Chapter Seven
It had been two weeks since that longed-for kiss, and one Captain Jack Sparrow was still not sure how it had happened. He had speculated and puzzled and dreamed, but no wisdom had come to him. One particularly fine day, as he stood at the helm, staring off into that elusive spot between sea and sky, the infuriating little voice in the back of his head voiced its thoughts
Mate- there's now use trying to figure it out-it happened, it felt right, did it not? Just know that and it'll take care of itself.
'But how, I can't just go up to him and kiss him again, I don't want to look like a fool.'
Ask him into your cabin and talk about it
'But, I..."
What else are you going to do?
'Aye, I suppose there's nothing else for it, is there?'
No there isn't
Jack sighed and resumed staring; he was never going to be able to do this.
Finnbarr Robeson was up in the rigging, attempting to free an albatross that had somehow gotten itself tangled in the ropes. He neared the bird for a second time, this time readying himself for its retaliatory squawk.
"C'mon, mate, ye c'n do it- jus' move yer blasted wing t' th' left an' there we... go... ach! Bloody 'ell." He glared at the bird, which was managing to look smug despite the fact that it was strung up in a ships rigging completely helpless. It clicked its beak at him, as if saying it would bite him again if it got the chance.
"Ssss... bloody stupid bird, c'mon. Oh, hellfire damn that- Ye know, I'd jus' shoot ye if'n ye weren' a goddamned bloody albatross!" He shouted the last word and the bird started, flapping its wings nervously and hissing and gobbling in its throat. He took this opportunity to throw himself at the bird, taking it by surprise before it could bite him. Holding the albatross by the neck with one hand, one way or another he managed to undo the knots that held the bird captive. He moved away and let go as the bird burst forth in a fury of shrieking and flapping wings.
"Same to ye, mate." He called after the retreating form. With that, he slid back down to the deck, and landed muttering to himself.
"Bleedin' bird- neve' did like albatrosses, dunno why in hell it's s'posed t'be bad luck t' kill 'em- be a blessin' if'n ye ask me..."
Gibbs stumped over and clapped him on the back
"Good-o, mate- allus liked albatrosses m'self- wouldn't wan' any harm t' befall one."
Finn gave him a withering glance and sauntered away, shaking his head and grumbling something about the 'bloody albatrosses'
"Whassat, mate? Doncha like albatrosses?" Jack suddenly popped up, grinning impishly from ear to ear.
"Wha' in - oh hell, damn you Jack..."
"Tha's Captain Jack t'ye."
Finn struggled to regain his balance and ended up leaning slightly backwards, hands out, swaying in a most Jack-like manner. Jack cocked his head to one side, looking at Finn in a manner suggestive of a teacher judging unusually good work from an unruly pupil.
"No' half bad, mate- but ye c'n only have two 'er three fingers out a' a time, no' all of 'em. Put yer 'ead down a bit on yer neck, an'... there we go, lovely!"
"As much as I may need it mate, I'm not 'ere fer lessons on 'ow t' stand like Cap'n Jack Sparrow."
"Pity."
"What d'ye wan't, anyway?"
Jack opened his mouth as if to say something, shut it several times, and licked his lips
"Well, as a ma'er o' fact, mate, I ah... em... well eh, I mean, erm... tha' is, well, ah..."
Just ask fool 'Will you come with me into my cabin?' It's simple
"Woudjacomwi'meintermecabin?"
"Wot?"
Jack blushed. Inwardly he berated himself
Idiot! Jack Sparrow doesn't blush. Jack Sparrow means everything he does, he has no cause to blush! You had to bungle it, didn't you? Go on- it's simple.
Finn looked at him, a grin twitching madly at the corner of his mouth.
"Wot's this, Cap'n Jack Sparrow, blushing like a virgin bride? Surely, Cap'n..." He trailed off, leaving whatever it was he was going to say to Jacks imagination
Jack realized suddenly he could turn this moment to his advantage
"I'm sure" he whispered huskily "Tha' Captain Jack Sparrow 'as cause to be blushing like a virgin bride, as ye so well pu' it."
Now it was Finns turn to blush, he turned his head aside, pretending to see something interesting in the sky, but a firmly calloused grip took his chin gently, and turned it so he was eye to eye with Jack Sparrow, who seemed to have steeled himself for something.
"Woudja be so bold as t' accompany me t'me cabin, love?"
Jack and Finn were inside the Captains quarters- or 'me inner sanctum' as Jack rather grandly put it. Jack Sparrow was lounging comfortably on his bed, leaning back on his palms, one knee up, casually regarding Finn. Finn stood, feeling more than a little awkward, until finally, the gaze of those unfathomable, gold flecked eyes became too much,
"A'right, Jack, what is it ye want?" Jack cocked an eyebrow at him
"Yer tellin' me ye don' know?"
