Chapter 14

The truth about his feelings

Jim's feet sunk into the black sand on every step he took. His shoulder throbbed under the weight of the bag that held the parts for his solar surfer, and a drop of sweat ran down his back.

Most of Captain Hook's crew members stayed six feet behind him, but two of them walked so close to Jim that he could feel the stench of ingrained sweat from not bothering to change clothes or take a bath for months slithering into his nostrils, making him scrunch up his nose, afraid to open his mouth in case the smell would fill it too. For once he was glad that Sinbad and Silver's crew took care of their personal hygiene at least that much that he was able to stand in the same room with them without wanting to cut off his own nose.

They seemed to be heading away from the harbor, and the further they walked the more Jim started to consider about escaping. He could knock out the two pirates by swinging his bag at them, and if he was fast enough the other pirates wouldn't have time to react and he could escape through the side street that was ahead of them.

His grip around the bag tightened as the side street came closer and closer, but then Hook raised his hand to signal them to stop, and the opportunity was gone.

"We're here," he stated, nodding towards the black two-storey house with windows only on the top floor. He drew the heavy-looking piece of red fabric covering the doorway to the side, revealing sounds of laughter and music, motioning for Jim to step inside.

A strong scent of perfume and smoke hit him in the face, and the inside of the place was dark, a dozen of candles on the brick walls being the only light-source. Tables had been pulled to the sides so that people had a large area in the center of the room for dancing, and Jim was guided to the only free table by Hook's hand on his back.

"What can I get for you and your crew, Captain Hook?" a pale boy with a lanky walk and an eye patch covering his face came to ask them as soon as they were seated.

"Your finest red wine for me and rum for my men," Hook said. "Sinbad?"

"Just water," Jim answered.

"Don't be ridiculous. Red wine for both of us!"

The atmosphere in the place wasn't like Jim had imagined. He had thought he would be dragged to an illegal underground fighting club or something similar – not to a cheerful tavern with people dancing and drinking and smoking water pipes while a concertina played in the background. He would have almost enjoyed himself if it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't supposed to be here. There was no one who would come to his rescue if things got out of hand, which they usually did.

"You see, Sinbad," Hook started, pouring Jim's glass full of wine to the point of overflowing, "it took me some time to remember, but I know now who you remind me of."

"Oh, yeah? And who's that?" Jim asked, letting his gaze wander around.

"Four years ago there was this boy, or a young man should I say. And I'm not the kind of man to hold a grudge, no, I do consider myself to be quite fair, but this boy and some other militants caused the detaining of three of my men by surprising them while they were sleeping." The captain stroked the hook in his hand. "Does the name Hawkins say anything to you?"

For a millisecond the universe stopped breathing, and then Jim let out a quick laugh, trying to think of an undetectable lie. "I've heard about him. Never met him, though." He examined the wine glass as if it was a rare museum item.

He couldn't recall the incident Hook was talking about, but four years ago, when he was still a rookie, he had indeed captured a few pirates across the galaxy with some other cadets. A year later he had been assigned to do different kind of missions, and he had almost forgotten all about the pirates who had been sentenced to jail, or worse. He should've known that it would come back to bite his ass some day.

"Is that so?" Hook raised an eyebrow.

"I also heard that he was kidnapped by pirates. He's probably already dead, poor bastard," Jim said, swallowing down the nervousness bubbling inside him. "Which reminds me that my own captain will have me hanged if I'm not back on time."

"Don't worry, I won't keep you long." Hook looked at him with a crooked grin. "Say, have you ever been to a place like this?"

"I, uh, couldn't call myself a pirate if I hadn't."

"Excellent. The show will begin in a minute."

Before Jim could ask what kind of show Hook meant, the music stopped and the people on the dance floor moved away. A bald, green-skinned pirate, whose arms moved like they were boneless rubber, strode to the center of the room and bowed to every direction, clearing her throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, eyeing everyone, looking also briefly in Jim's direction, "I welcome you today to the weekly fight show!"

Jim sighed and poured the wine down his throat as everyone around him started cheering. Of course it couldn't be just an ordinary tavern.

"Who will be the first one to challenge our previous champion – the man, who has won over a hundred times and shows no mercy to his opponents? Please welcome Shan Yu!"

Everyone's head turned to look at a man who stepped out of the shadows, a dark aura looming above his head. His eyes were black, except for a striking yellow iris, and he had death written all over him.

"So? Any volunteers?" the green pirate asked. "This time the prize for winning will be thousand gold coins!"

Whispers were exchanged, and finally someone in the back rose up, pushing her way through the tables to the area where Shan Yu and the other pirate were standing.

"I challenge you, Shan Yu!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at him. She was awfully small compared to him.

"Wonderful! And may I have your name, miss?" The green pirate smiled, rubbing her hands together.

"Nova of Archimedia."

"Thank you, miss. The rules are simple: there are no rules. The first one to admit defeat will lose," she explained as she handed both of them swords, taking then three steps away from them. "Begin!"

