fries. 

Alexander stuffed some in his mouth, nodding in agreement with her. “Yeah, but I had every right to worry. Imagine if I got completely unusable content or something!”

Peggy shrugged, motioning around. “There's like a hundred photographers here, and I'm not even exaggerating. If you mess up a few pictures, it's okay.” 

“Whatever,” Alexander said. He looked up at the scoreboard, which had several different screens. One was showing the game clock, and highlights that the television crews had caught. The next showed a game between a team that looked like a brighter Giants team, playing a team that seemed to be doing as poorly as the Commanders. At least they weren't alone in their embarrassment.

“I haven't seen the stadium this full at halftime before.” Peggy said thoughtfully. “Usually the fans get tired of watching these guys so they leave during the half. It's still full, though.”

Alexander nodded. “They're very loud. I can't even hear myself think, especially when anyone is remotely close to an end zone. I’m going to have a headache for the next week.” 

Peggy grinned. “Just in time to do it all again. Maybe invest in some earplugs.” She then checked the time herself and sighed. “I gotta get back up to the box. Keep doing what you're doing, and make sure you get to Jefferson after the game is over to give him the phone. He has to make a video to post after his interviews. Only if we win, though.” 

Alexander nodded, glancing back at the score. 24-10 was probably a completely do-able comeback, but he still doubted that the Commanders would do that with how they'd been playing. But he was no fan, so he could be completely wrong.

After about an hour and a half, Alexander was proven right. The Giants scored seven more points, going completely unanswered by the Commanders. Eventually, Adams came in as the backup to finish the game, kneeling the ball in the last seconds of the game to seal the Giant’s second victory of the regular season. 

Tons of people rushed onto the field, from players to camera crews and reporters. Alexander could see where Thomas was, because he was in the center of it all, shaking hands with the Commander's quarterback. It took a little while before he got away from his interviews, and Alexander had to awkwardly run after him. 

“Peggy said you have to record a video for the story,” he said, handing the phone over.

Thomas took it, hitting record and saying something about a great win and thank you to everyone who came out to support us today and see you next week. He then handed the phone back to Alexander, and was immediately whisked away to sign things from people in the crowd and take pictures.

Alexander found Peggy and the two of them took their equipment back to the office, leaving through the secret door they'd entered and walking because it was easier that way. 

“Did you get the video from Jefferson?” Peggy asked, staring down a car who definitely would have hit them if she didn't. 

“Yeah, I got it. I didn't post it yet because I didn't know if I was supposed to.” 

Peggy nodded. “Yeah, go ahead and post that on the story. We'll post some final graphics before we leave, and then maybe all of us can go get dinner at Angie's place?” 

Alexander frowned a little, but nodded. He was absolutely starving, but Angelica didn't like him very much. He'd dated Eliza, her sister, and things didn't end particularly well in some people's (Angelica’s) eyes. He and Eliza didn't talk much unless their entire friend group was hanging out, but he didn't think there were any hard feelings. Angelica didn't like him because she believed he led Eliza along, which could be a fair assessment if he had broken up with her for any other reason than realizing that he is in fact gay. 

“Are Herc and Laf going too?” He asked, cropping the video that Thomas had taken so that it only showed him and not the part where he handed the phone back to Alexander before posting it as they walked. 

“Yup, I think it'll be all of us. John texted and said he's not working late tonight, he got his schedule mixed up.” 

Alexander smiled. John would be fun to talk to, at least. As long as he didn't bring Burr. Alex (and everyone else) couldn't figure out how John and Burr possibly started dating, and Alexander kind of thought that maybe it was just a mutual benefit sort of thing. Not that he'd say that to anyone, he doesn't want to hurt John's feelings. But if Burr was there, Alex would just talk to Lafayette instead.

···

Alexander and Peggy rode together to DeVito’s, the restaurant that Angelica managed, since they had ridden together to work. They lived in the same neighborhood, basically on the same street, so it only made sense for them to carpool. The only problem was that New York never claimed to be a driveable city, even though technically they weren't in the city limits yet. The traffic was terrible at any hour of the day, especially after any event at the stadium.

What should have been a ten minute drive took about thirty, making their arrival time a stellar 5:43. It was alright, because they were all supposed to meet at 5:40 anyways, but they really should have gone about getting there in a different way.

“Oh, finally.” Hercules said as the two approached the table. Almost everyone else was already there, not including Burr, thank God. 

“How did you get here so fast?” Peggy asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the table from Hercules. “Didn't you have to organize the gear and everything?” 

Hercules shrugged. “Nah, I’ll do that tomorrow. It's easier when there's no players coming in left and right asking for a different color of gloves or new laces.” 

“None of my athletes needed extra attention tonight.” Lafayette chimed in. “Which was great, because I'm not sure how I'm going to account for Jefferson.” 

Alexander tilted his head, confused. “What do you mean? I thought you said his trainer was going to be that Clark guy.” He remembered Lafayette's disappointment when he found out, because he was technically supposed to be with whoever the starting quarterback was or something like that. Alex honestly didn't understand the weird system that was going on with the trainers. 

“He was, but for some reason they changed it so that he's with me now. But Adams won't switch, so instead of just telling him to, they decided to make it my problem.” Lafayette sighed, taking a sip of the water that was already in front of him. They all must've been there for a while already.

“And they didn't tell you why Jefferson's with you now?” Peggy asked, finding a napkin to tear into shreds. “Maybe he didn't like Clark. I wouldn't want someone I don't like in charge of touching me the way you guys do.” 

Lafayette looked at Peggy with what could only be described as revulsion. “Why would you say it like that? You make me sound dirty.” 

From his seat at the table, which was across from Alexander, John cleared his throat. “How about no more work talk? Not only is it..weirdly gross, but I was blessed with time today and I don't want to think about what tomorrow will bring.”

Alexander smiled at John with exaggerated sympathy, earning a stuck out tongue in response. So he decided to bring up something that John liked, as much as Alexander really didn’t. “How come Burr didn’t come with you? He doesn’t work today, does he?” Alexander could never have a job as boring as being an accountant or whatever the hell Burr did. Sure, numbers and money were fun, but he couldn’t possibly work in such a lonely environment.

“One of his clients is getting divorced, so he has to spend extra time making sure all of her numbers are correct for the sake of her case or something like that.” John shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t even know where he finds these people. I’m pretty sure he was unknowingly connected to the literal mob because of one of his clients. And he just doesn’t react to that at all.”

Hercules chuckled, shaking his head like this was just normal. “Honestly what else could you even expect from Burr at this point. Didn’t he almost get jumped the other night?”

As John nodded, Alexander looked at everyone at the table, and they all seemed to have heard this tale. “What? Why am I the only one that doesn’t know about this? This is unfair.”

John shook his head, sighing. “Because if we told you right after it happened, you would have bullied him about it. Which is super unfair because he was literally just trying to walk to his car.”

“He intentionally chose to walk through a dark alleyway to get to the parking lot, John. There were clearly other options, like maybe the well-lit sidewalk! Who would walk through a dark alley wearing work clothes anyway?” Lafayette said, shaking his head. He genuinely disliked Burr, which was shocking, because he was usually pretty nice to everyone. At least to their face.

John shook his head, because honestly how could he even try to come up with a good reason for Burr to be so dumb. Alexander once again found himself wondering how in the world those two were not only a couple, but they’d been together. For over a year. Thankfully, the conversation was able to move away from the topic of Burr and his lack of street smarts because Angelica and Eliza sat down in the last two spots at the table. Eliza smiled politely at Alex, and Angelica was already mid conversation with Peggy.

Alexander decided he’d just keep talking to John, even though their conversation very frequently got old. Not only did they always hangout, but they literally lived together, so it was kind of hard for there to be anything new to discuss. Now that there was, John had asked not to talk about the very subject.

“So…I know you asked for no more work talk..” Alexander started, testing the water to see if John would let him talk as long as he wasn’t weirdly gross like Peggy had been.

John sighed, but he was smiling as he spoke. “Yeah, go ahead and tell me about whatever you got on your mind. As long as it has nothing to do with massaging stinky men. How was the home opener?”

“It was honestly pretty great. Peggy made me stay on the field for the game, which I didn’t really want to do, but it wasn’t so bad. Except it is so hard to see what’s happening when you’re not above them, I genuinely don’t understand how half of the things happen even though it’s literally happening directly in my face.” Alexander explained, hoping he didn’t sound like a complete idiot. 

“Is Adams still a douchebag?” John asked, taking a sip of his drink. “Or are you not allowed to talk about how the players act?”

Alexander rolled his eyes. “I’m honestly surprised that guy hasn’t demanded a rule like that. But yeah, he still sucks ass. I think he's been especially pissy lately because he isn’t the one leading two impressive wins in a row. You should see the comments people keep leaving on the Instagram page.”

“Oh don’t worry. Geno likes to keep ESPN on the TVs at work literally all day, so all I’ve seen is stuff about the new Giants golden boy. Is he a douchebag too?”

Alex shook his head, maybe a bit too immediately, to say no. It wasn’t like he was jumping through hoops to defend Thomas’ honor, he was just..being honest. “No, he’s been pretty nice. Actually, he helped me when I got lost, which was probably good because Adams had just been a dick and I was seconds away from getting myself fired.”

John laughed at that, leaning his head on his hand with his elbow propped on the table. “I feel like it’d be doing everyone a favor if you chewed out Adams. I mean, the guy seriously needs to be humbled, right? Who better to do it than the social media guy who is like twenty years younger than him.”

Alexander grinned. “As much as I appreciate your very good point, I actually kinda like this job and I do not want to be unemployed again. Especially because it’s only been two weeks of the actual season. Maybe if they start to lose a ton I’ll change my mind.”

“Yeah, okay, as if you wouldn’t stay just to prove that you can still post funny things even if your team goes back to sucking super hard.” John said, rolling his eyes. “I’m glad you like it there, though. Definitely not your usual realm of journalistic..ness.”

“Yeah,” Alexander nodded. “Yeah, I really do like it there.”

Chapter Text

Working for a winning team was probably a lot more fun than a losing one, Alexander couldn't lie. Even if he hadn't originally wanted this job, and was fully prepared to do it for an awful team, he was honestly having a ton of fun. While some players (mostly Adams) were douchy and arrogant, some of them were just having a good time and loved to participate in silly pranks and stuff.

It was surprising to Alexander how much of his job actually consisted of studying TikTok trends. The audience of the team ranged from seven year old children to seventy year old adults, which actually made it difficult to come up with ideas that both ends of the spectrum would enjoy. Especially because most trends were just extremely random memes that someone would miss if they just stayed offline for a few hours.

The worst part of the job was definitely needing to keep his mouth shut. Apparently the NFL was actually filled with a bunch of sensitive losers, because some of the bullshit rules made Alexander want to scream. Not only that, but he couldn't talk back when people like Adams were shitty. It took such great effort not to dish it right back that sometimes Alexander would have to walk around the entire building to get it out of his system. It wasn't just him and Peggy that Adams was rude to, and Alex didn't understand how literally no one said a word. 

This was particularly bothersome as he pretended he couldn't hear the conversation between Adams and Thomas happening in the quarterback coach’s little classroom..thing. Alex was just trying to fill his water bottle at the station (this one was the best because it had the coldest water, and he was convinced it was because of bias towards the star players) and simply happened to overhear the discussion.

“So,” Adams said in that ever so cocky little voice of his. How anyone could have such a gross voice and still be so arrogant was beyond Alex. “How do you feel after your first two weeks of real football?”

“The same as I did two weeks ago.” Thomas replied. It sounded like something was shuffling about, and Alexander imagined him closing his folders and organizing his papers, something he'd seen happen many times.

“Easy opponents will do that to you.” Adams said, but he didn't have the same tone as before. “After Sunday, you might be in for a rude awakening, kid.”

There was a short pause, where Thomas was probably raising a brow. Okay, so maybe Alex focused on him a bit more than the other players when he was filming their practice.

“I don't like to consider any opponent ‘easy.’ Especially not Minnesota or Washington. Minnesota went fourteen and three, Washington went twelve and five.”

“And?” Adams scoffed. “That was last year. This is now. You won't get anywhere dwelling on the past, bud.”

Thomas sighed. “You went three and fourteen. So for both of those teams to lose to this roster, which is almost the exact same, is kind of amazing. I’m not saying that it was because of me, because that isn't how a team sport works. But I'm sure as hell not afraid.”

Again, Adams made a nasty noise of disagreement. “You're awfully confident for someone who's barely experienced the league. You're gonna beat Cleveland and get a big head, and then get exposed by Dallas. And then they'll call me back in to fix your mess, because I know what I'm doing.”

Now it was Thomas' turn to scoff. “Listen, I'm not trying to claim to be some kind of special case, but this is the same game we've all been playing our whole lives. Whether it's been fifteen years or..thirty five, for you? I’m just doing my job, as Washington has asked me to.” 

Damn. Calling Adams old and reminding him that no one wanted him to start…Thomas was definitely Alexander's favorite. Just because of that. Alexander had only known him for six weeks, after all.

“Yeah, whatever.” Adams grumbled. He then left the room and entered the hallway, leaving Alexander to quickly make himself look busy as Adams muttered under his breath. “What I get for trying to be nice, little fucker.” 

Soon after Adams disappeared, Thomas emerged into the hallway. He was holding a folder like the ones they give out in elementary school, except it had the Giants logo on the front. Alex worried briefly that Thomas would realize that he'd been eavesdropping, but when he noticed Alexander, Thomas smiled and walked right over to him. 

“I didn't know the media team was so close.” He said, leaning against the wall and making direct eye contact as he spoke. It always surprised Alexander when people did that, even though it shouldn't. It made him have a difficult time looking away, which he only did for a second.

“Well, we're down the hall a ways. I came over here for the water. I think they're giving you the best and leaving the lukewarm stuff to everyone else.” Alex joked, awkwardly holding up his water bottle like he needed proof.

Thomas only chuckled, apparently not caring that Alex had evidence to present of his reasoning for being there. “Maybe someone demanded that. I haven’t used one of those refill stations yet. I’m so used to avoiding the ones from school that I just ignore their existence.”

Alex tilted his head slightly, an unintentional display of curiosity. “Why did you avoid the ones at school? Shouldn’t you have been like, hyper focused on staying hydrated or something?” He asked teasingly.

Thomas made a face, with his brows raised and his nose crinkled in disgust. “The things people throw in those things made me want to vomit. I mean, gum, bandaids, you name it. Absolutely disgusting, I would rather be thirsty than drink water from those things.”

“Don’t you guys like..lick your fingers during games and stuff? I’m pretty sure the stuff you do during games is significantly more gross than the garbage people leave in water refill stations.” Alex said, raising a brow right back at Thomas.

“Absolutely not, I do not do that. Some guys do, but not me.” Thomas looked so disgusted that Alex couldn’t help but laugh at him. Thomas huffed, swatting the air in front of him and standing upright. “Don’t laugh at me, meanie. I gotta go now, but I’m sure I’ll see you and Peggy after practice.”

Alexander nodded. “You most likely will. As long as we come up with something good enough to make fun of you with.”

Thomas rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he walked backwards, still looking at Alexander. “See you later, Alexander.” He then turned and disappeared down another hallway, surely heading towards the locker room to get ready for practice.

Alexander stood there for a moment, just staring at the corner Thomas disappeared behind, before he turned around and went the opposite direction to the media offices. When he opened the door and put his water bottle down, he sighed dramatically because holy shit he needed to get it together. 

Peggy must've heard him, because she appeared over the half wall in about a millisecond. Surely she was going to ask why Alex was so…whatever this was, which was very bad because Peggy would blow it way out of proportion. Alexander braced himself for whatever she was about to say, trying to think up something quickly to avoid this.

“You're coming on Saturday, right?” She asked, which clearly had absolutely nothing to do with Alexander’s concerns. Saturday was Peggy’s birthday, which probably meant that it was all she was thinking about. Of course she wouldn’t catch on to Alexander’s developing infatuation with Thomas.

“Of course I am, what kind of super amazing and wonderful friend would I be if I missed the Peggy Schuyler’s birthday party?” He teased, crossing his arms on his desk and looking up at her as he spoke. 

Peggy rolled her eyes, glancing down at Alexander’s water bottle. “What took you so long, by the way? You left like twenty minutes ago and only filled up your water.”

Alex sighed dramatically, shaking his head slowly with faux sadness. “I got lost again,” he lied. “I accidentally turned down the wrong hallway and had a hard time finding my way back. This place is like some kind of gym bro labyrinth.”

Peggy laughed, shaking her head in the same way as he just had. “We need to put up signs for you so that you stop getting lost. Big neon ones with giant arrows.”

“Yeah, let’s get on that.” Alex said, smiling until Peggy returned to her side of the half wall. He then put his head on his arms, trying to think his way through whatever the hell was happening in his head.

—

Come Saturday, Alexander was honestly pretty excited for Peggy’s birthday party. Hanging out with all of his friends together was probably his favorite thing in the world, even if sometimes it got awkward with certain people not particularly loving others. Growing up, Alex never really had that sort of connection with people, and when he finally made it to college, it was like everything changed. The first friend he made was Burr, who was not really the kind of person Alex would choose now even if he still appreciated their history. Soon after came John, Hercules, and Lafayette. Eventually he met and dated Eliza, but only until he knew that he really couldn’t connect romantically with a woman.

Despite the breakup being..mostly civil, Angelica developed a bit of a grudge against Alexander because she felt that he shouldn’t have dated Eliza at all, or something. Peggy on the other hand stayed a good friend, and Alex honestly considered her to be one of his best friends ever. So of course he helped set up her birthday party, despite it being a little awkward with just him and the Schuyler sisters there.

“Alex, can you help me do the streamers?” Eliza asked, approaching him with an armful of wound up streamers of all different colors. Usually whenever they’d decorate for someone’s birthday, the decorations would be that person’s favorite color. But with Peggy, going bigger was always better.

“Sure, no problem.” Alex replied, carefully taking some of the spools and following Eliza to where she wanted them to be set up. Neither of them said anything for a while, and the silence was extremely awkward. The two of them hadn’t been alone in a room together in ages, and it was painfully evident.

After what felt like forever, but was likely to be only five minutes or so of silence, Eliza looked at Alexander as she taped a yellow streamer to the wall. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you about your new job. I never took you to be the sporty type.” She smiled a bit teasingly. “Is it going well there? Peggy mentioned that you get lost a lot.”

Alexander sighed, smiling with a mix of embarrassment and relief that there was finally conversation. Even if it was somewhat based on a lie he told Peggy, and would probably use again if he ever got caught up talking with Thomas again. Hopefully. “You know, I really like it there so far. I mean, it definitely wouldn’t be my first choice and if I had the option to go somewhere else, I probably would. But I can’t lie, I am glad that Lafayette convinced me to apply.”

“What’s it like there? I mean, I don’t really follow football because it was really painful to watch for a while, but from what Peggy says it sounds like you guys have a pretty cool job.” Eliza said, always completely polite. Compared to Eliza, and plenty of other people, Alex and Peggy’s job was an easy blessing. 

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. The players are…interesting though. I mean, they’re about as mature as you can expect them to be and..their egos are somehow bigger than they are.” Alex sighed, thinking about all of the interactions with Adams alone that made him hate most of the players.

Eliza smiled softly. “Peggy has talked about that too. They're always so nice when they come to the school for Christmas, it's a shame that it must just be an act.”

“They go to your school?” He asked. “Why do they do that?” 

“They donate gifts for the kids who normally wouldn't have a Christmas without them. Sometimes they also do little field days and stuff to make sure kids stay involved, that sort of thing. The Giants come to my school, and I think the Jets go to another one.”

“At least there's some redeeming qualities there.” Alex joked, though it really didn't change his opinion on any of them. He'd met his fair share of performative charity workers when he was a kid.

He and Eliza finished setting up the streamers, and then discovered that Angelica had already done basically everything else. There was no surprise there, it was the case with pretty much everything that involved a group. A little while later, guests started to arrive, and Alex naturally drifted over to John…and Burr.

Burr was awkwardly holding the gift, wrapped so neatly it was obvious that he had wrapped it instead of John. “Hey Alex,” he greeted, smiling pleasantly. Alexander honestly couldn't place what happened to make him realize he didn't like Aaron Burr, but it was definitely there.

“Hey Burr. The gift table is in the dining room, by the way.” He said, giving a little polite wave just to be nice or whatever. But instead of going to put the gift down, Burr nodded and stayed right there.

John smiled, apparently unaware that Alex had been trying to send his boyfriend off so they could chat. “Looks nice in here, must be Angelica and Eliza didn't let you help?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Come sit down, it's weird just standing in the doorway.” He turned and headed towards the living room, hearing John tell Burr to go put the gift with the others before he followed.

“So,” John said, his voice low. They were the only two in the room, but it was impossible to guess when someone else might come in. “Was it super awkward helping set up?”

Alexander shrugged. “Yeah, kinda. Angelica barely acknowledged me more than she needed to, but Eliza and I talked.”

John raised his brows. “You talked? Like..talked about the elephant that's been crushing all of us in every room you're in together?”

“No, not that. She asked me about my new job, that's pretty much it. Just enough conversation to get through hanging the streamers together without it being in total awkward silence.”

John sighed, shaking his head. “Ugh, come on, you guys seriously gotta talk about that shit! If you just talk through it, it won't be so awkward anymore.”

“You know I have no idea how to start those conversations, John. What am I supposed to even say? ‘Oh sorry that you thought we were gonna be together forever, I also did for a minute, and then I realized that I actually exclusively like men and broke up with you in a kinda shitty way.’ I don't think that's really a great conversation starter.”

“Okay, sure, but you could probably phrase it better than that. I don't know, ask Laf for help, he always knows what to say.”

“Ask me for help with what?” Lafayette said as he and Hercules came into the room. They sat on the other couch, which was set up perpendicular to the one John and Alex were on. 

“I told Alex he needs to talk with you know who about you know what.” John said, his voice still low because anyone in the house could piece it together, especially Eliza. 

Lafayette nodded in understanding immediately. “I agree. We all do, really. We love you both dearly, so we would like to stop walking on glass around you, or whatever that saying is.”

Alexander sighed, leaning back into the cushion behind him. “I will eventually, okay? I don't think now is a good time anyways. Let's just celebrate Peggy like we're here to do, and move on until you guys bring it up again.” 

Thankfully, his friends were forced to agree, because a moment later the Schuyler sisters entered the room with Burr just behind them. There were some people that Alex didn't know very well, other than that they were friends with Peggy and her sisters. That left Peggy preoccupied, and as Alex looked around the party, he realized that he really didn't have his own ‘duo’ anymore. Of course he had John, but when Burr was around, it felt like Alexander was third wheeling and he could never stop thinking about the fact that John and Burr like..slept together. Lafayette and Hercules were way closer than Alex was with either of them, even if he often confided in Lafayette when he needed an honest and unbiased answer. For obvious reasons, he couldn't hang out with Angelica and Eliza, so he was all alone.

Man, he really needed a boyfriend or something.

—

Thomas was out of the game the next day by the end of the third quarter. 

Alexander was worried for a moment that he was hurt, but then he realized that there was no reason to keep a key starter in the game when they were up by…46 points. Yeah, it probably wouldn't be too much of an issue if Thomas didn't play for fifteen minutes and let Adams take over. 

It was increasingly evident to probably everyone watching that the Giants as a team respected Thomas more than they did Adams. Granted, this was mostly second string players, but one would think the hype of such a massive win would have them motivated to prove themselves. Instead, none of them put forth any more effort than they needed to, and the offensive line clearly did not try too hard to protect Adams. Especially not like they protected Thomas.

Watching the Browns gradually lose their own momentum and motivation, and the second string trying not to make fools of themselves when they were already down, made Alexander feel oddly sad. He had never been the most empathetic person, but something about knowing that these guys were being embarrassed in front of millions of people just broke his heart. Thankfully he was difficult to embarrass, he'd had plenty of humiliating moments for himself.

The final score of the game ended up being 52 to a whopping 6. Neither team scored once the backups came in, making the final quarter somehow even sadder to watch. Alexander quickly sent the remaining pictures he'd taken to Peggy for her to decide which ones to use for post game posts, then he got the phone ready to chase Thomas down with again. He watched as Thomas found the other team's starting quarterback, as he did the last few games, taking his hand and giving him a hug even though they'd never met before. They whispered to one another, and then the television crews started their bit.

Having learned from the prior week, Alexander moved a bit closer to the crowd so that he could hear what the on-field reporter was asking. Next to Thomas, she looked about as tall as a third grader did standing next to Alexander, and she had to yell a little for Thomas to hear her. 

“Now, it's week three and you just led the Giants to an absolute blowout win. How does it feel to make such a huge first impression in your professional debut?” 

Alexander watched Thomas as he thought carefully about his answer. It happened every time any media personnel spoke to him—the gears turned and produced a carefully constructed answer that was least likely to cause him any kind of trouble at all. Alex couldn't help but wonder how that came to be, especially for a twenty-two year old who graduated college four months ago. Maybe he had a really good manager?

“Honestly, it's kind of a relief. I am so fortunate that I've been given the opportunity to start every game so far, and I just have to hope that I'm doing right by my team, my coaches, and all of the team's fans.” Thomas replied, smiling as he finished speaking.

Alexander noticed every part of his answer. He made sure to say words like ‘fortunate’ and “opportunity.’ He mentioned everyone but himself, and didn't even say that the fans were his fans. Why would someone like him already be so media trained? Alexander had heard horror stories of guys in Thomas’ exact place making absolute asses of themselves on national TV, but suddenly this guy knows what to say? It was curious to him, that's all.

The reporter seemed pleased with his answer, turning to motion to the large crowd that was still there, cheering happily at the huge 180 their favorite team has done. “It definitely seems like the fans think you've done right by them.” She then looked back up at him, asking another question. 

“What has the adjustment period been like for you? From staying in Virginia your whole life to this being your life, has it been difficult?”

Thomas took a deep breath, answering quicker this time. “In some ways yes, in some ways no. I mean, I've traveled and been on my own before, so I'm not too upset about not being home. And of course, I have James, and he's my best friend. But I definitely need to get used to this kind of city, it's a bit different from the backroads I grew up on.” 

Alexander thought back to what he'd realized at Peggy's birthday party. Everyone really did have a duo, technically including him, but his was often preoccupied with his boyfriend. Even Thomas miraculously ended up in the same place as his best friend, even though there were thirty two teams he could've ended up playing for. 

The reporter laughed politely, since Thomas may have been making a joke, and followed up with a bit of a leading question. “Has the Giants organization made it an easier adjustment too?” Brave question. The Giants owner and general manager were both…not many people's favorites, from what Alexander has gathered.

The gears turned some more before Thomas answered the question. “Of course they have. I mean, everyone here has been fantastic, from Coach Washington to the media team. They're all pretty great.” 

The reporter nodded, apparently satisfied with the questions she had asked. “Well, let's hope things continue to go up for you, TJ. You're doing great so far, we love to watch you.”

Thomas smiled and gave a little nod. “Thanks darlin’. Go Giants.” The crowd then dispersed, finally allowing Alexander to give him the phone to record a video. This time, Thomas seemed to be in less of a rush to get back to the locker room.

“I am just..flattered, by the way. ‘From Washington to the media team, they're all great.” Alex teased, handing Thomas the phone. 

Thomas rolled his eyes, looking at the phone. “Shouldn't you have Adams do this? I mean, he is the one who closed out the game.” He said, his tone sounding just as teasing as Alexander's when he added, “I know how much you love talking to him.”

Alexander scrunched up his nose, smiling up at Thomas. “Oh shush and make the video so I can post it, please.”

“You're contradicting yourself, do I stay quiet or do I make the video? You're killing me here, Alexander.” 

Something about Thomas saying his full name instead of calling him Alex, even after several weeks of knowing each other, felt weirdly nice. Maybe Alexander was just glorifying literally everything that Thomas did because he was probably the hottest person he'd seen in ages. Or ever. 

“Please record the video and then shush, Thomas.” He answered, putting his hands on his hips as a show of exaggerated impatience. 

Thomas grinned at him, apparently feeling pleased with himself, and held up the phone to record. “Hey everyone, thank you all so much for showing us all this support. Great win, let's do it again next week. Go Giants.” He then hit the stop button and handed the phone back to Alexander, raising his brows at him.

“Thank you, now was that so hard?” Alex said, making sure the video didn't need to be edited at all before he posted it to the Instagram story. When he didn't hear some sarcastic quip from Thomas, he assumed that someone had dragged him away, but when he looked up he was still there. It was actually a funny sight, Thomas stood there in full gear, tapping his foot as he apparently waited for permission to speak.

“Yeah, yeah, say whatever you gotta say.” Alex said, turning to walk towards the tunnel that led to the locker room so that he could try and catch up with Peggy, who was there to record Washington’s post game speech. Which..wait a second. “Why aren't you already in the locker room?”

Thomas, who was walking beside Alexander, shrugged. “Washington wants Adams to talk to the team today, since I sat for a while. Just for a little pep talk to the guys who don't usually start, which is ironic if you ask me.”

“Ironic why?” Alexander asked, shivering slightly at the sound of Thomas' cleats on the pads that had been laid out so that the players didn't slip or ruin the floor. 

“I’ll tell you another time.” Thomas said, staring ahead at the locker room door. Must be whatever he had to say was too insulting to risk someone overhearing.

He opened the door to the locker room, where all the players stood together around Adams giving his little speech, Peggy recording. She didn't notice him, so he absentmindedly continued to follow Thomas to his locker. Alexander didn't really try to listen to what Adams was saying, mostly out of spite because he couldn't stand the guy, but also because post game locker room speeches sounded just like a scene from the Disney channel to him. It'd be hard not to laugh if he did listen. 

Instead, he lifted the camera that was still hanging from the strap around his neck and took some pictures of Adams with everyone listening to him. It'd probably be good to keep something of him, both in case Thomas somehow ended up falling off and started losing, and because the Giants seemed to be trying to paint some narrative that technically Adams could take over at any point despite Thomas being named starter indefinitely. Basically he needed as much content as he could get out of the arrogant bastard.

When the speech was over, Alex checked some of the pictures before looking back up, remembering where he was. Beside him, Thomas was looking at him with amusement all over his face, a brow quirked high and everything. Alexander also noticed immediately that Thomas had removed his pads and jersey, leaving him half naked. The other guys were too, but they were not who Alexander wished he could look at for longer.

“Pretty sure this is where you're supposed to leave. I'm no expert on camera crews, though.” Thomas said, smiling softly. 

Alexander nodded, laughing awkwardly. “Yeah, uh, see you tomorrow.”

Thomas' smile brightened, and he nodded, but he didn't say anything as he turned back to his locker. Alexander hurried out of there, the smell of giant sweaty men greatly outweighing literally anything else, and went across the street to his makeshift ‘office’ in the training center.

Instinctively, he opened Instagram on his personal phone to see how the page looked from a viewer’s perspective. They'd gained some followers, but nothing major. Then he opened TikTok to do the same, and was confused when he saw that a few of their most recent videos had significantly more views than usual.

The first one was Thomas' post game interview. There was nothing remarkable about it, at least not that Alexander noticed, until he opened the comments.

jennysayshuh: if thomas jefferson called me darling my knees would buckle 

purrple_rain: that reporter is lucky as hell 

thomasjeffersonsgf: thomas dear it's time to come home!!!

shuflyshu: get me a man that looks and sounds like thomas jefferson and get me thomas jefferson

daniela371938: i need him so bad

carmensabeach: hey thomas..i am a ref..i will blow your whistle 

Alexander couldn't imagine attaching his name to those comments publicly, even if he did find them funny and even if they did kind of seem to be hitting close to home. There were so many of them, too. What did it feel like to have people publicly thirst over you? He then went to the next one, which was the video Thomas had filmed for the Instagram story. Peggy must've posted it everywhere else when Alex and Thomas were still walking and talking. The comments were just as absurd, but for a different reason.

hannahbanana: i envy whoever he is looking at. WHY CAN'T IT BE ME

user02947294738: umm does the person behind the camera know how lucky they are rn.

melaniesmith: whoooo is this man looking at with those eyes and why the hell isn't it me

justin_fb17: i am a straight man but i would do anything jefferson told me to

Alexander's heart was either in his throat or in his ass, he couldn't really tell. What the hell did these comments mean? Thomas would have only been looking at him, there was no one else very close to them. Alexander had watched the video himself, he'd literally watched Thomas record it. Those comments must have been reading too far into something, like anyone would do with a parasocial celebrity crush. Right?

Chapter Text

By the final week of September, Alexander was honestly feeling pretty accustomed to his job as a social media manager for a professional sports team. Until he learned that the Giants had a game in Dallas on a random Thursday and that meant that he had to be ready to leave for Texas on Wednesday. Flying to away games was still strange for Alex, in all honesty. Even though it was short lived, he got to see so many new cities and got paid to do it. Today was Tuesday, so he honestly did not have all that much time to get his mind together, but he didn’t care too much. Alexander had always worked well under pressure.

At least, this is what he was telling himself as he headed back to the media personnel room after he’d had to run to Peggy’s car to get his laptop. For some reason, his mind was particularly frazzled today, and he honestly had no idea why. Everything was completely normal from the start of the day to now. 

He and Peggy had ridden into work together, like they always did, and immediately set up their equipment for getting content as the players arrived at the facility. They had been completely off on Monday following their blowout win against Cleveland, and Alexander had barely seen any players there on their own free will. That meant that today, he and Peggy needed to get a little bit extra. They started out with a trend that other teams were doing where they asked each player to give a message to whoever came in after them. It made Alexander kind of…not necessarily disappointed, but sad about how dumb some of them sounded.

There were a lot of “let’s keep winning” or just “good morning.” Adams had ignored them completely, despite having the camera pointed right at him. Alexander wanted to make a compilation of all the times Adams acted like a piece of shit, which he would then post when Adams finally retired. Unfortunately, Alex actually kind of liked this job and wouldn’t like to have the NFL on his bad side in case he left it.

Anyways, it only really got fun when these two players Patrick Henry and John Marshall came in. Henry was first, but he seemed to know that Marshall was behind him because he told Alex and Peggy to tell Marshall that he loved him but he needs to wash his feet. Marshall stared at them for enough time for Alex to feel a bit intimidated before he said that Henry is an idiot and proceeded on his way. 

After editing that and posting it, Alexander realized that he had forgotten his laptop in the car and went out to get it. Then he may have gotten a little confused when trying to find his way back to the media room, but it isn’t like that was anything new. It definitely wouldn’t cause him to be so all over the place. So what was it?

As Alexander walked into the media room, he immediately noted that the vibe in there did not help. Everything was weirdly stiff, or maybe that wasn't the right word. But what Alexander was sure of was everyone staring at him as he walked past them. Did his outfit look dumb? Was he already fired or something? Surely Peggy would have come to warn him if that was the case. 

The walk to his cubicle felt like it was a mile long with all these stares. Eventually Alexander decided to gawk right back, because what the hell? Didn't these people ever learn that it was rude to stare? But then he made it to his desk, and the stares kind of did make sense.

“Oh—are you lost? I thought that was my thing.” Alexander said, surprised to find Thomas Jefferson sitting in his chair, frowning slightly at the desk. Unfortunately, Alexander's heart was absolutely pounding now, because the people staring made him nervous and honestly so did Thomas. 

Thomas turned to Alexander, looking stunningly calm. Not like he was somewhere he shouldn't be, not like he could have upset Alexander by intruding. “Your desk is super bland. Don't you get bored looking at nothing all day?”

Alexander rolled his eyes, putting his laptop down on the desk in front of Thomas. “I would if I wasn't looking at work all day. That'd be like asking why your locker isn't decorated.”

“Nah, that's not the same at all.” Thomas said, smiling at Alexander all..calm. Why couldn't Alex just get past the calm thing? “You look like you've seen a ghost, by the way.”

“Well it isn't everyday that a random player comes to sit at my desk. Don't you have to practice or something?” Alexander leaned against the little wall, barely applying any pressure because he honestly didn't trust it.

Thomas sighed. “I have to wait for my turn with Lafayette, since–” He stopped talking kind of abruptly, apparently aware of the fact that everyone around them was probably listening. He then reached forward and grabbed a sticky note from Alex’s dispenser and a pen, scribbling something as he spoke. 

“Anyways, I don't want to sit in the locker room because there's a camera crew in there talking to some guys for a show, and I'm trying to avoid that at all costs. Until I no longer can, at least.” Thomas said, holding up the sticky note to show Alexander what he’d apparently drawn rather than written. It was a messy little cartoon type drawing of a man who was probably Adams, crying.

Alexander couldn’t help but laugh a little, because if anyone knew who that was, it would be really insulting. Especially if Adams ever came up here for any reason, specifically found the note, and put together that it was him. Honestly, that kind of sounded like a fantastic possibility.

Alexander took the little square from Thomas and stuck it on the wall that he faced while sitting at his desk. “There, now you don’t have to complain about me looking at nothing. I get to have some…beautiful art to appreciate.” He then leaned against the desk, facing Thomas. “I heard about how Lafayette has both of you guys now. You don’t get to go first automatically?”

Thomas sighed and shook his head. “Nope. Apparently he feels like he got hurt somehow on Sunday. I’m not quite sure how that would have happened, or why it hasn’t been brought up until today, but it’s whatever.” He leaned back a bit, which pushed his legs a little closer to Alexander’s given how long they were.

“...You know Lafayette?” Thomas asked after a brief moment of quiet. “You just got connections all over the league, huh?” His tone was teasing, and by the smile on his face, Alexander knew he really was only kidding.

So of course, he rolled his eyes once again in response. “Yeah, I know him. He’s one of my best friends, actually. I’ve known him for a while now. Same thing with Hercules, the equipment guy? I don’t know how much you guys really interact with him.”

Thomas nodded enthusiastically, apparently knowing exactly who Alexander was referring to. “Yeah, I had to go to him to tell him what size I need for literally everything. He seems pretty cool. How did you and all your friends end up working in the same place?”

Alexander shrugged. “Well, Laf wanted to work here for the longest time. Apparently he thinks it’s cooler than being a trainer for any French sports team. Hercules stumbled upon the job, I’m pretty sure he actually wants to be a tailor. And Peggy just randomly told us one day that she works for the Giants.”

“And what about you? How did you end up working here too?”

“Well, I needed a job, and I wanted something journalistic. But the news is basically entertainment now, and you can’t exactly live very easily around here if you’re unemployed, so Lafayette convinced me to apply and by some miracle I was hired. Not a lot like your process, I’m guessing.” It was meant to be a joke, but Alex was immediately worried that it would come across as an insult instead. Being drafted seemed like it was basically getting handed a job, at least from Alex’s point of view.

Thankfully, Thomas broke out into an amused smile. “No, not really. I had to go to the combine, do interviews with different teams there, then wait until April when the Giants decided to pick me up. A lot of people did not like that, but here I am.”

Alexander tilted his head. “What do you mean a lot of people didn’t like it?” He asked. “I thought you were picked like, really early on.” 

Thomas nodded. “I was. It doesn’t matter now, I’m here aren’t I?” He seemed to start saying something else, but his phone started buzzing from his pocket. He sat up and pulled it out, and even though it was upside down to Alexander, he could see that the person calling was James Madison. “Ah, shit. Must be it’s my turn with Lafayette. I’ll see you later, Alexander.”

He then left, answering the call as he walked away, seeming not to even notice the people staring at him as he walked through. When Alexander turned back around, Peggy had popped up over the cubicle wall with a mischievous expression.

“I didn’t know you two were friends. Tell me everything.”

—

The following day was travel day, and Alexander felt weirdly excited. Before now, he had never felt anything even close to a desire to visit Texas, but now he was pretty stoked about seeing how different Dallas was from New York. As per usual, he and Peggy had to arrive a little bit earlier than the players so that they were ready to take their pictures for the Instagram and Facebook pages. It still made no sense to Alexander why it ever mattered to anyone what these guys were wearing on an airplane, since they literally always wore comfortable clothes usually with the team logo on it. But Peggy told him it was just something they did, so he was going to keep doing it.

A lot of the players seemed pretty excited about this game. The Dallas Cowboys were just about everyone’s least favorite football team despite them claiming to be “America’s team” and this was especially true for divisional rivals. It was still early in the season, but many people’s predictions for the Giants had changed once Thomas took the reins, and they were projected to win this game with ease. This was vastly different from last year, apparently, when both the Giants and the Cowboys sucked so bad that no one bothered to watch their games.

After getting some shots of the players boarding the Giants’ plane, Alexander and Peggy boarded with everyone else and sat in their usual seats. This part of traveling with the team continued to feel absolutely surreal and made little sense to Alexander, but he was just going to pretend like it felt completely right to him. For some reason, he had assumed that the non-player personnel would travel separately from the team, but it was all very strict to make sure everyone was on time. Police escort to the airport, a plane only with the Giants team and staff on it.

The flight itself was about four hours long, so during that time Alexander planned what kind of content they’d film for socials the following week and tried to find out if any notable players that were previously on the Giants were now on the Cowboys and vice versa. That didn’t seem to be the case, which was good because then Alexander wouldn’t have to pretend to know who the guy was. It always made him feel like a soccer mom when he made the players get together for pictures, it would be even worse if he didn’t even know who one of them was.

When that didn’t take enough time out of the flight, Alexander resorted to reading the book that he’d brought along to read while in the hotel since there was often nothing else to do. The rules for the team once they reached away cities were kind of ridiculous, in his opinion. They were just as strict with the grown players than as Alexander’s teachers had been with his class on school trips, and that wasn’t even an exaggeration. The players had a strict curfew, weren’t allowed to see their families or friends (especially not in the hotel), and more rules that Alex didn’t take the time to listen to.

The plane landed kind of late at night, meaning there was little time to get a proper dinner if anyone didn’t want to eat at the hotel. Alexander wasn’t quite sure if the players were necessarily allowed to eat anywhere else, since they usually had such strict meal plans before games. But by the time Alexander made it to his hotel room, he honestly didn’t even want to eat dinner, instead opting to take a shower and go straight to bed. Something about being on a plane for a while made him feel significantly more tired than he ordinarily would be, and he had to be up early the following morning.

···

The following morning, Alexander’s alarm went off at 6:30, which was simply wonderful. He had two options—go back to sleep and wait for his later alarm or head down to breakfast before all the giant players hogged it all. Having not eaten anything for dinner last night left Alex’s stomach growling as soon as he thought about food, so it felt like his only choice was to go eat.

Reaching over to turn the lamp on reminded him that hotel beds were significantly larger than his at home. He sighed, scooting closer to the edge before clicking on the lamp so he could get dressed without blinding himself with the overhead light. Yawning, he reluctantly got out from under the covers, feeling assaulted by the cold air surrounding him. Texas heat was apparently a different beast, because his phone already read that the temperature outside was in the seventies and the air conditioner was on full blast.

There were also a few texts from John, which reminded Alexander that he'd told him he'd text when he was settled in his room. He quickly sent a little apology text, promising that he was okay and wasn't kidnapped by a random Texan before finally heading to his bag to throw some clothes on. The only outfit he'd packed for today was a pair of jeans, a Giants t-shirt, and a Giants hoodie in case he somehow got cold. With the air conditioning on, he'd be comfortable with the hoodie, so he put that on before finally heading to the elevators.

The only other person in the elevator was some man in a suit. As far as Alexander knew, he wasn't with the team, and was probably staying on a different floor. Probably a business man if he was up this early wearing a suit.

“Are you in town for the game?” The man asked. His voice was surprisingly deep, and he didn't sound like Alexander imagined someone from Texas would. 

Alexander couldn't exactly say that no, he wasn't, because he was covered in team gear. So he just nodded. “Yeah, I am.” He didn't really know how to talk about ‘the game’ like men tended to, because he'd always been more focused on the political state of the world or literally anything else that was more important. 

“What do you think about these Giants so far? Completely different this year, huh?” The man continued, apparently pleased at the thought of coming across another fan. Little did he know.

“I think it's pretty great, to be honest. I hope they keep this momentum up, you know, it makes it way easier to..watch.” For some reason, Alex decided that he wasn't going to reveal to this man that he worked for the team, so he didn't say that it was easier to do his job with them winning.

The man nodded in agreement, which was kind of a relief. “I’m really a fan of this new offense. I didn't even realize what Madison could do until they started actually giving him the ball, it's fantastic!”

Thankfully, the elevator made it to the lobby before Alexander had to answer. He nodded, though, to be polite, and headed towards the little dining area to finally get some food. He pulled his credentials out of his pocket in order to get into the private room, because obviously they weren't about to have an entire team of NFL players out in the open, and walked in assuming that he'd be the only one in there.

Apparently, he was wrong, because there was one other person in the room that already had some food: Thomas. Suddenly, Alexander felt a little unsure of himself, and pretended that he didn't even notice he wasn't alone. He just got a simple breakfast, eggs and toast, before sitting on his own on the opposite side of the room from Thomas.

He wasn't sure if Thomas had noticed him, but he was assuming not. Alexander watched him for a second, trying his best to be subtle, and realized that Thomas seemed to be absolutely engrossed in a book. A little while later, Madison came in, got some food, and sat right next to Thomas. Alexander watched as the two spoke, even though he couldn't hear what they were saying and didn't care to eavesdrop. It was just nice to see two friends enjoying each other's company, especially because Peggy was probably still sleeping or getting ready depending on the time.

At one point, Thomas must've felt Alexander looking, because he suddenly turned and looked right back at him. Feeling embarrassed, Alex immediately glanced away, but not before seeing Thomas offer a kind smile.

—

The game didn't start until 8:30, or 7:30 in Dallas. Everything was scheduled based on the eastern time zone, which would make Alexander annoyed if it wasn't the one he lived in normally. Anyways, that meant that he and Peggy had to head to AT&T Stadium in the afternoon to get some pictures of the lockers all set up and then clips of the team arriving. 

Alexander already knew that he didn't really like this stadium. Something about it just didn't feel like he was here to watch his team win and then get paid to boast about it online. Maybe it was the fact that the Cowboys usually lost both at home and at away games. The stadium just emitted the stench of failure.

Anyways, the first thing he did was go into the visitor's locker room and take some pictures of players who might do great things during the game. Thomas and Madison's lockers were almost always included, and today he added a tight end because of something Peggy told him that Coach Washington said. Honestly, he didn't know, and was just doing what he was told.

Then, he went out into the tunnel to get pictures of the guys coming in while Peggy took some videos in case any of them were wearing crazy outfits. Alexander had seen another team’s player dress as a character from the Muppets when visiting another team, which was apparently an insult to that team’s quarterback. Alexander decided that whoever that guy was just had to be his favorite player. Other than his team, of course.

Unfortunately, none of the Giants were wearing anything remotely interesting. Once again, most of them were wearing sweats and stuff, though for some reason some of them had suits on. Alexander wondered why there wasn't a dress code, since the league was apparently very strict about what color tights the guys wore. That still made him laugh. 

After that, he and Peggy went up to the press box to set up their equipment. Alexander was becoming suspicious of Peggy, who had barely said a word other than instructions the entire day so far.

“What's up, Pegs? You're weirdly quiet and it's stressing me out.” He said, opening his laptop and putting in the SD card from his camera. 

Peggy shrugged. “I’m trying not to tease you about that thing from work in front of ears that could misunderstand what I'm talking about.”

Alexander rolled his eyes. “Yup, I should have known there was a reason for the uncharacteristic silence.” Ever since Thomas had appeared in Alexander's desk chair, Peggy had been teasing him relentlessly. Thankfully she only thought it was hilarious that Alex befriended a player after being so against working for a sports team, but it was still embarrassing. Especially because Alexander thought that Thomas was way too beautiful to only be his friend, but for once he had no idea how the hell he was supposed to get someone. 

“I just think it's great that you have a new bestie. I’ll never forget how weird it was when I went to talk to you, only to encounter the newest rising star of the NFL instead.” Peggy said with a grin. “If you were a random teenage girl online, you'd probably have died.”

Alexander shook his head, laughing. “The comments those kids leave on anything to do with Thomas is kind of crazy. I think I'd go into hiding if people said those things about me online, to be honest.”

Peggy laughed, motioning for him to follow her back down to the field for warmups. “I know! Especially kids. I guess he might be used to it, I don't know. There's people who think that there's a particularly…scandalous song that was written about him. I have no idea, though, maybe you can ask him.” 

“Um, absolutely not. Your silly little fantasy about him being my ‘new bestie’ is a bit far fetched. We only talk when we run into each other.”

“Like when he specifically came to the media room to look for you, then sat and waited for you when you weren't there. Sounds legit.” 

Alexander sighed. “He was hiding from the documentary people! I would be too, apparently they want to go to his house when it’s time for his episode.”

“And how do you know that?” Peggy asked, turning towards Alexander, already knowing she'd won this conversation for now because Thomas had been the one to tell him.

“Ugh, leave me be, it's no big deal anyways. Now shush, we're at work so we should be working.”

After they got some content, Alexander stayed down on the field to get some photos as per usual. The game was going pretty well, and Thomas was already proving John Adams (the dumbass) wrong. The Cowboys defense either couldn't catch him, or they couldn't cover Madison in time. And the tight end that Washington wanted featured was doing great, if Alexander remembered the name right. 

At the end of the first quarter, the Giants had scored fourteen points. The Cowboys on the other hand had scored only a field goal, leaving them with a sad three points. During the commercial break, Alexander had to walk to the other end of the field since the teams switch end zones each quarter. It felt like he was in another world whenever he was on the field, given how loud it got. It was even worse when the teams were rivals. 

The second quarter went by quickly, and the Cowboys seemed to remember that they were supposed to play football, not spectate. They scored thirteen more points, attempting and failing a two point conversion. (Which Alexander had never seen tried, and has still never seen completed. He didn't even know it was a thing.) The Giants didn't care, though, because they scored twenty-one more points, putting the score at a staggering thirty-five to sixteen at halftime.

Instead of meeting Peggy on the field this time, Alex quickly made his way to the press box where she had food waiting for him. 

“How's it sound down there? I can barely hear my own thoughts up here.” Peggy said, taking the camera from him to quickly upload any photos and videos he'd gotten so they didn't have to wait until the press sent them up.

“I feel like I'm in the middle of a war, and honestly I think I might be. I fear for my life when that clock runs out, and I'm not even a ref.” Alex joked. 

Peggy laughed a bit, handing him back the camera. “Yeah, be careful. They get pretty rowdy here, they might throw beer or something at you just because you're with the Giants. So if that happens..have fun, I guess!”

Alexander definitely did not want that to happen, but it apparently was hidden somewhere in the job description. After he finished his food, he went back down the field and set up near the endzone once again, this time to the side, waiting for the game to resume.

The third quarter started off a bit slow, but eventually the Giants scored yet another touchdown and extra point, adding seven to their score. The Cowboys answered with a field goal, adding three. Apparently their kicker was the best player on the team, which was honestly kind of depressing.

Nothing much happened for a bit, and Alexander could see that the Giants were getting frustrated despite having a massive lead. Some of the starters, like Madison, were already sitting for the remainder of the game. Adams, however, had yet to play a snap. 

Finally, the Giants made it to the point where they were within ten yards of the endzone. After the first two plays, they still didn't score, and it was actually stressing Alexander out even though the Cowboys would need a miracle and more to comeback at this rate. Finally, on the third try, Thomas kept the ball and ran kind of frantically as several other giant guys charged right for him. 

In very dramatic fashion, Thomas leapt up, landing awkwardly and barely on his feet. Alexander could see the nearest referee’s arms raise, indicating a touchdown, at the same time as Thomas continued to stumble forward. It was too late for Alexander when he realized that Thomas was stumbling towards him, and the large mass of padded man fell overtop of him. Alexander's instinct told him to protect the expensive camera, and thankfully it seemed that Thomas' instinct said to protect anything but himself. Alexander was knocked down, but behind him, Thomas had hit the wall.

Thomas jumped up immediately, apparently unscathed, and then Alexander was being lifted up and stood back on his feet by insanely strong hands. Next to him stood Thomas, who looked so much bigger with shoulder pads and a helmet on. 

“Are you okay? I'm sorry, I tried to stop.” He said quickly. Alexander nodded, and Thomas gave him a gentle slap on the back before jogging away. As the Giants’ kicker scored the extra point, someone from the Cowboys’ medical staff came and asked Alexander if he was alright, if he had hit his head or if Thomas' knee or anything hit him. 

After that, Thomas was out of the game, leaving Adams to ‘close it out’ which apparently meant ‘do nothing’ to Adams. The Giants had to settle for one field goal in the third quarter, where the Cowboys settled for zero. The final score was 52-19, and the stadium was already cleared of thousands of Cowboys fans. Alexander took some videos of the Giants fans before he went up to the press box to ask Peggy to handle the remainder of post game content, because he desperately needed the bathroom.

···

The game was over around 11:30, and Alexander was simply exhausted. Unfortunately for him, he'd probably not get much sleep on the plane, because his mind would be absolutely rushing. They had told him to specifically try to sleep, in case Thomas had given him a concussion, but it was like his mind was wired to be defiant and do the opposite of whatever he was told. Even if some professional from Dallas told him to. 

Peggy was already barely awake on the bus ride to the airport, and let Alexander sit by himself on the plane since she'd be asleep anyways. While she went to sit by Hercules and Lafayette, Alexander stayed by himself in the quiet of the dark plane. It seemed like literally everyone might be sleeping, especially the players, who had just run around for several hours.

Alexander leaned back a little bit in his seat, trying to relax and maybe go to sleep. It was too dark to read his book, and he didn't really have anything else to do. He even closed his eyes, but had no success. Then, he was a little startled when he heard someone whispering to him.

“Hey, can I sit by you for a second?” 

When Alexander turned to see who the voice belonged to, it was none other than Thomas. “Yeah,” he whispered back, sitting up. “Sure.”

Thomas sat down beside him. Alex couldn't really see his face now, both because it was dark and because of the angle. “I hope I didn't run into you too bad earlier. Sorry about that.” Thomas said, his voice still low.

Alexander shrugged, even if it wasn't visible to Thomas. “It's no problem. They said it doesn't seem like I have a concussion or anything, and the camera didn't break, so everything's fine.”

“That's good. Sometimes people get run into really bad. Like once someone ran into someone on the chain crew and the guy came out with a broken leg.” Thomas said, probably to explain why he cared so much.

“Don't worry, there's nothing wrong.” Alexander said. The conversation probably could have ended there, but Alex didn't want to be alone for four hours in the middle of the sky, so he quickly thought of something more to say. And maybe it was nice to talk to Thomas, even if he would always be just out of reach.

“How come you're not sleeping like anyone else? You gotta be really tired.” He said, hoping that wasn't somehow an offensive question. Adams would probably throw a hissy fit and insist that he never got tired.

“I'm exhausted,” Thomas said with a little laugh. “But I can't sleep for some reason. I think I'm having a hard time getting used to not going home for a long time.”

Alexander didn't understand what he meant by that, so of course he had to ask. “You're not going home? Where are you going then?”

“Well, I'm going to my apartment. But I don't like it there, it's too small. I can barely even move in my kitchen, and I don't have my cat, blah blah blah.” Thomas said, and to Alexander's surprise, he sounded genuinely sad. “James told me I should move to the building he's in, and I think I might. But I'm gonna wait until after those TV people are done with me so no one shows up at my door.” 

“Yeah, you already have some pretty crazy fans. Have you ever looked at the stuff they say on TikTok and stuff?” Alex asked teasingly.

Thomas sighed. “Oh, I try very hard not to see all that, but my damn sister always sends me screenshots because she thinks it's just the funniest thing in the world.”

“I think that it's great how bold those people are, but I'm afraid they might need a lesson in digital footprint. And also just…how to not be weird online.” Alex laughed.

