Happy Birthday, Sweet Fifteen (13 June)

De Guarde might have thought that he could get no redder, but when Thompson put it so bluntly he had imagined it and that only made it all worse. "George!" He choked out.

Fine, if Thompson could say something like that, so would he! Though he wondered if he could get Thompson embarrassed at all. It was a challenge he was bound to fail, but never the less he could try. "Do you.." Fine, it was not as easy as it happened to look.

"Earlier I wanted to ask you.." Going well so far. "Whether.. "He was halting, which meant it was not going as well as he had hoped. "You.. when there's no women, perchance.. when you're alone.." He was flustered all over again, signaling the fact that his supposed challenge was not going at all like he had hoped. "Do things that a.. uh man does only in private or in company." He blinked. "I mean, the sort of private, one person company.. only not the same, different, 'couse I reckon, couse it is different if there's company or if you're alone, like."

He sighed. "I meant to ask.. all this time.. 'couse you're not with a girl..do things happen?"

Thompson had to fight not to chuckle at the colour of de Guarde's face. Poor lad - it wouldn't be fair on him if Thompson started laughing now. "D'you mean, do I jerk off when there's no chance of bein' with a woman?" he asked, amused. "Aye - reckon most men do, at that."

"Oh." Just as expected it made Thompson no more embarrassed than he had been, or rather, not been, earlier. "What do you think of?" A final attempt at making him at the very least blush. He had a sudden urge to go and find a nice, little place below-deck. His preference was, that there were no people around or would ever consider heading off to such a part of the ship. He pulled his knees up to his chest and felt down his queue, to test whether it was well done. No surprise there.

"I'm 15 so...'s not like I've never done it, so you know!" He said that haughtily.

"What d'you mean, what do I think of it? I ain't a monk, am I?" He grinned. "What is it you've never done, jerked off? Or tumbled with a woman?" he asked, one eyebrow raised a little.

"I've not done it with a woman. " De Guarde answered. He seemed to hesitate momentarily, look briefly away and then as he spoke it had only been a little bit more forced. "But I've.. done the other thing that you mentioned." He rested his chin on his knees, which he still hugged with both arms.

"Jus' so you don't think I'm all full ignorant, like you probably had just.. about earlier!"

Thompson smiled. "Look, you know where I was born an' brought up, don't you? An' goin' with a woman ain't anythin' like the same as doin' it yourself. They've got tits, for one thing, an' they'm all over soft an' smooth skin, an' long hair." He grinned and assumed a falsetto voice. "Wouldja like a nice time, sir? Oh, you must be brave, goin' out to sea in one of them ships an' all."

Thompson was not helping a young lad whose hormones were as betraying as his body could be.

"You've got long hair." He retorted to distract himself from the image. Thompson's high pitched , or as high pitched as he could make it, voice was just supplying him with the vocalisation, when the visualisation was there already.

"An' you've got t' voice! You sure you'um not a lassy yeself?" He huffed, but as his eyes dropped to Thompson's chest, he was convinced that either the man was a rather flatchested girl, or he was as manly as his voice usually was. His face could not fool anyone that he was a girl neither, nor his need to shave or else his cheeks held the potential to replace a brush.

"Pretty sure," Thompson replied, amused. "I've got hair where women don't, an' they sure as heck don't have what I've got 'tween me legs."

He had to take Thompson's word on hair. he had not exactly been privy to many occasions of women who had worn nothing, so he could hardly say whether they had hair in places, or whether they did not. Not that it was exactly his intention to find out.

"Aye. That something." He had his hands even lower. The conversation had made him feel awkward, and he would only stand when he was certain the awkwardness would not embarrass him worse. For that he would just need to think of something else, but that was hard when he wanted to ask another question or two on the topic.

"Are they all t' same.. I mean.. When you do ..that?" If anybody had told him that he would be talking about women and the tumbling in the sheets with a corporal, he would have smacked the person over and called him a liar, yet here he was...

Thompson shook his head. "No. Some of 'em are... busty, an' some of 'em ain't. Some of 'em giggles at you an' some of 'em don't. Women are about as diff'rent as men, really. Lil Baker could give Mister Rutland summat to think about if she clouted him, an' Rosie Seabright, well... I never seen a girl blush so much."

"Some o' them giggle at you while you do it?.. .That sounds like they was laughin' at you. Not a really nice thing of them to do!" He perked up to attention at the names of the girls that Thompson had mentioned. He imagined Rosie as a blond girl, sweet, of pink cheeks. Or, no, perhaps her hair was brown, but long. Her eyes had to be something warm, blue or brown but both a pleasant colour to see. She certainly had thin hands and was not too busty. Perhaps a sort of cleavage that was just promising.

The woman Thompson first described made him think of Hollow, only of a female version of him, perhaps bigger, bustier certainly. With a mean look on her face, ready to thump anyone who did not agree with her. He shuddered at the thought.

"I think I'd rather meet Rosie n' that other woman." The thought of her certainly made him loose all his interest and his grip slackened, his legs shifting a bit away from his chest.

"Not at you so much - an' the most of 'em don't," Thompson replied, and grinned. "Oh, Lil Baker ain't so bad - an' you jus' tell her you know me, she'll see you right." He grinned. "What sort of girl would you rather have, then?" he asked, curious.

"Um... I don't know." De Guarde sighed. ".. I think she would pretty, don't need to be beautiful, couse then she might think full of he'self. Mebbe brown hair...something like yours looks nice. Nice lips, um...her... her tits. "He blushed, and there he was going again, thanks to Thompson, and his own imagination. ".. so's I could touch'm right. Don't want her suffocatin' me.. or summat." He shuffled a little. "....you mean one I'd sleep wif' or one I'd marry?"

