Bated Breath (Hornblower fic)

[Wig_Powder]

This is kind of sort of a two-in-one. See, I had an idea for a sneeze scenario involving Horatio (and it was one of the dozen I wrote during National Novel Writing Month), but I loved the concept so much that I wanted to see it written by someone other than me. To that end, when tarotgal offered up holiday giftfics, I asked for the same scenario, with just one small tweak; namely, the POV character. If you're interested, you can compare both our efforts, and see what's similar and what's different.

So here's tarotgal's offering: https://tgsrealm.tarotgal.net/stories/12Ficlets12Days-2020/12in12Day2.html

And down here is mine...

***

Captain Pellew stood on the Indefatigable's quarterdeck, looking over the ship and her crew. All seemed well at present; they hadn't encountered a Frenchman in a while, and while the crew were perhaps getting a little restless and starting to wish for a fight, they weren't growing idle in their duties, thanks to the drills Pellew had ordered and the careful watch of his officers. Further, the wind was with them, the skies were clear, the seas were smooth, and according to the inventory he'd received from his quartermaster that morning, they had enough provisions to last them another four months. It was, all things considered, the best position for a ship to be in.

 

Having made his appraisal, Pellew began to examine the decks more casually. If anyone was taking advantage of this period of relative leisure, they appeared to be doing it below decks. While there were a few men milling about topside, they were either taking the air alone or quietly conversing with each other, making sure to keep clear of those who were on duty. Heartening as it was that the men were so well-disciplined, it meant that there was no reason for Pellew to oversee them. As it would be another two hours until the next drill, Pellew decided, reluctantly, that it was time to return to his cabin and work on the various reports required of his position.

 

Then Acting-Lieutenant Hornblower emerged onto the deck, and Pellew immediately peered down at him, wondering if he had finally managed to deal with his earlier condition. Given the way he rubbed at his nose a few moments later, it didn't seem likely.

 

During the course of that morning's cannon drills, one of the powder monkeys had knocked over a bag of gunpowder near where Hornblower had been standing. Hornblower had initially coughed, waved the powder from his face, and gently chided the boy on being careless before returning to supervising the loading of the portside cannons. After a few minutes, however, it became obvious that some of the powder had got into his nose, given that he was rubbing at it every minute or so. He had attempted to clear it with a discreet blow into a handkerchief, but it hadn't done much good, and while he admirably continued to give orders, it was hard to ignore his occasional sniff, or the way his breath would sometimes catch twice before he exhaled in frustration. No one drew attention to it—in addition to having the drills to worry about, nearly everyone knew of Hornblower's strong desire to keep up an appearance of control—but it had been a source of mild amusement that quickly gave way to sympathy when it became clear that the powder was truly stuck. Now, nearly four hours later, it seemed that he still hadn't been able to rid himself of the irritant.

 

Hornblower made his way to the side of the ship, and Pellew's eyes followed him, though a casual observer would have assumed from the Captain's posture that he was still examining the entire deck. Hornblower rested his hands on the railing and looked out to sea, though of course it was impossible to guess if he was looking out for enemy ships or lost in his own thoughts. After a few moments, he rubbed at his nose again, and while it was hard to make out his expression, the set of his shoulders and the sharpness of the rub indicated Hornblower's irritation.

 

Just as he was bringing his hand back to the railing, Hornblower's body tensed slightly. Pellew found himself leaning forward, wondering if the other man was finally going to find relief. He saw Hornblower's head tilt back, saw the shoulders rise...but then both dropped back down, Hornblower shaking his head faintly. Pellew winced in sympathy.

 

Hornblower stepped away from the rail and made his way towards the quarterdeck, nodding to the men he passed. When he passed the mainmast, he looked up at Pellew and gave a salute. Pellew nodded, and Hornblower's hand immediately went from his temple to his nose, rubbing yet again. Pellew pretended not to see, though he continued to keep an eye on Hornblower, wondering how the man intended to distract himself (or perhaps, rid himself) from the itch in his nose.

 

The answer, it seemed, was to pace the area between the mainmast and the mizzenmast, stopping only when it seemed like a sneeze was finally forthcoming. This happened twice, but each time, the itch died away, leaving Hornblower frozen in place for a moment or two before he finally composed himself, though he couldn't stop himself from huffing in annoyance. Pellew watched him complete three full passes, but it appeared things were going to continue in this fashion for a while yet. Checking his watch, Pellew saw there was still another hour and a half before the next drill. While he had appreciated the distraction, the reports still needed to be written, and now was the best time to do them.

 

Pellew was just stepping away from the railing when he saw Hornblower stop again. He might have dismissed this as another false sneeze, but something about the way Hornblower had abruptly stopped moving felt different than the previous times. Resuming his position, Pellew waited to see if this time, Hornblower would find relief.

