#I did all the sewing/beading sitting hunched over on my bed and would try it on a billion times to make sure it looked right | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

serkewen12 · 7 years

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Pillar of Strength

Pairing: None

Requested by: @thepaddyb

Summary: We all have the one friend who will put their friends needs before their own. Hercules is that friend.

This is my first non reader insert I’ve posted, so I hope you like it!

Tags: @musicalmoriarty @tallish-hobbit @americanrevelation @imagineham @workworkbae @drugsdiggs @lafislife @okierieteonaodowan-vevo @midnightokieriete @spilledkauffie @spn-applepie-imagines @a-schuylerr @shamagangster @getupoffathathang @imaginebeinghamiltrash @daveedish @secretschuylersister @sunriseovertheroomwhereithappens @icanneverbesatisfied @its-quiiet-uptown

If there was one thing Hercules Mulligan was it was strong. He was strong for his friends, if they needed anything he was there as fast as he could and helped in any way he could. He was there when Alexander got into arguments to back him up, he was there to help Lafayette move into his new apartment, he was there to bail John out of jail when he got a little to rowdy at that protest last month, and he was there for all the ups and downs of relationships.

Hercules sighed as he worked on a new wedding dress. As he pinned the white fabric together on the dress form he could help but think about how he had hoped he would get more orders this month. He was barely keeping his shop open, not that anyone needed to know that. He always had his same wide smile around his friends and never let on the amount of stress he was really under. This wasn't the time to unload his problems when he friends needed him. Alexander needed a needed all the help he could get right now, his marriage was on the verge of falling apart... thanks to his own stupidity and a pretty neighbor that lived down the street.

"Looks like another all-nighter," Hercules said quietly as he turned on his music and continued to work on the dress.

This dress commission would hopefully make him enough money to pay the bills to keep the store open for at another month. He was behind schedule because he had spent most of his free time with Alexander trying to help him figure out how to fix his relationship with Eliza. He shook his head as he thought about the last two weeks he had spent with Alexander as he drank his sorrows away and ended up a crying mess that had eventually passed out on Hercules's couch. Eliza had thought it would be for the best if Alex stayed with one of his friends, which was probably for the best but if he was being honest none of them wanted to let him because they were all so angry with him. He had relented of course.

By the time he got home it was 4 AM, but at least he had gotten the bulk of the sewing done. He trudged through his apartment, his tired eyes saw Alex asleep on the couch. He quietly made his way to his room and flopped onto the bed without even pulling the covers back and was asleep as soon as his head met his pillow. When he finally opened his brown eyes he squinted at the light filtering through the blinds and slowly looked at the clock. 12:30.

"Shit!" He jumped out of bed and hurried out into the living room.

Alexander was long gone, Mr. Washington had offered to let him have some personal time off but Alex was never one to stop working. The man ran off of three hours of sleep and two pots of coffee everyday.

"It's a miracle that man hasn't worked himself to death... not that I have much room to talk right now," Hercules mumbled as he quickly downed a cup of coffee and ran outside and hailed a cab.

Hercules unlocked his shop door and walked to the sewing room and continued work on the dress. He still had lace detailing and beading that had to be sewn on and that was meticulous and time consuming. He was going to have to push himself to get the dress done by tomorrow at 10AM. There was so much to do. He rested his head in his hands before he began the task at hand. Wedding dresses were always the most stressful. He had been working for six hours straight when his phone rang.

"Hey," he said as put the phone on speaker and continued working.

"Alexander wants to meet up at the bar in a few. He said something about Eliza agreeing to give him a chance to make things work."

"I can't John, I have an order to finish."

"Are you sure you can't swing it?"

"I'll try my best to make it for awhile."

"Awesome, see you later!"

He rubbed his eyes and stretched. His back and neck were stiff from being hunched over his table and his fingers hurt from hand sewing beads to the bodice of the dress. He had lost count somewhere around 300 and his eyes ached. It was close to being done... not close enough for him to feel comfortable taking a break to go meet his friends at the bar... but what were best friends for?

"Just one drink won't hurt," he said before leaving the shop.

It was a short walk to the bar and the evening air felt nice on his skin after being cooped up in the stuffy sewing room. He spotted Lafayette standing outside the bar.

"Mon amie!" Lafayette waved as he walked up," You look exhausted."

"Naw I'm fine. I just have been working all day. You know how all that detailed shit makes your eyes hurt," he said.