"Either. Though, really, wouldn't you sleep with the one you married?" He grinned. "An' I never heard of anyone suffocatin' in some woman's tits, neither." He chuckled. "I dunno how we got talkin' of this sort of thing, neither."

"..Well. Yeah. Probably. You need heirs, don't you." He frowned. "I dunno that I really want to marry though..." He sat on his side and had his hand resting in his lap, with the sewing kit lying clutched, between them.

"I think it was your fault what... I don't know really. Bu' another question, 'couse I don't know if we'll ever talk o' this again." It was strange but nice that he was able to talk of something so intimate and did not feel that he was somehow shaming himself. He'd never have talked of it to peers of his age, or of his standing. He knew that much.

"...what do yer do, if yer got t' itch at t' wors' possible moment. Like... you was standin' in line and you's suddenly got that.. uh problem going!"

"Try an' think of anythin' else," Thompson replied ruefully. "Doesn't allus help, o' course, but you're gen'rally thinkin' of whether your kit is as clean as it was last night below-decks." He leaned back a little. "You got any more questions about it, you can ask me. Anythin'. All right?"

"Any other time .. too?" He asked, wondering why he exactly wanted to know that. Surely he did not intend to talk about it another time? He closed his eyes and tried to think of...it helped. Just one thought of that cruel lad, and he was cured.

He relaxed again. "You don' wonder why I'm askin' you?... Or feel like I should shut up 'bout it... couse It's not a proper sort of conversation to be havin', even if I'm a whole year older now?"

"Why not, if you've got summat you want to ask?" Thompson said, reasonably. He shrugged. "Why should I wonder why you'm askin' me? You dunno much about it, an' I do. Makes sense to me."

"True. But it's not usually something people talk about. It is not quite as talking about the weather, or how nice t' breeze is. No? S' not talkin' about t' stars either or t' work you're doin' here as a marine, and me as a Tar." He shrugged. "S'..I'm glad you ain't bothered by it, and glad you'm my friend."

He paused and touched his queue again, gently as if afraid he might pull hair free by accident. "I'm not sure I have said thank you properly. I've been and will probably be an arse.. and yer got t' patience of gold with me. You've helped me settle in and though i've bit you and stomped on you, and called you things, and thought things.." He grinned. "I really did change, you know. I'm helpin' down with t' surgeon at t' moment, though it'll be any time now I'm returned back to my other duties.. unless of course t' surgeon things he needs me fer a while longer." He shrugged.

"But, what I mean to say...You were there when I was down t' most... and you are here now that I've got me birthday. Thank you. You'd done more n' I dared to hope you'd do, more n' I imagined any way. I hope I'm not too much of a disappointment ter you, but I AM trying now. Best I can."

Thompson gave the lad a frank look. "I was brought up in a brothel. It'd be damn strange if I was bothered by it, y'know. An' I like bein' your friend. Never had a friend quite like you, anyhow - it's definitely, um, interestin', at times. An' you can't call me anythin' worse than other folks've called me - up to an' includin' a bastard."

He smiled fondly at the lad. "No, you ain't a disappointment, lad. You come up with some strange things, an' do some strange things, but you'm learnin'. An' I'm right proud of you for tryin', you know."

"Well, you might be a bastard.. but, you'um better than half o' those who call themselves born in marriage." He shrugged. " And half of them could be called right bastards , but fer all other reasons." His smile broadened. "Mebbe, is' why it's easier ter talk about such things with you. Couse I know you'd not lift your nose at me, and consider me.. a shameful prude."

He reached for the cup. Perhaps he could just drink some of it now. It felt like a good time. Taking a few sips he placed the cup back down. " I just hope there's no bathin' us soon... 'couse I've had it fer quite a long while!"

Thompson chuckled. "No, I wouldn't say that about you. You just ain't had the same experience as me, have you? An' if you don't want that, you ought to keep yourself clean. Mind you, you didn't see me an' Chase larkin' about in the water, neither."

"No. I certainly have not." De Guarde agreed. He liked his birthday. He had some free time, he could talk with Thompson, he could drink and it was a rather nice day outside.

"I have kept m'self clean 'fore they demanded a wash! I wasn't half as bad as they thought I was, or other boys were." He protested showing his skin even now. "I am in contact with water more n'.. t' ship. Well a'right. Not more n' that, but.. more n' your everyday Tar, certainly. I wash t' sheets, wash t' cloth we need fer bandages, scrub t' floors clean, n' I wash t' tools every time they's used, jus' so they ain't bloody or summat."

He scowled. "Only, t' surgeon was a bit strict on me using laudanum this time around. he did give it ter me though. An' I'm not taking any when I am not allowed, even if I could, couse it's right there!"

"Well, even so, there was no need to have kicked up such a hullabaloo over it. Still, that's water under the bridge now, as me mum'd say. An' you ought to have seen me an' Chase - though I agree, the water was damn cold. Still, it's allus good to be clean." He couldn't help chuckling at that. "You wouldn't have recognised me, if you'd seen me when I was a kid, though. All over dirt an' rags an' all, I was. Was probably even skinnier than young Button, too."

"You was ...you was like we, after we'd gotten out of that sewage place then? Remember? We stank something awful!" He laughed softly at the thought, trying not to think of the reason that he had thrown such a fit. It was water under the bridge and he had no particular desire to speak of it. The sooner everybody completely forgot about it, the better.

"Just not as skinny, couse we just got all dirty there." He looked thoughtful. "Do you think we're safe from gettin' all ill like last time though?... It wasn't connected ter us going in ter sewage or whatnot that was.. couse, if it was, I'd be sick too. And I was right as rain!"