(no subject)
Title: First Kiss
Rating: K+ (Suitable for ages 13 and above)
Disclaimers: None
Original pen-date: 4 February 2011
Summary: Show the Colours AU; a ship's boy receives his first kiss. England, 1809.
Author's Note: Written for a Kink meme on DreamWidth. Prompt - First times. What was each character's first time like? (Can be first kiss, first time with the opposite sex, first time with the same sex - whatever you like!)
"Steady, girl, I ain't payin' for a drink I'm wearin'!"
The man's outburst was accompanied by the serving girl's tittering laugh. Both were sounds barely heard in the noisy tavern. There were plenty of other scenes similar to that one scattered around the crowded interior. No attention was paid to the small, tousled-haired child who slipped easily through the maze of tables and people, bound for the back rooms. He might have been invisible to them.
"Hoi," the boy hissed, after slipping around a half-closed door to find himself in a narrow, poorly lit corridor. This wasn't quite what he'd expected, when the directions to this place had been given to him. Second room on the left, he'd been told. Knock four times and wait to be admitted. Fingers shivered then gathered his courage and went forward. He had to return twice to the half-closed door he'd come through in order to count the other doors, however, before sternly telling himself to stop being foolish.
Second room on the left. Rght. This was it. Fingers steeled himself and lifted his small hand to rap four times at the narrow, dark-painted door. Then he dropped his hand back to his side and waited anxiously. Several long seconds dragged by without an answer. Had he misjudged the room? The timing, perhaps? Or, more horribly, had he gotten the wrong tavern entirely?
The door opened soundlessly, interrupting him from the terrified thought that he hadn't even come to the right street. To his great surprise, a girl no bigger or older than he stood in the threshold. Her pale features stood out starkly in the near-darkness of the room behind her, such that Fingers nearly failed to notice the faded blue dress she wore, or the grimy hands that rested on her hips.
"Well?" She asked, regarding him dismissively. Fingers swallowed hard.
"This 'ere's f-from Tanner Joe," he managed to choke out and all but shoved the crudely-wrapped parcel at her. "For yer mistress, he sez. Dunno whattit is but he sez it's sommat pretty, like. S'posed to give't direckly to 'er, but... um, but... jus' take it, willya?"
The girl tucked the parcel under one arm with an air of careless exasperation. "She'll get it. Anythin' else?"
Fingers shifted from foot to foot, his reserve of courage failing. But Tanner Joe had been adamant on this point, almost more than the manner of delivery itself. "Erm. Uh. Aye. Er. Tanner Joe said I waz s'posed t' ax for payment. It's bi'ness, he sez, but..." his nerve and his voice faltered then fell away. Tanner Joe was mad to think it had been a good idea to send Fingers on this errand, instead of seeing to it himself. All Fingers wanted to do now was scarper and be damned to any payment.
"Of course he did," the girl said with a put-upon sigh. "C'mere then."
What? Fingers stared at her, wide eyed, unable to move. Go inside? In a place like this? No. Not him. That wasn't anything he was interested in. He'd done what he'd been sent to do. "No thanks," he squeaked and was immediately embarrassed at how high-pitched his voice sounded to his ears. "I don't want nuffin like tha - "
The girl rolled her eyes, then, to Fingers' utter astonishment, stepped quickly toward him. An instant later, she had retreated into the room and slammed the door. Fingers stood rooted to the spot, his eyes round and his cheek tingling just lightly. Had that truly just happened? It wasn't just his imagination? That wasn't at all what he'd expected. Certainly he'd never thought a girl might so bold as to kiss him. Blimey...
From down the corridor, the door he'd originally come through was heaved open with a crash and two cackling women appeared. Close on their heels was a red-faced man. "Oi! Yew there!" One of the women cried, spotting Fingers. "Nobody back 'ere that don't pay!"
That was all the prompting Fingers needed to shake off his inertia. He bolted for the far end of the corridor, his stained white trousers flapping about his legs. This was definitely an errand for Tanner Joe, but Fingers was glad now he'd taken it instead. If that was the sort of payment he could expect... grinning broadly now, Fingers slipped out through a door at the opposite end of the corridor and disappeared into the night.
