Late Birthday Fic!
I'm back! All settled in at college now, after the craziness of packing and unpacking and orientation and all.
romanticalgirl, here's your birthday fic! Sorry about the delay, which was due to the aforementioned craziness, and also to the fact that I've been suffering from a complete inability to write porn, and agonizing over it. But I've decided to post it as a pornless ficlet, which I may or may not add to if I ever get my porn-writing mojo back. Anyway, enjoy! =)
Title: Boots
Pairing: Horatio/Archie
Rating: PG-13
Notes: I blame mylodon for the mpreg joke. It's not for real, don't worry!
Summary: Originally inspired by the aos_challenge prompt 'boots', even though I'm a bit late to post it there. *sigh* Re-reading it, there is really no point other than 'Horatio gets new boots and snoggage ensues'. Oh well.
“I’ve heard of sailors spending their hard-earned prize money on silver watches and using them as conkers, but this enters new realms of profligacy.”
“Don’t be silly, Archie. The soles of my old shoes are nearly worn through, and the leather is splitting. And they’re getting too tight.”
“Mother complained about that happening during her confinement with Charlotte. Is there something you should be telling me, Horatio?”
Horatio saw Archie’s impish grin reflected in the shoemaker’s shop window, and he smiled back.
“Yes, Archie. You’re going to be a father.” He dryly muttered, the tinkle of the bell covering his words as he stepped into the shop. Archie followed him in, and Horatio smugly congratulated himself on having gotten the last word in for once, as the proprietor’s solicitous welcome put a stopper to Archie’s palpable desire to wring every possible drop of amusement out of this new joke. Impatience emanated from him as Horatio ordered and was measured for his new footwear, to be paid for upon their completion.
Indeed, once the two lieutenants were back to strolling down the street again, Archie produced many droll suggestions as to their next destination- the tailor, perhaps, to fit Horatio for an extra-large uniform? The milliner, for baby bonnets? And how would one go about hiring a wet-nurse? Horatio had tired of the conversation long before Archie was done considering names- he settled on Hyacinth, after his mother, for a girl, or Edward, after Captain Pellew, for a boy. -“After all, it must have been under his captainacy that the child was-”
“Archie, I would ask you to remember that we re in the middle of a public thoroughfare,” Horatio interrupted hastily. “Anyway, it’s a ridiculous idea and you know it.”
“Of course. That’s why I like it so much. ‘There are more things in heaven and earth...’”
“No. Don’t even start quoting Shakespeare, you’ll never stop.”
“Horatio!” Archie had stopped walking suddenly, and Horatio turned to see him grinning like an idiot. “You recognized it! You knew I was quoting Shakespeare! I’m so proud of you!”
“Ha h’m. If you would only pick up navigation as readily..." Horatio tucked Archie’s arm firmly under his own. “Now let’s go find a place to eat dinner.”
He was, however, privately gratified to have earned Archie’s approval in this respect, and the remark about navigation was entirely unwarranted, since Archie was by now an entirely capable officer.
They dined, then retired to enjoy what was, for both of them, one of the chiefest pleasures of shore leave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Horatio returned to the shoemaker’s shop on the last afternoon of their leave- they were to return to the Indy in the morning. Archie had gone to a bookshop, where Horatio had agreed to meet him in order to extract him at a reasonable hour.
The shop in question proved to be small and almost entirely filled up with books. A Quaker man sat behind the high counter, and bid Horatio good day as he entered, enquiring,
“Are thee looking for anything in particular?”
“Thank you. In fact, I’m looking for a friend of mine.”
“I believe thee may find him in the back room,” the man replied, gesturing toward the doorway.
Archie was indeed to be found hidden away behind a high shelf of books, thoroughly engrossed. He looked up only when Horatio spoke to him, and his gaze was instantly drawn to his friend’s feet.
“You like them?” Horatio asked.
“I didn’t know you’d gotten boots,” Archie said, stepping closer. In a swift movement, he cupped Horatio’s face in his hand, drawing him into a quick, intense, kiss.
“I like them,” he added breathlessly, retreating to a more proprietous distance. Horatio looked torn between pleasure, shock, and anxiety for a moment, but the latter won out as he glanced around to make certain that they had not been observed.
“That was very foolish,” he hissed, although his gaze lingered on Archie’s mouth.
“Let’s get back.”
