A Fish Tale 16

Originally Posted: 12/19/06
Note: Actually, no... I didn't fall off the ends of the earth, so the first order of business is my humblest apologies for the long (really long) hiatus from this story. But... I'm back... it's back and *gasp* it's finished. I'll be posting the remaining chapters regularly. For those of you who may not know, the story was inspired by Elessil's beautiful "Sea Men." And of course MUCH MUCH thanks to my wonderful BETA Porridgebird.

Jack was gazing up at the ceiling above their ledge and apparently either talking to himself or singing. His hands weaved and fluttered in the air above him, and from what James could see, it seemed that they were keeping time to his words. Singing then, James decided, though he couldn't quite resist glancing up at the ceiling above Jack anyway. There didn't appear to be anything of note, but with Jack, one never knew.

Well, he's content enough for the moment, James thought, though that will be short-lived once he discovers Cruu's presence here.

He sighed heavily and dropped his gaze to the murky waters beside the ledge. Getting Jack to swim had clearly turned into a battle of wills... and he was losing the battle. Which in itself was annoying enough, but to find himself now enmeshed in such a feeble ploy to trick Jack, and, he reminded himself with mounting irritation, a ploy that he had always quite disdained when he had watched others employing it...

He was tired of sitting over here, and even though Jack was being difficult today—very difficult—well, truth be told, James missed being with him.

The corners of James's mouth curled into a wry grin. He supposed if he wanted to be completely truthful, after two days of fighting and two days of worrying himself sick over Jack's injury, what he really missed was touching him... and smelling him... and tasting him. His prick twitched in agreement.

He had lifted his head and looked over casually enough, checking again on James's whereabouts, when his eyebrows shot high and his gaze slid to Cruu.

Cruu's back was to Jack and he was engaged in some shell game with Dree, but there was no doubt in James's mind that Jack recognized him.

James met his gaze for only a second, but it was long enough to know that Jack was furious.

James looked away with a guilty start and the absolute certainty that Dree's plan would not lure Jack from the ledge.

When he looked over at Jack again, Jack had lain his head back down and tossed an arm across his face, covering his eyes.

Aroo, watching the silent exchange, leaned over and touched James's arm to draw his attention back. "You must make him swim, James."

That was easy enough for Aroo to say, James supposed, though he didn't voice that thought.

Jack's arm was still thrown across his face but he had shifted slightly to his side and James could see the stiffening ridges of Jack's dorsal fin, pressed into the ledge beneath him.

This is not the best way to handle Jack, he decided finally. In fact—and now his mouth curled into a smug, knowing grin—the only way to handle Jack Sparrow was to sweeten the lure.

"I'm going to him," he said quietly. "I know what's best for my mate, and this isn't it."

Jack studied him silently for a moment before announcing indifferently: "I wasn't worried, ya know."

James eased himself along the ledge until he was pressed full length against Jack, then let his hand trail down the hard length of the dorsal fin. "Of course you weren't," he agreed. He curled his tail carefully around Jack's and pressed closer.

Jack's arm lifted higher and he arched a brow. "What a ya think you're doin'?" he asked suspiciously.

James glanced down at their entwined tails, and a moment's fleeting (and far too amusing) image came to mind. The corners of his mouth twitched and he damn near answered, 'fishing.'

Wisdom and Jack's narrow-eyed glare stayed the thought, and instead, he leaned down until his lips were almost brushing against Jack's and breathed, "I'm feeling... affectionately inclined."

"I daresay I can remedy that," James whispered, and then without preamble, he closed the gap between their lips and ravaged Jack's mouth.

Jack gave a startled squeak, and James caught his flailing hand, pressed it into the moss above his head and held it there.

When he came up for air, Jack was wide eyed and breathless. "Bloody hell, mate... give a man some warning eh?" He tugged at his hand, testing James's grip, and frowned up at him. "James?"

James shifted onto his side and let the fingers of his free hand trail in a light meandering path across Jack's chest. He tweaked a nipple on his way, got an entirely satisfying gasp from Jack for his effort, and went back to tweak the other nipple.

