simplestgift | Seventeen Bells: [WRITTEN/ACTION]

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Seventeen Bells: [WRITTEN/ACTION]

On July the 4th, 1776, one Horatio Hornblower was born in Kent. If you see him, bid him many happy returns. He will most likely grump about it all day and act ungrateful, but don't allow it to discourage you. He does appreciate it, he simply does not know it.

[For most of the day, Archie will be running around trying to furnish a bedroom in the house for a new housemate. He'll end up in the library, Good Spirits, the grocery store, then finally the Battle Dome, mostly staring in bewilderment at the controls before deciding this is too scary and leaving. At some point, he'll also take a walk in the woods, rain or no rain, in shirtsleeves and waistcoat but no coat. After a while, he'll get back on the journals.]

[Filtered away from Grell, 44%]

If you wanted to surprise someone dear to you, to cheer her up when she returned from being kidnapped, what would you do for her?

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He'll appreciate it a little. Eventually.

Well, be sure to pass along my happy returns. You can pick up his present whenever you want.

[ he never forgets, Archie. ]

Er. Right. I'll be over directly, shall I?

If you please.

Just a moment, then.

[House seven is no longer two steps away, so it's a bit more of a walk than usual. A few minutes later, there's a knock at the door.]

[ and McCoy hasn't even gotten the sailor household a proper housewarming gift yet. how tragic. the doctor's lounging on the couch in the front room when he hears Archie knocking on the door and calls out to the lieutenant. ]

It's open.

[He steps in with a pseudo-smile and shuts the door behind him.] Where are these squirming bits of fur, then?

[ he gestures to his left side where, on the couch next to him, is the kitten in question. ] Say hello to Pertussis.

Pertus...ss. [Weird name. There's the orange tabby, sitting quietly but sniffing the air wide-eyed as if tempted to dash off after a mouse at any moment. Archie holds his hand out to it, remembering past housecats. It sniffs, then rubs against his hand and rumbles madly. Suddenly it grabs his thumb with both paws, claws unsheathed, and flops down on its side, swatting at his palm with its hind legs. The action startles him, but he keeps his head enough not to jerk away and get himself scratched. Then the kitten picks itself up and starts to purr and rub again while Archie smiles on.]

Sounds a bit more like a hero of the Greeks than a kitten.

Well, I'm not saying that's its real name. I just needed to tell them all apart. [ because "Pertussis" is the medical name for a whooping cough and he can sense the impending disapproval. this is what happens when Buffy is conspicuously absent when McCoy decides to name animals, but at least this spirited one had gotten off lightly. at least it sounded vaguely cat like. ] You can call it whatever you want.

[Archie picks up the fluffball, enchanted despite himself, letting it settle into his arms as he continues to pet it. After a second it starts to realize it is up very high indeed and is not certain it approves of this change in events, meowing pitifully. The lieutenant does not appear to take notice.]

You suggested Tobin. We can call him Toby. If, of course... [He lifts up the cat and squints, trying to determine a sex.] Yes. Toby he shall be. [Back to cuddling. Which the cat approves of more than being held by its armpits, so it stops meowing for a little.]

I never suggested that name, Archie. [ the denial is strong with this one, but he shrugs and leans back on the couch as he watches lieutenant and kitten bond. sort of. ] Whatever floats your boat.

[Archie is barely paying attention. The kitten has climbed up onto his shoulder now, and is trying to find steady enough footing to curl up, purring again.]

Hm? Ah, yes, of course.

You didn't hear a word I said, did you?

[Toby does curl up on the lieutenant's shoulder and begins the important process of shedding hairs on his uniform.] Of course I did. Very affectionate, this one.

[ such an important process. McCoy grins and nods at the younger man. ] I'm glad you two are getting along. They take after their mother.

[ because he won't even entertain the notion of them taking after the cat that impregnated Cupcake in the first place. damn it, Klunk. ]

[Poor Mikey. He's such a huge fan, you know. Archie stays very still and strokes the cat with the side of a finger as it settles in to sleep.]

Just the thing, really. I never noticed how pleasant it is to listen to a kitten purring.

[It's been a rough day.]

Should've listened to Nell and Cupcake when they teamed up -- I couldn't get any work with those damn things huddled together.

I believe it. Oh, while I remember--should I give Horatio your best wishes? He is twenty-nine today.

If you could. [ he smiles. ] Haven't seen him around lately.

Resting. [As much as Horatio Hornblower will rest, anyway.] I'll give him your regards, then.

[ McCoy doesn't bother hiding his scepticism. it was a challenge to get Horatio to rest when Archie was in hospital and one he never managed to accomplish. ]

Thanks. [ a beat. ] How have you been doing, Arch?

[Gingerly, keeping his back straight as possible, Archie sits on the couch so the cat can sleep in peace.] Well enough, I suppose. [He does not say this with a lot of conviction. The duel with Grell has him sleeping badly even after the fact, and he had one of the most difficult conversations he's had since coming here with Jilly, so tonight was bound to be one of those types of nights.]

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