Fic: Blokes on the Beach
Title: Blokes on the Beach
Fandom: Hornblower AU
Pairing: Horatio/Archie plus a surprise cameo couple *g*
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Written for mylodon, who was so kind as to send me a John Barrowman CD. Inspired by her modern-day AU The Even Chance revisited, which I highly recommend, although this makes sense without having read it. She requested Horatio and Archie visiting Provincetown, MA, so here it is!
"So I was thinking," Archie said, flopping down on the sofa next to Horatio, "We should do something special for our anniversary this year."
Horatio looked up from his book.
"But we're already getting--"
"Horatio, I mean something more exciting than watching you go into raptures over this new computer and then dragging you to the theater like a sulky beast."
"Oh." Horatio looked something like sufficiently abashed. He loved Archie dearly, and treasured every day with him, but he was just as happy not making a big fuss over the third anniversay of their civil partnership.
"Well, what did you have in mind?"
"Going to America."
Horatio laughed. Archie didn't.
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Why shouldn't we? We've got the money saved up, and I'd really like to visit Massachusetts."
Horatio's eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion.
"You haven't already organized the whole thing behind my back, have you?"
"Of course not. I was busy doing other things behind your back." Archie smirked.
"All right, I get the point."
"Anyway, I wouldn't buy tickets or anything without running the idea by you first. But I do think it would be nice to have a holiday."
"You've clearly been thinking about it for a while."
"Well, a little, yes."
"Tell me your plan, then," Horatio sighed in mock resignation, putting the book down.
"We can both get time off work next month- I can easily abandon the book for a couple weeks, and you don't do real work anyway-"
"Excuse me, just because it's all on a computer doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Horatio interjected indignantly.
"So you keep saying, dear. But we can get a couple weeks off work, get cheap tickets because it's the off season--"
"There's a reason no one wants to go to Massachusetts in April, you know."
"--We'll have to fly into Boston, so we can spend a couple days doing the sights there before either driving down to Cape Cod or taking the ferry. I'm all for the latter, frankly. Don't much fancy tackling left hand driving. Then we can see Provincetown, and anywhere else in the area we fancy."
Horatio wasn't about to admit it yet, but he was warming up to this mad idea. "What is there to do there?"
"Plenty. Boston has all the historical sights, theaters- don't roll your eyes- museums.... Cape Cod has lovely beaches, so we could spend time just relaxing, though probably not swimming. And Provincetown is the Brighton of the East Coast, so I'm told- a seaside gay mecca."
"Why not just go to Brighton then, if the object of the trip is to pick up blokes on the beach?"
"Don't be an idiot." Archie rumpled Horatio's hair. "If that was what I wanted, I wouldn't have asked you along. You do get horribly jealous."
"Shut up." Horatio stuck his tongue out at Archie.
"Never. So what do you think?"
"I think I may still need some persuading."
"Is this the sort of persuasion that involves my snogging you senseless?"
"Possibly..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Archie's persuasion was so successful that several weeks later saw the pair stepping off a transatlantic flight and setting foot in the New World for the first time. Despite Horatio's predictions of rain and cold, the weather was sunny and mild for their stay in Boston. They saw the touristy sights, before taking the ferry across the harbor to Provincetown.
Horatio didn't enjoy the voyage much, as the day was chilly and windy, the sea choppy, and the motion of the boat more energetic than his stomach was quite comfortable with. But he cheered up when Archie pointed out their destination's distinctive tower on the horizon, and by the time they had disembarked, checked in to the B&B where they were staying, and found a place to have a late tea, he was fully recovered. A few days later, Archie wrote home...
Dear Mum and Dad,
Horatio and I are having a lovely time in Provincetown. Boston was incredible- so much to see- but we're really enjoying just relaxing and wandering around this little town. The B&B we're staying at is charming, the old lady who runs it is the nicest creature imaginable, and she feeds us until we can hardly move. There's another couple staying here as well, named John and Scott. John is an actor and Scott is an architect. They're visiting from England too- funny how you go away, only to meet people from home- but John grew up in the states. Since none of us have been here before, we've decided to explore some of the sights together, and we went to the museum and climbed to the top of the tower with them. There's an amazing view, well worth the exertion of getting up there. I'm enclosing postcards, but I had too much to write to fit on one. Though I suppose I could have sent a serial letter, on one postcard a day. That would have been amusing. Anyway, too late now.