Lafayette gave him a skeptical look but before he was able to ask any questions Alexander and John jumped out of a cab and joined them. They all walked into the bar and while Alex headed to the bar as everyone else settled into their regular booth. Alex returned with a tray of shots for them all.

"Eliza said I can come home. Things are still really tense but it's a step in the right direction," Alex said with a small smile.

"She is a very forgiving woman then, you're really lucky," John said seriously.

"She hasn't forgiven me yet, but I'm going to do everything I can to show her how lucky I am to have her."

"Cheers to that," Hercules said holding up his shot glass.

"Another round!" Laf cheered.

Hercules sat and watched his friends do a few rounds of shots as he sipped on a beer instead. The nagging stress of his shop's future hung in his mind and his thoughts wandered back to the dress he needed to finish. He checked his watch 8:15 PM.

I'm not going to have enough after this dress... I can go without cable for a few months and skimp on groceries a bit now that Alex is moving back in with Liza. That will make up the difference...hopefully. Herc frowned and looked down at his beer.

"Herc you want another shot?" Lafayette asked.

"No I'm good," he replied, "I actually need to get going. I have a few things to finish at the shop."

"Seriously? You'll work yourself to death in that place," Alexander joked.

"You're one to talk man. You barely sleep and you desecrated all of my coffee," Herc laughed, "I'll see you guys later."

"Herc we wanted to talk to you about something important..."

"It will have to wait until my order is finished."

Hercules missed the keyhole the first time in his fatigue. The dress was ready for the bride to pick up in roughly five and a half hours. He had contemplated sleeping in his shop but his growling stomach and aching back convinced him otherwise. Finally succeeding in unlocking the door he made his way into his apartment and into the kitchen. He rummaged in the fridge but something caught his attention. The light in the living room was on and he could hear muffled whispering. He quickly turned around and saw Alexander flanked by Lafayette and John on the couch staring at him.

"What the hell are you guys doing in my house? It's 4:30 AM," he rasped.

"I told you we needed to talk to you about something important, so I figured since I still had a key we would just wait for you to close up your shop and come home. I didn't think it would take this long," Alex said sheepishly.

"And what was so important that you guy waited around all night for me to come home?"

"You are what's important," John said with a look of concern.

"Uhhh... okay? What the fuck is going on?"

"Alex... he told us. He said you are barely keeping the lights on and your shop is barely scraping by," Lafayette said.

Hercules winced and slowly sat down in the recliner across from the couch. His eyes traveled between his three friends and they all wore matching looks of concern. He took a deep breath and his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"That's... yeah that's not far from the truth..." he confessed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" John asked.

"How did you even find out about this Alex?" Hercules looked at him with a critical eye.

"I was up late and when I walked past your room the door was open and I saw you sitting there and looking over all the bills and trying to budget everything out a few days ago. You said you had no idea what you were going to do. You said you were going to end up turning off your cable just to make rent."

"Mon amie we are here for you. You are our friend and we will always help you if you are in need," Laf said softly, "Why wouldn't you tell us about this?"

"Because I'm the one that has always taken care of all of you. I've always had your backs and that's the way it's always been... ever since we first met. I always put my friends first, you're the only family I got and with everything that was going on with Alex... I needed to be strong for you and be there to help."

"Which is exactly why you should of told us. You do everything for us and you need to let us return the favor Herc," Alex commented.

"When you had your phone turned off last month it wasn't because you had broken it was it? It's because you used the money to help pitch in to bail my ass out wasn't it?" John asked with a frown.

"That doesn't fucking matter," Herc fired back.

"Yes it does!"

"We pulled together and we got enough money to pay the rent for the shop for three month. I'm not taking no for an answer Herc. You do to much for us and we are going to pay you back whether you like it or not," Alex said as he handed over a check.

"Are you serious? You did this for me?" Hercules whispered.

"Of course we are serious! Oh and you might have some more business coming soon. My Mama is flying in from France to visit with her sister and I may have told them I know the best dress maker in town. You will never be short on business after her friends see what you create for her," Laf said with a sly grin.

"I don't know what to say," Herc said.

"You don't have to say a thing. Just promise that you will let us know when you have problems okay?" John said reassuringly.

"I promise."

#hercules mulligan #john laurens #marquis de lafayette #alexander hamilton #hamilton the musical #modern au #friends forever #supporting your friends #request

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