[Fic] Professor AU
Aug. 28th, 2019 04:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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hmsloop_hotspurThis is a little 'verse I wanted to write in where Bush and Hornblower are professors at a small liberal arts college on the East Coast. Hornblower is a mathematics professor. Bush is an engineering professor who just moved there from a large public research university in Texas. The school doesn't have its own engineering program, but rather has a relationship with a couple of top-tier programs that it funnels students into after completing their general education requirements at the liberal arts college. Bush was hired to bolster the academic rigor and increase the preparedness of the "pre-engineering" students.
Right now, in this universe, Mariah is a good friend, roommate, and bartender at his favorite bar. Archie is Hornblower's best friend and a history professor. I'm not sure about any further history.
I've got three complete, but unedited stories written - Morning, Noon, and Night - that chronicle different moments in the Bush/Hornblower relationship. I also have a couple of half-written vignettes. I don't have any current plans to post these anywhere else online (basically, AO3 since I don't post anywhere else) since I'm focusing on some other Hornblower fic and these are very low in the priority list.
If you'd like to see more in this 'verse I do take prompts! What will likely result is a vignette of about 1,500-3,000 words. I'll post it here at the DW community.
Anyway, since Hornblower is a mathematics professor, I wanted to post these for our August prompts!
Morning
Horatio stood in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living space of Bush's apartment. It had never really cooled down last night, but the windows were all still thrown wide to catch the last of the morning air. It was early still, but he had awoken alone to the smell of bacon and had come out to investigate.
Bush stood at the stove, frying something - bacon from the smell of it - humming softly to himself. There was a timer ticking on the narrow counter next to the stove next to a basket with a towel tucked into it. The heat was already radiating from the kitchen. Horatio remember that Bush had once told him he rarely cooked in the morning in his little apartment during the spring and summer as he just couldn't stand how hot it got and stayed all day. Horatio had very earnestly questioned how he had managed the Texas heat if he couldn't handle a New England attic apartment. Bush had laughed as if they were sharing a joke and not answered him.
There was a shout from down in the street below, then a bang of a car door, and the roar of an old engine in need of work starting up. Horatio flushed, remembering that neither one of them had been particularly quiet the night before, and he felt the shame of Everyone Knows burn straight through him.
He had been glad to wake alone. This wasn't going to work and he took Bush's absence as a sign that he understood that as well. It wasn't the bacon that drew him out to the kitchen, it was a desire to have the conversation and be done with it. Horatio had even put on his jeans and t-shirt from the night before. Jeans because he hadn't even thought far enough ahead to bring sleep pants. Bush wore sleep pants and a soft-looking shirt as he hummed and swayed to the music in his own head at the stove.
Horatio stood there quietly, arrested at the sight. It wasn't just the lean but wiry body. Or the music that fell from Bush's lips that Horatio couldn't understand but just simply sounded happy. Or even the thought that he was making bacon, or as Horatio sniffed the air, biscuits and eggs too, for them. It was the smile that unexpectedly tugged at his lips as he took it all in.
He had gotten out of bed, scrubbed his face, found his clothes, all with a mounting sense of dread and horror that he had slept with a colleague. It was stupid and ill advised and a terrible idea and he absolutely shouldn't have ever done it and none of that was any different right here right now as he stood in the kitchen that would soon be too hot and simply took in the sight of Bush standing there at the stove in pants with little arrows on them. But he couldn't name the feeling that had arrested him, that had made him lean against the warm worn wood of the door frame and simply watch - that started low in his belly and climbed up his chest. He smiled while he looked at Bush and as he stood there he realized he didn't want to stop smiling while looking at Bush.
Bush turned around and spotted him and smiled back - warm and bright and so easy.
Horatio would make this difficult soon enough, he knew because he always did that. But right now Bush stood there holding a greasy fork wearing pjamas and making Horatio breakfast and Horatio thought he'd do anything for this moment to last.
"Morning," Bush greeted. "Eggs, bacon, and biscuits." He gestured to the stove behind him just as the bell dinged.
Horatio just smiled.
Bush nodded to the table and Horatio looked to the battered piece of furniture - small with two chairs, tucked against the wall of the kitchen, that was set with plates, orange juice, and coffee.
This. This was for him. This was for him for no other reason than Bush had wanted to and Horatio didn't know what to do with the gift he had been handed. He looked back at Bush who had cocked his head and was simply watching.
"I-" Horatio started, looking at the table, then back at Bush, then back at the table again.
He continued staring at the table, at the black coffee sitting there steaming, and the sugar bowl next to the cup that must have been for him and he didn't know what to say. Bush moved into his field of vision, carrying plates with bacon and eggs on them. And then he stepped out, and then back with biscuits.
"Horatio?" he finally said, softly. Horatio's eyes snapped to his. Had he detected uncertainty in Bush's voice? No. Please not that. This was perfect and he didn't know what to do with it, but Bush must never feel as if it was wrong. He stepped forward. Then forward again and right into Bush's arms and he kissed him. Then kissed him again and kissing seemed to be working because Bush's arms went around him and he softened and tipped his head and Horatio said thank you, and please, and yes, and all the words he didn't know how to form in the kiss and Bush seemed to understand.
It felt like a first kiss and with a start, Horatio realized it was. The night before had been sex. This morning it was kisses for breakfast before coffee and in a slightly too-warm attic apartment kitchen that smelled like what Horatio thought a farmhouse kitchen might smell like. He pulled back and smiled. Then he nodded and turned to the place Bush had set at his table for Horatio and reached for his coffee.
"Thank you," he finally said, looking up at Bush as Bush seated himself across from him.
"It is my pleasure," Bush responded and Horatio knew he meant every word.
Noon
The head of the math department hosted a late summer BBQ for the department. It was a thing and you didn't say no. Horatio disliked them immensely. And he couldn't even use Archie as a human shield to do all the socializing for him as it was strictly a departmental function. Who in their right mind would think that a social event was appropriate for a professors in a math department?
But the event occurred annually regardless of Horatio's feelings about it and everyone dutifully attended regardless of their feelings about it. And although everyone was loathe to admit it, but in the end it was good to be able to say hello to the department administrative staff without also immediately asking them to take care of something for you. It was also probably was a good thing that the entire department was invited - faculty and staff - as clearly the staff were needed to ensure anything remotely resembling socializing occured.
Horatio sat in his car, five minutes early, and texted Archie his continuing complaints about attending. Archie was wholly unsympathetic between demands to "live tweet" and gleeful descriptions of how he thought drunk math professors behaved. Nevermind that Archie knew all ten of the math faculty on staff at least well enough to greet them by name and knew perfectly well how each how drunk math professors behaved - no differently than drunk economics professors Horatio reminded him.
There were unlikely to be any drunk math faculty at the event anyway. They all tended to be a fairly straight laced bunch when forced into social settings - heavy drinking was usually reserved for non-work related parties hosted by the Economics faculty. Horatio replied to Archie's latest string of emojis with one last snide comment about the alcohol consumption rates of social scientists versus natural scientists and put his phone away. At least two people had walked in the last five minutes so he wouldn't be the first or god forbid second person to arrive.