"You do realize," James began conversationally, "that it's been four days since we've last shared... intimacies." He leaned down and licked a delicate path across the pouting lips.

Jack turned his face away and fixed his gaze on the back wall of their ledge. "I expect that fine company you were keeping whetted yer appetite, aye?" he asked softly.

James chuffed out a quiet laugh and nuzzled into the soft skin above Jack's gills. "All it takes to whet my appetite, these days, is for you to be within my line of vision."

The flutter of Jack's gills increased and James took a moment to breath in the scent of his mate, before whispering into his ear, "And you know damn well you're the only one who can sate that appetite."

Jack shivered against him and then turned his face to meet James's gaze. Jack searched his face anxiously for several seconds, then dropped his eyes and gave a diffident shrug. "Aye. I reckon I do know that."

"Ya may have noticed here James... but I'm not at my best at the moment," Jack tried to squirm away from James's determined nuzzling, "and I don't think I'm quite up to..."

James kissed him again, halting any possibility of argument, and slid his hand down and into the welcoming wet warmth of Jack's pouch.

It was a bit of a calculated risk, and James knew it, but he figured odds were good that lust just might overshadow Jack's fear of moving his tail.

He deepened the kiss and when he felt Jack's prick firming in his hand and Jack moan long and low into his mouth; he curled his fingers around the hardening knot in the thick cock and squeezed.

Jack arched into his hand and James broke the kiss and leaned down to whisper into Jack's ear, "I want to make love to you."

"Aye," Jack murmured, his voice thick, "aye." He arched up into James's hand again and then stilled. He held like that for the briefest of moments before his eyes flew wide and he dipped his head to peek under James shoulder. "Here?" he asked, incredulous. "Have ya gone mad? The whole bloody cavern'll see what you're doing."

"Does that matter?" James asked, teasing the foreskin back and rubbing his thumb back and forth across the slick head of Jack's cock.

Jack's face slackened and his eyes fluttered shut. "Oh Christ..." he gasped, "ya keep that up, luv, and it won't matter a damn bit."

James stole one last quick kiss before he released Jack and sat up. He took a moment to admire the sight of Jack laying there... face creased now in confusion and his cock arching proudly above his belly... then pushed himself to the edge of the ledge.

"Where the hell are ya goin'?" Jack demanded, with the slightest edge of desperation in his voice.

"You're right, of course," James answered, looking pointedly across the cavern to where Dree, Aroo, and Cruu were watching with avid fascination. "We can hardly make love here in front of the entire cavern."

Jack followed his gaze and his eyebrows shot high. "Bloody hell," he muttered, "bloody hell, bloody hell." He lurched up and frantically began trying to tuck his erection back into his pouch.

Jack eyes narrowed in sudden understanding and he looked up from his pouch. "Now this... this, Commodore... is cheating!"

"Nevertheless, I'm returning to our cave." Smirking, James reached across the ledge and tugged at the opening of Jack's pouch and then grinned broadly when Jack's erection
popped back out. "I expect you to follow me."

Jack was clearly favoring his tail and relying mostly on his arms and dorsal fin to make his way. What use he did make of his tail was more in the manner of the rudder of a ship, with only an occasional angling of it for direction.

It was also apparent that he was tiring rapidly. Jack didn't get very far before he finally stalled in the water, his tail hanging limp beneath him as he drifted gently with the current.

James held to his position in the sea grass and continued to just watch as Jack tipped his head from side to side, tasting the water with his gills.

Searching for my scent, James thought. When Jack finally located him, James pushed himself off from the sea-bed and darted up through the water to his mate's side. Jack gave him a relieved looking grin and sagged against him.

James held him close, and for the first time in four days felt the welcome touch of Jack's tail flukes, curling round his own.

James began to snicker and Jack grinned at his own words. "Well, I'll allow it's not much to look at, but it's our cave and it's damn cozy, innit?"

