A Fish Tale

Chapter 12

by

Oasis Herself

Jack seemed to be relishing it as well. The crew had gathered at the rail to watch and he entertained them with spectacular leaps and dives through the Pearl's wake. He was like a wild thing set free.

James couldn't resist a bit of showing off himself. He followed Jack up into one of his dives and mid-leap delivered a stinging slap of his tail to Jack's rump. The sound of it danced across the water and James could hear the crew burst into laughter as they crashed back into the surf.

The chase was on then and they wrestled and tumbled with an animal's energy and joy.

When play eventually lost its appeal, they kept pace with the Pearl and fed from the sea floor.

After awhile, Jack moved away and into the shadow of the ship. He waited there until he had James's attention, and then crooked a finger and motioned for him to join him.

James had just barely reached safe cover beneath the Pearl before Jack was upon him and devouring his mouth with a single-minded intensity. Jack's patience had apparently reached its limits.

James was in no doubt as to Jack's hunger, but when the kiss ended, the urgency of it had been gentled somehow and become a thing measured and deeply sensual.

It could have been just the environment. There was a hushed, dream world quality to it as they drifted in the shadows; the only real sound to be heard was the heavy groan of the great ship above them.

As James swam, Jack flitted around him with a delicate flutter of tail and a fluid grace. He curled and twined his way around James's body, tasting first the smooth skin beneath his arm, and then following the curve of shoulder to trace each hard ridge of the dorsal fin.

With speech unavailable to them, Jack spoke with his fingers and lips and feathery tail flukes in a gift of lovemaking that James would never have expected Jack capable of.

After a while, Jack pressed himself full length against James, and kissed him; their arms entwined and tails pumping in tandem through the water with long sweeping strokes and only the occasional soft clicks to mark their way.

For James, the feelings Jack's actions invoked in him were deeply treasured, and desperately feared.

When the Pearl finally began to ease away from the coastline and the approaching reef, they broke apart and made their own course adjustment.

He surfaced finally beside a grinning Jack.

"All right Jack, how did you know?"

The dark eyes narrowed and the grin curled into an arrogant smirk. "Because I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

It took everything in James's power not to roll his eyes. Instead, he pulled Jack into his arms, and in a fair imitation of Jack himself, asked, "and how did Captain Jack Sparrow know?"

"That was really very good, luv. I think if ya just changed the emphasis to the first syllable of me last name you'd...."

"Jack?" he prodded.

Jack scowled up at him for a moment. "You remember that little sloop I first came into Port Royal in, I'm sure. The one that used to be Anamaria's?"

"The one you stole?"

"Borrowed, James. The one I borrowed."

"Go on."

"It happens that I may have run it aground on that reef." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "But might I add that it was almost completely unintentional."

"Is it safe to assume that rum was involved at the time?"

"Now that you mention it... that is a possibility," Jack shrugged in disinterest. "I patched it best I could and limped it the rest of the way into port."

"Well, that would certainly explain why it sank at the docks."

Jack attention was shifting now and he slid his hands around James to cup and knead at the well-muscled arse. "I've still won the wager."

James gathered a handful of long dark hair and tipped Jack's head back to gaze down into his face. "You cheated."

Before Jack had a chance to reply, James claimed his mouth in a bruising kiss and slipped his hand between them and into Jack's pouch. He stroked the sensitive inner wall with his fingers as he cupped the heavy balls. When Jack was hard and squirming against him, he broke the kiss.

"There's a penalty for cheating," James murmured against his lips, then tilted his head back to gaze down into black eyes, heavy-lidded now with desire.

"Penalty?"

"If you want to take me, Sparrow," James whispered and then pushed himself away from Jack, "you're going to have to catch me." And with that he was off and darting through the water.

A quick glance over his shoulder assured him that Jack had entered into the spirit of this new game and was right behind him.