Although he hadn't told anyone, Horatio was actually looking forward to this year's BBQ despite his dislike of the event itself. Two years ago he had attended his very first BBQ as a brand new hire by the department - fresh out of grad school and eager to please it had been an awkward event. To everyone in the department, he was still the new hire even though this would be his third year and he was up for his first review. But this year, he wouldn't be the new hire at the event. They had a new colleague starting and Horatio knew from talking to Wellard at the front desk that William Bush would definitely be attending.
Horatio was embarrassed to admit he wasn't quite sure which one of the interview presentations he had attended was Bush's. He had tried to look him up when he heard he was being hired on the University of Texas, Austin's website, but there was no photo on the contact page for the department. He was familiar though with the hire itself. Although hired by the math department, Bush was actually an engineering professor who had been hired to teach the advanced classes for the college's dual admit program with a handful of engineering departments at other universities. Students started at their school, then completed their advanced requirements for the degree at the other. The thought was that Bush would better prepare them for success by teaching more intro classes earlier in the program ensuring they would not be left behind when they transferred. At least, that's how they had pitched the hire to the provost to receive funding for the position.
Horatio was just thrilled he wasn't going to be the new hire any longer.
He had been at the party for only ten minutes or so with his beer in hand as he ushered the department head's dog back to the back bedroom for the second time. She had escaped when someone had opened the door and not latched it fully and Horatio had caught her with her head in the trash can. They were just past the front door when it opened and Rennie decided to make a break for it right past the poor person coming in who didn't know any better. Horatio dove for her collar and snagged her just as she barreled straight into the man's legs.
"Look out!" Horatio said, belatedly, as the man stumbled against the door thankfully both blocking Rennie's escape and righted himself quickly. Horatio had ahold of the collar when he looked up and realized he didn't recognize the new person.
"Horatio Hornblower," he said, offering a the hand that wasn't currently holding onto 50 pounds of dog determined to bowl them all over in a bid for the front door. "Assistant professor and if you wouldn't mind getting the door?"
The man closed the door and leaned back against it warily as Horatio held the dog down.
"William Bush," he said, still eyeing the dog.
"Welcome, William," Horatio said, at a bit of a loss. "Don't mind Rennie here, she's just...eager to escape?"
"Yes, well, perhaps if she were better managed..."
Horatio smarted, feeling as if the comment were directed at him somehow. As if Rennie was his responsibility. Right. She wasn't even his dog. He turned and headed for back of the house dragging Rennie along with him. "Everyone is out there," he called, nodding towards the living area. "I'll just put the dog away, then. Introduce yourself."
He spent a few minutes in the backroom scratching Rennie's belly. She was a sweetheart, really. Partly it was because he liked the dog, but partly it was because he hoped Bush was feeling a bit lost out there and he was in no mood to be friendly. Perhaps having to wander into a house full of people by himself would teach him to be a bit politer when meeting new people.
When he returned, Bush was talking to the department head and holding a bottle of Bud Light and a plate of food looking slightly uncomfortable as he talked to the department head. Both of his hands were occupied so every time someone new was brought over to meet them, they awkwardly patted Bush on the shoulder in greeting. Touching wasn't something everyone was usually so enthusiastic about, but get a few beers into them and everyone did their best to be effusively friendly to make up for all the times they were just plain awkward. Each time someone knew clapped Bush on the shoulder like they were old friends, Bush hunched a little more in on himself and his smile got a little tighter. Not that many were attempted - he was new, but as everyone settled into their third or fourth beers, the atmosphere did get considerably more relaxed.
Good, thought Horatio. At least Horatio would've thought to introduce him around before shoving a plate of food and a beer into his hands.
Horatio avoided Bush altogether, instead socializing with a few of the adjuncts he knew well and Wellard, always managing to slip away if someone attempted to draw Bush into their conversation or introduce the two of them. He didn't mind that it was obvious by the third of fourth time he did it. Bush wouldn't be sitting on his tenure committee so he was finding it hard to care.
That's not to say he didn't observe the man. Bush spent the entire time looking slightly uncomfortable. He sipped at his beer, but never finished it, and mostly stood around just holding his plate and looking at it every now and again with a pained expression. Texas, Horatio remembered. He probably thought their BBQ was pathetic. He'd have no way of knowing that the department head smoked his own meats and wasn't half bad at it nor that his wife ordered the BBQ sauce up from North Carolina. Sure, not Texas BBQ, but also not New Hampshire BBQ either.
Horatio found himself in the kitchen after a couple of hours, alone, and seriously contemplating going in to see Rennie again when Bush appeared at the counter. He seemed as startled by Horatio as Horatio was of him. Bush held himself stiffly as he gently set down his mostly full but now cold plate of food and half empty beer bottle.
Horatio didn't say anything.
"William," Bush said, holding out his hand towards Horatio. He had a shy and slightly chagrined look on his face. "I was... caught off guard earlier. The dog surprised me." It was the first voluntary gesture Horatio had seen Bush make towards greeting someone else all afternoon. Seeing Bush suffer through the last few hours had softened Horatio a bit. He took Bush's hand and clasped it, shaking it once and then letting go. Bush nodded and shoved his hand into his jeans pocket. Horatio copied the movement.
"Horatio, right?" Bush asked when Horatio said nothing.
Horatio nodded and offered him a small smile. He was embarrassed, really, not hurt. And now even a little more embarrassed over his sulky behavior.
Bush looked around, "um, where's the dog?"
"Rennie? Back in the back where she was supposed to be all along," Horatio replied, waving towards the back of the house. Bush looked back there as if he could see her.
"Is she friendly?" he asked.
"Yes?" Horatio answered. Then he cocked his head. "Would you like to meet her? She belongs to the department head, but I sometimes dog sit so I know her."
Bush nodded and Horatio turned, hearing Bush follow him he led the way down the hall to the back room. He could hear Rennie whining and he opened the door carefully with a knee through, ready to grab at her should she bolt. She didn't, just jumped on him.
"She doesn't have any manners," Horatio said, apologetically. "She's young."
"I can see that," Bush replied, but he knelt down anyway and greeted Rennie, letting her slather his face with kisses. Horatio smiled. Rennie enthusiastically greeted everyone. That was her problem. Toddlers, the elderly, and young math professors were all greeted with the same level of enthusiasm with no regard for personal safety or comfort.
Bush fell over, pushed by Rennie's enthusiastic bathing of his face and he fell against Horatio's legs. To Horatio's surprise, he stayed there for a minute, chuckling before he shoved Rennie off and back through the door before righting himself.
"Sorry," Bush apologized off-handedly to Horatio as he laughed and cooed at Rennie. "I know I'm only encouraging her."
Horatio smiled. No one that obviously liked dogs that much could be that bad. Even though they had gotten off on the wrong foot, perhaps he'd come to like Bush after all.
"The food isn't bad," he offered as he looked down at Bush still kneeling on the floor and scratching at Rennie.
