Fic Post
New Year Fic. Hornblower Mod AU, set when the boys are university aged.
Horatio has two options on arrival at the Kennedy house for New Year’s Day dinner; neither one particularly appealing. He could follow Archie into the living room where his two brothers could already be heard bickering in voices far too shrill for grown men. Alternatively he could follow Mrs. Kennedy into the kitchen where Nana Kennedy was reportedly holding court. Mrs. Kennedy already looked like her nerves could benefit from an administration of valium washed down with gin. The decision is made for him when Archie calls over his shoulder, “Could you go and say hello to Nana, Horatio? I’m just going to say hello to Sean and Gerard first.”
Horatio dutifully follows Mrs. Kennedy into the kitchen where Mr. Kennedy, and his cantankerous, Glaswegian, mother await. On arrival to the kitchen however Horatio finds both Archie’s father and grandmother somewhat merry and at first he can’t quite figure out why as they seem to be drinking coffee. The situation is made clearer when Mrs. Kennedy puts a coffee cup in front of Horatio and Mr. Kennedy promptly adds a shot of whiskey from a silver teapot to it.
While a merry Nana and Mr. Kennedy is initially somewhat entertaining Horatio begins to see why Mrs. Kennedy looks so frazzled as any internal filter her mother in law had when sober seems to be absent completely after copious amounts of Irish coffee. Horatio can’t quite understand what either she or Mr. Kennedy are saying as they’re speaking too quickly and every second word sounds odd but in between the bouts of cackling laughter he gets the gist of it. He finishes his coffee as quickly as possible and despite the warmth it’s spreading through him and the light fog that’s descending down on his brain resists the urge to agree when he’s offered a refill. Instead he stands to declare, “I’ll just see what Archie’s up to.”
~
Archie is to be found in the living room sitting between his two brothers on the sofa that faces the TV roughly the same size as some of the smaller Channel Islands. They are currently in silence and Horatio frowns at the screen as he perches on another sofa; trying to place what they’re watching. After a couple of minutes of watching Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole ham it up he recognises the film as The Lion in Winter. Being a tale of family dysfunction over the festive season Horatio can well believe it’s a favorite in the Kennedy household. Horatio is on the verge of asking Archie if he doesn’t think he should perhaps greet his grandmother when Archie, in a tone of voice that alerts Horatio that Archie’s silence had actually been sulking, says, “I am not John!”
It’s Gerard who replies with a sideways glance, “Course you are. You’re the baby. I’m Richard, Sean is Geoffrey and so you’re John.”
Archie turns to Sean to say with vehemence, “You don’t think I’m John; do you?”
Horatio is surprised at the quick, smirk restrained glance, that is exchanged between Gerard and Sean, winding up their little brother together is not an activity they often indulge in, Sean shrugs, “Well you’re sort of proving the point right now, Archie. Looking to Geoff to defend him is exactly the sort of thing John would do.”
Archie opens him mouth to protest but seems to take a second to formulate a response, he comes back with a determined answer, “If anyone’s Richard it’s me. For a start I’m gay like he was and I’m Mum’s favorite.”
It’s Gerard’s turn to protest that remark, “No you’re not! If Mum has a favorite it’s me! I’m her first born!”
Archie snaps back, “And I’m her baby!” but Horatio doesn’t miss Sean’s mutter of “I see no one’s suggesting I might be her favorite, God I really am Geoffrey.”
Before the argument can descend any further there’s a sudden shout from the hallway, “Boys! If you can’t watch the television together peacefully you won’t be watching it at all!”
There’s a chorus of “Yes, Mum, sorry, Mum.” From his post near the door Horatio hears Mrs. Kennedy say to herself, “I’ve had to listen to this for 25 years, 25 bloody years of constant bickering and sniping at each other…”
As Mrs. Kennedy’s voice fades as she moves down the hall Horatio refocuses his attention on the TV and the brothers, he turns to see three pairs of glittering blue eyes on him. It’s Archie who asks, “But who would Horatio be then?”