Rating: K+ (Suitable for ages 13 and above)
Disclaimers: None
Original pen-date: 4 February 2011
Summary: Show the Colours AU; a ship's boy receives his first kiss. England, 1809.
Author's Note: Written for a Kink meme on DreamWidth. Prompt - First times. What was each character's first time like? (Can be first kiss, first time with the opposite sex, first time with the same sex - whatever you like!)
"Steady, girl, I ain't payin' for a drink I'm wearin'!"
The man's outburst was accompanied by the serving girl's tittering laugh. Both were sounds barely heard in the noisy tavern. There were plenty of other scenes similar to that one scattered around the crowded interior. No attention was paid to the small, tousled-haired child who slipped easily through the maze of tables and people, bound for the back rooms. He might have been invisible to them.
"Hoi," the boy hissed, after slipping around a half-closed door to find himself in a narrow, poorly lit corridor. This wasn't quite what he'd expected, when the directions to this place had been given to him. Second room on the left, he'd been told. Knock four times and wait to be admitted. Fingers shivered then gathered his courage and went forward. He had to return twice to the half-closed door he'd come through in order to count the other doors, however, before sternly telling himself to stop being foolish.
Second room on the left. Rght. This was it. Fingers steeled himself and lifted his small hand to rap four times at the narrow, dark-painted door. Then he dropped his hand back to his side and waited anxiously. Several long seconds dragged by without an answer. Had he misjudged the room? The timing, perhaps? Or, more horribly, had he gotten the wrong tavern entirely?
The door opened soundlessly, interrupting him from the terrified thought that he hadn't even come to the right street. To his great surprise, a girl no bigger or older than he stood in the threshold. Her pale features stood out starkly in the near-darkness of the room behind her, such that Fingers nearly failed to notice the faded blue dress she wore, or the grimy hands that rested on her hips.
"Well?" She asked, regarding him dismissively. Fingers swallowed hard.
"This 'ere's f-from Tanner Joe," he managed to choke out and all but shoved the crudely-wrapped parcel at her. "For yer mistress, he sez. Dunno whattit is but he sez it's sommat pretty, like. S'posed to give't direckly to 'er, but... um, but... jus' take it, willya?"
The girl tucked the parcel under one arm with an air of careless exasperation. "She'll get it. Anythin' else?"
Fingers shifted from foot to foot, his reserve of courage failing. But Tanner Joe had been adamant on this point, almost more than the manner of delivery itself. "Erm. Uh. Aye. Er. Tanner Joe said I waz s'posed t' ax for payment. It's bi'ness, he sez, but..." his nerve and his voice faltered then fell away. Tanner Joe was mad to think it had been a good idea to send Fingers on this errand, instead of seeing to it himself. All Fingers wanted to do now was scarper and be damned to any payment.
"Of course he did," the girl said with a put-upon sigh. "C'mere then."
What? Fingers stared at her, wide eyed, unable to move. Go inside? In a place like this? No. Not him. That wasn't anything he was interested in. He'd done what he'd been sent to do. "No thanks," he squeaked and was immediately embarrassed at how high-pitched his voice sounded to his ears. "I don't want nuffin like tha - "
The girl rolled her eyes, then, to Fingers' utter astonishment, stepped quickly toward him. An instant later, she had retreated into the room and slammed the door. Fingers stood rooted to the spot, his eyes round and his cheek tingling just lightly. Had that truly just happened? It wasn't just his imagination? That wasn't at all what he'd expected. Certainly he'd never thought a girl might so bold as to kiss him. Blimey...
From down the corridor, the door he'd originally come through was heaved open with a crash and two cackling women appeared. Close on their heels was a red-faced man. "Oi! Yew there!" One of the women cried, spotting Fingers. "Nobody back 'ere that don't pay!"
That was all the prompting Fingers needed to shake off his inertia. He bolted for the far end of the corridor, his stained white trousers flapping about his legs. This was definitely an errand for Tanner Joe, but Fingers was glad now he'd taken it instead. If that was the sort of payment he could expect... grinning broadly now, Fingers slipped out through a door at the opposite end of the corridor and disappeared into the night.