The beaches here are amazing. Our B&B is right on the ocean, and Horatio has been waking me up early every morning to go for a walk before breakfast.
Archie paused for a moment to remember that morning's particularly pleasurable awakening, then glanced over at Horatio, who was dozing on their bed following the afternoon's tiring excursion around art galleries and used book shops.
He says it's a punishment for my refusing to let him bring his laptop on holiday. Still, he seems to be managing fine without it. I'm certainly enjoying having a break from pressure and deadlines and work.
Today we went on a whale watch, which was absolutely incredible. Horatio was a bit worried about the idea as apparently boats don't agree with him, but our hostess perscribed him a seasickness cure, which worked wonders. We didn't see a whale until the boat had turned around to come home and we were all resigning ourselves to disappointment, but then one appeared out of the depths right beside our boat. Apparently they keep track of all the whales that migrate through here, and the one we saw was a young female named Lucy. She was very playful for such a huge creature, swimming back and forth under the boat and making everyone rush from side to side in order to see her. Horatio got some wonderful pictures, but I'm afraid they can't convey how amazing it was to be in the presence of this beautiful animal. She was as long as the boat, as we got to see when she flipped herself out of the water sideways, showing off for us. When she swam underwater, you could see her white underside glowing green through the water. She seemed to be having such a good time, fully in her element, but so peaceful as well. I am quite besotted, as I'm sure you can tell, so we may have to squeeze in another whale watch before we leave.
I knew before that P-town, as the locals call it, has a big gay and lesbian community, but I didn't really appreciate how much of one until we got here. It's quite a different experience to be in the majority just walking down the street with Horatio, and I'll admit I like it. I wouldn't want to live here- nowhere can replace London- but nowhere else is exactly like Provincetown either.
A club in town is having a drag show Saturday night, which I'll see if I can trick Horatio into attending. John and Scott are keen on seeing it, so they'll be able to give me a hand if I have to carry him kicking and screaming. It's part of the local flavour, if nothing else. I'd better wake him up now so we can go find a place to eat dinner- there's a seafood place we spotted earlier that looked worth a try. Horatio sends his love. Hope you're both well, and the girls.
Love, Archie
Archie stuck his letter in an envelope, along with several postcards of both Boston and Provincetown, and stamped and addressed it before moving across the room to Horatio. He sat down on the edge of the bed and shook his partner's shoulder gently.
"Horatio, wake up."
Horatio made a noise, draped his arm across Archie's legs, and made no other move.
"Time to go get dinner. I'm hungry."
"Mmhummmh."
"We can go try the lobster at that place down the road."
Horatio snuggled closer to him.
"Get up, you lazy bum, or I'll tickle you."
Horatio groaned and opened his eyes. "Archie."
Archie smiled at the way Horatio's irritation lengthened the syllables of his name. "Come on, I'll help you up."
After dinner, stuffed with excellent New England lobster, wine, and blueberry cheesecake, Horatio and Archie wandered slowly through the center of town, arms linked together against the chill of the evening. They passed the club, with a poster advertising the upcoming drag show. Horatio nodded toward it.
"Do you want to go see that? It looks like fun."
Archie stopped for a moment out of sheer astonishment, then burst out laughing.
"Horatio, I thought I'd have to bring you kicking and screaming!"
"I'm not that unadventurous, you know."
"I know, love, I just forget sometimes."
"I've never been to see a drag show and I think that being in Provincetown is a fine excuse to go to one."
"Indeed it is." Archie leaned in to steal a quick kiss, just because he could do so in the middle of the street without anyone blinking an eye. "You know, I really like Provincetown."
"Me too. I'm glad you came up with this idea."
They made their back to the B&B, where Horatio expressed his gratitude in greater detail, before they fell asleep to the sound of the waves.