“I had to turn the comments off on my Instagram and I haven't even posted on it since I finished school. They just go on there specifically to say crazy shit, it makes no sense. My sister sent me this especially crazy one, I’ll show you.”

Thomas took his phone out, and Alexander watched as he opened it and went to his messages app. Thomas’ home screen was a picture of him holding an orange cat, who must be the one he missed. In his messages app, he had a ton of unread messages, and Alexander was completely snooping. Madison was his pinned conversation, and under that was someone called Jane, then a group chat called ‘thomas plays with balls’ and after that was someone called ‘Ria.’ Then Thomas clicked on one called Mary, and handed the phone to Alexander. 

“Read the whole conversation, she's horrible. You and Peggy would probably love her.” 

So, Alexander did as Thomas said. The conversation started with a screenshot of comments on a post Peggy had done, which featured different shots of Thomas doing random super athletic things. Then, a conversation.

Tuesday, September 23rd, 1:29PM

[Mary] these weirdos love you, maybe you can find your soulmate soon!

[Thomas] I don't think marrying someone like that would work out particularly well for me

[Mary] nahh it broadens the horizon even more! you could have someone your age or some rando older than mom and dad. don't you want to be a sugar baby??

[Thomas] No??? That actually sounds like hell

[Mary] you're right…i should probably find a way to get out of this then huh

[Thomas] Shut the fuck up 

The conversation ended there. “Well she has a good point, a bunch of those people would probably kill to be your wife.” Alexander teased, handing Thomas back his phone.

“Yeah, exactly, and now I have to avoid dating in case I come across some guy who turns out to be a crazy fan. It doesn't help that I've literally been here for four games, and also that they hated me before.” Thomas didn't sound as serious as he probably could have, or maybe even should have.

“Oh yeah, you never told me why they didn't like you. Do you secretly hate puppies or something? Take candy away from children? Or are you the Grinch?”

Thomas laughed again. “No, no, none of those things. They just don't like me, it probably depends on who you ask. Some say it's the way I play, some say I'm some kind of diva. I'm pretty sure that's because I yelled at someone once, but she deserved it and I'm not sorry.”

“Okay, now you have to tell me that story.” Alexander said, shifting so that he was facing Thomas a bit more. It made it just a tiny bit easier to see him.

“Oh, it's golden.” Thomas started. The two spoke, in hushed voices, for the entirety of the plane ride back to the Newark Liberty airport. Alexander was so tired that he could barely recount anything they discussed, other than that Thomas told him a ton of funny stories about all the different reasons people decided they didn't like him.

They arrived back home around four in the morning, and Thomas disappeared to get in the team bus to go back to the facility and go back to his apartment. Alexander did the same, and made it home when John was still asleep.

He actually remembered to text John this time, telling him that he was home safe and would probably be asleep for a while because no one had to go into work that day. Thankfully they won big, because Alex wouldn't be able to function at work with this much sleep deprivation.

It wasn't until he woke up later that day that he remembered what Thomas had said on the plane about dating.

Chapter Text

Thomas was feeling absolutely wonderful about himself and his abilities. Not only because of the fact that he'd won all of his games so far (even if it was only four, it was already more than Adams had managed last year). He also couldn't help but enjoy what they were saying about him on the news, or on sports programs that people watched all day. Sure, it was probably a little self obsessed to bask in it, but Thomas never claimed to be completely down to earth. He had an ego, and it wasn't going anywhere.

Especially not now that he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week thanks to his phenomenal performance against the Cowboys. Really, it wasn't like it was going to be that difficult when Dallas was playing like they expected to win, just because they had last year. It truly was incredible how big the difference was between Thomas and Adams’ success with the team.

He sat there, looking at the graphic posted on the team’s Instagram page. It was a picture of himself scoring with the words just edited overtop. Four weeks in the league, not including preseason, and he was already making a name for himself. This was exactly what Thomas had wanted, and he didn't plan on slowing down any time soon. Reading the comments, at least the ones that were close to normal, only boosted this feeling.

stkb93: thank god we have a qb who knows how to win for once

masonmasonma: our lord and savior THOMAS JEFFERSON 

darlenesmith76: Our Tommy! ❤️

iloveyouthomasjefferson_17: My king

jakeanderson: DAWG

ericmarshall: And more to come! Way to go young man. 👍

andrew_smith: honestly just release adams. we found our king

mama_amanda08: He is so hot 🥵 I would leave my husband for him!

There were a few hundred comments, so he wasn't about to read through them all. He got the point pretty immediately—these people quickly went from assuming that he was only going to either worsen the Giants, or at best keep it the same, to singing his praises. If Thomas hated anything, it was being underestimated. But it was a great motivation, and his goal was to continue proving himself. All while quietly looking like some kid who miraculously made it big. Maybe he was terrible, and maybe he was arrogant. But he had learned to get what he wanted no matter how it had to be done.

Now it was Wednesday, and the October portion of the season had officially begun. Their next game was at home against the Seattle Seahawks, and practice this week would be like any other. Thomas honestly loved coming into practice. Washington was the perfect coach for him, very much the no nonsense type, and it helped him create a better bond with guys that he wouldn't see much otherwise. He didn't love all of his teammates, and some of them sucked almost as much as Adams, but it was still nice to have any kind of dynamic with these guys. Especially if it meant that they liked him better than Adams.

So when Thomas got out of his car and walked into the practice facility, he was feeling pretty confident in himself. It was rare that he didn't, even if he'd learned to be better at appearing more…humble. Everything was going exceptionally well for him, so he felt like he was on top of the world.

Until Alexander and Peggy jumped out from behind a corner as he walked towards the locker room, revealing an unfortunate truth about Thomas—he is extremely easy to scare.

“Motherfucker–!” He said as he startled, backing up and habitually clutching his chest over his heart. “Jesus Christ, you guys are fucking assholes!” 

Peggy was hunched over, holding her stomach because she was laughing so hard. Alexander was holding a camera, pointed in Thomas' direction, clearly trying not to laugh too hard himself.

“Now I have to spend extra time editing all of that. I didn’t realize that you've got the mouth of a sailor,” Alexander said, still recording. At least, Thomas assumed he was if the camera was still pointed at him.

“Happy Halloween!” Peggy said between her breaths of laughter. Thomas could only roll his eyes in amused exasperation.

“It’s not Halloween, it’s the first!” Thomas argued, beginning to laugh as well. He didn’t want them to think he was actually mad, because he wasn’t. He just tended to become incredibly defensive when jump-scared. What a wonder. “How are you still laughing?”

Peggy had to be close to tears by this point with how long she’d been laughing. Thomas couldn't understand how it was so funny, it was a very normal scare. He just happened to be the perfect target. “Because you’re literally the only one to react that much!” Peggy replied, taking a few deep breaths to finally calm down.

“Ah, well I’m glad I can be of good use for your content. Now the whole world gets to know that I am super easy to scare. I gotta invest in a security guard.” He joked, walking towards the camera once again since he really had to get to the team meeting. He looked right at Alexander, still smiling, and said, “I feel betrayed.”

As he walked away, Thomas could hear Alexander laugh just a little, so he looked over his shoulder back at him. Alexander had put the camera down, but had done the same as Thomas. When they made eye contact, Thomas winked, before turning down the hallway with the different meeting rooms. 

This part of his job reminded him of college. Especially meetings with the entire team, which were held in a massive room that was kind of like a large lecture hall. He sat with James towards the back, so that he could watch everyone else and see how they responded to whatever it was that Coach Washington had to say. If someone looked particularly peeved, Thomas usually found a way to make them understand that it wasn’t the end of the world. It was part of his job description, hidden in the figurative fine print, to take care of his teammates like they were his family and lead them since he had become their literal captain. While he strongly preferred the latter, he was apparently good at both.

“Why’d it take you so long?” James asked, turning to look as Thomas sat down. “Did you piss yourself when the media crew jumped out?”

Thomas stared at James with his lips in a tight line. “Obviously I didn’t, you saw me in the parking lot and I’m wearing the same clothes. But they did scare me, so I guess I practically did.” He added a dramatic sigh for added effect, earning himself an eye roll from his best friend.

“I can’t wait to see the video. They should add it to your episode of the documentary!” James teased quietly, feigning enthusiasm. He was about as excited about the whole thing as Thomas was, but he had managed to get out of filming by saying he needed to keep his home rid of strangers. Few people knew it, but James was constantly dealing with some kind of new health issue, so he used that to his advantage to get out of anything he didn’t want to do. Even if he played games against strangers in a literal contact sport, the league wasn’t about to risk any bad publicity.

“You’re such an asshole.” Thomas replied, elbowing James to give him a little shove. It wasn’t enough to do anything, and James just shook his head.

A few moments later, Washington came into the room, standing in front of the large screens behind him which had the schedule projected onto it in the form of a timeline. At the first end was the upcoming game against Seattle, and it went all the way to February with the Super Bowl. High hopes for a team that was the laughing stock of the league last year, but that was most likely what every coach did.

“Good morning.” Washington said, his deep voice booming throughout the large space. The players responded, and then Washington got right into it. “We’ve made it through the first month of the season without a loss, which is already better than last year. Even so, that doesn’t mean we can slow our momentum at all. Every single game matters, and I’d rather keep a good start than have to struggle for a good finish.”

Thomas’ eyes darted around the room until they finally landed on his target—Adams. Last year, the Giants won three total games. Week three, week five…and week seventeen. So whether it was intentional or not, Washington had just made a dig at Adams’ finish. It was hard to see his face, but Adams’ fists were tight around his folder, anger clearly bubbling under the surface.

Washington continued nonetheless. “Coming up on Sunday we’re hosting the Seahawks. Obviously it’s a conference game, so every point matters. They’re three and one on the season coming off of a loss to Detroit, so let’s give ‘em another. One game at a time.”

The team of men repeated after him, “One game at a time.” It was a sort of slogan that Washington had apparently started saying last year when the team’s morale was low. Now it felt like they were simply climbing the ladder to get to the postseason. All at once, the men in the room stood up and collected their things to head to practice and training. Thomas and James waited until a lot of the bigger guys filed out before they followed suit.

“How has Adams been acting?” James asked as they walked. He meant in the quarterback room and meetings, because obviously he didn’t attend those as a receiver. 

Thomas shrugged. “Pretty much the same. He keeps coming up with excuses for why I haven’t been ‘embarrassed’ yet. He thought that we’d lose in Dallas, but he hasn’t really spoken to me since then. I definitely think that he’s trying to figure out a way to get me benched or something, though. Maybe he’ll try getting Lafayette to say I’m injured or something.”

James scoffed. “He’s such a fool. The man gets paid to do nothing, which seems to be his favorite thing in the world. I don’t know why he’s begging to play when he hasn’t been able to win in the last five years.”

Thomas never understood how James spoke in such a level tone all the time. He did it to make sure no one bothered listening to what he was saying, because usually he was talking shit or coming up with some kind of plan to ruin someone. Sometimes Thomas wondered how bad it’d be for him if the two of them ever stopped being friends.

“Apparently he really likes to be in the media. Any publicity is good publicity, even if it consists of literally everyone telling you to retire and never touch a football again. I hope I’m never this unaware. I also hope I’m not still playing when I’m in my forties though, so I guess I’m just too different from Adams.”

James smiled in amusement, probably at himself more than anything Thomas had to say. It was rare for James to think that Thomas’ jokes were that great, and that was probably because they were very predictable. “He’ll find his way.”

Thomas wasn’t quite sure what James meant by that, but they had made it to the locker room by this point so he focused more on getting ready to go run drills than whatever riddle his friend had given him. Their offensive coordinator had told him that they were trying out a new play today, so there was a good chance he’d just be doing the exact same thing over and over again.

···

As the team was heading inside from practice, Thomas could see players being stopped by Alexander and Peggy. Alexander was holding the phone with a little microphone plugged into it, and Peggy was standing beside him with a piece of paper. Thomas was trying to guess what he was in for this time based on the reactions of the guys before him, but all they did was laugh and ask them ‘where did you even get that from?’ So to make a long story short, he had no idea.

When Thomas reached them, he was on his own. James had stayed back on the field to talk to Washington about something and told Thomas to go ahead without him, so he did. Even though it was October, it was still hot as hell, especially after running around for a while, so he wasn't going to waste any more time in the sun.

Alexander spoke into the microphone, grinning deviously. “Ugh, I’m so hungry. I’m literally so hungry that I could eat Mary Jefferson.” He said, before holding the little mic out towards Thomas.

Thomas stared at Alexander, feeling both extremely confused and mildly concerned. “My sister? Wait, you got that from my phone!” He said, pointing an accusatory finger at Alexander. “Don’t eat my sister. Oh God, this sounds horrible.” He cringed while laughing.

Peggy was laughing behind Alexander. “Just be glad we couldn’t find the name of anyone else.”

Alexander nodded and added, “I tried to find the name of your cat but you don’t have it posted literally anywhere. I thought you missed it!”

“Um, I do miss my cat, thank you very much. Her name is…actually, I am not falling for that, Alexander.” He rolled his eyes, in the way a parent does when they mock their teenage child, and walked away. This time he didn’t turn and wink, because he wasn’t certain he’d find his balance in his cleats while also walking on smooth concrete. 

As he re-entered the building, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the difference in lighting, so he didn’t notice that Adams was still in the little lobby area too. Not until the annoying bastard spoke, at least.

“What’s got you all smiley? You must be feeling pretty confident this week.” He commented. Thomas had been dealing with this weird dynamic for only five weeks now, and he still wanted to put Adams through the wall. He was strongly considering it. 

“I’m just having a bit of fun is all, John. Did Alex and Peggy threaten to eat your soul?” He shook his head and continued to walk, deciding that he’d rather not see where he was going than deal with this asshole right now. However, he made the mistake of muttering, “Good luck to them finding it.”

Adams’ footsteps were immediate behind him. “I just think that it’s a little unhealthy to already have such a…cocky mindset. You’re still young, you have yet to truly accomplish anything. I’m just trying to look out for you, you know? The Seahawks could very well show you that it’s not all winning in this league.”

Thomas sighed and kept walking. “Yeah, and you were relevant your first year? Oh, wait, you didn’t start until three years later, mister 2008. I have accomplished plenty, Adams, get off my dick.” 

The huff that came out of Adams’ nose was loud and gross, and Thomas was going to mock him by offering him a tissue before he was abruptly grabbed by the back of his shoulder pads and shoved into the wall beside him. He stared at Adams in disbelief, but the visible anger on his face was enough to shut Thomas right up and make him reconsider how he was going to respond to this. He knew what it looked like when someone was about to blow, and he didn’t particularly feel like a fight was a good look for him.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but this is my team. You are my backup. Eventually Washington will see it, and you’ll be nothing but a blip on the radar. Understood?”

Thomas stared at the other man, trying his very best not to laugh. Adams was not only significantly older than him, but he was also at least four inches shorter. This was not nearly as intimidating as he seemed to think it was.

“Get your hands off of me, Adams.” Thomas said. Unlike Adams, his voice was almost level. The struggle to not at least smile was making it difficult. When the smaller man made no move to back off, Thomas peeled his fingers off and gripped them tightly. He was not about to get punched. “You’re embarrassing yourself. Why don’t you go gather yourself before the rest of the guys see this and lose even more respect for you.”

Adams tugged his hand away and walked off, making sure to hit his shoulder into Thomas as he went. Thomas stood there for a moment, trying to decide how he felt about whatever the hell that was. Things like that were exactly why he would never struggle to contain himself in a locker room full of men.

He continued his walk to the locker room to take care of his things and clean up a bit before heading out for the press conference. There hadn’t been one yesterday, which Thomas had absolutely loved, but that meant that there would probably be all sorts of questions today. There was one particular reporter that he really didn’t like, but Thomas never got his name. 

The room seemed to be filled with all of the same people, Peggy sitting alone in the front with a camera set up on a tripod to livestream for the fans who were old enough to be watching on Facebook. Thomas found himself wondering where Alexander was, which was probably a bad sign, but that was an issue for not right now.

“Good afternoon,” he said into the microphone as he sat down. Immediately, reporters started raising their hands to ask questions. The day that Thomas decided he actually enjoyed this shit would literally never come. Public speaking was his enemy, especially when it was to a bunch of people asking stupid or invasive questions.

He made eye contact with a female reporter, one that he actually didn’t recognize, and she started speaking. “We saw that stumble after your last touchdown in Dallas. Everyone is wondering about the man you ran over and how you made sure that he was okay. Is that something that’s important to you, keeping the wellness of others in mind?”

Thomas wished that he could understand what it was that made journalists ask questions in such idiotic ways. Were they taught to work around the questions they were actually asking? “Yeah, I mean, I definitely wanted to make sure that he wasn’t hurt. It was actually one of our media managers here, Alex, so I know him. I made sure he was okay and I don’t think he’s mad at me, so it’s all good.” 

“Thomas, how are you preparing to go up against Seattle after their loss last week?” Someone else asked, thankfully leading the group into actual game discussion rather than little things that were completely irrelevant. That is, until the asshole reporter opened his mouth.

“After winning four games in a row, how are you trying to maintain your attitude? There was always a lot of chatter about it when you were in college, do you worry that it might follow you into your professional career?”

Thomas was beginning to wonder if this guy was hired by Adams specifically to make Thomas look bad. They had just gone over his new role as a leader to his team, and now they decided to bring up old articles from his past?

He stared directly at the reporter who asked the question, just taking a moment before he said anything. Of course he had to come up with a satisfactory answer, and one that wouldn’t make him look like he was as irritated by the question as he truly was. 

“You know, there’s all sorts of things said about everyone. You probably know just as well as I do that we have to take these things with a grain of salt, right? There is plenty to be said about my attitude by plenty of people, but at the end of the day, you have to know me to decide what I’m like.”

The reporter stared back at him, not bothering to write down a word of what Thomas said. Thomas answered two more questions before his required time was up, which is when he forced a polite goodbye before heading to his session with Lafayette. Half of which would probably be venting about how much he hated these people.

—

Even though the two had already spent a large portion of the day together, Thomas had James over to his apartment to have dinner with him. As much as Thomas valued silence, he believed that meals should be spent with loved ones, and James was his best friend in the entire world. Neither of them had family in the city, so this was the closest to it.

“Oh, you know how I said that I hadn't really spoken to Adams since before the Dallas game?” Thomas said. “He like, attacked me today after practice.”

James, who was sitting comfortably on Thomas' sofa, leaned forward curiously. He had been watching the news, which was about to go into the sports segment. The two of them loved to see what was being said about the team on TV, especially when they had to struggle for anything good to say between games.

“What do you mean he ‘attacked’ you?” James asked. “Verbally or physically?” 

“Both.” Thomas replied, stirring the pasta he had cooking on the tiny stove. “He did his usual condescending bit about how it's so hard to get by in the league, and I wasn't having it so I finally told him to get lost. Only, he grabbed me and yelled in my face like some absolute freak.”

James contemplated for a moment. “What did he say? And what do you mean you told him to ‘get lost?’ That could mean literally anything with you.”

Thomas shrugged. “I don't know, I think I told him to get off my dick or something. Either way, it doesn't warrant him trying to pin me against the wall and insisting that the Giants are ‘his team.’” He held up finger quotes as he mocked Adams’ voice.

James began to laugh, a rare and contagious sound. “He did not! There is no way that angry bastard embarrassed himself and I missed it.”

“Oh, I was certain that I'd start laughing and he'd punch me. I don't know what possessed him to do that, but it was the worst thing ever. I hope that he feels humiliated so that it never happens again.” Thomas was trying not to laugh just from retelling the story.

As James began to respond, the news anchor on the television started to talk about the Giants, so he held up his finger to indicate that he wanted to listen to it. The feed switched to a clip of the press conference when Thomas was speaking, followed by a photo from the game of when he picked Alexander up to make sure he was alright.

“And in case anyone needed a reminder of who Thomas Jefferson is, here is a photo of the moment he took extra time to make sure a reporter that he knocked down was alright. Sources say that Jefferson made sure that the unsuspecting victim, part of the Giants' media team, was alright numerous times. You know Jim, we are just so blessed to have such a kind young man—” The reporter's rant was cut off when James muted the TV, leaving her silenced.

“You know, if you wanted to get on top of that guy, you probably could come up with a better way than trying to kill him.” James said, looking at Thomas quizzically.

Thomas rolled his eyes, turning to grab some seasoning so that James couldn't see his face. “Who said I want to get on top of him? Just because I think he's attractive doesn't mean anything.”

James sighed. “Yeah, because you're known for being subtle. Why don't you just..do whatever you usually do? It's weird that you're not trying to get him in your bed.”

“I don't know,” Thomas said, turning back towards the stove but looking at James now. “For some reason I feel like I'm going to mess it up somehow. He's fun to have around, I don't wanna just..I don't know.”

James’ eyes narrowed, studying Thomas carefully. “I didn't know you were in the market for a new relationship.” 

“One, I didn't say that. Two, I just feel like it'd be difficult to have any fun with him and Peggy with the media stuff if I fucked him once and left it at that.” 

As he spoke, Thomas dished up their food and brought it to the table, sitting down and continuing to speak as James followed suit. “I don't know what I want, I guess.”

“You know, a bit of communication never hurt anybody. Try to test the waters, see what you can get out of it. Worst case scenario, he doesn't seem interested, and you back off and find someone else.”

“Where am I supposed to find someone else? I hate it here, I am definitely not going to actively seek someone out.” Thomas sighed.

James snorted a laugh, because Thomas was being ridiculous. “So if this Alexander idea doesn't work out for you, you'll just be celibate until January? Or are you waiting until Philadelphia?”

Thomas waved his hand, like he was fanning away the suggestion. “Oh shut up, I’m perfectly capable. You don't know as much as you think you do in that category, Jem.”

“Thankfully,” James muttered, taking a bite of his food. “I’m just saying, you should weigh your options a bit more. It's not like you have to do the media stuff if it all goes south.”

“Sure I don't, but it's a fun addition to the day.” Thomas reasoned, only to have James raise knowing brows at him.

“Yeah, it's fun because you have some kind of crush on the guy behind the camera. Even the weird people in the comments can see it, Thomas.”

“How the hell do you know that? You didn't even have social media.” Thomas said, trying to ignore the actual important part of that comment. Obviously he wanted Alexander, he didn't need it pointed out any more. 

James shrugged. “Mary sends me screenshots. If you bothered to check your phone more than twice a day, you'd probably see them too.” 

Thomas got up and went to his bedroom to get his phone, seeing immediately that Mary had in fact messaged him several times throughout the day. He brought the phone back to the table, opening the messages as he sat down.

Wednesday, October 1st, 12:43PM

[Mary] i see that the media people discovered you're as easy to scare as a kitten

[Mary] they also get to see that your vocabulary is not kid friendly 

[Mary] [Attachment]

[Mary] [Attachment]

[Mary] have you been flirting and not telling me???

Thomas clicked on the first screenshot. It was too cropped for him to see which video it was from, but it didn't matter. The comments were probably the same on all of them.

babybich02: alr if that man looked at me with those eyes id be naked and ready. this is sooo unfair 

daddymegatron: okk he's so cute he doesn't even look like he'd scare that easily 

youluvmeee: pls they literally had to censor everything he said. he can kiss me with that mouth ☺️

def.not.ariii: get me a man who looks at me like thomas jefferson looks at people who are literally embarrassing him

> justine.herbs: wait…cause i can embarrass him if he wants me to

>> anderson_coops: what???

thomasjeffersonsgf: UGHH HE IS SO ADORABLE PLEASE!!! thomas jefferson marry me pls 

“Oh, I see.” Thomas said quietly, staring at the text on the screen in his hand. He had never cared what people knew or thought about him, at least for the most part. But this was toeing a territory he didn't appreciate, and the second these freaky little teenagers realized who Thomas was supposedly flirting with, it could only get worse.

Wednesday, October 1st, 2:14PM

[Mary] omg there's another one

[Mary] hello cameo?? i’m iconic 

[Mary] [Attachment]

[Mary] damn these people are weird as hell

Once again, Thomas opened the screenshot. He hoped that Alexander didn't read these particular comments, even though he knew it was probably useless. Alexander had literally told him he did in fact read comments while they were on the plane home from Dallas.

adelaide_st.james: brb going to look up thomas jefferson edits

sheilaholt: get out of here “alexander” make room for me

raineyday: So are we not gonna acknowledge that he said they got his sister’s name from his phone?? Hello can I please be on the media team to become friends with him like that??

camerongn: ok so he is literally flirting rn..giants media person go get ur man

jamesmadisonismyhusband: GIVE US MORE MADISON CONTENT!!! IDC ABOUT JEFFERSON RN!!!

Thomas sighed, typing out a quick response to Mary just to make sure he didn’t leave her on read before he turned his phone off and set it down. “Okay, so I guess they can see it. But I’m not even trying to flirt, it just happens, for one. And for all they know, I’m flirting with Peggy.” He shrugged.

“...yeah, except you literally said Alexander’s name in the video, so.” James replied, a bit too matter of factly for Thomas’ liking. “You just gotta be careful. I know you prefer to keep this stuff private and there’s only so much that your manager can do. You have to be mindful of what you do and say, especially now that you’re the rising golden boy of the NFL.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Thomas said, because he knew that James was teasing him. “They’ll move back on to that guy in Kansas City as soon as I lose one game. Not that I plan on losing, but it’s not like we’re guaranteed to win every game. Unfortunately, Adams wasn’t the only one holding this team back.”

James only shrugged, continuing to eat his dinner. He seemed to avoid discussing the previous season too much, because he had been close to doing anything he could to get sent to another team. James only played the sport because he figured it’d be good to stay active while he technically could. Being held back by a shitty team that could lead to him getting hurt wasn’t worth it, and James knew that.

Thomas couldn’t stop thinking about those comments. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that it was obvious he was flirting with Alexander, because not only did he not care if anyone knew who he preferred to take to bed, but he also just flirted with basically anyone he found interesting. Mostly he was bothered because seeing people write about him that way when he literally didn’t do anything out of the norm was a new feeling, and it wasn’t that great. It’d be one thing if it was intentionally suggestive or something, but all he did was joke around with someone at work. Maybe he didn't like to read the comments as much as he'd thought.

—

By Sunday, Thomas had pretty much forgotten about the weird comments and the little dispute that he’d had with Adams. At this point, he was more focused on continuing his win streak by beating Seattle. The last few games had been absolutely perfect score wise, but the Seahawks were proving to be a bit unpredictable. Sure, they’d only lost one game, and it did happen to be the most recent one. But when Thomas looked back at key moments from their wins, they didn’t have the chemistry that was crucial on the field. The Lions beat them brutally, and it’d be hard to come back from that. The only issue was that it was difficult to get anyone to take the Giants seriously as a threat. 

Kickoff was at one o’clock, so Thomas arrived at the stadium at around 11:30 in the morning. The time leading up to a game was so far from exciting that Thomas would actively seek out small tasks to do so that he could avoid sitting still. Being idle was not a good start to game day, so any action was good to keep him feeling prepared to take the field.

When it was time for warm ups, Thomas found himself looking around for Alexander’s usual appearance to make pre-game content. He couldn’t wear his watch, so he kept glancing up to see what time it was on the scoreboard. When the usual media window closed, Thomas told himself that there was no reason to feel disappointed that Alexander never showed. There was probably something else that he and Peggy already had to post, so there would be no reason to get shots of the team warming up.

At the start of the game, Seattle won the coin toss and deferred, which meant that the Giants got the ball to start the game. This was not the outcome that Thomas usually hoped for, because it made getting out of a potential hole all the more difficult. That just meant that he had to make sure they scored now, and then hope that the defense held Seattle well enough.

The first part of that plan did not work out so well. In fact, the Giants went three and out before sending the ball right back to the Seahawks. Thankfully, the Seahawks did even worse, and the Giants were soon to regain possession. Only, they didn’t score then either. It took until there was about five minutes left in the first quarter for James to finally score after a short pass from Thomas. With the kicker’s extra point added, the Giants were up seven to nothing going into the end of the first quarter. The Seahawks failed to come up with a response, giving Thomas and the Giants the ball back to open the second quarter of the game.

It went unfortunately similarly to the first, but for every mistake that the Giants made, the Seahawks made one that was ten times worse. So as frustrated as Thomas was becoming, he just had to be glad that his team was still managing to work it out. Halfway through the quarter, the Seahawks put up a field goal, putting the score at seven to three until the Giants finally scored again with only eighteen seconds left in the half. Thomas was only feeling confident that they’d win because of how poorly the Seahawks were doing, so he hoped that Washington could come up with some words of encouragement that might give the team a bit of a boost.

As Thomas sat down in front of his locker, he watched everyone closely. Beside him, James was doing the exact same. Some guys were chatting, joking with one another about stuff that didn’t relate to the game at all. Some others were brooding because they weren’t getting the ball enough, which Thomas was likely to hear about as soon as the game was over. It bothered him so much that some of his receivers genuinely believed that he was intentionally avoiding giving them the ball when they were the ones that couldn’t get open.

When Washington made it into the locker room following his halftime interview with whatever reporter was on the field, everyone stopped talking and gave him his full attention. 

"Alright gentlemen. I know we're ahead, but there's some things that we need to be fixing up so that we don't let them take us by surprise.” He began, looking down at his clipboard before he went into his tangent. 

After Washington was done, Thomas went back out to the field with the rest of the team to stretch and get warmed up again to play the second half. When the game resumed, Thomas stood on the sideline with his hands comfortably resting in the collar of his shoulder pads, watching the players on the field intently.

The Seahawks failed to score, but so did the Giants by the time their first possession of the half was up. Thomas was craving any sort of adrenaline boost, and a score would certainly provide that. Even so, the Giants only managed a field goal halfway into the third quarter. It wasn't until there were about two minutes left that James Monroe ran it in for their third touchdown of the day, putting the score at 24-3 for the Giants. Thomas finally felt like he could relax, but just a little.

Thomas remained in the game for the last fifteen minutes of the game. Must be Washington didn't trust Adams to close it out. The Giants scored once more with Monroe finding his way back into the end zone, and the Seahawks answered with seven of their own. It still wasn't enough, and the Giants made it through their fifth victory in a row with a final score of 31-10.

As Thomas crossed the field to greet the quarterback for the Seahawks, the two of them were swarmed by reporters with bright flashes, large microphones, and pressing cameras. The quarterback for Seattle, an older player, pulled Thomas in for a small hug so that they could speak without the several surrounding microphones picking it up.

“Hell of a job you're doing with this team,” the quarterback, Sherman, said into Thomas' ear. “You'll be playing for as long as you want. Good game, man.”

Thomas nodded, patting Sherman’s back and responding with his own brief words of encouragement before the two parted ways and the mob of reporters wanted a statement out of Thomas. He gave them some kind of easy, inoffensive response before making his way through the crowd. Alexander was probably waiting for him again, to make one of those short videos for the Instagram story.

Only, Alexander wasn't the one waiting. It was Peggy. “You know the drill,” she said as she handed Thomas the phone. 

“Where's Alexander?” He found himself asking. Had he wanted to avoid the field to minimize the risk of getting injured again or something?

Peggy shrugged. “He wanted to stay in the box today. Something about getting a better grasp on the layout of the stadium or something, I don't know. He's weird.”

Thomas nodded, glancing up at the stands. He didn't really know where the press box was, and he probably couldn't find it with all the people and stuff anyways. He recorded the video quick before handing the phone back to Peggy.

“Want me to tell him you missed him?” Peggy asked, looking up at Thomas with a surprisingly blank expression.

“Who?” Thomas asked, already confused.

Peggy grinned. “Alex. Don't worry, I’ll let him know.” 

As Peggy walked away, Thomas stood there like some kind of idiot, feeling weirdly dumbfounded. Was Peggy implying something? Or did Thomas just have horrible people reading skills? 

“It's not a good idea, you know.” Said a very recognizable voice behind him. Thomas sighed and turned to look at Adams, still all padded up. The field had mostly cleared by now.

“What are you talking about?” Thomas said, his tone making it obvious just how little he cared about what Adams had to say.

Adams only shrugged. “You're getting a little too close to the media team, that's all. Everyone can see it. You have a reputation to uphold now, don't forget it.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes at that, because what the fuck was this asshole implying? “I have literally no idea what you mean, Adams.” 

Apparently this was the response that Adams had been looking for, because he grinned and turned towards the stands, where the press box was now visible. “Yes, you do.”

Chapter Text

Alexander felt like time was moving both at a snail’s pace and also rapidly. Fridays should be exciting, because for most people they mean the weekend and therefore no work. But tomorrow is basically a Tuesday, because it's travel day for the Giants game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Alexander was shocked when he learned that Ohio somehow has two pro football teams, and also that New York has three. That was a big debate between fans, though, and he didn't fully understand it yet.

In all honesty, he was a bit nervous about heading to Cincinnati. Last week, he had successfully avoided interacting with Thomas after the usual media content, but it was getting harder. Especially because Peggy decided that scaring Thomas should be a series, since the first video did so well. 

It wasn't that Alexander actually wanted to avoid Thomas. He just felt extremely awkward now, after reading the comments on literally any post from the last few weeks. Obviously those people were just reading too far into what was literally someone's facial expression, but Alex was worried that it might make him a bit…delusional. Reading hundreds of comments where people are saying that the person looking at him ‘clearly wants’ him was enough to make someone like Alexander assume that it was true.

Besides, he kind of loved the idea that for some reason, Thomas wanted him. In this hypothetical world that teenage Giants fans made up, one of the most desired people around supposedly wanted Alexander. Maybe he was a little self absorbed, but wouldn't anyone want that kind of confidence boost? 

Then Alexander had to remind himself that these commenters likely assumed that Thomas was looking at Peggy. The only indication that it was Alexander was in the video from last week, when he'd done the ‘I’m so hungry’ trend. And that kind of put a damper on his enjoyment of the fans’ storyline, because it reminded him that he worked for the NFL: an unforgiving organization with an even worse fanbase. 

But sometimes a little voice in Alexander's mind, that might only be his ego in disguise, whispered to him that there were other signs. It all felt very high school, which honestly Alex wondered if that ever truly went away, but it was like he was forcing himself to read into potential indicators that maybe the comments were right.

Regardless, Alexander would have to ignore the winking and the office visits, because there was no way he'd let this take over his mind so much. Especially not right now, sitting with one of his closest friends who also happened to be really good at figuring out anything Alexander was thinking about.

Lafayette and Alexander were eating lunch together for the first time since Alex had started with the Giants, and it for some reason felt like Alex was doing something that he wasn’t supposed to. Lafayette has been with the team for such a long time that he was one of the most trusted personnel, all while Alexander was really only here for the paycheck. Even if that difference wasn’t known to most people around, Alex felt weirdly paranoid about it.

“So, I haven’t really asked you about how you’ve adjusted now that it’s been a few weeks worth of games. I wasn’t expecting the team to do nearly this well, maybe you are a good luck charm.” Lafayette said, eating a piece of pineapple from his fruit salad.

Alexander shrugged. “It’s way more fun than I would have expected. Also way louder, but that’s what happens when you haven’t been to a sporting event past little league.”

Lafayette grinned. “Well, I am glad that you like it. Now that you don’t have to stress over finding and keeping a job, maybe we can all hang out as a group again. I have missed playing games and getting drunk with all of you.”

“Yeah, we definitely should. I just…still haven’t exactly talked to Eliza, so it’ll have to be just us guys.” Alexander said, rubbing the back of his neck. Unlike Thomas, he wasn’t actively avoiding Eliza. It was just way easier to pretend that the awkwardness wasn’t there, especially because talking to her meant talking to Angelica, too. 

“Come on, Alex.” Lafayette sighed, shaking his head. “The rest of us aren’t going to put our friendships on hold because you can’t own up to your faults, you know. Eliza is our friend too, and I know none of us exactly love the idea of excluding the girls for you.”

Alex blew all the air from his lungs. “I know, I know. I just don’t even know how to bring it up, and at this point it feels like an apology is obviously forced. It’s not like I cheated on her or anything, I just..I don’t know, can we not talk about this right now?”

Lafayette stared at him for a moment, the kind of look that goes right into your soul, before he suddenly grinned. “Yes, actually. I had something else to talk to you about anyways.”

Alexander’s brows furrowed in a mixture of confusion and mild fear. “What is it?”

“The other day in my session with Thomas, he asked me about you.” Lafayette said, watching Alexander like a hawk. So much for not thinking about Thomas, but what was Lafayette getting at?

“And..? Why is this important to me?” Alexander asked, trying his very best not to look like this was a fantastic piece of information. It added to the winks and office visits, but only if there was a good reason behind it.

Lafayette’s expression shifted, only worrying Alexander more. “Well now I am not sure that I should tell you about this. There isn’t any reason that you can think of that someone like Thomas might ask your friend about you?”

Alexander did, but it didn’t make any sense in this particular context, so he just kind of shrugged. “Can you please just explain? Did he ask why you’re friends with me or something? We bother him a lot for the viewership and stuff.” That wasn’t completely made up, so his reasoning for wanting to know technically wasn’t a lie.

Lafayette waved a dismissive hand. “No, no, he just asked about..how we know each other and stuff. He’s probably trying to make sure you’re good to, you know, keep around him.” 

“If you’re trying to hint at something I am absolutely not picking up what you’re putting down.” Alexander said. Lafayette was always like this–willing to share information until one little thing sets off some kind of alarm in his head, and then he withholds it for ages.

“Oh, well. You will figure it out eventually, I suppose. It clearly is not the right time to tell you after all.” Lafayette said, checking his watch. “It is time to get back to work anyways. I hope the rest of your day is fun, Alex, make sure you don’t bug Adams today. He is particularly…fussy, I will say.”

Alex sighed, disappointed in the result of this conversation, but it’s not like he could do anything about it. It really was time to get back to work. “Thanks for the warning, Laf. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As Lafayette walked away, Alexander checked the videos that he and Peggy had posted earlier in the day. Instead of focusing on Thomas for these ones, since he had the scare series focused on him, they had pranked James Monroe and Madison. Monroe reacted way more than Madison, who was apparently as cold as ice, but it was doing well enough. It was actually really surprising how many fans Madison had, especially because he seemed kind of mean to Alexander. Maybe people liked that.

When Alex made it back to his desk, he glanced at the drawing of Adams that Thomas had made however long ago. It had been joined by a few others, because Thomas had come back a few times to complain about various other things, mostly involving Adams. To Alexander, it sounded like the jealousy that Adams obviously felt towards Thomas was boiling into something that could get messy quickly. Thankfully, it wasn’t Alex’s job to keep the players in check, because Adams definitely would have been gone a long time ago if that was the case. 

···

During the car ride home, Peggy told Alexander about some of the footage they were getting from the docuseries that they were supposed to post on the page the following morning to advertise that the team was a part of it. Alex could barely focus on that topic, though, because he was still trying to think of what Lafayette was getting at during lunch.

“Alex, are you even listening to me?” Peggy finally asked. She didn’t sound mad, that wasn’t very common with Peggy. She actually sounded intrigued, which was probably worse for Alexander. 

“Sorry,” he sighed. “I’m thinking of something me and Laf were talking about earlier. He did that thing where he gets all cryptic because I couldn’t guess what he was talking about, and now I’m trying to figure out why he thinks I should have known.”

Peggy nodded, one slow motion to show her understanding. “Yeah, I hate when he does that. He’s a little weird if you think about it, like he loves drama and gossip but if it affects someone he actually cares about, then he won’t be upfront with it. Which is probably a good thing, but I’m not used to people doing that.”

“Yeah, exactly. And now I can’t get this out of my mind, and it’s gonna eat away at me until I piece together whatever..clues he thinks he put out there.” 

As Alexander spoke, Peggy pulled the car over in front of his apartment. The driveway was empty, meaning that John was either at work or spending time at Burr’s place. That was honestly kind of disappointing, because the only person that Alex would be willing to talk to about this was his best friend. Maybe it was better, though. There was no way he’d get through that discussion without revealing that he maybe had a small crush on Thomas, which was sure to blow up in his face.

“Well, that’s all you, man.” Peggy said, turning to face him now that the car was stopped. “I hate guessing games, so there’s no way I’m even trying to help with that one. Let me know how it goes though, we got a nice little plane ride tomorrow for you to explain everything once you figure it out.”

Alex nodded, smiling a little just to seem like it wasn’t bothering him as much as it was and got out of the car. As he was walking up the driveway, Peggy honked to say goodbye and Alexander was completely alone. Deciding that there was no use in waiting for John to get home, because no matter where he was it’d be late by then, Alex grabbed a TV dinner out of the freezer and put it in the microwave.

As he ate, Alex turned on some random show that he paid no attention to, opting to scroll on his phone with the TV on in the background. And rather than continue to repeat the conversation with Lafayette over and over again, he scrolled on the internet. Even his mind could be sucked completely out by the wonders of TikTok.

Recently, his entire ‘For You’ page had been filled with the same few things. People doing the poison candy game, which he planned on trying to do with the players soon, and then stuff like current events and the like. Sometimes there was the token single-person “show” which usually had a Minecraft game in the background, but for the most part his feed was predictably mindless. Until a video of Thomas came up as he scrolled, keeping Alex’s focus on the screen despite his grumbles about not being able to escape the guy.

It was one of those edits that Alex had seen Peggy watch from one of her doctor shows or something, except with Thomas as the star instead of a fictional character. And it was..honestly not that surprising based on the comments that Alex saw literally every time there was even a picture of Thomas uploaded anywhere. The clip was of Thomas stretching during warm ups, on his hands and knees with one leg to the side as he pushed his hips forward to stretch them. The caption read, “the cameraman knew what he was doing” with several tags consisting of Thomas’ name and the Giants.

After watching it a few times, simply out of surprise, Alexander opened the comments out of habit. They were no more crazy than the ones he saw every day, but he still had to read them.

christinecontrelli: And next thing I knew, I was pregnant.

marthaws: my husband just asked me why this song keeps playing🤭

gigibb: the rocking put me in a trance

mellybelly: i hope that he’s rlly single so i can marry him

justineee: my mom saw him at the store and said he’s hotter in person 😭

With a sigh, Alexander closed the comments and looked at the video, now paused to avoid the song in the background playing repeatedly. Then, because of excuses that he’d think of later, he clicked on the part of the caption that said “#thomasjefferson” and was immediately greeted with a ton of videos with Thomas’ face as the cover. According to TikTok, there were over 150 thousand videos under that tag, and it was only the second month of the season. Naturally, he scrolled.

The first video was just a short clip of Thomas on the sideline from the game last week. The next was an edit with a song that Alex didn’t recognize captioned “we can bang anytime” and there were plenty more with that vibe following. And no matter how weird he knew it probably was to be watching them, Alexander couldn’t stop scrolling. He watched countless videos, feeling completely ridiculous, and didn’t even notice the sound of a car rolling to a stop in the driveway outside.

It wasn’t until John spoke that Alexander realized he was no longer alone and quickly shut his phone off, feeling incredibly embarrassed and hoping that John hadn’t seen what was on his screen.

“What are you doing?”

—

The following morning, Peggy picked Alexander up and the two rode together to the facility like always. That’s where they got checked before flights, to save time rather than having to deal with the hassle of normal airport checks. Then, like always, they boarded the buses and were taken to the airport for the two hour flight that basically just took them over Pennsylvania, Alex’s least favorite state. During the flight there, Alex decided to look through the news tab on his phone to see if there was anything remotely interesting going on in the world that wouldn’t just leave him angry or depressed.

The first article was about a new show that was doing really well on Netflix, then there was an article about the teams that might make it to the World Series, which would be happening soon. There was even an article about Geno’s, which had been robbed again, thankfully not when John was working. Several articles about random pop stars later, one appeared titled “Everything you need to know about Giants’ new rookie star, Thomas Jefferson.”

Alexander glanced over to look at Peggy, who was sleeping like always. Then, he carefully sat up, trying to see where abouts on the plane Thomas was sitting. As per usual, he was near James and also was pretty far away. Alex still felt like there were eyes on him though, so he continued to look around. After a moment, he made eye contact with a grim looking John Adams, and decided to slump right back down into his seat. Lafayette’s warning had apparently been very accurate, because no one was sitting in the two rows surrounding Adams. Something was going on, and Alex wanted no part of it yet.

Looking back down at the article, Alex decided that he didn’t need to read it right now and marked it for later. There was nothing that he needed to know that wouldn’t have prevented Thomas from making it to the NFL in the first place—he clearly wasn’t a murderer, or least one that had been caught, so what did it matter if Alexander ended up reading the article at all?

Instead, Alexander decided to find the article about Geno’s again to find out if the robbers had been arrested. After that, he’d just listen to music and daydream for the rest of the flight.

···

Come kickoff the following afternoon, Alexander had forgotten about the article and the edits and even Adams staring him down on the plane. This is because the Bengals stadium made him feel weirdly uneasy, and there was no way he'd be able to figure out why. Maybe it was the ridiculous chant, or the fact that the crowd was organized to look like tiger stripes, or maybe Alex just had a weird aversion to the state of Ohio. Regardless, he easily came to the conclusion that he didn't like Cincinnati very much.

Following the trend of the previous several weeks, the Giants came through with a fantastic start. The first touchdown of the game was taken in by Thomas himself, and the first half was dominated by the Giants once again. After the first two quarters, the score was fourteen to nothing, the second Giants touchdown coming from James Monroe. Madison had been sitting more than usual this game, which probably meant that the Bengals didn't have a very good run defense. Alex was still learning, but Monroe was getting the ball way more than usual. 

Anyways, at the half, Alexander decided to go up to the press box to visit Peggy. This was the first game he'd decided to spend on the field in a few weeks, and the noise of the crowd was giving him a terrible headache. 

“Did you happen to bring any earplugs?” He asked as he sat down beside Peggy. “I keep managing to forget how painfully loud these crowds are. I feel like my brain is being squeezed by a giant. No pun intended, by the way.”

Peggy grabbed her purse and began to sift through it. “I can look. How's it going down there? No near concussions so far, I see.”

Alexander rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m trying to stay more mindful too. No shot is worth getting trampled, apparently. Some people just don't value their job the way I do.”

“You only don't mind because odds are you won't have to pay the medical bill.” Peggy joked, though she technically wasn't wrong. Alexander would not let himself get seriously injured if he didn't have the insurance from the team and a literal ambulance on standby. 

“Hey, I take my job very seriously, thank you very much. By the way, I need to buy some Skittles for the guys to play that poison candy game. Please don't let me forget to actually do that.”

Peggy chuckled, finding a little baggy with earplugs inside and handing it to him. “There you go. Before you ask, no they haven't been used, the package ripped completely open and I didn't want them to just be loose in my bag.”

“Thank you very much, you are an absolute life saver. Also, if you're feeling particularly awesome, you could bring me some food while I'm down there.” He said, putting the earplugs in as he stood up to head back down to the field.

“Yeah, we'll see how ‘awesome’ I’m feeling.” Peggy replied.

Alex grinned, pointing to his ears. “Sorry, can't hear you. Thanks in advance!” 

On his way back to the field, Alex watched the fans in the crowd. A lot of them were very drunk, groups of people in black and orange shirts hollering at anything and everything. On the giant screens surrounding the stadium they were showing the other games that were on at the moment. The Philadelphia Eagles, next week's opponent, were up against the poor Browns on one screen. On the other was the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers, with the Falcons in the lead.

Alexander assumed that any Giants fan in the crowd was watching the Eagles game, and not just because they were the next opponent. The Eagles were proving to be a very strong team, and were also one of the Giants' divisional rivals. Next week would be big, and Alex was just glad to be at home rather than in Philadelphia. Eagles fans had quite the reputation, and he wasn't quite sure he'd developed enough of a filter to survive there yet. 

By the time he got back to the field, there was only about five minutes left of halftime. So he spent one of those minutes heading to the opposite side of the field, and the remaining four studying the crowd. Until he'd landed this job, Alex had really never cared about the sports world, especially not football. He had always found it over the top ridiculous for people to dedicate so much time and money to their team. The Bengals fans in the crowd had likely started tailgating early in the morning, and were still in high spirits now that it was almost the second half and their team was losing.

And even though he'd never experienced MetLife when the Giants were losing almost every game they played there, Alexander could feel the difference in energy that Peggy and so many others described. It truly was amazing how much joy sports could bring to people, and also how much despair it could bring instead.

Even if he'd never be one of those people in the crowd dressed head to toe in red white and blue with his face painted, screaming until his voice was gone, Alexander could appreciate the effort now. He certainly wouldn't be so loyal to a team that let everyone down time and time again until this year.

When the whistle blew to start the third quarter, Alexander refocused his mind to the game happening right in front of him. The Bengals kicker sent the ball flying towards the Giants kick return team, and the volume of the crowd behind Alexander skyrocketed as John Marshall sprinted towards the endzone.

···

The Giants ended up winning 17-10, which wasn't as large of a score difference as the past several games, but a win is a win. As Thomas spoke to Bengals quarterback Joel Warren, Alexander took photos and videos of Giants fans that were waiting for the chance to be recognized by their favorite players. 

Many of the Giants players were already in the locker room for the post game debrief, but Monroe and a few others were talking to fans and thanking them for coming to an away game. And as Peggy gave Thomas the cell phone to have him record a message for socials, Alexander went to wait for boarding the buses.

It probably felt quick for the players, but this part of the day absolutely dragged for Alexander. It was easier when they were on their own turf, but being in an unfamiliar place with no one to talk to made Alex feel like a little kid again, waiting around at a new school hoping to make a friend. 

The Bengals fans were a mix of angry disappointment and complete unsurprise at the loss. In recent years, the Bengals had been at the very least a playoff team. This year, it seemed like they'd be lucky to have a winning record. Then again, it was early in the season, and Alex still wasn't entirely sure on how the playoffs worked yet.

Regardless, it was clear that the Bengals had lost by the reactions of their fans, and the few Giants fans that were in the crowd certainly stood out. Thankfully there wasn't any major brawl or anything, because Alex would probably laugh and then get sucked into it as well.

Finally, the other staff started to come out, meaning that it was time to go. Rather than go back to the hotel, the team was just going directly to the airport from Paycor Stadium, just as they had done before. 

Alexander got on the staff bus and sat down in one of the window seats, Peggy sitting beside him. “I’m gonna sit with Laf and Herc on the plane, by the way.” 

“That's no problem, but you never bringing me food definitely is. I’m going to starve now and it'll be your fault.” He said dramatically, as if they weren't provided with dinner on the plane.

Peggy rolled her eyes. “I think you'll live. Sorry that I was doing my job, which really I should have had you doing. You're the one who needs practice, not me.”

“Yeah, yeah, I was doing stuff too. Don't act like I wasn't.”

The bus ride to the airport wasn't very long, so Alex just watched the road from the window in silence. Some people were talking about the game or their families, and Alex listened to the interesting parts of those conversations. When he got home, he'd have to tell John about how he didn't like Cincinnati for some reason. John would probably laugh at him, and it'd most likely become an inside joke or something. 

Upon arriving at the airport, Peggy went off and found Lafayette and Hercules, leaving Alexander on his own. He looked around at the other staff and players as they walked towards the plane, wishing that he could get John a job with him so that he'd always have someone to talk to. 

But when he boarded the plane, Alex sat near the window in his usual seat once again, by himself like he usually was after the games. Peggy either went to sleep or went to sit with people who were more interesting to talk to, and both were fair. Usually during travel, Alex was uncharacteristically quiet.

After takeoff, he got bored of looking out the window, so he grabbed his phone to make a list of what he needed to prepare for the socials on Tuesday. He also needed to make another victory video, especially because the Giants had now won six games in a row. They weren't the only team with no losses, but it was more surprising for them.

But when Alexander felt a presence near him, he turned to his left to see who was there, surprised to see who had already sat down in the aisle seat in his row. 

“I feel like you've been avoiding me,” Thomas said, looking at Alexander with a bit of a smile. He always looked amused, like everyone around him was doing something funny without realizing it. Alex couldn't understand how he did it, but somehow it made him smile too.

“Why do you think that?” Alexander asked, trying his best to sound clueless. He was absolutely avoiding Thomas, and he couldn't tell him why.

Thomas looked at Alexander with slightly narrowed eyes, probably seeing right through him. “You haven't done the post game thing in a few weeks, and you've only scared me for your little series once. I've been seeing a lot of Peggy lately.” 

Alex shrugged. “Yeah, I've been trying to make sure I'm good at every part of the job.”

“You don't think you're good at your job?” Thomas asked teasingly, raising a brow. “You seem to make me look pretty good.”

With little thought, Alexander chuckled and said, “Yeah, like it's hard to do that.” This earned him a brighter smile from Thomas, even though his own face was heating up at the mistake.

Thomas didn't say anything immediately, which didn't help keep Alexander's mind from racing with ways to get out of that. He could pick on Thomas for how people comment again, something like that. 

But Thomas finally spoke. “What's the real reason you've been staying away from..the team?” 

Of course it'd be a loaded question. Alexander knew a million ways to get away from this entire conversation, but for some reason, he couldn't think of a single one. So he just shrugged.

“I don't know. I guess maybe it felt weird, I'm not used to this environment and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be very close with the players and stuff.”

Thomas looked like he was thinking, his eyes no longer focused on Alexander and moving around a little instead with his lips pressed together. “I don't think you've been too close at all.” He said finally.

Alexander smiled, turning his body to face Thomas a bit more, because this conversation seemed like it might continue for a little while. “Must be that's why you keep sitting at my desk?”

Thomas' smile returned, and Alexander swore that he even looked a bit sheepish. “Listen, sometimes I gotta get away from..everything.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. He who shall not be named was staring at me on the way earlier, and I haven't even done anything to him!” Alex whispered, leaning forward just slightly. He was not about to risk Adams listening in, because he had no idea where the man was sitting this time.

“What?” Thomas whispered back, also leaning forward. “Did I tell you what he did to me?” 

Alex shook his head, naturally immediately curious. “No, what did he do?”

Thomas sat up, glancing around quickly, before returning to the way he'd been sitting previously. “He tried to fight me. He basically said that this is his team and to back off, as if I have anything to do with who plays and who doesn't!”

Alexander had to stop himself from laughing loud enough for anyone else on the plane to hear, because that was just a ridiculous scenario. “Isn't he almost old enough to be your dad? Obviously he isn't going to play over you.” 

Thomas nodded quickly. “My mom is literally like three years older than him. I really thought he was going to hit me or something, ‘cause I almost laughed at him. His face was like, turning red and stuff, it was the worst thing I've ever watched. I almost felt bad for him, it was so embarrassing.”

“Is that why Laf said to stay away from him? The other day he told me that he's been fussy and stuff.”

“Yeah, probably. If I don't complain about it to you and James, I talk poor Lafayette's ear right off.” Thomas said. “We've actually become friends, I think, but I also think he might just be nice to everyone.”

Alexander shrugged. “Yeah, honestly, I couldn't tell you. He has this weird affect on people, I don't know.”

“It's because he's French.” Thomas nodded, and Alexander couldn't help but agree.

“Yeah, try going out for drinks with him. He opens his mouth and suddenly he's surrounded by people that want to hear his accent.”

Thomas sighed. “Oh, don't even get me started on people in bars. In college, I think I went out like twice before I got tired of people bothering me. Now I am definitely not going anywhere, even if no one gives a shit who I am, I have just decided that I hate bars.” 

Alexander chuckled, but threw his hands out in a dramatic little shrugging motion. “Then how in the world will you party with everyone here?”

“I’m sure I'll find another way,” Thomas laughed. 

From a few rows ahead, Madison's deep voice cut through the other quiet conversations going on as he said, “For the love of God Thomas, answer your phone so your sister will stop bombarding me.”

Thomas patted his legs, shaking his head. “Damn, I left my phone up there.” He grabbed the seat in front of him to use as leverage, but paused in his tracks. “So, am I still allowed to bother you in your office?”

