DV Ficathon
Due Recognition
From a prompt by alinewrites
Lennie rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. The reincarnation of Sir Francis Drake. You got to slow down on the drugs, Thomas."
"I'm telling you it's true. I'm almost sure of it. I sensed something the moment we met, and just look at those photos you took of the two of us together. I tell you he is Drake," Thomas insisted in that passionate voice which almost inevitably won people over.
"And just what makes you think you know anything about Drake, Thomas? If I recall correctly you spent most of the time you were supposed to be in history class, smoking pot in the art storeroom," Len scoffed lightheartedly.
"Yeah, alright, history was never my strong point, but since we met that guy, I've researched Drake. There's a ton of stuff on the net," Thomas said as he enthusiastically flipped through the web pages he'd bookmarked.
Len was aghast. "Thomas, you don't take any of that seriously do you? There's more rubbish on the net than in all the transfer stations in England!"
"I know, I know," said Thomas, becoming quite exasperated with his friend's disbelief, "but what about this? I've found a small fandom, here, on Live Journal, dedicated to none other than Francis Drake and Thomas Doughtie. And reincarnation is a hugely popular theme in this comm, Lennie."
Lennie's face paled. "Doughtie? Don't tell me you think you're the Thomas Doughtie that Drake executed!"
"You know about that?"
Lennie was silent.
"Len?"
"Alright, yes, I know about the history of Drake and Doughtie and I've seen that forum. But it's a fanfiction community for an old movie. They write stories about the ill fated pair, and slash just about every character in the movie while they're at it. But it's fiction, Thomas, FICTION!"
"Okay, yeah, it is, but there's a lot of research gone into it. Real research. Serious research. I haven't just been reading it for the porn, you know, although most of those stories are smoking hot! You don't suppose Drake and Doughtie really got up to any of that stuff do you?" Thomas said with a wicked smile, taking a moment to enjoy the deepening blush on Len's face. Then in a more serious voice he continued, "The more I read of Doughtie the more I realize that I lived that life. Those strange dreams I've always had; how quickly and easily I learned Latin at school - like I had spoken it before; my fascination with men of power, particularly those with red hair or of humble origins. Can you count the number disastrous relationships I've had with men of that type, Len?"
Len shook his head but remained sullenly silent. "Oh, come on Lennie, you're my oldest friend; I've always been able to talk to you about anything. And you know also I've always been interested in the occult."
"Yes, Thomas, and you know how I disapprove of that," Len finally answered.
Thomas shrugged a little dismissively before continuing, "Alright, if that's not enough, look here, just look at this: a letter written by Christopher Hatton's secretary in 1577. That handwriting look familiar? And how about the screencaps of the actor playing Doughtie. Remind you of someone?"
"But he's just an actor, and okay he looks like you, but there's nothing in any of that research to say Doughtie looked anything like either of you. For god's sake, Thomas, you're a journalist, and a rather well respected one at that, despite some of your antics. You just can't believe this stuff."
"Lennie, I'm telling you it all adds up, just look at it with an open mind. What about the way HE looked at me when we were introduced; you'd swear he'd seen a ghost. He knew. Next time I meet him I'm going to drop a few pertinent hints and see how he reacts." said Thomas who was by now in a state of high excitement.
"Next time? Are you crazy? If you really do think he's Drake and you're Doughtie, then you'd better think about what happened last time you crossed paths with him!"
"He's hardly likely to cut off my head, Len. Bite if off maybe or perhaps he'll try to seduce me," Thomas said with a grin.
"Thomas, no! This is courting disaster. Drake or not, he's a very dangerous man." There was a genuine sense of panic in Len's voice and the hands that reached out to Thomas imploringly had begun to tremble noticeably.
"Oh Leonard, you worry too much," Thomas laughed as he took hold of his friend's shoulders.
"Don't call me that."
"What?"
"Leonard. I never use that name." The answer came with a pained grimace on a face that had turned as pale as death. "And you can stop looking at me like that."
But Thomas couldn't help but continue to stare accusingly at his friend and was silent for a moment before he said, "You knew didn't you? You've known all along and you didn't tell me." Then his faced flushed, "Oh my god, Vicarye; you're Vicarye. I was so caught up in the excitement of discovering Drake I didn't see it!"