Finn did know, or at least, he hoped he knew, but the subject was spiky, one, he thought, best avoided. Jack suddenly spoke up, his voice taking a more regal and cultured tone as he did
"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boist'rous, and it pricks like thorn."
"Indeed." The word was murmured so softly, a breath of wind, perhaps, upon Finns lips, and not a word at all, but Jack heard it, and softly he got up from the bed
"I think we both know how true tha' is, aye?"
In any other circumstance, Finn would have denied the irregular beating of his heart, the way his breath was catching in his throat, how wholeheartedly he agreed with Jack, but he could not; he was too far gone. He managed to gulp in a hasty breath
"Aye..."
Jack looked at him, clearly waiting for something more, Finn knew what he had to say, what he'd been longing to say ever since he'd met Jack, but he couldn't. His tongue seemed to be swollen; a useless lump of flesh flopping about in his mouth, all his pores seemed to expand, sucking in oxygen as if he'd faint otherwise. He didn't know what to do. Abruptly all reason and fear departed, leaving him Finnbarr Robeson, simply Finn. In this brief moment of clarity, he embraced Jack with a sudden fierce passion.
As Finn launched himself at him, Jack was taken off-guard, but his fervor was all-consuming, burning, needing, and Jack found himself being swept up in it, and he returned the embrace.
Finn's hands were running up and down Jacks scarred and muscled back; on an impulse, he suddenly captured his captain's lips in a kiss.
This was not the kind of kiss Jack was familiar with. What he knew was the language of scorching passion, lust and desire; of battling, questing tongues and groping hands, not this. It burnt, indeed it did, but not the burn left when you lay on your bed, gasping, in a room reeking of sex. This burn was warm, as a fire on a freezing day in winter on the high seas, it spread from his lips to his heart, where it kindled to its full glory, letting him lean into the taller man and return it with gentle yet passionate sincerity.
Suddenly the kiss broke.
Jack had a vague smile on his face, and he brushed his lips lightly with his fingers.
"Well, I think I just may love ye too, Finnbarr Robeson."
A/N: I forgot to add this in- the Shakespeare Jack quotes is from Romeo and Juliet- Act One, scene... two, I believe.
It had been two weeks since that longed-for kiss, and one Captain Jack Sparrow was still not sure how it had happened. He had speculated and puzzled and dreamed, but no wisdom had come to him. One particularly fine day, as he stood at the helm, staring off into that elusive spot between sea and sky, the infuriating little voice in the back of his head voiced its thoughts
Mate- there's now use trying to figure it out-it happened, it felt right, did it not? Just know that and it'll take care of itself.
'But how, I can't just go up to him and kiss him again, I don't want to look like a fool.'
Ask him into your cabin and talk about it
'But, I..."
What else are you going to do?
'Aye, I suppose there's nothing else for it, is there?'
No there isn't
Jack sighed and resumed staring; he was never going to be able to do this.
Finnbarr Robeson was up in the rigging, attempting to free an albatross that had somehow gotten itself tangled in the ropes. He neared the bird for a second time, this time readying himself for its retaliatory squawk.
"C'mon, mate, ye c'n do it- jus' move yer blasted wing t' th' left an' there we... go... ach! Bloody 'ell." He glared at the bird, which was managing to look smug despite the fact that it was strung up in a ships rigging completely helpless. It clicked its beak at him, as if saying it would bite him again if it got the chance.
"Ssss... bloody stupid bird, c'mon. Oh, hellfire damn that- Ye know, I'd jus' shoot ye if'n ye weren' a goddamned bloody albatross!" He shouted the last word and the bird started, flapping its wings nervously and hissing and gobbling in its throat. He took this opportunity to throw himself at the bird, taking it by surprise before it could bite him. Holding the albatross by the neck with one hand, one way or another he managed to undo the knots that held the bird captive. He moved away and let go as the bird burst forth in a fury of shrieking and flapping wings.
"Same to ye, mate." He called after the retreating form. With that, he slid back down to the deck, and landed muttering to himself.
"Bleedin' bird- neve' did like albatrosses, dunno why in hell it's s'posed t'be bad luck t' kill 'em- be a blessin' if'n ye ask me..."
Gibbs stumped over and clapped him on the back
"Good-o, mate- allus liked albatrosses m'self- wouldn't wan' any harm t' befall one."
Finn gave him a withering glance and sauntered away, shaking his head and grumbling something about the 'bloody albatrosses'
"Whassat, mate? Doncha like albatrosses?" Jack suddenly popped up, grinning impishly from ear to ear.
