Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

85. To get: to know

[A/N: A mostly very happy chapter I wrote in just a couple of hours. Mainly to the tunes of Taylor Swift. Hope you enjoy!🍃)

It was June 12th. The summer had officially begun, as I strolled around Highbridge Park with Dom while taking Tobi for a walk. We had both gotten piragua, as we had caved by the sight of the piragua cart.

"I seriously can't wait for the summer break", Dom exclaimed. "I just love, y'know, not having to do anything. Although I've got to prepare for next year-", he continued, but I cut him off.
"Gosh, don't remind me. College applications. I'm already stressing out about it and I'm only a freshman. No, Tobi. No-", I said as she suddenly dived head-first into a bush after a ball someone had thrown for their dog. I pulled her back and stared at her with an angry face, but she just looked at me playfully with such puppy eyes.
"I've got your ball here. You can play with it later when we get to the open field", I casually explained, but also thinking where there will be less people.
"And where there will be less people. Seriously, did everyone decide to come here today?", Dom rhetorically asked, looking around as he had said exactly what I had been thinking.
I pulled on Tobi's leash, and we started walking again. I took a spoonful of my strawberry flavoured piragua.
"Seems like we weren't the only one with a good idea", I quietly replied, feeling slightly off and jumpy, but I was trying to mask it. "Also, thanks for getting me out of the house, it's The Tonys tonight and it's just a lot going on", I continued, as I hesitantly looked at Dom. He just continued to talk, not thinking twice about how I'd sort of mentioned that I wasn't feeling my best.
"Lin's nervous, I guess?", he asked me.
"Well... yeah. I think he is. But I guess he's mostly excited to be in the room with everyone. And then there's the, um, shooting in Orlando... so he's been at the Rodger's all morning, he decided that they'd changed the choreography so that they won't use weapons", I hesitantly said. Dom raised his eyebrows, looking at me with an impressed face.
"That's really cool", he concluded, sounding like he really meant that - which he probably, also, did.
"How was school, then?", I asked him, trying to redirect the conversation from the shooting that I didn't want to be reminded of.
"Same old, same old. Carson said that there are some new puppies at his grandma's kennel ready for adoption, so I'm thinking of taking Flo to see them. They're golden retriever puppies, and I think she has seen the Air Bud and Airbuddies films a little too many times so it's her favourite dog breed", he laughed a little, realizing that his piragua was melting all over his hand, making him desperately trying to eat all of it.
"Sorry, but what's Air... Bud?", I confusedly asked, trying not laughing at his desperate save, but failing. He gave me a betrayed look as we arrived at the open field.
"You haven't seen Air Bud? Not even Airbuddies?", he asked, sounding seemingly shocked. I grinned a little, as I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head.
"No?", I said, still confused as we reached the open field.
"Those films are literally my childhood!", Dom exclaimed, but I just shrugged my shoulders as I unleashed Tobi and threw her ball.
"Never heard of them", I stated, watching Tobi run towards the ball at full Tobi. I glanced at Dom, and shrugged my shoulders again.
"Cons of being raised in a dysfunctioning household and then in the foster system I guess", I joked as Tobi returned just as quickly as she had left, the ball in her mouth. "Good girl!", I said as I threw it again. Dom laughed at my joke, which was a relief.
I didn't want him to feel bad for me.
"I genuinely thought everyone had seen them. My french cousins are literally obsessed with them-", he continued. "We have to watch Air Bud, Rue. It's a classic", to which I cracked a laugh and replied.
"Sure", I said and watched Tobi come running back again, only to drop the ball at Dom's feet and look up at him with puppy eyes. "So your family's thinking about getting a dog?", I asked him as he kindly threw the ball for Tobi.
"Well, it's Flo's biggest dream to have a dog. And I wouldn't mind. I mean, Tobi's pretty cool", he said as he watched her dart into the distance. "So my plan is to go to Carson's with Flo and my parents today, and campaign for a dog", he explained. "I mean who could say no to me? Or a little 7 year old girl?", he joked.
"Not me", I said and leant onto his shoulder, as he leant in and kissed me. The butterflies in my stomach started flying around again.
I never wanted them to stop.
"You know, you always talk about Flo and your family and I haven't even been at your house", I realized, saying the thought out loud as we let go of each other.
"We pass by my place on the way back, if you want to drop by?", he asked me as Tobi came back, once again, and still as excited about the ball. I picked it up and threw it again.
"You sure? I mean, I've got Tobi", I replied, taking another spoonful of my piragua.
"No problem. And Tobi's definitely a Flo magnet", he told me.
"Alright"