James kissed the top of his head. "I suppose one shouldn't complain about the aesthetics when one has the entire ocean for a front parlor."

Jack sat up and swiveled on the ledge to glare at James. " 'at's for trickin me, mate."

"Ah ah ah," Jack interrupted, holding up a finger. "Ya tricked me, a wounded man... or wounded fish. As it were."

"But, bein' the fair minded sort that I am, James, I'm more'n willing to let you make it up to me."

"Aye, well I've always been noted for me graciousness." Jack pillowed his head in his hands and grinned up at James, expectantly.

James choked down a laugh and let his gaze wander down the length of Jack's body. The outline of Jack's still-erect cock was unmistakable through the folds of his pouch. James knew damned well what Jack wanted; nonetheless, he couldn't resist asking, "And, precisely how would you suggest I make it up to you?"

Jack's grin broadened and he slid his own hand down his body to fondle his pouch. "I reckon a clever man such as yourself should have no trouble coming up with a ..." he dropped his eyes and looked up through his lashes, "a mutually satisfyin' solution, eh?"

James eased himself down beside Jack. "Numerous possibilities do, of course, come to mind..." He leaned in for a long lingering kiss. When he broke the kiss, he studied Jack's face thoughtfully before rolling away and pillowing his own head in his hands. He gazed up at the ceiling of their cave and huffed out a regretful sigh. "However, on reflection, any one of them could be deemed as far too strenuous for a wounded man."

Jack was quiet for several long minutes and James could see him drumming his fingers against his arm in the periphery of his vision. The fingers slowed and finally stilled and he felt the tentative touch of Jack's hand against his own.

"I wanted to show ya that, tonight," Jack told him softly. He gave an apologetic shrug and added, "before I was too tired to be accomadatin'."

James curled slowly up onto his side and pulled Jack into his arms. "You don't need to accommodate me tonight."

Jack twisted in his arms to look up into his face, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Have ya not missed it?"

He kissed Jack hungrily and dropped his hand to the soft scales along the crease of Jack's arse. Christ yes, he missed it, he thought, feeling the clenching flex of muscle beneath his hand. He dipped his finger into the crease to tease at the tight opening and when Jack groaned into his mouth and arched back against his hand, his resolve wavered.

He broke the kiss and buried his face in Jack's neck, panting softly and mentally arguing down his own desire. "I want you far too much to be able to assure the restraint your injury still requires."

And whether it was the long, slow, stroke of his hand along the length of Jack's cock or the teasing slide of foreskin across the swollen head or the delicate caress of fingers on the heavy testicles, each of his touches elicited its own gasp or moan or breathless sigh. Each of his touches brought Jack inexorably higher and closer.

He leaned in and took Jack's mouth in a bruising kiss and tightened his grip on the hard knot in Jack's prick—wondering, belatedly, if the pleasure he knew was thrumming through Jack's tail was mixed in as well with the pain of his injury

But then it was too late to wonder, because Jack was arching and shaking and keening through his gills as he spilled hot seed into James's hand.

With a last shuddering cry, Jack collapsed, languid and boneless, against James. "That..." he panted breathlessly, "holy Christ, James, that was something, luv. That was just bloody well something."

He reached up and tugged James down for an achingly sweet kiss, curled against him and then with a great sigh of contentment, promptly fell asleep.

James looked from Jack's peacefully sleeping visage, to his seed spattered hand, then back to Jack's face.

He huffed out his own sigh then, this one of longsuffering, and reached across Jack to rinse his hand in the water beside the ledge. Jack grumbled softly in his sleep at being jostled, until James settled in beside him.

James lay awake in the dark for a long while afterwards, waiting for his own blood to cool, and listening to the soft, even whispers of air fluttering through Jack's gills. He was profoundly grateful to still be hearing those soft, even whispers of air... and even more grateful that they were, for the most part, free of pain.

Eventually a great yawn took him and he resettled Jack in his arms and dropped a quick kiss to the top of his head.

A Fish Tale

Chapter 16