"Sorry?" Bush responded.
"The BBQ? it's not bad. Neither is the potato salad. The coleslaw is not great, but the grilled corn isn't dangerous."
Bush looked up at him with a bit of confusion.
"I saw you didn't eat anything. I know you're from Texas and you might be wary of our BBQ, but it's really not all that bad."
"Oh!" Bush exclaimed. He started to rise and Horatio reached out a hand to help him the rest of the way up. Bush took it and pulled himself up, but quickly shoved his hand into his pocket as soon as he rose. "I just wasn't that hungry," he offered.
Horatio shrugged and headed back towards the kitchen. He could tell that wasn't the real story, but at least Bush was being friendly and not rude again. They arrived back and the crowd had noticeably thinned.
"People are headed home," Horatio offered. "You could go now and it wouldn't be rude."
Bush looked around, then back down at his abandoned food.
"I could wrap that up for you?"
Bush look startled, but nodded and a faint smile ghosted his lips. He eyed the Bud Light while Horatio grabbed a bag to slide the whole plate into for Bush to carry home.
"It'd go better with a better beer?" Bush asked as if he were worried about offending Horatio by hinting that Bud Light was sub par.
Horatio snorted, but grinned. "Anything by Stoneface Brewing is a good bet," he conceded.
Bush nodded. "Good to know."
They stood there for a beat too long. As if they'd run out of things to say. Horatio felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and it shook him out of whatever it was that was happening. He offered another small smile.
"Well, nice meeting you William, I'll see you around."
Bush nodded and offered him a smile of his own. Horatio turned and headed out to make his goodbyes to everyone else. Bush must've slipped out while he was doing so as he was gone by the time Horatio passed back through the house. He thought, as he got into his car and checked the message from Archie that had come in while he was standing there talking to Bush, that perhaps the friendly thing to do would've been to invite Bush out for a beer. Oh well, the moment had passed, and that probably would've been pushing it. Bush was probably only being friendly because he felt bad, not because he was interested in getting to know Horatio any better.
Night
The snow storm had packed a one two punch on their small town earlier in the week and Friday night was the first night that the roads were clear and it wasn't blowing snow sideways or coating everything in ice. The bar was packed. The students tended to avoid this one - they were strict about checking IDs at the door and suspicious of anyone that looked younger than 45. Even Horatio had trouble the first year on campus getting in unless he was with a regular and even then there was more than one joke about letting students teach these days.
This particular haunt was a favorite of the professors who lived in town - unlikely to run into students, low key atmosphere where beer was sold by the pitcher and cocktails were limited to something you could describe with three words or less. And there were pool tables, a few arcade game consoles, a pinball machine, shuffleboard, and a once weekly trivia night. Horatio had been introduced his second week on campus and had been happy never going anywhere else.
He was drinking with Archie and two of Archie's friends from the economics department. He enjoyed their good humor and willingness to share the pitchers they bought. He had student loans to pay and didn't think that spending what little he budgeted for fun on beer was very responsible. They usually didn't notice that Horatio never paid and when they did, Archie usually swooped in to cover him this time.
It was Archie that noticed Bush walk in and nudged Horatio to get his attention.
"Isn't that the new…?"
Horatio nodded.
"Aren't you going to invite him over?" Archie asked. Bush was looking around, as if expecting to see someone. Horatio shook his head. Best to leave him to find whoever he had come here to meet.
Archie looked at Horatio over his drink with an arched eyebrow. He'd gotten an earful from Horatio after the BBQ and just about every day since. Although Horatio protested and was adamant that he absolutely did not, Archie had grown convinced that Horatio liked Bush and had taken to laughing at him and encouraging him to 'just talk to him you nitwit' every time Horatio brought him up. But aside from a few nods in greetings, a wave or two, and one "good morning" Horatio had not spoken to Bush since the BBQ.
A few minutes later Archie pressed three empty pitchers into Horatio's arms. "Go get more beer," he ordered Horatio. Horatio started to protest, but Archie just shoved some cash into his front pocket, bodily turned him around and sent him off with a slap on his ass. Archie always did tend to get a little bit handsy when he'd had a few. Horatio sighed and headed towards the bar. It was his turn to buy so he really couldn't protest too much without drawing attention to it.
The only spot open was next to Bush, who had stepped up to the bar, but not gotten the attention of either of the bartenders working that night. Horatio slid in next to Bush and set his pitchers down on the bar with a murmured, "excuse me."
Bush startled and shied away from Horatio before he looked up and then smiled when he recognized him.
"Horatio," he greeted brightly.
Horatio nodded and returned the smile shly, acutely aware of the fact that Archie was probably back at the pool tables laughing his ass off at him.
Bush eyed the three pitchers and the remnants of the beer in them.
"Wow," Bush started.
"They're not mine!" Horatio said with horror when he realized what conclusion Bush must've reached.
"They're not?" Bush asked, confused.
At that moment, Maria came up to Horatio and greeted him like the old friends that they were. She pulled the pitchers off the bar and set up two new ones under the taps and started to pull the first of the beers she already knew Horatio would want.
She looked at Horatio who inclined his head towards Bush who had been waiting there longer than him and should've been served first. Maria flushed slightly and turned to Bush.
"Hey," she greeted Bush with a friendly smile and a glance back to Horatio. "Sorry about that, I didn't realize you weren't drinking with him."
Bush looked confused again.
"Oh no!" Horatio said, "William here is from work, he teaches. Math. Well Engineering. Math. He's in the match department but teaches Engineering. You know, for the blended program. But only intro and mostly math so that's why he's in the department…" Horatio trailed off before it got worse and Maria actually started laughing at him.
"Hi, William," she greeted. Taking pity on Horatio. "What can I get you?"
Bush was still glancing back and forth between the two of them. "Well, Horatio here once recommended anything by Stoneface?" He said slowly, uncertainly, like asking a question.
Maria brightened. "Do you want something light, dark, or hoppy?"
"Dark." Bush said with conviction.
Maria nodded and swapped out the pitchers for Horatio, setting the full one in front of him and pulling on the second.
"You got it, hun," Maria said with a friendly smile and started pulling a pint of dark ale for Bush. She looked back and forth between the two of them with a smirk. "You must be William Bush," she said as she set the beer down in front of Bush. "Horatio talks about you a lot."
Horatio's face flamed with heat. He knew it'd be bright red out of embarrassment and a touch of anger as well.
Bush turned to look at him with a small smile on his face as he raised the beer to his lips and took a sip. He looked back at Maria and nodded at her, raising the glass as if thanking her personally for what he obviously felt was a good beer choice.
"I'm Maria Mason," she said with a glare towards Horatio. "Horatio's friend and roommate." Horatio belatedly realized it would've been polite to introduce them.
She pulled the second pitcher of beer out from under the tap and set it down in front of Horatio.
"How many of you?" she asked him as he dug in his pocket for the cash Archie had given him.
"Uh," he counted quickly in his head, "six."