 

As before, Hornblower's body tensed in preparation. This time, however, he was angled in such a way that Pellew was able to see the struggle in more detail. Hornblower's lips parted, his eyes fluttering closed. As his breath caught, his shoulders rose, head tilting back enough that Pellew could see Hornblower's nose twitch and flare. Hornblower's hands unclasped themselves from behind his back and rose towards his face, fingers already curving. As his hands pressed themselves together to form a “bowl”, Hornblower's breath caught again, his brow furrowing and his mouth opening a little wider. When his breath caught a third time (a good sign, as previously the sneeze had receded after two), his entire body quivered as if in anticipation; the dark brown curls of his hair trembled particularly strongly. As the inhale ceased, Hornblower remained in that position for one agonizing second, and Pellew wondered if the sneeze was going to desert him after all. But it seemed that this time, some higher power had decided to be merciful.

 

Hornblower's head snapped down into his cupped hands, his long fingers separating slightly but overall holding their position. While the wind and creaks of the ship had drowned out the sounds of Hornblower's hitching breaths, Pellew could hear the sneeze perfectly clearly.

 

“ETKESHHHHEEEWW!!!”

 

The sneeze threw Hornblower forward, nearly bending him double. Even though Pellew had seen the young man emerge from numerous challenges unscathed or with only minor injures, for a brief moment he was concerned that the exertion was going to snap Hornblower in half. Fortunately, Hornblower seemed none the worse for wear, though the force caused his curls to bounce against his forehead and cheeks while his queue was thrown forward, dangling over his left shoulder. Pellew also wouldn't have been surprised if a button or two had come undone on Hornblower's jacket or vest, though he couldn't see if that was so.

 

After the sneeze, Hornblower remained hunched over for a moment, perhaps dazed from the strength of it. Then he groaned in relief, the sound loud enough to carry to the quarterdeck. Straightening up, he brought his hands down from his face, one of them immediately diving into a pocket to retrieve a handkerchief. Cupping his hands once more, he pressed the white cloth to his nose, his shoulders drawing level with his ears as he blew (though this sound didn't carry). After that, he rubbed the handkerchief against his nose, most likely to remove any dampness than to encourage or chase away a lingering itch, and then lightly passed it over each of his palms before tucking it away again. As he took hold of his queue to toss it back over his shoulder, Pellew saw him tense again. Surely that wasn't a sign of another sneeze; the first one had to have been enough to blow out all the gunpowder that had been troubling him.

 

Then Hornblower turned his head to peer down the length of the ship, and Pellew understood at once. As good as it must have felt to finally be rid of the itch, the sneeze had been decidedly loud, and could very well have been heard by others on deck. Hornblower was concerned that someone had witnessed his lapse of control, and even though anyone who had seen would most likely share in his relief that the itch had passed (or be concerned for his health after such a powerful sneeze), all he would see was judgment and reproval. Pellew's eyes quickly travelled across the deck as well, though he had no idea what he would do if he did see someone staring at Hornblower. After all, he couldn't exactly chastise them for doing the same thing he had done.

 

Perhaps fortunately, nobody appeared to be looking their way. Whether it was because no one had heard or because they wanted to spare Hornblower embarrassment was unclear, but Pellew felt relief on his officer's behalf. Knowing Hornblower would soon look in his direction, Pellew turned his head upwards, pretending to examine the sails and rigging. He even nodded, to give the appearance of having come to a conclusion. When he lowered his gaze, Hornblower was descending back to the main deck, his gait steady, back straight, and head high. While he couldn't see Hornblower's face, Pellew was sure that the man had resumed his normal expression of guarded observation and was trying to pretend that the events of the past few minutes hadn't occurred. The fact that he nodded calmly at the men he passed seem to support that theory. Pellew smiled and shook his head fondly. Hornblower showed all the signs of being an excellent Captain someday, but it would do him a world of good if he could learn to acknowledge a bit of weakness now and then.

 

Checking his watch again (and feeling a bit surprised that only two minutes had passed), Pellew took one last look over his ship before returning to his cabin. He could probably finish two reports before the next drill. And with any luck, said drill wouldn't lead to a repeat performance from Hornblower or any of the other men.

[Shay]

Well, that was quite a tease! Long buildups are always nice.

[Usagi]

Nice on I like it a lot. Do like a tease as well~.

[Wig_Powder]

@Shay @Usagi Thank you both!

[groundcontrol]

I will never ever get tired of Hornblower fics, especially yours. Love how it’s from Pellew’s perspective as well. 

[Wig_Powder]

On 3/14/2021 at 8:23 PM, groundcontrol said:

I will never ever get tired of Hornblower fics, especially yours. Love how it’s from Pellew’s perspective as well. 

That first part is very flattering to hear! Glad you enjoyed it, even if there wasn't much in the way of sneezing.