Summary: Coxswain Barrett Bonden fears he's been at sea too long when he finds himself drawn to Will Sheppard, Able Seaman. But Barrett fancies lasses and always has! Could it be that there's more to young Will than meets the eye?

A/N: Rated R for language, violence, and het sexual situations. This story is based on the film Master and Commander: Far Side of the World, the theatrical version as well as deleted scenes available on the collector's edition DVD--a must for Billy Boyd fans!

Disclaimer: This little tale is just for fun and is not intended to infringe upon anything owned by anybody anywhere.

Chapter One: Barrett's Lament

Barrett Bonden did his best to ignore the thousand distracting sounds surrounding him below deck and concentrated on the book Doctor Maturin had given him. Ignoring the good-natured jibes of his crewmates was a bit more difficult. But if they wanted to remain ignorant illiterates all their days, that was their problem. He was going to learn to read properly if it killed him.

"'Diseases Most Usual Among Seamen by Doctor S. E. Maturin," he murmured to himself. "AN examination of Existing Conditions with particular attention given to the Pervasive Corrupting Influence of the GROG ration.'" What in blazes does he mean by that? Grog never hurt nobody. Every sailor knew it was good for the heart.

"Hello, Mr. Bonden."

Barrett started at the sound of Will Sheppard's voice in his ear. "You should know better than to sneak up on a man when he's readin'."

The boy knelt down next to him and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, sir."

"And what did I tell you about that? The 'sirs' are up there," pointing in the direction of the Captain's Quarters.

"Sorry--Barrett."

"Glad you're here, Will. What's this mean?" He pointed to the one word that was preventing him from fully making sense of what the Doctor was getting at.

"'Pervasive'?" Barrett nodded. Will shrugged modestly. "I think it means 'widespread'." He didn't think, thought Bonden, he knew, but the boy was too kind to make him look completely stupid.

"Oh yeah," Barrett murmured. "Makes sense now. Thanks."

"You're doing very well, sir--Barrett," Will said. "It's hard at first, but it'll be second nature before you know it."

Barrett looked dubious. "I've been meaning to ask, who taught you to read so well?"

"My father. He was a ship's surgeon. Not so clever as Doctor Maturin, to be sure, but clever in his own way. Oh, before I forget…" Will emptied a good portion of his grog ration into Barrett's cup, then grimaced. "I couldn't drink it if the Captain himself ordered me to." Will flashed him a shy smile as bright as the moon. "Good night, sir. I mean, Barrett."

Bonden sighed heavily as he watched the boy make for his hammock, then emptied his cup. He'd been at sea too long, that's all there was to it.

William Sheppard had joined the HMS Surprise not a month before, but the lad had already proved himself an asset to the crew. He was a quick-witted, sure-footed boy, who wasn't afraid of hard work. He claimed to be sixteen, but Bonden guessed he was fourteen if he was a day. He was a handsome lad with bright green eyes, much like himself at that age.

That didn't explain why Bonden's cock did a little dance every time he laid eyes on the lad.

He had been at sea for most of his life and had seen a thing or two, but he had never bent over for nobody, in spite of several profitable offers. He wasn't about to ask a lad almost half his age to bend over for him. He needed to dock somewhere--anywhere--purchase a nice, big whore and bury himself in her tits for a few days.

Since that was likely months away, Barrett had no choice but to take matters into his own hands--or more accurately, hand--before he couldn't even think about going to sleep. There was no such thing as privacy on a man-o-war, but a seaman could find a quiet corner if he knew where to look. He went on deck and stashed himself as far away from the watch as he could. As he inhaled the night air and listened to the calm water splashing against the hull, he mentally cleansed himself of any impure thoughts of his fellow.

He tried to think of the beautiful native girls who traded exotic fruits, and sometimes themselves, for the wares England had to offer, but it was finally the fresh, earnest face of young Sheppard offering himself to Bonden that make the Coxswain come. Crushing guilt washed over him, but at least his balls didn't ache anymore.

To be continued…