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anteros_lmcTitle: A Year
Author: Anteros
Characters: Archie Kennedy / Horatio Hornblower
Rating: R
Notes: A small thing for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nodbear and Sir Edward(!) on marking dates :)
It had been a long and tedious first watch. The Indefatigable was pitching at her cables, wallowing in an old sea, the remnant of a furious gale that had blown in from the West and battered the squadron two nights previously. The wind had veered to the south and the rain slackened to impetuous horizontal squalls that sliced the watch to the bone. Months of endless blockade duty had worn down the crew and frayed the patience of the officers.
As officer of the watch Acting Lieutenant Kennedy had maintained his station with stoicism and grim humour, rallying the men to keep their spirits up and commiserating with them on their sorry lot to be stuck in the purgatory that was inshore blockade.
His bright demeanor was no facade, even in the middle of a bitter first watch his spirits were soaring. Every laboured roll of the ship as she heaved and bucked in the heavy swell was physical proof of freedom. After years captive oblivion, he had a place in the world and a job to do, even if it was blockading a nondescript fishing port at the arse end of nowhere. Life was no longer stubborn endurance, he had something, someone, to live for. And as he stood on deck in the freezing darkness he knew that just below his feet, one deck below, in a tiny cramped cabin adjoining the wardroom, Horatio Hornblower would be sound asleep, all knees and elbows jutting awkwardly out of the too short cot. Archie smiled even as the wind stung his cheeks and a steady stream of cold rain water trickled down the back of his neck.
When he finally gained the sanctuary of wardroom, having been relieved by the middle watch, Archie was drenched through and his nose was streaming. He had expected the wardroom to be empty by such a late hour. The wardroom's meager collective library had been read several times over by all the officers; their wine cellar, such as it had been, was long since dry save a few bottles of sour country wine purchased from a passing chasse marée; and such other diversions that they had devised to stave off the endless tedium had paled through repetition. As a result, those officers not on watch had taken to retiring early and tonight was no exception save for a single figure slumped over the table at the end of the room. Archie stepped out of his seaboots, shrugged off his sopping cloak and tossed his hat onto a bench where it rapidly formed a puddle. Pulling out a chair he stretched, before gratefully sliding into it. Hornblower, hunched over the table in the chair beside him was sound asleep, snoring quietly, his head resting on folded arms.
Archie ran one hand over Horatio's shoulders, feeling the warmth of his body through the rough wool of his jacket. He shook him gently and leaned in to brush cold lips over his cheek.
"Horatio, come on Horatio, waken up."
The touch of Archie's freezing damp nose and cold lips on his cheek roused Horatio. He raised his head from his arms and blinked sleepily, screwing his eyes up against the dim lamp light. His queue had come undone and he looked up at Archie through a curtain of dark curls.
"Hmm? You're back. Watch quiet?"
"All quiet Horatio. What the devil are you doing here? You should have been asleep hours ago. You've got the morning watch."
"I was asleep."
"Asleep in your cot you fool." Archie admonished while pushing a wayward curl out of his friend's bleary eyes.
Horatio sat up, stretched and yawned.
"I was waiting for you."
"Good Lord Horatio, why were you waiting for me? It's not like anything is going to happen on watch! It was the same as last night, same as the night before and the night before that. It's always the same."
"I know." Horatio shook his head, still half asleep. "Got something for you." He pushed a package, that he appeared to have been resting his head on, towards Archie.
"What on earth is this Horatio?" But Archie knew exactly what it was soon as he lifted the package from the table. That rarest, most precious of things on blockade duty. A new book.
"Where in God's name did you get this? Did you send a landing party ashore to raid Boney's libraries?"
"Umm no. Captain got it for me, or rather I think his wife got it. Came with the last mail and despatches. It's not what I expected, asked for your Donne fellow, but got this instead. You can have it anyway. Oh and he gave me that too." Horatio nodded toward a bottle in the centre of the table. "Said something about having had enough gifts this year."
Archie looked up quizzically from the package but Horatio just shrugged, unable to offer further explanation. Setting aside the precious packet for a moment he picked up the bottle, squinting to read the label, he didn't recgonise it but it clearly wasn't the same chasse marée vintage the wardroom had been "enjoying" of late.
