Fic: Captain Jared and the Curse of the Seaman's Gold
Title: Captain Jared and the Curse of the Seaman's Gold
Pairing: Jensen/Jared, mentions of Jared/Jeff and Jensen/Jeff
Word Count: approx. 5050
Raiting: R
Warnings: None
Summary: When Jensen gets cursed, Jared needs Jeff to save him. Jeff agrees to help - for a price.
Note 1: For akintay for spn_j2_xmas. I'm so sorry for the delay.
Note 2: This story needs an epilogue, but I just could not get that done in time.
Note 3: Most of my knowledge of pirates comes from watching Pirates of the Caribbean, so bear with me. Historians are apparently undecided whether marriage between (naturally same-sex) pirates, called "matelotage", was actually practiced. For the sake of the story, I decided that it was.
Captain Jared and the Curse of the Seaman's Gold
"Captain?" the boy said, voice tinged with nervousness. Jared did not look up from the figure huddled under the covers of his bed. "Sire? You asked to be notified once we caught sight of Port Royal."
"Aye. Thank you," Jared said, expecting to hear the door open and close as the boy left, but when Jared glanced over he was still standing there wringing his cap in his hands. They had sent the cabin boy, Colin, cowards that they were, too afraid to face Jared's wrath. They were mistaken, however. The anger had drained, and the only feelings warring inside of him right now were tiredness, concern, and relief.
"Captain?" Colin said again, then paused as if to gather his courage. "How is he?"
Jared was surprised. Nobody had dared to ask him, although he knew the crew must be worried as much as him - they had made the journey from Haiti in only two days. Then he remembered that Jensen had taken a liking to the boy. Said that he reminded him of Jared and had begun to teach him knots and how to learn your path from the stars.
Jared looked down at the bed again where Jensen was resting. It was no peaceful sleep: Jensen's skin was cold and damp to the touch, his face ashen and his lips blue, body tormented by shudders ever so often. Jared sat down beside him and took his limp hand in his own. "He will be fine," he said firmly, praying that he would be right.
***
He had met Jensen about three years ago on Aruba, back when he had been recruiting new crewman for the first ship under his own command, the Mary. Sailors were a dime a dozen, most willing to work for any ship for the promise of booty and treasure. Jared did not trust any of them but he figured once he dangled the first of them from a plank for taking more than his fair share of rum, he would not have a problem with the rest.
He was sitting in a tavern eating a stew - beef, after a couple of weeks at sea he was getting sick of having fish every day - when the door opened and a man came in with a heavy stride, crossing the floor to sit at the bar, leaving two empty stools between himself and Jared. The room had gotten noticeably quieter, the laughter from the card game in the corner suddenly overly loud. Although Jared was sure he had never seen the stranger before - he would have remembered such a handsome face - some of the locals seemed to know him and were, if not anxious, then at least surprised by his appearance. But as long as nobody drew their sword or a pistol, Jared kept eating.
The man drained half of the ale the innkeeper slid over at him in one big gulp, staring straight ahead. The patrons turned back to their own food or conversations, only one man with a long, tangled beard but almost no hair on his head stood up from his table and sauntered over, taking a seat on the other side of the stranger, speaking loud enough for Jared to hear.
"Word goes Captain Morgan threw you off his ship."
Jared perked up and the stranger stiffened as well; Jared could practically hear his teeth grinding.
"So you must be looking for work."
Still the stranger did not react apart from his fingers clenching around his mug.
"You know, there is an open position on my ship. The Carmen, fastest ship sailing for the Spanish crown."
Finally, the stranger turned to the other man. "Really."
The man grinned broadly. "Aye. Ever since the last whore left, my bunk is getting awfully cold at ni-"
The stranger reacted so fast Jared did not have time to let go of his spoon and draw his dagger before the man was on his knees, howling and clutching at his crotch with a blade at his throat.
