Author Note: whee! pointless slash/fluff! ^_^ This takes place during the episode 'The Play's the Thing'. Warning: involves men in tights. Tight tights.
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He had done many ridiculous things while in service to the man, but this was just the last straw.

Billy grumbled as he struggled into his costume, pulling up the tights to his waist. They stopped halfway to his knees and no matter how he tugged, they refused to go any farther. They were just too small for his longer legs. He muttered a few choice words and started taking them off, struggling for balance.

"Nice underwear," spoke a voice behind him. Billy froze in shock and squawked as he lost his balance, falling on his rear. Infuriated and embarrassed, he kicked the tights off and whirled around, prepared to give whoever had snuck up on him a black eye or worse.

"I'll teach you to spy on me you little tw--- Slightly?"

The lost boy in question smirked and Jukes gave a sigh of relief. "Thank Hephaestus it's just you."

"You'd better hurry up and get dressed," Slightly admonished, picking up the discarded tights. "Hook's pretty impatient. He keeps asking what the devil's taking everyone so long."

"Tights aren't easy to get into, you know. Especially when they're too small." Jukes glared at the offending hosiery.

Slightly rubbed his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'm slightly sure I can find some better-fitting ones. Only . . . um. I have to take your measurements." The lost boy had a faint burning blush on his cheeks and he refused to meet Billy's gaze, though the pirate could not fathom why.

"Okay then," Billy shrugged, not seeing the problem. Moments later, he was holding his breath and shivering with more than the cool air on his exposed skin. There was just some embarrassing and indescribable feeling about standing in your underwear, letting your best friend wind a strip of measuring tape around your waist and upper thighs.

It didn't help that Slightly's hands were warm and soft and constantly brushed against his skin either.

By the time the measuring was over, both boys were a bit red in the face, though if you asked them even today, neither could have told you why.

Mumbling that he would be back as soon as he could find a pair of leggings, Slightly flew off.

Jukes exhaled sharply and began to pull on what he could. By the time Slightly came back, the pirate had already decided and re-decided three times what he should do with his long hair. The upper part of the costume was hot and scratchy and the sensation of the raven mane resting on his back did not improve matters.

Slightly handed him the leggings and Billy put them on, still disgusted with the fact that he as well as the rest of the males had to wear them, but grateful this pair at least fit. As soon as he pulled them up, however, there was a small rip and he looked down to see the newly-widened hole over his left kneecap. "Dammit!" Slightly cried. "I slightly knew that would happen! I sort of snagged them on something when I was pulling them out of the box. Don't worry though. I'm slightly always prepared for last-minute mending"

The clever lost boy pulled out a thimble, a needle, and thread and coaxing Jukes to sit down, started working on the tear. They sat in comfortable silence; broken only by the sound of Hook's distant yelling at Smee and a thrush in the branches of a nearby Never Oak.

"So . . ." Jukes started, wanting to take advantage of the rare peacefulness to strike up a conversation. "I didn't know you were so good with sewing."

"Wendy taught me," Slightly replied. "I usually stay with her whenever Peter goes out with the other boys. I can't stand Nibs anymore. He thinks he's so ---"

"YEOWCH! Careful!" yelped Jukes, jerking his leg back. Slightly winced in apology.

"I'm sorry, Billy! I . . "

"No, it's okay. It was just a shock. Just do me a favor and don't talk about Nibs while you're holding any sharp objects, okay?"

They looked at each other, then burst out laughing. "I'm really sorry, Billy," gasped the lost boy finally, as he wiped away tears. "It's just . . . he drives me crazy."

"Okay. Just put the needle. Down."

"I won't go near you with it, I promise. It's just . . . well, I heard what the Twins and Tootles did to you an hour ago. Nibs told me and he was laughing. I wanted to punch him."

Slightly's normally bright eyes were glinting with something other than good humor just then. "They could have hurt you."

"And I could have hurt them," Billy added. "Pity I didn't. But the Captain would've had my guts for--"

"Don't even finish that," the lost boy pleaded, paling. "I know. Just like I know what he'd do to you if he ever caught us like this. Talking. Truce or no truce, he'd kill you."

Jukes didn't know why he did it. Perhaps it was because how distressed Slightly looked or maybe it was a desire of his own to be touched this way. All he knew was that his hand was somehow tangled in Slightly's hair and the boy's warm chest and steady heartbeat was held strongly against his. He didn't even know what his lips were doing, until they both parted for air.

Slightly's eyes blinked, close enough for his eyelashes to flick against Billy's cheek. "You . . . you gave me a thimble," he finally squeaked.

Jukes was already shocked at himself, but Slightly's words seemed just as full of confusion and wonder as his heart was. It gave him the courage to laugh carelessly and take the boy's hand, lifting the thimble off Slightly's forefinger. "This is a thimble, you silly ass. That was a kiss."

Both stared at each other, growing more somber with each ticking minute, trying to grasp a reason to explain their uncommon actions. When there was none to be found save for the obvious, both boys smiled sheepishly at the other and took it in stride.

"So . . . can I have my thimble back?" Slightly asked, smiling shyly.

Billy grinned and leaned forward, his lips brushing against the lost boy's. "As many as you want, cully. As many as you want."