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thefannishwaldo.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crack_van2004-02-13 08:22 pm
thefannishwaldo.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2004-02-13 08:22 pm
Entry tags:
"Tutelage" by Widget
Fandom: Hornblower
Pairing: Horatio/Archie
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
widget285
Author Website: http://www.widgeteria.co.uk/
Why this must be read:
This story takes place in between the scenes of "The Duel". It plays on a lot of themes common to the fandom (Horatio teaching Archie math, Simpson being... well, Simpson) and has a couple of fairly common slash themes running through it ("Oh my God, we did what??? He'll never speak to me again!") and yet it manages to avoid being cliche' in the least.
And it's long! I don't know about anyone else, but it seems that there's a lot of very short, viginette type fics in Hornblower, but not very much in terms of well-developed stories that you can really get involved in.
Like I said, it has a real typical slash plot line. Two boys (let's face it, they're teenagers in this one) who meet, develop a friendship; the friendship turns into something else and they both freak out.
Well, Archie doesn't freak out so much as Simpson makes him rethink things.
Horatio freaks out.
I like that the hurt/comfort works both ways, playing off of both canon and constructed issues. I'm particularly fond of this scene: You know in the movie where Simpson pounds Horatio into a pulp? This picks up from there. The other midshipman decide that Hepplewhite is useless and take Horatio down the cable tiers instead where Archie tries to hide him and clean him up...
They nodded and left without another glance back. It was quiet and dark in the cable tier and there was no sound other than the creaking of the ship, Horatio's harsh, rasping breath, and the sound of water dripping as Archie continued to bathe his shipmate's face.
Archie sat back on his heels to have a better look at his handiwork and sighed. The blood, at least was gone, but the bruises were all too vivid against the shocking pallor of Horatio's skin. There was no way to hide them, not even from the less than watchful eyes of the officers of His Majesty's Scow Justinian. At least Horatio was not on duty again until the forenoon watch. Perhaps the swelling would be down by then...Archie sighed again. There was no way to hide this.
"Archie?"
Archie gave the other boy a smile that he hoped looked more reassuring than it felt. "You should try and get some rest, Horatio."
He regretted that he had not pilfered a pillow along with the blanket, but there was nothing to be done for it now. Stripping off his jacket, Archie bundled it into a cushion and laid it on the deck before he coaxed Horatio to lie down on his side. He spread the blanket over his supine body and tucked it neatly around him.
Archie looked down, startled, when he felt a hand clasp his wrist. Horatio looked up at him; a small smile traced his lips and gratitude shone in his eyes.
"Thank you, Archie."
He swallowed, unaccountably flustered, then smiled back and placed a hand on Horatio's shoulder. "You're welcome, Horatio. Now rest, Mr. Hornblower. That is an order."
Horatio closed his eyes and sighed. "Aye, aye sir."
Archie watched as Horatio's body relaxed and his breathing evened out as slumber claimed him. He shifted around to lean against the bulkhead, his hand still resting on the other boy's shoulder and watched him sleep, oblivious to the creaking of the ship and the chill prickling his skin through the thin linen of his shirt. Horatio was safe...*they* were safe from Simpson, at least for the moment. Apart from that, nothing else really mattered. The rest would sort itself out in time, one way or another.
Pairing: Horatio/Archie
Author on LJ:
widget285Author Website: http://www.widgeteria.co.uk/
Why this must be read:
This story takes place in between the scenes of "The Duel". It plays on a lot of themes common to the fandom (Horatio teaching Archie math, Simpson being... well, Simpson) and has a couple of fairly common slash themes running through it ("Oh my God, we did what??? He'll never speak to me again!") and yet it manages to avoid being cliche' in the least.
And it's long! I don't know about anyone else, but it seems that there's a lot of very short, viginette type fics in Hornblower, but not very much in terms of well-developed stories that you can really get involved in.
Like I said, it has a real typical slash plot line. Two boys (let's face it, they're teenagers in this one) who meet, develop a friendship; the friendship turns into something else and they both freak out.
Well, Archie doesn't freak out so much as Simpson makes him rethink things.
Horatio freaks out.
I like that the hurt/comfort works both ways, playing off of both canon and constructed issues. I'm particularly fond of this scene: You know in the movie where Simpson pounds Horatio into a pulp? This picks up from there. The other midshipman decide that Hepplewhite is useless and take Horatio down the cable tiers instead where Archie tries to hide him and clean him up...
They nodded and left without another glance back. It was quiet and dark in the cable tier and there was no sound other than the creaking of the ship, Horatio's harsh, rasping breath, and the sound of water dripping as Archie continued to bathe his shipmate's face.
Archie sat back on his heels to have a better look at his handiwork and sighed. The blood, at least was gone, but the bruises were all too vivid against the shocking pallor of Horatio's skin. There was no way to hide them, not even from the less than watchful eyes of the officers of His Majesty's Scow Justinian. At least Horatio was not on duty again until the forenoon watch. Perhaps the swelling would be down by then...Archie sighed again. There was no way to hide this.
"Archie?"
Archie gave the other boy a smile that he hoped looked more reassuring than it felt. "You should try and get some rest, Horatio."
He regretted that he had not pilfered a pillow along with the blanket, but there was nothing to be done for it now. Stripping off his jacket, Archie bundled it into a cushion and laid it on the deck before he coaxed Horatio to lie down on his side. He spread the blanket over his supine body and tucked it neatly around him.
Archie looked down, startled, when he felt a hand clasp his wrist. Horatio looked up at him; a small smile traced his lips and gratitude shone in his eyes.
"Thank you, Archie."
He swallowed, unaccountably flustered, then smiled back and placed a hand on Horatio's shoulder. "You're welcome, Horatio. Now rest, Mr. Hornblower. That is an order."
Horatio closed his eyes and sighed. "Aye, aye sir."
Archie watched as Horatio's body relaxed and his breathing evened out as slumber claimed him. He shifted around to lean against the bulkhead, his hand still resting on the other boy's shoulder and watched him sleep, oblivious to the creaking of the ship and the chill prickling his skin through the thin linen of his shirt. Horatio was safe...*they* were safe from Simpson, at least for the moment. Apart from that, nothing else really mattered. The rest would sort itself out in time, one way or another.
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