Horatio has never been so glad to be an only child.
Horatio has two options on arrival at the Kennedy house for New Year’s Day dinner; neither one particularly appealing. He could follow Archie into the living room where his two brothers could already be heard bickering in voices far too shrill for grown men. Alternatively he could follow Mrs. Kennedy into the kitchen where Nana Kennedy was reportedly holding court. Mrs. Kennedy already looked like her nerves could benefit from an administration of valium washed down with gin. The decision is made for him when Archie calls over his shoulder, “Could you go and say hello to Nana, Horatio? I’m just going to say hello to Sean and Gerard first.”
Horatio dutifully follows Mrs. Kennedy into the kitchen where Mr. Kennedy, and his cantankerous, Glaswegian, mother await. On arrival to the kitchen however Horatio finds both Archie’s father and grandmother somewhat merry and at first he can’t quite figure out why as they seem to be drinking coffee. The situation is made clearer when Mrs. Kennedy puts a coffee cup in front of Horatio and Mr. Kennedy promptly adds a shot of whiskey from a silver teapot to it.
While a merry Nana and Mr. Kennedy is initially somewhat entertaining Horatio begins to see why Mrs. Kennedy looks so frazzled as any internal filter her mother in law had when sober seems to be absent completely after copious amounts of Irish coffee. Horatio can’t quite understand what either she or Mr. Kennedy are saying as they’re speaking too quickly and every second word sounds odd but in between the bouts of cackling laughter he gets the gist of it. He finishes his coffee as quickly as possible and despite the warmth it’s spreading through him and the light fog that’s descending down on his brain resists the urge to agree when he’s offered a refill. Instead he stands to declare, “I’ll just see what Archie’s up to.”
~
Archie is to be found in the living room sitting between his two brothers on the sofa that faces the TV roughly the same size as some of the smaller Channel Islands. They are currently in silence and Horatio frowns at the screen as he perches on another sofa; trying to place what they’re watching. After a couple of minutes of watching Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole ham it up he recognises the film as The Lion in Winter. Being a tale of family dysfunction over the festive season Horatio can well believe it’s a favorite in the Kennedy household. Horatio is on the verge of asking Archie if he doesn’t think he should perhaps greet his grandmother when Archie, in a tone of voice that alerts Horatio that Archie’s silence had actually been sulking, says, “I am not John!”
It’s Gerard who replies with a sideways glance, “Course you are. You’re the baby. I’m Richard, Sean is Geoffrey and so you’re John.”
Archie turns to Sean to say with vehemence, “You don’t think I’m John; do you?”
Horatio is surprised at the quick, smirk restrained glance, that is exchanged between Gerard and Sean, winding up their little brother together is not an activity they often indulge in, Sean shrugs, “Well you’re sort of proving the point right now, Archie. Looking to Geoff to defend him is exactly the sort of thing John would do.”
Archie opens him mouth to protest but seems to take a second to formulate a response, he comes back with a determined answer, “If anyone’s Richard it’s me. For a start I’m gay like he was and I’m Mum’s favorite.”
It’s Gerard’s turn to protest that remark, “No you’re not! If Mum has a favorite it’s me! I’m her first born!”
Archie snaps back, “And I’m her baby!” but Horatio doesn’t miss Sean’s mutter of “I see no one’s suggesting I might be her favorite, God I really am Geoffrey.”
Before the argument can descend any further there’s a sudden shout from the hallway, “Boys! If you can’t watch the television together peacefully you won’t be watching it at all!”
There’s a chorus of “Yes, Mum, sorry, Mum.” From his post near the door Horatio hears Mrs. Kennedy say to herself, “I’ve had to listen to this for 25 years, 25 bloody years of constant bickering and sniping at each other…”
As Mrs. Kennedy’s voice fades as she moves down the hall Horatio refocuses his attention on the TV and the brothers, he turns to see three pairs of glittering blue eyes on him. It’s Archie who asks, “But who would Horatio be then?”
Horatio has never been so glad to be an only child.