"That's a pitcher each, babe, I'm coming around to collect car keys in a bit so make sure the guys know they'll need to get rides. Archie can crash on the couch and you can walk home or wait for me to be done." She took the bills Horatio held out to her.
Horatio nodded. Maria took things seriously at her bar and was proud of the fact that she ran a tight ship when it came to drinking and driving and over serving. Once she had their keys in hand she'd let them order more rounds, but honestly, having to give up keys usually made everyone stop for the evening. He glanced back at Bush while he waited for Maria to return with his change.
"So, uh, you like the beer?" he asked.
Bush nodded. "You were right, it's good."
"Come here before?" Horatio tried again.
Bush smiled, "nope, first time. Overheard the students talking about how it was lame and thought I'd give it a try."
Horatio chuckled.
"You want to come play pool with us or are you meeting someone?" He finally asked as Maria returned.
Bush brightened. "I'd love to join you."
"Don't worry about being good, William," Maria said as she handed Horatio his change. "They're all terrible before the beer and worse after they've each had a few."
"Hey!" Horatio protested. Maria wasn't wrong though - it just stung.
Bush seemed to startle as if he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten and dug in his pocket for his wallet.
"No, no," Maria said, waving him off. "Horatio here bought your beer."
"He did?" Bush asked at the same moment Horatio did.
Maria just maintained eye contact with Bush, "he sure did. You can thank him later."
Horatio died inside and vowed to get better friends in his next life. Bush seemed embarrassed by Maria's comment.
"Sorry about her," Horatio mumbled to Bush as he turned away from the bar. "She's-" he waved his hand, unable to articulate exactly what she was.
He led Bush back to the table and introduced him around the pool table. Although everyone that night taught at the college, only Horatio and Bush taught in the math department and he hadn't met anyone before.
Maria came back through with fresh pitchers just as they were finishing off the ones Horatio had brought back from the bar and a fresh beer for Bush. Car keys were all handed over and everyone was in a great mood and starting to get good and silly. The game continued on slowly as they mostly stood around trading insults and redoing bad shots.
It was loud and stuffy and Horatio was feeling all the beers he had had and excused himself to the bathroom. The cool breeze coming in through the backdoor that was propped open he detoured and stepped outside into the frigid dark alley for a moment to catch his breath. He was having a nice time and he needed a moment to swallow down the worry that he was only a hair's breadth away from ruining everything with a misplaced look or joke or something.
The door creaked and he turned to look as Bush stepped out.
"Archie said to come make sure you were all right?" Bush asked.
Horatio snorted. Of course Archie did.
After a moment Bush said, quietly, "are you?"
"Am I what?" Horatio asked, confusedly.
"All right?" Bush asked again.
"Oh!" Horatio said. Bush didn't realize that Archie had sent Bush to find him as a tease to Horatio. He genuinely thought Horatio might not be all right.
"Yes," Horatio said, unwilling to tell Bush he'd seen sent on an uncessearry errand in order to poke fun at Horatio. "I'm all right," he clarified.
Instead of going back in though, Bush stepped closer to him and huddled close in the cold.
"You don't have to stay out here," Horatio said when Bush didn't appear to be making any move to go back in and return to the group.
"I'm fine," Bush replied. "It was a bit hot in there - feels good."
"It won't in about a minute when you realize how cold it is," Horatio responded.
Bush chuckled but shook his head and stayed where he was. Horatio stayed close, huddling a bit towards Bush. Bush turned and pressed himself more firmly against Horatio's side.
Before he realized what he was even doing, Horatio had turned his head and breathed in towards Bush. Then Bush's face brushed his own and they were kissing. It was just a meeting of lips, then open mouths, then tongues. Horatio's hands stayed firmly jammed into his pockets and Bush made no move to reach for him. They kissed with the slight awkwardness of two people trying to figure out how to kiss one another. Noses bumped and teeth. Their heads didn't quite turn enough then too much. Tongues fought more than they slid together and lips slid awkwardly rather than smoothly.
There was a shout from the end of the alley as someone left the main door of the bar and Horatio startled and stepped back. He looked at Bush who stood there, eyes half closed with an unreadable expression on his face. Horatio barely knew him, he realized, of course he wouldn't be able to read his expressions.
"Um," Horatio mumbled.
Bush took a deep breath and then shook his head once, as if to clear it and offered Horatio a shy smile.
"Uh," Horatio tried again. Then he just shrugged and nodded towards the door. Bush returned the nod and they both headed in as if nothing had happened.
That night Horatio lay in his bed after settling Archie on the couch. Maria would be home shortly, but would likely think them asleep and head straight to her room. Horatio couldn't sleep. He thought back to that moment in the alley. He and Bush had returned inside and everything had gone back exactly to how it was before as if nothing had happened. By the time Horatio had crawled into bed he had begun to doubt that anything had happened. But it had, he was sure of it. Because as they were leaving Bush had given him a small shy smile and a little wave of his hand goodbye while they were all leaving. It wasn't the look of a man who was worried about what had happened in an alley or what it meant to make out with your coworker you barely knew behind a bar. Horatio wasn't sure what look it was.
He rolled over and pulled out his phone. Bush had punched his number in while they were all saying goodbye to one another.
"I had fun," Bush had said as he had sent a text message to himself from Horatio's phone. "We should hang out again some time?"
Horatio had nodded as he accepted his phone back from Bush and watched him shrug into his jacket. "Me too," he had added, a few beats too late as he slid into his own.
He pulled up the text message. It was just a blank space, but the bubble showed up as if it was waiting for someone to say something. Horatio considered it. But had made a rule to himself never to drunk text so he set the phone down and watched it until the screen turned off.
Maybe later, he thought. Maybe later.
Right now, in this universe, Mariah is a good friend, roommate, and bartender at his favorite bar. Archie is Hornblower's best friend and a history professor. I'm not sure about any further history.
I've got three complete, but unedited stories written - Morning, Noon, and Night - that chronicle different moments in the Bush/Hornblower relationship. I also have a couple of half-written vignettes. I don't have any current plans to post these anywhere else online (basically, AO3 since I don't post anywhere else) since I'm focusing on some other Hornblower fic and these are very low in the priority list.
If you'd like to see more in this 'verse I do take prompts! What will likely result is a vignette of about 1,500-3,000 words. I'll post it here at the DW community.
Anyway, since Hornblower is a mathematics professor, I wanted to post these for our August prompts!
Morning
Horatio stood in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living space of Bush's apartment. It had never really cooled down last night, but the windows were all still thrown wide to catch the last of the morning air. It was early still, but he had awoken alone to the smell of bacon and had come out to investigate.
Bush stood at the stove, frying something - bacon from the smell of it - humming softly to himself. There was a timer ticking on the narrow counter next to the stove next to a basket with a towel tucked into it. The heat was already radiating from the kitchen. Horatio remember that Bush had once told him he rarely cooked in the morning in his little apartment during the spring and summer as he just couldn't stand how hot it got and stayed all day. Horatio had very earnestly questioned how he had managed the Texas heat if he couldn't handle a New England attic apartment. Bush had laughed as if they were sharing a joke and not answered him.
