Breathless
by
BlueberryPancakes
"Now that's just being childish."
"But it hurts!"
The voice was a high-pitched whine; the kind that grated on even the most patient person's nerves and James Norrington was now far from patient.
"What do you want me to do, Jack?" He asked, exasperated. He hung his head, letting it loll limply to one side. A hand clenched the bed frame, the other knuckles turning white.
Jack Sparrow pouted. His shoulders sank and he cradled his injured hand against his chest.
James sighed heavily. Sometimes, the man really did irritate him. "Jack." He said softly, his voice even and slow, carefully not to express his extreme frustration.
"Yes?"
The voice was so quiet and meek. So unlike Jack. It drew him in closer and he began to look up, to meet those chocolate brown eyes…
No!
It was exactly like Jack. Tricking him into looking up so that he would be trapped. Both men knew full and well James could never resist the gentle doe eyes.
"How did this happen?" James did not look up; he kept his gaze fixated on the bedcovers, suddenly finding them intriguing.
Jack's good hand fidgeted, fingers twitching, curling and uncurling. He muttered something under his breath.
"I can't hear you when you mumble, dear."
"IfellwhenIwasinthecrowsnestandtheriggingbrokemyfall."
James blinked. Somehow, he hadn't expected that as an answer. "Slowly, Jack…" He bit his lip for a moment, attempting to hold back his own childish comment, and failing. "Use your words."
Jack's eyes bore holes into the top of James's head, as he still refused to make eye contact. "I fell when I was in the crows nest and the rigging broke my fall." He said finally, in a low voice.
James's head snapped up, "You what?!" His deep green eyes were filled with concern. He kneeled down in front of his lover, "Why didn't you say so?" He demanded, eyes trailing down to the bloodied bandage on Jack's left hand.
"Ye didn' want ta listen, anyway."
James stopped suddenly. "I didn't know you fell from the crow's nest." He emphasized the words, as if to impress a sense of the height they entailed upon them to the pirate, who knew full and well already.
Jack opened his mouth to retort, but stopped.
James reached out slowly and gently took the injured hand into his. He carefully unwrapped the yellowed linen, to reveal the small gash on Jack's palm. He stared at the cut. The bleeding had stopped, though the wound was still fresh, red and angry. "This… this is what happened?"
"Aye." Jack nodded once, sounding quiet and pathetic, like a child with a scrapped knee.
James drew in a deep breath as he brought his eyes back up to meet Jack's. "All that fuss… all that screaming… all that… nonsense… was over this… little… cut?"
"'S not so little!" Jack exclaimed, "It bloody well 'urts! And look at all the blood." He gestured with his good hand at the soaked wrappings.
James merely stared at him. A smile broke out across his lips, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Captain Jack Sparrow… all worked up over a little cut." He let the hand go and brought himself to his feet.
Jack looked up at him from his seat on the bed, brown eyes filled with hurt, "Jamie…"
James winced at the nickname and sat down on the bed beside him, "What would you have me do?" He asked quietly. He paused, "Kiss it and make it better?"
A slow grin spread across Jack's tanned face. He held his hand up in offering.
James smiled slight and took it into his own. The skin of his palm was rough and leathery from the years at sea. He relished the feel of it against his own toughening skin. He drew his fingertips across the back of his hand and brought it to his lips. He tenderly kissed the knuckles, fingering the tips with his own.
Jack inhaled sharply as his lover look a finger into his mouth, to the first joint.
James grinned wickedly. "Is that better, love?" He asked quietly, leaning in close and holding Jack's hand in-between his own.
"Inescapably."