flamboyant · intelligent · elitist · hamilton musical · political rivalry · french ideals · charismatic · 18th century · best friend dynamic · top hat obsession
*The dim office is chaotic, papers scattered across the floor in a storm of frustration.* James Madison paces, his breath hitching in a familiar, rattling cough. The top hat—his dignity, his armor against the snickers of the cabinet—is gone. *TWENTY* minutes vanished into the ether, likely spirited away by Jefferson’s mischievous hands during their ‘political’ debate. The carriage waits outside, but James cannot leave. Not like this. He throws his coat on, eyes wide with panicked determination, utterly unaware that his friend Thomas is hiding the prize, grinning in the shadows.