There was a shout from down in the street below, then a bang of a car door, and the roar of an old engine in need of work starting up. Horatio flushed, remembering that neither one of them had been particularly quiet the night before, and he felt the shame of Everyone Knows burn straight through him.
He had been glad to wake alone. This wasn't going to work and he took Bush's absence as a sign that he understood that as well. It wasn't the bacon that drew him out to the kitchen, it was a desire to have the conversation and be done with it. Horatio had even put on his jeans and t-shirt from the night before. Jeans because he hadn't even thought far enough ahead to bring sleep pants. Bush wore sleep pants and a soft-looking shirt as he hummed and swayed to the music in his own head at the stove.
Horatio stood there quietly, arrested at the sight. It wasn't just the lean but wiry body. Or the music that fell from Bush's lips that Horatio couldn't understand but just simply sounded happy. Or even the thought that he was making bacon, or as Horatio sniffed the air, biscuits and eggs too, for them. It was the smile that unexpectedly tugged at his lips as he took it all in.
He had gotten out of bed, scrubbed his face, found his clothes, all with a mounting sense of dread and horror that he had slept with a colleague. It was stupid and ill advised and a terrible idea and he absolutely shouldn't have ever done it and none of that was any different right here right now as he stood in the kitchen that would soon be too hot and simply took in the sight of Bush standing there at the stove in pants with little arrows on them. But he couldn't name the feeling that had arrested him, that had made him lean against the warm worn wood of the door frame and simply watch - that started low in his belly and climbed up his chest. He smiled while he looked at Bush and as he stood there he realized he didn't want to stop smiling while looking at Bush.
Bush turned around and spotted him and smiled back - warm and bright and so easy.
Horatio would make this difficult soon enough, he knew because he always did that. But right now Bush stood there holding a greasy fork wearing pjamas and making Horatio breakfast and Horatio thought he'd do anything for this moment to last.
"Morning," Bush greeted. "Eggs, bacon, and biscuits." He gestured to the stove behind him just as the bell dinged.
Horatio just smiled.
Bush nodded to the table and Horatio looked to the battered piece of furniture - small with two chairs, tucked against the wall of the kitchen, that was set with plates, orange juice, and coffee.
This. This was for him. This was for him for no other reason than Bush had wanted to and Horatio didn't know what to do with the gift he had been handed. He looked back at Bush who had cocked his head and was simply watching.
"I-" Horatio started, looking at the table, then back at Bush, then back at the table again.
He continued staring at the table, at the black coffee sitting there steaming, and the sugar bowl next to the cup that must have been for him and he didn't know what to say. Bush moved into his field of vision, carrying plates with bacon and eggs on them. And then he stepped out, and then back with biscuits.
"Horatio?" he finally said, softly. Horatio's eyes snapped to his. Had he detected uncertainty in Bush's voice? No. Please not that. This was perfect and he didn't know what to do with it, but Bush must never feel as if it was wrong. He stepped forward. Then forward again and right into Bush's arms and he kissed him. Then kissed him again and kissing seemed to be working because Bush's arms went around him and he softened and tipped his head and Horatio said thank you, and please, and yes, and all the words he didn't know how to form in the kiss and Bush seemed to understand.
It felt like a first kiss and with a start, Horatio realized it was. The night before had been sex. This morning it was kisses for breakfast before coffee and in a slightly too-warm attic apartment kitchen that smelled like what Horatio thought a farmhouse kitchen might smell like. He pulled back and smiled. Then he nodded and turned to the place Bush had set at his table for Horatio and reached for his coffee.
"Thank you," he finally said, looking up at Bush as Bush seated himself across from him.
"It is my pleasure," Bush responded and Horatio knew he meant every word.
Noon
The head of the math department hosted a late summer BBQ for the department. It was a thing and you didn't say no. Horatio disliked them immensely. And he couldn't even use Archie as a human shield to do all the socializing for him as it was strictly a departmental function. Who in their right mind would think that a social event was appropriate for a professors in a math department?
But the event occurred annually regardless of Horatio's feelings about it and everyone dutifully attended regardless of their feelings about it. And although everyone was loathe to admit it, but in the end it was good to be able to say hello to the department administrative staff without also immediately asking them to take care of something for you. It was also probably was a good thing that the entire department was invited - faculty and staff - as clearly the staff were needed to ensure anything remotely resembling socializing occured.
Horatio sat in his car, five minutes early, and texted Archie his continuing complaints about attending. Archie was wholly unsympathetic between demands to "live tweet" and gleeful descriptions of how he thought drunk math professors behaved. Nevermind that Archie knew all ten of the math faculty on staff at least well enough to greet them by name and knew perfectly well how each how drunk math professors behaved - no differently than drunk economics professors Horatio reminded him.
There were unlikely to be any drunk math faculty at the event anyway. They all tended to be a fairly straight laced bunch when forced into social settings - heavy drinking was usually reserved for non-work related parties hosted by the Economics faculty. Horatio replied to Archie's latest string of emojis with one last snide comment about the alcohol consumption rates of social scientists versus natural scientists and put his phone away. At least two people had walked in the last five minutes so he wouldn't be the first or god forbid second person to arrive.
Although he hadn't told anyone, Horatio was actually looking forward to this year's BBQ despite his dislike of the event itself. Two years ago he had attended his very first BBQ as a brand new hire by the department - fresh out of grad school and eager to please it had been an awkward event. To everyone in the department, he was still the new hire even though this would be his third year and he was up for his first review. But this year, he wouldn't be the new hire at the event. They had a new colleague starting and Horatio knew from talking to Wellard at the front desk that William Bush would definitely be attending.
Horatio was embarrassed to admit he wasn't quite sure which one of the interview presentations he had attended was Bush's. He had tried to look him up when he heard he was being hired on the University of Texas, Austin's website, but there was no photo on the contact page for the department. He was familiar though with the hire itself. Although hired by the math department, Bush was actually an engineering professor who had been hired to teach the advanced classes for the college's dual admit program with a handful of engineering departments at other universities. Students started at their school, then completed their advanced requirements for the degree at the other. The thought was that Bush would better prepare them for success by teaching more intro classes earlier in the program ensuring they would not be left behind when they transferred. At least, that's how they had pitched the hire to the provost to receive funding for the position.
Horatio was just thrilled he wasn't going to be the new hire any longer.
He had been at the party for only ten minutes or so with his beer in hand as he ushered the department head's dog back to the back bedroom for the second time. She had escaped when someone had opened the door and not latched it fully and Horatio had caught her with her head in the trash can. They were just past the front door when it opened and Rennie decided to make a break for it right past the poor person coming in who didn't know any better. Horatio dove for her collar and snagged her just as she barreled straight into the man's legs.
"Look out!" Horatio said, belatedly, as the man stumbled against the door thankfully both blocking Rennie's escape and righted himself quickly. Horatio had ahold of the collar when he looked up and realized he didn't recognize the new person.
