Cove lay in the hammock staring at the wooden ceiling imaging fantasy landscapes from the swirls in the wood. Hanzo and Robbo were on galley duty, whilst Fletch and Drift were up drinking in the bird’s nest. It was rare for him to get the Salt Room to himself and he knew he should be appreciating the time better but there was something he just couldn’t get off his mind.

It was all Drift’s fault. Stupid, dumb annoying Drift.

It had all happened that morning. Cove had woken up to find himself with more space to stretch out than usual. He was alone in the hammock and the sun still hadn’t yet crept out from beyond the horizon. The other boys were fast asleep and Robbo was snoring like some sort of steam engine to rival that which powered the Akashi.

Cove was tempted to turn over and fall back asleep, cuddling into the warmth that Drift had left behind. Evidently the other boy wasn’t too long gone. However, curiosity was niggling at him. Drift wasn’t on any morning duties and it was still too early to be doing anything up topside or getting breakfast.

Cove climbed out of the hammock and pulled his oversized blue sweatshirt over his head before padding barefoot out of the bunk room and down the corridor. He looked for Drift in the galley first to see if he was stealing snacks from the pantry whilst Gordy snoozed. However, everything was empty and silent, save for the gentle clanging of copper pans hanging from the ceiling and swaying with the movements of the ship.

Cove tried the washrooms next and sure enough, he could make out the sound of running water. Someone was taking the opportunity to shower before anyone else was awake.

Cove smirked to himself, he was going to creep up on Drift in the shower and scare the shit out of him. He had never seen Drift wash before, although the other boy had stood outside the wash room plenty of times whilst Cove bathed. He wondered if Drift got up early every day to do this? Maybe that was why he never smelled bad like the other boys, just like salt and wood polish.

Cove tiptoed as quietly as he could before freezing to the spot.

The person in the wash room let out a low moan.

Despite the sounds of the pipes running up ahead and the water splashing about, the noise itself was unmistakable. Especially as a second moan followed it a moment later, this one louder in volume.

Cove bit his lip. He knew he should turn around and walk away. It might not even be Drift. God he might be listening to Morris getting himself off for all he knew!

Cove decided he would at least confirm who it was in the showers. Maybe Drift was still elsewhere and Cove could still go look for him? Cove took a quiet step forwards to the door, it was slightly ajar. It was just enough for Cove to peer through the steam and see a man standing with his side to Cove, leaning his head against his arm, his other hand down between his legs moving in slow, languid thrusts.

The water was dripping off the end of Drift’s nose and his hair was flattened down. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open and panting. Cove’s eyes followed the water as it ran down the curve of Drift’s bicep, flexing with every curl of his hand.

“Mmph,” Drift moaned again, bringing his other hand down to bite at it, obviously in an attempt to silence himself.

Now Cove had confirmed who it was he knew he should move. He should walk away and pretend to himself that he had never witnessed such a thing.

But his legs didn’t seem to get onboard with this plan.

Cove stared, transfixed, his eyes refusing to even blink as Drift moved, angling his body as if to give Cove even more of a show.

The other boy looked incredible. His skin was tanned and soft over hard muscles and there was a trail of thick, dark hair leading down…

Cove gulped, Drift was bigger than he was. His dick stood firm and rigid, swollen and aroused with a vein down the middle. The head was glistening as it disappeared in and out of view in between Drift’s fingers.

“Fuck” Drift panted, tearing his mouth away from where he had bitten his knuckles raw and bringing his hand down to stroke his own chest.

Cove nearly whimpered as Drift’s fingertips pinched a dark, goose-pimpled nipple between them, the thrusts of his other hand starting to speed up.

Drift’s eyes were still closed, Cove wondered what the other boy was seeing in his mind? Was he imagining the ample breasts of one of those tavern girls or something else?

Drift’s head tipped back out of the stream of the shower as he took a great lungful of air, his throat working and flexing with his gasps. The rhythm of his strokes and the sounds of smacking flesh were growing more erratic.

Cove had to leave now. This wasn’t right, he shouldn’t be watching this. He shouldn’t want to watch this.

Drift was…well, not exactly his friend perhaps, the other boy barely tolerated him. But if Drift ever found out that Cove was perving on him like this he would probably beat him to a pulp.

Cove reached down to try and feel if his legs truly had turned to stone? There must be a reason why his body was betraying him like this? He almost whimpered, however, when his fingers brushed his own crotch.

Fuck, he was hard.

Cove was watching Drift get off and it had caused Cove to grow fully hard.

Guilt rose up in him like bile, but it wasn’t enough to quash the arousal flooding his veins. Cove had never seen someone else do this before, hell he’d never even kissed anyone before. It was too much, watching Drift’s face go slack and breathless with the pleasure, seeing the way the tendons in his jaw twitched or the way he was pleasuring himself – hard and fast.

Drift moaned again, but this time it was stuttered and broken, followed by another one as he hunched over and after a few more thrusts of his hips and jerks of his hand, he started to come, hot and white, painting the tiles in front of him.

Drift’s eyes flew open and Cove gasped, drawing back away from the door like he had been burned and turning to sprint painfully down the corridor.

So, that had been Cove’s morning.

Since then he hadn’t been able to concentrate on any of his duties, causing the other shipmates, including Drift, to scold him.

Cove flinched as the door opened. Drift came strolling in smelling like rum. Cove chewed the inside of his cheek, relieved he hadn’t tried to do anything private. He had figured Drift would be out longer with Fletch tonight.

Drift let out a long sigh as he crawled into the hammock beside Cove.

“Everything okay?” Cove asked, trying to sound normal whilst not making any kind of eye contact that would probably cause him to internally combust.

“Mm,” Drift grunted. “How about you?”

“Yeah, fine,” Cove replied tightly, hating how high pitched he sounded.

“Only you seemed weird today,”

“Weird?” Cove asked.

“Dunno, just off,” Drift shrugged. “Felt like you were trying to avoid me.”

“Oh,” Cove whispered, his heart hammering a guilty beat.

“Is it because I scolded you too much today?” Drift asked, his face was scrunched up slightly the way it always got after he had been drinking rum, usually with Fletch.

“Yes,” Cove lied quickly, seizing his chance. “You’re a dick.”

“Yeah,” Drift sighed miserably, shuffling closer to Cove, “I figured.”

Cove squeaked as Drift pressed their foreheads together.

“Sorry brat,”

Cove jerked backward and opened his mouth but closed it again when he realised Drift had already fallen asleep, his lips parted gently but his expression still in a frown.

“Forgiven,” Cove swallowed hard before reaching out to quickly smooth the crease between Drift’s eyebrows.

Cove watched Drift snore softly for a few more minutes until the door opened again and he could hear the other boys coming in. Cove steeled his breath, turning around with his back to Drift and preparing himself for another sleepless night.