-Herc's POV-

"Come on guys, Laff's coming home in two days!" I bounce around on the balls of my feet, giddy with excitement.

"That's the third time you've said that this hour, Herc."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited."

"Don't be sorry, you're winning me a bet with Angelica." Eliza grins at me from the chair she stands on, shooting staples into the large white banner. Angelica huffs from her corner, and I giggle. 

I stir the contents of the mixing bowl, I need to get these right. I watch the flour dissolve into the milky mixture, little air bubbles appearing on the surface. I pull out the dough and begin to roll it out.

 "Like this?"

"Exactly right." Mrs. Washington smiles, heading over to preheat the oven. I grab a knife and begin cutting triangles, folding them how Martha instructs. 

I spend more time in the kitchen today than I have all month, and I am left with some croissants and a pile of macarons. I'm careful to use the correct term, otherwise Laff will fight me when he gets home. Martha sets the pastry plates on the cupboard, smacking John with a spatula when he reaches for a croissant. 

"Aw, c'mon! Laff will never notice just one!"

"John, you can wait another day, you'll survive." John grumbles about the unfairness of the situation, and I pull the plug from the sink, watching the dish water swirl down the drain. 

There's a yip from the living room, and I find Bonbon playing fetch with Peggy.

"Shouldn't you be helping?" I tease.

"You guys left me alone with a dog, don't invite me here and expect me to ignore this cutie." Bon bon comes back with his ball, almost crashing into a table on his way over. 

"Fine, just be careful."

Peggy sticks her tongue out at me, and I turn back towards the kitchen.

Someone grabs my hand, and I find myself being pulled to my bedroom by Maria.

"What are you-"

"Shh." She shuts the door behind us, and I look down at her.

"I don't want-"

"What happened that night, Herc?"

"When I brought you here?"

"Yes. I need to know if I'm imagining it all."

"I mean, that depends what you are imagining I guess."

"Herc!"

"You were drunk, and I took you to my room to sleep it off. And then you took off your dress, and begged me to stay, so I-" she lets out a sigh, looking at her feet.

"It's okay, I can guess what happened after that. I'm not mad at you, it was my fault, I shouldn't have drank that much."

"Woah, Maria, I didn't, um, do it. I left you some water and went out to the couch. I would never, you had no clue what you were doing. And besides, I would never cheat on Laff."

"Oh." She seems relieved. "He's your boyfriend then?"

"Yeah."

"I was trying to figure out who all this makeup was for, Peggy never mentioned a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend for that matter. I thought you and Laff were just friends."

"We should head back out, don't want people getting ideas."

I open the door, following behind her as she walks out.

The room is looking great, banners are up, food is covered, and streamers are hung. The rest can wait until tomorrow.

We sit around the coffee table, and I pull out some chips.

"Who's up for charades?" Peggy jumps up from her seat.

"Let's go!" John bounces beside Alex, who places a firm hand on his shoulder. John looks like a little kid who was just told to calm down.

Peggy gives John a prompt, and his face goes pale as she snickers. 

"So, we're, um, playing that way." Peggy nods her head, and John stands up with a tad less enthusiasm. Peggy starts the timer, and John nervously runs his hand through his hair.

He does some weird split thing, kicking his leg in the air. He circles around, what the frick is he doing? He has ten seconds left, and he winks at Alex before unbuttoning the top of his shirt and twerking on top of the table.

"Lafayette!"

"Stripper!"

Angelica and Eliza look at each other as John hops down.

"Eliza got it, if I were going for Laff it would have been sexier. And more elegant."

I chuckle nervously, it's kind of awkward hearing everyone call your boyfriend a beefcake all the time. I wonder if  anyone has ever told Laff how hot I am... doubtful, considering the fact I'm not hot. Most compliments I receive are about my clothes, particularly my quilted pants.

There's a knock at the door, nice timing. I don't want to know where this game is going next.

"Coming!" I rush out of the room, opening the door. "Mr. Washington, you made it!"

"Of course, Herc, I wouldn't miss planning a party for my son! I like what you guys have done with the place."

"Sir, I was hoping to ask you something."

"No need to be formal! 'Sir'- you're  like a second son to me."

"Well that's actually what I was hoping to ask. Laff comes home in two days, and I wanted your permission to marry him."

"Laff's his own man, but I respect you for asking. The only permission you need is his."

"Thank you, George!" I wrap my arms around him, now I know that boy is mine. "But can you not tell anyone until after I've proposed?"

"Your secrets safe with me!" He makes an x motion over his heart, giving me a wink. "Son."

"I'm not your son, not yet."

I pull Washington into the living room, and we stand in the doorway as Angelica humps the table. George clears his throat, and Angelica looks up, embarrassed. 

Charades got toned down quite a bit after that, but we all cheered when Alex kissed John on his turn.

I fall asleep with Bonbon in my arms, 2 more nights and I won't be alone anymore.

There's so much to do, my first stop is the jewellers. I look at the simple bands, shiny but plain. I've saved up enough to get something special, like Laff deserves. I look at a diamond ring, but it's not for Laff, it's not unique enough. I make my way past the case when I see it. 