"Horatio Hornblower," he said, offering a the hand that wasn't currently holding onto 50 pounds of dog determined to bowl them all over in a bid for the front door. "Assistant professor and if you wouldn't mind getting the door?"
The man closed the door and leaned back against it warily as Horatio held the dog down.
"William Bush," he said, still eyeing the dog.
"Welcome, William," Horatio said, at a bit of a loss. "Don't mind Rennie here, she's just...eager to escape?"
"Yes, well, perhaps if she were better managed..."
Horatio smarted, feeling as if the comment were directed at him somehow. As if Rennie was his responsibility. Right. She wasn't even his dog. He turned and headed for back of the house dragging Rennie along with him. "Everyone is out there," he called, nodding towards the living area. "I'll just put the dog away, then. Introduce yourself."
He spent a few minutes in the backroom scratching Rennie's belly. She was a sweetheart, really. Partly it was because he liked the dog, but partly it was because he hoped Bush was feeling a bit lost out there and he was in no mood to be friendly. Perhaps having to wander into a house full of people by himself would teach him to be a bit politer when meeting new people.
When he returned, Bush was talking to the department head and holding a bottle of Bud Light and a plate of food looking slightly uncomfortable as he talked to the department head. Both of his hands were occupied so every time someone new was brought over to meet them, they awkwardly patted Bush on the shoulder in greeting. Touching wasn't something everyone was usually so enthusiastic about, but get a few beers into them and everyone did their best to be effusively friendly to make up for all the times they were just plain awkward. Each time someone knew clapped Bush on the shoulder like they were old friends, Bush hunched a little more in on himself and his smile got a little tighter. Not that many were attempted - he was new, but as everyone settled into their third or fourth beers, the atmosphere did get considerably more relaxed.
Good, thought Horatio. At least Horatio would've thought to introduce him around before shoving a plate of food and a beer into his hands.
Horatio avoided Bush altogether, instead socializing with a few of the adjuncts he knew well and Wellard, always managing to slip away if someone attempted to draw Bush into their conversation or introduce the two of them. He didn't mind that it was obvious by the third of fourth time he did it. Bush wouldn't be sitting on his tenure committee so he was finding it hard to care.
That's not to say he didn't observe the man. Bush spent the entire time looking slightly uncomfortable. He sipped at his beer, but never finished it, and mostly stood around just holding his plate and looking at it every now and again with a pained expression. Texas, Horatio remembered. He probably thought their BBQ was pathetic. He'd have no way of knowing that the department head smoked his own meats and wasn't half bad at it nor that his wife ordered the BBQ sauce up from North Carolina. Sure, not Texas BBQ, but also not New Hampshire BBQ either.
Horatio found himself in the kitchen after a couple of hours, alone, and seriously contemplating going in to see Rennie again when Bush appeared at the counter. He seemed as startled by Horatio as Horatio was of him. Bush held himself stiffly as he gently set down his mostly full but now cold plate of food and half empty beer bottle.
Horatio didn't say anything.
"William," Bush said, holding out his hand towards Horatio. He had a shy and slightly chagrined look on his face. "I was... caught off guard earlier. The dog surprised me." It was the first voluntary gesture Horatio had seen Bush make towards greeting someone else all afternoon. Seeing Bush suffer through the last few hours had softened Horatio a bit. He took Bush's hand and clasped it, shaking it once and then letting go. Bush nodded and shoved his hand into his jeans pocket. Horatio copied the movement.
"Horatio, right?" Bush asked when Horatio said nothing.
Horatio nodded and offered him a small smile. He was embarrassed, really, not hurt. And now even a little more embarrassed over his sulky behavior.
Bush looked around, "um, where's the dog?"
"Rennie? Back in the back where she was supposed to be all along," Horatio replied, waving towards the back of the house. Bush looked back there as if he could see her.
"Is she friendly?" he asked.
"Yes?" Horatio answered. Then he cocked his head. "Would you like to meet her? She belongs to the department head, but I sometimes dog sit so I know her."
Bush nodded and Horatio turned, hearing Bush follow him he led the way down the hall to the back room. He could hear Rennie whining and he opened the door carefully with a knee through, ready to grab at her should she bolt. She didn't, just jumped on him.
"She doesn't have any manners," Horatio said, apologetically. "She's young."
"I can see that," Bush replied, but he knelt down anyway and greeted Rennie, letting her slather his face with kisses. Horatio smiled. Rennie enthusiastically greeted everyone. That was her problem. Toddlers, the elderly, and young math professors were all greeted with the same level of enthusiasm with no regard for personal safety or comfort.
Bush fell over, pushed by Rennie's enthusiastic bathing of his face and he fell against Horatio's legs. To Horatio's surprise, he stayed there for a minute, chuckling before he shoved Rennie off and back through the door before righting himself.
"Sorry," Bush apologized off-handedly to Horatio as he laughed and cooed at Rennie. "I know I'm only encouraging her."
Horatio smiled. No one that obviously liked dogs that much could be that bad. Even though they had gotten off on the wrong foot, perhaps he'd come to like Bush after all.
"The food isn't bad," he offered as he looked down at Bush still kneeling on the floor and scratching at Rennie.
"Sorry?" Bush responded.
"The BBQ? it's not bad. Neither is the potato salad. The coleslaw is not great, but the grilled corn isn't dangerous."
Bush looked up at him with a bit of confusion.
"I saw you didn't eat anything. I know you're from Texas and you might be wary of our BBQ, but it's really not all that bad."
"Oh!" Bush exclaimed. He started to rise and Horatio reached out a hand to help him the rest of the way up. Bush took it and pulled himself up, but quickly shoved his hand into his pocket as soon as he rose. "I just wasn't that hungry," he offered.
Horatio shrugged and headed back towards the kitchen. He could tell that wasn't the real story, but at least Bush was being friendly and not rude again. They arrived back and the crowd had noticeably thinned.
"People are headed home," Horatio offered. "You could go now and it wouldn't be rude."
Bush looked around, then back down at his abandoned food.
"I could wrap that up for you?"
Bush look startled, but nodded and a faint smile ghosted his lips. He eyed the Bud Light while Horatio grabbed a bag to slide the whole plate into for Bush to carry home.
"It'd go better with a better beer?" Bush asked as if he were worried about offending Horatio by hinting that Bud Light was sub par.
Horatio snorted, but grinned. "Anything by Stoneface Brewing is a good bet," he conceded.
Bush nodded. "Good to know."
They stood there for a beat too long. As if they'd run out of things to say. Horatio felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and it shook him out of whatever it was that was happening. He offered another small smile.
"Well, nice meeting you William, I'll see you around."
Bush nodded and offered him a smile of his own. Horatio turned and headed out to make his goodbyes to everyone else. Bush must've slipped out while he was doing so as he was gone by the time Horatio passed back through the house. He thought, as he got into his car and checked the message from Archie that had come in while he was standing there talking to Bush, that perhaps the friendly thing to do would've been to invite Bush out for a beer. Oh well, the moment had passed, and that probably would've been pushing it. Bush was probably only being friendly because he felt bad, not because he was interested in getting to know Horatio any better.