“That depends,” Alex said. “You sit in all the media offices?”

Thomas grinned. “Just the handsome ones.”

Chapter Text

Tuesdays might just be the worst day of the week. At least, they were for Thomas. Of course he loved his job, but there were so many components to it that he simply wished were not there. Tuesdays were always busy for him, because not only did he usually have meetings and at least one interview, but Thomas had also joined the many other athletes who regularly saw specialists to maintain their health. Thomas was still quite young, so he didn’t need as many treatments yet, but he did see a massage therapist twice a week and would probably be adding to that bill. Sometimes he did wonder if he should have just followed another career path, but he always ended up telling himself to just wait until his contract negotiations to decide what he wanted to do. Worst case scenario, he started from scratch with about forty extra million dollars.

As per usual, Thomas woke up ridiculously early for someone who didn’t have to be anywhere until the later half of the morning. His morning routine was pretty much the exact same every day, beginning with a shower and ending with breakfast. Oftentimes he ate something smaller at home and then ate again at the facility because the team’s nutritionist had very strict guidelines. Thomas kind of felt like he was in one of those awful diet magazines, even if he was actually receiving instruction from professionals.

The drive to the facility was simply insufferable, but there was no way he’d be taking a cab or an uber anywhere. Not only did he just hate being a passenger, but he had no way of knowing what had happened in any given cab. His actual car, one of his most prized possessions, was back home in Virginia, so he was leasing this one for the season. There was no way he’d be able to last four years living in the city, though, so another item on his agenda was looking for a place that wouldn’t give him hell every time he wanted to go literally anywhere.

Like any other day, Thomas parked beside James’ car and let himself into the building. He enjoyed how dramatic a lot of it really was—some of the walls were lined with large blown up photos of former Giants players, Super Bowl wins, and other accomplishments. If Thomas continued with football after his rookie contract was up, he’d like to join those faces. 

This led Thomas to being a little distracted, which in all fairness wasn’t very difficult. He often daydreamed a bit while walking, especially when it had anything to do with him being recognized for doing or being something amazing. Of course, being easily distracted never worked out particularly well for him, because it made him pay no attention to where he was or who he was around.

So when he was snapped out of his thoughts by what was apparently a fake mannequin jumping towards him, of course he was startled. And as much as he was trying to keep his vocabulary suitable for whatever standards the NFL was setting, he did say a few colorful words as Alexander came out from around the corner, cackling.

“You are so easy to scare, it’s fantastic!” He said, putting the phone down, probably because he knew that Thomas was very dramatic and that didn’t need to be online any more than it already was. 

Thomas threw his hands up, pretending to be mad. “This is so unfair! I wasn’t even paying attention, I was in my own head. Of course you’d get me if I’m not even paying any attention.”

Alexander gave him a very pointed look, still smiling in amusement. “Yeah, whatever you gotta tell yourself, bud.”

This is the first time that Thomas had even seen Alexander since the plane ride home from Cincinnati, and he really wasn’t sure what to think. He’d absolutely been trying to test the waters, but there hadn’t been a moment for him to see the results. Alexander was acting the same way as he usually did, minus the stretch of time where he was obviously avoiding Thomas. There was no way that this was one sided, but Thomas needed to find an opportunity to find out for sure. It wasn’t like the middle of an NFL facility was the best place for two men to get close and personal, but if it came to that, so be it.

“Listen, I don’t have time to argue with you about how easy I am to scare. I have a very important quarterbacks meeting in a few minutes, and I need to emotionally prepare.” Thomas said, putting on a ridiculous valley girl-esque voice, making Alexander laugh once again.

“Well, you have fun with that. I get to stand here and watch a bunch of grown men get scared by a mannequin and then post it online for thousands to see, so I think I win.”

Thomas rolled his eyes, even if he couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, yeah, show off your fun.” He said, patting Alexander’s shoulder as he continued his way down the halls.

The meeting went about as well as it usually did. Thomas received both accolades and constructive criticism, especially with finding his footing. One of the biggest red flags people complained about when Thomas was drafted was that he was too clumsy to be a quarterback. While that was fair, it was also a very irritating comment to receive literally all the time, especially given that he clearly was good enough.

Throughout the entire meeting, Adams brooded in the back corner, pretending to listen. Meanwhile, the third and fourth string guys (whose names Thomas honestly did not know) were just happy to be there. At least Adams got to play sometimes still, and also literally had a huge career under his belt. These guys would probably never step on the field during a game.

After that meeting was over, Thomas headed into the locker room to get ready for practice. There were still too many players that Thomas either hadn’t interacted with enough, or just didn’t like, and he worried that he might end up like Adams if he didn’t try to appear more friendly. The only issue is that he heard every nasty thing that each one of them said, and it definitely didn’t make him desire their friendship.

Practice came and went, and of course Thomas had to go talk to the collection of genuinely stupid reporters. At first he thought that maybe he was judging them too heavily, but then he read an article that sounded like his eight year old sister could have written it, and he didn’t feel quite as bad anymore. But as he sat down at the table, still in his practice jersey, Thomas was pleasantly surprised to see Alexander back in the seat that he’d been in all those weeks ago. Peggy was nowhere to be seen, and Thomas realized he hadn’t even seen her during practice.

“Good afternoon,” he said into the microphone. He was almost positive that the mic was only there for show, because there was no way that it was really necessary in this little crowd, but maybe he was mistaken. 

A few of the reporters replied with their own ‘good afternoon’ before hands started raising. Thomas looked around, hoping there might be an unfamiliar face somewhere in the crowd, only to see a collection of the same people that he saw each week. Finally, he nodded to a woman in a peachy-pink blazer.

“We all know that the Giants have already exceeded most people’s expectations this year with the win streak you have going on, but how do you plan on leading your team to a win in week seven against the Eagles?”

This was not only a question that Thomas expected, but one that he really couldn’t think of how to answer without sounding wishy-washy or something. As much as Thomas wanted to continue the team’s win streak, he couldn’t say he was the most confident about this game. Homefield advantage wouldn’t mean much for a team whose fanbase was still barely confident in them, especially against a team that only played two hours away.

Thomas took a moment to answer, because this was something that he really should think about. “We really just have to take it one game at a time. It’s incredible that we’ve gotten to this point with a celebration each week, but our focus has never been on remaining undefeated. The goal at hand here is to be the best we can be and keep healthy bodies and minds, and play as well as we can. If we keep up our momentum from the past six weeks, I think we can do it.”

The reporter tilted her head. “You think you can do what?”

Thomas couldn’t help but smile. This woman clearly knew what he was doing, and he’d pretty much walked right into this kind of follow up question. But he didn’t care about the question enough to answer it. His expression would be enough. And as he looked around the room, the journalists sitting before him got the gist and began to raise their hands again.

He chose an older, kind looking man, who seemed delighted to have been chosen to ask his question. “We noticed that Madison didn’t get as much playing time in Cincinnati as he usually gets. What is the process like to create the offensive schemes?”

“Well, I’m no coordinator,” Thomas said, his brows knotting together just a bit at the realization that he was by himself. Usually James or Monroe were with him for these, and he had no clue where either of them were. “Everything the offense does relates to knowing what the defense is going to do. When we watched the Bengals defense, we learned what we’d need to do to get past them.”

After a few more questions about the game in Cincinnati and the upcoming game against the Eagles, a very confident looking woman raised her hand, and Thomas couldn’t help but have her speak. “Recently an article was published about your background, and it seems to go against your usual private behavior. Do you have any comments on that?”

Thomas hadn’t heard anything about an article about himself. Usually James or Mary would send things to him if they were about him, because he usually found it pretty funny. But he hadn’t heard anything from either of them, leaving him completely clueless. If there was an article that had any details about his ‘background’ he wouldn’t be that surprised. His family wasn’t exactly a blip on the radar.

All he did was shrug. “I haven’t read it.”

···

As soon as Thomas got back to the locker room, he started looking for two things: his phone and James. Immediately, he knew that James was not in there. It wasn’t hard to see that there wasn’t another human in the entire open space, and he could hear that there were no showers running. So he’d have to ask James about the article later, after he found his phone and read it for himself.

Only, he had no idea where he’d left it. It wasn’t in his locker, he barely kept anything in there and it was very obviously not there. So, rather than panicking about that, he rinsed off and put on his normal clothes before heading up to the media office.

When Thomas walked in, a few of the people working at their computers stopped and watched him walk by. He always hated people who stared. It couldn’t be that hard to just pretend someone wasn’t there, and yet they all made sure they looked at who had opened the door. He didn’t even think they cared that it was him, just that someone had dared to disturb the flow.

It didn’t matter too much, though. He walked right past them, directly to Alexander’s cubicle. Thomas was significantly taller than those sad little walls, and felt strange about it, so he grabbed the chair of someone who just happened to not be at their desk and sat down beside his… friend.

“Wow, I feel like I just saw you.” Alexander said teasingly, raising a brow as Thomas sat down. “You seem like you’re in a little frenzy. What’s up?”

“I want to read this article they asked me about, can I use your computer?” Thomas asked, pretending that he didn’t notice that Alexander’s only decorations were ridiculous drawings Thomas had made to bully Adams.

Alexander shrugged. “Sure. You didn’t seem like you cared too much about it a few minutes ago, what changed?”

Thomas tried to think of the best way to explain without sounding like a huge asshole. “I just want to make sure that it isn’t something that I should care about.” He said, doing a great job at sounding way more calm than he really was. Alexander seemed to accept that answer, so he didn’t bother over explaining.

He grabbed the keyboard and searched his own name into the search bar, something he’d actually never done before. There was no reason for him to pay too much attention to the information that pops up immediately, because he already knew all of that. Instead, he looked at the section below, titled ‘Top Stories.’ Right there was an article with a picture of him as the thumbnail titled, “Everything you need to know about Giants’ new rookie star, Thomas Jefferson.” That had to be the one that they were talking about, so he clicked on it, Alexander looking over his shoulder.

Everything you need to know about Giants’ new rookie star, Thomas Jefferson

Everyone is talking about him. The young man who has been fundamental in turning around the state of the New York Giants. Last year the Giants finished with a depressing record of 3-14, and only one of those wins happened in MetLife Stadium. This year however, the Giants have already won six games in a row under Jefferson’s leadership, and everyone is talking about it. Already extremely popular across social media, Jefferson is proving to be the NFL’s potential new golden boy. But who is he really?

Born on April 13th, 2003 in Charlottesville, Virginia, Jefferson has never known a struggle. Unlike many players that make it to the NFL, Jefferson has lived a very privileged life as the eldest son of late Senator Peter Jefferson. His maternal grandparents didn’t do too bad for themselves either, and the generational wealth passed down from each side of the family is more than enough for the Jeffersons to live comfortably.

This is very evident in the way that Jefferson carries himself and acts behind closed doors. Throughout his college career, Thomas earned himself quite the reputation as a bit of a diva, his already large ego only growing with his popularity. Teammates of Jefferson told media outlets of his unwillingness to participate in locker room discussion on numerous occasions, admitting that it felt like he wasn’t truly participating in team efforts. The only explanation for this kind of behavior is that Jefferson does indeed feel superior, and after doing a bit of digging, the reasons for this attitude are obvious.

As previously stated, the Jeffersons are far from a poor family. And Thomas himself is not doing too bad himself—following the passing of his father in 2017, Jefferson received practically everything that his father owned. And as of his 21st birthday, the Jefferson Estate was officially Thomas Jefferson’s, even with his mother (Jane Randolph-Jefferson) still around. This alone could be considered the main reason that Jefferson seems to have this air about him, but I wasn’t stopping there.

From the ages of 14 to 17, Jefferson would spend his summers studying abroad, particularly at a prestigious private school in France. He also received private etiquette lessons among other frivolous skills. Not to mention that he attended a private university for pre-law, and could easily follow in his father’s footsteps if he just so happens to get bored of the NFL. 

We can’t help but wonder how long it’ll take for this attitude problem of Jefferson’s to creep into the Giants’ organization. Was he really the right choice to take the reins from John Adams? 

“Damn, that guy really came for you.” Alexander said. Thomas had almost forgotten that he was even there. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Thomas shrugged. “Nothing. This is just some guy that clearly has paid a bit more attention than the average person does. He took information that is easily accessible and added his opinion to it to try and get me to make an ass of myself on TV or something.”

Alexander looked at him. They were so close to one another right now, that if Thomas turned around just a bit more, their faces would barely be an inch from one another. “Is it true? All that horrible stuff about you…having etiquette classes?” He asked, acting all dramatic and making Thomas smile.

“Unfortunately.” He rolled his eyes. “My mother is ridiculous.” 

“Who wrote it?” Alexander asked, reaching over Thomas and scrolling back up to the top to see the name of the author. “James Callender. Ever heard of him?”

Thomas shook his head. “No. Look him up, I wanna see if he looks as stupid as he sounds.”

When Alexander Googled the name, a very normal looking man came up. One that Thomas had seen several times before, each time more aggravating than the last. “Oh, I know who that is. He’s that asshole who’s always in the press conferences asking me shit that has nothing to do with football at all. This makes perfect sense to me.”

Alexander nodded slowly. “Are you sure that this whole article thing isn’t making you mad at all? He made you sound like a giant douche.”

“It’s nothing new, and it’s also not even true. I know that, and anyone with half a brain can figure out why it isn’t true.” Thomas said. “My teammates from college were pieces of shit, that’s why I didn’t hang out with them much. And if people think I’m a diva because of how I was raised, that’s fine. I probably am, it’s not like I’m gonna deny it.”

“Okay,” Alexander said slowly. Really, the only thing that the article made Thomas worry about was him. If Alexander thought that Thomas was just some spoiled rich asshole, would he see him differently? 

“Why did you need to use my computer?” Alexander asked, leaning back in his chair. He didn’t make any effort to move further away now that they weren’t reading the same thing, which was a good sign.

“Oh, yeah, I lost my phone. I’d usually have James call it, but I couldn’t find him either, so I just came here instead.”

Alexander seemed a little entertained by Thomas’ answer, shrugging. “I can call it and help you look.”

···

It took a few calls, but eventually Thomas and Alexander found the phone. It was in the locker room, on the floor in a little corner near the showers, which Thomas found very strange. 

“Maybe you dropped it when you went in there after practice?” Alexander guessed.

Thomas shook his head. “I already didn’t have it when I went to shower.” He said, and at this point he’d already assumed that someone had taken it and hid it from him on purpose. He wasn’t going to say that out loud though, because then he’d probably sound paranoid or something. Maybe he was.

“Well, good thing you found it anyway. I feel like there’s some people around here that would just love to take that.” Alexander said, following as Thomas went back to his locker. Thomas sat down, and Alex sat beside him.

Thomas nodded in agreement. “Yeah. And now I can save your number.” He said, hoping he wasn’t pushing too much. When he glanced at Alexander however, he looked like he was actively trying not to smile.

“What would you need that for?” He asked, his tone perfectly teasing for what Thomas intended the suggestion to feel like.

He shrugged. “Oh, you know, in case I have some hot gossip to share, or if we’re separated on the plane.” Thomas turned and looked right at Alexander. “That sort of thing, you know?”

Alexander looked back at him, making direct eye contact. “Yeah, I get what you mean.”

The two of them were so close, and completely alone. Thomas mostly didn’t want to go through the risk of making a move anywhere near the facility, let alone in the locker room. But this moment was the best opportunity he’d gotten, and he was about to take it.

Until the click of the doors opening echoed through the large room, startling both of them. Alexander immediately stood up, and Thomas made a point of saying, “Thanks for helping me find it.”

As Alexander nodded and walked away, James came into view. “What was that about?”

—

By Thursday, Thomas felt like he was completely losing his mind. He'd gone and bothered Alexander again, and still felt like there was some kind of…something there. But there was no way he'd be able to do anything. It was probably against the rules somehow anyways, and the last thing he needed was another way for someone to spread more bad publicity about him. 

He'd have to wait until he didn't risk dragging Alexander down with him. It'd be one thing to come across as some kind of work place prowler, but he didn't want to cause Alexander to lose his job or something over something that was realistically so far from being an issue.

Practice went as it always did. James was paired up with Adams, though, leaving Thomas with John Marshall. He wondered if Washington wanted to try and get Marshall used to more plays to broaden his horizon. Usually he was on special teams, and he'd just had a huge kick return, so Thomas couldn't imagine why they'd change him around.

James had earned a reputation for himself too, though. Something about him was too difficult for defenses to predict. Washington most likely wanted to give him a bit of a rest because he didn't really need much extra attention.

After practice, Thomas once again walked alone back to the building. James was off talking to one of the coaches, and he didn't really know anyone else well enough to maintain a real conversation. A lot of that had to do with his mild awkwardness, which got really confusing when he thought too hard about it. 

Standing outside the building was Alexander and Peggy. Peggy was behind the camera with Alexander next to it, holding a paper plate with some candies on it. 

“What is this?” Thomas asked, holding his helmet against his side. 

Alexander was grinning, which Thomas learned meant that there was probably something devious going on. “You have to try not to eat the poisonous M&M.” 

Thomas must've made a face, because Alexander sighed. “I was going to get Skittles but they didn't have any. Besides, M&Ms are good, so no whining.”

“Hey, I wasn't whining. I’m just confused about why you're trying to poison me.” Thomas said, reaching for a candy. Alexander's expression stayed the same, so he ate it.

“You're dead!” Alexander said, with a bit too much enthusiasm. Behind the camera, Peggy chuckled. “Everyone else that played won.” 

Thomas sighed dramatically. “I have the worst luck ever. This was rigged, wasn't it?”

Alexander rolled his eyes and handed Thomas the plate. “Well since you're the first one to die, you get to be the last one to play, so you get the rest. Kind of seems like a win to me, unless you don't like M&Ms like some kind of freak.”

“Wow, you're so judgemental. Good thing I do like M&Ms, otherwise this could've torn us apart.” Thomas said, walking alongside Alexander as they went into the building.

“Yeah, it definitely would've. My best friend always tells me I'm boring because apparently M&Ms are the most basic candy according to him. Apparently those weird sour belt things are the best.” 

“Alright, well I agree with him because sour automatically beats anything chocolate. Except for sour Skittles, I don't want my mouth torn to shreds.”

Alexander chuckled. “Well apparently you and John would get along, if you're this opinionated on candy. I thought you weren't supposed to eat stuff like that.” 

Thomas shrugged. “I’m not ‘supposed’ to do a lot of things. Like I'm not supposed to stress myself out by moving apartments already, but I will one hundred percent be doing that.”

“I thought you were waiting until after your episode of the documentary?” Alex asked, turning to look at Thomas as they walked. 

“I am. They want my feature to be during Thanksgiving because we always play on the holiday, so they're going to try and make it look like I'm having a tough time without my family or something.” Thomas shrugged. “I’m gonna find a place so that I can be gone as soon as they're done filming.” 

“Why don't you like your apartment again?” Alexander asked. “Me and John live like..a mile away from here maybe? It's not bad, especially since I'm at the games instead of being forced to hear them.”

Thomas chuckled. “Except for when the Jets play. Those games are probably depressing as hell.” He then shrugged. “I just don't like how small it is, and I can't have my cat, and it just doesn't suit me.”

“Well, if you need any help with anything I’d be glad to come by.” Alexander offered, sounding just nervous enough for Thomas to notice it.

Thomas nodded. “That'd be great. I don't have that many friends here yet, aside from James.” 

···

As Thomas attempted to drive home, he was once again caught in an absolute cluster fuck of traffic. Of course he knew that it was ridiculous for him to actively choose this method, but public transportation was simply not in the cards for him. The screen on his dashboard changed as a text notification came through, the robotic voice saying, “New message from: Mary.”

He sighed and picked up his phone, opening the message there because why bother dealing with the car screen when he was stopped anyway.

Thursday, October 16th, 4:13PM

[Mary] be honest, do you have some kind of thing going on with someone?? i swear these people online are convinced that you do

[Thomas] Stop looking at that shit, it's random teenagers who have no idea what they're talking about

[Mary] boooo why don't you ever tell me anything 

[Mary] i promise i won't stalk them this time

[Mary] is it another famous person?? istg if you're dating an actress or something i will kill you

[Thomas] I’m not dating anyone holy fuck

[Thomas] Did Mom see that article?

[Mary] yeah she's trying to get mark to “handle it” 

[Mary] i told her you don't care. she said she doesn't give a shit what you say

[Thomas] Figures. She's just mad because it makes it sound like Dad completely ignored her in his will

[Mary] well he didn't give her the any piece of property so he kinda did 

[Thomas] Well he probably didn't think he was going to die so long before her, I don't know

[Mary] you and i both know why she didn't get anything thomas

[Mary] anyway, congrats on being the loser who dies in that video today. also i am coming to your game against the commanders 

[Thomas] Do you want a box?

[Mary] nah, i wanna see all of your crazy fans close up :)

Thomas sighed and put his phone down. By this point he'd made it a little ways more, but still felt like he would probably be quicker if he walked home. There was no way he'd be staying in Manhattan for any longer than he needed to.

As soon as he did get home, he took a shower and sat down on his sofa, just sitting in silence. The still quiet was something he appreciated very much, especially after a day of meetings and bullshit and practices. Even if he'd wanted to follow his father's footsteps, he'd need to get used to that world again, and it wasn't very friendly to him the first time. He was only a kid then, and it caused him so much anxiety then that he'd probably never go that route.

Since James wasn't there, Thomas wasn't going to bother making anything particularly great for dinner, nor was he going to bother watching the Thursday night game that was starting soon. It was the Saints and the Broncos, and even though they'd be playing the Saints in a few weeks, Thomas felt no need to watch them get their asses handed to them beforehand.

So he ate a depressing dinner by himself and then got ready for bed, laying down and staring at his bedroom ceiling in silence. He had no idea how long he laid there for, or what time it was when he fell asleep, but he'd be up bright and early again the next morning without fail. 

—

Come Sunday, Thomas was more nervous than he'd like to admit. The Philadelphia Eagles were one of the powerhouses of the NFC, and the Giants would have to face them twice this season. They were definitely one of two toughest teams they'd be playing, and as much as Thomas wanted to be confident, he just didn't have the most faith in the team as a whole.

Kickoff was at 4, and the entire day leading up, Thomas just couldn't get the nerves out of his system. Adams was giving him looks like always, and James’ pregame ritual consisted of being far away from everyone else. So Thomas was completely alone, unless he wanted to go chat with Monroe.

Warmups came and went, and honestly Thomas didn't even remember a single moment of it. Peggy came around and got some videos of padded warmups, and then all of a sudden some girl was singing the Star Spangled Banner and Thomas was walking to the center of the field for the coin toss. Of course, the Eagles won that, and elected to receive the ball to start the second half.

The offense took the field, failing to score with their first possession. In contrast, the Eagles powered through the Giants' defense and put seven on the board. But by the end of the first quarter, the game was all tied up. 

The second quarter went pretty much the same. The Giants put up a good fight, but as the clock ran out and halftime began, each team had fourteen points on the board. The air in the locker room during the thirteen minutes they had before the second half started was painfully tense—these guys were just as confident as Thomas was.

“This is a perfect situation,” Washington was saying, surrounded on all sides by players looking like they already lost. “We may not be ahead, but we're also not behind. This game is still winnable, we just need to keep our minds focused on the matter at hand.” 

As Washington continued to speak, Thomas watched the expressions of his teammates. James was as difficult to read as ever, and Monroe was looking extremely thoughtful. Marshall and Henry looked angry.

After a bit more discussion and pep-talking, the team returned to the field to get warmed up again. They had the opportunity to prove everyone wrong by winning, or the opportunity to prove everyone right by losing. A loss could mean people would immediately switch up on them once again, and they'd have to start at square one again to make anyone take them seriously.

The Eagles offense took the field, making good use of the possession and scoring after only a few minutes to put them back in the lead. And after several minutes, the Giants answered, putting the game back at a tie, each team with twenty-one points. As the game clock counted down, Thomas worried about overtime.

But the fourth quarter was rougher on the Giants than it was on the Eagles, putting the final score at a disappointing 28-24. The Eagles got another touchdown and extra point, while the Giants put up a field goal and their first loss of the season.

Thomas watched as his teammates filed into the tunnel, disappointment and anger thick in the air. He had to stay on the field and listen to the quarterback for the Eagles give him meaningless words of encouragement, then spew nonsense at the cameras for the upset fans watching from home.

As all of the chaos cleared, he saw Alexander standing off to the side. He wasn't holding the phone out, though. There was no need for a celebratory Instagram story. Thomas headed over to him, trying to look past the look of mild sympathy.

“Could've been worse, right?” Alexander said, clearly trying to be supportive. Thomas appreciated it, but he cared significantly less than people expected. Probably less than he should. 

“Do you want to come have dinner with me?” He asked, not only surprising himself but also ignoring Alexander's statement entirely.

Alexander looked surprised as well, but smiled. “Uh, sure. Are you cooking?”

Thomas thought about that, but shook his head. “We'll order something. Wait for me at the staff exit, okay?”

Alexander nodded. “Okay.”

···

Thomas usually waited around for a little while after a game was over so that he could avoid the absolute chaos that came about when everyone left. The Giants had started to pull their own fans back in, and it wasn't a hard game for Eagles fans to get to, so it was sure to be at least a little bit hellish outside. But none of that was at the top of Thomas' mind, because he was supposed to be meeting Alexander.

As soon as the post game talk was over, Thomas took a shower and put on the clothes he'd arrived at the stadium in. Thankfully he never bothered with suits or special outfits like some other players did, so he wouldn't feel completely ridiculous.

And when he was no longer drenched in sweat, Thomas avoided everyone else and went straight to the staff exit, where Alexander was already waiting.

“Man, I was beginning to think they were killing you in there.” Alexander joked, earning himself an eye roll from Thomas.

“Yeah, yeah. I actually was quicker today than I normally am, so.” He replied, motioning for Alexander to follow him.

As he followed, Alexander said, “Are you going to murder me or something? Where are we going?”

“The players’ parking lot is under the stadium.” Thomas explained. “Why would I murder you in a place with thousands of people nearby?”

Alexander chuckled. “Good point. You gonna kill me somewhere else?” 

Thomas shrugged. “Probably not? I never planned on being one of those players, but I guess you should never say never right? Justin Bieber said that.”

“Do not tell me you listen to Justin Bieber. I will turn around right now.” Alexander laughed.

“What? No! My sisters though…” Thomas shook his head. “Completely devastating taste in music.” 

As they reached Thomas' car, Alexander looked around, apparently surprised by how many cars were there. “I guess I never realized that you guys would drive out here.”

“Yeah, it's horrible. One of the many reasons I will be looking for a place out here.” Thomas said, getting into the driver's seat and starting the car.

Alexander got in beside him, still looking around. “Probably smarter. I can't imagine you getting in a taxi right now, I feel like you might get beat up for losing.”

Thomas laughed, but pretended to look offended. “Hey, it just happened! At least let them whine about it online first.”

Their banter continued throughout the painful car ride back to Thomas' building in Manhattan, and Alexander did not hold back his jokes about being caught in traffic. Thomas had worried a bit that it might get awkward because there was no one else around to act as a buffer, but it was honestly better that way.

When they got up to Thomas’ apartment, he set his bag down on the floor near the door and told Alexander to make himself at home.

“So this is the infamous home of Thomas Jefferson, huh?” Alexander asked, sitting down on the sofa. “You don't even have any decorations up.”

Thomas looked around. It was true—there were no photos or plants, just blank walls and empty windowsills. “I guess I haven't really thought about getting decorations.”

Alexander shrugged. “My place is mostly decorated with random stuff, like stolen street signs. I don't even know where they came from, to be honest.”

Thomas smiled and sat down beside Alexander. “My room growing up was like that. I'd just find something I liked and it joined the rest of the random things all over the place.” 

There was a bit of a lull in the conversation, so Thomas said, “What are we thinking for food? I don't know all of the places around here that well yet, but I do know there's a pizza place around somewhere.”

“Pizza’s good,” Alexander said. “Honestly anything is probably better than whatever I would have made at home. John and I are terrible grocery shoppers, and he usually eats with his boyfriend anyways.”

Thomas grabbed his phone to look up the name and number of the pizza place, raising a brow at Alexander's tone. “Ohh, you don't like his boyfriend?”

Alexander sighed, leaning back a bit. “I don't necessarily dislike Burr, he's just..not what we would have expected John to date. They're like complete opposites. Even Lafayette doesn't really love the guy, but he and I used to be friends.”

“And you're not anymore?” Thomas asked, scrolling through the reviews of the restaurant quickly to make sure it wasn't complete shit.

“I don't know. He's just too lackluster, I guess? Everything he does is to fit whoever he's near, it's like he doesn't know himself at all. I don't think you can trust someone who doesn't have a clear identity.”

Thomas could understand that very well. He couldn't stand people who changed themselves for someone else when their original identity was perfectly fine. “I see. Maybe he'll surprise you, or something.” 

He then called and ordered the pizza, which arrived about twenty minutes later. The delivery boy took one look at Thomas and seemed completely torn on whether to be happy or not, apparently deciding that asking him not to lose again was the best option. 

From the couch, Alexander was cackling. “You lose one time and it's like you ruined an entire city’s spirit. I am glad that I'm not you.”

Thomas gave him a look. “Not the entire city, some of these people are still stuck with the Jets. And then there's all the people who aren't from here, like me. I was a Washington fan growing up, and now I can't even root for them.”

Alexander thought about that for a second. “Not Carolina?” 

“Nah. My dad liked Washington, so that's who I liked. He probably died all over again when the Giants picked me.” He joked, and then he got an idea. “Oh, follow me.”

Alexander stood up, looking a bit skeptical. The apartment was relatively small, so there wasn't really anywhere to follow to. Except for one spot—the fire escape. Which Alexander looked just as skeptical about.

“It's sturdy, don't worry. If James and I can stand on it at the same time, then you and I definitely can.” Thomas said, and Alexander just shrugged and stepped out, apparently deciding that he might as well just trust it.

Thomas grabbed two paper plates and a drink for them each before he joined Alexander, the two of them eating dinner by the light pouring out from the surrounding buildings.

“What do you usually do after a game?” Alexander asked. “I never really thought about what it's like for the players. I usually go back to the facility and take care of stuff and then enjoy being in a quiet environment.”

Thomas smiled softly. “Yeah, I pretty much do the same thing. I can usually tune out the crowd, but I swear they were even worse today.”

“I thought my eardrums might burst, to be honest. I don't know how you stay focused like, at all.” Alexander said, taking a bite of his food.

“I guess I'm used to it by now. In college there wasn't quite that much of a crowd, since I didn't go to a big foot all school, but at away games it tended to get a bit crazy.”

“Are you glad that you get to play for a big crowd now?” Alexander asked. There was no way that he knew how loaded of a question that was, at least for Thomas.

“To an extent, yes.” He answered, looking down at the street below them. “At the same time, I can't help but wonder what I would have been if I didn't go down this particular path.”

Alexander's tone changed just slightly when he replied. “Me too. I definitely didn't picture myself working in sports.”

Thomas kept his focus on the people walking below them. There was a couple that looked like they were either going to or coming from a date, a group of friends laughing together, men in suits that were probably out later than they were supposed to be. So many different stories happening all at once.

When he looked up, Alexander was watching him as intently as he'd been watching those strangers, a small smile on his face. “You're not nearly as shitty as that article made you out to be.”

Thomas threw his head back a bit, laughter following his surprise at the tone of Alexander's comment. He sounded so fond, but wasn't sappy in the slightest.

It was perfect.

Chapter Text

Sitting at home on a Friday evening wasn't exactly where Alexander really envisioned he'd be as a twenty-two year old man, but that's precisely where he was. In all fairness, he was still with his best friend, and the other two would probably join them in a little while. For now, Alex and John sat beside each other, each of them holding a beer as they watched Dumb and Dumber.

On Sunday when Alex had told John he'd be home late, he hadn't said why. Honestly, he didn't know what made him feel like he shouldn't tell John at that moment, but he'd been wanting to spill his guts the entire week. Especially because the week has just gotten better and better. 

John didn't like to talk about work, which was fair because half of them worked in the same place. But Alex had gone home with a very hot football player. Even if nothing really happened, he felt like it could have if he'd just put himself out there. A kiss, at least. And Thomas kept coming to visit Alex in his office in his free time, and made sure to participate in any silly trend that he and Peggy put him through. Most quarterbacks were allowed and almost expected to stay away from stupid stuff like that, especially if they were responsible for rebooting a team. But Thomas didn't do that.

This was a rare moment with John. If he wasn't working at that awful gas station, then he was probably with Burr. So now that Alexander had him alone, he had to just go for it and get the conversation started.

“How did you and Burr start like..how did you guys end up together?” Alexander asked, probably a little too awkwardly. He couldn't decide if he should look at John or keep watching the movie.

“I thought you didn't ever want to hear about that?” John said, mocking Alexander's voice. “Suddenly you're curious?”

Alexander shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I just..you guys weren't exactly best friends before, and then one day you guys were in bed together and I didn't know what to do.”

John chuckled a little, setting his beer down on the floor and turning to face Alexander. Alex turned to face him as well, clutching his own bottle like it would save him from whatever embarrassment this conversation might bring him.

“When you found us, that was like two months in at least.” John said, laughing again when Alexander cringed. “I don't even really know how it started. He and I were talking late one night, and then we kissed, and then we did some other stuff that I'm sure you don't want to hear about.”

Alexander hadn't known a single detail about John and Burr's relationship until this point, and now he felt kind of bad for not letting John talk about it before now. If he wanted so badly to talk his possible romance with Thomas, John definitely had to have wanted to talk about sleeping with Burr. 

“That first time was a little…unfamiliar. But then it happened a few more times, and then it became a regular thing, and at some point I wanted him sleeping next to me all the time. We decided to be ‘official’ after you found us, actually.” John continued. The smile on his face was so happy, even if it was small, that Alex even felt a little bit envious. 

He really didn't know what to say. Alex had never been one for meaningful conversation, and this was definitely beginning to fit into that category. So, ridiculous as ever, he asked, “Burr can fuck?”

John laughed, picking his beer up and taking a sip as he nodded. “Don't act so surprised.” He said. “To be as vague as possible, I’m just gonna say yes.”

“But like…if I hadn't seen you guys in bed together that time, I don't think I'd even believe anything was happening.”

A goofy smile broke out onto John’s face, and he just shrugged. “You're welcome for being quiet.” He then leaned back a bit, studying Alexander closely. “So, who's the guy?” 

Alexander's first instinct was to act clueless, and pretend that he really only wanted to know more about John and Burr. But that defeated the whole point of him bringing it up at all, so he sighed in immediate defeat and looked down. “...Thomas Jefferson.”

“Oh, damn, isn't he that new guy? Damn, they talk about him so much and I still can't remember what he looks like.” John said, grabbing his phone. A second later he nodded. “Alright, now that I got a face to go with the name, tell me all about your cheerleader crush.”

Alexander scoffed and whacked John, who began to laugh, in the arm. “Don't be a douche! I don't know when this all started, but like, he is so hot and big and stuff.”

John raised his eyebrows. “The fuck do you mean ‘and big and stuff?’”

“Ugh, stop, don't be weird. Like he's literally just big. He's way taller than me, he's super strong. Like he can pick me up no problem.” 

Now John was shaking his head, confused. “Why did he pick you up? I am very lost here Alex, I need like, a start to this timeline.”

Alexander sighed. “One time during a game he fell on top of me and knocked me down, and just like…picked me up and went on his way. There's a video of it somewhere.”

John nodded slowly, typing something else into his phone. After a second, he laughed just a little. “Damn, he crushed you. How did you not die?”

“Yeah, see? He's giant. And like, he comes and sits with me at my desk when he's bored, and he leaves me these drawings of a guy we both don't like, and he invited me to his apartment on Sunday. And he called me handsome on the plane a few weeks ago.”

John grinned. “That's where you were on Sunday? Now I get why you were weirdly vague. Does Peggy know?”

Alex shook his head. “No, I told her I was going to walk home because I wanted the fresh air, or something. But that's beside the point, what do I do?” 

“I don't know, talk to him? I've never really been in this situation. Like I said, Aaron and I kissed, he fucked me, the rest is history.” 

Alexander huffed, throwing his head back dramatically. “How the hell am I supposed to talk to him? What if he's just doing that stupid ‘haha I’m joking about being gay’ thing? Or what if he doesn't want anything real and just needs to find someone he can have secret gay sex with?”

“Well, worst case scenario, you get some good dick and have a looming secret over a rich guy.” John said. When Alexander didn't laugh, he sighed.

“You said he goes out of his way to talk to you, right? And he called you handsome, and he invited you over at night?” John shrugged. “He wants you, Alex.”

Alexander really wanted to just believe John with no doubt, but he couldn't help but feel like it was different because of Thomas' position as a public figure. Especially one whose fans were probably all homophobes.

“There's also the comments people post on like, TikTok and stuff.” He said. “I haven't looked at them in a while because I thought they were just feeding my delusion.”

John scooted closer to Alexander, laying back so his head was on Alex's chest. He held the phone so that they could both see and found the Giants page, clicking on the first video with Thomas in it and immediately going to the comments. Soon, he started to laugh at some of the things people said.

“Who is willing to talk about some random dude's fingers like that in any place other than their mind? Oh my God this person said ‘I picture Thomas and James as every single one of my book boyfriends.’ Who is James?” 

Alexander began to laugh as well. “James Madison, he’s another player on the team. I think they're best friends.”

John looked up at Alex. “You gotta kill him, he's your competitor now.” He then went right back to scrolling through the comments.

anna.banana432: how did we get so lucky to have him!!!

tjsgirl: do we not see how he's looking at whoever's behind the camera…girl go get your (my) man

jamesmadisonismyhusband: stop giving them candy and GIVE MADISON THE DAMN BALL

pickleeatersanonymous: big strong man..throw me around…big strong man…something something pound (me)

mimiya: ffffuck me (please please please!!!)

eyecandi: bruh he's flirting with that guy again are we joking rn. like do we not realize that the camera man is that guy who knew his sister?

david.ds: he looks like he smells amazing

“These people definitely see it too, man. I mean they're actively acknowledging that he's flirting with you and like…yeah, he is.” John said, sitting up again and turning to face Alexander once more. “I don't see what you're worried about. I don't see any indication that he doesn't want you.”

Alex bit his lip a little, contemplating. All of the signs pointed to yes, but something kept making him skeptical. “What do you suppose I'd do about that?”

John shrugged. “Find an opportunity and make your move.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and Alexander took that time to think about what John said. It wasn't like it'd be the end of the world if something went wrong somehow…he’d just be losing someone who was becoming a good friend.

Suddenly, John broke out into a puckish smile, typing furiously on his phone. Of course, this concerned Alexander greatly, so he leaned over and peeked at the screen, which was upside down from his point of view. 

“What the hell—is that fanfiction? What are you doing?” He asked, moving John's legs so he was sitting the right way and scooting right up next to him.

John’s smile only grew as he tapped on the search bar and typed ‘thomas jefferson nfl’ into it, much to Alexander's dismay. Even worse, there were over three hundred results. 

“Oh my God, this James guy really is your competition! Half of these are about..’Jeffmads’ which apparently is Jefferson and Madison. Listen to this description.” John cleared his throat before he read aloud in a dramatic narrator voice.

“While visiting their college to encourage young players to follow their dreams, Thomas and James reminisce in their old dorm. With no one around, things get heated.”

John was having a difficult time reading by the end of the summary, having burst into laughter. “Oh no, Alex, this says Jefferson is a bottom. You aren't compatible sexually!”

Alexander whacked him once again, but he was laughing too. “I think I'd cry if there was fanfiction about me. That's like, weirdly embarrassing isn't it? Cause like…these random people really imagine you doing this stuff.”

This only made John laugh harder. “Oh my God! I need to find someone to write fanfiction about Laf or something, like the best possible prank.” As he spoke, he continued to scroll.

“Oh, there's one where you're the one in a relationship. It says female reader, but you can just change the anatomy and stuff.” John teased, still continuing to scroll.

This went on for a few more minutes when the sound of a car pulling into the driveway grabbed Alexander's attention. That was sure to be Lafayette and Hercules there to hangout for a rare guy’s night, which immediately put Alexander into a mini panic. 

He grabbed John's phone and closed the tab with the fanfiction. “Don't tell Laf and Herc about this. They know him and I don't want them to get all logical and stuff.”

John nodded, looking serious for the first time in probably an hour. “Yeah, no problem. But you do know they'll support you, right?” 

“I know. But Laf is literally his trainer…it just feels weird, cause they know each other and I know them both. I don't know how to explain it.”

“Nah, I got it, mum’s the word.” John said, and a second later, Lafayette and Hercules came into the room. Hercules was carrying a thirty pack of beer, which he promptly put in the fridge. Soon, everyone was in their usual places, and Billy Madison had come on automatically after Dumb and Dumber ended.

“Hello my friends, thank God it is Friday and we can have the weekend like normal people, yes?” Lafayette said as he got comfortable. “Time to drink gross beer like true grown men.”

Hercules chuckled. “Hey, don't come for my beer like that! It's delightful, just cheap.”

Lafayette made a face, mocking Hercules and leaning back dramatically. “I cannot even remember what we do for fun. There is only four of us, what are we supposed to do on a Friday night?”

Alexander shrugged. “I think most people our age are like, clubbing and stuff. Or at least actually at a bar instead of watching stupid movies like middle aged men.”

“Hey! Adam Sandler movies are a perfect mixture of mindless and funny, thank you very much. And I identify very heavily with them.”

“Of course you do,” Hercules snorted from his spot in John’s recliner. “You do mindless shit, which usually gives us a funny story.”

Lafayette nodded in agreement. “Which is why we are not at a bar right now meeting beautiful men and women. Because if we get drunk in public, John will probably get arrested or something.”

John rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna get arrested, nothing I do is that bad. Just because you're a sappy drunk doesn't mean you get to rain on my parade.”

“You are just a reckless drunk. And a reckless person, if we are being real.” Lafayette shrugged, leaning over and grabbing the remote. “Isn't there anything more exciting that we could watch? Something explosive?”

“Yeah, ‘cause any action movie with big explosions is going to be less ridiculous than this.” John rolled his eyes, but made no effort to stop Lafayette's browsing. It was a losing battle.

Hercules took a sip of his beer. “So where's Burr at? I mean, I don't love the guy as much as I love you guys, but I hope he wasn't explicitly excluded.”

“He said he didn't want to come because you guys are massive assholes.” John replied, before brushing that right out of the air and telling the truth. “He told me he wants to make sure that we all spend time together since we haven't had a chance with just the four of us in a while.”

Alexander thought about how John had talked about Burr earlier and, despite how much he didn't want to, chimed in. “We should do something with all of us again, like we used to. I mean, Burr doesn't really do anything bad, he's just…boring.”

John smiled a little, but still had to defend his boyfriend. “He is not boring! Just because he's less vocal than us doesn't mean he's boring. But I bet you he'd really love to be included next time.”

“In that case, we need to talk to the girls too.” Lafayette said, giving Alexander a pointed look. “Did you talk to Eliza yet? It has been ages.*

Alexander exhaled dramatically. “No, I haven't. Like I have said a thousand times, I don't even know how to.”

“Ugh, tu es tellement stupide que je te déteste vraiment. Text her right now and tell her you want to talk or I will rip your throat out.” 

“Jesus Christ, fine,” Alexander said, laughing a little at the extreme threat. He made a show of grabbing his phone and scrolled down until he found his conversation with Eliza. The last time he'd texted just her was over a year ago.

Friday, October 24th, 8:23PM

[Alexander] hey eliza, wanna grab a quick drink tomorrow? i think we should talk

“There, I texted her. No need to violently murder me anymore.” 

Lafayette sighed sadly. “That is quite a shame. I was really feeling the bloodlust there, I think my anger really got the best of me.”

“John, what are we doing for your birthday?” Hercules asked. “We should have done a party tomorrow or something since it's in the middle of the week.” 

John shrugged. “Aaron’s taking me out to dinner on Tuesday. Maybe we can do something on Halloween? Like a little spooky birthday get together? It isn't like we have that many people to worry about inviting.”

“That's a good idea. Sorry we didn't think to do something sooner, Tuesday is not a good day to celebrate anything.” Hercules said, but John didn't seem to mind. 

“It's also the day of the week I was born on, so I guess it's kinda cool. At least it isn't my golden birthday, ‘cause I plan on using that as an excuse to get absolutely wasted.” 

“I was born on a Friday.” Lafayette stated proudly. “Which is probably the best day to be born, because it leads into Saturday, the best day of the week.”

Hercules stared at Lafayette very judgementally before grabbing his phone, apparently Googling what day of the week he was born on. “I was born on a Wednesday, I guess. I feel like somehow that makes sense.”

Alexander followed suit, looking up what day of the week he was born on. “Oh, I definitely win, I was born on a Saturday.”

“Oh, you know what we should do?” Hercules said, sitting up. “I saw this thing where apparently men can't like, balance on their knees with their chest parallel to the floor. I wanna try.”

As the three other men got on the floor to test this information, Alexander's phone buzzed. There was a response from Eliza.

Friday, October 24th, 8:41PM

[Eliza] Let's go for a walk in the park instead. How about 4? 

—

When Alexander got to the right part of the park, Eliza was already there, sitting on a bench and reading. From afar, she looked so peaceful and delicate. Alexander had always thought that she was the perfect image of grace, from the way she held herself to the incredible mind behind kind eyes. There was no person in the world better than Eliza Schuyler.

When they'd been dating, Alexander was reminded endlessly that she was too good for him. Whether it was something that she did, or someone literally saying it, it was a looming truth throughout their relationship. And when he'd ended it, people that weren't even in the relationship were upset by how he'd done it. As much as he regretted it, he wished that the people it didn't concern would drop it.

As he approached the bench, Eliza finished the page she was reading before marking her place and putting the book in her bag. She stood up, smiling politely. Usually when she greeted her friends, especially after it's been a while, she'd give them a hug. This was not the case today.

“How've you been?” She asked as they began to walk. “I heard the Giants finally lost. That's probably a lot of pressure off of that poor new boy.”

Alexander couldn't help but smile at Eliza calling Thomas the ‘poor new boy.’ Especially because Thomas had seemed to care about losing as much as he cared about stubbing a toe. But he was here for a reason, and it wasn't to talk about the guy he liked to his ex. 

“Yeah, I think it was probably a blessing in disguise. They're confident about Monday, I think.” The level of awkwardness that he felt was excruciating, and it was making Alexander's skin crawl.

“What about you?” He asked. “Did the second month of school go by alright?”

Eliza nodded, but sighed at the same time. “In theory, yes. Some of my kids are already showing signs of being behind, so I'm trying to come up with a way to get them extra help. They haven't found a replacement aid yet, though, and it's not like I can always focus on just a few kids.”

Alexander could literally never teach, especially not kindergarten. Being responsible for teaching kids how to read sounded not only terrifying but also horrible for his patience. “No one's applying?”

“I guess not. Or if they are, it's young kids who have no sense of responsibility at all. The last one I had was this girl, she's probably two years younger than us, and she had absolutely no control at all. I hope she finds her calling, because it definitely isn't teaching.” Eliza said. Alexander was surprised by the backhandedness of her kindness. 

Again, a painfully awkward silence fell over them. There were people all over the place, different kinds of conversations happening all around them, and Alexander couldn't even manage to start this one.

Eliza seemed to notice, because she turned to look at him. Her expression was serious, maybe even a little impatient or annoyed. “Alex, if you want to talk about something, you have to actually open your mouth. I am not a mind reader.”

Alex took a deep breath, nodding. “Yeah, sorry, I just…I don't really know how to do this.” 

When Eliza didn't respond, Alex realized that she was just going to wait for him to get on with it. She was usually so patient, but maybe she didn't have enough for him.

“I just wanted to apologize for how I handled things with us. It was a shitty way to go about everything, and I know I should have apologized sooner. I'd really like things to be less tense and stuff, with like, the group and everything.”

Eliza was quiet when Alexander stopped speaking. Her expression was now unreadable, as if she was completely neutral on this entire matter. “Alex, I don't mean to be rude, but do you think I was lingering on you this whole time?” 

Taken aback, Alexander immediately shook his head. “What? No, no, of course not. I just know that things have been weird, especially since you and Angelica haven't really been my biggest fans since everything. I just want us to all talk again.”

Now Eliza was smiling. Not at him, just to herself. “The only reason we don't talk to you so much anymore is because you separated yourself from us. I hope you don't think that you're occupying this huge part of my mind, or something, because honestly you don't. You broke up with me, and you didn't do it in the nicest way, but that's life when you date men.”

Alexander's brows furrowed. Eliza had never been so…brutal, at least not that he'd seen before. And she still sounded pretty nice. “But whenever we all hangout, you guys basically avoid me. Like at Peggy’s birthday.”

Eliza rolled her eyes. “No, Alex. You sit off by yourself and mope. We aren't avoiding you just because no one goes over to entertain your drama. Sometimes it's just exhausting to walk on eggshells around someone that was shitty to you, and I'm just not going to do that. The world doesn't revolve around you.”

“No, I know it doesn't. I guess I just misunderstood the whole thing. I thought people were mad at me because I broke up with you.” Alexander said. He hadn't felt so small in a long time, and he certainly hadn't expected Eliza to be the one making him feel that way.

“No one was mad at you because you broke up with me. We were upset because you texted and basically said you couldn't love me, so we had to break up.” Eliza sighed. 

Alexander stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling like a little kid that was in trouble for something he lied about. “I didn't know what to do. I was panicking.”

“It doesn't matter now anyways.” Eliza said, and soon her usual gentleness was back. “Alex, you're still our friend. There's no reason to dwell on the past.” 

She stopped walking, so he did too. “Someday you'll find the man who’ll be your whole world. And I will be so happy for you. Now please, try to be less awkward, we know each other too well for this.”

—

Having freedom on a Sunday felt completely unfamiliar, but the timing couldn't be better. After he spoke with Eliza yesterday and was subsequently humbled, Lafayette decided that it was time to have everyone together so that they could make plans for John’s birthday/Halloween celebration. Now everyone was there, even Burr, and it seemed like everyone was having a good time.

Alexander was sitting by himself, which he realized would probably get him picked on by Eliza later, but he really just wanted to take in the moment. That, and he hadn't been to Lafayette's house enough to feel like he could just sit anywhere, even though it was literally just Laf.

John was sitting on the couch, Burr's arm around him. They were talking to Hercules about some new movie or something, a conversation that had started on Friday and probably wouldn't end for like a month. Lafayette was looking at Peggy like she had just confessed to being a serial killer, which meant that she probably was trying to speak French again. Eliza was with them, laughing.

Alexander's stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much today. He'd intended on making sure he wanted to eat later since Lafayette always had too much food, but ended up getting distracted. Now was his chance to get good food before everyone else stole it.

When he walked into the kitchen, he saw that he wasn't the only one with this idea. Angelica was standing in front of the counter with a plate in one hand, apparently deciding how many pieces of pizza she wanted. She turned around when she heard him, though, and for some reason Alex assumed that she was going to yell at him or something.

“Alex,” she said. Her tone was completely pleasant, no malice noticeable at all. Maybe Alex was just continuing to be an idiot. “How are you? I haven't talked to you in forever.”

Alexander shrugged. “I’m doing pretty good. I got a cool job, so now I'm not scraping by like I was. How are you?’

Angelica smiled. “Oh, I'm doing fine. I think that this restaurant might be the death of me, but that's just how it seems to go.” There was a bit of a pause before she said, “I heard you and Eliza talked yesterday.”

“Yeah. I didn't know she was so feisty, it was honestly a little scary.” Alex joked, leaning on the counter across from Angelica, who was nodding in agreement.

“Eliza is the sweetest person I have ever known, but I will never cross her. Too many people underestimate her, and it's never pretty.” Angelica said, setting her plate down and crossing her arms comfortably.

“She probably told you how dumb I am, huh?” Alex asked, trying his best not to sound like some pathetic little asshole. 

Angelica shrugged. “Nah, she doesn't have to say anything for me to know that. She didn't really tell me anything, just that you guys talked and that your self awareness is shit.”

Alexander pressed his lips together, pretending to be annoyed by the insult. He'd almost forgotten how easily being mean came to Angelica. “Yeah, I guess it is. She definitely gave me a bit of a reality check.”

“I'm glad you finally know that none of us hate you. I mean, you really think that Peggy would choose you over us? That should have been your first sign that you were wrong.”

“I guess I never thought about it that way.” Alex admitted, shrugging awkwardly. “I shouldn't have assumed, it just seemed like that was the most plausible reason for it being so weird.”

Angelica laughed, and he knew that she was laughing at him, not with him. “Alex, you are the smartest idiot I have ever met. I genuinely have no idea how you've made it this far in life.”

“Hey, I am a very resourceful person, I’ll have you know. If I was ever kidnapped, I'm positive I'd get free.” 

“Yeah, you'd talk so much, they'd kick you out of the van.” Angelica teased, coming to his side of the kitchen and pulling him into a hug. “I still think of you like a brother, okay? I don't want you to get caught up thinking we hate you again.”

Alexander nodded. “I know. Thanks, Angelica.”

—

The Giants beat the Steelers with ease on Monday night, and Alexander was feeling weirdly pumped up. Maybe his infatuation with Thomas was seeping further than he initially thought, because there was no other explanation for why he felt so proud of this team for winning. Sports were never really his thing, but he found himself loving the noise of the crowd and wanting to bully anyone in a Steelers jersey. 

The final score ended up being 38 to 3, and the Steelers looked absolutely defeated as they walked through the tunnel to the away locker room. Alexander waited outside the swarm of reporters for Thomas, because he had to hand him the phone, and he could tell by the expression on Thomas' face and the way he was holding himself that he was pretty thrilled. 

Alex wondered what kind of drama might've happened with Adams after the loss against Philadelphia. He'd seen some people online saying that it was going to start a losing streak for the Giants that Thomas might not be able to bounce back from. Alex wasn't entirely certain, but Thomas seemed to enjoy proving people wrong and also just being ‘better’ in general.

As the reporters and cameras cleared away, Thomas made his way towards Alexander, grinning ear to ear. Alex handed him the phone and found himself smiling as well while he watched Thomas record a short video for the socials. After handing the phone back to Alexander, Thomas hooked his fingers around the collar of his jersey and pads, a position that the players stood in so much that Alex found himself almost mimicking sometimes.

Thomas glanced around quickly, then leaned a bit closer to Alexander and said, “Wanna come by for dinner again? I know it's late, but eating alone sucks.”

Alexander had to stop himself from smiling even bigger, swallowing down his excitement and nodding. “Yeah, sure. I have to put this equipment back in the facility, so..should I meet you over there?”

Thomas turned and looked at the jumbotron, which had the time on it. It was around eleven. “That's no problem, I’ll be quicker today since we won.” He then jogged off to join his team in the locker room, which Alexander probably would have found funny if he didn't think Thomas was so hot.

Even though he could literally hear his heart beating, Alex made sure to look completely neutral as he headed up to the press box to meet Peggy for their walk to the facility. He needed to come up with a reason not to get a ride from her, but walking wouldn't work this time. If it wasn't late October, it'd be fine, but she'd insist that he just get a ride because of the chill in the air. 

As they walked, Peggy kept glancing at him, and he knew she was suspicious of how quiet he was. Of course he wanted to tell her about his…situation, but he knew very well that he couldn't. Not only did she also work for the team, but she'd definitely make a big deal out of it and would probably even make it clear to Thomas that she knows. And he wasn't even positive that anything would happen.

“By the way,” he said, feeling stupid already. “I’m gonna catch a ride with Laf and Herc today, we're setting something up for when John wakes up to go to work since his birthday’s tomorrow.” 