"You want to repeat that?" the stranger said in a low voice. The man only whimpered, clearly trying to avoid any movement that would cause him to nick his own skin. "I thought so." He let the man go, who fell to the ground like a sack of flour with his hands still between his legs, tossed a glinting coin to the innkeeper and walked out the door.
Hastily, Jared fished a couple of coins from his own pocket, likely too much for the tasteless stew, before following.
The stranger was taller than almost all of the people milling the streets outside; it only took Jared a few seconds to spot him turning into a smaller alley, the tails of his long, dark coat billowing behind him. Jared followed him down the alley, through an archway, up a lesser frequented cobbled street, around a corner -
The stranger was gone. Jared turned in a circle but the only people around were himself and a woman throwing a pail of dirty water right from her doorway out into the street. He took another step - and froze when he felt the tip of a sword press to the back of his neck.
"What do you want from me?" the stranger demanded.
"I have an offer -"
The sword dug in a little, and Jared hissed.
"Do you know how many men propositioned me today? Tried to grope me and tell me how much coin a 'pretty boy' like me could make on his back?"
"I am not propositioning you," Jared hurriedly said. "I am looking for crewmen for my ship."
"Why me?"
"You worked for Captain Morgan."
There was a snort behind him. "If your only reason is that you want to take something from Morgan -"
"I already have something from Morgan." Slowly, Jared pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to show the stranger the thin white scar running from his left wrist up to his forearm. The only visible mark that Jeff had left on him.
The sword quivered slightly as the stranger leaned around him to see, and Jared used that to spin around and draw his own sword. The two weapons clashed together as the stranger recovered fast.
"Captain Morgan only hires the best men. As quartermaster, your share would be as big as mine, you would have your own berth, and I swear I will not touch you. We cast our votes tomorrow."
For a moment they simply stared at each other. Out here in the sunlight, Jared could see the brown dots spattered over the stranger's cheeks and his eyes sparkling green as the sea.
Finally, the stranger lowered his sword. "Show me your ship."
***
Jared found Captain Jeffrey Morgan right where he had expected to: in the largest brothel in town. He was holding court in a room with deep red brocade curtains and soft sofas, one arm around a beautiful red-headed girl and the other around a handsome dark-skinned boy. Jeff looked every bit as ruggedly attractive as the last time Jared had seen him, dark hair streaked with some gray, his short beard well-groomed and not only one ring but three in his pierced ear. He made no move to stand when Jared entered.
"Captain Padalecki. I never thought to see you in such a fine establishment. Have you grown bored of the entertainment found at sea?"
Jared held his tongue, and the girl looked up at him with interest, fingers still drawing slow circles on Jeff's thigh.
Jeff nodded at the dagger in Jared's hand. "I assure you you have no need for that. If I wanted you dead you would not have made it through the door. And you could already have your knife stuck in my chest. So it must be something else you want."
"I need to speak with you. Privately."
"I am afraid I am rather unwilling to part with my lovely companions." Jeff slid his hand down the girl's cleavage and let it rest over her breast. "But speak as freely as you like. Danneel here is deaf as a post, and Antoine speaks only French. N'est-ce pas, mon chér?" He tugged at the back of Antoine's neck, who came willingly, letting himself be pulled into a deep kiss while Danneel watched with barely concealed fascination.
It only ended when Jared threw the satchel he had brought onto the table in front of them. It fell with a clunk, and Jeff licked his lips as he glanced over. "A present?"
"No." Jared sat down on the opposite sofa to pull a bundle of cloth from the satchel. He unwrapped it carefully to reveal the golden coin within. Cocking his head, Antoine reached out a curious hand, but Jeff let go of Danneel to slap his wrist, hard.
"Ne le touches pas." He looked up at Jared. "Did you touch it?"
"I would not be here if I had, would I?"
Jeff studied the coin, the lines that had already etched themselves into Jared's memory, the intricate image of a ship being swallowed by the sea. "Where did you find it?"