James knew himself to be the stronger swimmer, but Jack, driven by lust, was moving fast through the water and rapidly gaining on him. He felt the faintest brush of Jack's hand against his tail fluke but when he darted sharply to the side, he felt it slip away. He increased the sweep of his tail. He'd give Jack a hard run before he'd actually let himself be caught.

It would have been a harder run but for an unexpected school of fish (ironically, a school of bar jacks) blocking and slowing his way. By the time he came out on the other side of the school, Jack was coming up fast from beneath it and caught him by the tail.

Grinning in triumph, Jack lunged for James's arm, but at the same moment the bar jacks abruptly changed direction.

The two of them were suddenly engulfed in a thick cloud of flitting, darting fish, and when one of the fish became entangled in Jack's hair, James twisted free.

He dove down, thinking to double back around the school and bypass Jack, but when he came up through the water, Jack was missing completely.

James stilled in the water, twisting slowly and searching, but there was simply no sign of Jack anywhere in the murky green depths. He drifted down and scanned the sea bed. Jack was close; that much he knew. It was simply too easy for James to smell and identify his own mate.

He continued to search along the sea bottom and almost missed Jack completely, so well hidden was he in the sea grass. It was only a stray lock of hair drifting in the current that gave him away.

James grinned to himself as he drifted along the bottom, seeming to still be searching, but edging steadily closer and closer to where Jack lay in wait.

Hoping to entice Jack into another chase, James let the feathery tip of his tail drift teasingly close to where Jack was hidden.

Jack held steady and never even twitched.

James drifted a bit closer. It was really quite difficult to judge exactly how or where Jack was positioned in the tall grass. James took a calculated guess and guessed wrong.

Jack's hand shot out from where he didn't expect it and this time Jack didn't lose his grip.

When Jack shimmied up his body, James twisted in his arms and Jack kissed him hard as they drifted to the surface.

"You swim a lot faster when you're standing proud, "James teased, as they broke apart.

Jack began nipping and licking hungrily at his neck and collarbone, and his hands roamed restlessly, up and down the length of James dorsal fin. "You've no idea how badly I want you, James," Jack growled in his ear.

Jack's nips and bites were becoming increasingly more serious now and he eased himself around James, nestling his cock into the crease of his arse. "Christ, it's distractin' havin' you on board the Pearl."

Jack's hand stole down into James's pouch, stroking and caressing.

James's prick leaped at his touch and he arched back against Jack's hard shaft and felt the press of it against the tight ring of muscle.

Jack gave a startled gasp and clutched James tightly to himself. "Mine," he whispered fiercely into James's ear, "mine."

James felt the lethargy beginning to creep over him and his head lolled back against Jack's shoulder. Jack curled his tail up underneath him and as James relaxed against Jack, his own weight bore him down, slowly and steadily onto Jack's cock.

He sounded a long, deep cry through his gills and Jack joined him, their mingled cries caught up and spirited away on the freshening wind.

They sank slowly beneath the surface and Jack let them drift with the current for a while, rolling his tail in lazy sweeps and cocking his hips just enough to send teasing thrills of sensation along the length of James's tail.

Jack was holding him firmly, his teeth clamped hard on the top edge of James's dorsal fin and he could feel Jack panting against him, could feel the soft puffs of water exhaled from Jack's gills against his shoulder.

James squeezed tight around the hard length of Jack's cock and felt a startled rush of water strike his shoulder.

Jack arched hard and rolled them, finally beginning to swim, but surprisingly he didn't head for the sea. Instead, he headed inland, darting over and around the reef until he found a small sandy inlet and then he beached them, leaving only their tails in the foaming surf.

"Why are we here?" James managed to gasp.

Jack tightened his hold on James's cock, squeezing and stroking. "I want to hear you," Jack panted, "I need to hear you."

James heard the harsh rasp of Jack's scales against the sand then felt the jarring slap of Jack's tail against his own.

He cried out and pushed his tail weakly against Jack's, desperate for him to repeat the motion.