It was a complete lie. One that he'd have to hope she wouldn't bring up at any point in time, at least not until everyone knew about whatever was going on. And that would only happen if something did happen, which was not guaranteed.

“Oh, okay, cool.” Peggy said. “That makes it so I can shower sooner, so thank you John for being born tomorrow.” 

···

About twenty minutes later, Peggy was gone and Alexander had finished uploading some photos and putting equipment where it belonged. In his pocket, his phone buzzed, and when he looked it said he had a message from someone that he hadn't saved a contact for.

Monday, October 27th, 11:34PM

[Unknown] I’m out front

[Unknown] Oh this is Thomas by the way

Alex panicked briefly, wondering how in the world Thomas got his number, before he remembered when his phone had been missing. He texted back quickly before grabbing his jacket and heading down to the parking lot. Sure enough, Thomas' car was waiting in front of the building. 

Thomas started driving as soon as Alexander was strapped in. Alex took this opportunity to save Thomas' number and text John that he might be home late. Even though John knew about Thomas now, Alex decided not to say why. It felt easier that way.

“As much as I don't love late games, traffic is definitely easier to get through at midnight on a Monday than a Sunday afternoon.” Thomas said, eyes glued to the road. 

Alexander smiled, because he still found it funny that Thomas had to get stuck in traffic all the time. Even millionaires get caught in traffic jams, and something about that felt weirdly reassuring. 

“You'll have an easier time once you move. There'll still be traffic, but it'll feel like nothing. That's the only reason Peggy and John even have cars.” 

Thomas’ fingers drummed on the steering wheel, nodding. “I should probably start looking. Procrastinating buying a house probably isn't the brightest idea in the world.”

Alexander couldn't even fathom the idea of being able to procrastinate something like that. He and Thomas were so different in so many ways, which was honestly probably a good thing.

“The neighborhood over from where John and I live is pretty good. I actually think that it might be the area Adams lives in, I'm not positive though.”

Thomas' nose scrunched up in disgust. “Ugh, I do not want to be his neighbor. He'd probably like, poison my garden or something. Or spy on me with binoculars and tell the whole world that I..well I don't do anything that interesting, so pretend I said something insane there.”

“Jesus, you seriously..are an undercover agent that's really here to reveal the darkest secrets of the NFL?” Alexander joked, struggling to come up with something on the spot.

Regardless, Thomas laughed, keeping his eyes forward as he made a turn. “You know, the Super Bowl logos are just too sketchy. The colors always match!”

Alex didn't really know what that meant, but he laughed along anyway. It was alright, though, because Thomas moved onto the next thing pretty much immediately. He grabbed his phone and handed it to Alexander.

“I have no idea what's open at this hour, but you can try to order something to eat so that it's there by the time we are.” 

Alexander was once again surprised by how open Thomas was with his phone. He soon realized that there was nothing to hide, at least apps wise. There was literally nothing interesting on there except, “How the hell can you stand having a hundred ninety-seven unread texts? How do you even have that many?”

Thomas shrugged. “I text the same like…four people? Everything else is probably something I read when the notification popped up and didn't bother to open the app for.”

“Yeah, you're weird as hell.” Alexander said, earning himself a small chuckle from Thomas. He scrolled through DoorDash, trying to find something they could have. “Uhh, aside from like McDonald's and stuff there's Denny’s and a few weird ones I've never heard of before.”

“Ooh, I could eat like thirty pancakes right now. Hold on, are you team pancakes or waffles?” Thomas said, apparently still a bit hyper after his game. Or maybe he really was just a weirdo trapped in an extremely hot body.

“Hmm. I guess it depends. I'm feeling waffles right now, though.” Alex replied. “You want pancakes then?”

Thomas nodded, but sighed dramatically. “I cannot believe you chose waffles. But also it kind of makes sense.” He then paused and said, “Wait. Say ‘catch.’” 

Alexander began to laugh, but repeated the word. For some reason, Thomas nodded quickly. “Yup. The waffles thing is okay, ‘cause you don't say fucking ‘cat-ch.’ I don't care how it's spelled, it is like ketchup.”

“I think you might be the weirdest person I know at this point. And you see Peggy every day, so that's very telling.”

Thomas looked at him, grinning widely, and winked. The rest of the car ride involved a few more ridiculous conversations about pronunciations and stuff like that. Alexander quickly learned that Thomas was way more fun than people seemed to give him credit for, and it was quite entertaining.

James Callender had described Thomas as, essentially, a spoiled diva who didn't bother to make friends because he thought he was better than everyone. That clearly wasn't true, because otherwise, Alexander probably wouldn't be in his car heading to his home for the second time in two weeks.

When they did arrive at Thomas' apartment, the food had already been dropped off. Alexander definitely didn't watch when Thomas bent over to pick it up, and definitely didn't feel ridiculous afterwards.

“Here, we can just sit on the couch. I am not sitting in a chair that reminds me of that damn bench.” Thomas said, shutting the door behind them and kicking off his shoes. 

Alexander followed suit, heading to the couch after Thomas.

The two ate their “dinner” while discussing random things from work, such as how their scare series would be coming to an end. Thomas finished his food very quickly, a result of doing rigorous physical activity for three hours. Watching that game felt incredible, Thomas had done some things that would probably leave Alexander broken.

When they were both done, though, Thomas threw their garbage away and joined Alexander back on the couch. It was quiet in the room, apparently Thomas had very respectful neighbors. 

“My sister sent me more of those comments people leave,” Thomas said, and for some reason it made Alexander's heart drop. “She somehow found a bunch about James, and he hates it. It's incredible.”

Alexander had to stop himself from sighing in relief. “What do people say about him?”

Thomas shrugged. “Basically the same weird shit they say about me. Except, James is..well he's not a prude by any means, he's just a bit of a control freak I guess. So people fantasizing about him is apparently just too much.”

Maybe it was just the goofy mood, or maybe it was just that Alexander is a major idiot, but he immediately regretted the next thing he said. “Well, he'd definitely hate the stuff John found the other day.”

Thomas was immediately curious, tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy. “Oh? Tell me more.”

Alexander's face heated up, and he just knew that he probably looked completely flushed. “I don't remember how it even came up,” he lied. “But John found…fanfiction about James. And you.”

He braced for a bad reaction, which would honestly probably be reasonable, but Thomas just began to laugh. “Oh my God!” He cried through his laughter. “Did you read it? I have to know what happened.” 

“No! No, I didn't read it. I just remember that it was like..” He buried his head in his hands. “Ugh, this is horrible!”

“Nah, now you have to tell me. This is fantastic, I have to know immediately.” Thomas said, so enthusiastically that Alex had to laugh.

He uncovered his face and took a deep breath, trying so hard not to burst into laughter at the absurdity of this conversation. “One of them said something about..James being the top, I don't know.”

This made Thomas erupt into a fit of laughter, holding onto his stomach. “It's so wrong,” he cried. “No, I mean–this is the best thing ever.” He continued to laugh, eventually falling over and laying across Alexander's lap, which made his heart thump aggressively.

As Thomas calmed down, he looked up at Alexander, the remnants of his amusement obvious on his face from the goofy smile on his lips. And just like that, a realization struck Alexander like lightning—John told him to find an opportunity, and this was it.

It could also ruin everything.

But before he could chicken out, Alexander leaned down and pressed his lips against Thomas'. There was a strong feeling of hesitation, and Alex couldn't even tell which one of them it was from, so he pulled away. Thomas laid there, staring up at him for just a moment, before he tugged Alexander back into another kiss. This one, however, was much more intentional. 

Alex would be lying if he said he'd never thought about what it would feel like to kiss Thomas. He couldn't honestly say that he'd never wondered what those lips would feel like against his, the neatly trimmed beard against his own clean shaven face. But none of his dirty fantasies could have prepared him for the heat that came with kissing Thomas Jefferson. 

At some point, Thomas sat upright and pulled Alexander into his lap. The feeling of large, strong hands on his waist was honestly probably enough to get him going, but the feeling of Thomas' tongue against his own solidified it. Alexander's hands found their way to Thomas' arms, feeling the muscle as they moved up to his shoulders and then landed on his face.

Alex pulled away, looking Thomas in the eyes. Both of them were breathing heavier, and by the look in Thomas' eyes, they both seemed to feel the same hunger. The sensations that Alexander felt throughout his body made him feel a mixture of desire and desperation, and straddling a man who was not only beautiful and strong but also huge definitely did not help.

His imagination was running wild as Thomas ran his hands down Alexander's hips, over his thighs, and back up. And when the tips of his thumbs hooked just slightly underneath the waistband of Alex’s pants, there was no choice but to connect their lips again.

This time, Alexander's hands went lower, following the path down Thomas' chest, to his stomach, and then his belt. As Alex touched it, Thomas broke away just enough to end the kiss and grabbed his hands.

Alex opened his eyes, and was relieved to see that Thomas' expression wasn't showing anything other than the same restlessness that Alexander was feeling himself. With their bodies pressed together, Alex could feel the heavy rise and fall of Thomas' chest that he'd seen so many times at work. But this was different. Thomas wasn't breathing heavily because he was playing football, this was all Alexander's doing. 

Alexander may be insatiable, but it felt incredible to be responsible for making such a collected person fall apart.

Thomas' hands were still on top of Alexander's, and it almost felt like he didn't quite know what to do. For a brief moment, Alex wondered what was happening in Thomas’ head. Obviously Alex didn't know him in this way, but he didn't exactly seem like the kind of guy to pass on getting something more than just a heated makeout. But his mind went blank again when Thomas moved Alex’s hands to his hips, his own finding their way to Alex's hair as their mouths connected once more.

There was no way Alex would be making it home in time to decorate for John. He could only hope that he wouldn't get caught in his lie.

Chapter Text

Alexander leaned down, connecting his lips to Thomas'. At first, Thomas was taken aback, and he honestly couldn't have even guessed why. But this is something he'd wanted, and that feeling definitely hadn't gone away, so when they broke apart Thomas only let it be for a moment. Finally kissing Alexander did not disappoint. He felt eager, like he'd melt beneath Thomas' touch if Thomas wanted him to. There was something about Alexander that was clearly a challenge, and that only made Thomas want him more.

As their mouths moved together, Thomas found himself automatically working towards taking control. Alexander had started this, but Thomas couldn't help but want to take the lead. So while he had the chance, he sat up and pulled Alexander into his lap. He couldn't imagine what was going through Alexander's mind—his own was wonderfully quiet.

Things became increasingly heated, and not only in the metaphorical sense of the world. Thomas' body was even hotter than usual, a sensation developing deep in his lower abdomen that had him itching for more. He ran his hands down Alexander's body, over his hips and down to his thighs, then back up again. Likely working on some kind of autopilot, he hooked his thumbs over the waistband of Alexander's pants.

As their kiss continued, the sensation in Thomas' body fluttered while Alexander's hands moved down his body. He loved how it felt, how it was leading them to more, how it left him completely breathless. And yet, as Alexander's hands reached Thomas' belt, he still stopped him.

Thomas wanted this. He could look at Alexander in front of them, his lips red from where Thomas' had been, legs spread around Thomas' hips, and know that he wanted more. The sensations through his body, the tightness of his pants, they were all telling him to keep going. But he still stopped Alexander when his hands got too low.

Now he was beginning to panic—he would have known what he was doing if he'd let it keep going, but now that he'd stopped it, he was lost. Alexander was looking back at him, clearly feeling just as eager as Thomas thought he had. Their chests were nearly touching, their breath mixing in front of them, all with a well polished man rendered clueless.

So Thomas went with what felt right in the moment. It wasn't sex, not yet. Not on his couch, not right now. It was putting Alexander's hands on his hips, where the feeling of his fingers made Thomas struggle to breathe. It was connecting once again, with no real weight to it.

Thomas lay on his bed, staring forward. His feet were at his pillow, his head at the end. His chest felt warm against the comforter. The ceiling fan blew cold air on his bare back, the sound of the streets below making up a kind of background noise he had to force himself to enjoy. He'd been like this since he'd woken up, and it had been at least an hour.

It was probably too cold outside to have the windows open and the fan on, but Thomas wanted it. The cool air on his body relieved the tingle in his fingers, distracted him from the horrible pit deep in his stomach and heavy weight lurking behind his ribs.

Thomas had been so worked up last night that now, he couldn't positively say when Alexander left, or the words they'd exchanged when he did. Thomas probably stumbled over himself like some kind of idiot, and Alexander probably began to doubt the suave Thomas Jefferson he'd gotten to know.

The thump of his heartbeat became increasingly noticeable with his ear against the mattress. He breathed long, shallow breaths, surrounded by the quiet hum of fan blades and the morning commute to work or school. Thomas blinked, slow, offhandedly noting to himself that he was glad there wasn't practice today.

Things could have gone differently. Thomas almost thought that they should have, but he'd stopped Alexander in his tracks. Were things going to be awkward between them now? What if Alexander had only wanted to get to that point, and now he'd be bored of Thomas? 

He missed his cat. If Mellie was here, she'd lay on his back and be happy just to be with him. She'd rub her face on his shoulders, and he'd be stuck unable to move because doing so would disturb her. Now he didn't have a reason for his idleness.

It was Tuesday. A day that he should really be spending doing something useful. Looking for a house, getting treatment, meeting with his nutritionist. Instead, it took him too long to even get out of bed and take a shower. The memory of Alexander from the previous night just kept playing over and over again. It was wonderful to feel that way, to feel so much desire for someone that was ready to give themselves to him. But he didn't take it.

By the time he was finally dressed and ready for the day, making breakfast felt like a chore, and one that Thomas couldn't bring himself to do right now. His mind felt like television static, completely empty and full at the same time. His best bet was finally going exploring, something he'd been putting off since June. November started on Saturday.

Thomas shrugged his jacket on, then slipped on his shoes. Since he wasn't going to be practicing today, or even going into the facility, he was able to dress the way he usually liked to—a nicer shirt without a logo on it, real pants that weren't jeans or sweatpants. Loafers instead of ugly Nike sneakers. 

As he walked through the hallway to the elevators, he realized that he'd never even met any of his neighbors. He hadn't bothered to introduce himself when he'd moved in, and it was probably too late to do it now. He'd be moving soon, anyways, and who knew what kind of people lived by him? They might recognize him and be weird about it, or something.

When he made it down to the street, he put his hands in his pockets to shield them from the cool air. It really wasn't all that cold, but the chill of winter seemed to arrive a bit earlier in New York than it did back home. He started walking, making sure that he didn't get in the way of people who knew exactly where they were going, and looked all around him as he went. 

The buildings were extremely tall, the streets were completely full. There was a smell that he barely noticed before, because he hadn't spent much time here. The people were all walking so quickly, with such purpose, that it was honestly a little intimidating even if he was bigger than all of them. Of course he'd been to cities before, he'd even been to New York before he moved there. But it wasn't like going once or twice made him used to it.

Any tourists probably weren't out and about yet, at least not in his neighborhood, which left him to look like a fool on his own. He knew it was obvious that he didn't belong here, and that was fine. But he hated the sound of people grumbling by him because he walked too slow or accidentally paused for too long when trying to figure out where he was going. It made him feel like a little kid again, sitting in the corner and being lectured.

In an attempt to get his mind going, Thomas began to think about the game on Sunday. The Giants would be hosting the Atlanta Falcons, a team that not a single soul in the Giants organization could even pretend to be worried about. They'd totaled seven losses so far, and the Giants were more than ready to make it eight.

That meant that practice this week would probably be easier than it had been before the Steelers. Washington was a fantastic coach, and Thomas wouldn't trade him for any other, but he was strict and didn't like the loss against Philadelphia.

Thomas made it to some bakery, which was thematically called The Sweet Spot. As he stepped inside, he was greeted with a wall of warm air and the sound of quiet chatter. A bell above his head rang, notifying the employees that someone had entered, and sending several eyes in Thomas' direction. At this hour, the patrons were mostly stay at home mothers or college students, which was nice. Men who were trying to get to work were always unpleasant.

He went up to the counter to order, easily deciding what he wanted. There was no line, thankfully, and one of the women working came over very quickly. Thomas ordered a lemon poppyseed muffin and an earl gray tea. He didn't stay there to eat, deciding he'd have his breakfast as he continued adventuring through the streets of New York.

Like any other tourist, Thomas decided he'd go to Times Square. It wasn't that close to where his apartment was, so he decided to just suck it up and get a cab. He had done this before, but in Paris, not New York. Not that Parisians were that much kinder, but for some reason he felt more nervous here. The ride there was stressful, because Thomas kept on thinking that the driver was going to try making conversation or something, which he absolutely did not want to do. But eventually, he made it there, and it was certainly different than he'd been expecting.

The amount of people was absurd. Immediately he was surrounded by so many people that he couldn't even tell where all of them were going. People were taking photos, there were random people dressed as characters. And the amount of screens showing advertisements was simply insane. The thing he liked most was that no one cared who he was, even when he and his team were on one of those giant screens.

In his pocket, his phone began to buzz. By now he'd finished his muffin, so with his one free hand, he answered the call. 

“Is your sister going to your game in Philly? Please say she is, I need someone worthwhile to sit with.” 

Thomas smiled to himself. “Maria,” he said. “It's so good to hear from you, I sure am glad you called specifically for me and not any other reason.”

“Is Mary going or not? I don't want to have to sit with someone I'm only pretending to like. All of my friends suck, Thomas.”

“I don't think she planned on it, no. She told me she was going to the one in Washington, it's closer.” 

On the other side of the phone, Maria huffed. “Philadelphia is like one more step away! You're in Washington in January, who would go to that?”

“My loving and supportive sister would. She told me she doesn't want a box, I think she might be crazy.”

“She wants the authentic experience of freezing her tits off and not being able to hear herself think. I guess I'm on my own then, or I'll suck it up and invite one of these fake bitches. I'm pretty sure half of them are using that ozempic shit, and they better not try to push it on me.”

Thomas laughed at that, taking a seat so he could set his tea down. “Four years in and you're already an expert. Why don't you just have that girl from before join you?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. She was actually just trying to get my producers to like her better or something so that they'd drop me. As if they can't just work with other people. So now she's just screwed herself over, basically.”

“How do you stand any of that stuff? I can barely handle half of my own teammates, and most of them are fine, just not that smart."

“I think at a certain point, you just get used to it. Speaking of your teammates, how has the NFL been treating you? Do you feel like a superstar?” Maria’s tone was teasing, because she knew better than anyone what it felt like to have people pick apart your personality for everyone to read.

“Well, I get a lot of interesting comments. I also recently learned that there is fanfiction about me and James, which is fantastic. I haven't told him about it yet, but he'll hate it.”

Maria laughed. “Yeah, I don't doubt any part of that. I got a TikTok of James on my feed the other day, there are hundreds of teenage girls that love him. If only they knew what a grump he is.”

“You should have seen them trying to get him to do literally any video for the team’s social pages. You would have thought they asked him to snort pollen.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen some of those videos too. I like the ones where they bully you, it makes me feel like there's someone making sure my job gets done while I'm away.”

Thomas rolled his eyes. He and Maria had met when he was in college, and her career had just started. They'd been close ever since, through every obstacle that they either came across or caused. “You must've been the one to tell them I scare so easily.”

“I wish I was.” There was a brief pause in the conversation before she continued, “You know, your fans are just as crazy as James’. I see what they say about you, too. Does it bother you the way it probably bothers him?”

Thomas considered this. He definitely didn't love the way people talked about him, not like some people would. He liked that he had fans, people who wanted him to succeed. But he didn't like that they tended to focus on all the wrong things.

“I don't know. I don't care so much that they say crazy things, I just wish it wasn't the only thing they said. I mean…I literally revived the team, I feel like that's more important than how big my hands are.”

“Or you flirting with the camera man?” Maria said, completely casually. “I've seen a lot of comments about that, too. I guess people pick up on things when they're watching you like a hawk.”

Thomas sighed through his nose. Of course Maria would mention that when he's in the middle of trying to figure things out himself. “I'm at a loss on that topic right now, actually. We..had a thing last night.”

“Wait, actually? I was just going to tease you. You have to tell me everything right now.”

“Well, I'm in the middle of Times Square right now and this family keeps looking at me. I feel like this isn't the best situation.” 

He could practically hear Maria roll her eyes. “So get up and move your ass along, you probably hate it there anyway. Tell me what happened, there's no need to stew in your memory. I know that's what you'll do otherwise.”

Thomas sighed and stood up, finding a garbage for his now empty cup as he walked. “Well, he came over and we made out, but that's literally all that we did.”

“Keep going.”

Leave it to Maria to know he wasn't opening up completely. Between her and James, he'd never be able to keep anything to himself. “There's not much else, really. I think it could've gone further, but I didn't let it. Don't ask me why, I haven't figured it out yet.”

Maria was quiet for a moment, probably thinking of the nicest way to tell Thomas that he sounded really stupid. “Have you talked to him since?”

“No, but that's not really anything new. We're not at the facility today and I'm pretty sure he said it's his friend's birthday anyways. I’ll see him tomorrow though, which will give me plenty of opportunity to see if he thinks I'm weird as hell or something.”

Suddenly Thomas worried that Alexander might get the wrong idea and think that Thomas had only wanted to make out because he wouldn't sleep with a man, or something. He'd known a guy like that, he was a massive bigot until he was sucking another man’s mouth. 

“Well, I'm sure you're overthinking every last detail, but I'm also sure you're in a better spot with him than you realize. You're not as much of a mess as you think. At least, not visibly.”

“You don't even know him, Maria.”

“But I do know you.”

—

Practice on Wednesday was outside, despite the fact that it was cold and they had a perfectly good indoor field that they could be using. Washington was wearing a coat, gloves, and a hat. Thomas and most other players just had long sleeves under their pads. 

“Okay, gentlemen.” Washington said, waving the team over to him when they were done warming up. “Has anyone checked the weather for Sunday's game against Atlanta?”

Most of the guys shook their heads, some just staring blankly. Either way, the general consensus was no, they hadn't checked the weather.

“Alright. On Sunday, at four o'clock, it will be forty-six degrees and rainy. Raise your hand if you think you're prepared to play in a cold, rainy game.”

Thomas wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to respond to this. He watched James from the corner of his eye, and when he didn't move, neither did Thomas. A few of the guys around them did, however, and it seemed to be the answer Washington had expected.

He bent down and grabbed something at his feet, which turned out to be a garden hose. “Wrong,” he said, spraying all of them with cold water.

Thomas turned away instinctively, covering his face with his arms. This only made Washington spray him directly, which was simply horrible. The water would probably be refreshing if it was ninety outside, but the weather today was pretty much exactly the same as Washington said it would be on Sunday.

“You guys are going to play wet. Every part of your body is going to be drenched, especially your hands. Your fingers will be stiff, the ball is going to slip, and you're going to learn how to suck it up and deal. Don't drop the ball.”

Washington was not exaggerating. Three coaches each had a hose, and each of them was spraying the team every time they practiced a new play. The field below them was slippery, their hands were stiff and slippery, and worst of all, they were just extremely cold.

Thomas dropped a snap and was immediately sprayed again, like a misbehaving cat that was in trouble for clawing furniture. He had been so lucky to have only played in the rain once or twice, and it hasn't been this cold or wet. This went on for the entire two hours of practice, and by the end of it, every player was entirely soaked. Washington certainly hadn't been exaggerating when he said every part of their bodies would be wet.

Some guys were having fun with it, penguin sliding across the slick field, while others, like James and Monroe, were running to get inside as quickly as they could. By the doors to the facility stood Peggy and Alexander, looking extremely confused.

“Did it rain only over the field or something?” Peggy asked, watching as some guys tried to squeeze water out of their sleeves before they went inside.

Thomas stared at her, feeling completely unamused. He was shivering, which made him feel ridiculous, and he couldn't feel his toes. “Ask Washington.” He said.

Beside Peggy, Alexander was quietly staring at Thomas, and it was obvious. “I don't think you're gonna get many guys to do whatever the video is today,” he said, just to get him to realize that he was staring.

Alexander blinked, then shrugged. “Yeah, that's okay. It's funnier to laugh at you guys getting sprayed like dogs that rolled in mud anyways.”

“Oh, you must want a hug then?” Thomas said, just like people did to others who refused to get in a cold pool. Alexander looked skeptical, so Thomas opened his arms to show that he was in fact not joking. 

“No, no, no,” Alexander said, putting his hands forward as if he could stop Thomas, who was stepping towards him. “No, it's totally not funny that you guys got sprayed, I was only joking! Please!” He was laughing, backing up and waving his hands.

Thomas grinned, dropping his arms. “You're lucky I just want to take a shower.” He said, giving Peggy a small wave and winking at Alexander as he went inside, jogging to the locker room.

Some of the other guys had already showered and gotten warm by this point, and some were still peeling off their pads. Thomas reached his locker and immediately took off his jersey, tossing it on the bench to put in the laundry with the rest of his clothes when he was done showering.

He also took off his cleats, which were soaked. The feeling of wearing wet socks was giving him the worst sensation in the world, so he practically ran into the showers so that he could take the rest of his clothes off. Thankfully he wasn't in full gear and was wearing normal pants, but his shirt was stuck to his skin and felt like a cold wet wipe when he took it off. 

The warm water of the shower felt like a blessing compared to the hose water, and Thomas was just glad that their facilities were obnoxiously nice. He didn't take too much time in the shower, just long enough to get warm and also not stinky. The relief he felt was short lived, however, when he grabbed his towel and realized that his extra clothes were not with it. He didn't like to leave them in the locker room, especially not after his phone somehow ended up missing, because he didn't trust certain teammates of his.

His phone was on the bench outside of the shower, which is where his clothes should be too. With no other option, he called James. As soon as he got an answer, he spoke.

“James, can you pretty please bring me my extra clothes from my car? I am stuck in the shower and I'm not about to go out in my towel to ask someone.”

“Well, you're going to have to, I already left. I'm almost home, I have an appointment in half an hour.”

Thomas sighed, trying to think quickly. “Can you text Monroe? I don't have his number saved, I don't know which one he is in the group chat.”

“He left too. Not everyone dilly dallies with the media, Tom. You're out of luck.” The lack of sympathy in James’ voice was both reasonable and disappointing. Thomas was no stranger to mistakes like this.

“Ugh, fine. Bye, enjoy getting asked a million invasive questions.” 

Thomas ended the call, staring at his list of contacts. He didn't have anyone else on the team that could help him right now, especially if he wanted to avoid any bullying. Then he realized that he had one more option—Alexander.

“Did you butt dial me?” Was how Alexander answered the call after only two rings. 

“No, no, I didn't. I need help and James already left. Can you go out to my car and grab the bag that's in the passenger seat and then bring it to the locker room? Please?”

Alexander was probably thinking of some way to pick on Thomas, which he'd have plenty of in no time. “Why? Are you trying to set me up for something?”

Thomas took a deep breath. “I forgot my clothes in my car and I'm stuck in the shower. I don't really feel like walking around in a towel.”

He could hear Alexander laugh. But he could also hear him getting up out of his chair and telling someone, probably Peggy, that he'd be right back. “Yeah, just give me like two minutes.”

However long later, Thomas heard the door to the showers open and peeked out. Alexander had a very amused grin on his face as he handed the bag over. “I hope you never forgot your clothes at summer camp. No one to call then.”

Thomas rolled his eyes and turned the shower off, finally drying off and wrapping the towel around his waist before he stepped out. “Thanks, even though you're totally bullying me.” 

Alexander was still smiling, looking up at Thomas with a hint of mischief in his eyes. Thomas could tell that he was being looked at in a different way, and he didn't mind that it was coming from Alexander. If they weren't in the middle of the facility locker room, he might even pull Alex to him.

Instead, he poked him in the shoulder, unable to help but smile too. “You're staring, sir. I feel ogled.” 

Alex shrugged, his smile turning awkward. He poked Thomas back in the same spot, then glanced around quickly. “You don't look like you mind too much.”

“Maybe I don't.” Thomas replied. He turned and opened his bag, taking his clothes out. He figured he probably didn't need to be naked, at least not for this particular instance. As he got dressed, he continued to speak. “How was John's birthday?”

“Oh, I didn't see him much. He went out for dinner with his boyfriend and then stayed the night with him. We're having a birthday, Halloween combo party this weekend.”

Thomas turned around after he had his pants on. Alexander was looking up and to the side, which made Thomas laugh. “Now you're not ogling? That makes me nervous.”

Alexander rolled his eyes, dropping his head to try looking unimpressed. Instead, he ended up looking extremely kissable, and Thomas couldn't help but wish that they were literally anywhere else. 

“I was trying to be polite, thank you very much. I never played sports, I don't know locker room etiquette.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking all matter-of-fact. What torture.

“Oh, well, you can throw the words ‘polite’ and ‘etiquette’ right out the window. There are far worse things in these shit holes than being looked at.” Thomas said, grabbing his bag and practice clothes, tilting his head towards the door. “C’mon, it's stuffy in here.”

He led Alexander back into the main locker room, which was thankfully cleared out by now, slipping on his shirt and tossing his practice clothes into one of the laundry bins.

“I didn't even realize that there's laundry baskets in here. Who does that?” Alexander asked, standing beside Thomas, who had sat down to put his sneakers on.

“Uh, I think Hercules does a lot of it with the other equipment guys. They're really strict with jerseys and stuff, so we're not supposed to do it ourselves or anything.” 

Alexander laughed a little. “I did not know that he does the laundry, this is fantastic. Now I have something new to tease him with, thank you for this fantastic new knowledge.”

Thomas chuckled. “Yeah, anything for you to be mean to your friends. I mean, I definitely love it when James bullies me.”

“James is terrifying, I think that's a different kind of bullying.” Alexander joked, resting his hand on Thomas' shoulder. It was probably the closest they could get to each other in this place.

“James is great, he keeps me humble.” Thomas said, looking back at Alexander with a grin. He put his hand over top of his. “I have to go talk to the vultures before I get fined. See you tomorrow?”

Alexander smiled. “Yeah.”

—

The Philadelphia Eagles were playing the Washington Commanders on Thursday night football, an important game not only for the two of them but also for the Giants (and probably the Cowboys too, but they barely mattered now). This meant that James had eaten dinner with Thomas, and now the game was on. 

The Commanders were winning, leaving both Thomas and James a little surprise. The phrase was “any given Sunday” but it definitely worked for Thursdays and Mondays too. 

“You never told me how you got your little situation sorted yesterday. No one was picking on you today, so you must've figured something out. Who'd you call?”

Thomas had two options. He could tell James that he'd called Alexander, that they'd exchanged numbers when he lost his phone, and leave out important details like how they'd been all over each other three days ago and would probably do it again soon. Or, he could do the same thing, but add in those details and probably get teased in James' monotone way.

“Alexander.” He answered, watching James' face closely to gauge his reaction. As stoic as James always was, Thomas had known him long enough to pick up on his cues. 

James nodded, probably considering what he should say. “That's good. I’m glad you didn't have to go out in your towel and flag someone down, you probably would have died from the embarrassment.”

Thomas stared at his friend. He knew what he was doing, acting disinterested to make Thomas feel awkward and therefore force him to talk. But he wasn't going to. He'd been working on his self control, apparently.

“Yeah, I probably would have faked an illness just to stay away from any possible bullying. Then everyone would be too worried about me to bully me.”

James turned to look back at him, eyes narrowed. “What is with you? All of a sudden you know how to be coy?” 

It was hard to get past James. In another life, he'd be a detective or a judge. Or a human lie detector test. Thomas tried his best to look completely neutral, biting back a smile and every word that was bubbling in his throat.

“I’m not being coy. Alexander helped me, and then I got dressed and was saved from the most embarrassing thing that could have ended up happening. What more is there to say?”

James gave him an unimpressed look, his lips tight together as he raised a brow. “I’m guessing there's a lot, Thomas. You've clearly done something, so what won't you say?”

Honestly, Thomas wasn't sure about that. James was his best friend and had been for ages. He knew everything that had happened to Thomas, good and bad, and it was the same both ways. So why did Thomas suddenly want to keep this secret a little longer? 

Maybe it was connected to why he'd only wanted to kiss Alexander. There was something holding him back, that much was obvious. It wasn't apprehension, he wasn't new to this. It wasn't a lack of want, because he definitely wanted Alexander, and he always wanted to tell James everything. Maybe he just liked having something to savor.

“James, I promise you that if or when there is something to tell, I will. Just like how you never tell me about anything until it's already said and done.”

James frowned, just a little. He liked to pretend he didn't care, but Thomas knew he did. “That's different. You try to get involved, you get too into it.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you've never tried to impact anything I've done?” Thomas said, raising his own brow at James this time.

“Shut up and watch the game,” James said, waving a dismissive hand at Thomas' face.

Thomas smiled to himself, settling in as the Eagles kicker scored a field goal to try making up for lost time.

—

One of Thomas' absolute favorite parts of being in the NFL was having trainers that knew everything about him. Not having to explain everything to a new physician all the time was fantastic, and he even got a good friend out of it. When Thomas had first started with the Giants, his trainer had been a man called Bill Clark. He'd been nice enough, but he was awkward and it made Thomas awkward too. So when he heard that there was a French guy, he'd asked to switch.

Now he'd become friends with Lafayette, and their sessions weren't awkward at all because they actually spoke. Thomas enjoyed that Lafayette was the kind of person that made it seem like they were an open book, but really didn't say a thing. 

“You are quite tense today, Thomas. What's wrong?” Lafayette said, frowning down at Thomas, who was laying on the uncomfortable ‘bed.’

Thomas shrugged. “I don't know, I think my mind is just elsewhere. I didn't do anything, don't worry.”

Lafayette looked at him quizzically, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Does this have anything to do with that person you were telling me about?”

“Maybe,” Thomas sighed. “I don't know why, though. Everything is fine. Like, really good, actually.” 

“Tell me more.” Lafayette said, walking around the bed to Thomas' other side and lifting his arm. Thomas definitely didn't know what he was doing, but he didn't care.

“Eh bien, on s'est embrassés. Beaucoup, en fait.” He said. When either of them wanted to keep something absolutely private, they spoke in French. No one else in the facility understood, as far as they knew, and it was a great way to ward off eavesdroppers. Well, we kissed. A lot, actually.

Lafayette raised his brows, smiling. “C'est bien, non? À moins qu'ils embrassent mal.” That's good, right? Unless they're a bad kisser.

Thomas shook his head. “Pas mal du tout. J'y pense sans cesse, je ne sais pas. Je ne peux pas m'empêcher de penser que ça aurait pu se passer différemment.” Not bad at all. I keep thinking about it. I think it could've gone differently.

Lafayette stuck his lips out, thinking. “Pourquoi penses-tu cela?” Why do you think that?

“Je ne sais pas, je réfléchis trop. Ça ira, je n'ai jamais eu de vrai problème avec ça avant.” Thomas smiled, then, and Lafayette laughed. I don't know, I'm overthinking it. I've never had a problem with this before.

“Oh, yes, we all know Thomas Jefferson likes a bit of fun.” He said, having Thomas sit up. “We would have had a great time together if I had met you in France.”

Thomas nodded in agreement. “Definitely.”

When Thomas’ session was done, he pushed aside whatever feeling was brewing in his chest and made his way up to the media offices. He hadn't seen Alexander at all yesterday, because there were way too many reporters asking him questions about stuff he had no idea about. Articles, rumors, anything but the actual game. It bothered him so much, because that's why they were there, but he didn't let it show. He'd learned early on that responding to any prodding was the best way to lose.

Like any other day, Thomas received some uncomfortable stares as he walked through the media office. Alexander and Peggy were the only ones who interacted with the players, and it showed. It was like he was some kind of god, the way some of the people acted when he walked in. Sure, he enjoyed accolades, but it was kind of humiliating to be gawked at by people old enough to be friends with his mother. If there were any people willing, that is.

When he finally reached Alexander's cubicle, he was pleased to see that there was a video of James up on an editing software. 

“How’d you get him to agree to whatever that is?” Thomas asked, pulling a chair over. 

He'd learned that the one he regularly stole belonged to a woman named Cheryl, and when she realized he was the one taking it she said, ‘Oh, well I can let that slide for Thomas Jefferson! Just try to put it back when you leave.’ Thomas thought that was peculiar, especially because she spoke to him in the same tone people used when they spoke to dogs. He was still going to take her chair, though. She'd given him permission.

Alexander jumped. “Jesus! How the hell can you be that tall and walk so quiet?” He said, staring at Thomas with widened eyes.

Thomas couldn't help but laugh. “Now I'm going to find literally any reason to sneak up on you. It's only payback for the entirety of October.”

A horribly mischievous smile spread onto Alexander's face. “Happy Halloween, by the way. What are you dressing up as?”

“I'm not. I don't know where they sell costumes for giants, especially ones who aren't going anywhere that requires a costume.”

“What?” Alexander frowned. “Halloween is literally the best holiday ever, how could you not do anything? I'm sure you'd be a big hit at some club’s Halloween party. You just can't waste Halloween being on a Friday.”

Thomas shrugged. “I haven't dressed up since I was like ten. At that point, I was the poor bastard who got to take my siblings trick-or-treating, which was actual hell.”

“Ah, see, the joy of having no siblings around means going out and acting like a complete asshole on Halloween until I was old enough to get into bars, and then I'd get drunk with my friends. Which is precisely what I plan on doing tonight.”

“For John's birthday, right?” Thomas asked, leaning back in the chair comfortably. “With his boring boyfriend?”

Alexander sighed. “Yeah, it'd be kinda rude to exclude the birthday boy’s boyfriend. Even if Burr always tries to get us to be quiet, or be nicer to people who are painfully dumb.” His eyes widened a little and he stuck his hands forward, as if he was saying to wait. “I promise we don't completely suck, I mean dumb as in they're bad people.”

Thomas chuckled, shrugging. “You know very well at this point that I am an asshole, don't worry. People don't write scathing articles about your assholery, at least.”

“That is true. Must be I'm just better.” Alexander grinned at Thomas, who reached forward and gave him a playful little shove. It was entirely innocent, ordinary friend behavior, but after Monday's events it was kind of difficult to see it that way.

By the look on Alexander's face, Thomas wasn't the only one who caught on to that.

Thomas sighed softly, biting his lip just a bit as he tried to figure out something to say that wouldn't sound flirtatious. They were too out in the open with too many people who were almost definitely listening in. Playful banter was one thing, but everything coming to his mind was probably too much.

The silence was growing awkward, and Thomas couldn't stand it. He wanted to say so many things, but he simply couldn't. And then he remembered a good reason to leave, which thankfully wasn't even a lie.

“Shit, I forgot I have an appointment.” He said, standing up. “Lafayette made me book an extra long massage today because apparently I am too tense.”

Alexander raised his brows, smiling in a way that made it clear he was trying not to laugh. “I've never gotten a massage, and honestly I don't think I ever want one. There are definitely better ways to relieve tension.”

Thomas raised his brows at him teasingly. “You'll have to tell me all about that sometime.” He said, giving Alex’s ankle a little nudge before he left, completely forgetting about Cheryl's chair.

—

Sunday's game against the Falcons went about as Thomas and the rest of the team had anticipated. The Falcons were a very inconsistent team, and despite beating other teams already (including the Eagles), they lost to the Giants 28-7. 

Washington's practice tactics seemed to work well enough. The rain didn't stop for pretty much the entire game, leaving Thomas and everyone else uncomfortably soaked. It was a nice factor for his post game interview, though, because the reporters didn't want to stand out in the rain for any longer than they needed to. He basically said he was glad they won and that he can't wait to do it again next week, and then he was free to go.

Alexander and Peggy were both nowhere to be found, which made sense. They probably wanted to be out in the rain just as much as everyone else. Thomas hadn't even seen either of them on the sidelines the entire game, which was kind of unfortunate.

Not seeing Alexander also meant not getting to talk to him, which was the one downside to the rain forcing everyone inside. Thomas enjoyed and even looked forward to seeing Alex, even just briefly, after a game. It didn't feel like he was still interacting with someone from work, but someone who was supporting him. Of course he knew that Alexander was literally only on the field to do his job, but he didn't care.

Inside the locker room was a squelchy mess. Thomas' cleats were filled with water, and he legitimately struggled to get his stockings off. Washington apparently didn't have any desire for a long post game talk, saying they'd go over everything in the team meeting next week.

So Thomas showered, put on warm clothes (which he thankfully remembered this time), and went home alone. The drive back to Manhattan was just as miserable as it was every day, and Thomas made a mental note to himself to actually sit down and find a house before Thanksgiving.

By the time he got home, he was ready to just sleep. Instead, he made himself dinner and stayed awake long enough to eat it, sitting in silence as he did. Ordinarily, this would be fine. Especially after a game, where there was never-ending noise and chaos. But for days, there was this lingering feeling in his head that he just couldn't shake, so he sat on his phone and did something that he knew was stupid. He looked himself up.

He found a few of the articles that he'd been asked about the other day. One of them was from a growing sports magazine, and its title was “Is Thomas Jefferson the future best of the league?” There were a few more like that, too, all because of some analyst that said he was promising. Of course he was, he didn't need a bunch of articles to tell him that.

But ever since that asshole Callender had implied that Thomas was some arrogant diva, more headlines with similar ideas kept popping up. Journalists loved any title that would make people click, and Thomas' name fit in very well with every negative thing they could think of. 

Reading the headlines made him feel…sad. Of course he was used to being talked about, he was the son of a senator. But it wasn't like it felt nice to read lies about himself that people blindly believed. It put a pit in his stomach and reminded him of things he'd much prefer to forget.

So he decided to quit looking at what the journalists were saying, and take a look at the comments the fans were leaving. He didn't really like those that much better, but at least they were usually positive. The top video on the Giants page was from Friday, the plan behind Alexander's smirk. Since it was Halloween, he and Peggy had decided on one final scare. They'd somehow gotten their hands on one of those robotic decorations from Spirit Halloween, and stupid Thomas had thought it was a trick. Long story short, his reaction made for a good video.

grrbark: im so sad this series is ending…but also poor thomas, he's adorable 

penny!!: he can make me scream like that 

miimi: ok but does anyone else see how he didn't get mad? joey warren learn from tom

bianca.avanni: this is making me want to be a social admin so bad. the way he acts with them is so genuine it's not fair

yvonne: day 28 of pretending we don't see the FLIRTING 

giantsfan17: pls can i get a shoutout from the best team in the league

marshall.e: im a vikings fan but i love thomas jefferson

mandie.milk: How could you not love T17??

gracieee.grace: giants admin we all see the looks…you’re living all of our dream TAKE IT

>> felixcooper: the admin is a man bruh 

>> gracieee.grace: he should still out our dreams for us

jamesmadisonismyhusband: WHY IS MADISON NEVER IN THESE

addystjames: idc if thomas is a diva, he's our diva

urmomisinmybed: our boy is getting oroy i can feel it. best rookie itl rn

Thomas stared at his screen, barely feeling any better than he had ten minutes ago. There was no part of him that felt good knowing so many people had real opinions on him, only based on what they saw online or on TV. There was so much more to him that no one knew because they didn't bother to find out, and it was so frustrating that he couldn't tell them. 

He decided that he's had enough and took care of his plate before heading to bed. Even though it was a chilly November night, he still had his window open and his fan on, and he'd still sleep in pants with no shirt on. And like always, he kept a sweatshirt on the bed for when he got up and moving so that he wouldn't be cold.

Thomas stared up at the ceiling for a bit, trying to will himself to sleep like he usually did. After a while of no luck, though, he grew frustrated and decided he'd call James so that he'd have someone to talk to. 

The tone rang once, then twice. After four rings there was finally an answer.

“Hello?”

Thomas' brows furrowed in confusion. That was absolutely not James' voice. He pulled the phone away from his ear, blinking at the screen. There in big letters his phone read, ‘Alexander.’

“Shit, sorry, I meant to call James. I know it's late, I'm sorry.” He said, though he made no effort to hang up.

Alexander laughed quietly. “It's okay, I was just eating dinner. I took the longest shower of my life trying to get warm, and I was in the press box almost the entire game.”

Thomas scoffed, sitting up so that his elbow wouldn't be sticking up in the air. “Yeah, imagine how I felt. I got a poncho and some heaters, and they did jack shit.”

“Yeah, just another reason to be glad that I'm not a football player. Or athlete of any sort, to be honest.” 

“You should give the drills a try one of these days. It'd make good content, that's for sure.”

“Not unless you want me dead. I haven't exercised in ages, especially not like that.”

The two fell silent. Thomas could hear his ceiling fan hum, and even the TV in the background of Alexander's audio. He wanted to come up with something to say, but he was so tired, and his brain felt so foggy that he was drawing a blank.

Thankfully, Alexander spoke. “What are you still doing up anyway? I thought you guys had strict bedtimes from Lafayette. You know, he can spot a lie from a mile away.”

Thomas smiled to himself. He definitely was supposed to be sleeping, but it was okay. Trouble sleeping was a game he'd mastered years ago. “Can't sleep.” He answered simply. “I was gonna make James suffer with me.”

“Nah, why bother James when you can bother me? I’m always awake.” Alexander replied. He sounded so sure of what he was saying, it made Thomas want to have him over right now. If getting there wouldn't be such a nightmare, he might actually do it. They didn't even need to do anything, he just needed the company.

“Be careful what you wish for. Once you say I can do something, I'm gonna do it.” Thomas said, smiling to himself. He could practically see Alexander's face, probably grinning at the thought of picking on Thomas or something.

“Is that so? I’ll have to give you permission to do lots more.” Alexander sounded playful, and wonderfully flirtatious.

Thomas was at a loss. “Yeah, you can totally expect phone calls at the most absurd hours of the night. James will love you for taking me off his hands.”

“Like I said, I’m always awake. I’ll be there when you need me.”

Thomas sat with that in the air for a moment. His bedroom was so quiet, as fewer people were out in this weather, especially at this hour. His heart was beating quickly, and he could feel the start of butterflies in his stomach. There were so many things he wanted to tell Alexander, so many words he knew that could describe the longing he was feeling. He was supposed to be good with words.

“Thank you,” was all he could come up with.

Chapter Text

Alexander wasn't very familiar with the situation he'd been in for the past two and a half weeks. He wasn't entirely sure if Thomas was sending him mixed signals, or if he was reading too far into things, or something else that he hadn't even managed to think of yet. Regardless, his brain was tired of trying to figure it out. 

Things had hardly changed between them, even though they'd been all over each other that night. The only change was more flirting that was also more direct. Whenever Thomas came to Alex's office, they'd chat like normal. It wasn't awkward to film any videos or anything. It was like nothing had happened at all, and Alexander didn't like it.

He couldn't help but wonder if Thomas was intentionally acting like everything was the same. Maybe he realized that he actually didn't like Alexander in that way at all, and he was just going to ignore everything. Or maybe he wanted to keep Alex at an arm’s length away, only bringing him closer when he wanted a bit of companionship.

Or maybe Alexander was being paranoid because he didn't have the best luck with guys in the past. He'd never really officially dated a man, because every time he thought that's what was happening, he was quickly proven wrong. Granted, that happened only a times, but he still couldn't help but apply the memory of those jerks to his current situation.

Then there was the fact that Thomas had stopped him. That wasn't a problem, but it was kind of a surprise. Alexander had no way of knowing what Thomas' actions usually were when making out with someone, but he couldn't imagine that someone like him would ordinarily put a stop to things so quickly. Alexander wasn't really used to that at all, really. He wasn't used to people taking it slow.

This situation was bothering him so much that when he got home and saw John's car parked in the driveway, he walked in the apartment already talking.

“John, I need to talk through all this again, this man is consuming every fiber of my being and I can't–oh.” He stopped in his tracks when he saw Burr was sitting on the couch, and not John.

“Where's John?” Alexander asked, immediately trying to act like he hadn't been saying anything before at all. “I didn't see your car.”

Burr nodded, pressing his lips together in a thin line. He was sitting upright, with his hands awkwardly in his lap. “Yeah, he had to run to help someone with something at work and took my car since it was behind his.” 

Alexander nodded slowly. He hadn't spoken to Burr alone in a very long time, and he wasn't even really sure that there would be anything to talk about. “Well..I’ll just get out of your hair, then.”

“What’s bothering you? If you don't mind me asking.” Burr asked. He looked so sincere, like he actually cared. He probably really did.

“Oh, it's nothing.” Alex shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just this guy I like. He's being confusing, and I don't really know what to do.”

Burr nodded, like he knew exactly how that felt very well. Now that Alex thought about it, this very well could've been how he felt when pursuing John.

“If you want a listening ear, I'm happy to be that. I used to listen back when we were younger, I can't imagine you'll talk that much more now.” Burr joked, offering a kind smile.

Now Alexander felt bad. He was standing there, trying his hardest to come up with a reason to walk away from his oldest friend. The first person to give him time, the first person to help him through a stupid problem. And Burr had been a great friend. It was Alex who had stepped away.

So he sat down. “Okay, so, I'm pretty sure I've liked this guy for a while and it just took me a long time to acknowledge because I thought he was completely out of my league. But he kept flirting with me, and so I'd flirt back. And then a couple weeks ago, I kissed him, and he kissed me, and then it was like…heated, but didn't get anywhere. And since then, we've flirted, but that's it.”

Burr was listening intently. “Have you talked at all?

“Well, no. I don't really know how I'm supposed to start that conversation. I don't want it to ruin everything and have things be awkward because I have to see him everyday.”

“Ah, this is someone you work with. That makes more sense now, your field isn't very…open about their gayness.” Burr said. “But he flirts with you?”

Alexander nodded. “Pretty directly, too. I mean, sometimes I mistake normal banter for flirting, but he was definitely flirting. He basically told me he didn't mind being ogled.” 

Aaron's brows furrowed. “You were ogling someone at work?” 

“Well that's beside the point. I just don't know what to do about someone who flirts so much but doesn't do anything. Do I just wait for him to make a move or what?” 

“When have you ever been the type to sit back? Take what you want, Alex, you know that better than anyone else I know. That's what I had to do with John. Maybe your guy is clueless, or he's having the exact same conversation with his own friends.”

Alexander sighed. “I’ll try to come up with something. Thanks Burr.” He got up, because he didn't want to be roped into third wheeling movie night and John would probably be back soon.

“Alex, why do you think this man is out of your league?” Burr asked, looking up at him from his seat. He'd relaxed some, sitting the way he probably really had been before Alex came in.

“He's insanely hot, he has money.” Alex shrugged. “Basically everything about him, I'm the opposite.”

Burr's eyes narrowed slightly, like he was thinking really hard. “You don't give yourself enough credit, Alex. No one is out of your league.”

Alexander hadn't expected such a compliment from anyone, let alone Burr. It felt nice, even if he didn't quite believe it. “Thanks for talking to me. I appreciate it.”

“Like I told you all those years ago, Alex. You can talk to me anytime.”

As he walked to his bedroom, Alexander found himself remembering why he and Burr had been friends in the first place. He even felt a little bad for talking about him so poorly all the time.

···

Either Alexander's insomnia was functioning in full force, or his racing mind was going too fast to fall asleep. It was 1:30 in the morning, and despite his best efforts to get some sleep, Alexander was wide awake. He wasn't even thinking about anything remotely important, just random things he needed to do around the apartment and stuff. 

He'd already exhausted all of his usual boredom solving methods. TikTok got old, and even got kind of weird the more he scrolled. He didn't have a TV in his room and didn't want to go sit in the living room and risk falling asleep there. So for the last however many minutes, Alex had been refolding all of the clothes in his dresser in order to hopefully bore himself to sleep.

This is when his phone began to ring. At this hour, it could be a few people. Sometimes Peggy called him in her sleep, sometimes Hercules and Lafayette went out. But when he saw Thomas' name, his heart did a little jump. Just like it did the first time.

He took a deep breath before answering the phone, hearing Thomas' voice as soon as the call connected.

“I told you that you'd regret telling me I could call.” Thomas said, but his tone didn't suggest that he felt sorry for himself or Alex at all. It sounded like he was smiling, a playful little lilt.

Alexander was already smiling. “I don't regret it one bit. What's got you up at this hour, Mr. Quarterback?” 

“Oh, you know. Trying to figure out how to achieve world peace, all that jazz.” He paused for a second before adding, more seriously, “Just trying to get my mind to stop racing.”

That feeling was all too familiar. It was like Thomas was reading his mind and using the information he'd gathered for an excuse to talk to Alexander. If that was the case somehow, he honestly wouldn't mind. He wanted to know every part of Thomas.

“You stressed about finding a house?” Alex asked. He didn't want to bring up the upcoming game in a few days, because he was sure that was the wrong thing to ask. So he settled on the other major thing he knew for sure about.

“Yeah, among other things. I did find a place I like in…it was called like, something grove?” 

“Oh yeah, Cedar Grove. You'd definitely like the commute better, the traffic won't be quite as horrible. And you'd have a house instead of your nemesis apartment.”

Thomas chuckled quietly. “Yeah, I will definitely not miss this place. It served its purpose, but there is no reason a man as tall as I am should be bending over at those counters.”

“To be fair, you're taller than most people.” Alexander reasoned, earning himself another small laugh from the other side of the call.

The conversation quieted, and Alexander's short talk with Burr from earlier rang in the back of his mind. Alexander needed to be more like himself, more direct. Now was a better time than ever.

“By the way,” he said cautiously. “I um..wanted to ask about what happened the other night, after Pittsburgh?”

Thomas was quiet for a moment. Alexander wished that he could see his face, so that he could just try to guess what he was thinking. It probably felt much longer than it really was, but Alex felt like the silence was never ending.

“What did you want to know?” Thomas asked, sounding just as cautious. Alexander hadn't considered that Thomas might be in the same boat as him, not until Burr suggested it earlier.

“Well, I kissed you, and then you kissed me, and it was great. But we haven't really talked about that since, or even acknowledged it, and I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overthinking anything and that you actually wanted to kiss me.”

“There have been more times recently that I wanted to kiss you than times where I didn't.” Thomas said. His new tone revealed how tired he sounded, a slight gruffness to his voice. Alex wished he could hear it in person, right in his ear.

Alexander suddenly felt like he wanted to kick his feet like a teenager at a sleepover. He sat back, leaning against his dresser and pulling his knees to his chest, biting his lip. “So you're fine with what happened?”

“Yes,” Thomas answered quickly, which was both adorable and reassuring. “Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?”

“I don't know,” Alex shrugged, even though Thomas couldn't see him. “I guess I thought that since nothing's happened since, maybe you weren't into it.” 

“That isn't the case at all. If it wasn't for how open everything is at the facility, I probably would have kissed you again already.” 

Alexander got up, getting back into bed instead of sitting on the floor. Thomas was being so open, just saying exactly how he felt instead of beating around the bush to try being smooth or something. Alex hadn't really experienced that before, but he definitely appreciated it.

“Like when?” He asked, pulling the covers up over his legs. His back was against the wall, a pillow cushioned between.

“In the locker room the other day, for example.” Thomas said. Alexander could hear shuffling from the other side of the phone, like Thomas was laying down. 

He wished that Thomas had kissed him then. He fully understood why he didn't, the locker room was probably the worst place for two men to be kissing. Thomas would probably get in some kind of trouble, and Alexander would almost definitely be fired. And if it became public knowledge, it wouldn't exactly be good for either of them. 

“You'll have to find a time to kiss me, then.” He said teasingly. There was nothing to worry about now, if both of them already made it clear to one another what they wanted. 

“I will.” Thomas was quieter now. Alex imagined him laying in his bed, on the verge of sleep, and hoped he'd be that way soon too.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Alexander. Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight, Thomas.” 

—

Even though the Giants had an away game on Sunday, Alexander was glad it was Friday. Sure, part of that did have to do with not needing to fly to Philadelphia, but it meant that he had all of Saturday to do nothing. More accurately, he'd do some work from the comfort of his bed instead of having to listen to Cheryl complain about her sister. 

