The Officers Bath

476 Hours Until The Death In the Engine Room

Alek pushed the final gear in place and signaled Klopp. "Alright Try that." Klopp put down his book and nodded at Alek. He grasped a large lever and pushed it forward. There was the sound of a sputter and a grumble, then a groan before the Daimler engines roared to life with a renowned fervor. Klopp and Alek shared a smile and a small amount of pride. Not many people could take an engine apart, clean it and put it back together in just 9 hours.

The entire reason they had to do this was because a bird mistook the engine from a mate and flew right into it. The poor bird managed to get inside the engine's gears and was grinded to a bloody pulp. So Alek and Klopp had been tasked with dismantling, cleaning, and putting the engine back together.

"Young master I must say that was tiring work, but very satisfactory work at that." Klopp said, stretching his limbs out and looking around the engine compartment. "Well Klopp I'm about to start on my next project, a good nights rest." Alek said heading for the door.

They said goodnight to each other and soon Alek was in his stateroom. After kicking off his boots, he took of his piloting jacket with a sigh. It was cleaned and now only stained with grease. The bullet hole still there and reminding him of how he almost lost Deryn…

The clothing article to come off next came his shirt, revealing a unique necklace that Alek would never take off until he died. It was a simple cord of fabricated net-line, that wasn't the part that made it special to Alek. What hung on the cord was a 8.128 Bullet, its dull metal gleaming in the twilight that streamed through the window.

This was the very bullet that Alek pulled out of Deryn not two days ago, the bullet crumpled when hitting his bible. Caving into a flower and on one end making a perfect ring/tube of metal to string the netting cord through. Thus making his necklace.

Alek undid his belt and removed his pants. He was just reaching for a towel when the door suddenly opened and Deryn stepped in and shut it behind her. Seeing Alek she smiled. "Hi-ya Alek how was your day? - wait why are you blushing?" Her eyes drifted from his face to his shirtless chest, then the necklace. She hung there for a moment and then saw what he was so flustered about. Alek was in his jimmies! "Barking spiders! Alek you could have warned me you were in your jimmies!" she yelped her face matching his in a deep red hue.

Alek was so tired he forgot that Deryn was living in his room now. He struggled to speak. "Deryn, hello there… I was just about to take a shower…" He almost made the mistake of asking her if she would like to join him. But he remembered that Deryn was a girl just before he asked.

Deryn recovered from the initial shock and nodded her head. "You're going to walk to the ventral side like that?" she asked and Alek shook his head, relaxing a bit "No you dummkopf, I'm going to use the officers bath right around the corner, the captain sent a message lizard saying that I can use it."

Deryns eyes widened. The Officers Bath was a room with two showers, more importantly the showers piped hot water. Deryn smiled realizing she could use them too if she went with Alek. "Well then I can join you Alek, I need one too. Starting to smell like a Huxley over here."

She then realized the connotations that carried. "We would be using different stalls of course." She said quickly. Both of their faces red again. 'Although I wouldn't mind sharing a shower with Alek, even if he was a daft prince.' Deryn thought to herself mischievously.

Alek took a moment to calm down. "I suppose that's alright Mr. Sharp." Alek grabbed his towel and stepped towards the door. As he stepped out and shut the door behind him, Alek could have sworn he heard giggling.

Deryn began undressing and grabbed what she needed for her shower. She undid her bindings and let out a sigh of relief and joy as the cold night air flowed in through the window and touched her bare skin. She then put on a plain undershirt and a pair of Jimmies, she grabbed her towel and stepped out to meet Alek.

As they walked down the hall they jostled each other slightly, talking about each other's day. Laughing as good friends often do. When they reached the bath they looked at each other awkwardly. Alek decided he should go first and pushed the door open, Deryn following behind him.

Inside the pair heard a shower running. They rounded the privacy wall and found the left shower in use with the wood door shut; Alek and Deryn exchanged nervous looks. On the dividing wall between the showers a sign was put up, it read:

"IF THREE OR MORE PEOPLE WANT TO USE THE SHOWER, DOUBLE UP! DON'T WAIT AROUND FOR IT TO CLEAR OUT BEFORE YOU GO INCASE OF EMERGENCY. THANK YOU

-CAPTAIN JAMISON HOBBES"

Alek paled, he looked at Deryn nervously. She was still reading the sign and realization dawned on her. But oddly enough she smiled, "Alek it appears ill be joining you in the shower after all." The midshipman chuckled nervously. She strode into the stall and motioned for Alek to follow after. But Alek was frozen to the spot, and he was struggling to think. 'What should I do?' he screamed internally. One part of him wanting to run out of there as fast as he could, the other begging his legs to carry him towards the midshipman.

Deryn made the decision for him. Alek let out a quiet yelp as he was grabbed by the arm and pulled into the stall. "Alek you have to shower with me." She said with a giggle. "Captains orders." Alek let out a small laugh at that. 'Think of her as Just a boy.' He said to himself. After a moment he finally got comfortable enough and said to Deryn. "This is the last thing I thought id do today" he said. "Or ever…"

Deryn chuckled and began to pull her undershirt off.

