Chapter Eight
"Well, I think I just may love ye too, Finnbarr Robeson." Jacks words remained locked in Finns head for the longest time. The weather was glorious, as if to match Jack and Finn's feelings.
If the crew noticed that they spent a more than usual amount of time with each other, they didn't show it. Lots of touching: friendly punches and slaps, embraces, etc. were not uncommon among the crew, so no comments were made. When the 'friendly touching' escalated into caresses, and occasional light kisses, the crew jeered at first, until Jack took the leader of the lot, Jim Phillips, and gave him his "What a man can do, and what a man can't do" speech, in the same manner he had with that Turner lad however many years before. Finn had to admit, it was extremely funny to see Phillips, whom he didn't like much, trying desperately to hang on to the jib boom. For a while after that, Phillips was unusually taciturn.
Gibbs had spoken to Jack about his rather less than diplomatic relationship with Finn about five days after the fact.
Jack had been at the helm, grinning vaguely to himself, as he steered The Black Pearl.
"Ehm, Cap'n, sir, might I have a word wi't ye?" It was Gibbs, who had come up unnoticed behind him. Jack turned and examined him with wide eyes, just to disconcert him. When his first mate started to squirm, he let up,
"Aye, Gibbs. Wha' is it?"
"Well," Gibbs shifted and glanced around "It's about ye an Finn..."
Jack raised an eyebrow in a look that was all polite interest, but the eyes underneath the brows were glinting.
"'T ain't natural. 'm sorry an' all, but 't ain't. Ye're the Cap'n o' this goddamn ship, ye oughtn't t'be doin' such things as..." He left the implications blank
"Mr. Joshamee Gibbs..." Jack said, as if in awe "are ye sayin' what 'tis I think yer sayin'?"
Gibbs saw the fell light in Jacks eyes, and mumbled a response
"I-ah never, well, I-ah, I did' but I didn't never... think er, ah, that is t' say..."
Jack looked at him warningly
"Gibbs..."
Mr. Gibbs took a breath, as if he was about to continue babbling, but shut his mouth and slumped
"Yeah."
Ordinarily, Jack would have frightened him into shutting up, but somehow, he didn't feel that would really drive the message home. He let out a breath, and looked at the crumpled Mr. Gibbs
"Oh, hell. Gibbs, I love 'im-'s as simple 's that'. I know 's not orthodox er wha'ever, bu' I do an' tha's all."
Gibbs raised his chin ever so slightly to look at his captain
"Ye do, don' ye? Ye really love 'im. But... but yer-"
"Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack finished.
"I know I am Gibbs, an' all o' ye know it's no' my style. 'Cap'n Jack Sparrow- 'e's a ladies man 'e is. Gives 'em the ride o' their life an' then dumps 'em, aye? Just ask any wench on th' bloody rock they call Tortuga, 'e's 'ad 'em all. Cap'n Jack Sparrow, love? Some'ow I'm thinkin' not.' Bu' I do, no ma'er 'ow unlikely i' may seem- I do."
Gibbs looked at Jack, whose eyes, quite possibly for the first time in his adult life, were radiating sincerity and a desperate desire to be believed. He sighed
"Well, I s'pose true love can' be denied,eh?"
Jack glanced at the first mate, the way he said 'true love' had been ever so slightly mocking, but he decided to let it go.
"Aye. Go on then, Gibbs, back t' work."
Gibbs loosely saluted and turned his back and left. Finn walked up, seeing the troubled look on Jacks face.
"Wha'd 'e want?"
Jack, not looking at Finn, answered
"Nothin' -'e was complainin' 'bout us. Told 'im..."
He turned to Finn, and lightly tracing his face with a finger, whispered
"Told 'im I loved ye, and t' leave us alone."
"An' 'e listened?"
"Aye- think 'e left feelin' rather guilty."
Finn smiled and toyed with one of Jacks plaits, twisting it between his fingers.
"Ow'd ye do these? Ne'er could plait 'air meself. Rope I c'n manage, in a pinch- but ne'er hair."
Jack smirked at him
"D'ye want me t'do yers, is that what yer sayin'?"
"Did I say tha'?" Finn answered rather cryptically
"I'll take tha' as an' 'aye'." Jack fondly took Finns glossy hair in his hands, twisting the reddish strands together. He leaned in and buried his nose in Finns hair
"Yer hair smells nice. How d'ye manage tha? Yer a pirate, ye 'aven't bathed in... 'owever long ago ye bathed, an' yer 'air smells nice."
Finn grinned mysteriously, and took a deep breath of the scent of the man beside him. It was heady and masculine; a combination of rum, his own sweat, and something else indescribable. A rich odor; like the colognes sold in cheap stores guaranteed to attract women- only much better, much more... Jack.
"Are ye jealous?"
"Should I be?"
"Are ye sayin' ye wish yer 'air smelled like mine?"
"Shuddup Finn."