"A small, uninhibited island off the coast of Haiti. A whole chest of it."
Jeff was leaning forward now; from the corner of his eyes Jared saw Antoine sulking behind him, cradling his wrist, and Danneel trying to peer over his shoulder. "I assume Jensen told you he has seen coins like this one when he was on my ship."
At the mention of Jensen, Jared's heart gave a painful squeeze. He had left him aboard the Mary in the care of Aldis and Christian, his sailing master and his surgeon. Even though it was unlikely that Jensen would suddenly wake up, it still pained Jared that he could not be there.
"Did he tell you that I dropped them overboard as soon as we got into deeper water?" A tiny smirk played around the corners of Jeff's mouth. "Of course he was always good at following orders, and I never told him why I did it. But I admit I am surprised he is not with you now to ask."
Jared swallowed. The admission was not easy, but after all this was what he had come here for. Absently, he ran a finger along the ring on his left hand. "Jensen touched the coins. He has been asleep for three days now." And it was even harder to say: "I need your help."
"I see." Jeff stroked his beard, then said, "I will help you," holding up a hand when Jared was about to open his mouth. "For the right price, of course."
"I will give you whatever you want: silver, gold -"
"My crew has more gold than shit coming out of their arses, Jared," Jeff interrupted him. His eyes had taken on a dangerous glint; in that moment you could see why he was one of the most infamous - and most feared - pirates of the Caribbean. "I do not want your gold. I want Jensen."
"He will not come back to -"
"That is not what I mean. I help you save Jensen, you relinquish him to me for one night only." Jeff licked his lips. "Trust me, it would not be the first."
"I am not giving Jensen away like some common whore," Jared hissed through his teeth. He thought he saw something flash over Danneel's eyes at the words, but when he looked at her, her face was all intrigued innocence. Antoine, meanwhile, seemed to have overcome his indignation and began massaging Jeff's shoulder, who rolled his head into the touch and closed his eyes.
"Then make me another offer," Jeff said. "And make it fast because the clock is ticking for your boy."
Jared desperately tried to sort through the jumble in his head. He should slit Jeff's throat right here but that would not heal Jensen, and he had nothing apart from his ship, his crew, gold, jewels - all of which Jeff was not interested in. He had -
"Me," he said. "You help me save him, I will be yours for one night." That would not be the first, either.
Jeff opened his eyes, appearing thoughtful, then he shrugged. "Aye." He picked up the cloth with the coin, regarding it for a moment longer before handing it to Danneel over his shoulder. "What do you think, darling?"
Danneel turned the coin in her hand. "Seaman's gold," she said.
***
Jared had kept his oath for more than a year, even though he spent the first night that Jensen was on his ship with his hand down his own trousers and the image of Jensen's mouth on the backs of his eyelids.
He soon realized that recruiting Jensen for his ship had been one of the best decisions he had ever made. As a sailor, Jensen was strong and intelligent; he could gather a sail and raise a heavy anchor, he could read and write - which, apart from his name, was a skill that Jared himself had never managed to learn - he could navigate by the stars and draw a sea chart.
As quartermaster, he was strict but fair; quarrels amongst the crewmen were settled quickly and punishments doled out if necessary. Somehow he had a talent for finding the richest ships to plunder and the biggest treasures to dig up on the Caribbean islands.
As a friend, he became irreplaceable. Many a night was shared with a bottle of rum between them and stories of their past lives - like their respective times on Jeff's ship, where Jared had started out as a lowly powder monkey years ago.
It came as a complete surprise when Jared found himself half in bed one morning with Jensen kneeling on the floor in front of him muttering about stupid pirates and even stupider promises while he pulled down Jared's sheets.
The first touch of Jensen's tongue on his prick made Jared's had snap back onto his down pillow, which had once belonged to a wealthy merchant on his way to St. Lucia before Jared had intercepted his ship. Jensen locked once from root to tip before taking him into his mouth, the tightness of his lips and the grip of his hand pulling a first quick release from Jared that had him shout out his pleasure to he sky and the sea.