A silver ring, the band made to look like little flowers. In the middle of each is a gemstone, all a different colour, forming a rainbow. The price isn't bad, and it's perfect for Laff. 

I wave over a worker, who opens the case and processes my purchase. I practically skip out of the store, and I keep peeking inside the box to look at the ring.

I head over to the shoe store, scanning the aisles for the shoes Peggy was wearing. Maria said she got them here, and sure enough they sit on a rack in the back corner. 

"Do these come in men's?"

"No... but I'll see what sizes we have." The employee gives me a strange look as he heads to the back. Awkward.

He comes back with a women's 11.5, these should work. Compared to the size of the rest of Laff, he has really tiny feet.

Thankfully I'm able to check out with a different employee, and this time I don't mention who they're for.

Shoes and ring done, last place I need to go to is the pet store.  I glance around, my eyes land on a cage full of hamsters.

"Not today, bitches." I skip over that section and make my way to the back wall.

The masked critters jump around, and I watch one fall off it's hammock. I need to pick two, ferrets live in partners. Otherwise they get lonely, like people do when their love is in France.

A fluffy Carmel ferret scampers across the glass, and I put my finger on the glass where it's nose rests. The little guy drops on all fours, and I lose it as I watch it jump into the air over and over. 

"Laff will love you. Now which one of these guys will be your friend?" The ferret scampers up a tube, and I notice a tiny ferret sitting on his bed. He gives a small yawn, making me grin. It's a beautiful brown, with a chocolatey mask.

The other ferret in the cage sits, cleaning himself... yeah, not the choice I would've gone with.

I've decided which ones I want, and soon they are in a crate and ready to go. The  baby lays on top of the bigger one, until he is bounced off.

I fill a basket with supplies, picking a hide that looks like an octopus, his tentacles each a tunnel. There's a baguette chew toy by the till, and I grab that as well. Someone will use it.

Soon I'm home, and I let the ferrets free. They go apeshit, smashing into walls and wrestling each other. I leave them to it, heading to the end of the hall. I've never actually spent any time in here, Lafayette tried but I couldn't get anything right and ended up twisting an ankle. But I'm sure I'll do better this time. 

I look at the equipment, slanted walls, bars, and blocks fill the room. I grab the monkey bars, we'll start off easy. By the time I swing all the way across my hands are slippery. How does Laff stay on so long? Maybe arms just aren't my strength.

I make my way to the blocks, thinking back, trying to remember what Lafayette showed me. I can picture him bouncing around, his buff bod in a tight shirt, hair pulled back. I remember Laff's body more than his instructions.

 It's fine, I can do this. I jump, landing on the block in front of me. This is easier than the bars. I bounce around, climbing the mini tower that's been set up. I'm getting the hang of it, and start going faster, hopping from left foot to right.

I jump for the next block, pulling up my legs. But not fast enough, my shins collide with the edge.

I make a noise I'm not sure is human as I sit in a ball on the floor. I think that's enough for today. It's not nearly as relaxing as Laff seems to think.

After a few minutes I climb back down, heading to my safe space. Rolls of fabric line the walls, and I make my way to my sewing machine. Sitting down, I start some real relaxation.

-Laff POV-

I lie in bed, it's 3AM but I can't sleep. I haven't felt well rested for almost a week, the nightmares keep me up until I physically can't stay awake. 

I curl up in a ball, but the hands follow me. I can't push them away, they cover me and I feel disgusting. I grab at my hair, crying as I feel his lips against mine, again and again. My chest tightens as the imaginary hands reach under my clothing, taking what they want. And I can't stop them.

I don't wake up until 10, it still feels too early. I go out for the first time in days, I need to get some things if I'm going to survive the trip home. Sleeping meds are at the top of my list, followed by earbuds and snacks. I grab a salad and some granola bars, I ran out of food a couple days ago and just haven't bothered buying more yet. Food is the least of my worries right now.

Soon enough I'm in line for the luggage check, I take off my shoes and place them on the conveyor belt. I walk through the scanner, jumping when it beeps. A guard motions me over, and my body goes rigid as they wave the wand up and down. What did I forget?

"Can you remove your earrings and walk back through, sir." I do as the officer asks, thankful it doesn't beep again. I collect my stuff from the rack, head down, headed for the gate. 

"Now boarding flight G-52951."

I'm late, this is why I hate sleeping in. I sprint, my duffle bag swinging wildly. I notice a little boy staring, and I smile at him before jumping over a chair. His little gasp is worth it. But I gotta go, gotta get to the gate and get home to Herc.

I miss him, we've called a few times, but it's not the same. I haven't told him much, all he knows is that I saw my dad and friends between work. I've left out some key details, I don't need him worrying about me. Besides, how do you bring that up? I can deal with my problems alone. 

I climb into my seat, and I've already taken a dose of sleep meds by the time we take off. The flight goes by quickly after that, I'm at peace, my mind finally blank as I doze off.