"Wha' in - oh hell, damn you Jack..."
"Tha's Captain Jack t'ye."
Finn struggled to regain his balance and ended up leaning slightly backwards, hands out, swaying in a most Jack-like manner. Jack cocked his head to one side, looking at Finn in a manner suggestive of a teacher judging unusually good work from an unruly pupil.
"No' half bad, mate- but ye c'n only have two 'er three fingers out a' a time, no' all of 'em. Put yer 'ead down a bit on yer neck, an'... there we go, lovely!"
"As much as I may need it mate, I'm not 'ere fer lessons on 'ow t' stand like Cap'n Jack Sparrow."
"Pity."
"What d'ye wan't, anyway?"
Jack opened his mouth as if to say something, shut it several times, and licked his lips
"Well, as a ma'er o' fact, mate, I ah... em... well eh, I mean, erm... tha' is, well, ah..."
Just ask fool 'Will you come with me into my cabin?' It's simple
"Woudjacomwi'meintermecabin?"
"Wot?"
Jack blushed. Inwardly he berated himself
Idiot! Jack Sparrow doesn't blush. Jack Sparrow means everything he does, he has no cause to blush! You had to bungle it, didn't you? Go on- it's simple.
Finn looked at him, a grin twitching madly at the corner of his mouth.
"Wot's this, Cap'n Jack Sparrow, blushing like a virgin bride? Surely, Cap'n..." He trailed off, leaving whatever it was he was going to say to Jacks imagination
Jack realized suddenly he could turn this moment to his advantage
"I'm sure" he whispered huskily "Tha' Captain Jack Sparrow 'as cause to be blushing like a virgin bride, as ye so well pu' it."
Now it was Finns turn to blush, he turned his head aside, pretending to see something interesting in the sky, but a firmly calloused grip took his chin gently, and turned it so he was eye to eye with Jack Sparrow, who seemed to have steeled himself for something.
"Woudja be so bold as t' accompany me t'me cabin, love?"
Jack and Finn were inside the Captains quarters- or 'me inner sanctum' as Jack rather grandly put it. Jack Sparrow was lounging comfortably on his bed, leaning back on his palms, one knee up, casually regarding Finn. Finn stood, feeling more than a little awkward, until finally, the gaze of those unfathomable, gold flecked eyes became too much,
"A'right, Jack, what is it ye want?" Jack cocked an eyebrow at him
"Yer tellin' me ye don' know?"
Finn did know, or at least, he hoped he knew, but the subject was spiky, one, he thought, best avoided. Jack suddenly spoke up, his voice taking a more regal and cultured tone as he did
"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boist'rous, and it pricks like thorn."
"Indeed." The word was murmured so softly, a breath of wind, perhaps, upon Finns lips, and not a word at all, but Jack heard it, and softly he got up from the bed
"I think we both know how true tha' is, aye?"
In any other circumstance, Finn would have denied the irregular beating of his heart, the way his breath was catching in his throat, how wholeheartedly he agreed with Jack, but he could not; he was too far gone. He managed to gulp in a hasty breath
"Aye..."
Jack looked at him, clearly waiting for something more, Finn knew what he had to say, what he'd been longing to say ever since he'd met Jack, but he couldn't. His tongue seemed to be swollen; a useless lump of flesh flopping about in his mouth, all his pores seemed to expand, sucking in oxygen as if he'd faint otherwise. He didn't know what to do. Abruptly all reason and fear departed, leaving him Finnbarr Robeson, simply Finn. In this brief moment of clarity, he embraced Jack with a sudden fierce passion.
As Finn launched himself at him, Jack was taken off-guard, but his fervor was all-consuming, burning, needing, and Jack found himself being swept up in it, and he returned the embrace.
Finn's hands were running up and down Jacks scarred and muscled back; on an impulse, he suddenly captured his captain's lips in a kiss.
This was not the kind of kiss Jack was familiar with. What he knew was the language of scorching passion, lust and desire; of battling, questing tongues and groping hands, not this. It burnt, indeed it did, but not the burn left when you lay on your bed, gasping, in a room reeking of sex. This burn was warm, as a fire on a freezing day in winter on the high seas, it spread from his lips to his heart, where it kindled to its full glory, letting him lean into the taller man and return it with gentle yet passionate sincerity.
Suddenly the kiss broke.
Jack had a vague smile on his face, and he brushed his lips lightly with his fingers.
"Well, I think I just may love ye too, Finnbarr Robeson."
A/N: I forgot to add this in- the Shakespeare Jack quotes is from Romeo and Juliet- Act One, scene... two, I believe.