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Red Devil H/A AU - part 2
May. 10th, 2011 12:16 pmMay I assure ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lokei and ioanite that the diving bit had been written before they posted their comments. Ah, our great minds, thinking alike!
Horatio got off the subway at Aquarium, simply because he liked the name. It reminded him of childhood, of hours spent in the aquarium at London Zoo, back in the days when he was determined to go to sea, diving in search of creatures undiscovered. That was before he’d had his head turned by maths and machines. And before he’d discovered that he couldn’t even cross the Solent on the Isle of Wight ferry without losing his dinner at Spithead.
At least the rain had eased a bit. He’d e-mailed his father, to confirm he’d arrived in one piece, only to receive an immediate reply castigating him for not getting out of his room. The day was still young, wasn’t it? There were opportunities aplenty, weren’t there? Why was he not taking them? Mr. Hornblower wrote his e-mails like he spoke, in the style of some Austenesque character. I know you prefer your own company but could you not make some effort?. Horatio had seen the futility of argument, got his rain jacket and taken the shuttle bus to the subway station.
He’d anticipated that the Aquarium itself would be soon to close for the evening, but summer opening promised at least a couple of hours to explore. That would suit him fine; he’d be more alone amongst the crowds than sitting on a bench somewhere, sticking out like a sore thumb. He bought a ticket, calculating the equivalent value in sterling instantly, then sauntered along with little hope the place would be as magical as his memories of London Zoo were.
He was wrong. From the moment he turned the corner and encountered the first elegant and intricate jellyfish dance he was transfixed, lost within another world. A safe, comfortable world where deadlines and targets and creating a good impression on the boss didn’t matter. And for the first time in his life he regretted not having someone at his side to say, “Isn’t it wonderful?” to.
lokei and ioanite that the diving bit had been written before they posted their comments. Ah, our great minds, thinking alike!Horatio got off the subway at Aquarium, simply because he liked the name. It reminded him of childhood, of hours spent in the aquarium at London Zoo, back in the days when he was determined to go to sea, diving in search of creatures undiscovered. That was before he’d had his head turned by maths and machines. And before he’d discovered that he couldn’t even cross the Solent on the Isle of Wight ferry without losing his dinner at Spithead.
At least the rain had eased a bit. He’d e-mailed his father, to confirm he’d arrived in one piece, only to receive an immediate reply castigating him for not getting out of his room. The day was still young, wasn’t it? There were opportunities aplenty, weren’t there? Why was he not taking them? Mr. Hornblower wrote his e-mails like he spoke, in the style of some Austenesque character. I know you prefer your own company but could you not make some effort?. Horatio had seen the futility of argument, got his rain jacket and taken the shuttle bus to the subway station.
He’d anticipated that the Aquarium itself would be soon to close for the evening, but summer opening promised at least a couple of hours to explore. That would suit him fine; he’d be more alone amongst the crowds than sitting on a bench somewhere, sticking out like a sore thumb. He bought a ticket, calculating the equivalent value in sterling instantly, then sauntered along with little hope the place would be as magical as his memories of London Zoo were.
He was wrong. From the moment he turned the corner and encountered the first elegant and intricate jellyfish dance he was transfixed, lost within another world. A safe, comfortable world where deadlines and targets and creating a good impression on the boss didn’t matter. And for the first time in his life he regretted not having someone at his side to say, “Isn’t it wonderful?” to.