Alexander was excited for work today, though. He wanted to see Thomas, especially after their phone call. That, and he and Peggy had a very fun video planned that was sure to lift the spirit of the players, who were trying their hardest to seem unbothered by their upcoming opponent. The two of them had found and printed embarrassing photos of some of the players from when they were kids, and they'd be asking them to autograph them. It was a trend going around that had seemed to work with other teams, so they were hoping it'd work here too.

It was a cold November day, so Alexander opted to stay inside and work on graphics to post on Instagram. John Marshall had been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Atlanta, and Madison had set a personal record. Both of those things had needed to be up before the next football week began, but Peggy told Alexander it was his responsibility a bit late.

He didn't mind though. This meant that Peggy got to stand and watch the team practice, get some photos, and deal with the docuseries people getting in the way. Alexander wasn't entirely sure why the Giants were being shown in a documentary, and he also didn't even remember what it was called, but the crew was definitely irritating.

After a while, Peggy texted him and said it looked like Washington was wrapping up practice, so Alex grabbed his jacket and headed outside with the photos. Some of the players had very little to go on, especially if their families didn't have public Facebook profiles to stalk. But there were definitely some good ones. 

Ironically, Marshall was the first one out of practice. He was one of the only players who always made sure to stop and at least say hello to Alex and Peggy, which was definitely appreciated.

“What do you have for us today, guys?” He asked, looking skeptical as Peggy handed him a marker. 

“We just need you to sign a quick autograph,” Alex said, finding the photo and handing it to him. It was from when he was in middle school, for some reason dressed as a horse.

Marshall looked at the picture for a second before laughing and doing a quick signature. This is pretty much how it went for most players, and they'd often ask where Alex and Peggy got the picture. When Thomas and Madison walked up, Alexander felt incredibly nervous.

“What evil tricks do you have up your sleeves today?” Thomas asked, grinning already. Alexander couldn't help but stare at him.

Despite the cold, Thomas had already removed his practice jersey and pads, leaving only a tight long sleeved shirt. There was something about Thomas that was simply enchanting and made Alexander unable to look away. 

Somehow, he still managed to hand each of them their embarrassing photos. He almost thought that James might kill him, because that just seemed right, but to his surprise he actually smiled.

“Oh, God, where did you even get this?” Thomas asked, holding up his photo. It was from his modified baseball days, when they apparently didn't have a uniform big enough for him and he looked ridiculous in pants that were much too short. 

“I had to look up pictures from your school,” Alexander said. “It made me feel like some kind of agent finding all these pictures, actually. I had to go through all sorts of social media pages and stuff.”

Madison was signing his photo, which Alexander had found on his mother's Facebook page. It was probably the least embarrassing of the bunch, it just showed young James sitting outside with a book and scowling at the camera. His mother had written that it was a bad idea to interrupt him, or something like that.

“My mom will find this absolutely hilarious,” James said, handing the paper back to Alexander. “You should do more ideas like this. Your marker's dead, by the way.” He then walked away, presumably to go change.

“Crap.” Peggy sighed, patting her pockets down. “I’ll run and grab another marker, you make sure you just do one at a time until I get back.” She said, running off.

Thomas was still standing there, holding onto his picture and the marker. He hadn't signed the photo yet. “Well, Agent Hamilton, apparently the key to getting James to enjoy this stuff was to try embarrassing him.” 

“Yeah, I mean, he even suggested that we keep doing it, so that's good right?” Alexander smiled, though he was pretty sure James was at least hinting at their other ideas being stupid.

“Most likely, yeah.” Thomas looked back at his own picture, shaking his head dramatically. “I can't believe you found this from my old school. I should have known that you were really just stalking me all along.”

Playing along, Alexander shook his head. “What? No…I’m totally not stalking you, that's crazy.”

“That's gotta be the real reason you were staring in the locker room last week. And..just now.” Thomas smiled softly, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly. The look in his eyes made Alexander feel weak in the knees.

Still, he did his best to keep it cool and just keep going with the bit. “Those are mere coincidences, of course. Staring at you in such environments would be foolish.”

Thomas began to laugh. “Why are you speaking so formally? Is that what you think stalkers do?” 

Alexander sighed, shaking his head. “I don't know! I'm nervous. Ugh, why did I say that I'm nervous!” He buried his face in his hands.

“I make you nervous?” Thomas said, sounding less amused and painfully more flirty. How could someone like Thomas Jefferson sound more flirty?

“Ohh, you suck.” Alexander said, uncovering his face to see that Thomas was watching him very intently. “You gotta sign that before someone else comes up, you know. Only one living marker.” 

Thomas grinned. “Fine, I’ll sign it. But don't go and send it off to someone, do that with the one of James.”

···

After Alexander had edited and posted the video from the autographs, he of course had to read the comments. It had become part of his routine at this point, checking in on what fans thought about the videos and what they might like to see next. Of course, he couldn't help but wonder what they had to say about the players as well.

jamesmadisonismyhusband: I NEED THAT PICTURE OF MADISON RIGHT. NOW.

>>nygiants: DM us!

jennysayshuh: aww marshall is such a good sport, love him on and off the field

sophialaf: YES omg this is my favorite trend sports teams are doing

jakeanderson: bruh even nfl players study i gotta get my grades up 😐

jocelynallen: I’m the quarterback of my schools flag football team, can I get a shoutout from Thomas???

addystjames: the giants have the most attractive roster 

thomasjeffersonsgf: oh please show me a picture of thomas NOW in baseball pants..for research purposes 😁

gigibb: give me this job

As he was scrolling, Alexander got a notification. Thomas had texted him.

Friday, November 7th, 2:47PM

[Thomas] Come to room 240

[Alexander] why, did you forget your clothes again?

[Thomas] Haha very funny 😐 Just come on

Alexander glanced around quietly. Peggy would ask where he was going if she noticed him get up, but Cheryl would almost definitely say something if he tried sneaking. So he stood up very slowly and quietly to make sure neither of them would notice, like some kind of idiot.

Neither of them spoke to him though, and he quietly made his way out of the media offices. As he started walking, he realized he had absolutely no idea where room 240 would even be, so he texted Thomas again. 

[Alexander] how the hell am i supposed to know where that is

[Thomas] It's in the hallway with the water filling station you like

Ah, Alexander definitely knew how to get there. He still wasn't entirely sure why Thomas would ask him to go to some random room, but then again he'd asked him to bring him clothes while in the shower, so the options were unlimited.

When he got to the room, he felt like he was doing something inherently wrong by opening the door. Inside there was a desk, a few tables with chairs, and Thomas.

“Oh, did you lure me to a room with no windows so you can kill me?” Alexander joked.

Thomas smiled softly. He was right next to Alexander, saying absolutely nothing. This didn't last very long though, because a moment later he pulled Alexander close and kissed him.

Despite his surprise, Alexander kissed back. He'd been wanting this to happen ever since that Monday night, and he'd definitely thought about how it would happen and what would happen after. Obviously not much could happen now, but it didn't matter, because he was still finally kissing Thomas again.

Then, he remembered where they were, and pulled away. “Won't someone come in?” He asked.

Thomas reached over Alexander's shoulder, his chest pressing on him slightly, and clicked the lock on the door. “Not now, they won't.”

Alexander was certain this was a bad idea, but he wanted it to happen. He reached up, tugging Thomas closer to him and kissing him once again. Just like the first time, their kiss quickly grew more heated, and Alexander's chest was filled with butterflies.

Thomas turned them slightly and backed Alexander up until the backs of his thighs hit the edge of one of the tables. With their lips still connected, Thomas wrapped his hands around Alexander's hips and lifted him onto the edge of the table. All Alexander could think was how much he wanted those hands all over him. 

Unable to say that out loud, both because his mouth was busy and also because he was fairly certain he'd been rendered speechless, Alexander put his own hands all over Thomas. He moved them from his shoulders, down his chest and around to his back. Every part of Thomas was obviously well sculpted, Alex could feel it through his clothes. He'd seen him shirtless, could have seen more, wanted to see more.

God, why did they have to be at work? 

Alexander pushed on Thomas' back, pulling him closer. Against his lips, Thomas gasped slightly, so Alex did it again. This time, he opened his legs just a bit more, just so Thomas could get as close as possible. Alex's heart was thumping so hard he could hear it, and he was itching for more. His chest rose and fell heavily against Thomas'.

Thomas pulled away, leaving Alexander breathless as he trailed kisses down his neck. Now that his senses were less focused on Thomas’ tongue against his own, Alexander could smell the soap he'd used in his post-practice shower. It smelled like the scent would just be called ‘clean’ or ‘fresh linen’ or something.

Thomas’ hands were planted firmly on either side of Alexander's body, but he wanted them on him. He understood those people online who talked about Thomas' hands, and his arms, and literally everything about him. Alexander couldn't fathom how someone could be so strikingly gorgeous all while not being the biggest douchebag around. For all he knew Thomas really was the diva they kept writing about. Right now, he didn't care.

When Thomas finally reached Alexander's collarbone, it was like some kind of switch was flipped in Alex's body. If they weren't in this random room, he'd probably already be pleading for more. Instead, his only option was to keep his mouth shut, squeezing Thomas' hips tightly. 

He could feel Thomas sigh against his neck, short and impatient. Then Thomas put his head against Alexander's shoulder, breathing just as heavily, and moved his hands to his hips.

“I have a meeting I need to get to,” Thomas said, his voice muffled from the way he was standing. 

“What?” Alexander breathed. He was definitely in no way to go back to his desk. He'd need a moment to cool down. 

Thomas stood up straight, regaining control of his breathing and looking at Alexander longingly. Neither of them needed to say it—both of them wanted (or maybe needed) more. But this was far from the time or place.

“I’ll see you on Sunday.” 

—

Alexander had absolutely been dreading going to Philadelphia. No one he'd spoken to had described visiting Philly as anything but disastrous, and he was feeling ill prepared to deal with aggressive heckling and not say anything right back. His job depended on self control, and that was something he was known to lack.

The best part of the entire ordeal was that they didn't need to fly to Philadelphia. The bus ride would only be a few hours, and they didn't need to deal with the in-between step of going to the airport. If it was an afternoon game, they'd head right back home, but with such a big divisional rivalry the Giants and Eagles were Sunday Night Football for Week 10. 

As the team and staff prepared to board the buses, there was an air about everyone that made Alexander feel less confident. He wasn't even playing, and he felt nervous. The Eagles weren't only the biggest threat in the division, but in the conference too. They were ranked second in the league, and that definitely didn't help the mentality of the Giants going up against them for the second time.

In the crowd of players and staff, Alexander couldn't help but look for Thomas. Despite how ridiculously tall Thomas was, he didn't stand out amongst the team at all (and was actually shorter than some of the linemen), so it was hard to find him at first. But then they locked eyes, and Thomas smiled at him, and Alexander felt all the air leave his lungs.

A few minutes later, it was finally time to board their respective buses. Alexander looked at Thomas, hoping for one more smile before they left, but didn't get one. Thomas was staring forward, his expression so blank that Alexander wondered if he even realized that he existed.

Arriving at Lincoln Financial Field was, in simple words, an interesting experience. Eagles fans that had likely been tailgating for hours lined the driveway to holler at them, so passionate that Alexander felt it compared to protests outside a courthouse. 

The setup for the game was as normal as usual, minus the fact that for some reason Alex had a hard time finding his way around the stadium. Maybe it was because he was worked up from the Eagles fans, or maybe it was because he couldn't get his mind off the thought of Thomas' lips against his own.

By kickoff, Alexander was feeling painfully confused. The staff for both teams matched, because they were all supposed to wear league issued gear for games in November as a show of support for veterans. Alex got a free sweatshirt out of it, but had to look extra closely to figure out who was friend and foe when not on the sideline.

It was cold, so Alex had hand warmers tucked in his gloves so that his fingers would actually be able to press the buttons on his camera. The Giants started with the ball, already putting them in a potentially tough position for the second half of the game. They'd have to get ahead while they could. 

Now that Alexander knew who everyone on the team was and didn't second guess himself, it was even more entertaining to watch. John Marshall was one of the nicest players on the entire team, but he was a winner, and he was making the entire Eagles defense angry as he escaped them. 

As the two teams lined up for the next play, there was a penalty on a defensive lineman, moving the Giants ten extra yards closer to the endzone. Alexander couldn't see any of the players' faces, but he could tell that they were getting fired up.

The ball was finally snapped, and Alexander turned his focus to Madison, who was closer to his side of the field. Alex could see why James had earned himself so many fans already—the way he played was incredible to watch. He seemed to know exactly where the defenders’ feet would be next, and he dodged them expertly.

In what felt like half a second, James was in the endzone in front of Alexander. Alexander couldn't even see the ball until it was in Madison’s hands. The referees put their arms up to indicate a touchdown as Madison calmly jogged off the field. Alex had never seen him celebrate a touchdown, even when his teammates would pat his back or even pick him up. There was one particularly large lineman who could even lift Thomas, and Alexander couldn't imagine having that ability.

The Giants kicker scored the extra point, putting them at a seven point lead and making good use of the first possession of the game. Of course, though, the Eagles followed suit, quickly evening out the score. This is how it went for basically all of the first quarter and most of the second, and then the shit hit the fan.

Thomas threw the ball, and then was slammed into the ground by an Eagles defensive player. The Eagle got up quickly, leaving Thomas on the ground with his arms out as if to say ‘what the hell?’ A second later, two refs threw their yellow flags and one announced, “Personal foul: roughing the passer, defense number 58. 15 yard penalty, automatic first down.”

By this point, Thomas had gotten up and the Giants had already moved to their new spot. Some of the Eagles players were shaking their heads in irritation, acting as if it was a bad call. 

A few plays later, another player made contact with Thomas. The defender was on the ground and wrapped his arms around Thomas' legs, tugging at them and pulling him down even though Thomas didn't have the ball anymore. Thomas face planted very ungracefully, of course, rolling over after he landed. A second later, the biggest offensive lineman the Giants had was charging at the defender, shoving him away from Thomas. Then all of a sudden, almost every player on the field from both teams was in a cluster, shoving each other around. Rather than involve himself, Thomas turned and walked away.

The refs were blowing their whistles and waving their arms, getting right in the middle of the fight even though they were a lot shorter than most of the players and also didn't have the same protective gear on. Eventually, things settled, and the refs had to announce several more fouls.

When halftime finally rolled around, the score was tied at 14-14 and the Eagles would be getting the ball to start the second half. Alexander needed a breather, especially away from the direct shouting of the fans, so he headed back up to the press box to chill with Peggy for a few minutes. 

Only, he must've made a wrong turn somewhere, because he had absolutely no idea where he was. The corridor was empty, which should have been the first indicator that something wasn't right. Then he started seeing the word ‘suite’ over and over again, and he knew for sure that he wasn't supposed to be here.

He heard a door open, and soon there was a short woman walking towards him. She was wearing a fancy looking Eagles jacket, and was generally dressed better than fans usually were. When her eyes landed on Alexander, she looked him up and down before speaking. 

“You look like a deer in headlights. Are you lost?” She asked, stopping in front of him. Up close, he could see that she was undeniably beautiful. Carefully done hair, subtle makeup. Maybe she was a player’s girlfriend.

Alex sighed. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure I managed to make a wrong turn. Not sure how that happens in a stadium, but I found a way.” 

The woman smiled. “Well, I know my way around well enough. Where are you trying to get to? I’ll help you.”

Alexander wasn't sure what exactly the best move was in this situation. She could definitely tell that he was part of the staff, because he was wearing a ridiculous vest and lanyard. But he couldn't help but think it might be a bad idea to say he was with the Giants.

“I was looking for the press box,” he said slowly. “I don't even know if I'll have any time for that now, though.”

Something seemed to come together in the woman's mind, because her expression became one of realization. “Oh, you're the media guy!” She said, nodding to herself.

Alexander suddenly felt a little nervous. Obviously he was a media guy, but why was he the media guy? “Uh..yeah?” He said cautiously. “Yeah, I'm with the media people.”

“Yeah, I know who you are. Come on.” She gently put her hand around his shoulder briefly, telling him to come with her.

“I'm sorry, you know me? Should I know you?” He asked, trying his hardest not to sound rude or anything. 

The woman only smiled. “I didn't say I know you, I said I know who you are. I don't know if you should know me, should you?”

Alexander's brows drooped, and at the same time, he frowned. Now he was extremely confused, and still a little scared. “What are you, the Cheshire cat or something?”

She laughed, just a little, shaking her head. “No, I've actually never been called that before. I like it.” 

The two continued to walk, not saying anything. Alexander felt like he was learning more about stranger danger, and the woman didn't look bothered at all. When they finally reached the press box, she stopped in her tracks. 

“There you go,” she said. “Try not to get lost again, you might get a beer thrown at you or something. Have fun!”

Alexander nodded like an idiot, just glad that he'd made it back to Peggy safely. When he entered the box, Peggy was staring at him like she'd just won the lottery.

“Why are you making that face?” Alex asked slowly. “Why the hell is everyone being so weird today?”

Peggy gasped. “Alex, do you have any idea who that was?”

“No! I don't, but she said she knows who I am, and it freaked me out.” Alexander huffed, sitting down. 

“What? Alex, that was Maria Lewis. What the hell do you mean she knows who you are?” Peggy demanded.

Alex shrugged. “I don't know, that's what I'm saying! She just said like, ‘oh you're the media guy’ and then told me she knows who I am. Should I know her?”

Peggy ran her hands down her face, groaning with frustration. “Oh my God, Alex. Maria Lewis? She's a really famous singer? I literally listen to her!”

“I tune out the music you listen to! How the hell would I know what some random singer looks like?”

Peggy shook her head, pressing her lips together. “Just go back to the field, I cannot believe how stupid you are. You're supposed to be the smart one!”

“I can write! That's it, I'm not about to go win pop culture trivia!” Alex stood up, giving Peggy a mean thumbs down as he left. 

Thankfully he found his way back to the field without encountering any more celebrities or Eagles fans. The players were back on the field, doing quick warmups before the second half started. Alex found his spot on the sideline, ready to take photos. 

The third quarter started off strong for the Giants. They held the Eagles well enough that they ended up punting, giving the ball back to the Giants. On their next possession, the Giants scored, taking the lead 21-14. The Eagles followed up with seven of their own points, making it a tied game once again.

Both teams were angry, and they were playing rough. There were several more penalties, against both teams, and players and fans alike were unhappy. Alexander might have been looking too far into things, especially given his new…thoughts regarding Thomas, but it almost seemed like the Eagles were intentionally trying to hurt him. 

There was a scuffle between a player from each team at one point, resulting in personal fouls for each of them and one step closer to ejection. Now it was the fourth quarter, and as the clock continued to count down, each team had 28 points. The Eagles had the ball, and were just barely making it down the field every play.

With extremely little time left on the clock, the Eagles opted to kick a field goal with the hopes of taking home a last minute win. The Giants had one timeout left, and used it to give their best shot at icing the kicker. 

Alexander felt anxious, and he wasn't even playing. Before he started working for the Giants, he wouldn't find this exciting or nerve wracking at all. But now he cared what happened, because he knew how much it meant to the players on his team. 

After the timeout, the two teams finally lined up for the kick. Alexander had moved to the sideline, watching through the camera as the play began. He was practically holding his breath, as if that would somehow give the Giants the luck they needed to go into overtime.

Miraculously, one of the Giants jumped up and deflected the ball, leaving the Eagles with nothing. The game would be going into overtime. 

On the Giants sideline, players were jumping up and down in celebration, preparing to take their final chance to defeat those who had defeated them. Alexander wasn't entirely certain how overtime worked in football, but it basically looked like the game was starting over. The team captains went back out for another coin toss, which the Giants won. The tension in the stadium was crazy.

Alexander couldn't imagine being in the position that the players were in. For the Giants, it meant proving themselves. For the Eagles, it meant maintaining their reputation.

But when Thomas threw a huge pass to James Madison, every person in that stadium knew it was over. The Giants came out on top, leaving the final score at 34-28. Eagles fans were losing their minds, angry at the loss. Their players looked shocked, angry, and defeated all at once. Meanwhile, the Giants were all so happy that they'd won that they didn't seem to notice anything happening around them.

Post game went on as usual, with player interviews. This time however, the media wanted to talk to Madison and the player who'd deflected the field goal as well. After Thomas made his statement, he made his way to Alexander, a huge grin on his face.

“I might throw up. I have never felt this much adrenaline in my entire life.” Thomas said as he reached Alexander. They were off to the side, close to the tunnel the visiting team used to get to the locker room. 

Alexander tried to make a face through his smile. “Gross.” He said, looking up at Thomas. “Am I allowed to tell you good job or are you gonna come up with some reason against that?”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “You can tell me good job.”

“Good job, Thomas.” Alex said, handing him the phone to record a video, just like every other game they'd won.

When Thomas was done, he handed Alexander back the phone and rocked up on his toes slightly. He then rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, “When we get to the hotel, meet me by your bus.”

Remembering what had happened at work just the other day, Alexander nodded, trying to seem cool. “Okay.” 

···

Alex had never been so impatient about packing up after a game, and there had been quite a few that ended very late. He wasn't even sure why Thomas wanted to meet up, but he could only assume it would be something like before.

Sitting on the bus and just waiting for it to leave was the worst part, because he wasn't able to do anything to distract himself from the wait. Then there was the ride to the hotel, which took a while because of course it did.

When the staff bus finally arrived, Alexander was quick to get off and look for Thomas. It took longer than it probably should have, but Alex's mind was elsewhere and wasn't letting him focus on the first step, which was simply finding the man he needed to.

Everyone else went into the hotel pretty much immediately, so when Alex did find Thomas, it was just the two of them outside. Thomas' expression immediately told Alexander that he was right, this was just like when Thomas had texted him a few days ago.

“Come on,” Thomas said quietly. He looked so much calmer than he had at the stadium, but there was an air about him. He was obviously still pumped up from the win, which was completely fair. Alexander had seen people talking online, and it was definitely the game of the week.

Alexander followed Thomas, wishing that they could be anyone else just for a few minutes. He wanted Thomas to be able to put his arm around him, anything like that. Instead, they were stuck pretending they just happened to be going in the same direction until they made it to Thomas' room. 

When the elevator doors opened on Thomas' floor, they were standing much too close. Alexander could feel the warmth radiating off of Thomas' body, and all he could think about was how much he wanted it right up against him. Thankfully, nobody was in the hallway, because Alexander highly doubted he was being very subtle. He wasn't thinking about a single way that this could blow up in their faces, even though there were plenty.

The walk to Thomas' room felt like it lasted an eternity, and the extra second it took for his key card to unlock the door didn't help at all. But as soon as the door shut and locked behind them, they were grabbing for each other. 

As soon as they kissed, the wait was worth it. There was something about this kiss that was different. Maybe it was the way that Thomas was holding Alexander, one hand firmly cupping his jaw and the other against the back of his head. Maybe it was how quickly it escalated, growing hungrier quicker than the first times. 

Thomas backed Alexander against the wall, moving the hand that had previously been against his head down his side. Alexander squeezed his eyes shut, his own arms draped over Thomas' shoulders.

“This is a bad idea,” he said against Thomas' lips. 

Thomas pulled away, looking down at Alexander with an interesting expression. It was like he was smirking, but also somehow cautious, if that was even possible. “Want to stop?” He asked.

Alexander shook his head. “No,” he breathed, leaning in to kiss Thomas again. As their lips moved together, Alex let his hands wander like they had before, this time a bit more careful. He felt Thomas' shoulders and his back, down to his hips. He didn't move them any further, waiting to see what Thomas was going to do.

The hand that had previously held Alexander's jaw in place moved slightly, and Thomas' thumb brushed against Alexander's lip. Alex pressed Thomas' body closer. He could feel him through his pants, and was sure Thomas could feel him too.

Thomas broke the kiss again. When Alexander looked up at him, he could see that something in Thomas' expression had changed. Any hint of restraint was gone, replaced with urgent desire. From that look alone, Alex was ready to give himself up right then and there. 

“Alex,” Thomas breathed, an almost desperate whisper. 

Alex would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy the feeling of making someone like Thomas melt, especially in a scenario as simple as this one really was. He leaned forward off the wall, closing any remaining space between their bodies. He moved his hands around the front of Thomas' waist, gently pushing him in the direction of the bed. 

Thomas stepped backwards, sitting on the bed as soon as he reached it and pulling Alexander on top of him. He tugged on Alex's sweatshirt, and as Alexander removed it, Thomas took off his own shirt as well. Alex's fingers felt tingly, desire taking over every inch of his body. 

Now that Thomas' shirt was off, Alexander could see what he'd been feeling up close. The years of building his body resulted in looking absolutely perfect. Alex wanted to spend hours just looking at him. He gently touched Thomas' smooth skin, watching his own fingers as they trailed down his abs to his belt. Then he stopped, looking back up at Thomas for permission.

“Yes,” Thomas breathed, nodding. He was leaning slightly back now, his hands propping him up on either side. 

Alexander unbuckled Thomas' belt, unbuttoning his pants and undoing the zipper before he gently pressed his fingers back on Thomas' chest until he laid back on the bed. He climbed over him, planting a kiss on his lips, then his jaw, all the way down his body until he finally reached his waist.

Beneath his touch, Thomas let out a deep sigh as Alexander pressed a kiss against his hip. There was no time to waste, so he gave Thomas what he wanted.

···

Afterwards, Alexander was wrapped up against Thomas' side, covered at the waist by the comforter. Neither of them had any clothes on anymore, and were likely both exhausted. Alex could tell that Thomas was still awake, maybe only barely, because his thumb was gently rubbing his arm. 

Alex knew he needed to get to his own room. He didn't know what time it was, but the buses were leaving early in the morning, and he wasn't sure it'd be a very good look for him and Thomas to come from the same room. 

“I should have kissed you sooner,” he said, breaking the comfortable silence they'd been laying in. “If that's what happens when you win a big game.”

Thomas chuckled, turning to look at Alexander. His bottom lip curled in slightly, suppressing his smile just a little. He looked like he could fall asleep any second. “You kissed me at the right time.”

“I didn't even get to tell you about my weird experience today with all the excitement. Some random lady knew who I was even though I've never met her, it made me feel like I was going to get kidnapped.”

Thomas' brows furrowed. “A random lady?” He repeated. “Tell me more.” 

Alex sat upright, ready to tell his story. “Okay, so at halftime I wanted to like, get away from the field because the fans were kind of terrifying. But I somehow managed to get lost, and this random lady offered to help, and then was all ‘I don't know you, I know who you are’ and that was weird as hell. And then it turns out Peggy knows who she is.”

“Well who was it then?” Thomas asked, sounding as sleepy as he looked.

Alex shrugged. “Some singer. Her name starts with an M, maybe–”

“Maria?” Thomas finished Alexander's sentence. “She's a friend of mine, I wouldn't be surprised if she was actively trying to scare you.”

“Peggy was absolutely flabbergasted that I didn't know her. How do you know her?” Alexander asked. He felt like he must've missed something entirely.

Thomas leaned against Alexander, just slightly. Alexander suddenly felt like he didn't know what to do—he hadn't ever been with someone who was so relaxed.

“We met when I was starting college. She was just starting to get recognized, so we were kind of in similar spots in life. She ended up being way more famous than me, though.” 

Alexander sighed dramatically. “I must live under a rock. I have never heard of her.”

“You guys would get along well. I’ll have to introduce you some time.” Thomas said slowly. He was clearly falling asleep.

Alex waited a moment before he gently nudged Thomas' shoulder. When he got no response, he said his name, and got the same result. Finally, he leaned slightly forward to look at Thomas' face, seeing that he was definitely asleep.

Carefully, Alexander slid out from under the covers and put his clothes back on before pulling the comforter higher up to cover more of Thomas' body. Then he gently kissed his forehead and snuck off to his own room.

Chapter Text

Waking up in a hotel bed only felt nice if it meant laying there lazily for a prolonged period of time, preferably with the person that had been there the previous night. Thomas wasn't surprised when he opened his eyes and Alexander wasn't there—the list of reasons why that'd be a bad idea went on for longer than he had time for.

The only reason the team had even stayed in a hotel was to keep the players ‘well rested and rejuvenated going into the bye week.’ Thomas would have been fine with getting home at three in the morning, but apparently the trainers and medical staff thought they all needed as much of a break as they could get going into the remainder of the season. 

At least it meant he got more time with Alexander. As awkward as Thomas tended to be, it never got the best of him when it came to the physical side of romance. His spurt of confidence got Alexander in bed with him, even if he wasn't there now. Thomas hadn't been touched that way in months, and now that he knew how to get Alexander, it might consume his thoughts too much.

The room was still dark. Between the closed curtains, the dark morning sky only showed early commuters on their way to work. The clock on the nightstand said that it was 6:30, and so did Thomas' watch. The rest of his teammates were definitely still asleep, and probably the staff too. He should be as well, especially because he'd only gone to sleep between one and two in the morning. Without fail, he woke up too early every day.

So of course he took his time getting moving. He was still naked under the covers, which had gotten tangled around his legs in the night. Laying on his back, Thomas sprawled out and stretched, feeling an ache in his hip from one of the many times he'd been illegally tackled. The Eagles defense was intentionally trying to injure him, and they had definitely succeeded at making him feel it the next day.

The first place he went as soon as he got out of bed was the bathroom, turning the shower on at the hottest setting and letting it get warm while he brushed his teeth. Even though he consistently woke up early, he was always kind of a zombie after waking up and functioned on autopilot until he had a shower.

Once that was done with, Thomas dried off and got dressed in comfortable clothes since he'd be stuck on a bus for two hours. He had packed a matching pair of sweatpants and hoodie that were team issued, which made getting dressed easier. 

Finally fully cognisant, Thomas found his phone and saw that he had several new notifications. He'd been texted by several different people, there were tags on Instagram, emails, and other random apps he didn't even recognize. The first step was to clear all of those notifications—he didn't care about most of them, and probably wouldn't ever open them. Then, he opened the messages app to see if there was anything worthwhile.

Of the roughly two hundred total unread messages, Thomas cared about very few. His mother had texted him, which he automatically ignored. There were a few people that he hadn't spoken to since college, even some from high school, congratulating him on such a big win. Then there was Mary, one of the five or so people he bothered responding to.

Sunday, November 9th, 9:12PM

[Mary] are they trying to kill you??

[Mary] apparently they are, 58 is officially my least favorite 

[Mary] his name is kyle so it makes sense actually 

Sunday, November 9th, 11:04PM

[Mary] deadass im gonna vomit overtime is SCARY 

[Mary] ok mr cool you look so calm? maybe it's just cause you're on tv

[Mary] YEAHHH GOOD JOB THOMAS!!! and james too but he's not my brother GOOD JOB!!!

Sunday, November 9th, 11:49PM

[Mary] alr now you got all kinds of nicknames why do you get to be the famous one 

[Mary] [Link] Thomas Jefferson Wins in OT

[Mary] [Link] America's Rookie: Thomas Jefferson

[Mary] [Link] PHI Eagles taken down at Home Against NY Giants 

[Mary] how do they write articles this fast?? the game ended like half an hour ago

Monday, November 10th, 12:17AM

[Mary] man they think you're so cool 

[Mary] little do they know you're a mega nerd 

[Mary] [Attachment]

Thomas sighed to himself, clicking on the first article. It was just a detailed account of the game, written in a way that made Thomas look like some kind of hero. Maybe he was, to Giants fans. They'd doubted him six months ago, but were chanting his name now. When he clicked on the second article, it felt like he was reading about someone monumental. 

America's Rookie: Thomas Jefferson

Even though he is only 22 years old, the rookie quarterback for the New York Giants has taken the country by storm. Starting his professional career as the backup for four time MVP and Superbowl winner John Adams, Thomas Jefferson took the reins from the start and has been crucial in turning the Giants franchise around. Known for his attitude on and off the field, Jefferson has taken a depressing 3-14 team and set them straight again. Currently, the Giants have lost one game—the Philadelphia Eagles beat them in a close match in their first meeting of the season, taking place at MetLife Stadium in Week 7. But tonight, Jefferson has shown the world why he's in the running for the best rookie season in the NFL, taking down the Eagles in a monumental overtime win. 

The game was messy, especially with such a historical rivalry. But Jefferson kept his cool, leading his team to a victory in spite of the several small (and one large) disputes that broke out throughout the game. It is clear to fans of all teams that Jefferson was born to lead, whether following in his father's footsteps or making his own on the gridiron. Thomas Jefferson is America's Rookie.

Thomas stared at his phone screen, unsure of what to think. If they were starting to give him nicknames like that, then surely he'd made it. He'd already felt it, especially with how much the Giants had been winning, but it felt different to have someone he'd never heard of before write an article (even if it was short) about how impactful he was to the team. At this rate, he was a shoo-in for rookie of the year.

He didn't bother to read the last article, since it looked like another game summary. But he did click on the picture, which was a screenshot of Mary's TikTok feed. The video was a clip from the game, after the Eagle’s defensive back had tried to hurt him and every Giants player on the field ran to protect him. Thomas hadn't bothered to put his piece in, because he knew his linemen had him covered.

On the video, the person who posted it had written something about how Thomas was letting his soldiers handle the fight. It even called him Mr. President, another new nickname apparently. He wasn't quite sure if he liked that one, or if it'd even stick, but he appreciated that people appreciated him. There were so many moments in his life where he would have benefited from something like that.

By now it was almost 7:30, so he decided he should head down to eat some breakfast. A lot of the guys were probably just getting moving, which was fair. The buses left in an hour, so it wasn't like there was any reason to rush at all. Without any surprise to Thomas, James was already downstairs, sitting by himself eating breakfast. Thomas grabbed a plate—two pancakes, some eggs and sausage, fruit, and yogurt—before joining his friend.

“I’m an internet sensation,” he said as he sat down.

James peered at him, having been looking down at his plate. “Is that so? What, did you go viral for being hot again?”

Thomas rolled his eyes. He wasn't the only one sitting at the table to have gotten attention for his looks. “Everyone is thrilled about the game last night. I’m sure Mary sent you articles, too.”

“She did.” James nodded, taking a sip of orange juice. “I’m a hero because I caught that pass. You and I crushed the spirit of the Eagles and everyone loves us for it.”

“Oh, I'm sure Philadelphians aren't too thrilled.” Thomas joked, grinning. 

James looked at Thomas for a lengthy moment. He did that often, but it still made Thomas feel like he was under a microscope every time. “Speaking of Philadelphians,” he said slowly. “Did you see Maria?”

Thomas shook his head. “No, there was no time. I’ll catch up with her over the phone, I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to visit in the spring.”

“That's the downside of late games, I suppose. No time for galavanting about new cities. Not that Philadelphia is new, but there's others.” James didn't sound as tired as he looked, which Thomas was kind of jealous of. He probably looked and sounded tired.

The two ate in silence for a few minutes. They saw each other far too often for there to really be anything interesting to talk about. Any topic that they could discuss in public, they'd already exhausted. Thomas had stuff to talk about, but it wasn't like he was about to tell James about getting head from a guy in the middle of a hotel dining room.

“Oh–” he said, swallowing some pancake as he remembered that he actually did have something somewhat worthwhile. “Since it's the bye week I'm gonna be really pushing it for that house.”

James raised a brow at him. “You probably should have been doing that sooner, you know.”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “Obviously I know that. It'll work out fine, it's one of those places that players live in all the time. They're used to last minute stuff.” 

“That doesn't mean that you need to do it last minute. You could have moved in there already.” James reasoned.

“Yeah, but the whole reason I haven't moved yet is so the documentary people have no reason to come to my current residence.” Thomas countered. “I'm smarter than you give me credit for, James.”

James smiled, giving a dramatic scoff. “Sure you are.”

···

The trip back to New Jersey was pretty quiet. Most of the guys listened to music or even read during travel, some slept, and those who didn't do any of that just sat on their phones. Thomas listened to music sometimes, stared into space others. Today he decided he should probably text some people back, and even start a few conversations.

Even though she probably wasn't awake yet, he texted Mary to thank her for watching the game and also for sending him those articles. He often wondered if she was the only one in the family who watched. Then he texted Maria, who he'd probably have visited with if the game hadn't been so late.

Monday, November 10th, 9:01AM

[Thomas] I heard you were at the game making media specialists feel unsafe 

[Maria] unsafe? all i did was tell him i know who he is 💔

[Thomas] Apparently the other one (her name is Peggy) is a fan. If you came to another game you could totally make her sooo happy 

[Maria] i’m not going to your games ever again, you caused the downfall of philadelphia

[Thomas] I’m pretty sure you were the bad luck charm 

[Maria] booooo die die die 

[Maria] so anywayyy that's your man huh? between the two of you idk who is easier to stress out. he was so nervous because he didn't know why i knew him

[Thomas] He probably thought you were going to kill him just for being with the Giants. Someone fed him the evil Philadelphia propaganda and he ran with it

[Maria] well you gotta get that out of his head quick cause we're just dedicated in philly

[Maria] but you didn't answer my question, is he your man or no?

[Thomas] I don't know. We haven't really talked about that? We also haven't really done much of anything. No dates or anything 

[Maria] so take him on a date, or invite him somewhere and be like “woah is this a date rn?” that is a great method 

[Maria] have you banged 

[Thomas] Why the hell do you have to say it like that

[Thomas] But no, just other stuff

[Maria] interesting 

[Thomas] Why is that interesting?? 

[Maria] it's just different for you, idk. you must really like him if you haven't…well you know

[Thomas] I do not know please be extremely blunt

[Maria] it's just been a while since i’ve seen you hold onto someone like this, you know? you haven't slept with him which just makes me think is all

[Thomas] Are you calling me a whore 

[Maria] i mean, if the shoe fits 

[Maria] what i’m saying is that you've clearly found someone you really like and i’m glad. just remember to actually tell him

[Thomas] Yeah yeah, I know

Thomas sighed and exited the conversation with Maria, looking at all the unread texts he still had. There were so many, it would take forever to get through them all. And by the previews, there was no reason to really bother. But when he scrolled a bit further down and saw Alexander's name, his thumb lingered over it. Since they were on a bus, he couldn't get up and go sit with Alex to talk to him.

As stealthily as he could, Thomas turned around to see if he could find Alex. When his eyes landed on him, he was slightly disappointed to see that Alexander was busy having what looked like a very amusing conversation with Peggy. Not wanting to bother him, Thomas decided to just turn his phone off and stew in his worry. He didn't even know exactly what he was worried about.

—

By Tuesday afternoon, Thomas was bored. The team wasn't supposed to go into the facility until the end of the week so that they could be well rested and as healthy as possible, but that left Thomas alone with nothing to do at all. Well, other than making an appointment to tour the house he'd found in Cedar Grove, but that was far from exciting.

But that gave him an idea. Maria had told him to invite Alexander someplace with him, and while it was unconventional, a house tour could work. It'd save him from going alone, and he'd be able to spend more time with Alexander freely instead of at the facility.

Before second guessing or chickening out, Thomas hit the ‘call’ button beside Alexander's contact. The phone only rang two times before he got an answer.

“For a bag of spare clothes, press one. To make out in a random room, press two. For more options, press three.” Alexander said, mocking the robotic tone of an answering machine.

“Very funny,” Thomas deadpanned, grinning ear to ear. “What happens if I press three?”

“Why don't you try it next time and find out?” Alexander teased right back. “What's up?”

“Remember that house I was telling you about in Cedar Grove? Well, I made an appointment to tour it tomorrow but James said he can't come along. I really don't want to go alone…would you be willing to join me?”

“You know, I once considered becoming a real estate agent just so I could see the inside of cool houses.” Alexander said thoughtfully. “So yeah, sure, I’ll come along. What time?”

“I'm supposed to be there at noon, so I'll pick you up at around 11:30?” 

“Sure, that works. How come James isn't able to go with you? He seems like he'd be good for negotiation or something.”

“He has an appointment with his massage therapist,” Thomas lied. Or maybe he wasn't lying, he actually didn't know what James would be doing at noon on a random Wednesday.

Alexander chuckled. “Ever since I found out you guys all get massages regularly, I just can't help but laugh. Like, all I see in my mind is these giant dudes going to get a massage and it's weirdly funny.”

“You are weird,” Thomas said. He wanted more than anything to keep the conversation going, but what on earth could he talk about? 

“By the way,” Alexander started. Now he sounded less teasing, and more…nervous? Unsure? “Sorry I just kinda left you on Sunday. I didn't know what I should do.”

Thomas bit his lip. He needed to find a way to get real alone time with Alexander, somewhere they'd have actual time to truly figure out what they were doing with each other. Even if he couldn't fully admit it to himself, he didn't want to end up just letting Alexander go. 

“No, it's completely fine. Probably the best option, actually.” He stopped talking before he accidentally said something that could be taken the wrong way. 

Both of them were quiet. Thomas felt an intense need to fill the silence, but was literally incapable of coming up with anything to say. Silently, he put his face in his hand, mentally calling himself an idiot.

“Thomas?” Alexander said slowly on the other line. Thomas couldn't even get himself to respond, and he couldn't figure out why. Alexander probably thought he was the world's biggest asshole.

“Well, I don't know if the call cut out or something and if it did, then you won't get to hear this. But I was going to say that next time, I won't leave you.” When Alexander got no response, because Thomas couldn't function despite being a grown man, he sighed. 

“I guess it cut out somehow. See you tomorrow. I don't know why I'm still talking, you can't hear me. Bye, Thomas.”

Alexander hung up the phone, and Thomas wanted to bury himself alive.

—

The following morning, Thomas left early to pick Alexander up. Getting over to East Rutherford was just another item on the lengthy list of reasons that leaving Manhattan was the right choice for Thomas. By the time he made it through traffic, he was right on time picking Alexander up.

Suddenly he didn't know if he should go get Alexander from the door or wait in the car. There was another car in the driveway, so he'd pulled over in front of the building. Feeling ridiculously anxious, he texted Alexander to tell him he was there and watched the apartment closely to prepare himself. He could've sworn he saw someone peek through the curtains, but it definitely wasn't Alexander.

As soon as Alexander got to the car, Thomas did his best to turn on his confidence. He knew Alexander well, was very familiar with him—there was simply no reason for him to feel as unsure of himself as he definitely did. 

“Hey,” Alexander greeted as he put his seatbelt on. “Excited to tour your potential new home?”

Thomas shrugged as he began to drive. The screen on his dashboard had directions up, since he had absolutely no concept of where he was going. “Kind of? I’m just hoping it works out so I can actually move. I probably put it off for a little too long.”

Alexander nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense. I'm assuming you've never been to Cedar Grove before?” 

“I haven't really been past the stadium, so definitely not. Is it nice?” 

“Yeah, I'd say so. I usually only go that way with my friends to look at Christmas lights, so I don't know anything about the community or stuff like that.”

Thomas smiled. “I didn't know that's something people actually did. I've seen that in movies and stuff, I guess I never considered that you could just do it.”

“Oh, yeah, it became a thing for the four of us one year because we always spend Christmas together. None of us have family around to spend it with, so we made our own traditions.” Alexander said fondly. “Actually, Laf was the one who started it. He got super drunk and insisted he wanted to see rich people's houses. I’m pretty sure he grew up wealthy, though, so it was kind of ironic.”

Thomas couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't know Lafayette outside of their time together at the facility, but now he kind of wished he did. “You guys sound like you have a lot of fun, though. James and I are honestly pretty boring. I think old men have more fun than we do.”

“James kind of already acts like an old man. Never in my life have I known such a serious twenty something year old. Has he always been that scary?”

Thomas shrugged. “Yeah, kinda. He's less painfully serious when you know him better, I think. He's actually really funny, too, if he's not surrounded by people he doesn't like.”

Alexander laughed now, too. “He must hate the entire team! I see him talk to like three people willingly and it's you, Monroe, and Washington.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Us three are friends, and we're kind of not allowed to not talk to Washington.” Thomas explained. “I think you and James would probably get along pretty well, actually. If you interacted outside of work, at least.”

“You've been saying that about all of your friends, I’m beginning to think you're just being nice. And speaking of, tell me more about your super famous popstar friend.” 

···

The drive from Alexander's apartment to the house in Cedar Grove took about twenty minutes, which wasn't so bad. The street ended in a culdesac which Thomas kind of didn't like, but it wasn't something that would completely dissuade him.

He parked the car alongside the curb in front of the house, looking at the yard. It was nice and seemed to have a spot for a garden, with some fancy little bushes. The house itself was similar in style to the ones his family had in Virginia, with an old colonial brick style.

“Are we looking for something specific?” Alexander asked, looking a little confused. “I've never done this before.” 

“I just want to look at it in person before the realtor starts.” Thomas explained. “It kind of reminds me of where I grew up.”

“Are you from a neighborhood like this?” Alexander asked, looking around as best as he could. The very end of a street made it kind of difficult to see. 

Thomas shook his head. “No, I grew up a ways outside of town. But the town I lived near is like this. Tight knit, a bit hoity toity.”

Alexander smiled, watching Thomas carefully. “We should probably go inside now, you know. We look kinda creepy just staring at this house.”

“Fine,” Thomas sighed, turning the car off. The two walked up to the house together, being greeted by an overly cheery realtor who was definitely trying to pretend she didn't know who he was.

She gave them time to just walk through the house themselves, going to greet other potential buyers. Thomas and Alexander stood awkwardly in the kitchen until the woman walked away. As soon as they made eye contact they each began to silently laugh. 

Trying to remain polite despite the strange realtor, Alexander asked, “So do you like it?” 

Thomas nodded, looking around the room they were in. “I wouldn't have to break my back just to cook here. And there's more than one bedroom, so I could have guests. I’m gonna put in an offer.”

“You seem very…familiar with the process? I have no idea how to buy a house.” Alexander commented, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “To be honest, I'm not sure if my landlord is even allowed to be one.”

“Oh, I've never bought a house before either. I'm just kind of hoping I'm doing things right and if I get confused I'm going to call James’ dad.” 

At that, Alexander chuckled. “Ah, yes, ask a trusted adult for help. Always.”

Thomas took a deep breath. So far things were going really well, and he could only hope that his next idea would go as well. “Since I'm possibly going to live here now, want to explore the town with me?”

Thankfully, Alexander smiled slightly, his lips pursing to the side playfully. There was a pretty solid chance that he knew what Thomas was doing, but he didn't seem to mind. 

“Absolutely.”

Thomas made sure to say goodbye and thank you to the realtor as they left, politely greeting the other potential buyers even though he definitely did not want them to get the house. It wasn't even necessarily that he was in love with it, but he definitely wanted it more than he wanted his horrid apartment. 

“How do you already know that you want to put in an offer?” Alexander asked as they drove down a random street. Thomas was just going with the vibes now.

“Mostly because I really don't want to live in that apartment anymore, but it's pretty nice. The neighborhood is closer to what I'm used to than right in the city, stuff like that. But I really just want out of that apartment.”

“That's fair.” Alexander replied.

Soon enough, they made it to the part of town that seemed to be some kind of business district. Thomas looked around, trying to see if there was somewhere they could go, when his eyes finally landed on an Italian restaurant. 

“You hungry?” He asked, nodding in the direction of the restaurant to show Alexander.

“I could eat.” Alex shrugged. Thomas pulled the car into the parking lot of the restaurant, which was pretty busy for a weekday. 

As they entered the restaurant, which was called Lombardi’s, they were hit with a wall of warmth and the comforting scent of Italian food cooking. Several of the tables were filled with all kinds of people, families, business men, and people Thomas couldn't easily distinguish. 

The hostess came and brought them to a table in a darker corner at the back of the restaurant, where they could easily see everyone else. It was kind of nice for people watching, and also knowing if other people were watching them. Thomas and Alexander got settled and began looking at their menus, and Thomas needed something to talk about.

“Are you looking forward to Munich?” Thomas asked. Work wasn't exactly something he wanted to talk about, but it was at least a good place to start.

Alexander looked confused. “What do you mean?”

Thomas smiled, amused by Alexander's ability to completely miss the memo of what was essentially a company wide trip overseas. “You know, the game against Carolina that we're playing as a part of the expanding the international market thing.”

“I honestly somehow managed to miss that. When do we leave?”

“I think the Friday before game day. We honestly don't have that much time there, which sucks. I've never been to Munich.” Thomas sighed.

Alexander shrugged. “I've never been to Europe. Honestly, I never thought I'd be paid to go to another country, so that's pretty cool.”

“We'll have to take a real trip sometime, one where we can stay for longer than a few days.” As soon as he said it, Thomas realized that maybe that wasn't the right thing to say to someone he wasn't even officially dating. 

But Alexander grinned a bit mischievously, just like he did when he'd figured out a new way to prank Thomas for TikTok, and gently nudged his leg under the table.

“Who's to say we can't have fun while we're there?” He hummed, leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands. The look on his face put a familiar pit deep in Thomas' stomach.

“You make a good point.” Thomas replied, feeling incredibly annoyed at just how public the setting was. Maybe it was better that way—they were inching closer and closer to a new territory, and Thomas wasn't sure how to navigate that.

The waitress returned to the table, and Alexander easily changed his entire demeanor to speak to her. When Thomas had been intrigued by him months ago, he definitely had no idea.

Despite Thomas being painfully awkward on the inside, their lunch ‘date’ went very well. Afterwards, Thomas took Alexander home, and they sat in the car in front of the apartment for a little while talking.

“There is no way you haven't seen Transformers. Sure the plot doesn't make that much sense when you think about it, and yes they're cheesy, but they're iconic.” Alexander was saying.

All Thomas could do was shrug. “I barely watch any movies! I've basically only ever seen what's on when I'm with someone else. I liked Mamma Mia, does that count?”

Alexander laughed. “Completely different vibes, but you know what, I can get behind it. If I could go to that island, I would. I didn't take you for a musical guy, though.”

“Oh, no, just that one. I don't actively seek out musicals, I just enjoy the story.” Thomas explained. 

As Alexander went to respond, Thomas' car began to loudly play an obnoxious ringtone. On the dashboard screen, the contact name read ‘MOTHER.’ 

Alexander laughed. “Your contact name for your mom is ‘mother?’ What are you, the prince of England?” 

Thomas chuckled awkwardly, giving his best attempt at a shrug. “I should take that. I’ll see you later,” he said.

Alexander leaned in, planting a quick kiss on Thomas' lips. “Bye, Thomas.”

As Alexander walked up the driveway, Thomas hit the decline button and turned his phone off before driving back to his apartment.

—

The entirety of Thursday, Thomas barely said a word. He didn't even have his cat there to talk to. James was doing something with Monroe, and Thomas didn't really have any other friends other than Alexander. And that was very clearly a different kind of companionship. 

His mother called again on Thursday, and he continued to ignore both the calls and the messages that she left afterwards. If there was anything important happening, Mary would have told him. There was no reason to speak to his mother. Friday went about the same.

On Saturday morning, the offer that Thomas had put in for the house in Cedar Grove was accepted, which was a relief. He'd have to get packed up quickly after the documentary filming he had to do was over with.

By this point, he was bored out of his mind. All he'd done was read or sit in silence. He'd tried to watch the news but found it too frustrating very quickly. There were several reasons he hadn't gone into politics like his father, but there were just as many reasons for him to feel the need to. 

When the silence began to eat away at his mind, Thomas found himself wishing he was better at keeping in touch with more than a select few people. James had an appointment, Maria was in Philadelphia. And then there was Alexander.

They hadn't spoken since Wednesday. Thomas probably wouldn't be bothering him if he just gave him a call, right? But there was always the possibility that Alexander was the kind of person to dislike phone calls. Thomas hadn't even considered that. A text might be better.

So that's what he did.

Saturday, November 15th, 12:53PM

[Thomas] Okay I haven't had a free weekend here at all so far and I am bored out of my mind. What do I do here 

[Alexander] you haven't done anything at all? not even when we have monday games? 

[Thomas] Yeah no I honestly stayed in every weekend. I barely even know where I live to be honest 

[Alexander] what a waste of time!!! 

[Alexander] i’ll show you where to go. pick me up at 8

[Thomas] Well alright then

Thomas stared at his phone screen, feeling so good but so, so bad. What occasion was he supposed to dress for? How late should he plan on being out? There were so many things for him to worry about, and each new thing unveiled another. It had been ages since someone had made him this nervous.

By the time Thomas needed to get ready, he had exhausted all of his usual anxiety reducing methods. He'd written, he'd drawn, he'd listened to music, and read. The only things he couldn't do was go off into the woods like some kind of witch and play music of his own. There were no woods around, and he hadn't brought his violin with him when he'd left Virginia.

Getting ready was a familiar enough process. Thomas loved the feeling of making himself look good, like he was trying just enough. He didn't see any reason to do it for work, not when his job was spent in different clothes anyways. Some guys dressed nice for pregame pictures, but that was a waste of his time. 

Thomas was still ready quickly enough. He just wore nicer pants, a good looking polo, and shoes that didn't make him look like a soccer dad. Of course he made sure his hair looked good, added some jewelry and cologne, and was on his way.

When he picked Alexander up, he could see someone peeking through the curtains again. Thomas could only assume it was John, the roommate, and wondered what Alexander told him. Thomas had been keeping a lot from James, not necessarily on purpose, and wondered how it differed for Alexander and his friends.

The time to wonder was up, though, because Alexander was in the car soon enough. He looked at Thomas for longer than usual, which was terrifying, looking just like he had in the restaurant only a few days prior.

“Is this how you normally dress?” He asked, looking Thomas up and down. “I honestly can't even think of a creative way to say it, you look good.”

Thomas grinned. “Are you saying I've made you speechless?” He asked.

Alexander rolled his eyes. “Oh, don't get a big head about it. You've already got enough of an ego.”

“These are fighting words, Alexander. I’ll have you know that my ego is a perfectly normal size.” 

“Yeah, just like mine.” Alexander scoffed playfully, giving Thomas directions in between their banter. He bit his lip, adjusting in his seat so that he was facing Thomas more. “So you really haven’t gone out at all since you’ve been here?”

Thomas shook his head. “Not really. I went to Times Square the other day and got stared at, and honestly I couldn’t tell if it was because they knew who I was or something else. Other than that, I haven’t really explored other than to get food.”

Alexander sighed. “That is such a shame. There is something for everyone here, even if transplants are annoying as fuck. No offense.”

Thomas chuckled, shrugging. “None taken. I don’t know how, but this place feels like a very tight knit community even though there’s millions of people that also seem to not even like each other? I don’t know, I just know I don’t fit in.” 

“You ft in with who you need to, that’s what the rest of us are doing too.”

The rest of the car ride was spent with comfortable conversation, each of them talking about anything they could think of. Thomas rarely felt free enough to just say what he was thinking about instead of finding something better, or that ‘fit him more.’ Alexander brought out a different side of him, one that he wasn’t sure how to deal with yet.

When Alexander told him that they’d arrived at their destination, Thomas looked at his surroundings to see what he was getting himself into. There were groups of people all over the place, men dressed bummish with women who put too much effort in to be next to them.

“I’m not sure how you feel about clubs and stuff, but this is where my friends and I always have a lot of fun. Unless Burr is there, then he stops us from having as much fun.”

Thomas smiled softly. “I’m getting the impression that Burr just stops you guys from either killing someone or committing some other kind of crime.”

Alexander made a face, like Thomas had just said the most obvious thing in the entire world. “Like I said, he stops us from having as much fun. Now let's get inside so that we don’t look like some weirdos just sitting here.”

The two of them walked into the club together after waiting in a surprisingly short line, their arms brushing against each other as they made it to the bar. Alexander ordered some kind of mixed drink while Thomas stuck with a disgusting beer. The music was so loud that Thomas could feel it in his chest, with the only lights being colorful spot lights blinking along to the beat of whatever horrible song was playing. Thomas had gone to places like this many times in his life, especially when he was staying in Paris, but never with someone he was almost seeing.