"Well. That is uncommonly generous of our good captain!"
Returning to the parcel Archie carefully unwrapped the paper with fingers still clumsy and numb from the cold and found himself holding a small slim volume with a worn and well thumbed red calf binding. He turned it over in his hands, a look of mingled delight and incredulity spreading over his face.
"Horatio, thank you! It's beautiful," he smiled, "but what's it for?"
"For you." Horatio had replaced his head on his arms, his eyelids dropping again. "We've...you've been back a year. From Spain. Just wanted to get something for you."
Archie opened the book and read the first line:
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth
He bent down and kissed the top of Horatio's head, his eyes had closed, his breathing evening out. He was asleep. Archie settled back in the chair beside him and started to read.
Author: Anteros
Characters: Archie Kennedy / Horatio Hornblower
Rating: R
Notes: A small thing for
nodbear and Sir Edward(!) on marking dates :)It had been a long and tedious first watch. The Indefatigable was pitching at her cables, wallowing in an old sea, the remnant of a furious gale that had blown in from the West and battered the squadron two nights previously. The wind had veered to the south and the rain slackened to impetuous horizontal squalls that sliced the watch to the bone. Months of endless blockade duty had worn down the crew and frayed the patience of the officers.
As officer of the watch Acting Lieutenant Kennedy had maintained his station with stoicism and grim humour, rallying the men to keep their spirits up and commiserating with them on their sorry lot to be stuck in the purgatory that was inshore blockade.
His bright demeanor was no facade, even in the middle of a bitter first watch his spirits were soaring. Every laboured roll of the ship as she heaved and bucked in the heavy swell was physical proof of freedom. After years captive oblivion, he had a place in the world and a job to do, even if it was blockading a nondescript fishing port at the arse end of nowhere. Life was no longer stubborn endurance, he had something, someone, to live for. And as he stood on deck in the freezing darkness he knew that just below his feet, one deck below, in a tiny cramped cabin adjoining the wardroom, Horatio Hornblower would be sound asleep, all knees and elbows jutting awkwardly out of the too short cot. Archie smiled even as the wind stung his cheeks and a steady stream of cold rain water trickled down the back of his neck.
When he finally gained the sanctuary of wardroom, having been relieved by the middle watch, Archie was drenched through and his nose was streaming. He had expected the wardroom to be empty by such a late hour. The wardroom's meager collective library had been read several times over by all the officers; their wine cellar, such as it had been, was long since dry save a few bottles of sour country wine purchased from a passing chasse marée; and such other diversions that they had devised to stave off the endless tedium had paled through repetition. As a result, those officers not on watch had taken to retiring early and tonight was no exception save for a single figure slumped over the table at the end of the room. Archie stepped out of his seaboots, shrugged off his sopping cloak and tossed his hat onto a bench where it rapidly formed a puddle. Pulling out a chair he stretched, before gratefully sliding into it. Hornblower, hunched over the table in the chair beside him was sound asleep, snoring quietly, his head resting on folded arms.
Archie ran one hand over Horatio's shoulders, feeling the warmth of his body through the rough wool of his jacket. He shook him gently and leaned in to brush cold lips over his cheek.
"Horatio, come on Horatio, waken up."
The touch of Archie's freezing damp nose and cold lips on his cheek roused Horatio. He raised his head from his arms and blinked sleepily, screwing his eyes up against the dim lamp light. His queue had come undone and he looked up at Archie through a curtain of dark curls.
"Hmm? You're back. Watch quiet?"
"All quiet Horatio. What the devil are you doing here? You should have been asleep hours ago. You've got the morning watch."
"I was asleep."
"Asleep in your cot you fool." Archie admonished while pushing a wayward curl out of his friend's bleary eyes.
Horatio sat up, stretched and yawned.
"I was waiting for you."
"Good Lord Horatio, why were you waiting for me? It's not like anything is going to happen on watch! It was the same as last night, same as the night before and the night before that. It's always the same."
"I know." Horatio shook his head, still half asleep. "Got something for you." He pushed a package, that he appeared to have been resting his head on, towards Archie.
