It was the irony of that, more than anything, which amused him, the twisted nature of the joke that the one thing that made him false was also the closest he came to honesty.
He did not think that anyone else, either in the palace or in Eastcheap, would appreciate the joke.
and
He has too much generosity of spirit, and I wish it were not always shown to me, Hal thought, a little ashamed by the genuine pleasure in Poins's smile of greeting. The others will be unnerved by what I will do one day, but he will be hurt.
It was an oddly unsettling thought.
Fuck yes, a Hal with some humanity.
Poins just gave him a long, rather sad, look, and shrugged a little, not precisely in dismissal, but not in acceptance, either. Because of course, he did know what he was talking about, he knew more about the tangled and various feelings Hal struggled with than anyone else living, and the only reason Hal found it impossible to stop confiding in him, even though he knew it might be foolish, was that the only times Poins ever used any of that knowledge was when he was worried, or concerned, or trying to stop Hal from doing something that might irritate his father, but was also intensely stupid. In retrospect, Hal often wished he listened to Poins. In immediacy, however, he seemed to be utterly incapable of it.
These two. Best bros. Bestest bros of all time.
"Yes, spare me the reasoning," Poins said with a faint note of exasperation in his pleasant voice. "I did manage to grasp that much, you know. You don't want to go, it's a bad idea to go, so obviously and quite naturally, you will go. You will offend everyone and be offended, and be hurt that others are viewed more highly than you while doing all you can to make sure you seem contemptible. It's hardly a new trick of yours, and I'm only surprised that it hasn't been seen through."
"That's…not very nice of you," Hal said, faintly surprised by both the acuity and the accuracy of Poins's observations. He found himself hoping rather wildly that Poins hadn't realised the same trick applied in reverse to the seedier side of his life.
"No, it's not," Poins agreed. "Being nice is a waste of time when it's you."
PERFECT POINS IS PERFECT.
Also perfect? York. Best partner in crime.
Basically this whole thing is everything I ever wanted in a Henry fic. Thank you for writing it!
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-07-25 02:39 am (UTC)He did not think that anyone else, either in the palace or in Eastcheap, would appreciate the joke.
and
He has too much generosity of spirit, and I wish it were not always shown to me, Hal thought, a little ashamed by the genuine pleasure in Poins's smile of greeting. The others will be unnerved by what I will do one day, but he will be hurt.
It was an oddly unsettling thought.
Fuck yes, a Hal with some humanity.
Poins just gave him a long, rather sad, look, and shrugged a little, not precisely in dismissal, but not in acceptance, either. Because of course, he did know what he was talking about, he knew more about the tangled and various feelings Hal struggled with than anyone else living, and the only reason Hal found it impossible to stop confiding in him, even though he knew it might be foolish, was that the only times Poins ever used any of that knowledge was when he was worried, or concerned, or trying to stop Hal from doing something that might irritate his father, but was also intensely stupid. In retrospect, Hal often wished he listened to Poins. In immediacy, however, he seemed to be utterly incapable of it.
These two. Best bros. Bestest bros of all time.
"Yes, spare me the reasoning," Poins said with a faint note of exasperation in his pleasant voice. "I did manage to grasp that much, you know. You don't want to go, it's a bad idea to go, so obviously and quite naturally, you will go. You will offend everyone and be offended, and be hurt that others are viewed more highly than you while doing all you can to make sure you seem contemptible. It's hardly a new trick of yours, and I'm only surprised that it hasn't been seen through."
"That's…not very nice of you," Hal said, faintly surprised by both the acuity and the accuracy of Poins's observations. He found himself hoping rather wildly that Poins hadn't realised the same trick applied in reverse to the seedier side of his life.
"No, it's not," Poins agreed. "Being nice is a waste of time when it's you."
PERFECT POINS IS PERFECT.
Also perfect? York. Best partner in crime.
Basically this whole thing is everything I ever wanted in a Henry fic. Thank you for writing it!