Jack twined the end of James's tail with his own and dragged it back across the sand, and then swung them both sharply forward again, in a rough imitation of swimming.

"Oh, God... Jack!"

Jack spooned even tighter against him. "Do ya like that, luv?" he panted, licking and worrying at the tender flesh of James's gills, "do you like what I'm doing to you?"

James clung to Jack's arm, panting harshly. He could feel the corded muscles of Jack's forearm flexing beneath his palm as Jack worked his shaft. He slid his hand down to cover Jack's hand. "More," he demanded.

He felt Jack grin against his neck. "Shall I take that as yes?"

James clenched tight around Jack's cock and dragged a whimper from him. "Yes, it is then, Jack gasped.

It was tortuously slow, and without the softening cushion of the sea, almost unbearably intense.

When their passion finally reached its inevitable peak, they teetered there for a heart stopping moment, poised and gasping. Then they fell together, Jack arching hard and spending deep inside him and James spilling over Jack's hand, his seed swirling and mixing with the foam surging around them.

Jack clutched him tight, still gasping for breath and whispered, "How am I to make do without your affections after this damn enchantment ends?"

James struggled to stay awake, mindful now of having to get back to the Pearl, but a desperate melancholy filled him and a small voice in the back of his mind whispered agreement with Jack's words. He shoved the thought roughly away and answered far more harshly than he really meant, "I daresay, we'll not have a care or a thought for any of this once the enchantment ends."

He felt Jack stiffen against him for a moment, but Jack said nothing and when his cock softened and finally slipped free of James's body he placed a gentle kiss on James's shoulder. "I'd best get ya back to the ship," he said quietly.

On the short trip back to the Pearl, Jack was attentive in the care of his mate, but his manner was quiet and remote. He made believable excuses to the crew about James's relapse and tucked him into the bunk with the promise of returning with food.

James finally drifted off to sleep waiting for Jack.

Jack didn't return.

James woke hours later to an uproar of noise coming from the deck. The crew was obviously drunk and he could hear Jack spinning some lengthy, unbelievable tale to entertain them.

He was still sleepy-limbed from their mating and desperately hungry. He slid from the bunk and made his way across the cabin.

James leaned against the cabin door and stared in outraged disbelief at Jack. He was sprawled indolently against a coil of rope and clearly he'd not had a thought for James.

The entire crew was in their cups, and as James watched, it appeared that Jack was as well. How, James wondered... he couldn't possibly be drinking.

James slid further into the flickering light. He could see that Jack was eating something, and, James noted now with mounting anger, was far too close to Anamaria.

Jack paused openmouthed when he spotted James in the doorway, the leafy frond of some sea plant poised in front of him.

"What are you chewing on?" James demanded.

The crew went silent and watched this new turn of events with curious eyes.

Jack glanced down at the plant, then back up at James with a slow, lazy grin. "Well, Commodore," he drawled, "it seems to be an intoxicant." He cocked his head and held it out. "Want some?"

"You were supposed to be getting food," James looked pointedly up at the star-filled sky and added, "hours ago."

Jack furrowed his brow in thought. "I knew I forgot somethin'." He lurched up onto his tail, arms flailing and swayed unsteadily for a moment.

"Predictable, Sparrow," James sniffed haughtily, "so very predictable."

"Now that's not very nice, Commodore."

James headed across the deck towards the railing. Christ, he was ravenous... and angry. Furious, actually, and... well, yes, he was hurt, he admitted to himself, but stubbornly refused to even think about that right now. He had only one overriding drive at the moment, and that drive involved eating.

It did not include Jack trying to intercept him halfway across the deck.

James drew himself high onto his tail. "Get out of my way."

"Where the hell do ya think you're goin'?"

"For a swim."

"Why?"

"I need to eat, and as I recall, Sparrow, you managed to dump our stores all over the deck."

Jack lifted a hand and insolently studied his nails. "I din't give ya permission."

"I beg your pardon?"