Night
The snow storm had packed a one two punch on their small town earlier in the week and Friday night was the first night that the roads were clear and it wasn't blowing snow sideways or coating everything in ice. The bar was packed. The students tended to avoid this one - they were strict about checking IDs at the door and suspicious of anyone that looked younger than 45. Even Horatio had trouble the first year on campus getting in unless he was with a regular and even then there was more than one joke about letting students teach these days.
This particular haunt was a favorite of the professors who lived in town - unlikely to run into students, low key atmosphere where beer was sold by the pitcher and cocktails were limited to something you could describe with three words or less. And there were pool tables, a few arcade game consoles, a pinball machine, shuffleboard, and a once weekly trivia night. Horatio had been introduced his second week on campus and had been happy never going anywhere else.
He was drinking with Archie and two of Archie's friends from the economics department. He enjoyed their good humor and willingness to share the pitchers they bought. He had student loans to pay and didn't think that spending what little he budgeted for fun on beer was very responsible. They usually didn't notice that Horatio never paid and when they did, Archie usually swooped in to cover him this time.
It was Archie that noticed Bush walk in and nudged Horatio to get his attention.
"Isn't that the new…?"
Horatio nodded.
"Aren't you going to invite him over?" Archie asked. Bush was looking around, as if expecting to see someone. Horatio shook his head. Best to leave him to find whoever he had come here to meet.
Archie looked at Horatio over his drink with an arched eyebrow. He'd gotten an earful from Horatio after the BBQ and just about every day since. Although Horatio protested and was adamant that he absolutely did not, Archie had grown convinced that Horatio liked Bush and had taken to laughing at him and encouraging him to 'just talk to him you nitwit' every time Horatio brought him up. But aside from a few nods in greetings, a wave or two, and one "good morning" Horatio had not spoken to Bush since the BBQ.
A few minutes later Archie pressed three empty pitchers into Horatio's arms. "Go get more beer," he ordered Horatio. Horatio started to protest, but Archie just shoved some cash into his front pocket, bodily turned him around and sent him off with a slap on his ass. Archie always did tend to get a little bit handsy when he'd had a few. Horatio sighed and headed towards the bar. It was his turn to buy so he really couldn't protest too much without drawing attention to it.
The only spot open was next to Bush, who had stepped up to the bar, but not gotten the attention of either of the bartenders working that night. Horatio slid in next to Bush and set his pitchers down on the bar with a murmured, "excuse me."
Bush startled and shied away from Horatio before he looked up and then smiled when he recognized him.
"Horatio," he greeted brightly.
Horatio nodded and returned the smile shly, acutely aware of the fact that Archie was probably back at the pool tables laughing his ass off at him.
Bush eyed the three pitchers and the remnants of the beer in them.
"Wow," Bush started.
"They're not mine!" Horatio said with horror when he realized what conclusion Bush must've reached.
"They're not?" Bush asked, confused.
At that moment, Maria came up to Horatio and greeted him like the old friends that they were. She pulled the pitchers off the bar and set up two new ones under the taps and started to pull the first of the beers she already knew Horatio would want.
She looked at Horatio who inclined his head towards Bush who had been waiting there longer than him and should've been served first. Maria flushed slightly and turned to Bush.
"Hey," she greeted Bush with a friendly smile and a glance back to Horatio. "Sorry about that, I didn't realize you weren't drinking with him."
Bush looked confused again.
"Oh no!" Horatio said, "William here is from work, he teaches. Math. Well Engineering. Math. He's in the match department but teaches Engineering. You know, for the blended program. But only intro and mostly math so that's why he's in the department…" Horatio trailed off before it got worse and Maria actually started laughing at him.
"Hi, William," she greeted. Taking pity on Horatio. "What can I get you?"
Bush was still glancing back and forth between the two of them. "Well, Horatio here once recommended anything by Stoneface?" He said slowly, uncertainly, like asking a question.
Maria brightened. "Do you want something light, dark, or hoppy?"
"Dark." Bush said with conviction.
Maria nodded and swapped out the pitchers for Horatio, setting the full one in front of him and pulling on the second.
"You got it, hun," Maria said with a friendly smile and started pulling a pint of dark ale for Bush. She looked back and forth between the two of them with a smirk. "You must be William Bush," she said as she set the beer down in front of Bush. "Horatio talks about you a lot."
Horatio's face flamed with heat. He knew it'd be bright red out of embarrassment and a touch of anger as well.
Bush turned to look at him with a small smile on his face as he raised the beer to his lips and took a sip. He looked back at Maria and nodded at her, raising the glass as if thanking her personally for what he obviously felt was a good beer choice.
"I'm Maria Mason," she said with a glare towards Horatio. "Horatio's friend and roommate." Horatio belatedly realized it would've been polite to introduce them.
She pulled the second pitcher of beer out from under the tap and set it down in front of Horatio.
"How many of you?" she asked him as he dug in his pocket for the cash Archie had given him.
"Uh," he counted quickly in his head, "six."
"That's a pitcher each, babe, I'm coming around to collect car keys in a bit so make sure the guys know they'll need to get rides. Archie can crash on the couch and you can walk home or wait for me to be done." She took the bills Horatio held out to her.
Horatio nodded. Maria took things seriously at her bar and was proud of the fact that she ran a tight ship when it came to drinking and driving and over serving. Once she had their keys in hand she'd let them order more rounds, but honestly, having to give up keys usually made everyone stop for the evening. He glanced back at Bush while he waited for Maria to return with his change.
"So, uh, you like the beer?" he asked.
Bush nodded. "You were right, it's good."
"Come here before?" Horatio tried again.
Bush smiled, "nope, first time. Overheard the students talking about how it was lame and thought I'd give it a try."
Horatio chuckled.
"You want to come play pool with us or are you meeting someone?" He finally asked as Maria returned.
Bush brightened. "I'd love to join you."
"Don't worry about being good, William," Maria said as she handed Horatio his change. "They're all terrible before the beer and worse after they've each had a few."
"Hey!" Horatio protested. Maria wasn't wrong though - it just stung.
Bush seemed to startle as if he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten and dug in his pocket for his wallet.
"No, no," Maria said, waving him off. "Horatio here bought your beer."
"He did?" Bush asked at the same moment Horatio did.
Maria just maintained eye contact with Bush, "he sure did. You can thank him later."
Horatio died inside and vowed to get better friends in his next life. Bush seemed embarrassed by Maria's comment.
"Sorry about her," Horatio mumbled to Bush as he turned away from the bar. "She's-" he waved his hand, unable to articulate exactly what she was.
He led Bush back to the table and introduced him around the pool table. Although everyone that night taught at the college, only Horatio and Bush taught in the math department and he hadn't met anyone before.
Maria came back through with fresh pitchers just as they were finishing off the ones Horatio had brought back from the bar and a fresh beer for Bush. Car keys were all handed over and everyone was in a great mood and starting to get good and silly. The game continued on slowly as they mostly stood around trading insults and redoing bad shots.