He leaned down to talk in Alexander’s ear so that he could hear him. “What do we do now? When is our scheduled felony?”

Alexander laughed, patting Thomas’ shoulder just above his chest. “I think if you committed a felony, all of the people in here would be very mad at you because then you wouldn’t be able to play.”

Thomas shrugged. “I’d only get a slap on the wrist, really. Besides, some of them are probably Jets fans.”

Alexander smiled up at him, amusement all over his face. He tilted his head to the side to indicate which way he wanted to go before leading Thomas to a relatively empty spot towards the back of the club. “Do you dance?”

Thomas laughed, shaking his head. “One of the nicknames they’ve decided to give me is ‘The Klutz’ for a very good reason. I cannot dance, I can barely tell where my own feet are half the time.”

“Then we’ll just watch other people make fools of themselves so we don’t have to.”

Alexander was definitely not wrong about that. Many of the people who were ‘dancing’ were very much just rubbing their bodies together, and Thomas was glad that he wasn’t ridiculous enough to try that himself. Not that he could, at least not with Alexander, and he wasn’t really interested in anyone else.

At some point, they were noticed by a group of very ambitious drunk women, who must’ve thought that they were two single guys who didn’t know what to do with themselves or something. They came right over and started talking to them.

The woman who had gone over to Alexander was wearing a short black dress that was absolutely covered in glitter. She was saying all sorts of things, mostly about how Alex was too handsome to be standing all alone in the corner. When she asked if he wanted to dance with her, he told her that he’s gay, and her entire demeanor changed entirely. She began saying things about always wanting to be friends with a gay guy and telling Alexander that she’d help him find a man. Thomas would have laughed, but he was preoccupied with the other two women, who were extremely pushy.

“You look so familiar,” one of them said. “Have we met before?”

Thomas shook his head politely, despite every thought that was going through his mind. “No, I don’t believe we have.”

The woman grinned. “I’m Britney.” She said, running her hand up and down his arm. “You’re so strong, you must workout all the time. What do you do for work?”

“I’m a teacher.” Thomas lied, though he was almost positive that she already knew who he was. As he spoke, he gently moved her hand off of his arm and placed it on her own shoulder. “Let’s keep our hands to ourselves, okay?”

Britney scoffed and rolled her eyes, looking Thomas up and down with what had to be her dirtiest look. “God, you’re an asshole. No wonder you’re standing here by yourself like some loser freak.”

Thomas nodded. “Nice to meet you, too, Britney. You have a good night.” 

As the three women walked away, Britney had one final hurrah by giving Thomas the finger. Thomas could only laugh, especially because many of the things he’d been thinking were significantly more assholeish than what he’d actually said. 

“Damn, sorry about that. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a woman handle rejection the same way that men usually do.” Alexander said, looking back at Thomas now that the women were gone.

Thomas grinned at him. “Nah, it’s all good. Honestly, I haven’t been called an asshole in a while. I was beginning to lose myself.”

Alexander shook his head, smiling again too. “You’re kinda strange, you know that, right?”

“Oh, yes, I know that very well. I think that’s part of my charm. I look amazing, I have an amazing personality. Everything about me makes people think.”

“What were we saying about normal sized egos again?” Alexander teased.

“Well mine is normal sized, you just have to take into account the proportions. I have a big body, so therefore I have a big ego.” Thomas explained playfully, earning himself a smack on the shoulder. 

Alexander was now practically gazing up at Thomas with that same look in his eyes that he’d had several times now. It was becoming unbearable, especially because they always happened to be preoccupied. 

At least now, they had plenty of options. Thomas leaned down to Alexander’s ear and asked, “Want to get out of here?”

Alexander’s hand found a place on Thomas’ chest, just between them, as he nodded. 

···

Making it back to Alexander's apartment was quite possibly the most difficult thing that Thomas had done in recent memory. Sure he'd made it to the NFL, and yeah he'd hurdled over men even taller than him. But that drive came out on top.

Thomas parked the car right in the driveway this time, behind what he assumed to be John's, and followed Alexander to the door. Alexander tested the doorknob, then fumbled with his keys when he found that it was locked. 

As soon as the door opened, Alexander grabbed Thomas' hand and pulled him inside. It was dark, but Alexander guided them through whatever room they were in with no problem at all. It wasn't long before they reached what must've been his bedroom, and as the door closed behind them, Thomas found himself pressed against it.

Alexander grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him down into a kiss, which Thomas wanted to savor every second of. Kissing Alexander was like finding a new hidden place in the middle of the woods—refreshing, exciting. Something to explore.

As they kissed, Thomas felt Alexander's hands move quickly down his torso to the hem of his shirt, which he tugged at eagerly. Thomas broke free for a second and pulled his shirt off, discarding it onto the floor as he reconnected their lips. 

After a moment, though, Alexander pulled away and looked all over Thomas, who tried to follow his gaze. It only lasted a moment, but Thomas soaked it in, letting Alexander see anything he wanted to. 

Finally, Alexander looked up at him, making eye contact for the first time since they'd gotten to the apartment. He reached up and brushed his finger down the center of Thomas' chest, down to his stomach. The expression on Alexander's face was arrestingly lustful, leaving Thomas hypnotized against the door. Seemingly unfazed, Alexander hooked that finger in Thomas' belt loop and pulled him close as he backed up towards the bed.

This is where Thomas excelled. He tilted his head to the side, watching Alexander's face closely as he copied what he'd done and gently tugged at the hem of his shirt. Alexander pulled it off, biting his lip slightly as he looked up at Thomas. 

Thomas leaned down and kissed Alexander's neck, then his shoulder, slowly pushing him back until he was laying on the bed. Alex propped himself up, scooting back slightly. Thomas crawled overtop of him, continuing to trail kisses down his body until he reached his waist. 

As he looked up at Alexander for permission, Thomas nipped ever so slightly at the skin of his waist. Beneath his touch, Alexander squirmed slightly, becoming noticeably more eager. Thomas sat up, undoing the fly of Alexander's pants and tugging them off. 

Without missing a beat, Thomas continued his kisses, following Alexander's body down to his hip and inner thigh. Soon enough, Thomas was using his hands just as much as his mouth, and Alexander's fingers were tangled in his curls. 

Thomas liked to take his time, so he did. Alexander's breathing had become ragged while Thomas remained calm. 

“Please,” Alexander breathed, pulling slightly at Thomas' hair. “Thomas, please-”

Thomas looked up at Alexander, raising an inquisitive brow. “Yes?”

Alexander closed his eyes, reaching down as far as he could and trying to pull Thomas up. “More,” he answered.

Doing as he was told, Thomas moved further up on the bed, pressing his lips against Alexander's neck once again. “Tell me what you want, Alexander.” 

Apparently this was the way to do it. Now able to reach, Alexander undid Thomas' belt, prompting Thomas to finally get completely naked as well. Having succeeded at his goal, Alexander draped his arms around Thomas' neck, pushing his hips upwards.

"Be patient,” Thomas hummed softly, reaching down and pushing Alexander's legs open just a bit more. “We have plenty of time.”

···

Alexander lay in Thomas' arms afterwards, his chest rising and falling peacefully. There were so many things that they should be doing and discussing, but Thomas just wanted to savor the moment, so he stayed exactly where he was.

If they had been given the opportunity sooner, they probably would have gotten past blow jobs already, but Thomas wouldn't do anything to change the timing. They were completely free until the bye week was over, and then the media was right back in Thomas' face ready for whatever he'd do next.

Alexander turned to look at him, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He looked tired, but in a good way somehow. “Good thing we're not in a hotel room, hm?”

Thomas took a deep breath, running his fingertips along Alexander's bare arm. “Why’s that?”

“You wouldn't have done all of that if we were,” Alexander replied, rolling over to face Thomas now. “You act differently when we have time. When there's nothing at stake.” 

“I'm sorry,” Thomas said. He hadn't even realized he was doing that, especially not so much so that Alexander would have noticed. “It's…hard, with so many eyes always watching.”

Alexander shook his head. “Don't apologize. I'm in my own bed and you're in it with me. I like it this way.” He inhaled deeply through his nose, reaching up to gently stroke Thomas' beard. “What's it like? With all that attention?”

It had been a while since Thomas had been asked such a big question. The media had been a part of his life before, when his dad was still alive and a little while after he died. And then it was gone for a long time, until recently, when he became his own kind of household name. 

“There's good things and bad things.” He said, practically thinking out loud. “I'm glad that people can finally see what I have to offer, but it's frustrating when so many people look right past that.”

“You want people to look at you for your skills, not who you are?” Alexander asked. “I don't think a lot of people realize that about you. Everyone thinks you have this horrible arrogance about you.”

Thomas nodded. “I know. I'm never going to escape that, I think. It's just something I have to embrace so it doesn't get ahead of me later.” 

Alexander's lips moved to the side thoughtfully. “When did you know you were interested in me?” He asked, very bravely. Thomas would be too worried to ask that question seriously.

But he didn't mind answering it at all. “Well, I liked the way you looked pretty much the first time I saw you. It honestly didn't take long.”

“And then you lured me into your trap,” Alex teased. “You just had to be hot, or whatever.”

Thomas chuckled. “Oh nice, I get to be ‘hot or whatever.’ Last I checked, you were the one who kissed me first.”

“Yeah, because you weren't going to do it. I was losing my mind trying to figure out why you weren't just making a move. I was afraid you were some doof who didn't realize he was into men yet or something.” 

At this, Thomas really laughed. “Oh, trust me, that has not been the case.”

Alexander leaned forward and kissed Thomas, this time just a quick little peck on the lips. “I’m just glad I'm the one who got to you and not someone else.”

“Me too,” Thomas murmured. “Me too.”

Chapter Text

Somehow, Alexander's body felt both heavy and like it was floating. He had been in a deeper state of sleep than he'd experienced in ages, only stirring because of something vibrating in his bed. There would be three buzzes in a row, then a beat of silence, and the cycle continued. When he eventually woke up a bit more, he realized that it was an alarm, and tried to reach around to find the source.

But when he tried to move, he was reminded that he was not alone in bed. Thomas' strong arms were around him in a slightly tight embrace, and Alexander could tell that he had not woken up yet. 

“Thomas,” Alexander said, pushing on his arm. “Thomas, wake up.” 

Nothing changed. He could still feel the calm breathing of Thomas behind him, the rise and fall of his chest. Alexander pushed again, because that was really all he could do. Thomas was both much heavier and stronger than him, and it was certainly obvious now. 

“Thomas.” He repeated, louder this time. “Come on, wake up.” With no response again, Alexander resorted to using his legs and gently kicked Thomas. This finally got his attention.

“What?” He mumbled, nuzzling his face into the crook of Alexander's neck. 

Despite himself, Alexander grinned, almost getting distracted. “Are you even awake right now?”

“Mhm,” Thomas hummed, very clearly not fully awake. 

Alexander reached up and put his fingers in Thomas' hair, gently massaging. Thomas shook his head, squeezing Alex just a little tighter. 

“Don't do that,” he mumbled sleepily. “I’ll fall back asleep.” 

A second later, Thomas was kissing Alexander's neck. It was gentle, and made waking up early on a gameless Sunday completely worth it. 

“Your game alarm is going off or something.” Alexander said, letting Thomas roll him onto his back. He couldn't help but smile when Thomas propped himself over top of him, closing his eyes and biting his lip as more kisses were planted on his neck. 

Alex had never experienced something that felt like it was from a movie until he'd met Thomas. Now he got to wake up and immediately be smothered in affection. 

“Thomas please, can we at least shut off your alarm?” He asked, pinching Thomas' side.

Thomas moved to look down at him. “Fine,” he replied, planting one last kiss onto Alexander's forehead before he felt around the covers for his phone.

When he found it, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked a few times. Then he abruptly brought the phone closer to his face and sat up more.

“Shit,” he blurted. Suddenly he was getting out of bed and throwing his clothes on, just repeating himself over and over again.

Alexander sat up, watching in confusion. “What? What's wrong?” He asked, suddenly feeling nervous. 

Thomas pulled his shirt over his head. “I have to film today.” He explained. “The crew is gonna be there in like ten minutes.” 

“Oh, shit.” Alexander agreed. “Wait, I thought your episode was for Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah, which is on Thursday. They're filming my home life today, then practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the game on Thursday.” Thomas explained, quickly buckling his belt. “I’m sorry, this isn't how I envisioned this going.” 

Alexander shook his head. “It's okay, you focus on getting out of here. You're already not going to make it in time, might as well get there just a bit sooner.”

As he spoke, Alexander got out of bed and put on some sweatpants and a hoodie. “Come on, I’ll show you out.” 

He led Thomas out of his bedroom and through the living room, to the doorway. “I’ll see you later, okay? I’m really sorry.” Thomas said.

“It's really okay, Thomas. You have a literal camera crew waiting on you, so you should probably get moving.” 

Thomas smiled softly, leaning down and kissing Alexander. It was quick and a little apologetic, but mostly it was wonderful. Then he slipped out the door. Alexander watched as he drove off, feeling very much like he was in some kind of rom-com.

When he turned around, he was startled to see Burr standing there in practically the same outfit Alex was wearing. He looked almost perplexed, the way he always did when he was trying his hardest to say the most neutral thing possible. If nothing else, Burr tried not to be outwardly judgemental.

“...Was that Thomas Jefferson?” He asked, pointing vaguely towards the door.

It wasn't like Alexander could deny it and say he managed to find some guy who conveniently looked like Thomas. His face was everywhere, on billboards in Times Square and in commercials for CBS. Everything about him was unmistakable.

Alexander gave Burr a very pointed look. “You can't tell anyone, Burr. But yes, obviously it was Thomas Jefferson.”

“Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.” Burr said slowly. “So that's the guy you were talking about then, from work.” 

“Yeah, that's him.” Alexander stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling weirdly defensive. He had been enjoying the secrecy of whatever he and Thomas were doing. Now that Burr knew, he felt an intense need to protect it.

“I'm gonna go take a shower,” Alexander added, making a beeline towards the bathroom. 

As soon as he was under the hot water, Alexander relaxed some. There was really no reason for him to be so annoyed by Burr seeing Thomas. Alex just wanted a little bit more time to have him all to himself.

He couldn't help but think that he had to have done something incredible in a past life to deserve Thomas in this one. It was like Thomas could read his mind, or maybe just his body language. Alexander couldn't get him out of his mind. 

Of course he'd pictured in his mind what it might be like to have Thomas, but nothing he imagined compared to what it was actually like. The way that Thomas' strong hands felt on Alexander's body, the look in his eyes, the way he spoke so calmly regardless of what he was doing. Alexander wished that Thomas had been able to stay—he really wanted to know what a morning with him would be like. 

Eventually Alexander remembered that he was in the shower, just letting the water run, so he hurriedly washed up and got out. After he was dressed, he quietly walked into the kitchen for something to eat, only to be greeted by a suspiciously excited looking John. Burr was beside him, looking mildly amused by his boyfriend's demeanor.

“Good morning, Alex.” John greeted, a ridiculously large grin on his face. “How was your night?”

Alexander stared at him with his best attempt at an unamused face, trying to channel his inner irritated mother. “My night was fine, John, how was yours?”

John’s smile didn't change at all. “Oh, pretty good. Thankfully I didn't get called into work or anything, some fancy car was behind mine.”

Alex sighed, sitting down across from his friend. “Come on, get all of your questions out so we can move on.” 

“Did you sleep with him?” John asked immediately, leaning forward slightly. 

Of course John would be the one to get right into it. Alexander considered his options, deciding whether or not he should tell the truth. There wasn't really any good reason to lie other than his own random desires to keep Thomas to himself. There was no reason to keep that from his best friend, and it wasn't like John would keep Burr in the dark anyways.

“Obviously,” he replied. John didn't look surprised, and Alexander didn't expect him to. It was probably more surprising that they'd only gotten to that point now.

“Well? How'd that go?” John questioned. “Does ‘big and stuff’ mean everything or just his height?”

Alexander groaned in embarrassment, covering his face with his hands. “Ugh, John! What is even going on in your head?” 

John began to laugh. “I am taking that reaction as a yes.” He grabbed Alexander's hands and moved them, looking his face over. “Come on, spill the beans. You've never withheld before, what's different now?”

“I don't know!” Alexander insisted. “It just feels different. No one has made me have that…response in my life. I know I haven't really dated that many people or anything, but he was different.” 

John let go of him and sat back in his seat the right way. “How so?”

Alexander glanced at Burr, who didn't seem particularly interested but also didn't seem disinterested. “Oh, I’ll go. I have to get home anyways.” He said, giving John a quick kiss before leaving the room.

“Okay,” Alexander said, lowering his voice even though Burr was gone. “I don't know what it is about him, but he managed to leave me completely satisfied and also wanting more. It's like he somehow knew exactly what to do to me.” 

“So he's not just some guy trying his hand at being gay after all.” John said.

“Definitely not, no. He knew exactly what he was doing and why he was doing it.” Alexander still felt weirdly embarrassed, a mostly unfamiliar feeling, especially because he was only talking to John. 

John's expression became just a bit more serious, but he was clearly trying to keep it light still. “How come he left in such a hurry? I thought there isn't a game this week.”

“There's a docuseries that's focusing on the teams in the Giants' division, and this week's episode is focused on the starting quarterbacks or something like that. Basically he was late to film a TV show.” Alex explained. After a second he added, “Don’t worry, that's really the only reason he left like that.”

“Okay…” John replied slowly, very obviously not fully convinced. “So then is he your boyfriend or what?”

Alexander shrugged. “I don't know. We're having fun and just enjoying each other. I don't want one of those painfully awkward conversations.”

“Just be careful, okay? I can't beat up a giant man for you. I don't think I'm quite that brave.” John teased, his grin finally returning.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I promise he's great, you'll see eventually.”

—

In the afternoon on Monday, Alexander got a text from Thomas that made him too excited for what it really was. He had only asked about coming by in the evening, and there was nothing more to it. But it meant that Alexander got to see Thomas again, outside of the facility with no one watching. It was perfect.

As soon as the day turned into evening, Alexander was antsy waiting. He felt like he did when he was a little kid, waiting for anything remotely exciting to him. Maybe it was silly, but he thought Thomas was something to look forward to.

So when he got the text that Thomas had arrived, he told him to just come on in, and went into the kitchen to act like he'd been doing something instead of waiting impatiently. When he heard the door open and close, he called out to Thomas to tell him where he was.

“It's different in here when I can actually see where I'm going,” Thomas commented, smiling as he gently draped his arms around Alexander's lower back. 

Alex looked up at him, studying his face. He saw it all the time, took photos and videos of it. He made countless graphics for Instagram and Facebook, and watched every second of every game. But in those moments, he was looking at the face of the New York Giants. Now he was looking at the face of Thomas Jefferson, and he was the only one doing it.

“Hi,” he greeted, reaching up and lightly wrapping his arms around the back of Thomas' neck. He stood on his toes and kissed him, just a quick peck. “How did filming go?”

Thomas sucked his teeth, avoiding eye contact by looking up at the ceiling. “Oh, you know, when I got there they were all waiting already. And I had to change and shower still, and basically I think they hate me. I’m pretty sure they probably think I'm a douche.”

Alexander couldn't help but laugh, mostly because of the way Thomas told the story. “They definitely do, but that's okay. They're not entirely wrong.” He teased.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Thomas grinned even though he was trying to act offended. “So was that guy I saw yesterday John or Burr?”

"Ugh, Burr.” Alex answered, grabbing Thomas' hand and leading him into the living room so they could sit. “I don't know why, but the fact that he knows and my actual friends don't bothers me.”

Thomas looked thoughtful, resting his arm along the back of the couch behind Alex. “So tell them,” he said simply.

“Isn't it better for you if less people know?” Alex asked. “Not that I don't want people to know, I just…I don't know. It feels good where we're at, doesn't it?”

“Yeah,” Thomas agreed, shrugging a little. “I guess I'm kind of the same, I haven't said much to James. It is probably a little smarter to at least be private, I'm not even entirely sure that we wouldn't get in trouble if the league heard.”

Alexander still couldn't get over the weird rules the NFL had. A few weeks ago he'd witnessed John Marshall get fined for wearing the wrong shoes, meanwhile in that same game an opposing player had definitely tried to hurt him and only got a simple penalty for it. The amount of players in the league that had been arrested and still played was also insane to him, because shoes somehow were as important.

He sighed and scooted a bit closer to Thomas, leaning into his side. Alex had never really considered that he might want to be with someone who was super tall, or super strong, but now that he had Thomas he couldn't imagine going for someone scrawny or something. Maybe he had rose colored glasses on, or maybe he was just learning his type.

Just like on Sunday morning, Alexander felt a phone buzzing repeatedly. He watched as Thomas sighed and pulled out his phone. 

“What are you late for this time?” Alex teased as Thomas peered at his phone screen.

Thomas smiled. “Thankfully nothing. It's just my sister, she's sending me a bunch of articles and videos…oh, great.” His lips pressed together in an unimpressed line as he turned the phone so that Alexander could see the screen.

Monday, November 24th, 5:27PM

[Mary] okay thomas what's going on

[Mary] [Link] Thomas Jefferson has a Girlfriend?

[Mary] [Link] Viral Video of NFL Star Turning Down Advances

[Mary] [Link] “Hands to Yourself” Thomas Jefferson Goes Viral 

[Mary] [Link] Who is Thomas Jefferson Dating?

[Mary] [Link] Jefferson Fuels Dating Rumors 

[Mary] what is this all about??

“Click on one, see what it says.” Alex said, looking at the screen as Thomas chose one to look at. His heart was thumping with nerves, even though he clearly wasn't the one they thought Thomas was with. 

Jefferson Fuels Dating Rumors

New York Giants starting quarterback Thomas Jefferson has made a name for himself in several ways already. He is a phenomenal player, he has a reputation, and his looks make it hard to look away. Now he adds to this list after speculation that he is in a private relationship began late Saturday evening. Jefferson was spotted at a club in East Rutherford, a good distance from the stadium, and his presence did not go unnoticed. One particular group of women approached him, appearing to try their luck with the QB, only to be rejected. Other club attendees recorded the interaction, taking to social media to joke about the responses of all involved parties.

As seen in the video, Jefferson tells the woman to “keep her hands to herself” as he politely turns down her advances. Not so polite, the woman handles the rejection poorly and attempted to assault Jefferson with some vulgar words. She also called him a “loser freak.” Meanwhile, Jefferson seemed completely unbothered by the attack, remaining completely calm.

This has sparked some debate amongst fans, particularly about why exactly Jefferson would be so quick to turn an interested and attractive woman away. Many have speculated that he must already be involved with someone else, especially after he became the most eligible young bachelor in sports. This theory is further evidenced by a leaked video from sources close to Jefferson, where he arrived late to his own apartment in the same clothes he was seen in the night before. 

So who is it? New York is filled with countless stars that 17 would look good next to, but Jefferson is known for keeping his privacy. It may be quite difficult to learn who the lucky lady is.

Alexander wasn't sure how Thomas felt about the whole thing, and since the article wasn't about him, he tried his best not to show just how funny he thought it was. When Thomas didn't say anything for a while, Alex looked at his face to see what his expression was. 

“It's not too bad, right?” He asked, unable to guess what Thomas was thinking. “They don't really know anything at all.”

Thomas shook his head. “Not bad at all,” he replied simply. “I need to figure out who took that video of me getting home, though.” He sighed and looked back at Alexander. “They're so worried about trying to guess which socialite I’m dating that they didn't even consider you.”

Alexander shrugged. “I was just trying not to laugh at those girls. And honestly I seriously doubt anyone would consider you being with a man unless it was plastered in front of them.”

“Oh, man,” Thomas laughed. “I think a lot of these people would simply die. I mean, they're probably going to be worried just at the idea of me dating anyone.”

“I don't get that,” Alex said, laying his head in Thomas' lap and looking up at him. “I've seen comments saying they want you to stay single, is that ‘cause they have some weird delusion that you'll date them someday?”

Thomas shook his head, still looking amused. “No, it's because they don't want me to get distracted. Mostly, at least. Sometimes I wonder, though.”

“That's stupid,” Alex remarked. 

“Yes it is.” Thomas nodded. Then he gently patted Alexander's thigh. “You wanna go get dinner somewhere?”

Alex grinned and sat up. “Absolutely.”

—

Going back into work was harder than Alexander had expected. He was the kind of person that took work home, which he still did over the bye week, but it had been nice not watching a bunch of dudes practicing for a week. Now he got to pretend he was interested in whatever was happening on the practice field, but at least they were indoors. 

It was a short week, as the Giants' second matchup against the Cowboys was on Thanksgiving and therefore Thursday. Apparently holiday games were important or something, Alexander didn't particularly care. Holidays weren't a priority for him.

After practice concluded, Alex and Peggy were ready for the players with a table of temporary tattoos. Many of them thought it was fun, and Alexander was actually kind of surprised by their willingness to put them on, but he was also a bit distracted. Thomas was on the practice field still, sitting on a stool and talking to an interviewer for the docuseries. James was beside him, also answering questions, which Alex found pretty surprising. When they finally made their way to the table, the camera crew still followed.

“Oh, temporary tattoos?” Thomas sounded somewhat excited, or maybe Alex was being a bit delusional. “Here, I’ll do this one.”

Alex grabbed the one Thomas had chosen and laid it on his hand, pressing down on it with a wet cloth. Peggy did the same for James, who was looking in Alex’s direction with a weirdly stern look. Then he looked between him and Thomas, and Alexander was simply confused.

Once the tattoos were applied, Peggy took a quick video of them both, and James went in to change. Peggy went to wet the cloths some more, leaving Alex and Thomas (mostly) alone. The camera crew was still around, but they didn't seem to be actively recording anymore.

“What's with James?” Alex asked. “He was—”

Thomas held up his hand, telling Alexander to stop talking, then gestured vaguely towards his chest. When Alexander didn't get it, he pulled out just a small bit of wire from underneath his pads. He was still mic’d. 

Alexander sighed and nodded, because now he had to act like he didn't know Thomas as well as he did. And they probably wouldn't even be able to hang out in his office. That was just another reason to dislike the docuseries people. 

As he began to pack up, though, he realized a loophole that he could use and grabbed his phone to text Thomas. 

Tuesday, November 25th, 10:31AM

[Alexander] you take your mic off in the bathroom and stuff right?

[Thomas] Yes, why?

[Alexander] go to the one by the water fountain so we have an actual chance to talk real quick 

It felt ridiculous, meeting in the bathroom. In fact, Alex kind of felt like he was in some horrible movie. But when he got there, Thomas was standing near the sink in regular clothes again.

“What's up?” He asked. 

“Why was James looking at us like that? He looked like he wanted to bite my head off or something.” 

Thomas chuckled a bit, resting his hands on his hips. “He figured it out, I’m guessing. Me and you.” 

“Just by looking at us? Are we really that obvious?” Alex asked, surprised. 

“I don't know, it's James. He'd manage to notice if someone's breathing pattern changed.” Thomas shrugged. “It's no big deal, it's just James.”

Alexander nodded slowly, thinking back to Sunday morning. “I still don't know if I like that Burr knows, I don't know if I trust him.”

“Why?” Thomas asked, sounding genuinely curious. “Is it a problem?”

“Can't it be bad for you, if people find out? What if he tells someone and word gets around, then what? You're forced to tell everyone?”

Thomas tilted his head to the side slightly, looking almost sympathetic. “No one is going to listen to what some random guy says, Alexander. Rumors are spread all the time, it's how the job goes.” He grabbed Alex’s hips and pulled him closer. “Besides, he's dating your best friend, right? Would he do that and risk everything?”

Alexander sighed, leaning his forehead against Thomas' chest. “I don't know, probably not. I just don't want him to ruin everything.”

“He clearly hasn't said anything yet, everyone thinks I'm dating some model that I've never even heard of before. What has he done that makes you not trust him?”

“Nothing,” Alex admitted, feeling foolish now that Thomas put it so clearly. “He's actually really supportive, I guess. I kind of told him about you before, just without saying your name.”

“See?” Thomas said. “He's probably just trying to be your friend. Just like James is my friend, and he's not going to say anything to anyone. No one is going to mess this up for us, okay?”

Alexander nodded, then looked up at Thomas. “I can feel your voice in your chest, it's really weird.”

This made Thomas laugh and shake his head as he let go of Alexander. “Okay, come on. I have to get on with my day so I can start packing up my apartment and go shopping for stuff for the house now that I have one.”

“Do you need help packing?” Alex asked, following Thomas. 

“Not today, maybe tomorrow though. Today I'm really just getting boxes and shit, which won't be very exciting. Not that putting my few things in there will be, either. I’ll have to have my sister ship some of my other stuff up here now that I'm not in a place I hate.”

Alexander nodded even though Thomas couldn't see him. When they left the bathroom, they were immediately met with a potential issue: John Adams. He was standing in the hallway, scrolling on his phone and probably trying to look inconspicuous. He was failing.

As he walked past Adams, Alex watched him closely. There was nothing notable about two people leaving the bathroom at the same time, not really. But Adams was simply insufferable, and if anyone would try to mess up Thomas' career it'd be him. For a second, Alex thought he really was just hanging around for some reason, but then Adams glanced up with a dirty look pointed in their direction.

—

Thomas did end up inviting Alexander over to help him pack up his apartment, and when Alex got there, he honestly wasn't sure that any help was needed. Thomas had a few boxes in each room, with the boxes already labeled. There really wasn't that much stuff, and what was there would be easy to pack up.

But Alex was willing to help watch paint dry if it meant spending more time with Thomas in private. He'd ridden home with Thomas from the facility and throughout most of the car ride to the apartment, they discussed the most random possible topics. It was a lot of fun for Alex, because no one would look at Thomas and think that he had strong opinions on gummy worms, but he did. 

Now the two of them were sitting on the floor of Thomas' bedroom, neatly folding his clothes and putting it in the boxes already laid out. Alexander had all of the team gear that the Giants had given Thomas after he was drafted and it was an insane amount. 

“Did they seriously give you twenty five team shirts? That's more than the amount of normal shirts I have.” Alexander laughed. “I haven't even counted the pants and sweatshirts yet!”

“Oh, it's insane,” Thomas agreed. He had non-team affiliated clothing. “They also give shoes and stuff but I leave those at the facility.”

Alexander shook his head. “I should've just become an athlete, I would have a brand new wardrobe immediately.” 

Thomas chuckled, sitting upright and stretching. “This is extremely boring,” he complained. “I could fall asleep simply from boxing up clothes.” 

“You don't even have that much stuff, it won't take long. When do you have to be all packed up and ready to leave?” 

“Oh, technically the end of the month, but I'd like to be in the house by Friday. I think tomorrow after the game I'm going to start the process and hopefully be able to not come back here after that.”

Alexander frowned slightly. “You're going to spend your Thanksgiving moving? That's not fun at all.”

Thomas only shrugged. “Yeah, it's no big deal. I have plenty of time to enjoy holidays, and I'd rather be moving than be stuck here. It's all good.”

Alexander and his friends always had Thanksgiving together, and he almost invited Thomas, but it was a bad idea. Lafayette and Hercules didn't know yet, and that wasn't really the time or way to tell them.

The two continued to fill boxes, finishing up the bedroom in about two hours. When they were done, Thomas laid down right there on the floor, his arms spread dramatically on either side of his body.

Alex crawled over to him, grinning down at Thomas as he straddled his waist. “You're kind of a drama queen, you know that?”

Thomas looked up at him, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips. “At least I'm a queen,” he retorted. “Though I think I'm more fit to be a king. My head is too big for a tiara.” 

Alexander laughed, shaking his head. “You're so strange. If the world knew how silly you are, I think you'd be even more beloved.”

“I’m sure they'll know next week when my episode comes out. I forgot that I was being recorded and didn't change the way I spoke at all.” 

“Oh, I can't wait to watch it.” 

Thomas' head rolled to the side slightly as he made a face, pushing his lips out slightly. “Are you gonna kiss me or what? I feel like I've been waiting forever.”

Alex couldn't help but grin even wider, leaning down and giving a quick peck to tease Thomas. His hands were on the floor on either side of Thomas' head to hold him up. 

“What kind of kiss was that?” Thomas laughed, poking Alex in the side. “I just did the most boring thing ever and now you won't even kiss me.” 

Alexander shook his head in amusement. “I'm going to buy you a sash that says ‘drama queen.’ That way you won't be able to say a tiara is too small.”

“I will wear it with pride,” Thomas said before pulling Alexander back into another, longer kiss. As they kissed, Thomas used one arm to help him sit up a bit, making it easier for both of them.

The feeling of Thomas' hands on Alexander's body would never get old. The sensations that he felt were wonderful, even though they practically made him hungry for more. Thomas moved his hands down Alexander's sides and around his hips before finally resting on his ass. Meanwhile, Alex's hands were planted on Thomas' shoulders, squeezing just a little. 

At some point, they made it off the floor and into Thomas' bed, where they continued to kiss and feel every part of each other. Just as things were starting to progress, with both of their shirts off and Thomas' pants undone, a phone began to ring. 

Thomas pulled away and sighed, sitting up just a little bit and looking around the room. When he finally saw where his phone was, still on the floor by the boxes, he twisted just slightly to see who was calling. Alexander looked too. It was his mom again.

“Oh, you should take that.” He said, wiping his mouth with the back of his finger. 

“Nah, it's fine,” Thomas said, reaching over and just barely touching his phone. He used his fingertips to pull it over far enough that he could pick it up, declining the call before laying normally again.

“Now I'm all wrong.” He huffed, pulling Alexander close again. “I'm sorry.”

Alexander lay down beside Thomas, his head resting against the front of his shoulder. “It's okay, Thomas. I don't mind just laying here with you, you know.” He teased, leaning up just enough to give a gentle kiss to Thomas' jaw. 

He could tell that Thomas had smiled, so he relaxed against his chest again. “Are you going to bring your cat up here?” 

“Um, obviously.” Thomas replied. “What kind of monster would I be if I left Mellie down there for any longer?”

Alex chuckled. “Where'd you come up with the name Mellie?”

“Honestly I just just looked at her and thought, ‘your name is Mellie.’ It seems to fit her pretty well.” 

“If I ever had a pet, I think it'd be hard for me to come up with a good name. I'd be too indecisive to just come up with one on the spot.”

Thomas gently rubbed Alex’s side as they spoke. Alexander could barely think because he was too focused on Thomas' chest. “You'd be surprised.”

—

The morning of Thanksgiving was chilly, and Alexander hated it. The day would be spent freezing his ass off at the stadium, watching the Giants hopefully defeat the Cowboys for the second time. It surprised him just how many people were willing to spend their holiday outside in the cold instead of with their families inside watching the game from the comfort of a home with heating. Dedication really stretched far, apparently. 

At least the Giants played the one o’clock game, so realistically they'd be out of there by five. Lafayette had left John with extremely clear instructions on how to make sure the food went right, and with Burr there helping, it would most likely be fine. Alexander loved Thanksgiving food, mostly because there were plenty of options. His favorite was Lafayette's pumpkin pie. For someone who ordinarily would have no reason to celebrate American Thanksgiving, Lafayette was the best cook for it.

When the game started, Alexander was freezing. The Giants got the ball first, and quickly scored the first seven points of the game. Throughout the rest of the first quarter, the Cowboys only scored a field goal, making it 7-3 going into the second quarter.

To start the second quarter, the Cowboys scored another field goal, and the Giants were looking messy. The next pass that Thomas threw was intercepted by a Cowboys safety, who ran it all the way in and scored, putting the Cowboys in the lead with 13-7. Alexander watched as Thomas went to the sideline and sat down on the bench, one of the interns handing him a tablet so he could immediately rewatch his mistake and dissect it.

As Alexander watched, he saw Adams make his way over to Thomas and say something. Thomas shook his head, not looking back at Adams. The interaction continued in this way for a moment before Adams appeared to start yelling at Thomas, who was just staring down at the tablet. 

After the Cowboys kicked the ball back to the Giants, Thomas had to get up and get back on the field. Only, when he did, Adams gave him a bit of a shove. Thomas shook his head once again, pointing in the opposite direction and probably telling Adams to walk away or something. Of course, Adams did not, and continued to yell at Thomas until some of the other players on the sideline pulled him away.

This possession only led the Giants to a field goal, leaving them three points behind the Cowboys still. When halftime hit, Alexander went up to the media booth to sit with Peggy. 

“I heard that Maria Lewis is supposedly here,” Peggy said, speaking rapidly as soon as Alexander sat down. “Look around, see if you can find her.” 

Alexander's brows furrowed and he shook his head. “What? No, I'm not going to look through thousands of people to try to find some random singer. She probably doesn't want to be found anyways.”

“I’m trying to figure out why she's even here,” Peggy said, tapping a pen impatiently. “She's an Eagles fan, as far as I know.”

“She's friends with Thomas.” Alexander said, not even thinking. Should he have said Jefferson? Should he know that they're friends?

Peggy gasped excitedly. “Oh! I wonder if that's who he's dating. Have you seen all the speculation and stuff? It's so much more fun when the quarterback is young and likeable and not…you know.”

Alexander raised his brows and bit his lip, trying not to give himself away somehow. “Yeah, maybe. I just know that they're good friends, or something.”

“I wonder if anyone else has thought of this,” Peggy continued, not paying an ounce of attention to what Alexander was saying. “I bet someone who's a more dedicated fan than me can figure it out.” 

“Isn't it a little weird to know everything that's going on with her?” Alexander asked. “I mean, she's just another person. I wouldn't want everyone up in my business.”

Peggy shrugged. “True, but really it's just people piecing public appearances together to make like, vague timelines and stuff to guess based on. I would never interact with the people who are full blown stalkers.”

Alexander couldn't imagine anyone trying to figure something out about him based on when he went outside. The entire concept of that was absurd to him, not that he would bring that up to Peggy. 

“Well good luck with that, I gotta get back down to that cold ass field. I probably won't see you after the game, so I hope you have a good Thanksgiving and tell Eliza and Angelica the same.” 

“Aw, thank you, Alex.” Peggy said, standing up and giving Alexander a quick hug before he went back down to the field.

That conversation with Peggy almost made him forget that the Giants were losing. When he got back down to the field and looked at the score, though, he was disappointed. There was clearly something off about the Giants playing today, but Alexander's mind worked in other ways, not football.

The Cowboys started the second half with a lackluster performance, much to the joy of Giants fans everywhere. Then the Giants marched down the field, and Thomas ran it in to put them back in the lead. Now it was 17-13, and the Cowboys were on offense again. 

As a play ended, Alexander noticed a small fight break out, just like what had happened against the Eagles. It grew until nearly every player on the field was in a large cluster, the refs shoving huge men aside as if they weren't significantly smaller. The spat resulted in fouls for both teams, which offset each other and did nothing.

After that, the Cowboys failed to get a first down and needed to punt anyways.

The rest of the game wasn't very exciting, and Alexander thought that it was actually pretty lousy for a holiday game. Especially because the Cowboys played on Thanksgiving every year, and the Giants were often their opponent.

Following the game, Alexander didn't get much post game coverage, especially not from Thomas and some other key players, who were being interviewed while eating turkey legs. Alex wished that he could go home with Thomas, even if just to spend time with him, but he needed to go have Thanksgiving with his friends.

Surely there would be plenty of opportunity to go home with Thomas, especially after a game.

Chapter Text

It had only taken a day or two for Thomas to move into his new home in Cedar Grove, and he couldn't be happier with his decision to move. Now, almost a week after Thanksgiving, he has the luxury of waking up every morning and not hating where he lives. There wasn't too much noise outside his window, he had an upstairs. His kitchen was full sized, and his dining room wasn't the same as his living room. It was fantastic.

The easier commute to practice was even better. On Tuesday he'd accidentally gotten to the facility ridiculously early, and today he'd managed to get there right on time without needing to leave home an hour early. To say that Thomas was happier was really something of an understatement. 

One of the best parts of the move, however, was how close he now was to Alexander. Now it would only take about fifteen minutes to get to each other's homes, which was significantly better than before. They finally had enough time to truly enjoy one another.

Thomas' episode of the docuseries was released on Wednesday, so he invited Alexander over that evening to watch it with him. He hadn't initially planned on watching it at all, but when he realized it'd probably be a good idea to see what they included, he decided it'd be better to watch with someone else. 

Alexander had been to Thomas' house a few times already even though he'd only moved in for a week. With the closer proximity, it was easier to sneak around with one another while still avoiding suspicions from their friends who didn't know. Mostly Alexander's friends, because Thomas' two close friends already knew. 

The two were cuddled up together on the couch, Thomas' arm around Alexander, who was pressed into his side. The TV was playing the episode, Thomas on the screen for one of the many interviews they'd conducted. It was an interesting experience, to watch something on TV and it be about him. Thomas didn't really like it, especially the way they edited some of the interviews.

“Oh, by the way,” Alexander began. “I think Lafayette might figure us out soon. Just a warning, since he's your trainer and stuff.” 

Thomas nodded slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the screen. He wanted to make sure he didn't look like a fool, and that he knew about it if he did. “He probably already knows.”

Alexander looked up at Thomas, who glanced down for only a second. “Why do you say that?”

“Well,” Thomas started. “Before you and I started this, I kind of asked about you…and not so subtly. I'm pretty sure he knew then that I liked you.”

“Awe,” Alexander teased, reaching up and poking Thomas' cheek. “You're adorable. I probably would have done the same thing, though, if I'd had someone that I could ask.”

Thomas rolled his eyes playfully, tilting his head towards Alexander. “You bully me too much,” he sighed. “I would never bully you.”

Alexander flicked Thomas in the shoulder, shaking his head. As he began to speak, he cut himself off. “Oh, Peggy definitely doesn't know about us, though. She told me the other day that she thinks the mystery person you're dating is Maria.”

“Oh, really?” Thomas asked, tangling his fingers in Alexander's hair. It was done still from work, and Thomas wished it wasn't. He adored Alexander's fluffy hair. “Why's she think that?”

“Well, apparently she was at the game last week, and Peggy said she's an Eagles fan, which means that she had to have only gone to the Giants game to support her supposed boyfriend.” Alexander shrugged. “I just let her believe that. It's easier than jumping over myself trying to avoid telling her the truth.”

Thomas chuckled lightly. “Maria came to surprise me,” he explained. “So technically she was only there for me, just not because we're dating, obviously. Honestly, it was a nice pick me up. That game sucked.”

“Why? You won, that's what really matters, isn't it?” Alexander asked, reminding Thomas that he had no interest in football before he started at this job.

“Well, for starters, Adams was an absolute douche. He kept yelling in my face as if he hasn't had significantly worse games in his hundred years in the league. We just should have won better, I guess.” He explained, shaking his head. “I shouldn't dwell on it, it'll be bad for my game.”

Alexander sat up, looking directly at Thomas now. “I don't think I will ever understand the mind of an athlete.” He said, looking at Thomas with a small frown. Then, he suddenly turned back towards the TV.

“Hey, that's my voice!” He pointed towards the screen excitedly. “Oh, look, I'm even on TV. I'm basically a star now.” 

Thomas chuckled, pulling Alexander into his lap and holding him close. “The entire world needs you to explain custom temporary tattoos to them. What would we all have done if this wasn't aired?”

Alexander elbowed him in the stomach, just a slight jab. “Don't be an ass, this is my moment.”

The episode continued to play, finally getting to the game. It showed Thomas' interception, and worse, Adams’ response. 

“What the fuck are you doing out there, Thomas? You have to read the defense!” 

Reliving that was beginning to irritate Thomas. Sure, he hadn’t played that well, but he was still one of the more accurate quarterbacks last week. He had thrown one interception and a few incompletions, and Adams decided to act like it was the end of the world. Thomas hadn’t made several of the mistakes that Adams made as a veteran player, but would still get backlash.

The episode continued to show the Giants win, and part of the locker room discussion after the game was over. Then another interview with Thomas, and it was over. Thomas and Alexander sat there quietly, apparently both incapable of coming up with something to say. After a moment, Thomas got tired of the silence and sighed. 

“Well, I’m glad that’s finally over with. Now I can focus on the rest of the season instead of worrying about people finding where I live based on a TV show.” Thomas said.

Alexander nodded, a bit absentmindedly, and pointed to a different part of the room. “Is that Mellie or did you get a new cat without saying anything?”

Thomas chuckled. “Yes, that’s Mellie. You can say hi, she’s very friendly.”

—

Thomas Jefferson Dating Frenzy: Who is his Secret Girlfriend?

Recently, Thomas Jefferson has gained a surplus of attention following a moment captured at a New Jersey night club. Thousands of people watched the clip of Jefferson politely declining the advances of a pushy woman, and have started to speculate. Many came to the conclusion that Jefferson’s response is the result of him being in a relationship, but it has proven difficult to discover just who it is that the rookie may be dating. There have been several names brought up, but most of them have little to no supporting evidence. Jefferson is notoriously private and has been spotted in public very few times, and never with a model on his arm. This has led to the leading theory that Jefferson’s romance is with none other than rising pop star Maria Lewis.

Lewis is known for her incredible singing voice and creative lyrics, which kicked off her career in 2020 when she was 16. At this time, Jefferson was in his first year of college at William and Mary. Fans assume that the two became friends around this time, as both of their careers were only just beginning. Since then, Maria has grown astronomically as a musician, holding the record for most streamed album by a female artist on Spotify, and Jefferson’s NFL career is already one for the books as he is on his way to having the best rookie season in the league’s history. 

Maria was spotted at the Week 10 game between the Giants and the Eagles, but she was there to support her home team, not the Giants. She made an appearance at another Giants game, however, the recent Week 12 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. The timing of this visit raised some heads, as it came directly after the rumors of a secret relationship hit the news. Could Jefferson’s secret girlfriend be Maria Lewis? Fans think so, taking to Instagram to celebrate the possibility. 

—

Thomas decided that he should probably explore his new town a bit more than he’d done in Manhattan. In Cedar Grove he actually had neighbors that he didn’t share walls with, and so far not a single one had come to say hello to him. He didn’t exactly mind that, but he had planned on asking them about the neighborhood. It wasn't like he was about to approach them first, though, so he was stuck on his own.

The town really did remind him a bit of Charlottesville. The homes and how they were obviously well kept, the overall tight knit vibe. The only difference was that in Charlottesville, everyone had known him since he was a kid. Here if they knew who he was, it was because he was on their TVs every Sunday.

That, and the presence of paparazzi would not exist in Charlottesville. Thomas genuinely had not expected to experience paparazzi as an NFL player, especially not his rookie season. Maybe it'd been wishful thinking, especially in his position, but there were plenty of irrelevant quarterbacks. Yet, as he walked into the grocery store, he noticed that he was being followed by a man with a smaller video camera. 

Technically this situation wasn't new to him. His father was in politics right up until he died, and whenever something big was happening, the family had to stay inside and avoid anyone they didn't know extremely well. But when his dad died, Thomas had assumed that no one would care about the Jeffersons anymore. It wasn't like his mother did anything noteworthy.

The most annoying part was that he wasn't doing anything remotely interesting. Anybody who was willing to follow a random dude trying to go grocery shopping seriously needed to get a life, and Thomas was ready to complain. So he called James.

“If you're calling to say there's something wrong with your house, I absolutely cannot help you.” 

“My house is fine, despite your best efforts to assume there'll be something wrong with it.” Thomas retorted, grabbing a shopping cart and pushing it with his free hand. “I called to ask you if you ever get followed around by douchebags with cameras.”

“Once or twice, I think, but nothing major. I don't exactly go out too much.” James answered. “Why?”

Thomas sighed and glanced around. He couldn't see the person who had been following him anymore, but he was going to assume they were around until he could be sure they were gone. “I’m just trying to go grocery shopping, and apparently it's the most interesting thing in the world.”

“Well, your name has been in the news a lot recently. And your popularity keeps growing. I’m only surprised it's just started happening.” 

“It's not like I get out much, either.” Thomas reasoned, walking down the aisles of the store. “Even if they talk about me in the news, it's not like they're going to find anything out if I'm just trying to get groceries.” 

James sighed. “They don't know that. It isn't really normal for someone in your position to be so…reserved. In their minds, you could end up accidentally revealing your secret relationship.”

“But that isn't going to happen because nothing they think is even close to correct. They're watching me for no reason.”

“Not exactly. They're watching you to find out who you're dating, and you are dating someone, aren't you? If you make the wrong move in public with Alexander, suddenly people are going to wonder who your non-famous ‘friend’ is. Then what happens when they learn he works for the team?”

Thomas sighed, shaking his head even though James couldn't see him. “James, that's not going to happen. I just wanted to complain, I don't need a lecture.”

“I’m not lecturing you, I just want you to make sure that you keep in mind that it's very possible for people to realize what's going on. Especially now that you live closer to Alexander.”

“Don't worry, James.” Thomas said, running his hand over his face. “I gotta go now, I have to finish my shopping.” 

“Maybe you should start doing curbside pickup,” James suggested. “Then you won't get followed around.”

Thomas smiled a bit. “Yeah, but then they won't get the right stuff. Bye, James.”

The call ended and Thomas continued his shopping, despite the creeper trying to seem like he wasn't following along. It wasn't until Thomas was going back through the parking lot that the guy seemed to gain enough confidence to get closer, even though he was completely by himself.

At first, Thomas was determined to simply ignore him. But then he came to the realization that he was going towards his car, and he didn't want to become an easier target because his car became recognizable. So, he stopped and turned to look at the man for the first time.

He looked messy, with shoulder length curly hair that appeared to be unwashed. His clothing was messy too, a band t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned flannel and jeans. When Thomas turned to look at him, the man looked a bit stunned, but kept his camera up to record. 

“What are you doing, man?” Thomas said, making a point to sound more disappointed than angry. Ironic, really. 

To the surprise of no one, Thomas did not get an answer from the man, so he just sighed. “Get the fuck away from me.”

The man hesitated, beginning to step away and then deciding to stay a few times. Thomas stayed right where he was, staring at the man until he really did leave. He even waited a few extra moments before getting in his car and leaving, learning a different way to get home just in case.

···

Thomas Jefferson's Stunning Statement to Unsuspecting Man

Recently Giants quarterback Thomas Jefferson was spotted outside of a grocery store near East Rutherford, about a half hour from the stadium. Sources say that throughout his visit to the store, Jefferson kept to himself and spoke on the phone the entire time, interacting with no one. At least, until he was leaving, and suddenly verbally assaulted an unsuspecting bystander. 

The man who chose to remain anonymous, stated that Jefferson suddenly seemed irritable while walking through the parking lot. He even captured the moment on video, particularly when Jefferson appeared to lose his patience. The words, “Get the f—k away from me” shocked the man, who states he has only ever heard that Jefferson is a likeable and even charming man.

Could this be early signs of Jefferson's diva attitude returning?

—

Speaking to James on the phone had made Thomas think, particularly about his relationship with Alexander. The two of them had been spending a lot of time together, but had never actually gone out for a real date. Ordinarily, Thomas wouldn't have minded staying in a majority of the time. But the fact that it felt like they had to was frustrating, because it meant that they weren't in control of their own lives.

So despite the situation with the lone paparazzi, or the speculation about Thomas' supposed girlfriend, he asked Alexander if he'd like to go on a real date. After reassuring him that it'd be okay, that Thomas would make sure nobody saw them, Alexander agreed.

On Saturday evening, Thomas picked Alexander up at his apartment again. This time there were no cars there, so he was able to go right into the driveway. He also got out and walked Alexander to the car, because he thought it was rude to stay inside the warmth and watch as Alex walked in the cold, even if it was only a few seconds.

Once they got moving, Alexander began to tell Thomas all about his day. “So you know how we all try to hang out with each other whenever we can, right? And you've learned that we can be a bit…reckless?” 

Thomas already knew this story was bound to be a good one. He still had never met John, and only knew Hercules from their few encounters. He was close with Lafayette, though. “I can't even imagine where this story is going,” he said.

“Okay, so we went out last night because what else would we do? And it was all of us, even Peggy's sisters, who I don't think I've told you about yet.” Alexander continued, grinning widely as he spoke. 

“Everything was going fine, except there was this one guy who was just obviously a piece of shit. Like we watched him for a few minutes and he was just not making a good impression on anyone. Then he came over to our table and started hitting on Angelica, who is Peggy's oldest sister, and…to give you an idea of who Angelica is, she once slapped some important guy in the middle of an important party or something. 

Anyways, this dude was just not understanding that she wasn't interested, and he started to get a little unruly. So Laf tried to tell him to go somewhere else, but the asshole just mocked his accent and called him prissy or something, which made Hercules and John mad. And then they all exchanged a few words and John ended up trying to fight the guy, but thankfully the bartender noticed before it could get out of hand and had security remove the guy.”

Thomas genuinely could not imagine himself having any fun in that kind of scenario. Drunk people pissed him off, especially when they started to get rowdy. The worst part is, he'd probably respond kind of similarly to John. 

“You guys didn't get kicked out? That's good. Usually don't they remove everyone that's involved?” He asked. 

Alexander shook his head. “No, thankfully. They told John he needs to chill and just let security handle stuff, but otherwise we were fine. Apparently they'd had their eyes on the guy for a few minutes.”

Thomas nodded slowly, trying to think of something else to say about the story. Thankfully, Alexander continued talking. 

“So, what's the plan for this super secret date?” He asked, looking at Thomas. “Don't take this the wrong way, but it's kind of difficult for you to not be recognized.” 

“Very true,” Thomas agreed. “I have a hat and hoodie, which obviously isn't going to do much. But you'll see why it won't matter too much when we get there.”

Alexander looked incredibly thoughtful, which made sense. He liked to figure things out before Thomas could tell him. “Are we going to the movies? If you fall asleep I will never let you hear the end of it.”

“No, not the movies. We're almost there, just hold your horses.” 

The remaining few minutes of the drive, Alexander showed absolutely zero patience. Instead, he continued to throw out the most random guesses he seemed to think of and all of them were wrong.

They finally made it inside the building, and Alexander looked around in slight confusion. “What is this? Golf?” 

Thomas nodded. “Well, it's glow in the dark mini golf, which I will be terrible at. See? No problem if people see me, they'll have no idea who they're looking at.”

“I've never been mini golfing. Or regular golfing, for that matter.” Alexander said, following behind Thomas. “You're definitely going to beat me, but I'm going to do everything in my power to try making it harder.”

“I feel like I should be concerned,” Thomas grinned at Alexander, leading him to the inner part of the building where the course was. 

The entire rest of the building was completely dark, only illuminated by the low glow of the props and path they were supposed to follow. Thomas went up to the counter and got them each a ball and putter, both of which also had a slight glow. There were several people throughout the course, but it was near impossible to see any distinguishing factors.

“Oh,” Alexander said. Thomas could still see him just enough to be sure it was Alex even if he didn't speak. “I see why you chose this.”

Thomas smiled to himself, pleased with his decision. “Alright, come on, time for me to stumble over every putt and still beat you.”

Alexander kicked his ankle. “Hey, you're just fueling by ambition. Now I'm going to do even more to win.”

Alexander's confidence quickly diminished when it took him almost thirty attempts to get through the first five holes. He was obviously frustrated, but trying his very hardest to seem perfectly cool and collected. Thomas was trying his hardest not to laugh.

“You know, golfing is an interesting sport, because it takes real strategy and consideration.” Alexander said, staring at his ball, which had ended up in a sand trap.

Thomas sighed. “Come on, just let me help you.” He replied, stepping closer to Alexander. They were the only people on this part of the course, having let the couple behind them go past when they were both struggling.

Alexander took a deep breath before also sighing. “Fine, I accept defeat. Please teach me how to hit the glowy ball.” He said sarcastically.