Fandom: Hornblower AU
Pairing: Horatio/Archie plus a surprise cameo couple *g*
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Written for mylodon, who was so kind as to send me a John Barrowman CD. Inspired by her modern-day AU The Even Chance revisited, which I highly recommend, although this makes sense without having read it. She requested Horatio and Archie visiting Provincetown, MA, so here it is!
"So I was thinking," Archie said, flopping down on the sofa next to Horatio, "We should do something special for our anniversary this year."
Horatio looked up from his book.
"But we're already getting--"
"Horatio, I mean something more exciting than watching you go into raptures over this new computer and then dragging you to the theater like a sulky beast."
"Oh." Horatio looked something like sufficiently abashed. He loved Archie dearly, and treasured every day with him, but he was just as happy not making a big fuss over the third anniversay of their civil partnership.
"Well, what did you have in mind?"
"Going to America."
Horatio laughed. Archie didn't.
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Why shouldn't we? We've got the money saved up, and I'd really like to visit Massachusetts."
Horatio's eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion.
"You haven't already organized the whole thing behind my back, have you?"
"Of course not. I was busy doing other things behind your back." Archie smirked.
"All right, I get the point."
"Anyway, I wouldn't buy tickets or anything without running the idea by you first. But I do think it would be nice to have a holiday."
"You've clearly been thinking about it for a while."
"Well, a little, yes."
"Tell me your plan, then," Horatio sighed in mock resignation, putting the book down.
"We can both get time off work next month- I can easily abandon the book for a couple weeks, and you don't do real work anyway-"
"Excuse me, just because it's all on a computer doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Horatio interjected indignantly.
"So you keep saying, dear. But we can get a couple weeks off work, get cheap tickets because it's the off season--"
"There's a reason no one wants to go to Massachusetts in April, you know."
"--We'll have to fly into Boston, so we can spend a couple days doing the sights there before either driving down to Cape Cod or taking the ferry. I'm all for the latter, frankly. Don't much fancy tackling left hand driving. Then we can see Provincetown, and anywhere else in the area we fancy."
Horatio wasn't about to admit it yet, but he was warming up to this mad idea. "What is there to do there?"
"Plenty. Boston has all the historical sights, theaters- don't roll your eyes- museums.... Cape Cod has lovely beaches, so we could spend time just relaxing, though probably not swimming. And Provincetown is the Brighton of the East Coast, so I'm told- a seaside gay mecca."
"Why not just go to Brighton then, if the object of the trip is to pick up blokes on the beach?"
"Don't be an idiot." Archie rumpled Horatio's hair. "If that was what I wanted, I wouldn't have asked you along. You do get horribly jealous."
"Shut up." Horatio stuck his tongue out at Archie.
"Never. So what do you think?"
"I think I may still need some persuading."
"Is this the sort of persuasion that involves my snogging you senseless?"
"Possibly..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Archie's persuasion was so successful that several weeks later saw the pair stepping off a transatlantic flight and setting foot in the New World for the first time. Despite Horatio's predictions of rain and cold, the weather was sunny and mild for their stay in Boston. They saw the touristy sights, before taking the ferry across the harbor to Provincetown.
Horatio didn't enjoy the voyage much, as the day was chilly and windy, the sea choppy, and the motion of the boat more energetic than his stomach was quite comfortable with. But he cheered up when Archie pointed out their destination's distinctive tower on the horizon, and by the time they had disembarked, checked in to the B&B where they were staying, and found a place to have a late tea, he was fully recovered. A few days later, Archie wrote home...
Dear Mum and Dad,
Horatio and I are having a lovely time in Provincetown. Boston was incredible- so much to see- but we're really enjoying just relaxing and wandering around this little town. The B&B we're staying at is charming, the old lady who runs it is the nicest creature imaginable, and she feeds us until we can hardly move. There's another couple staying here as well, named John and Scott. John is an actor and Scott is an architect. They're visiting from England too- funny how you go away, only to meet people from home- but John grew up in the states. Since none of us have been here before, we've decided to explore some of the sights together, and we went to the museum and climbed to the top of the tower with them. There's an amazing view, well worth the exertion of getting up there. I'm enclosing postcards, but I had too much to write to fit on one. Though I suppose I could have sent a serial letter, on one postcard a day. That would have been amusing. Anyway, too late now.