Archie purchased his books, as well as the antislavery pamphlet that the Quaker man urged on him, and they returned to the inn with discreet haste.
romanticalgirl, here's your birthday fic! Sorry about the delay, which was due to the aforementioned craziness, and also to the fact that I've been suffering from a complete inability to write porn, and agonizing over it. But I've decided to post it as a pornless ficlet, which I may or may not add to if I ever get my porn-writing mojo back. Anyway, enjoy! =)
Title: Boots
Pairing: Horatio/Archie
Rating: PG-13
Notes: I blame mylodon for the mpreg joke. It's not for real, don't worry!
Summary: Originally inspired by the aos_challenge prompt 'boots', even though I'm a bit late to post it there. *sigh* Re-reading it, there is really no point other than 'Horatio gets new boots and snoggage ensues'. Oh well.
“I’ve heard of sailors spending their hard-earned prize money on silver watches and using them as conkers, but this enters new realms of profligacy.”
“Don’t be silly, Archie. The soles of my old shoes are nearly worn through, and the leather is splitting. And they’re getting too tight.”
“Mother complained about that happening during her confinement with Charlotte. Is there something you should be telling me, Horatio?”
Horatio saw Archie’s impish grin reflected in the shoemaker’s shop window, and he smiled back.
“Yes, Archie. You’re going to be a father.” He dryly muttered, the tinkle of the bell covering his words as he stepped into the shop. Archie followed him in, and Horatio smugly congratulated himself on having gotten the last word in for once, as the proprietor’s solicitous welcome put a stopper to Archie’s palpable desire to wring every possible drop of amusement out of this new joke. Impatience emanated from him as Horatio ordered and was measured for his new footwear, to be paid for upon their completion.
Indeed, once the two lieutenants were back to strolling down the street again, Archie produced many droll suggestions as to their next destination- the tailor, perhaps, to fit Horatio for an extra-large uniform? The milliner, for baby bonnets? And how would one go about hiring a wet-nurse? Horatio had tired of the conversation long before Archie was done considering names- he settled on Hyacinth, after his mother, for a girl, or Edward, after Captain Pellew, for a boy. -“After all, it must have been under his captainacy that the child was-”
“Archie, I would ask you to remember that we re in the middle of a public thoroughfare,” Horatio interrupted hastily. “Anyway, it’s a ridiculous idea and you know it.”
“Of course. That’s why I like it so much. ‘There are more things in heaven and earth...’”
“No. Don’t even start quoting Shakespeare, you’ll never stop.”
“Horatio!” Archie had stopped walking suddenly, and Horatio turned to see him grinning like an idiot. “You recognized it! You knew I was quoting Shakespeare! I’m so proud of you!”
“Ha h’m. If you would only pick up navigation as readily..." Horatio tucked Archie’s arm firmly under his own. “Now let’s go find a place to eat dinner.”
He was, however, privately gratified to have earned Archie’s approval in this respect, and the remark about navigation was entirely unwarranted, since Archie was by now an entirely capable officer.
They dined, then retired to enjoy what was, for both of them, one of the chiefest pleasures of shore leave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Horatio returned to the shoemaker’s shop on the last afternoon of their leave- they were to return to the Indy in the morning. Archie had gone to a bookshop, where Horatio had agreed to meet him in order to extract him at a reasonable hour.
The shop in question proved to be small and almost entirely filled up with books. A Quaker man sat behind the high counter, and bid Horatio good day as he entered, enquiring,
“Are thee looking for anything in particular?”
“Thank you. In fact, I’m looking for a friend of mine.”
“I believe thee may find him in the back room,” the man replied, gesturing toward the doorway.
Archie was indeed to be found hidden away behind a high shelf of books, thoroughly engrossed. He looked up only when Horatio spoke to him, and his gaze was instantly drawn to his friend’s feet.
“You like them?” Horatio asked.
“I didn’t know you’d gotten boots,” Archie said, stepping closer. In a swift movement, he cupped Horatio’s face in his hand, drawing him into a quick, intense, kiss.
“I like them,” he added breathlessly, retreating to a more proprietous distance. Horatio looked torn between pleasure, shock, and anxiety for a moment, but the latter won out as he glanced around to make certain that they had not been observed.
“That was very foolish,” he hissed, although his gaze lingered on Archie’s mouth.
“Let’s get back.”
Archie purchased his books, as well as the antislavery pamphlet that the Quaker man urged on him, and they returned to the inn with discreet haste.