Shan Yu attacked before the green pirate had even finished the word, and the woman seemed to be already in trouble when their blades met and she was forced to stumble back under the pressure. She recovered quickly, though, swinging the sword towards Shan Yu's legs. When he jumped up to avoid it, something flashed in the woman's free hand and she slashed at Shan Yu's shoulder, making him grunt and retreat.

"You're not so tough after all, are you?" Nova said.

"Enjoy your moment of victory while you can," he grunted, frown deepening. His gaze moved to his sword, and he touched it gently, moving his fingers along the blade. "A fine sword indeed."

He started moving again, but this time his movements were a lot faster and sharper, almost as if he hadn't even been serious at the beginning. He sent constant swings towards Nova, using so much force in one of the hits that he managed to make her drop her sword, kicking it away from them so that it was unreachable.

The woman tried to make a run for it, but Shan Yu stopped her with a kick and pierced her side with the sword.

Nova screamed and fell to the ground, trying to stop the bleeding with her hand. The blood flowed through her fingers like a fountain, and Jim could see her face starting to turn pale with a tint of purple.

"You have an hour before the poison starts shutting your organs off," Shan Yu said.

Everyone started cheering at him, but Jim felt sick to his stomach as he watched as Nova tried to stand up, legs giving out every time. Finally two men came to help her up and carried her away.

"Seeing as the challenger is unable to continue, I declare Shan Yu the winner!" the green pirate announced, walking back to the center. "Is there anyone else who would like to try to challenge him? Thousand gold coins! Come on! This is a great chance to get some extra money!"

"Why don't you try, Sinbad?" Captain Hook asked with a hum. "You do know how to fight, don't you?"

Jim looked at the hook the captain was stroking, and then at Shan Yu, and he licked his dry lips. Maybe this could be the chance to escape if he just managed to distract everyone and make his way discreetly towards the door.

"Alright, I'll do it." He couldn't believe that he was saying this.

"We have a volunteer here!" Captain Hook stood up with Jim and pushed him towards the center of the room.

"How wonderful," the green pirate said, welcoming Jim with open arms. "And your name is..?"

"Sinbad." He was starting to regret using Sinbad's name, because in a crowd this large someone might know Sinbad and realize that Jim wasn't who he said he was. If Sinbad even was as known as he claimed to be, that is.

"Thank you, Sinbad. Well, you know the rules already, so may the best man win!"

Jim weighed the new sword she gave him in his hands, trying to find the right balance. It was slightly heavier than the ones he usually used, but otherwise it felt good.

"Okay, just like the old times," he muttered under his breath, locking his eyes with Shan Yu's. Even a single scratch from his sword would mean the end for him, and he was pretty sure that Hook wasn't the type to help him.

"You look worried, boy." Shan Yu let out a deep chuckle, walking slowly in a large circle like a predator ready to attack, never taking his eyes off Jim. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"You should mind your own business," Jim said. He looked for an opening, a weakness, anything that he could use against him, but Shan Yu seemed to have his guard perfectly up. "I do worry about your hairline, though. I think it's receding."

Shan Yu let out a roar, lunging forward. Jim had just enough time to dodge the attack, and their swords screeched against each other. The pirate was strong, pressing the blades closer to Jim's face with sheer force. Three seconds more of this and he would be done for.

Jim stopped resisting, diving under Shan Yu's blade and making him stumble forward when there was nothing to meet his force. Shan Yu turned around quickly and swung the sword again, but Jim did a quick somersault and managed to avoid it.

He grabbed a bottle from one of the tables and threw it at the pirate. The bottle shattered against his forehead, spilling the liquid inside it all over him.

"You little…" Shan Yu grumbled, wiping the liquid away from his face. His hand was shaking with anger.

Jim's eyes shifted briefly towards the door to plan his actions, but it was a horrible mistake. He didn't have time to react when he felt a fist connect with his stomach, sending him flying on the floor. He gasped for air.

"I'm not going to use the poison on you yet, no. I'm going to have a little bit fun with you before that," Shan Yu said and lifted Jim up by the collar of his shirt.

"FIRE!" someone yelled. "THERE'S A FIRE!"

Everyone started running and rushing away from their seats. Tables and chairs fell down and people stumbled over them, trying to get out before everyone else. Someone started screaming and there were yells of pain all around them.

Jim yanked himself free and crawled under a table, making his way towards the direction he thought the exit would be. Tears formed in his eyes as the thick smoke burned them, and halfway he realized that he was going to the wrong way. There had to be a back door somewhere, though, so he kept going until he passed the bar counter and could crawl to the back room.

"Where, where?" he chanted, looking frantically around him. He covered his mouth and nose with a sleeve, standing up on his feet and starting to run.

Fortunately there was a back door, but when he tried to open it he realized that it was locked. And he wouldn't have time to look for the key.

"Give me a break already!" He started kicking the door, and when it didn't work he threw himself hard against it. The door was either poorly designed or poorly made, or both, and on the second try it finally gave in and opened.