"Yes Thomas, some things never change."
From a prompt by alinewrites
Lennie rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. The reincarnation of Sir Francis Drake. You got to slow down on the drugs, Thomas."
"I'm telling you it's true. I'm almost sure of it. I sensed something the moment we met, and just look at those photos you took of the two of us together. I tell you he is Drake," Thomas insisted in that passionate voice which almost inevitably won people over.
"And just what makes you think you know anything about Drake, Thomas? If I recall correctly you spent most of the time you were supposed to be in history class, smoking pot in the art storeroom," Len scoffed lightheartedly.
"Yeah, alright, history was never my strong point, but since we met that guy, I've researched Drake. There's a ton of stuff on the net," Thomas said as he enthusiastically flipped through the web pages he'd bookmarked.
Len was aghast. "Thomas, you don't take any of that seriously do you? There's more rubbish on the net than in all the transfer stations in England!"
"I know, I know," said Thomas, becoming quite exasperated with his friend's disbelief, "but what about this? I've found a small fandom, here, on Live Journal, dedicated to none other than Francis Drake and Thomas Doughtie. And reincarnation is a hugely popular theme in this comm, Lennie."
Lennie's face paled. "Doughtie? Don't tell me you think you're the Thomas Doughtie that Drake executed!"
"You know about that?"
Lennie was silent.
"Len?"
"Alright, yes, I know about the history of Drake and Doughtie and I've seen that forum. But it's a fanfiction community for an old movie. They write stories about the ill fated pair, and slash just about every character in the movie while they're at it. But it's fiction, Thomas, FICTION!"
"Okay, yeah, it is, but there's a lot of research gone into it. Real research. Serious research. I haven't just been reading it for the porn, you know, although most of those stories are smoking hot! You don't suppose Drake and Doughtie really got up to any of that stuff do you?" Thomas said with a wicked smile, taking a moment to enjoy the deepening blush on Len's face. Then in a more serious voice he continued, "The more I read of Doughtie the more I realize that I lived that life. Those strange dreams I've always had; how quickly and easily I learned Latin at school - like I had spoken it before; my fascination with men of power, particularly those with red hair or of humble origins. Can you count the number disastrous relationships I've had with men of that type, Len?"
Len shook his head but remained sullenly silent. "Oh, come on Lennie, you're my oldest friend; I've always been able to talk to you about anything. And you know also I've always been interested in the occult."
"Yes, Thomas, and you know how I disapprove of that," Len finally answered.
Thomas shrugged a little dismissively before continuing, "Alright, if that's not enough, look here, just look at this: a letter written by Christopher Hatton's secretary in 1577. That handwriting look familiar? And how about the screencaps of the actor playing Doughtie. Remind you of someone?"
"But he's just an actor, and okay he looks like you, but there's nothing in any of that research to say Doughtie looked anything like either of you. For god's sake, Thomas, you're a journalist, and a rather well respected one at that, despite some of your antics. You just can't believe this stuff."
"Lennie, I'm telling you it all adds up, just look at it with an open mind. What about the way HE looked at me when we were introduced; you'd swear he'd seen a ghost. He knew. Next time I meet him I'm going to drop a few pertinent hints and see how he reacts." said Thomas who was by now in a state of high excitement.
"Next time? Are you crazy? If you really do think he's Drake and you're Doughtie, then you'd better think about what happened last time you crossed paths with him!"
"He's hardly likely to cut off my head, Len. Bite if off maybe or perhaps he'll try to seduce me," Thomas said with a grin.
"Thomas, no! This is courting disaster. Drake or not, he's a very dangerous man." There was a genuine sense of panic in Len's voice and the hands that reached out to Thomas imploringly had begun to tremble noticeably.
"Oh Leonard, you worry too much," Thomas laughed as he took hold of his friend's shoulders.
"Don't call me that."
"What?"
"Leonard. I never use that name." The answer came with a pained grimace on a face that had turned as pale as death. "And you can stop looking at me like that."
But Thomas couldn't help but continue to stare accusingly at his friend and was silent for a moment before he said, "You knew didn't you? You've known all along and you didn't tell me." Then his faced flushed, "Oh my god, Vicarye; you're Vicarye. I was so caught up in the excitement of discovering Drake I didn't see it!"
"Yes Thomas, some things never change."