William's sudden outburst gets Archie's attention startling back to him before he can think to respond to Horatio. The surprise melts quickly from being stunned to rather obvious adoration.
William has always known, somehow-- better than Archie, at any rate-- how to appeal to Horatio's logic. It's likely for the best that he'd taken the lead in the response. Horatio isn't one, after all, to respond well to the knowledge that anyone would be more than willing to die for him.
(No matter, that Horatio should have known this about him by now. No matter, that it had already been attempted by Archie himself.)
"He's right, you know. Surely you of all people know how-- little we are masters of our own fates, in the end," he says instead, "And how-- often have we lost or nearly lost one another, 'ratio? Did you feel-- no regret for missed chances, after-- after the Papillon? I certainly did. I have no desire to-- suffer that again, not now I know you-- both feel the same."
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William has always known, somehow-- better than Archie, at any rate-- how to appeal to Horatio's logic. It's likely for the best that he'd taken the lead in the response. Horatio isn't one, after all, to respond well to the knowledge that anyone would be more than willing to die for him.
(No matter, that Horatio should have known this about him by now. No matter, that it had already been attempted by Archie himself.)
"He's right, you know. Surely you of all people know how-- little we are masters of our own fates, in the end," he says instead, "And how-- often have we lost or nearly lost one another, 'ratio? Did you feel-- no regret for missed chances, after-- after the Papillon? I certainly did. I have no desire to-- suffer that again, not now I know you-- both feel the same."