"What on earth is this Horatio?" But Archie knew exactly what it was soon as he lifted the package from the table. That rarest, most precious of things on blockade duty. A new book.
"Where in God's name did you get this? Did you send a landing party ashore to raid Boney's libraries?"
"Umm no. Captain got it for me, or rather I think his wife got it. Came with the last mail and despatches. It's not what I expected, asked for your Donne fellow, but got this instead. You can have it anyway. Oh and he gave me that too." Horatio nodded toward a bottle in the centre of the table. "Said something about having had enough gifts this year."
Archie looked up quizzically from the package but Horatio just shrugged, unable to offer further explanation. Setting aside the precious packet for a moment he picked up the bottle, squinting to read the label, he didn't recgonise it but it clearly wasn't the same chasse marée vintage the wardroom had been "enjoying" of late.
"Well. That is uncommonly generous of our good captain!"
Returning to the parcel Archie carefully unwrapped the paper with fingers still clumsy and numb from the cold and found himself holding a small slim volume with a worn and well thumbed red calf binding. He turned it over in his hands, a look of mingled delight and incredulity spreading over his face.
"Horatio, thank you! It's beautiful," he smiled, "but what's it for?"
"For you." Horatio had replaced his head on his arms, his eyelids dropping again. "We've...you've been back a year. From Spain. Just wanted to get something for you."
Archie opened the book and read the first line:
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth
He bent down and kissed the top of Horatio's head, his eyes had closed, his breathing evening out. He was asleep. Archie settled back in the chair beside him and started to read.
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no subject
Date: 2010-06-24 09:25 pm (UTC)I love the image of Archie with a freezing damp nose. He is cuter than a bucket of puppies! SJH
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 07:35 pm (UTC)I know! And I so love Archie doing Navy stuff! Problem with the Navy stuff is that is damned hard to write :} I am trying to read lots of naval history in the hope that one day I will be able to write Archie doing proper Navy stuff!
He is cuter than a bucket of puppies!
And more trouble than a barrel full of monkeys! ;)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-24 10:01 pm (UTC)Archie is indeed cuter than a bunch of anything cute - Archie is the acme of cute - he defines it in fact. though Horatio is not far behind at all= indeed never far away from Archie at all if he has the chance.
Sir Edward writes -" Thank you most kindly ma'am - its h good to know that these dates are significant still. i remember that day - Susan was most dleighted to ne part of a conspriracy - think I must have written her too many letters about those two , so now she threatens to get herself brought out to the Indy to meet them. Whether they will mesmerise her or she them remains an open quetion to me I feel.
Madame Nodbear is very tired today and so longer conversation will have to wait I fear, I am hoping to tempt her to a glass of old tawny shortly, but in te meantime we snd our hearty thanks and as always I rmeain your devoted servant, etc
EP
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 07:42 pm (UTC)How lovely to hear from you as always. I trust you had a pleasant day celebrating your birthday in appropriate style? I must to say that you are bearing up famously for 253! And I am touched that you remember dear HH's conspiracy after all these years. Susan excelled herself with that volume. She is a remarkable woman but I am sure you need little reminder of that fact.
I am as always etc, etc
Mdm Anteros
no subject
Date: 2010-06-24 10:25 pm (UTC)The touch of Archie's freezing damp nose and cold lips on his cheek roused Horatio.
There's something about this I love, I think because it's such an intimate gesture but in a distinctly unsexy way.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 07:46 pm (UTC)I'm going to have to go back to writing angst fic before I rot everyone's teeth amn't I?
There's something about this I love, I think because it's such an intimate gesture but in a distinctly unsexy way.
Goes to show that Archie is still utterly irresistible even with a cold wet nose. Just like Bartholomew.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 06:02 pm (UTC)But I don't want to complain. This is really lovely once more. I, too, like the bit about the freezing nose and lips best. Those small kisses are always the sweetest. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 08:38 pm (UTC)Don't worry it won't last ;) Anyway who's the one writing the 60 page thesis tight now?!
I, too, like the bit about the freezing nose and lips best.