Jim ended up in an alleyway that was apparently used for storing trash, judging from the smell and piles of garbage bags, but he was happy to breathe something else than smoke into his lungs. He had to find his way to the harbor, but to do that he would have to go back to the street that he had come from.

"He can't have gone far. Find him!" Captain Hook's voice echoed in the distance.

Hurried steps seemed to be coming his way, so he started jogging to the other direction, completely exhausted now that the adrenaline was gone. His stomach was still hurting.

He took a turn to another street but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a couple of Hook's men patrolling at the end of it. The steps were coming closer, and it was too late to turn back now.

Jim's heart jumped out of his chest when someone grabbed him by the arm and put a hand over his mouth, pulling him inside one of the houses and shutting the door firmly after them. He was about to protest loudly until he saw who the person was.

"Sinbad?"

"Shh," Sinbad hushed, keeping his hand on Jim's mouth. He pressed his ear against the door and waited until the steps had passed before letting Jim go.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

Sinbad looked guilty for a second. "Well, I mean, Silver was worried because you were going alone, and we all know how much of a troublemaker you are, so…"

"So you followed me."

"I wouldn't use the word 'followed'. More like kept an eye on you," Sinbad said as he scratched his neck. "And for a good reason, apparently. How did you manage to get on Captain Hook's bad side in such a short time?"

"He knew who I was. Or at least I think so," Jim said. "I caught some of his crew members a few years ago." Then he paused. "Did you cause the fire?"

"What fire?" Sinbad tried to look innocent, but the grin on his face told everything.

"Unbelievable," Jim snorted, turning to examine the house they were in. It looked like someone lived there and that they were standing right in someone's living room. "What is this place?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I just broke in here after making sure that no one was home." Sinbad walked further into the living room, throwing himself on the couch and taking a comfortable position. "Better wait here until Hook is gone."

"Right."

Jim followed his example and slumped down onto a chair across him. For once he was too tired to care if someone got offended that some strangers had broken into their house and made themselves comfortable.

"So," Sinbad started after a minute of silence. "You and Kale then."

Jim groaned. Did he really have to bring it up now when neither of them had a place to escape to? "It's not like that."

"Like what?"

"Like… Look, why do you care? You were the one who rejected me."

Sinbad frowned, sitting up on the couch. "I never rejected you."

"Are you serious right now?" Jim had a hard time quieting down his voice, and he had to bite his tongue in order to do that. "You said the kiss didn't mean anything. I think that's a pretty clear way of saying that you don't want anything to do with me."

"Well, I…" Sinbad closed his eyes. "I was scared, okay?" He spat the words out like he wanted to get rid of them as fast as he could.

Now it was Jim's turn to frown. "Scared of what?"

"Scared of my feelings." He looked like he wanted to take back his words but had said too much to stop there. "When Marina left me… my heart broke. Really bad. I thought that she was the only one for me and that she cared as much about me, but she still chose Proteus over me. After that I never wanted to trust my heart to anyone again."

Jim swallowed, not really knowing what to say. "But you still showed interest in me at the beginning."

Sinbad let out a laugh. "To be honest, at first I was just messing with you to see your reactions, but then I realized that I had developed real feelings for you. Stupid, huh?" He sighed and stood up, walking to the door to listen if the other pirates were gone. "I'm sorry for hurting you. If being with Kale makes you happy, then I guess –"

"Just shut up already," Jim said as he walked up to Sinbad, grabbed his shirt and kissed him.

Sinbad took a surprised step back, back colliding with the door with a thump. Then he wrapped his arms around Jim's waist, pulling his body against him, deepening the kiss like he was desperate to get more.

Their tongues met with each other, and Sinbad's mouth was warm and wet, tasting like wine. His hand sliding under Jim's shirt made him shiver with pleasure and his heart flutter with sudden nervousness. He moved his own hands to grope Sinbad's hair and tugged it slightly.

Kissing him felt right.

"I think that's enough for now." Sinbad smiled against Jim's lips, breathing against his skin. "Don't want to do anything inappropriate in someone else's house."

"Are you sure you're going to be fine with that?" Jim grinned back and caused friction between them by moving himself against Sinbad's lower body.

Sinbad's breath hitched in his throat and he let his head fall against the door. "There's a man outside who probably wants to kill you. And we have to go back to the harbor. And the owner of this house might come back any moment."

"Okay then," Jim said, shrugging his shoulders and moving away. "I think it's safe to go now."

"Uh, I'd rather wait a few minutes, if you don't mind."

A/N: Hi everyone, it's me again! I'm super happy to see so many new readers, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

These past few months have been a big roller coaster for me, and I've struggled a lot with writing and trying to find inspiration and motivation to write (I wrote three different drafts to this chapter and this is the final version, lol). But seriously guys, without you and your support I would have lost my interest in writing this fic a long time ago. This is actually the longest fic I've written so far, so cheers to that! I'm still planning on finishing this even though it may take a while.