Jack tipped his head back and smirked. "You may have noticed, James, that I'm the captain of this here vessel and I didn't give ya permission to leave the ship."

Very well, James thought. He raised himself as high onto his tail as he could balance and looked down his nose at Jack. "Requesting permission to leave the ship..." he rolled his eyes and with a barely suppressed sneer, added, "Captain Sparrow."

Jack's brow furrowed and his voice softened. "Look, James..."

"Permission to leave the ship... Sir."

Jack rose high on his own tail and leaned forward until they were nose to nose. He glared fiercely at James and poked him in the chest with his finger. "Denied."

Jack's dorsal fin was stiffening in anger now and James could feel his own rise up in response.

"I don't know how I managed to let you talk me into this... voyage," James raged, turning his glare now to include the crew. The crew shifted and tried to melt back into the shadows... all but Anamaria and Gibbs, who were watching the exchange with avid interest.

"I seem to recall a nest egg I'm helping' ya pad," Jack snapped

James looked back at Jack who was between himself and the railing now, then turned his attention to the rail. He actually weighed the idea of violating a direct order from a captain on his own ship.

Jack must have caught the direction of his thoughts. "Don't do it, James," he warned softly.

James hesitated for just a moment and then, with as much dignity as he could muster with a tail, made his way back to the cabin and slammed the door.

"Come," he called softly.

Gibbs poked his head cautiously into the room. "Where be Jack?"

James waved a disinterested hand towards the corner.

When Jack had finally returned to the cabin for the night, he had taken exactly half of the moss and carefully spread it out on the ledge by the window. He was curled into a tight ball in the center of it.

Gibbs paused halfway across the room and looked at James. "How's he do that?"

"No idea, Mr. Gibbs. It seems to be his preferred sleeping position."

Gibbs took another couple of steps across the room. "Cap'n?" he called.

"Mmmm."

"We're there."

"There where, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack mumbled.

"There here, Jack... the ships. We can see em 'neath the water 'bout 80 feet down."

Jack sat up, groaned in pain and collapsed back against the moss. "I'm dying," he whined.

"Rise and shine, Captain Sparrow," James said cheerfully (and far louder than was really necessary). He slid from the bunk and headed for one of the water barrels. "The day's half gone already," he paused for a moment and then added with an edge to his voice, "and if memory serves, I believe we have my nest egg to pad."

There were walls of gold bars, hundreds of diamonds, emeralds in the thousands, and a staggering mountain of doubloons and pieces of eight.

And most stunningly, Jack found what appeared to be the Spanish queen's own dowry. The ornately carved chest was filled with exquisite rings, earrings, brooches and pendants of every size and design. Some of the pendants carried intricately detailed etchings of an olive branch; others were encrusted with precious jewels.

There was so much that he and Jack finally took to carrying nets down to the ships, filling them, and signaling the crew to haul them up into the Pearl's hold.

Though they worked well together, James was still angry and Jack was still remote and quiet. They kept to a cool cordiality with each other as they scavenged the sunken ships.

The crew simply kept its peace and efficiently went about the task of stowing booty.

It must have been much the same for Jack, because when he slipped into the cabin late that night, he gathered his moss and returned to the bunk. And though they slept back to back, there was at least that small amount of comfort.

The next day was more of the same until well into the afternoon. By then, the Pearl's hold was filled to bursting.

James was in the water beside a small jollyboat and admiring a brooch that Anamaria had claimed for herself when Jack surfaced beside them.

James cast a quick glance at Jack and handed the brooch back to Anamaria. "Well, Captain Sparrow, I believe that's all of it, wouldn't you say?"

"Not quite," Jack answered, handing a last small net full of doubloons up to Gibbs.

James frowned at him. "What could possibly be left?"

"There's that last little chest up under the bow."

James had seen the box Jack was referring to and now he searched Jack's face with genuine concern. "That hull's not very stable, Jack," he said softly.

"Aye, but I know what's in that chest and I'm goin' after it."