"I love ye too."
"Well, I think I just may love ye too, Finnbarr Robeson." Jacks words remained locked in Finns head for the longest time. The weather was glorious, as if to match Jack and Finn's feelings.
If the crew noticed that they spent a more than usual amount of time with each other, they didn't show it. Lots of touching: friendly punches and slaps, embraces, etc. were not uncommon among the crew, so no comments were made. When the 'friendly touching' escalated into caresses, and occasional light kisses, the crew jeered at first, until Jack took the leader of the lot, Jim Phillips, and gave him his "What a man can do, and what a man can't do" speech, in the same manner he had with that Turner lad however many years before. Finn had to admit, it was extremely funny to see Phillips, whom he didn't like much, trying desperately to hang on to the jib boom. For a while after that, Phillips was unusually taciturn.
Gibbs had spoken to Jack about his rather less than diplomatic relationship with Finn about five days after the fact.
Jack had been at the helm, grinning vaguely to himself, as he steered The Black Pearl.
"Ehm, Cap'n, sir, might I have a word wi't ye?" It was Gibbs, who had come up unnoticed behind him. Jack turned and examined him with wide eyes, just to disconcert him. When his first mate started to squirm, he let up,
"Aye, Gibbs. Wha' is it?"
"Well," Gibbs shifted and glanced around "It's about ye an Finn..."
Jack raised an eyebrow in a look that was all polite interest, but the eyes underneath the brows were glinting.
"'T ain't natural. 'm sorry an' all, but 't ain't. Ye're the Cap'n o' this goddamn ship, ye oughtn't t'be doin' such things as..." He left the implications blank
"Mr. Joshamee Gibbs..." Jack said, as if in awe "are ye sayin' what 'tis I think yer sayin'?"
Gibbs saw the fell light in Jacks eyes, and mumbled a response
"I-ah never, well, I-ah, I did' but I didn't never... think er, ah, that is t' say..."
Jack looked at him warningly
"Gibbs..."
Mr. Gibbs took a breath, as if he was about to continue babbling, but shut his mouth and slumped
"Yeah."
Ordinarily, Jack would have frightened him into shutting up, but somehow, he didn't feel that would really drive the message home. He let out a breath, and looked at the crumpled Mr. Gibbs
"Oh, hell. Gibbs, I love 'im-'s as simple 's that'. I know 's not orthodox er wha'ever, bu' I do an' tha's all."
Gibbs raised his chin ever so slightly to look at his captain
"Ye do, don' ye? Ye really love 'im. But... but yer-"
"Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack finished.
"I know I am Gibbs, an' all o' ye know it's no' my style. 'Cap'n Jack Sparrow- 'e's a ladies man 'e is. Gives 'em the ride o' their life an' then dumps 'em, aye? Just ask any wench on th' bloody rock they call Tortuga, 'e's 'ad 'em all. Cap'n Jack Sparrow, love? Some'ow I'm thinkin' not.' Bu' I do, no ma'er 'ow unlikely i' may seem- I do."
Gibbs looked at Jack, whose eyes, quite possibly for the first time in his adult life, were radiating sincerity and a desperate desire to be believed. He sighed
"Well, I s'pose true love can' be denied,eh?"
Jack glanced at the first mate, the way he said 'true love' had been ever so slightly mocking, but he decided to let it go.
"Aye. Go on then, Gibbs, back t' work."
Gibbs loosely saluted and turned his back and left. Finn walked up, seeing the troubled look on Jacks face.
"Wha'd 'e want?"
Jack, not looking at Finn, answered
"Nothin' -'e was complainin' 'bout us. Told 'im..."
He turned to Finn, and lightly tracing his face with a finger, whispered
"Told 'im I loved ye, and t' leave us alone."
"An' 'e listened?"
"Aye- think 'e left feelin' rather guilty."
Finn smiled and toyed with one of Jacks plaits, twisting it between his fingers.
"Ow'd ye do these? Ne'er could plait 'air meself. Rope I c'n manage, in a pinch- but ne'er hair."
Jack smirked at him
"D'ye want me t'do yers, is that what yer sayin'?"
"Did I say tha'?" Finn answered rather cryptically
"I'll take tha' as an' 'aye'." Jack fondly took Finns glossy hair in his hands, twisting the reddish strands together. He leaned in and buried his nose in Finns hair
"Yer hair smells nice. How d'ye manage tha? Yer a pirate, ye 'aven't bathed in... 'owever long ago ye bathed, an' yer 'air smells nice."
Finn grinned mysteriously, and took a deep breath of the scent of the man beside him. It was heady and masculine; a combination of rum, his own sweat, and something else indescribable. A rich odor; like the colognes sold in cheap stores guaranteed to attract women- only much better, much more... Jack.
"Are ye jealous?"
"Should I be?"
"Are ye sayin' ye wish yer 'air smelled like mine?"
"Shuddup Finn."
"I love ye too."