The beaches here are amazing. Our B&B is right on the ocean, and Horatio has been waking me up early every morning to go for a walk before breakfast.
Archie paused for a moment to remember that morning's particularly pleasurable awakening, then glanced over at Horatio, who was dozing on their bed following the afternoon's tiring excursion around art galleries and used book shops.
He says it's a punishment for my refusing to let him bring his laptop on holiday. Still, he seems to be managing fine without it. I'm certainly enjoying having a break from pressure and deadlines and work.
Today we went on a whale watch, which was absolutely incredible. Horatio was a bit worried about the idea as apparently boats don't agree with him, but our hostess perscribed him a seasickness cure, which worked wonders. We didn't see a whale until the boat had turned around to come home and we were all resigning ourselves to disappointment, but then one appeared out of the depths right beside our boat. Apparently they keep track of all the whales that migrate through here, and the one we saw was a young female named Lucy. She was very playful for such a huge creature, swimming back and forth under the boat and making everyone rush from side to side in order to see her. Horatio got some wonderful pictures, but I'm afraid they can't convey how amazing it was to be in the presence of this beautiful animal. She was as long as the boat, as we got to see when she flipped herself out of the water sideways, showing off for us. When she swam underwater, you could see her white underside glowing green through the water. She seemed to be having such a good time, fully in her element, but so peaceful as well. I am quite besotted, as I'm sure you can tell, so we may have to squeeze in another whale watch before we leave.
I knew before that P-town, as the locals call it, has a big gay and lesbian community, but I didn't really appreciate how much of one until we got here. It's quite a different experience to be in the majority just walking down the street with Horatio, and I'll admit I like it. I wouldn't want to live here- nowhere can replace London- but nowhere else is exactly like Provincetown either.
A club in town is having a drag show Saturday night, which I'll see if I can trick Horatio into attending. John and Scott are keen on seeing it, so they'll be able to give me a hand if I have to carry him kicking and screaming. It's part of the local flavour, if nothing else. I'd better wake him up now so we can go find a place to eat dinner- there's a seafood place we spotted earlier that looked worth a try. Horatio sends his love. Hope you're both well, and the girls.
Love, Archie
Archie stuck his letter in an envelope, along with several postcards of both Boston and Provincetown, and stamped and addressed it before moving across the room to Horatio. He sat down on the edge of the bed and shook his partner's shoulder gently.
"Horatio, wake up."
Horatio made a noise, draped his arm across Archie's legs, and made no other move.
"Time to go get dinner. I'm hungry."
"Mmhummmh."
"We can go try the lobster at that place down the road."
Horatio snuggled closer to him.
"Get up, you lazy bum, or I'll tickle you."
Horatio groaned and opened his eyes. "Archie."
Archie smiled at the way Horatio's irritation lengthened the syllables of his name. "Come on, I'll help you up."
After dinner, stuffed with excellent New England lobster, wine, and blueberry cheesecake, Horatio and Archie wandered slowly through the center of town, arms linked together against the chill of the evening. They passed the club, with a poster advertising the upcoming drag show. Horatio nodded toward it.
"Do you want to go see that? It looks like fun."
Archie stopped for a moment out of sheer astonishment, then burst out laughing.
"Horatio, I thought I'd have to bring you kicking and screaming!"
"I'm not that unadventurous, you know."
"I know, love, I just forget sometimes."
"I've never been to see a drag show and I think that being in Provincetown is a fine excuse to go to one."
"Indeed it is." Archie leaned in to steal a quick kiss, just because he could do so in the middle of the street without anyone blinking an eye. "You know, I really like Provincetown."
"Me too. I'm glad you came up with this idea."
They made their back to the B&B, where Horatio expressed his gratitude in greater detail, before they fell asleep to the sound of the waves.