“Oh, don't get your hopes up. I’m no expert.” Thomas chuckled, standing behind Alexander and reaching around him to hold onto the putter with him. “Show me how you've been swinging.”

“Like this,” Alexander swung the putt, a swift but short motion. “Just like any other object you swing, see?”

Thomas smiled to himself, shaking his head. “Not when you're trying to send a small ball a short distance. Try doing it like this instead.” 

He took control of their arms, gently swinging the putter with a slower motion. Alexander followed suit, gently tapping the ball into the hole. He looked back at Thomas excitedly, his back still pressed against Thomas. 

“See? Now let's see if you can keep it up.” Thomas let go of Alexander's hands, giving him a gentle tap on his hips before continuing onto the next part of the course.

Although Alexander's luck seemed to be getting better, he still was taking a bit longer than Thomas. Having learned a better way to tap the ball, though, he was insistent that he didn't need Thomas' help again. 

“Are you positive you don't just want a quick reminder?” Thomas asked, maybe a bit teasingly. He really had no business teasing, their scores were closer than Alexander seemed to realize.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure. You can even go ahead to the next one, I’m so positive that you don't even have to wait for me.”

Thomas laughed, but nodded. “Alright, Macho Man, you got this.” He said, heading to the next hole but still waiting. It was the last one, and he didn’t want to finish the course before Alexander. He watched from afar, still smiling just a little.

Someone else reached Alexander, a guy who seemed to be alone. Thomas couldn't hear what they were saying very well, but the two were talking pleasantly while Alexander continued to try getting the hole. 

The guy must've said something that really got Alexander's attention, because he stood up all the way and turned to look directly at him. “No, sorry,” he said, just barely audible from where Thomas was standing. “I have a boyfriend.”

The man looked around, shrugging a bit. “Must be a pretty lousy boyfriend, I don't see him anywhere.”

“Yeah, you probably should have just stopped while you were ahead, bud. I’m not interested.” Alexander said, putting his ball into the hole. He grabbed it and continued on his way, finding Thomas quickly. “I told you not to wait for me, silly.”

“Boyfriend, huh?” Thomas said, more like a statement than a question. 

Alexander stopped in his tracks, avoiding eye contact. That didn't matter so much, since they couldn't even see each other clearly. “Uh…yeah? Is that okay?”

Thomas bit the inside of his lip, trying and failing to contain his smirk. “Yeah,” he said, twirling his putter in his hand. “C'mon, let's finish up so we can go home.”

···

Thomas' bedroom was newly quiet, the only sounds coming from the fan rotating above them and their own heavy breathing. Alexander was beside Thomas, their bare arms touching. They'd only made it to the bedroom after a stint in the living room, which might have happened in the car if it took them any longer to get home.

“Why do you keep your fan on when it's literally December?” Alexander whined, rolling over so that he was on top of Thomas. “I’m freezing.” 

“I like it cold,” Thomas shrugged, smiling fondly at Alexander. “I'm pretty sure that staying close can help create some warmth, but I'm no scientist.”

Alexander rolled his eyes, laying his head on Thomas' chest. Thomas pulled the comforter up to Alexander's shoulders, resting his hands behind his head on the pillow. 

“You're ridiculous, you know that?” Alexander said, his voice a little muffled. He began drawing circles on Thomas' chest with his finger. “Couldn't even wait until we got in–”

“Okay, calm down,” Thomas interrupted. “You seem to be leaving out a few key details. Would you like me to cite my source? ‘Come on, please–’”

Alexander began to laugh, covering Thomas' mouth with his hand to cut him off. “Asshole,” he said through his laughter. “You're a ridiculous asshole.”

Thomas took Alexander's hand off his mouth and kissed his knuckles. “Yes, but you're forgetting an important detail. I am a ridiculous asshole who also happens to be your boyfriend.” 

“Why are you saying that like you're teasing me? You’re teasing me for dating you, that makes no sense.” Alexander laughed even more.

“Don’t ask silly questions,” Thomas said, because really he didn't have an answer. He was just in a fantastic mood, so he couldn't stop himself from rambling or being weird. It was a fault of his.

Alexander shook his head, smiling widely as he put his head back onto Thomas' chest. After a moment, he sighed a little. “I should probably get going soon,” he mumbled. “Game day tomorrow and Peggy’s gonna be picking me up in the morning.”

Thomas frowned, though he was pretty confident that it'd be no problem to keep Alexander around. “What? It's not that far from here to your place, you can stay the night no problem. Peggy won't suspect a thing.”

“I don't want to be late,” Alexander said, getting out from under the covers and climbing out of bed. He was still only in his boxers. “And I don't want to make you start your day early when you're just getting used to later starts.”

“You know I'd be up anyways,” Thomas said, sitting up and catching Alexander's arm before he could get too far away. “Come back to bed.” 

Alexander turned around, looking back at Thomas with a defeated smile. “Fine. But give me a hoodie or something, it's too cold in this room for anyone to sleep comfortably.”

Thomas got up, pulling Alexander into a quick kiss. “Coming right up.” He said, his lips still against Alexander's, before he opened the closet to grab some pajamas. 

—

The following morning, Thomas woke up to his alarm. He had Alexander wrapped up in his arms, his face buried in the crook of Alex's neck. It took him a moment to fully wake up, and as he did, so did Alexander. Thomas found his phone and turned off the alarm, letting go of Alexander so that he could stretch. 

Beside him, Alexander yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He turned to look at Thomas, smiling softly until it turned into laughter when Thomas pulled him on top of him. Of course, Thomas kissed him, slow and filled with desire. 

Alexander was straddling his lap, his arms draped lazily around Thomas' shoulders. Thomas simply couldn't get over any of it—Alexander’s mind, his body, calling him his boyfriend, waking up beside him. It was the best start to a day that Thomas could possibly ask for.

With their lips still against each other, Alexander smiled, sliding his hands down to Thomas' still bare chest. “Thomas,” he said, in the same kind of way someone might talk to someone misbehaving. “What are you doing?”

“Saying good morning to my boyfriend.” Thomas answered, smiling now as well. “Is that not allowed?”

Alexander stayed right there, in Thomas' lap. “We have to get moving, Thomas.” He reminded him, gently pulling away. “I have to get home and take a shower.” 

Thomas tilted his head at Alexander, the same way he always did, gently grabbing his hand to keep him there. “There's a shower here. You can stay a little longer, have breakfast with me. I promise you won't be late.”

“You're really convincing, you know that?” Alexander said, gazing back at Thomas affectionately. “I’ll stay. But no funny business, we have places to be!”

Thomas could only grin. All he really wanted was to have Alexander there with him, to not be alone anymore. He'd probably even be completely fine if there never was any ‘funny business.’ 

He moved forward, kissing Alexander once more before he climbed out of bed and pulled Alexander along with him. “Come on, I’ll get the shower going for you. Breakfast will be ready by the time you get out.”

Breakfast was easy. Thomas enjoyed cooking, and he'd be making it for himself anyways. It was always better to cook for someone else. As promised, their food was ready when Alexander emerged from the shower, his hair wonderfully fluffy. Thomas loved it. 

“I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled the food,” he commented, smiling brightly. “Thank you for cooking for me.”

Thomas shrugged. “I love cooking,” he said casually. “Having someone to share it with only makes it better.” 

Alexander sat down, and Thomas sat across from him. “I stole a sweatshirt by the way. I didn't bring any clothes with me, even though I probably should have.” 

“That's okay, I have too many team shirts anyway.” Thomas said, beginning to eat. He had a specific meal plan from his dietician for game days, so he made something a bit more normal for Alexander. 

“So, I was thinking,” he continued. “Come home with me tonight, after the game. We can spend the night together, and when we wake up in the morning, we can have all the time to do whatever we want.”

Alexander pretended to look like he was barely interested, but his lips were begging to smile. “Sure, I think that'd be okay. I’ll even bring extra clothes.”

Thomas smiled. “Great, it's a date.”

···

Throughout the two hour flight from Jersey to Indianapolis, Thomas and Alexander stole several glances at one another. Pretty much any time Thomas tried to stealthily peek at his new boyfriend, Alexander would be looking right back. If everyone else on the plane wasn't trying to get into the game mindset, they'd probably get annoyed with the swooning very quickly. Thankfully, though, everyone was already in their own heads.

When the plane landed, they parted ways. Thomas boarded the player bus while Alexander got on the staff bus behind it. They wouldn't see each other for a few hours, especially while Thomas was working through his pregame routine. 

Every game day was the same for Thomas, no matter what stadium he was in. One of the equipment managers would set up his locker the way that he preferred it to be, and he'd sit down to listen to some music for about thirty minutes.

Following his playlist, Thomas would find Lafayette and stretch with him, and if any part of his body was bothering him, he'd have it looked at. Thankfully today he was feeling no worse than usual, so he didn't need any extra attention. 

Then, he finally went out onto the field for warmups with the rest of the team. The Colts played in a stadium with a retractable roof, so it wasn't too cold on the field despite it being the first week of December. Although Thomas liked the cold, he appreciated the domed stadiums. The Indianapolis weather was admittedly a bit confusing, though.

As he was warming up, Thomas heard someone calling his name. First it was a woman, and then a man. At some games there were people who spent ridiculous amounts of money to get onto the sideline during warmups, to get a really close look at the players and see what it felt like to be down there. It was less common for him to be called upon at an away game, though.

Continuing to play catch with one of the trainers, Thomas listened as the two people called out to him. He almost recognized their voices and found himself wondering if they might've been on the field at another game before. Usually it was the same few people who got to experience the VIP stuff. 

When Thomas finally turned around to see who was calling his name, he froze. His smile fell, and his stomach sank. There behind the yellow ribbon stood two people, a man and a woman: Thomas' mother and eldest brother.

Thomas stood there for a moment, completely stunned. These were the last two people he'd expected to be standing there, the last two people he'd wanted to be standing there. What were they doing there? 

He could feel his heart thumping, the air leaving his lungs. But he needed to stay calm. This game may not be against someone in the conference, but the Giants and the Eagles were fighting tooth and nail for first place in the NFC East. One loss could ruin their chances.

So Thomas took a deep breath and tossed the ball back to the trainer one last time before walking to the visitor's area. His mother and Peter looked so delighted to see him, it made him feel sick. They even had a sign with them that was done with red and blue letters. It said, “We came all the way from VA to see our Tommy J!” 

“What are you doing here?” He said, trying his hardest to remain calm. The only emotion he could give was surprise, which he was. Anything else could result in yet another article.

His mother laughed just a bit, something fake and infuriating. “Don't be silly! We wanted to support you.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes at her. “In Indianapolis, of all places? Yeah, okay.” He shook his head, turning his attention to Peter, who looked stupidly stiff. 

When it was clear that Jane didn't have anything worthwhile to say to him, Thomas gave each of them one last dirty look before heading straight into the locker room, his heart pounding. Just the sight of them made him so angry, so stressed. He wanted to kick them out, find a reason to keep them as far away from him as possible. But how was he supposed to do that?

This was going to mess up not only his game but his entire day. It had started off so good, of course they'd have to ruin it. Thomas leaned back against the wall of his locker, taking a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds in an attempt to calm down.

Going into kickoff, Thomas didn't feel any better. He didn't know where his mother and brother were, but they knew exactly where he was. The Colts got the ball first after the Giants won the coin toss, and went three and out right away. When the Giants took the field, they held the ball for three game minutes before they scored, putting them up by seven.

The first half of the game went smoothly, despite Thomas' mood. He knew his teammates could tell that he was unhappy about something, but they didn't know how to ask him about it. The Giants had a great team dynamic, but they weren't quite a family like some other teams managed to become. 

In the Giants' first possession of the second half, a snap went awry and Thomas scrambled to grab the ball while the defensive line across from him shouted ‘fumble!’ In his scramble, one of his own linemen stepped on his foot as it came down, bending his ankle too far too fast. Thomas quickly passed the ball as he fell down, his face mask hitting the back of another player.

As the refs blew their whistles to indicate that the play was over, Thomas got help up from one of the linemen. Immediately, he knew something was wrong with his ankle, but he'd have to wait to get it looked at until they either scored or punted. There was no way he'd let Adams come in for him, not even for a few plays.

The Giants did nd up scoring after a huge run from Monroe, putting them even further ahead. Thomas walked off the field, trying his hardest not to appear too hurt so that the commentators wouldn't notice as much. As soon as he sat on the bench, Lafayette was in front of him.

“What is it?” He asked. “Did you roll your ankle?”

Thomas nodded. “Yeah, someone stepped on my foot at the exact wrong moment. Can we just wrap it and look at it later?”

Lafayette's lips tightened into a thin line as he thought. “Does it hurt when I touch it?” He had Thomas' foot against his thigh like when a parent ties their child’s shoe. 

“No,” Thomas shook his head. “It only hurts a little when I walk anyway, I'll be fine. Can you please just tape it?”

“Yes, I can.” Lafayette said. He put Thomas' foot down and walked away briefly, returning with a roll of athletic tape. He lifted the injured ankle again and wrapped it tightly, around the entire ankle and part of the shoe. “Does that feel alright?”

“Yeah, thanks. Can you look at it after the game is over, too? Just to make sure before we go home.” 

Lafayette nodded. “Anything for you, Thomas.”

Thankfully the remainder of the game was quite uneventful. The Giants won, the Colts struggling to succeed with their own rookie quarterback. Thomas had been drafted way higher than him, much to the dismay of Giants fans. Apparently the GM had made the right decision.

Thomas found it difficult to be excited about the win, especially when it meant the game was over and he had to deal with life outside of football. Surely his mother and brother would come down to the bottom of the stands so they could talk to him, which he would ignore as best as he could.

He finished up interviews pretty quickly before finding Alexander, who was behind the crowd of reporters like always. When Alexander saw Thomas, his smile faltered a little, and turned into slight concern. 

“Are you okay? I thought they said the ankle isn't that bad.” 

Thomas had nearly forgotten about his stupid ankle. He nodded. “Yeah, it's fine. I’m just…frustrated.” 

Alexander looked confused. “Why? You won, you played really well. What is there to be frustrated about?”

At first, Thomas didn't plan on saying anything. Alexander didn't need to hear about how much Thomas did not love his mother. But then he realized the sign, which most likely got the attention of at least one reporter, meaning it'd be all over social media and probably even on the news that his family was there. 

He sighed. “My mom and brother are here. I don't want them to be, and they know that. It just…made me really mad to see them, to be honest.”

Alexander looked a little surprised, but didn't ask any questions. “I’ll have you skip the video today, so that you can handle your stuff and not add to the chaos. Maybe I can convince James to do it.”

“Yeah, good luck with that. I gotta go talk to them real quick, but I’ll come back and talk to you before we get back on the buses.” 

As soon as Thomas made it back to the sideline, he saw them again. His mother must've sweet talked somebody to get back down into the field. 

“You guys need to go home. I don't want to see you.” Thomas said, standing close enough that no one else could hear the conversation. 

Jane stared back at him, looking nicer than she really was. “Don't be stupid, Thomas. Did you think that pretending I don't exist would make it come true? I am your mother, and you will see me whenever I want you to.”

Thomas scoffed, shaking his head. “I have literally no reason to listen to you. You need to leave, and don't come to one of my games again.”

“We see the headlines, Thomas.” Jane said condescendingly. “And we all know your history. With your…newfound fame, I think it would be in your best interest to be a family man, hm? Don't you want to make your father proud?”

Of course they'd try to get to him. Thomas took a deep breath, shaking his head. “Look. I am not going to stand here and act like you're scaring me or something. I don't care what you think you're doing, you're irrelevant to me. Just do yourself a favor and go home.”

“How's your ankle?” Jane asked, looking down at Thomas' foot. “I saw that they were wrapping it. Do you usually fake injuries? I remember when you were little, always whining like a little bitch. Do you still do that?”

Thomas nodded slowly, pressing his lips together. “Stay the fuck away from me, okay? Both of you.” He walked away, wishing he still had his helmet on to hide his expression. Especially because Alexander was waiting for him, and would only see how upset he was.

As soon as he reached Alexander, he got a sympathetic look and a small frown. “Didn't go well, did it?”

“Not really, no.” Thomas admitted with a sigh. “It's no big deal, though. I’ll get over it.”

“Should we take a raincheck on..you know?” Alexander asked. “Maybe I can come by another night instead.”

As much as Thomas wanted to say no, that it'd be fine, he knew it wasn't true. The likelihood of him being remotely enjoyable was pretty slim. “Yeah,” he said sadly. “That's probably a good idea.”

Chapter Text

The level of comfort that Alexander felt was something he hadn't experienced at any point in his life. He was wrapped in the embrace of his beautiful boyfriend's strong arms. Thomas was asleep beside him, his slow breathing like some kind of security blanket, a calmness that Alexander tended to stumble away from when he slept by himself.

He had no idea how long they'd been laying there or even what time of day it was. All he knew was that he was happy, and he'd do anything to keep it that way. 

Beside him, Thomas stirred, taking a deep breath as he began to wake up. Alexander turned over to get a good look at his face, which was difficult to see from the sudden glow of sunshine through open windows. The two of them spoke to one another, in happy murmurs, but Alexander couldn't actually hear anything. It was like Thomas was only a concept, a glowing beam at his side.

Alexander stared up at his bedroom ceiling, thinking about the few details he could remember from his dream. He'd woken up alone, in his own bed, for the fourth morning in a row. Thomas had been essentially missing in action the past few days, texting even less than usual and declining to be a part of recent social media posts. Alexander knew that it wasn't anything against him, but he was still bothered. He had no idea what to do to help Thomas.

The only knowledge he had on Thomas' family was that of their wealth, and that his father had been a senator. Alexander couldn't help but wonder what kind of history the Jeffersons had for Thomas to react in such a way just at their presence, especially because it had caused him to do a complete one-eighty.

It had been bothering Alexander for the entire time that he couldn't figure out how to help Thomas. The worst thing that had happened throughout their time together so far had been mistakes in games, nothing major, leaving Alexander at a total loss.

He would just have to get over it, though. Thomas clearly didn't want to discuss it, and life was getting busy. The Giants were heading to Germany in a day, and Alexander hadn't even started packing yet. They were staying from Thursday to Monday, and really all Alexander needed to do was pack team clothes for each of those days. But he was still a little nervous—this was going to be his first time flying internationally.

In his nerves, Alexander opened the messages app to message Thomas even though he was sure the outcome would be the same as the last few times he had tried sending Thomas a message. It wasn’t like he was being desperate, Thomas had been responding to him, just less consistently than usual. For Thomas, that wasn’t even that out of character. Or maybe Alexander was just trying to make things seem better.

Wednesday, December 10th, 4:56PM

[Alexander] idk what to pack for this trip

[Alexander] germany is cold right?? is it like here??

Alexander waited a minute or two for a response, but didn’t get one. He tried his best not to worry about it or think too much, forcing himself to start finding the clothes that he wanted to bring along with him. The team had given him almost as much as the players by this point, so it wasn’t very difficult to come up with a few comfortable outfits. It was difficult to keep his mind off of Thomas, however, especially when they worked at the same place and the logo was on every item of clothing that Alexander was looking at. If they ever broke up, it’d be really annoying to get away from any reference of Thomas.

Unable to focus whatsoever, Alexander grabbed his phone again in hopes that he’d have a response to look at. Of course, there wasn’t anything new from Thomas. The only notification he’d received was an email from Spotify about an artist he’d never even heard of before. Without thinking, because he tended to avoid doing that, Alexander opened Google and typed Thomas’ name into the search bar. It was probably a bit weird to do that now that Thomas was his boyfriend, but maybe it would give him some insight somehow.

The first thing to come up was yet another article by that obnoxious James Callender. Ever since that first article that he released, Callender had been consistently finding any flaw of Thomas’ that he could write about. Alexander had asked Thomas several times how he was so neutral about it, but Thomas would only say that it would be a waste of time to give any response. If Alexander was in his position, he would have made some kind of public statement to put Callender in his place.

Jefferson Family Turmoil

Anyone who follows politics should know the name Jefferson, and by now, so does any fan of the NFL. Thomas Jefferson, the glowing face of the New York Giants, comes from a prominent Virginia family and was recently reunited with some of them. His mother Jane, and oldest brother Peter flew to Indianapolis to surprise Jefferson for the Giants game against the Colts. What was intended to be a heartwarming surprise went sour, however, when the oldest Jefferson reacted quite poorly.

The two mother-brother duo purchased tickets for sideline access with the intent to surprise Thomas, prepared with a homemade sign. But Thomas can be seen storming off after exchanging what appeared to be heated words with his family. After recent events, particularly Jefferson's rude behavior towards a fan, it is becoming increasingly more evident that Jefferson truly is the diva that everyone remembers from his college years. There are several words one can use to describe number 17, but “humble” and “family man” are not on that list.

Alexander sighed, rolling his eyes at the wording of the article. Sports journalists seemed to be about as catty as a character from Mean Girls, especially once they became fixated on one particular player. Thomas was just this guy’s target, and Alexander couldn't do anything about it. 

The remaining articles had nothing to do with Thomas' family and were about his injury instead. Headlines about him missing practice, being marked as day to day, and concerns that he may not be playing against the Panthers. Alexander knew that Thomas had sprained his ankle, and intended to play despite it. 

As Alexander scrolled through various articles and social media posts, the comments of which were as crazy as ever, he was startled by the sudden sound of someone knocking on the front door of the apartment.

Immediately, Alexander was a little afraid, because no one ever knocked on the door. Anyone who should be there would just walk in, they wouldn't knock. In his mild fear and growing paranoia, Alexander grabbed the wooden bat that John kept in the living room and peeked through the peep hole. Relief washed over him for several reasons when he saw who was on the other side of the door.

“Woah, you got a license for that thing?” Thomas joked, smiling in amusement at the bat that Alexander was still holding. He looked incredible, dressed in nice clothes and his beard freshly trimmed. It would take someone who really knew him to see how exhausted he looked, and Alexander did.

Alexander stepped forward, pulling Thomas into a tight hug. He didn't exactly know why, especially because he'd never felt the need to do that with anyone else before. But regardless of Alexander's understanding of his own actions, Thomas seemed to appreciate it, relaxing just a little in the embrace. 

“Come inside,” Alexander said into Thomas' chest before he let go. He'd missed the smell of his cologne and had to make a conscious decision to give Thomas some space. 

Thomas followed Alexander into the living room, sitting down on the couch. His pants tightened around his knees, causing them to ride up a bit. This made the small brace around his ankle more noticeable, giving Alexander the opportunity to start a conversation specifically about Thomas.

“How's your ankle? It wasn't in a brace before, was it?” He asked, sitting beside him. 

“Oh, it's fine.” Thomas said, looking down at the brace as well. He shrugged. “This is really just a precaution, I’ll be fine for Sunday.”

Alexander frowned slightly. He didn't care about whether or not Thomas could perform, he cared about whether or not Thomas was okay. Both physically and mentally, though neither seemed to be very well at all. He had a feeling that saying so would be redundant, but Alex was never very good at shutting up.

“Well, that's great, but isn't it better to let yourself heal completely before you put more stress on it?” He pointed out, trying his best not to sound patronizing or overbearing.

Thomas nodded slowly, staring intently at the floor, looking like he'd completely zoned out. “Yeah, probably. But I'm not letting Adams start in place of me. If it was that bad, Lafayette wouldn't let me play.”

Alexander knew there was no use arguing with Thomas on the subject. He'd never understand the mentality of an athlete, especially not one like Thomas. He could only imagine that Thomas pushing himself on the field was his equivalent to when Alexander pushed himself in his writing, and he'd be too big of a hypocrite to discourage it.

When Alexander didn't respond, Thomas didn't fill the silence. The worry that Alexander had already been feeling only grew, because usually Thomas would find anything to talk about. Or at the very least, he'd be holding Alexander. Nothing was right, and it was incredibly bothersome.

The Thomas that Alexander was used to always seemed sure of himself, always knew what to say. Essentially, the exact opposite of everything happening right now. It was growing almost uncomfortable, so Alexander finally broke the silence.

“What's wrong, Thomas?” He asked, gently resting his hand on Thomas' shoulder, hoping it was reassuring somehow. 

Thomas blinked, turning to look at Alexander. “I’m tired,” he said, shrugging a little. “I’m still just a bit confused about the whole thing with my family surprising me too. It's fine, really.”

Alexander wasn't surprised at all that Thomas avoided giving an honest answer. He certainly wouldn't have if the roles were reversed and he was the upset one. Yet another reason why he hated these conversations.

“Is it possible that they really did just want to come support you?” He asked dumbly, earning himself a sarcastic laugh. 

“Absolutely not,” Thomas said, shaking his head. “No, there's something more to it. I just need to figure out what it is.”

In a rare event, Alexander didn't have anything to say. Clearly there was something happening between the Jeffersons, and he definitely didn't understand it. He could only wish that he knew how to ask about it.

Thomas didn't seem too keen on sharing anyways, taking the silence between them as an opportunity to change the subject. “Are you excited to go to Germany?”

Alexander nodded. “Yeah. I'm a little nervous, though. And I'm not entirely sure of what I should pack, even though it's just team stuff.” 

“I can help if you want.” Thomas offered, and Alexander knew that acting like everything was completely fine was probably the best option for now.

“Yeah, sure, that'd be great. We can use your travel expertise.” 

Alex led the way back to his bedroom, where his suitcase was open on the floor with a pile of clothes beside it. It was basically a blob of dark blue with a mix of some red and gray, the Giants logo visible about seven times.

Thomas chuckled softly as he entered the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Looks like you have plenty of options, so what's giving you trouble?”

“Well, I'm not sure about what will be comfortable. Like what will the weather be like? And what about inside the stadium?” 

“Outside it'll be pretty chilly, and probably rainy at least one day. Inside the stadium won't be so bad because it's not open air, but you're always cold, so I'd just pack all the warm stuff you got. I'm sure there's plenty.” Thomas said simply, shrugging. “Easy peasy.”

Alexander nodded, sifting through his options and taking out the ones that wouldn't do such a good job keeping him warm. As soon as he was done packing, he sat down on the bed beside Thomas. Ordinarily, he'd expect to be grabbed, maybe Thomas would have him lay down, and they'd kiss for a while at the very least. But the mood certainly wasn't right today.

In fact, Thomas laid back himself, staring at the ceiling. Alexander laid beside him, staring up as well. “You want to talk about it?” He asked.

“No,” Thomas said. “It's not even really that big of a deal, there are worse things that could happen.” He sighed before adding, “I’m just tired.”

—

The next day, the team left for Munich. The flight was a long eight hours, which was hell after getting through the airport with such a large amount of people. The league had measures in place for such travel, but leaving from New York was a nightmare no matter what. Finally getting off the plane made it all worth it, though, even though the time difference confused Alexander for a bit when they essentially flew into a new day. 

It was kind of nice, though, because it meant that everyone just got their keys and could head straight to bed. Of course, Alexander had a hard time. He was already an insomniac, and Jeopardy! wasn't even on yet back home. So instead of going straight to bed after his shower, Alexander sat and read for a while. 

At some point, he did manage to fall asleep. He dreamt about himself and Thomas again, something that had been occurring more and more frequently. This time, the dream was a bit different and involved a pleasant amount of nudity. Alexander woke up feeling a little disappointed, but also hopeful that it was somehow a sign that Thomas might be less stressed. 

The lobby of the hotel was a bit of a chaotic mess. The Giants organization made up the entire population of the building, except the staff and the countless reporters who were there for the press conferences. Usually those took place after practice at the facility, but everything was messed up because of the travel. 

Alexander found the room that the conference was in, sitting down in the front to live stream the questions like always. Thomas was already sitting at the table, waiting for everyone to be ready to ask their questions.

Someone behind Alexander began. He had looked around for Callender and hadn't seen him, thankfully. “Is this your first time in Germany?” 

Thomas nodded. “Yeah, it is. I’m really excited about it, I just wish I could stay here longer.”

The same reporter continued. “We all know that you've spent a considerable amount of time in Europe, especially France. And recently one of your trainers even revealed that you're actually proficient in several languages. Is that true for German too?”

“Oh,” Thomas chuckled. He seemed completely fine, his usual chipper self. Alexander wished that he believed it was completely right. “No, unfortunately I don't know much German. I'm learning, though, for when I come back.”

Alexander wasn't aware that Thomas knew more than English and French, and immediately began to wonder what other options there were. The very thought of Thomas speaking in more of the romance languages was very intriguing. 

The questions continued, gradually getting more into the grit of the game. The Giants were competing for first place in the division and every win mattered, especially against a conference team. The only issue was that the Eagles were also fighting tooth and nail, and were currently in the lead. But Thomas spoke as well as ever, keeping his answers just political enough to make sure he didn't sound like he was anything but ready to win. 

As soon as the conference was over, Alexander was swept away to handle a plethora of things with Peggy. They needed to post extra content, interview local fans, and check out the stadium. Any moment spent outside was incredibly unpleasant because of the weather, which Thomas had gotten pretty much exactly right. 

The only good part of the work day was that they didn't have to watch the practice. Instead, he and Peggy went back to the hotel, where Alexander promptly changed his clothes after they'd gotten drenched outside. Of course he'd forget to bring an umbrella. 

Alexander plopped down on the bed beside Peggy, yawning. “I think this would be a lot better if we were here long enough to get used to it. I mean, today is already Saturday and I feel like we just completely skipped over Friday. Like how are we already leaving in less than two days?”

“Yeah,” Peggy said absentmindedly. She was on her phone, barely paying attention to him. Surely she was working on something, but Alexander still stole the phone right out of her hands to get her full attention. 

“In case you forgot, we don't have anything to do until tomorrow when we go to the game. I can't believe I'm telling you to stop working.” 

Peggy sighed in protest, trying to grab her phone back. “I wasn't working, I was trying to text Eli—what are you wearing?”

Alexander's brows furrowed as he looked down at his outfit. He was wearing an oversized Giants hoodie and some old jeans. “Um…clothes?”

“No, seriously Alex, where did you get that hoodie?” She asked, snatching her phone back while he was caught off guard. “That's only for players.”

Uh oh. Alexander kept his face neutral, trying to come up with a good lie. As long as he could come up with something quickly, he'd be able to get out of this, he had always been a good liar. The only problem with his plan was that there really wasn't a single good lie in this situation.

“Oh, weird, I didn't notice. Must be the equipment guys accidentally gave me the wrong one.”

Peggy raised a brow at him, looking so unimpressed with him that she reminded him of Angelica. “You're telling me that Hercules ‘accidentally’ gave that to you? What size is that, extra large?” 

When Alexander didn't say anything, Peggy practically tackled him, pinning him down on his stomach. He didn't know how strong she was, and now felt a newfound fear…and maybe he realized he should probably workout more.

He could feel her pull back the hood to look at the tag, which was helpfully labeled on every team issued hoodie with the owner’s jersey number. Alexander knew that Peggy saw it as soon as he got whacked in the back of his head.

“What the hell are you doing in Thomas Jefferson’s hoodie, Alex?” She demanded, letting him go.

Alexander stayed down while he was there, turning his head a little to look at her. “Well,” he started. “I uh, got it from his closet.” 

Peggy whacked him again, jumping to her feet on the bed. “Alexander! Oh my God, you're–” she took a deep breath to compose herself so she'd stop yelling. “Are you sleeping with him?” 

“Usually,” Alexander answered. “It's been like a week, though, he's been kinda down lately.” 

“You let me think it was Maria! I told you all those theories people were posting about them, meanwhile you were the one he's been with this whole time?” She sat back down, grinning wildly. “You have to tell me everything. Who else knows?”

Alexander sat up, trying to remain calm even though he was ecstatic that she finally knew. “John and Burr. I didn't mean to tell them, Burr saw Thomas leave the apartment and it's not like I could have lied about who he is.”

Peggy nodded slowly. “Okay, so then how long has it been?” 

“Oh, uh…we just made it ‘official' or whatever like last week. But we've been kinda together since around October. That's when we kissed for the first time, at least.”

“This is crazy, I can't believe I didn't realize you guys were actually a thing. I was only picking on you, I didn't actually think you liked him enough to do anything.” Peggy said, looking thoughtful. “He’s nice enough to us during work, but is he actually a good guy? I mean…we’ve all heard things, you know? And you'll learn, the guys in this league are–”

Alexander sighed, cutting her off. “Nothing he's done has ever made me think those articles and stuff are true. He's definitely got the mind and ego of a pro athlete, but…he’s been great to me.”

“Good, ‘cause I think it'd be kinda hard to hide his body if I had to kill him. No offense to the guy, but he looks kind of heavy.” 

“One time I tried pushing him off me, you know, like a playful wrestling type of thing. I literally couldn't move him at all.” Alexander laughed. “I swear, he's a personified boulder.”

Peggy laughed. “Yeah, one that can jump over you and make it look easy.” She laid back, taking a deep breath. “I assume I can't tell anyone, right?”

“Right.” Alexander nodded, laying beside her. “Not even Angelica and Eliza. I know they won't say anything, but I don't want to tell anyone for him, you know?”

“Yeah, of course. I can't even imagine what it'd be like for someone in his shoes. Football fans aren’t exactly the most accepting of anyone who isn't a straight white man.” 

Alexander frowned a little. “Yeah, and he's already got so much on his plate. Ever since his family visited, he's been different. He wasn't even this stressed when he had to play in overtime.”

Peggy tilted her head towards him curiously. “He doesn't get along with his family? I thought their sign was really cute.”

“Doesn't seem like it. He hasn't told me anything and I'm not sure I know how to ask. I mean, when have I ever been good at tough conversations? We all remember how long it took me to talk to Eliza.” 

Peggy gave him a look. “Yes, we do. And if you don't want this relationship to end up like that one, you should try to talk to him.”

“To be fair, Eliza and I broke up because I realized I'm gay.” Alexander replied, an attempt at keeping the mood light.

“You know what I mean.” Peggy deadpanned. “I hope Thomas is alright. Should he know that I know?”

Alexander considered that. Would it only stress Thomas out more? Would he worry about possibly being outed if someone with the team was aware? Or would it make things worse to keep it from him?

He sighed. “I’ll tell him next time I get the chance,” he decided.

“Good.” Peggy nodded. Then she broke out into a grin, like she just couldn't help it. “So, if he's not dating Maria…why did she come to those games?”

Alexander rolled his eyes, shaking his head at her shameless fan girling. “They're good friends, apparently. They've known each other for like five years or something.”

“Ah, okay.” She said slowly, making a show of looking thoughtful. “So do you think that he could introduce me to her?” 

“I think she's coming to visit soon, maybe she'll come by the facility.” Alexander said, mostly teasingly. It could actually be a good idea, though.

Peggy sighed. “Boo, what good is a famous boyfriend if he can't introduce your friends to his very hot famous friend?” 

Alexander laughed. “He insists that he's not famous, actually.”

The two of them continued to discuss Alexander's new relationship, which was a bit of a relief. Obviously he could talk about it with John, but it felt like he didn't fully understand the weight of it all. Peggy at least knew that it was risky for staff to date a player, and their specific situation was just riskier for a number of reasons.

—

Come game day, Alexander was practically itching to talk to Thomas, but it was literally impossible. The media staff for both the Giants and the Panthers were running all over the place getting irreplaceable content, and the players were obviously busy getting ready for the game. It wasn't like they could have a heart to heart during warmups.

So Alexander had to watch a three hour football game (that really wasn't all that exciting) while only being able to think about the upcoming conversation he knew that he and Thomas should have. There was really no reason for him to be so anxious about it, there wasn't anything wrong between them. As far as he knew, at least.

The idea of having the conversation when he didn't know anything about how Thomas deals with hard things was what scared him. Alexander was used to pushing aside his own problems, especially something so personal, and helping someone else out of it was as unfamiliar as could be.

By the time the game ended, with the Giants winning 28-17, Alexander felt like there was a bullfrog chasing butterflies throughout his entire body. He couldn't even do post-game because his hands weren't steady enough to get a good shot. He'd have preferred they be in an argument, or Thomas be mad at him. He'd at least know how to get out of it.

Alexander watched as Peggy spoke to Thomas and handed him the phone. Both of them were smiling, and Thomas looked more at ease than he had the last several times Alex had seen him. He hoped that was a good sign.

“Trouble in paradise?” 

Alexander was startled at the sudden voice, especially how close it was to him. He turned around, immediately irritated when it was Adams’ face that he saw. 

“Excuse me?” He said. “What are you talking about?”

Adams smiled, nodding slowly as if he'd just made some incredible discovery. “I couldn't help but notice the…tension. And not the good kind, if you catch my drift.”

Alexander narrowed his eyes. “What exactly do you think you're getting at? I have no idea what you're referring to.”

“Sure,” Adams replied, much too smug for Alexander's liking. “You also don't seem to really know what it is you're getting yourself into. I mean,” he made a show of looking around the emptying stadium. “All these people have opinions, and all the people at home have even stronger ones. I’m just saying.”

“Get the fuck away from me, man.” Alexander scoffed, walking away to find Thomas. He'd learned that there was no reason to be afraid of John Adams, not as a washed up backup. 

The only thing that Adams had succeeded in was distracting him. Thomas had already gone into the locker room, and Alexander still couldn't talk to him.

···

The bus ride back to the hotel wasn't very long, but Alexander was still frustrated. Adams had clearly been insinuating something, and it just added to the growing list of things that Alexander was mad at. 

That list grew once again when the staff bus caught a light that the player bus got through, making it even more difficult for Alexander to catch up to Thomas to finally talk. By the time the staff reached the hotel, all of the players were already inside. 

Alexander had two options. He could go up to Thomas' room (he was always assigned the same one, 317) and risk literally everyone finding out too much information. Or, he could call him and hope for an answer.

As he was opening the phone app to call, there was a knock at his door, startling his phone out of his hands. He picked it up, pocketing it as he stumbled towards the door and pulled it open.

Immediately, he was swept up into a tight embrace and pushed back into the room, the door shutting behind him and who could only be Thomas. 

Alex pulled back to look up at him, frowning at the look on his face. He looked exhausted, and not just because he'd been traveling and just played a three hour game. Alexander reached up and cupped Thomas' cheeks, feeling the scratch of his facial hair beneath his palms.

“Thomas,” he said softly. “What's the matter?”

Thomas looked down at him, like he was trying to decide how to give the best answer. Alexander remembered watching him at the start of season, giving reporters carefully curated responses. He let go, stepping back so he could look more serious.

“Don't give me some bullshit about how you're ‘just tired’ either.”

“I am tired. I’m exhausted, I haven't been sleeping.” Thomas said, walking to the other side of the room. “All I can think about is my mother and it's…it’s pissing me off, to be honest, and I'm just so frustrated. I know that that's exactly what she wants, that has to be the reason she bothered ‘coming to see me.’ I can't think of any other reason she'd taunt me other than to get in my head and make me do this. And to bring Peter? I don't know which one of them is worse, it honestly probably depends on the day. And I'm sorry that I've been so distant, I just didn't want to spring all of this on you, it shouldn't have even come up—” 

“Thomas, you're going to burn a hole in the carpet if you don't stop pacing.” Alexander interrupted, stepping in front of him so that he could stop him in his tracks. “I don't mind you having family troubles, everyone does. But I would much prefer it if you talked to me instead of just…disappearing, okay?”

Thomas nodded, taking a deep breath and shaking out his hands. Alexander stepped closer, pulling him into another hug. With his head against Thomas' chest, he could feel just how hard his heart was pounding.

Alex reached up, gently resting his hand overtop of his heart. “Take a deep breath, Tom, it's okay. You're going to have a heart attack or something if you don’t calm down.” 

“I’m sorry,” Thomas sighed, lowering his head. “I'm not used to all of this anymore. I was honestly hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.” He chuckled a bit at that, calming down some.

“Oh, shut up, don't apologize. Just come lay down with me, it's been several days since we've had more than a moment to even look at each other.” 

Thomas really laughed then, nodding. “I can do that,” he said, falling into bed with Alexander and pulling him close.

Alexander nestled himself against Thomas, pleased to finally be back in a spot that felt right. “Oh, by the way. Peggy may or may not have found out about us. I accidentally wore your hoodie yesterday.”

“It was bound to happen, I guess. It's only Peggy anyways.”

Alexander nodded slowly, thinking back to earlier in the evening. He decided that telling Thomas about his interaction with Adams earlier could hopefully wait.

Chapter Text

The immense stress that Thomas had been feeling had almost entirely subsided by the time he was settled back at home. They'd barely even been in Germany, really, but traveling that much was bound to make anyone tired. Combined with the sleep he'd lost while laying awake in his fit of anxiety, Thomas returned to his Cedar Grove home and slept for what felt like ages.

With Mellie finally settled in her new environment, Thomas had a new morning routine. If he didn't get out of bed to feed her in a timely manner, she'd come into his bedroom and bat at his face. Then after she ate, Mellie would follow him around endlessly until he left the house. Of course, if he ever tried following her around, she'd get irritated with him right away.

It was truly a blessing to have her back, though. Thomas didn't care if it made him seem ridiculous, having his cat there with him in his house genuinely made him happier. Even if she couldn't fully understand him, Mellie was always there for him during his stress, laying on his chest like a living security blanket. Maybe it had something to do with both of them enduring his mother's despicable personality.

Thomas had tried to work up the energy to be more present with Alexander. He felt like a terrible boyfriend, barely responding to texts and calls. Whenever he'd started to send a message, he decided that it'd only ruin Alexander's day to deal with the anxieties that Thomas' family gave him.

It was one thing to deal with Jane for a lifetime—Thomas had never known a time where Jane was not trying to upend his happiness. He'd learned to turn her disdain fueled parenting decisions into glamour. Sure, he was sent to Paris to be out of her sight, but he learned so much about the world over those summers. Thomas didn't need to stain himself by sharing old stories that made him hate his mother. He had never truly known hardship, and he was fully aware of that.

There was no use dwelling on it now anyways. Thomas had asked Mary about the visit, and she had promised him that she had no idea Jane and Peter were going to surprise him. His sprained ankle was healing up well, but he hadn't been completely honest about how bad the sprain was, so it would likely take a bit longer than they were expecting to fully heal.

Regardless, he was feeling better both mentally and physically, so on Monday night, he made up for his lack of communication by taking Alexander out on a simple date. It was difficult to find something great to do with so many eyes on him, but Alexander seemed to appreciate privacy just as much as he did anyways. The date had gone well, ending in a romantic walk despite the winter chill.

When they made it back to Alexander's apartment, it didn't take long for their clothes to come off. Thomas had been entirely checked out for a while because of his stress, so when he finally felt like himself again, it made their evening that much better.

These several factors contributed to the deep sleep that Thomas fell into. The last thing he remembered from the previous night was pulling Alexander close to his chest and closing his eyes. So it was quite jarring when he was woken up by someone shaking him by the shoulder.

“Dude, wake the fuck up,” said an unfamiliar voice. “Who even sleeps this deep?”

At the sound of a voice he didn't know, Thomas startled awake. He rubbed his eyes, blinking up at who he hoped was John. Otherwise, he'd be really concerned about the random man in Alexander's apartment.

“Where's Alex?” John asked, crossing his arms. He peered down with an unimpressed expression, which Thomas assumed was some attempt at intimidation.

Still in the process of fully waking up, Thomas felt around the bed for Alexander, who of course wasn't there. “I don't know, I was asleep.” He answered, trying to match John's tone.

“Obviously. Did you guys have like, plans today or something? Doesn't he usually stay in bed with you?” John continued, sounding a little bit too snarky for Thomas' liking. 

“No, we don't have plans. I don't keep him on a leash, you know, he's his own man.” 

John rolled his eyes. “Well you're his boyfriend, aren't you? Shouldn't you know where he is or where he plans to be?”

Thomas stretched before getting out of bed, silently thanking his past self for at least putting pants on before going to sleep. “Like I said,” he spoke slower. “I don't keep him on a leash.”

As he sized Thomas up, John took a small step backwards. “Yeah,” he said, in a slightly nicer tone. “Yeah, that's good. I’ll just talk to him whenever he comes around. Sorry for waking you up.”

“Yeah,” Thomas repeated, rolling his eyes. “I’ll go look for him.” As he began to walk away, he stopped in his tracks and turned to face John again. He held out his hand to shake, “I’m Thomas by the way.”

John stared for a moment before begrudgingly shaking Thomas’ hand. “I’m John.”

Thomas smiled at him before putting on his shoes and going to look for Alexander. It didn't take very long to find him, and if John had looked in more than one place, he probably wouldn't have even had to wake Thomas up. Alexander was just outside, which was surprising because of the cold. 

Thomas walked quietly, sneaking up behind Alexander and wrapping his arms around his waist to pull him against his own body. Alexander laughed, placing his hands overtop of Thomas' and pressing into him.

“Good morning,” Thomas hummed and nestled his face into Alexander's neck, gently kissing his cold skin. “How long have you been out here?”

Alexander shrugged. “Not too long. I’m trying to see if this trend I saw actually works so we can have you guys do it after practice tomorrow.”

“What is it?” Thomas asked between kisses. For some reason, he just loved waking up and immediately getting to hold and kiss and tease Alexander. 

“I can't tell you, it wouldn't make good content if you knew before—why aren't you wearing a shirt? It's like thirty degrees out here!”

“Come to think of it, I am a little cold,” Thomas sighed dramatically, running a hand over Alexander's lower stomach. The other was closer to his chest still. “We should go inside so we can warm up.”

Alexander took a deep breath, nodding slowly. “Yeah…that’s a good idea.” 

The two of them snuck back to Alexander's bedroom, locking the door behind them. The last thing Thomas wanted was John to come looking again, especially because technically he implied he was going to find Alexander for him. Oops.

···

To say that Thomas was glad to finally have a good morning with Alexander was an understatement. When all was said and done, the two got into the shower together so they could be a bit more presentable. Thomas had been fully ready to go back to sleep, but he had to get home and feed Mellie and then leave right away again for some meeting about a sponsorship. 

The warmth of the water made his sleepiness harder to fight, and if he wasn't standing in a slippery shower he might even fall asleep standing up. Thomas was standing there with his eyes closed while Alexander washed up, opening them only when he felt a little poke on his stomach.

Alexander was looking up at him with an amused smile. “Are you falling asleep like a horse?” 

Thomas raised his brows, smiling now as well. “Nah, I'm just thinking.” He excused, though obviously Alexander knew that wasn't true. “Okay, maybe I'm still waking up. Your roommate woke me up to look for you.”

“You seemed pretty awake a few minutes ago,” Alexander teased, turning back towards the water to rinse his hair. “John was looking for me? I wonder why.”

Thomas shrugged, looking around the small space. It was kind of ridiculous for them to both be in there. “I don't think he said, but I also didn't listen too closely. All I knew was that some stranger was waking me up. I’m sure if it was that important he'd find you himself.”

“It's probably something stupid. I bet you I forgot to pick up milk or something when I went to the store last.” 

“I don't think me and James could live together for very long.” Thomas said thoughtfully. “We may be best friends, but we live very different lives. And he doesn't like pets, and I obviously do, so that's not a good mix.”

“John and I have always been pretty similar, I think. Hercules or Laf, though? We probably wouldn't really thrive as roommates.” Alexander chuckled.

“Imagine if we had to live with Adams. I wonder what he even does at home. He probably sits there basking in his spite.” Thomas joked. “I wonder what his next attack on me will be. First he slammed me into a wall, then he screamed in my face. What's next, Tonya Harding?”

Alexander turned towards Thomas, making a face that was hard to read. It was gone quickly, though, and he rolled his eyes. “Do not joke about your legs, the entire city of New York is already worried about your ankle.”

Thomas grinned. “Except for the Jets fans. Those poor souls.” 

The two of them finished up their shower, talking more about meaningless nonsense. It had been a while since Thomas had really been with someone who matched his energy so well, and he really loved it. Alexander was proving to be his person.

Thomas got dressed quickly, needing to hurry to avoid being late for his meeting. He followed Alexander into the kitchen, where John was already waiting to talk to him. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Thomas said to Alexander, gently grabbing his arm before he went off with John.

Alexander smiled at him, nodding. “Have fun at your meeting. I wish you'd tell me what it's for.”

Thomas shrugged. “I’m not even entirely sure. I don't want to give you incorrect information.”

“Yeah, yeah, excuses.” Alexander stood as tall as he could and kissed Thomas' cheek. “Good luck.”

—

Practice that week was thankfully indoors, shielding the team from the cold winter weather on the outside field. They were heading to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the weather would be significantly better than it was in New York. There was no reason for the team to practice in the cold when they'd be playing in the warmth.

Washington had decided that the offense needed to work on their chemistry with one another, so Thomas was running drills with a few of the receivers. Somehow he'd been assigned to James, who he obviously already had pretty good chemistry with, alongside Monroe and Marshall.

The four of them were passing a ball around in different formations, the three receivers behind a large tarp and appearing out from behind it in random positions to make it harder for Thomas to know who he was throwing to. It was meant to make sure Thomas would throw to the best option instead of only focusing on who he saw first or liked the best. 

As he stood there alone, he began to realize that it was barely helping their actual chemistry, because he couldn't even talk to them. He could hear them but he couldn't even see their feet, and they were only talking to one another, not to him.

“You good, James?” Marshall asked after a few minutes. Monroe knew that he wasn't the one being spoken to—most of the team just called him by his last name.

The three of them ran out from different spots, and Thomas threw to James. “Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” He answered, passing the ball to a trainer who threw it back to Thomas.

“You just seem…tired, maybe?”

“Are you trying to stealthily call me slow, John?” James raised a brow, grinning slightly. “I’m alright. Just getting back into the swing of things after all that travel. I’m not a fan of international games.”

Monroe chuckled. “I can agree with that. I don't understand why they think we need to market to European countries, there's like four fans over there. No one else cares about us.”

Thomas listened to the three of them discuss whether or not playing overseas was worth it or necessary, staying quiet as they continued with the drill. When they were done, they went and finished the rest of regular practice. Eventually, they made it back into the main building to head back to the locker room and change.

Of course, Alexander and Peggy were there waiting for the team to put them through whatever new trend they'd found. 

“What do you have in store for us today, guys?” Marshall asked, stopping alongside Thomas and Monroe while James continued on to the locker room. His poor fans would miss him dearly.

Peggy smiled at them, pleasant as always, and held up a pair of headphones. “We're going to be doing the whisper challenge. One of you will go now while the other two change, and when they're done, they'll go one at a time. Who's first?”

“That's all you, Thomas.” Monroe said, waving Marshall along with him as he continued on his way to the locker room. 

Thomas had actually never heard of the whisper challenge before, and was exceptionally bad at it. He assumed that since he knew so many languages, it would somehow make it easier for him to guess based on the movement of Peggy’s lips. He was wrong.

By the time his turn was over, all three of them were laughing hysterically, and Thomas had only guessed one phrase (his own name) correctly. 

“Alright, I’ll go tell one of the guys that they're up. Thanks for finding another way to embarrass me on the internet.” Thomas joked, beginning to walk away.

“I’ll walk with you,” Peggy said, falling into step beside him. “Maybe I can get a good clip with one of them on the way back.”

They walked together in silence for about thirty seconds before Peggy spoke again. She tried to play it off, but Thomas could tell that she'd been waiting to speak. This also meant that he had a pretty good idea of what she was going to say.

“So, I'm sure Alex told you that I know about you two.” She said, doing her best to sound casual about it. 

Thomas smiled, more to himself than to her, and gave a quick nod. “Are you going to threaten me?”

Peggy laughed, shaking her head. “No, I know better than that. Alex isn't really one for that kind of cheesiness, I think it embarrasses him.” She turned to look at him. “I heard that John also knows?”

“Yeah, he does. I'm not sure if he's my biggest fan, though. He kinda seemed disappointed by my very existence.” Thomas explained.

Peggy looked thoughtful for a moment before she said anything, which worried Thomas a little. “I probably shouldn't say anything, because I don't want to speak for Alex, but he hasn't really dated the best people. Well, aside from my sister, she's the best person. But like, the guys he's been with were kinda trash. John's probably just trying to give you a hard time to make sure you're not like them.”

“I see,” Thomas hadn't thought about how little history he and Alexander really knew about each other. They were still very much in the learning phase of their relationship. “I’m sure John and I will get along just fine in the future, once he's satisfied with his little hazing routine.”

“Yeah.” Peggy agreed. “John's a good guy, and he has good intentions. Even if he is dating Burr.”

Thomas laughed, looking back down at her. “Even you pick on this poor Burr guy? There's no way he'd still be around if he was really that bad.”

Peggy shrugged. “You'll just have to wait until you meet him, I guess.”

···

After practice, Thomas snuck Alexander away and brought him back to his house to stay over. They spent most of their time together at Thomas' house now that he had it, since it would be significantly more private than Alexander's apartment. It was good for all parties involved, because it also meant that John and Burr could have some privacy of their own.

“What time is Maria coming again?” Alexander asked as he took his jacket off, standing in the entryway.

Thomas checked the time on his watch. “Probably within the next hour or two.” 

He was honestly very excited for Maria and Alexander to formally meet. Obviously they'd had their weird little encounter in Philadelphia, but Thomas chose to believe that it didn't count. Maria had known who Alexander was because of Thomas' inability to shut up about his feelings, which was technically still true. The environment and type of meeting was simply more desirable.

After they'd gotten their extra layers off, Thomas and Alexander sat down together on the couch, Alexander against Thomas' side like always. He opened his phone and went straight to TikTok, finding the Giants’ page as Thomas watched over his shoulder. 

Thomas had very little understanding of how TikTok worked, but it looked like the video that they'd filmed earlier in the day was doing pretty well. Thomas usually avoided looking at comments, especially now that it was later in the season. He didn't need to be reading about what analysts thought of his decision making skills or his run game, and he definitely didn't need to see that from men who still slept in their childhood bedrooms.

But the comments on TikTok were usually unrelated to his actual skills and tended to be more focused on his looks. Thomas had never been very insecure about the way he presented, but people online liked things about him that he didn't even know people found attractive. 

Alexander began to laugh almost immediately, handing the phone over to Thomas so that he could read the comments easier. 

chenfordlvr: “do you like thomas” “no” “no?”

jessi_cka: They need to stop making me like the Giants!!!

kylie.wylie: the way y'all just let thomas believe it when he said jumbo shrimp lmao

andmaggy: idk who's hotter…monroe or marshall

>> jjennas: easy, the answer is thomas

colloquial.love: how did monroe get his own name wrong?? 

thomasjeffersonglazer09: CAN I GET A SHOUTOUT FROM THE BEST TEAM ITL

reagancc: did we all forget about the way thomas looks at the camera girl

>> jocelyn.luv: it's a man behind the camera lol 

>> reagancc: even better

>> jaxson54: I don't think he's flirting, esp not with a man

>> stupid.pigeon: why are we not acknowledging how bad it would be if he was flirting? that's a total abuse of power

>> reagancc: dude he's literally dating that singer, i’m JUST joking..pls chill

>> stupid.pigeon: okay even if he is dating her, he was 18 when they met and she was 16. he's kinda weird

>> sab.fan32: bro just shut up

em05: i’m just here simping for thomas in those tight pants 

henri_the_etta: DADDY’S HOME!!! 😍😍😍

Thomas sighed, shaking his head as he handed the phone back to Alexander. “My favorite part is the one who said I wouldn't be flirting with a man, the little dumbass. I couldn't be more obvious.”

Alexander shrugged, pointing to another one. “Yeah…and this guy thinks you're weird.”

“Shit,” Thomas checked the time on his watch again. There was still plenty of time before Maria would arrive. Most likely, at least. “I need to take a shower, I never feel clean after the facility showers.”

As he got up and went upstairs to use the shower in his ensuite, Alexander followed behind him, mocking him for his rigidness about post practice hygiene. “It's literally the same. You use the same products, the same water.” 