After, Jensen crawled up the bed to kiss him, and Jared knew right away that for Jensen this was not some desperate fumble borne from lonely months at sea. Nobody kissed like that if they did not mean it, deep and dirty so Jared could lick his own taste out of Jensen's mouth. He managed to undo the laces at Jensen's throat and broke the kiss to tug Jensen's shirt over his head before his fingers lost all coordination to help, knotting into Jensen's hair instead.
He usually kept it shorter but they had not been on land in a while and he refused to let Mark saw it off like the rest of the crew did - or at least those who did not care how it looked like afterwards. Jared had never been more grateful for that than he was today, as he used his grip to guide Jensen's mouth to where he needed it most, down his neck and lower to suck on his nipples, pull them into hard nubs.
Jensen raised is head for a second to wet his finger, and Jared immediately knew where this was going, canted his hips up and spread his legs to help. He had never done it this way before, but in this moment he would have given all the treasures in the world to have it.
"Two, Jensen," he groaned, and Jensen looked up at him, eyes dark and full of promise. "Get the oil beside the washing bowl, then come back here and fuck me, or I will make you walk a plank myself."
It only took Jensen half a minute to get up and fetch the oil, but Jared already missed his touch. Jensen made up for it by taking off his trousers and climbed back on top of Jared naked. Jared's hand stroked along Jensen's side almost on its own volition.
"You know Aldis would push you in right after me if you threw me over board," he said.
"Mmhm." Jared pulled him in for a quick kiss. "I guess I would start a mutiny for you, too."
One slick finger went in easily, two was a tight fit, and Jensen had to work for three, distract Jared with the soothing touch of his tongue.
It hurt when Jared was finally breached, only a quick flash of pain that made Jared tense up and Jensen still on his way inside.
"No," Jared said, locking his ankles over Jensen's arse to urge him on. "Deeper."
Jensen laughed softly. "So demanding. What would the rest of the crew say if they saw you right now?" He bent down to Jared's ear. "Or hear you." He pulled almost all the way out, then slammed back in.
Jared's yell could probably be heard all the way up in the crow's nest.
***
"You said she was deaf!" Jared shouted, struggling against the hold of the two men gripping his arms. They had shown up out of nowhere when Jared had tried to draw his pistol.
"Yes." Jeff inclined his head "And you believed me, so who is more at fault here? If it helps, Antoine really does only speak French. But I can send him away if you want." He whispered something to Antoine too low for Jared to hear, and the boy unfolded his legs to stand. Just before he could turn away, Jeff held him back briefly and cupped him between his legs. "Hold onto that thought, mon chér." Then he motioned to the two men to let Jared go, which they did, although they kept his weapons when they vanished to where they had come from.
"Sit back down, Jared, your fidgeting is not helping," Jeff said, sighing when he saw Jared's murderous face. "Will you sit if I apologize? I thought having a witch right here instead of needing to go look for one would please you."
"A witch?" Jared eyed Danneel, in her dress with the tightly laced blue bodice that thrust out her barely covered breasts.
"A girl needs to earn her keep," Danneel simply said. "And a deaf whore hears a lot."
"Danneel has been in my service for a while," Jeff explained. "But she is a witch, and she knows more about curses than anyone I have met."
"A curse." Jared was still furious that Jeff had deceived him so easily, but at the moment he seemed to be in no danger, and any anger paled with every minute that Jensen was unconscious back on the ship. He sat back down.
"This gold is cursed," Danneel said. "I cannot tell you why, or who cursed it. That knowledge has been lost for years. But I have seen men fall victim to it before." Her dark-rimmed eyes were intent on Jared. "Few came back, and none of them on his own."
"Then tell me how to get him back."