I can see I'm going to have to write more cold nose fic! Although I do hope Archie doesn't come down with Pyrexia again :}
no subject
Date: 2010-06-27 06:42 am (UTC)Yes, while its true that a damp and tired Archie is always irresistable and the cold nose is the winner here on points- it has to be said that Horatio here is pretty adorable on the whole too....
and as for the provision of new books to alleviate boredom - ah well, here is Earl St Vincent's memoir as found by the distinguished librarian at the Garrison Library in Gibraltar
" he was also deeply grieved that the young officers, especially of the military, life at Gibraltar was lost in unprofitable occupation...officers were driven to assemble in each other's rooms..where drinking and desperate gambling followed..
shocking ! but does a library cure or encourage licence ?more about the library soon -even about Edward Pellew and sundry escorting lieutenants at a ball there
I can see I'm going to have to write more cold nose fic!
Although I do hope Archie doesn't come down with Pyrexia again :}
there is a certainly that danger - witness Esmerelda t and self sniggering about pyrexia in the National Archives museum yesterday -but there is a difference between a snotty and feverish Archie and a cold nosed and soaked heroic Archie ( or is there - begin to think all Archies are capable of adoration factor..)
"Umm no. Captain got it for me, or rather I think his wife got it. Came with the last mail and despatches. It's not what I expected, asked for your Donne fellow, but got this instead. You can have it anyway. Oh and he gave me that too." Horatio nodded toward a bottle in the centre of the table. "Said something about having had enough gifts this year."
Well, there's lovely as we say where I come from - but truly it is
no subject
Date: 2010-06-28 10:05 am (UTC)And the pair of them together result in exponential cuteness!
officers were driven to assemble in each other's rooms..where drinking and desperate gambling followed..
Well that's a fic prompt if ever I read one!! ;)
but does a library cure or encourage licence ?
I think you already know my answer to that one...
Well, there's lovely as we say where I come from - but truly it is
Awww, so glad you liked it :)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-28 10:52 am (UTC)exponential cutness is about right - cuteness incarnate really- fortunately for us!
is cold-nose-fic officially a genre yet? I think it should be...
Bartholomew no doubt agrees since if he has a hot nose those owners of his take him to the nasty dog-farrier and prodding about occurs
I did like it very much indeed for all those reasons and because it introduces the very remarkable Lady Pellew - of whom more fairly soon at a post near you...
no subject
Date: 2010-06-29 08:47 am (UTC)Well, given this fandom already has a comedy dog sub-genre I don't see why not!
prodding about occurs
*gasp* I don't think Mr Kennedy would ever let anyone prod Bartholomew! Lord Hornblower may have other ideas....
no subject
Date: 2010-06-29 09:41 pm (UTC)makes it hard for a gel to concentrate !
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Date: 2010-06-29 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 08:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 09:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 09:12 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-07-01 02:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 10:54 am (UTC)I have to say that might be quite fun in another context
this one however looks suitably hot and bothered
no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 06:31 pm (UTC)other than starting a " odd one out" round of just Archie or just Horatio looking sideways at othre people
I'm sure that could be arranged....
no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:39 pm (UTC)But impressed with your sidelong collection - unfortunately it has inspired Archie to try to be clever with his latest sonnet and that is imposing a challenge to conquer !
no subject
Date: 2010-07-03 12:51 pm (UTC)unfortunately it has inspired Archie to try to be clever with his latest sonnet and that is imposing a challenge to conquer !
I have every faith in Archie. I have never known him to fail to conquer a challenge!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-01 10:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-01 11:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 08:18 pm (UTC)I also loved the image of Archie on deck, feeling alive and absurdly happy in the gloomy rain and boring blockade watch. It says so much about Archie, knowing as we do what he's been trough. He shines.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 11:41 pm (UTC)loved the image of Archie on deck, feeling alive and absurdly happy in the gloomy rain and boring blockade watch
I was trying to capture something of just how alive Archie must have felt after those desperate hopeless years of captivity. Oh and we have it on good historical authority that blockade duty was indeed a task of mind numbing, and I also suspect arse numbing, tedium!
He shines.
He does :)