'Just a boy, Just a boy, Just a boy, Just a boy.' he said turning around; he felt Deryns hand brush against his back ankle. Signaling to him she was naked.

'Just a boy, Just a boy, Just a boy, Just a boy, Just a boy!' he thought again. "Alek I'm about to turn the water on, just so you know I like hot water." Deryn said. "I'd get out of those jimmies if I where you." She said coy as ever. Alek slowly took of his underwear. And set them on the small bench by Deryns clothes.

Now they were both naked.

The prince swallowed hard. He got himself together and turned. "Eyes Front Soldier" he whispered to himself and locked eyes with Deryn and reached his hand out and turned on the water, he twisted the nob all the way to the left. Cold water splashed on the two of them causing Deryn to jump a little, she grabbed Alek by the shoulders and moved him to take the brunt of the water.

The cold water had woken Alek up a bit, he now had a clear head and realized that he was making a fuss over nothing. Deryn was his best friend. He had no problem showering with Newkirk and the other crewmembers. Why was Deryn so different?

Mustering up courage he turned around a looked at Deryn. The right side of her head wet and the left side dry. Alek thought it looked funny. "Its getting warm now lieber, you can wet the other side of your face." He was growing more comfortable by the second. Alek forgot for a moment that Deryn was a girl and set about cleaning himself up, working the grease off his hair and hands. He grabbed the fabricated soap to thoroughly clean his hair when it slipped from his fingers.

Alek knelt down to pick up the bar, it had landed between Deryns feet… Ten toes where facing him. 'that meant…' Alek thought and before he could stop himself he had turned his head up and saw Deryns…

Scheide

Alek was mesmerized by the sight… this was his first time seeing such a thing. Alek couldn't look way. Water was running off of her lips and making her Scheide glisten in the light, Alek felt that he had an erektion. He stood up straight, but forgot how close they were, his saber hovering a centimeter away from Deryns sex. Deryn was giggling at first then she saw Aleks Fencing Saber out of its scabbard.

"Well" Deryn said nervously. "That's… out there." She was blushing and struggling to look at Aleks eyes. "For a Clanker Alek, you do have a big beastie" She joked, trying to lighten the mood. Aleks movements where fluid, he washed the rest of his body hurriedly and stepped out of the shower and shut the door behind him. "I'm sorry Dylan." He said trying to keep his voice even. He was embarrassed and very flustered.

Deryn opened the door, exposing Alek to her body once again. "you forgot something your princlieness." She said. Simply motioning to his jimmies. "You'll have to step in here to get them." She said with a mischievous smile. Alek groaned and stepped back in. his eyes flicked from her eyes to her tittens, then to the gunshot, "how's your wound?" Alek said, desperate to take his mind off the staggering beauty of the girl before him.

"It Hurts like the blazes, but I manage." She said. "do you wish it was you?" she asked, looking at the blue pools that where Aleks eyes. "Ja Dylan, I do. I'm just glad you're all right now. Safe and sound." He said. Deryn blushed, Alek really did care about her quite a lot, and she wondered if he loved her. In a romantic sense. She loved him but she couldn't well tell him now, in a barking shower now could she?

"Alek are you ok?" Deryn asked "with all this" she gestured around them. Alek blushed and took a step back, and Deryn took a step forward. "Alek don't be embarrassed. You can look as you fancy, and judging by the saber you have. You fancy the twins and my cellar quite a bit."

Alek took a few deep breaths. He was fighting his instincts fiercely, but for a moment his instincts won. Alek stepped forward, closing the small gap between them. He grabbed Deryn by her good shoulder and pulled her into a kiss, their bodies pressed together for a long passionate moment, Deryn melted into the kiss, her body producing fluids in her cellar. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in closer. Alek slipped his hand around her waist and kept it there.

Then the two realized what they were doing. They ended the kiss, stepping away from each other.

"Well" Deryn said. "That was electrifying" She smiled.

Alek was smiling too, "That was exhilarating!" Alek said in German, then again in English. Then he frowned. "But we shouldn't have done that… its not…" he tried to explain but couldn't. He turned off the water and grabbed his towel. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. It was like I couldn't help myself." He explained.

Deryn began toweling off as well. "Well feel free to help yourself like that again. That was even better than flying." She said, only half joking. Alek pulled on his jimmies and stepped out the door of the shower and closed it behind him, letting her change in peace. Also looking out for potential risks towards Deryns secret.

A moment later Deryn stepped out, she and Alek walked back to their stateroom. 'That was a excessively refreshing shower' the two thought simultaneously, as they neared the door, Alek turned to Deryn, "we need to talk about what just happened." He said, his expression growing serious. Happy, but serious.

Deryn looked at Alek with a smile "is féidir linn labhairt faoi rud ar bith is mian leat." She said in Gaelic.

Alek smiled and replied "Sin maith, toisc go bhfuil mé go leor a rá." And Deryn was taken back. Alek could Gaelic? Damn those fancy tutors.

This was going to be a long night…