Tea and Cookies

Pairing: Little Theodosia/Little Philip Hamilton (as friends)

Summary: Philip is at home with a sore throat. Theodosia relies on her father's cure for an aching throat to help her friend get better.

Warnings: The title is "Tea and Cookies". There aren't any warnings.

"Philip, dear? Theodosia's here to see you."

Philip made his way out of his bedroom to peek down the stairs, where his mother stood with Theo. Theo had a kettle that made her look much smaller than she actually was and an oversized bag full of teabags. Some of the teabags were square; others were round. None of them seemed to match.

It's something new everyday, Philip thought to himself.

He started down the stairs before pausing about halfway down, feeling the familiar burning in his throat that had been plaguing him for days. Philip furrowed his brow and turned to his mother. "Wait… Mom? Did you tell her I'm sick?" he asked as he put a hand to his neck for emphasis.

Eliza nodded. "She insisted on seeing you anyway."

"It's actually the reason I came," Theodosia chimed in. The corners of her mouth quirked into a smile when Philip's look of confusion deepened.

"I thought you only told her dad," Philip said to his mother in a tone that could have been mistaken for a disrespectful one. He would blame that on his sore throat later if his mother talked to him about it.

"Yeah, and my dad told me," Theo answered before letting out a little grunt of effort. "Can I put these down somewhere?"

Philip took the teabags out from under her arm, earning him a muffled "thanks" and a smile.

He turned the bag over in his hands, examining the tea leaves and taking in the calming scent. "Why are we making tea?" he asked as he walked with Theo to the kitchen.

"My dad always makes tea for me when I don't feel good. I don't know why, but it just works, sometimes better than medicine does. I was thinking we could make some together and hopefully it will make you feel better."

Philip considered Theo's plan. Salt water hadn't worked. Resting did nothing. He had tried to keep quiet for as long as he could stand it, thinking it would heal if he didn't talk, only to let out a pained wheeze when he attempted to speak again, the pain doubling in strength. He was running out of options that didn't require a trip to the doctor; he cringed inwardly when memories of his last visit came up.

"Let's do it," he said to Theo. She grinned and started filling the kettle with water while he fiddled with the stove. Eliza watched from the other room to make sure the pair didn't burn the house down.

Once the water was on and heating up, Theodosia picked out the teabags she said were the best for sore throats. She pulled out a round teabag, squishing it between her fingers and holding it out for Philip to see. "My dad said to use this kind if you're stuffy, but you're not, so we won't put that in. I don't like that kind anyway." She tossed it back into the bag unceremoniously.

The pair milled around the kitchen, not-so-patiently waiting for the kettle to whistle. They were playing a game of teabag soccer (with Theo winning 5-0) when Theo stopped suddenly.

"Oh!" she yelled, and Philip felt his mother jump to her feet behind him in quiet panic. "I forgot! I brought cookies too."

God bless Theodosia.

She slid the teabag across the floor to score goal number six, pulled her jacket off of one of the chairs it was hanging on, and began taking handfuls of chocolate chip cookies out of the pockets. Philip took a cookie from the pile and bit into it, letting out a blissful sigh.

"You're the best, Theo," he said around his next mouthful.

A shrug. "You can't have tea and not have cookies to go with it."

The two relaxed in the kitchen, eating cookies and, when the tea was ready, sipping their tea from small mugs. It was plenty sweet enough for Philip, but Theodosia added enough honey for both of them into her mug. Eliza came in to check on them and they offered to share; she politely declined.

"I'm not excited for school," Philip said in one of their excited conversations.

"I wish I went to school. It's kinda weird when you learn everything from your dad. And I mean everything," Theo responded. Philip snorted into his tea.

"My dad probably wishes I learned everything from him," Philip replied. As if on cue, Alexander came in through the front door. Philip put his index fingers up on the sides of his head to make horns in a subtle "speak of the devil" sign, raising his eyebrows at Theo and smirking. She had to cover her mouth with both hands to stifle her laugh.

"Good afternoon, my love," Alexander said to Eliza as she placed a short kiss on his cheek. The couple walked to where the two children were sitting, and Alex beamed when he saw Philip. He ruffled the boy's hair in greeting.

"Hey, Pa," Philip laughed, shaking his curls back into place.

"How are you feeling?" Alexander asked him. He pulled up a chair and gratefully took a cookie that Theo offered to him.

Philip had almost forgotten about his sickness. "Oh. I'm fine. Theo brought this tea and I feel a lot better, now."

Alexander leaned back in his chair and faced Theo. "Well in that case, I really owe you one, Theodosia. Philip's a nightmare when he's not well. I'm just kidding," he quickly responded to Philip's angry huff of breath, "but that was very nice of you. Thank you."

"It's not a problem. It was my dad's idea, really," Theo replied, blushing a bit.

"Ah! How is your father?" Alexander asked. Philip stiffened and opened his mouth, fully ready to change the subject before anything was said to ruin the peace, but Theo glanced at him to keep him from stopping the conversation. Philip closed his mouth and Theo looked back at Alexander.

"Well, what time is it?" she asked. Alexander frowned.

"Quarter after one, I believe," he replied.

Theo raised her eyebrows. "Then my dad's probably pretty antsy right now, since I told him I would leave here at one."

"Are you sure you don't want Philip to walk you home?" Alexander asked. Philip swatted lightly at his father's arm, his face turning a bit red.

"I walked here by myself; I think I'm okay to walk home alone, too, Mr. Hamilton," Theo replied as she walked down the stone stairs in front of the Hamiltons' house with her bags of tea and the kettle. Alexander sighed.

"Please, Theodosia, call me Alexander."

"Only when you'll call me Theo!" she called back over her shoulder, turning onto the sidewalk to head home. "Bye! Feel better, Philip!"

The two Hamiltons said their goodbyes and Alexander closed the door, looking down at Philip. He smiled.

"What?" Philip asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. She's such a nice friend, Philip. I admire your choices," he said, winking at his son.

"Pa! It's not like that. She's just a friend," Philip said, glaring at his father. Alexander laughed and pulled Philip in for a hug. Philip pushed back before giving in to the teasing and hugging him back.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, son." Alexander said, smiling at the boy in his arms.