It was loud and stuffy and Horatio was feeling all the beers he had had and excused himself to the bathroom. The cool breeze coming in through the backdoor that was propped open he detoured and stepped outside into the frigid dark alley for a moment to catch his breath. He was having a nice time and he needed a moment to swallow down the worry that he was only a hair's breadth away from ruining everything with a misplaced look or joke or something.
The door creaked and he turned to look as Bush stepped out.
"Archie said to come make sure you were all right?" Bush asked.
Horatio snorted. Of course Archie did.
After a moment Bush said, quietly, "are you?"
"Am I what?" Horatio asked, confusedly.
"All right?" Bush asked again.
"Oh!" Horatio said. Bush didn't realize that Archie had sent Bush to find him as a tease to Horatio. He genuinely thought Horatio might not be all right.
"Yes," Horatio said, unwilling to tell Bush he'd seen sent on an uncessearry errand in order to poke fun at Horatio. "I'm all right," he clarified.
Instead of going back in though, Bush stepped closer to him and huddled close in the cold.
"You don't have to stay out here," Horatio said when Bush didn't appear to be making any move to go back in and return to the group.
"I'm fine," Bush replied. "It was a bit hot in there - feels good."
"It won't in about a minute when you realize how cold it is," Horatio responded.
Bush chuckled but shook his head and stayed where he was. Horatio stayed close, huddling a bit towards Bush. Bush turned and pressed himself more firmly against Horatio's side.
Before he realized what he was even doing, Horatio had turned his head and breathed in towards Bush. Then Bush's face brushed his own and they were kissing. It was just a meeting of lips, then open mouths, then tongues. Horatio's hands stayed firmly jammed into his pockets and Bush made no move to reach for him. They kissed with the slight awkwardness of two people trying to figure out how to kiss one another. Noses bumped and teeth. Their heads didn't quite turn enough then too much. Tongues fought more than they slid together and lips slid awkwardly rather than smoothly.
There was a shout from the end of the alley as someone left the main door of the bar and Horatio startled and stepped back. He looked at Bush who stood there, eyes half closed with an unreadable expression on his face. Horatio barely knew him, he realized, of course he wouldn't be able to read his expressions.
"Um," Horatio mumbled.
Bush took a deep breath and then shook his head once, as if to clear it and offered Horatio a shy smile.
"Uh," Horatio tried again. Then he just shrugged and nodded towards the door. Bush returned the nod and they both headed in as if nothing had happened.
That night Horatio lay in his bed after settling Archie on the couch. Maria would be home shortly, but would likely think them asleep and head straight to her room. Horatio couldn't sleep. He thought back to that moment in the alley. He and Bush had returned inside and everything had gone back exactly to how it was before as if nothing had happened. By the time Horatio had crawled into bed he had begun to doubt that anything had happened. But it had, he was sure of it. Because as they were leaving Bush had given him a small shy smile and a little wave of his hand goodbye while they were all leaving. It wasn't the look of a man who was worried about what had happened in an alley or what it meant to make out with your coworker you barely knew behind a bar. Horatio wasn't sure what look it was.
He rolled over and pulled out his phone. Bush had punched his number in while they were all saying goodbye to one another.
"I had fun," Bush had said as he had sent a text message to himself from Horatio's phone. "We should hang out again some time?"
Horatio had nodded as he accepted his phone back from Bush and watched him shrug into his jacket. "Me too," he had added, a few beats too late as he slid into his own.
He pulled up the text message. It was just a blank space, but the bubble showed up as if it was waiting for someone to say something. Horatio considered it. But had made a rule to himself never to drunk text so he set the phone down and watched it until the screen turned off.
Maybe later, he thought. Maybe later.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 07:05 am (UTC)This is absolutely delightful. I love it. I love that Bush is a prof here - because of the books’ perspective I think it’s easy to dismiss his intelligence, but he isn’t stupid. He’s a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he’s passed his exams and is a competent leader. He’s not Horatio smart but he’s probably got a better understanding of maths and physics than I’ve got. (Also U of T? Is Bush Texan? If so a) he’s going to have fun with the other Bushes of Texas, and b) oh that poor Southern boy dealing with winters below freezing. I have a best friend who’s Texan and I get complained at when the weather is lightly chilly.)
I love this au though. It’s so warm and cosy. Oh god Archie and Maria would make SUCH good friends (but also bad, because they’re the sort of friends who will gang up on you for your own good.)
Thank you for sharing this :-)
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 10:25 pm (UTC)Thank you! He is very smart. Especially when you consider that Horatio wanted him on the Hotspur and in command of his flagship. Even Hornblower's complete meltdown on the Lydia wasn't about Bush's competence. If Hornblower weren't so preoccupied with thinking he's terrible, I think we'd get more of him mooning over how great Bush is.
I hadn't decided on where to put in him Texas. I kinda liked the idea of him being an Austin boy. Although I was taking some inspiration of me growing up with a number of children of people involved in the oil industry who hailed from Dallas when I plopped him down in Texas. To be 100% honest though, I hadn't made the Bush connection in my head re: Texas Bush's. You'll just need to imagine the *headdesk* I did when I read your comment. Now I'm going to have to write something about that - even if it's just a line or two. And the whole not being able to cope with the weather was another significant inspiration for making him Texan.
:D I hope to write more in it. It's actually been a little bit of an escapist project for me.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-30 03:10 am (UTC)I like the idea of him being an Austin boy, but at the same time I can lowkey see him being a bit of a farm boy, growing up somewhere in West Texas with four sisters who love him and a mother who constantly worries after him (and sends him cookies in the mail with a letter and calls him every Sunday to ask him, amongst other things, when he's getting married.)
But it's your world! Don't let my conjectures get in the way. And yes, the other Texas Bushes. (Fun fact: GW Bush was rejected from U of T. Our Bush isn't in law, which is where GWB was trying to go but it's still funny to consider.) The poor man, though. He must do SO much explaining.
And I look forward to more of this!
no subject
Date: 2019-09-05 06:21 pm (UTC)At the small school although culturally it's more snobbish, academically it's less so. Not that they don't think they're just as smart and capable as the professors from the large research institutions, it's just they think they're better than them because the culture is less publish or perish.
I love your image of Bush! Maybe he will be a bit of a farm boy from outside of Austin!
I think when he's drunk he embraces the Bush from Texas just to be an ass. Otherwise he's highly annoyed by it. :D
no subject
Date: 2019-09-05 07:35 pm (UTC)Again it’s your universe, but I just like the idea. (Not a prompt, but it’d be fun to see Horatio have to endure Thanksgiving at the Bushes. He would probably get smothered by William’s sisters.)
“Well when my second cousin three times removed was President...”
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 09:54 pm (UTC)Also that one thing is considerably more than a vignette, and you should publish it, too. *firm arbiter-of-everything nod*
no subject
Date: 2019-08-31 01:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-08-31 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 10:08 pm (UTC)