I am so sorry. I didn't mean to murder you, honestly! (But that it provoked an all-caps reaction makes me very happy, you have no idea.)
Is it shame? Is it not? Is it perhaps both? Is not just the fear of rejection, but the fear of acceptance?
Ah the coverlet. I had to sneak that detail in somewhere. I don't really explore in this fic what it means to the both of them, but let's just say it means a lot.
There are few things finer in this world than having someone very dear to you hold you, especially if you've been apart for some time, either by physical distance or emotional distance. (And for the record, 'I'm cold' is a very good ploy to get a beloved friend to spoon you.) And for both of them they're just so happy.
(OH MY GOD THEY WERE SHIPMATES.) That made me smile, thanks for that.
I don't know how versed you are on Greek/Roman myth but if you want a bit of background all the heroes Hornblower mentions are mentioned very specifically. Nisus is a character from the Aeneid -- he and his beloved friend Euryalus are presented in the Aeneid as a couple, and both die tragically. Pylades is a character from the Oresteian mythos -- he is Orestes' closest friend and follows Orestes as they are pursued by Furies, seeking to punish Orestes for the murder of his mother* (*not without reason and also a god kind of made him do it.) Damon is a figure best known for his friendship with Pythias, a friendship considered for a very long time to be the epitome of how friends should be (the usual "I won't go without you" nonsense.) Hornblower has a classical education. He uses classical figures to understand his relationship to Bush.
And yes, they're very clumsy. (But if you've seen the backside of certain Greek statues, you'd understand why Hornblower made that particular comparison.) And Bush is a little vain -- but then again, it's nice to be compared to art. I'm glad the earnestness shone through. They're trying so desperately to be brave and say what they feel, but they don't know how.
The smut. Oh I was so nervous about that part. And yes, they do feel things so deeply, despite how they try to hide it. We only see Bush's POV here, but for Hornblower imagine that intensity but thousandfold. There's a reason Hornblower doesn't talk after: he physically can't.
Listen, I too am here for the "duty made them fuck" trope. It's 90% of what I write. And, quite frankly, it's the only way I can see Hornblower getting Bush into bed (or indeed getting into bed with him.) At the very least, it's how Bush excuses it. Never mind that he wants to kiss Hornblower, it just Isn't Done, but if Hornblower needs him... then it's his duty. Or at least a good excuse.
I DIDN'T MEAN TO MURDER YOU, I'M SORRY!
Oh I'm glad you felt something about that part. I knew I couldn't use dialogue here, so I hoped to get the emotion across through action instead. Seems I did :-)
"FUCKING GODDAMN FUCK" is the best comment I've ever received on my writing. I want to get that needlepointed and put on my wall.
Blasted duty. I swear by the time I'm finished with this fic I'm just going to be typing "duty" endlessly over and over again.
I love it when I write and I come off sounding cleverer than I am! (I was trying to get that across, but thank you for articulating it like that, I wasn't sure exactly what I was saying only that it sounded good.)
Oh thank you ever so much for your comment. It means so much that my writing made someone feel things. It's nice to have someone tell you that they liked your story, but it's another to have someone actually have a reaction to it that involves all caps. I'm sorry I ended you on the angst part, the next bit is better :-)
no subject
Is it shame? Is it not? Is it perhaps both? Is not just the fear of rejection, but the fear of acceptance?
Ah the coverlet. I had to sneak that detail in somewhere. I don't really explore in this fic what it means to the both of them, but let's just say it means a lot.
There are few things finer in this world than having someone very dear to you hold you, especially if you've been apart for some time, either by physical distance or emotional distance. (And for the record, 'I'm cold' is a very good ploy to get a beloved friend to spoon you.) And for both of them they're just so happy.
(OH MY GOD THEY WERE SHIPMATES.) That made me smile, thanks for that.
I don't know how versed you are on Greek/Roman myth but if you want a bit of background all the heroes Hornblower mentions are mentioned very specifically. Nisus is a character from the Aeneid -- he and his beloved friend Euryalus are presented in the Aeneid as a couple, and both die tragically. Pylades is a character from the Oresteian mythos -- he is Orestes' closest friend and follows Orestes as they are pursued by Furies, seeking to punish Orestes for the murder of his mother* (*not without reason and also a god kind of made him do it.) Damon is a figure best known for his friendship with Pythias, a friendship considered for a very long time to be the epitome of how friends should be (the usual "I won't go without you" nonsense.) Hornblower has a classical education. He uses classical figures to understand his relationship to Bush.
And yes, they're very clumsy. (But if you've seen the backside of certain Greek statues, you'd understand why Hornblower made that particular comparison.) And Bush is a little vain -- but then again, it's nice to be compared to art. I'm glad the earnestness shone through. They're trying so desperately to be brave and say what they feel, but they don't know how.
The smut. Oh I was so nervous about that part. And yes, they do feel things so deeply, despite how they try to hide it. We only see Bush's POV here, but for Hornblower imagine that intensity but thousandfold. There's a reason Hornblower doesn't talk after: he physically can't.
Listen, I too am here for the "duty made them fuck" trope. It's 90% of what I write. And, quite frankly, it's the only way I can see Hornblower getting Bush into bed (or indeed getting into bed with him.) At the very least, it's how Bush excuses it. Never mind that he wants to kiss Hornblower, it just Isn't Done, but if Hornblower needs him... then it's his duty. Or at least a good excuse.
I DIDN'T MEAN TO MURDER YOU, I'M SORRY!
Oh I'm glad you felt something about that part. I knew I couldn't use dialogue here, so I hoped to get the emotion across through action instead. Seems I did :-)
"FUCKING GODDAMN FUCK" is the best comment I've ever received on my writing. I want to get that needlepointed and put on my wall.
Blasted duty. I swear by the time I'm finished with this fic I'm just going to be typing "duty" endlessly over and over again.
I love it when I write and I come off sounding cleverer than I am! (I was trying to get that across, but thank you for articulating it like that, I wasn't sure exactly what I was saying only that it sounded good.)
Oh thank you ever so much for your comment. It means so much that my writing made someone feel things. It's nice to have someone tell you that they liked your story, but it's another to have someone actually have a reaction to it that involves all caps. I'm sorry I ended you on the angst part, the next bit is better :-)