Thomas shook his head, leaving Alexander to sit on the bed while he started the shower. “No, because I'm in a shower that fifty other guys could have used right before me, and I have to wear shower shoes, and it's just all wrong.”

“Tom, you're the quarterback, you're the first one to get in any of the showers. They literally hail for you before games. I think it's okay.” 

“I can't hear you! The noise of the shower is too loud. I just love getting clean!” Thomas called out, already in the shower by then.

The sound of Alexander's laughter carried over the glass door of the shower, just like his voice did. “So tell me,” he changed the subject. “What's Maria like when she's not scaring random media personnel?” 

“She's fun. Sarcastic, I don't know. I promise you will like her, she's right up your alley.” Thomas wasn't entirely certain of his statement, though he was sure Maria and Alexander would get along well enough. And if they didn't, he was sure they could learn to.

Alexander said something that Thomas didn't hear, and then there was a comfortable silence. The only thing Thomas could hear was the shower, and he was almost done anyways. He turned the water off and grabbed his towel, drying his body before he stepped out and wrapped the towel around his waist. 

In the bedroom, Alexander was laying on the bed with his phone in his hands high above his face. He glanced towards Thomas, lowering the phone as he sat up. 

“See, this is why life isn't fair. There are so many people in the world who just don't have the luxury of this view every day.” Alexander grinned, running his hands down Thomas' bare sides.

Thomas smiled as well, raising a brow. “Are you saying that other people should get to see me right out of the shower? I mean, it's weird, but if that's how we need to make life more fair, I can deal.”

Alexander rolled his eyes, standing on his knees so he could get a bit taller. “No, I'm alright with keeping you all to myself. Everyone else will just have to deal with it.” 

“Oh, okay, I see.” Thomas chuckled as Alexander pulled him into a slow, sensual kiss. He was still only in his towel, but he didn't care. 

The two of them kissed for what felt like only a moment, but was definitely quite a bit longer because it was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Thomas pulled away from Alexander, sighing softly. 

Alexander laughed, falling back on the bed again. “You shouldn't be surprised, you knew she was coming. Really, you should have been more mindful.”

Thomas rolled his eyes, flipping the bird back at Alexander as he grabbed some clothes to quickly put on. Thankfully he was good at getting dressed quickly, otherwise Maria would get impatient and find a way to break in. He hurried down the stairs, Alex right behind him, and opened the door.

“Finally, dude. You do realize it's winter, right? I could've frozen into a popsicle just waiting there.” Maria smiled up at him, going in for a hug. “Ew, your hair is wet, we'll save that hug for later.” 

“Wow, it's nice to see you too.” Thomas chuckled, shutting the door behind her.

Maria had already moved on from Thomas and was now in front of Alexander. “It's nice to see you again, Alexander. Sorry for freaking you out when we first met…though it was a little funny.”

Alexander chuckled awkwardly, giving a little nod. “It's nice to see you, too. And I guess we're also technically meeting for real.”

“Oh, believe me, I've known you for ages!” Maria continued into the house, looking around. “I hope I'm not intruding, or anything. It's difficult to find time to visit, everyone always has such busy schedules.”

The look that Alexander shot towards Thomas was a mixture of amusement, confusion, and accusation. Thomas only shrugged, as if he hadn't talked Maria's ears off about Alexander long before either of them made a move.

The three of them made it to the living room, Thomas and Alexander on one sofa and Maria across from them on the other. It felt awkward to Thomas, but he wanted to believe he was just overthinking things. The odds felt pretty slim.

“So,” Alexander started, glancing at Thomas. “What's the plan for your visit, Maria?”

Thomas was immensely grateful that this wasn't anyone from his family. They'd find a way to be offended by the question. Maria, on the other hand, was completely unbothered and was actually more focused on petting Mellie.

“Not sure, to be honest.” She shrugged, tracing the calico patches of Mellie’s fur. “I mean, Thomas is pretty boring, so it's kind of hard to come up with anything good to do.”

While Thomas was rolling his eyes, Alexander was laughing in agreement. “He's kind of like an old man sometimes. A cocky old man.”

Thomas kicked his leg. “At least I'm not a curmudgeon, which I bet you'll be. And I am not boring, it's not like I can summon fun things to do.”

“You live in like, the perfect area to find something fun to do.” Maria said, shaking her head at him. “This is what happens when some little yeehaw wannabe goes too far out of town.”

Alexander chuckled, and even if it was at his own expense, Thomas was glad that he and Maria seemed to get along the way he thought they would. 

“Well ordinarily I'd say we should get dinner, but I get followed around any time I go somewhere remotely interesting. Add a famous person into the mix and there's no way we're enjoying a meal.”

“You’re a famous person.” Maria and Alexander said at the same time, each of them sounding plenty annoyed.

Alexander then perked up, a lightbulb practically floating above his head with his idea. “You two should go to dinner. The paparazzi could work in our favor if they see you two together. Then it'll keep people's eyes off of what's really happening.”

Thomas looked at Alexander with a mixture of confusion and displeasure, unable to stop himself. “I don't think that's necessary, I don't really want any extra attention.” He shook his head, waving off the idea.

“No, listen,” Alexander persisted. “I know you don't like the attention very much, but it would allow you guys to catch up without an awkward third wheel and we can exist together more freely if people see you with someone they want you to be with.”

Thomas absolutely did not enjoy this idea. The idea of allowing a spectacle to be made of him was far from desirable, and going on a fake date with one of his best friends to do so felt wrong. Again, Thomas shook his head.

“Thomas, it'd be fine,” Alexander continued. “I can go catch up with John and them anyways. It'll work out just fine.”

With a sigh, Thomas turned his attention towards Maria, who only shrugged at him. Of course she would act indifferent.

“Fine.” Thomas said, though he didn't even fake enthusiasm. “But only because I'd like to spend time with my friend.”

···

That evening, Thomas took Maria to a restaurant closer to the city to keep stray fans away from his home. It was difficult for him to be excited about her visit when all he could think about was the anticipation of their night being ruined by paparazzi. Thomas had never wanted to be famous, at least not in this sense. Maybe he was naive, but he believed recognition and fame could easily be two separate things. 

Maria narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms on the table. “You're really irritated about this whole thing, aren't you?”

Thomas looked back at her, shaking his head. “I’m irritated that I have to consider that strangers will be taking pictures of me and my friend while we're trying to enjoy a meal.”

“You know, there's plenty of people in the world who have no idea who you are. Maybe if you move somewhere like…Montana, you won't have to worry about paparazzi at all.”

“What wonderful advice, I will have to keep that in mind.” Thomas rolled his eyes, taking a moment to glance around the room. He could see at least one person with their phone pointed towards them. “I understand where Alexander is coming from, I just wish he didn't feel the need to protect us or whatever. I don't need to be strategic about who I'm seen with.”

Maria pursed her lips, thinking. Thomas couldn't help but be reminded of when they'd first become friends, a seemingly unlikely duo that had more in common than they realized. “To an extent, you do. Whether you like it or not, you're a household name now. You do have to uphold your reputation, but it doesn't mean you have to fake a relationship while you're already in one.”

Thomas frowned slightly. “Why do you have to be all logical? I thought you were supposed to be the fun one.”

“Oh, I am definitely still the fun one. You're the one moping over there when we’ve barely seen each other in ages.” Maria grinned as she teased him, and he continued to realize just how much he'd missed having her around. It was good to have more than just one friend.

“Yeah, yeah,” Thomas waved his hand dismissively. “You know, Philadelphia isn't all that far away. You could visit more.”

Maria made a mocking face at him. “Yeah, the road goes both ways, buddy.” She spoke in a dumb voice, making him laugh.

He'd definitely been being a bit dramatic, but Maria snapped him out of it quickly. The rest of the night was wonderful.

—

Things were getting stressful in the NFL. For teams like the Giants, at least, who were still trying to claw their way to the top against an opponent just as strong (or realistically, probably stronger) than them in the division. The NFC East was still unwon, and it was down to the Giants and the Eagles.

Some divisions were already settled, like their counterpart, the AFC East. Last week that division had been won by a powerhouse team that the Giants had the misfortune of facing next week. Thomas was certain it wouldn't be fun to play against a team that was the first to win their division after putting belt to ass against most of their opponents.

But he had to keep his mind in the present, which put him in Tampa, Florida. The Giants were up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a win could seriously improve their odds of winning the East. Unless, of course, the Eagles also won. Then they'd still be at a standstill. 

Every game counted by this point in the season unless a team was already eliminated from playoff contention. Thomas wasn't about to slow down his efforts of rejuvenating the Giants, not when it mattered so much.

The game started out just as Thomas hoped it would. The Bucs got the ball first, putting the Giants in a great position as long as they played the first half right. Thomas watched as the Buccaneers marched down the field, only to be held to a field goal. 

With their first possession of the game, the Giants made it to the end zone in only four minutes, putting them four points ahead. The first half of the game continued in this fashion, with only a few punts between the two teams.

During half time, Thomas met with Lafayette to rewrap his ankle. He watched his teammates, making sure they were all in it as much as they should be. Monroe and Marshall were talking excitedly, James was staring off into space, Adams was sulking. Everything was pretty much normal.

When the second half started, the Giants wasted no time and scored another touchdown. The Bucs, on the other hand, went three and out, punting the ball right back to the Giants.

By the time Thomas was lined up behind his center for their second possession of the half, he was hyper focused on the game. There were so many things he had to check, and only about 25 seconds to do it. First he had to call the play to his teammates, a nonsensical string of words where only one or two mattered to each guy. Then he had to study the defense and decide if plan A was the way to go.

This time, it was not. Thomas tapped his helmet, shouting kill, kill to alert his teammates that he was changing the play to their plan B. Around him, his receivers tapped their helmets to indicate that they understood the change.

Then the ball was snapped, at the same time as a yellow flag flew through the air and a referee blew his whistle. Thomas had already seen it—James had twitched just a bit too much before the ball was snapped.

“False start—offense number 10. Five yard penalty, replay first down.” 

Thomas looked over to James after the team backed up, but he was staring forward, ready to move on. It was rare for James to get called for something like that.

The Giants snapped the ball again, but the same thing happened. James was called for another false start, pushing the team back another five yards. This time when the team got set, Thomas kept a close eye on James.

The play clock was running out, but Thomas didn't want another false start penalty. If he could make sure James was set before he got called for delay of game, everything would be fine. But as he watched James, he soon realized that ‘fine’ was not coming to this play. James looked like he was set, but he kept on stepping slightly forward. The play clock was running out, and both teams were getting restless, until out of the corner of his eye, Thomas watched James collapse.

One of the Buccaneers that was lined up across from James was the first person to kneel beside him, but Thomas was there a moment later. James didn't respond to either of them asking if he was alright.

The Buccaneer—number 24—frantically waved towards his sideline, and a moment later the players were pushed away as the staff from each sideline surrounded James. Washington came onto the field, directing the Giants players to go to their sideline and stay out of the way. 

“What happened?” Monroe asked, appearing at Thomas' side. “Is that James?” 

Thomas looked down at him, feeling frustratingly helpless. He couldn't help but feel the need to step in and help, tell the staff that he could figure out whatever was wrong. All he could do was stand by and watch.

“Yes,” he answered. “I don't know what happened."

Monroe began to pace nervously, which only stresses Thomas out further. He grabbed Monroe and told him to sit down, and both of them took a knee alongside other players on the sideline. The staff surrounding James made it impossible to tell what was happening, and the amount of time it was taking only worried Thomas more. Eventually they loaded James onto a cart and disappeared down the tunnel where an ambulance was waiting, which made Thomas feel sick to his stomach. Beside him, Monroe had his forehead against his knee, whispering to himself. The crowd, which had been mostly silent for however long, clapped to show their support. James probably hated it, if he was even awake.

Thomas felt a hand on his shoulder, and when he looked up, it was Washington standing behind him. 

“Come on,” he said. “You have a game to close out.”

Closing out the game was not going to be easy when the only thing Thomas could focus on was the state of his friend. The rest of the team didn't move so easily either, and the Giants barely scraped by with a win.

In the locker room, Washington informed the team that James had been taken to the hospital in Tampa Bay and would likely be held there overnight. The team would be leaving without him.

···

It had been about four hours since Thomas uttered a word. The flight home was completely silent, the weight of James’ absence heavy on everyone's shoulders. Despite James being mostly antisocial and somewhat intimidating to the other players, he was also very important to everyone on the team. It was never a good feeling to watch one of your own be reduced to a patient on a stretcher.

Once Thomas and Alexander finally got home, all Thomas wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately for him, he was still on a strict meal plan and needed to have dinner. He stood still in the kitchen, immobilized by his exhaustion and worry. There might've even been some anger in there too.

“Thomas,” Alexander said, quietly coming into the room. “Are you okay?”

Thomas looked at him and shrugged, taking a deep breath. “I should have stayed back with him.” He said, running his hands over his face. “He would have stayed with me.”

Alexander ran his hands over Thomas' arms comfortingly. “He's supposed to come home tomorrow, right? I’m sure you can go see him and be there for him all the same. They weren't going to let you just stay back.”

“I could've made them let me stay, though. I mean, what kind of person just leaves their best friend in the hospital in another state? His parents aren't even there, they probably heard about it from the fucking news.” 

Alexander looked at Thomas with far too much sympathy, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m guessing James is resting now, being taken care of. And you need to take care of yourself so that you can be there for him when he gets home.” 

Thomas closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep right there in Alexander's embrace. He lingered there for a moment before he pulled away, nodding. “I need to make something to eat,” he said. “Will you stay up with me?”

Alexander chuckled softly. “I’m always awake, remember?” He sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island, watching Thomas. “Do you…know what happened? With James?”

As he began preparing his meal, Thomas sighed. “I might, I don't know.” He said. “James has these ailments sometimes, and it hasn't gotten legitimately bad in a long time. Something probably made it worse, and he just didn't tell anyone.”

“Ah, I probably can't say anything about working while sick. Peggy will somehow hear me and call me a hypocrite loud enough for Australia to hear.” Alexander joked, trying to lighten the mood. “If he's been through this before, that makes it a bit less concerning, right?”

Thomas shrugged. “Hopefully. But he's been in a really bad way before. I just keep thinking the worst, that he's going to be that way again.”

“Have there been any updates?” 

“None,” Thomas frowned, thankful Alexander couldn't see his face. “I haven't gotten anything real, but my phone loves to give me little alerts about whatever people online are saying. Suddenly everyone has some connection in Tampa.” 

“Then we'll just have to check in the morning.” Alexander said, sounding so decisive that Thomas wished he could speak James' wellness into existence.

Thomas finished cooking and made a plate for each of them, sitting down beside Alexander to eat. Their meal was quiet, and they went to bed immediately afterwards, Thomas holding Alexander close to his chest. It took ages for him to fall asleep, worried about his friend.

Chapter Text

NYG Injury Report: Update on Key WR

The New York Giants experienced a great loss on Sunday in their Week 15 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The star wide receiver, James Madison, experienced a concerning medical emergency towards the beginning of the second half. 

Madison collapsed at the beginning of a play after previously earning a false start penalty. He appeared unresponsive as teammates and opponents alike came to his aid. Medical personnel for the Giants appeared to attempt treatment on the field, but Madison was inevitably rushed away by ambulance. 

The wide receiver was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. Currently, there have not been any updates on Madison’s condition or what kind of medical emergency he experienced on the field.

Madison is unlikely to return for Week 16 in Buffalo.

“I know, I understand completely, Nelly.” Thomas said. He was sitting at the kitchen island in his house, his head in his hands. James’ mother was on speaker phone, talking to him through the device sitting on the counter. 

“This is all just so frustrating,” Nelly said over the phone. She was a very strong woman, remaining levelheaded even when her son was hospitalized several states away. She was used to this happening by now. 

“Have the doctors given you any updates? I thought they expected him to come home yesterday.” Thomas rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up more. He hadn't been sleeping well, and now it was six in the morning. 

“They said they want to make sure that he's okay to fly. Apparently collapsing from exhaustion could be a sign of a collapsed lung, so they want to make sure that doesn't end up happening. I tried telling them that Jim will just drive him, but they won't discharge him.”

Thomas sighed, shaking his head. “But his lung didn’t collapse, so why do they think it will? Haven't they done whatever tests they need to?”

Nelly sighed. “With his history, I guess they're just worried that something will worsen if they don't pay close enough attention. Maybe they think it's higher stakes because he's a public figure. Or Tampa doesn't have quality hospitals, I don't know. I have been exposed to one too many incompetent doctors throughout my years raising James.”

“Well, I can't do anything for you from here, but as soon as you guys make it back up here I will be there. Anything you need, just call.”

“Thank you, Tommy,” Nelly took a deep breath. “I’ll call you if we learn anything new. I have to check on Jim now, he's probably barely slept.”

She hung up, leaving Thomas alone with his thoughts in the quiet kitchen. It was still dark outside with a small dusting of snow on the ground. Since it was Wednesday, he had practice in a few hours, and he already knew that he'd have a hard time.

He put his head down in his arms and closed his eyes, allowing his exhaustion to take over despite the uncomfortable way he was sitting. He honestly didn't know if he fell asleep or not, but at some point in his time sitting there, he felt Alexander's warm hand on his back.

“You okay, Thomas?” He asked, adjusting the sweatshirt that Thomas was wearing. Apparently it had been twisted up. “How long have you been up?”

Thomas sat up and turned towards Alexander sleepily, shrugging. “A while.” 

Alexander frowned slightly and took Thomas' hands in his own, gently rubbing his knuckles. “Do you want to talk about it?”

There was no word strong enough to describe how much Thomas did not want to talk about it. He was tired and irritable, and just needed to be alone. But he wasn't about to put all of that on Alexander.

“No,” he shook his head and stood up, leaning down to kiss the top of Alexander's head. “I’m just gonna go lay back down until it's time to go.”

Alexander nodded, letting go of Thomas' hands. Thomas went upstairs quietly and got into bed, staring at the ceiling. Mellie, who had been on the corner of the bed, stretched her legs before coming to lay beside him, curled up at Thomas' side. 

Thomas took a deep breath, gently petting her soft fur, biting the inside of his cheek as his emotions got the best of him. The lack of information on James was stressful, and all too similar to the time leading up to the loss of his father. Of course, Thomas knew fully well that James was in much better health than his father had been, but the thoughts swirling through his mind weren't exactly founded by logic.

Silent tears welled in his eyes as he curled around Mellie, hiding his face in her fur and squeezing his eyes shut to prevent them from falling. This scenario was well known to each of them.

···

Thomas was absolutely miserable from the very beginning of practice, even though he knew he was supposed to put on a positive face for his team. Leading a bunch of rock headed men was difficult enough as someone with more than half a brain, it wasn't going to be easier when the wisest player was gone. 

Playing outdoors didn't help his mood, but there was no way Washington would let them prepare for a team known as the “Cold Front” indoors. By the end of practice, Thomas wanted to move to the warmest place on earth and never look back. The cold in Jersey wasn't even that bad.

“Okay, listen up,” Washington called the players over for a small debrief after practice like usual. “I have two things I'd like to focus on. First, has anyone checked the weather for our game on Sunday?”

The players glanced around at one another uneasily, suspicious of Washington's intentions after the incident with the hose. This earned them a chuckle from the coach, who shook his head. “The high for Sunday in Buffalo is eighteen degrees. You will have a heater and coat on the sideline, but that field is going to be a frozen tundra and you will be hurting. Prepare properly, make sure to spend time with Lafayette and Bill, and tell Hercules what you need him to prepare in your bags.”

Washington shifted slightly on his feet as he continued. “Secondly, as you all know, James is still in Tampa. He won't be coming home today, and might not until later in the week. Regardless, he cannot travel with the team to Buffalo and will likely be out for the remainder of the season. This means that if we do clinch a playoff spot, he will not be joining us. If you are asked about his condition by anyone, you tell them that the team misses him and you are looking forward to his recovery. Do not share any information, do not share your opinions, and move the conversation along. That's all.”

Heading inside, Thomas bypassed Alexander and Peggy, completely not in the mood to participate in any kind of video. He went straight to the locker room and peeled off his practice uniform, took a warm shower, and went to Lafayette's office. His required media time consisted of questions about James, which he answered as Washington directed, and snide comments from Callender. The end of the day couldn't come soon enough.

As soon as he could, Thomas went home. He didn't stay late to meet with anyone, he didn't review film, he just went home. On his way, he texted Alexander and told him that he might want to spend some time with John since Thomas would be talking to the Madisons all night. Alexander had replied very kindly, wishing James the best.

Thomas went home and laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling in silence.

—

James returned home on Saturday evening while the Giants were leaving for Buffalo. Thomas was frustrated that he couldn't even visit for a short time, and he knew that he needed to improve his mood if he wanted to stand a chance in a hostile environment.

The evening before the game was pretty boring. Downtown Buffalo wasn't anything particularly interesting, and any exciting landmark wasn't going to be fun in such gross weather. Thomas stayed in his hotel room anytime he could, looking out the window at the street below.

Alexander was busy running around with Peggy, leaving Thomas completely alone. He couldn’t decide if he minded or not, but it didn't matter in the long run. It was easier to not see each other than to sneak around, which they'd certainly have a hard time doing in such a small hotel. Thomas wished it was closer to the stadium so more of the guys would be likely to be out and about, but apparently the Bills stadium was in the middle of nothing so that wasn't happening.

In the middle of the night, well past curfew, Thomas' phone buzzed.

Sunday, December 21st, 12:08AM

[Alexander] are you awake?

[Thomas] Shouldn't be, but yeah 

[Alexander] sorry we've barely seen each other all day

[Alexander] or most of the week for that matter

[Thomas] It's gonna be a bit crazy these next few weeks is all. But tomorrow night we'll have at least a bit of normal

[Alexander] you should probably get some rest but i’ll sneak by in the morning 

[Alexander] goodnight thomas

[Thomas] Goodnight 

Thomas stared at his phone for a minute before turning it off and setting it on the nightstand, rolling over and going to sleep.

In the morning, Thomas woke up to someone knocking at the hotel room door. He was glad to see Alexander when he opened the door, pulling him into a tight embrace as soon as the door was shut behind him.

“Are you okay?” Alexander said into Thomas' chest. “I feel like you've been off in…Thomas Land all week.”

Thomas sighed, closing his eyes tight. He absolutely did not want to discuss his stupid reactions to things, or why they made him act the way he did, or anything to do with it at all. But what kind of boyfriend would he be without communicating?

“I just have a lot on my plate,” he said quietly. “From James to the playoffs, I'm just tired, you know? I’m sorry I haven't been very present.”

Alexander pulled away slightly, looking up at Thomas and shaking his head. “It's okay. Just, you know, I’m always here for you if and when you need somebody. You don't have to do it alone.”

Thomas took a deep breath and nodded, pulling Alexander into a slow kiss. “Thank you.” He whispered.

“We both have meetings to get to,” Alexander sighed. “I’m guessing we won't have a moment to just be with each other until tomorrow, but when we do have a moment, how about we have a little stay-in night and relax as best as we can?”

“I really like that idea.” Thomas answered, nodding. He could already imagine the taste of a hot fudge sundae, which he would absolutely deserve after the time he's had. “I’ll see you at the game.”

···

Playing a night game late in the season in Buffalo was no easy feat. The temperature was a toasty fifteen degrees with snowfall anticipated around what would likely be the second quarter. 

The bus ride into the stadium was almost reminiscent of witnessing Eagles fans climbing poles after a win, but somehow a bit weirder. Maybe Thomas just wasn't used to intense fan culture, but he would never spray himself or anyone else with ketchup and mustard. As the Giants buses passed through the tailgates of Bills fans, they were pelted with snowballs. Rows of fans, many of which were somehow shirtless despite the cold, held signs that read “NY ONLY HAS ONE TEAM” or “NEW JERSEY GIANTS.”

After warmups, he jogged around just to avoid cooling down too much. One of the trainers wrapped him up in a giant coat, but Thomas was still freezing, his sleeves and gloves doing practically nothing to shield him from the frigid temperature. At least the Giants won the coin toss, giving them the ball to start the second half—a good position to be in against Buffalo.

Thomas didn't know what the defense went through to prepare for this game, but from his seat, it seemed to be absolutely fucking nothing. The Bills were very predictable, handing the ball off and running it up the middle pretty regularly—somehow, the Giants defense still managed to seem surprised, and it didn't take long for the Bills to go up seven to nothing.

When the Giants offense took the field, James’ absence was painfully evident. Thomas was having a hard time connecting with the other receivers, even though Marshall was plenty good at his job. The only one really getting anywhere was Monroe because of the Bills’ weaker run defense.

Still, the Giants ended up punting on their first possession. The rest of the first quarter didn't look terrible, but the Giants only came out of it with three points. Down by four going into the second quarter wasn't unheard of, but they simply were not playing well. 

In the second quarter, it started to snow. Now, Thomas had played in the snow plenty of times—it was just a part of football. But he had never played in snow like this. After just about every play, a crew had to come onto the field and shovel the yard lines to make them visible. Thomas couldn't see his receivers down the field, and the offensive line kept slipping. The Giants didn't score the entire second quarter.

The Bills, however, scored fourteen more. This put them ahead 21-3 by halftime, and Thomas was feeling extremely frustrated. He was cold and wet, was about to get yelled at, and had at least an hour left of this game. There was no way he could get into a winning mindset, not with so much on his mind. Getting pelted with snowballs on the field didn't help either. He'd heard that Bills fans were nice, but it looked like they were actively trying to disprove that rumor.

Washington’s tone was harsh, but still somehow encouraging. He essentially told them to get their heads out of their asses, learn how to handle a bit of cold, and play like they want to win. Thomas knew that he should be trying harder, especially with the Eagles ready to win the division, but his motivation was diminishing. 

The Giants started the second half with the ball, going three and out. The Bills followed suit, punting for the first time that game and leaving the field almost immediately. Thomas and his offense weren't on the field for very long either though, as Thomas threw the ball right into the hands of Buffalo's fastest safety.

“Fucking God damnit,” Thomas grit his teeth, sprinting down the field in the wrong direction to chase down the guy he'd just given the ball to. He had never played defense in his life, and never wanted to. The guy ended up being pushed out of bounds by Marshall, and the offense was back on the bench.

Thomas, filled with what felt like never ending frustration, ripped his helmet off and slammed it into the ground. Of course he knew that he was reacting very poorly, and making a fool of himself for thousands of people to see. But at that moment, he didn't care very much. As if to rub salt in the wound, a Bills fan in the crowd threw a snowball that nearly hit him. 

Someone from the staff brought him one of the team iPads once he'd sat down, since it was customary to review a big mistake immediately to learn from it and not make it again. 

“He snuck up on you,” the guy said. “See him come—”

Thomas cut him off. “I can't see shit, we're sitting in the middle of a fucking blizzard.”

The man nodded. “No, yeah, I get it.” But he walked away before Thomas could apologize.

With the new possession that Thomas had just given them, the Bills put up another seven points. Now down 28-3, Thomas was feeling angry and embarrassed for too many reasons. The Giants finally answered with seven of their own, but were still down by eighteen going into the final quarter of the game.

The Bills scored one more touchdown, the Giants scored nothing at all. With a final score of 35-10, the Giants were not only humbled but embarrassed, and it would be a long trip home after a second loss in a row.

Both teams had to leave through the same tunnel, which was just the icing on the shit cake. Thomas got to listen to Bills fans chant “MVP!” for their beloved quarterback, while Giants fans at home were probably burning their jerseys. The worst part was how genuinely kind all of the Bills players were now that the game was over.

—

As the players settled into their seats on the bus, Washington stood up at the front to make an announcement. “Unfortunately, due to the weather, all flights have been grounded. This of course means that we will be staying the night here again.”

Thomas took a deep breath, closing his eyes and trying his absolute hardest to see any possible good side to this night. When he didn't find one, he decided to just keep his eyes closed until they all made it back to the hotel.

The first thing he did upon making it back to his room was take a shower. Of course, he'd already rinsed off back at the stadium, but his habit of showering twice after a game was not dying anytime soon. Then, prepared to sleep away his horrible night, he cozied up in some warm pajamas and got under the covers.

Thomas was uncertain if he'd fallen asleep, and if so for how long, when he opened his eyes because of a persistent buzzing somewhere in his room. It took a moment for him to fully realize that it was his phone, which had fallen onto the floor beside the nightstand. The light from the screen was blinding as he squinted to see where all of his notifications were coming from.

His messages had completely blown up. Upon unlocking his phone, he saw a ton of messages from his sister. Immediately, his heart sank. Had something happened at home? Were his siblings all okay? But when he opened the conversation, his worry morphed into something else.

Monday, December 22nd, 1:09AM

[Mary]: thomas are you awake

[Mary]: thomas seriously wake up

[Mary]: THOMAS WAKE UP

[Mary]: [Attachment]

[Mary]: thomas you need to see this in case it gets bigger 

[Mary]: idk if it even will because no one is talking about it anywhere but it's the middle of the night so like surely people are sleeping anyways

[Mary]: unless they live in like california 

[Mary]: omg or england?? there are so many timezones filled with people who could see this

[Mary]: WAKE UP 

Thomas rubbed his eyes, sitting up slightly and clicking on the link that Mary had sent. It led him to an article with a picture of him from a recent game behind the click-baity title. When he read those words, it probably should have caused him intense stress and worry. After the week he'd had, and his general lack of energy, it mostly left him slightly annoyed. It read:

Thomas Jefferson Isn't Single, But His Partner is Not Who You Think

By James Callender

Chapter Text

Thomas Jefferson Proved Haters Right in Snowy Loss 

By James Callender

The Giants suffered a second loss in a row during their Week 16 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The entire team played sloppy, but one man stood out: rookie quarterback Thomas Jefferson. Throughout the season, Jefferson has earned substantial praise for his on-field skills, but were these compliments premature?

Jefferson started the season strong, earning himself the starting position over veteran and former MVP, John Adams. But Jefferson’s leadership qualities have been questioned, and recently many are beginning to wonder if his college reputation really was accurate. 

The Bills beat the Giants 35-10, an embarrassing blow for Jefferson, who threw a soul crushing interception to Bills safety Michael Fillmore. Jefferson's frustrations were seen when he childishly threw his helmet and appeared to snap at a member of the Giants staff. Jefferson has also been missing from many of the social aspects of the team, which he is known for taking part in on a regular basis.

Has America's Rookie fallen back into his spoiled, diva behavior? It begs the question, can he keep his role as starting quarterback?

Thomas Jefferson Isn't Single, But His Partner is Not Who You Think

By James Callender 

Last month, Thomas Jefferson found himself in the center of a potential dating scandal after he rudely rejected the advances of a woman in an East Rutherford club. Speculation began that Jefferson’s behavior was due to a secret relationship, with little evidence surfacing since then. 

The leading theory was that Jefferson's secret lover was none other than singer Maria Lewis, someone he has been spotted with countless times. However, recent developments disprove this idea and suggest that the two really are just good friends.

According to sources close to Jefferson, he actually isn't interested in what Maria has to offer. In fact, there is a new leading theory as to why Jefferson is so private as a whole: he is in a relationship with a man. 

Next time you find yourself wondering why you don't really know much about Thomas Jefferson, consider the reasons he has to keep quiet.

Thomas had woken up well before he needed to. The lack of anxiety that he'd felt when he'd first seen the title of the article had crept up on him while he was trying to get some sleep, keeping him from the blissful land of unconsciousness. Now he was sitting on the edge of his hotel bed, staring down at his phone with a sick feeling in his stomach. His leg bounced restlessly as he reread the two articles over and over again.

Callender had released them together, apparently going for as many low blows as he could at once. Thomas could handle being called a spoiled diva, it had been following him since he was a kid. But now there was a rumor, a true rumor that he was dating another man.

Thomas had never had much issue with people knowing about his sexuality, not really. But it was private information that he intended to keep that way, at least for the time being. He wasn't naive, he knew very well how it could affect him if he came out publicly. It was never something that he'd wanted to do, he hated everything to do with showy public statements. 

Over night, Mary had texted him more, begging him to answer. She could see that he had opened the messages, and probably knew that he would have read the articles by now. But what was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to respond to this situation?

Thomas took a deep breath, looking over the few paragraphs once again. He needed to make sure that Callender hadn't even so much as hinted towards Alexander. It was one thing for someone like Thomas to experience this—he had a million ways he could respond. Alexander didn't, and he could lose his job for this if the NFL, or even just the Giants organization wanted to settle it quickly. This exact scenario may not have happened before, but there were certainly similar situations. 

After reading the article again, probably for the millionth time, Thomas decided that there was nothing that tied Alexander to him. At least, not yet. Thomas wasn't sure who Callender's “close sources” were, but there were only so many people that had any actual knowledge on his sexuality and even fewer who knew about him and Alexander. 

To his knowledge, at least.

All of this meant one thing: he needed to keep himself distanced from Alexander, at least in public. It was probably already kind of uncommon for a player, let alone the quarterback, to mingle with the media staff. This situation definitely didn't make it any better, so the two would have to act like their relationship only amounted to coworkers at best. The thought left a bad taste in Thomas' mouth, but there were only so many options.

He could respond to the article and publicly come out, but not only did he absolutely not want that, but the timing was simply horrible. There wouldn't just be turmoil for himself, but the team as a whole, and going into the playoffs with a rocky start was sure to lead to an early elimination. 

Then of course, he could acknowledge the article by denying what Callender wrote. He hated this option just as much—he didn't want to lie about who he was. He just didn't think that it was something that the entire world needed to hear about, especially not all at once. Thomas also couldn't bear the thought of risking the stability of his relationship with Alexander all because of a speculative sentence in an article.

And finally, his favorite option, acting dumb. If there was anything Thomas knew how to do when faced with a difficult question from the press, it was appearing clueless. He'd already done it countless times during the season, and was completely prepared to do it again. Why should he give Callender the satisfaction of having obsessed over his articles? Sure, Callender wasn't completely lying, but Thomas didn't need to acknowledge that. Not yet, at least.

Thomas took a deep breath, slowly exhaling through his mouth in an attempt to calm down. With all the attention this had already gotten from him, he knew very well that it would cause problems in the near future. So, he did what any other public figure likely does when things go poorly in the news—he deleted every social media app from his phone.

If anything noteworthy was said online, his agent would reach out to him and discuss how they should handle it. Thomas was not about to stumble through the lands of Instagram and Twitter on his own, and he didn't need to see what the Dads, Brads, and Chads were going to say once this idea was in their heads.

···

When it was a normal time for him to do so, Thomas headed down to the hotel designated team dining room to have breakfast. His goal was to act as he normally would after a tough loss, not like part of his identity was just revealed to the world without his permission. 

Thomas’ plate was made up of whatever the team dietician decided was appropriate for him to have, which at least made it easier for him to make sure he ate while his mind was elsewhere. He sat by himself, since James wasn't there to keep him company, and looked around at the rest of his teammates.

Monroe and Marshall hadn't appeared for breakfast yet. They had started joining Thomas and James for meals at some point, and Thomas couldn't decide whether or not he wanted them to continue that without James there. He got along very well with Monroe, the two had even become good friends over the last few months. There was something about Marshall that kept him an arms length away, though, and Thomas didn't think that he could handle an awkward interaction on top of the stress he was already dealing with.

Eventually, his eyes landed on Adams, who was eating by himself just like Thomas. This was nothing out of the ordinary, a lot of the guys didn't like the way that Adams behaved. But for some reason, it made Thomas a little sad this time. Maybe it was because he was alone for the first time, or maybe it was because he suddenly felt more empathy than usual. Whatever it was, Thomas didn't like it very much.

He moved on, finding Alexander's table next. As much as Thomas wanted to go talk to him, he wasn't going to risk it. Not when someone in the room with them could have been Callender’s source, not when it already wouldn't make sense. Not when he clearly didn't seem to have any idea what was going on.

Alexander was sitting with Peggy, Lafayette, and Hercules. The four of them always stuck together during team travel, like Thomas and James did. None of them looked bothered or worried at all, which was a good sign. In fact, no one in the entire room seemed to be acting abnormally. Thomas was still the only one to see the article.

That had to be a good thing. If Thomas was the only one who'd seen it, and he only saw it because his sister Googled his name obsessively, then maybe no one would pay any attention to it at all. Maybe it would sink into the click bait hole with the rest of Callender’s hateful, poorly written articles. 

A hand set a plate down on the table across from Thomas. When he peeled his eyes off of Alexander, he saw Monroe in front of him, giving him an amused look. 

“What's going on?” He asked, smiling warmly at Thomas as he sat down. Marshall wasn't with him. “You're gonna burn a hole in the wall if you keep staring at it that way.”

Thomas blinked, fixing his posture and giving what he hoped was a chill shrug. “I guess I just zoned out,” he answered. “Not used to staying so long for an away game.”

Monroe’s eyes narrowed slightly, studying Thomas carefully. “It's okay to be unhappy about the game, you know.”

“Oh,” Thomas breathed an internal sight of relief. It was a fantastic cover, losing two games in a row. “Yeah, I just…could have played differently.” He made a solemn face, trying to sell it. If only his mother had sent him to acting school instead of Paris.

“You're leading the team to something better than it's had in years.” Monroe said. “I know it's tough, but you should remember that no one thought you were even worth drafting. Now those same couch potatoes are wearing your name on their back, I mean…one or two bad games your first year definitely doesn't define you.”

Thomas found himself remembering why Monroe was the second offensive captain. Even if his encouragement didn't exactly apply to the real reason Thomas was out of sorts, it definitely felt nice to hear someone sing his praises after those articles. 

He swallowed, almost feeling a little choked up. To disguise it, he took a big sip of his orange juice, but Monroe definitely noticed based on his smile. “Thanks, man.” He mumbled.

—

Thomas sat alone during the short flight home, staring out the window for just about the entire time. He listened to music, doing everything he could to signal that he didn't want anyone to sit by him to talk. Thankfully, it worked the entire way there.

The downside was that it didn't stop him from thinking, and actually probably made it a bit worse. The only topic on his mind was Callender's articles, scenarios running wild in his brain. He thought about things that were extremely unlikely, like losing his job, but also things that could be waiting for him as soon as he stepped off the plane back in New Jersey.

He imagined the hateful comments people might write about him, about Alexander and their relationship. The possibility of Alexander quietly being let go, an opposing crowd spewing offensive language disguised as heckling. Every last thought only made Thomas' frustration grow, and by the time the Giants landed, he wanted to introduce his fist to Callender's nose.

Just like at the hotel, though, he did everything that he could to hide what he was feeling. He went straight home as soon as he could, tossing his bag in the laundry room and heading up to his bathroom to take a nice hot shower. Thomas even sort of wished that he wasn't too tall to take a bath, since his sisters had always said that it was a nice way to relax. 

He probably stayed in the shower for too long, standing under the water and staring at the tiled wall ahead of him. There were too many things that had made Thomas unhappy in recent weeks, making him wish he could turn back time and prevent basically all of it from happening. It was a stupid way to think, but he tended to prefer easy paths.

Once he finally decided to get out of the shower and dried off, Thomas put on the comfiest sweatpants he owned and a long sleeved shirt before plopping down on his bed. The window was shut and locked, the ceiling fan off for the winter. Even Thomas didn't enjoy cool temperatures that much. As he stared up at the ceiling, Mellie jumped up on the bed and made herself comfortable on his chest.

Thomas had once read that a cat will lay on its person to provide them comfort when they're upset, and he definitely saw it in Mellie. For some reason, he was more likely to open up and vent to a cat than his friends and family. Or even his boyfriend. He lay there, Mellie purring on his chest, staring up at the ceiling and holding his breath for as long as he could.

He continued to do this over and over again until his phone began to buzz, disrupting his bad habit and startling him all in one go. Thomas grabbed the phone to see Alexander's name on the caller ID screen, sliding the green icon up to answer.

“Hi,” he said, putting on his least dramatic voice. 

“Don't tell me that you're so far offline that you haven't seen,” Alexander was speaking rapidly, sounding intense. Clearly he'd finally seen the article. “That asshole Callender and his so-called close source are just…I don't know yet, but they need to be dealt with.”

Thomas pressed his lips together, putting Alexander on speaker phone and setting the phone on the bed beside him. “I saw it last night,” he admitted. “And it hasn't left my mind since.”

“Last night?” Alexander asked sharply. “Tom, you can't just—are you okay? Why didn't you say something?”

“I’m fine, I don't know.” Thomas closed his eyes, imagining what Alexander was doing. The two of them had never gotten into an argument, not a real one, so he wasn't quite sure what he looked like when he was super fired up. “I’ve been trying to decide what I should do if it gains any real traction.”

On the other line, Alexander sighed. “It’s going to gain traction, dear. If nothing else, it'll spread as a crazy rumor that people want to believe is true. This time though, it is true, in case you forgot.”

Thomas took a deep breath. “I know, I know. Please just…I don't want to be all fiery about it, I don't know what to do at all. I just don't know what to do, Alex.”

Alexander was quiet for a moment before, very decisively, he said, “I’m coming over.”

···

Thomas was in the same spot by the time Alexander arrived. He didn't feel sorry for himself, and he wasn't really sad or anything. He just couldn't think of a reason to move. It wasn't like he could go knock on Callender's door and beat him up when he answered, it would be a poor decision to publicly respond without being prompted to. He just wanted to lay with his cat until he couldn't anymore.

Alexander found him pretty quickly, coming into the room and watching Thomas in silence for a moment. Eventually he just sighed and sat down on the bed beside him, looking down at him like he was trying to skip school by pretending to be sick. 

“This isn't like you,” he commented. “Did this Eeyore personality come with the cat?”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “I am not Eeyore. It's not like there's anything I can do right now, anyways.”

Alexander checked his watch. “Thomas, you never spend this much time in your bed. You literally told me that I needed to stop doing this if I wanted to help my brain know when it was supposed to sleep, or whatever.”

“One day of bed rotting couldn't possibly give me the level of insomnia that you have. When I go to practice tomorrow, I’m sure there'll be plenty of assholes that want to probe me for any bit of information they can get. That is when I'll acknowledge the shit that hit the fan.”

“Nope,” Alexander gently smacked Thomas' shoulder, telling him to sit up. “We need to do something, we need to figure out who his little ‘source’ is.”

Thomas sat up, shaking his head. Mellie walked off in irritation from his movement. “Rumors like this are spread literally all the time, people will forget about it just as quickly as they hear it. Everyone says that the Bears quarterback is gay too, but no one has talked about it in a while because there's no confirmation.”

Alexander gave him a look that pretty much called him stupid, grabbing Thomas' hand. “Thomas, that's probably because they don't have a real reason to say that other than being pieces of shit. You have a boyfriend.”

Thomas made a silly face at Alexander to mock him. “Do I?” 

“I think it was Adams.” Alexander said, pulling his legs onto the bed to fully face Thomas. “He's been weird to us for months, he literally attacked you, it just makes sense.”

Thomas took a deep breath, gently biting the inside of his cheek. He knew that Alexander was going to reach this conclusion. He'd thought of it himself. He looked down at his lap, trying to think. 

“Everything is fine,” he said when he looked back at Alexander. “We just have to be careful when we're out and about for a while, but we already had to anyway. I just don't want you to lose your job.”

Alexander shook his head. “Thomas, no, you're the one being outed right now. Not a thing was said about me in that article.”

“Yeah, that one. Callender has had it out for me for the entire season, I seriously doubt he's just going to stop now that he's started with a new topic.” He sighed. “I just don't want some asshole to take a picture of us and then suddenly the entire world is saying stuff about you. Look what they did to that poor reporter for the Jets. She didn't even meet the guy but since he was the quarterback, her career was ruined.”

When Alexander didn't have an answer, Thomas could only shrug.

“There’s nothing we can do right now. Callender hasn't said anything solid, there's no reason to freak out. Besides, it doesn't matter who knows who I am. It matters that I didn't get to tell them, sure, but I have never let someone else control my life for me and I'm not about to do it now. All these people will get from me is watching me throw a ball on TV.”

—

The next day, Thomas went to practice as he usually would. Alexander ended up going home late into the night, because he hadn't planned ahead when coming to Thomas' house and couldn't feasibly go to work in clothes that were several sizes too big for him. Thomas had been lonely, sleeping on his own for what felt like the hundredth time in a row.

At the facility, no one was treating him any differently than they normally did, which was probably a good sign. That, or he was just too socially unintelligent to realize that people were acting just slightly different. Surely he'd figure it out eventually.

The team needed to be hyper vigilant during practices this week, though. There were only two games left in the regular season, and the Giants were looking to win them both to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. They especially needed to win in Week 18 against their division rival, the Commanders.

It was evident that every player and coach on the field had this in mind, so practice went on just a bit more rigid than usual. Thomas was already setting a goal in his mind to clinch a playoff spot early on next year like the Eagles had, since they'd already won the division. 

After practice, Thomas found himself moving like molasses. He absolutely did not want to do his required media time, because if anyone in the entire city had read those articles, it would be the mind numbing reporters waiting for him in the conference room.

Of course, Thomas was right. As he sat down at the table, on his own for the second week in a row, he sat down at the table, on his own for the second week in a row, he scanned the room. It was all the same faces, including a grossly smug looking James Callender. Thomas knew a lot of people named James, and he definitely knew who his least favorite was.

Thankfully, the questions that they started out with weren't rude or intrusive.

“Do you have any updates that you can share about Madison's condition? How does the offense intend to fill the gaps left in his absence?”

Thomas had barely even had a moment to breathe, let alone check on his best friend. He'd have to call him later, maybe go visit in person finally. “I can't say anything about James' condition, other than that he's doing better and the team is supporting him every step of the way. As for filling the gaps, we really just need to make sure that we're all on the same page now that different plays are being called.”

“You play the Saints next week, and they don't have a particularly stellar record. Do you think that it might be wise for the team to take it easy this week to recuperate in case of a playoff run?”

After that, the questions started to become their routine nonsense. Someone asked about his interception against Buffalo, which he'd somehow managed to forget about. Another asked about how he felt playing in the snow, when the answer was clearly not any positive word. Then someone else asked what his plan was for Christmas and the holiday season, and he honestly didn't have an answer. He didn't even realize how close Christmas was.

Then, finally, at the end of the conference, a familiar face made its way back into Thomas' line of sight. A hand was raised, and attached to it was a steaming pile of James Callender. Thomas refrained from any display of distaste, nodding towards the reporter to allow him to ask his question. 

“Do you have any response for the recently published articles speculating about your…identity?”

Thomas stared at Callender with a blank expression, weighing his options in his mind. The attitude in Callender's voice was infuriating, and any action Thomas wanted to take could probably land him in jail.

But he put on a little smile, tilting his head to show his fake confusion. “I can't say I've heard of any noteworthy articles.”

Callender stared back at him, not looking quite disappointed enough for Thomas' liking. Time was up, though, so Thomas wished everyone a good day and calmly left the room. He made his way to the locker room, feeling something stronger than livid, and sat down on his bench. There were still some guys in there, but they didn't seem to notice his mood.

One of the doors to the locker room creaked open, but Thomas only looked up to see who it was when he realized that their footsteps were approaching him. 

Washington stood in front of him, his expression as unreadable as always. “Come with me.”

Thomas stood up and followed Washington with no question. He was led to the coach’s office, where he was told to take a seat. Washington shut the door and sat down across from him, just watching him for a moment. Thomas felt like he'd been called into the principal’s office.

“How are you doing, Thomas?” Washington asked, still completely calm.

It was obvious that Washington wasn't trying to get Thomas to talk about why the Giants lost two games in a row. That was a team discussion. Washington wanted to know about it all.

Thomas was quiet for as long as he could be before giving an answer. “I’ve been better,” he admitted. “There's been a lot on my mind recently, and none of it seems to be helping me play well at all.”

Washington nodded slowly, but didn't respond verbally. He just waited for Thomas to continue speaking. 

“Um,” he said awkwardly. “Well, James' situation is really upsetting. I haven't gotten to see him since that play, and he's my best friend in the entire world. Then we get our asses handed to us by dudes who are basically playing backyard football, and I make a fool of myself on national television, so of course some reporter has to go out and remind everyone that I threw stupid fits in college and now I'm throwing the same ones as a grown man.”

“You're twenty-two.” Washington stated, like it was some world changing fact. 

Thomas blinked, unsure of what to say now. Washington looked like he expected more, though, so there was a kind of prolonged awkward silence for a little bit. 

“I just need to get back into the right headspace, and I'm having a hard time doing it. The playoffs seemed so far away, and now Christmas is in two days and there's two weeks left in the season. I just…I just need to decompress, that's all.”

Washington nodded slowly, looking weirdly surprised at Thomas' conclusion. “Okay,” he said. “If you need anything, or to talk, come to me. Don't let these people get to you. You know who you are, and that's what matters.”

Thomas nodded slowly, feeling like a teenager that just got The Talk. Washington wasn't an idiot, he clearly knew at least something. It wasn't like Thomas had really tried all that hard to hide it anyways.

He stood up and pushed his chair in. “Thanks, Coach,” he mumbled, leaving Washington’s office before he could answer.

—

When Thomas finally made it back into the comfort of his own home, snug in his softest clothes once again, he braved checking his phone. He had a bunch of text messages, which was completely unsurprising. No missed calls, which was good, and since he'd deleted every social media app, there was nothing from those. It took him a while to get through all the messages, but only some were memorable.

Tuesday, December 23rd, 12:26PM

[Mary] how are things going?

[Mary] just let me know if you're okay please

Tuesday, December 23rd, 1:04PM

[Ria] i just heard about the article, i hope you're alright 

[Ria] let me know if i can do anything 

Tuesday, December 23rd, 3:47PM

[Alexander] is it a bad idea for me to come over?

When Thomas read Alexander's message, it sent the worst possible feeling through his entire body. He immediately answered, saying it wasn't a bad idea and asking him to please come over when he was able to. 

Alexander was there within half an hour, and the two of them sat together on Thomas' couch just talking. There was nothing playing on the TV for background noise, no other task for them to be doing. They were simply talking.

“I saw that he was trying to get to you,” Alexander said, gently running his fingers through Thomas' hair. “It didn't look like it worked, though.”

Thomas pressed his lips together before he responded. “It did work. It worked well enough for me to want to jump across the table and wring his neck.”

Alexander sighed. “Of course you wanted to, Thomas. He shared something about you that wasn't his business to share. He is actively trying to bring you down just so he can get a bit more traction on his article.”

“Yeah, but this is nothing new. This sort of thing has been a part of my life forever. Now I just don't have the same kind of protection as when I was a kid.” 

Alexander leaned closer to Thomas, looking him right in the face. “Just because you're used to it or it's normalized, doesn't mean it's okay. You are a person, not a story.”

Thomas laid back, bringing Alexander with him. There wasn't much space on the couch, but he didn't care. He wanted to be close to his boyfriend, especially after the amount of time they'd been spending apart from each other.

“If I was in your position, I'd be losing my shit. I can already think of like, ten response articles, I would find any dirt on Callender possible. But you're so calm.”

Calm was definitely not the word that Thomas would use to describe how he felt. He had never particularly enjoyed not having control over his life, and here he was without a choice. 

“It would be worse for me if I responded,” he sighed. “Distancing myself from any kind of feud is the best option for me. There's no reason to feed into this guy’s antics, he's just obsessed with me and that's that.”

Alexander chuckled slightly. “Maybe he has a crush on you.”

Thomas smiled a little. “Who wouldn't?”

···

Thomas made dinner for the two of them, finally feeling a bit more like himself. Alexander's near constant chatter was a good distraction, and made it easier for Thomas to avoid talking about things that he didn't want to discuss. Soon enough, the two of them were settling in bed, Alexander’s head resting on Thomas' chest.

The room was quiet. Thomas was reading a book that James had recommended to him, and Alexander was doing something on his phone. It was comfortable, just lying there together before they'd go to sleep and have to face all these troubles again the next day.

“Tomorrow's Christmas Eve,” Thomas remembered aloud. He peeked down at Alexander, who refused to sit up to look back at him in a comfortable looking way. “Is it bad that I forgot that?”

Alexander shrugged. “No? You can't be perfect all the time, especially with so much on your plate.”

Thomas frowned slightly. “Yeah, but it's Christmas. I didn't even do a charity event or anything like I wanted to. I feel bad.”

“You can do something after Christmas. No one pays attention to kids in need when it isn't trendy. Right now, there are tons of people going out and getting stuff because they can make a video about it or get their name online. You should do something when things slow down.”

Thomas had never thought about it that way. “Good point,” he nodded. “I’ll do something later.” 

The two of them went back to their things, sitting in peaceful silence until Thomas' phone began to blow up with notifications again. He was about ready to change his number or something. Every time he had a moment to breathe, something happened. 

Of course, it was Mary.

Tuesday, December 23rd, 10:32PM

[Mary] okay genuinely what is this assholes problem

[Mary] [Link] Thomas Jefferson Is…

[Mary] sorry you have to deal with all this, are we able to get it all taken down?

[Mary] not that you should or whatever, i just don't think it's right that someone like him gets to keep writing articles

[Thomas] It's fine, Mary. I’m working on figuring out what to do

Thomas opened the link that Mary had sent, immediately irritated as soon as he was able to read the full title. He turned the screen so that Alexander could see.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Alexander sat up, watching as Thomas read the article. Like the others, it was short.

Thomas Jefferson Is Not a Family Man

By James Callender

Recent discoveries suggest that Thomas Jefferson may not be the Golden Boy that anyone was expecting in professional football, especially not the league itself. Not only does his personality leave a bad taste in the mouth of any intelligent fan, but he has more surprises up his sleeve.

As shared in a previous article, Jefferson has been in a secret relationship with another man. Those who are close to Jefferson have revealed not only this fact, but have also mentioned that this secret boyfriend of Jefferson's is someone quite close to him. It was even implied that they publicly interact on a day-to-day basis. Maybe someone can uncover this man’s identity with something as simple as surface level investigation.

According to this source, Jefferson has proven time and time again that he does not maintain the important family values that the Jeffersons have openly cared about since his late father's time in the Senate. In fact, Jefferson never visits home and has been seen mistreating his own mother, who tried to surprise him when the Giants faced the Colts in Week 13. 

Has his diva personality removed him from the people who love him the most? Or is it his secret relationship and hidden identity that have caused such a sad strain? Regardless, one thing is for certain: Thomas Jefferson is not a family man.

“What kind of writing is this? He sounds fucking dumb,” Alexander muttered, having taken Thomas' phone to read the article for himself. “Okay, it has to be Adams. It literally says that the so-called ‘source’ claims that your boyfriend is someone close to you that you interact with on a daily basis. He's referring to me now.”

Thomas didn't really have any reason to give Adams the benefit of the doubt anymore, so he could only shrug. “I just don't understand why he would do this now. Playoffs are soon and we're about to make it. Why would he create drama for the entire team to be affected by?”

“Because he wants your job, Thomas. He literally assaulted you because he wants your job, you think he'd think this is too much? If there's too much drama surrounding your name, maybe Washington will bench you, and Adams gets to relive his glory days.”

Thomas took his phone back, looking over the article again himself. “If it is Adams, why doesn't he just say he knows exactly who you are? Wouldn't that build more anticipation?”

Alexander shrugged. “From the first two articles and now this one, it seems like this Callender guy might have an entire plan. Showing all of his cards now would just be dumb.”

Thomas stared at the words on his screen, beginning to feel a little sick. Thomas Jefferson is not a family man. He had heard that phrase before, he had already dealt with this shit. 

He sighed, turning to look back at Alexander as the pieces clicked into place. “Adams isn't Callender's source.” 

Alexander's brows furrowed with confusion. “Then who is?”

Thomas sighed, already thinking about how infuriating the next few days would be for him. “My mother.”