"He is drowning, Jared. That is what the curse does to him, over and over in his mind while his body wastes away. You want to save him, you need to dive into the water to pull him out. Literally."
"You mean to tell me I go down to the port and walk off the pier and I will find Jensen underwater?" Jared fingered his ring again. He would sink to the bottom of the sea if that was necessary.
"No." Danneel wrapped the coin back up in the cloth and placed it in the satchel, then stood up, straightening her skirts. "There is a place we call The End of the Ocean. I will come with you; you would not find it without me."
Jeff took the satchel and swiped a bottle of clear liquor from the table. "We are taking my ship."
***
It had been a short ceremony. They exchanged golden rings and signed some papers each naming the other as their inheritor. Jensen moved his chest into Jared's cabin where he had slept the past months anyway. The crew received an extra share of rum and got drunk and hopefully did not hear Jared's groans as Jensen fucked him against their cabin door.
Jared was re-elected captain, and Jensen continued as quartermaster.
In Port-au-Prince they released the bewildered crew of a ship they had plundered some hundred sea miles away - minus their surgeon. According to the Mary's articles, Christian was given a choice, and he decided to stay. Jensen took some fabric they had looted from the ship into town to have a new coat made and came back with a map he had won gambling at an alehouse.
Four days later Jared showed his appreciation for the new coat.
Two weeks later they found the chest.
The lock was ancient and crusted with sand; Jared had to pry the flat of his dagger under it and wriggle until it became loose and broke off.
Jensen was kneeling on the wet beach beside him, and although Jared often teased him for being impatient, he secretly loved how excited Jensen would get over their latest treasure, his eyes shining even more brightly than usual.
The chest held a pile of golden coins about half the size of Jared's palm with some kind of drawing on them.
"I have seen these before," Jensen said, confused. "When I was on Jeff's ship. What -" He reached in to pick up one of the coins - and collapsed into Jared's arms.
***
"This cannot be," Jared whispered. Beside him, Aldis crossed himself. They were both standing at the fore railing of Jeff's ship, the Bisou, looking at what should have been the calm sea. Instead, a sea mile or two out a giant maelstrom pulled the water spiraling in and down, forming a funnel as if someone had pulled a plug at the bottom.
"We have been here before," Jared said. "There was nothing like this here."
"If you came across this place during your travels, the ocean would appear as everywhere." Danneel stepped up to them, hair tousled by the wind. "You can only find it if you are looking for it."
"That does not make sense." Aldis scoffed.
Danneel pierced him with her stare. The sailors had been worried at first at having a woman on their ship, but she could very well hold her own. "Like a man falling under a curse for touching a coin?" She turned to Jared, her gaze instantly becoming much warmer. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Further down in the ship's belly Jensen was in Jeff's cabin, lying in Jeff's bed. Jared had protested at first but then grudgingly admitted that it was the safest place for him. He had four of his own crewmen with him, plus Colin who had refused to step away from Jensen's side but would probably be useless in a fight.
He looked down at his bare finger - he had given his ring to Colin for safekeeping.
"Aye," he said.
Jeff had the Bisou sail as close as he dared. Much too close for the liking of his sailing master, who cursed up a storm as he fought to keep the ship in position, but Jeff seemed to feel almost childlike glee at pushing to defy the elements.
Jared had almost climbed up on the railing when Danneel called him back. She pulled his head down to press a kiss to his forehead. "For luck," she said.
Jeff clapped him on the arm. "I will keep him safe while you are gone. You have my word," he said, and this time Jared knew it was the truth.
He climbed over the railing and dove down into the waves below without another word.
The current was strong, yanking at his limbs and trousers. The Bisou became smaller and smaller as he was carried along, inevitably closer to the black eye of the maelstrom. When he was pulled under the water, he did not fight.
***
Gray. Dark. Silent. Salty.
The sky was gray. Not the different shades of clouds but a uniform color as if someone had painted it that way without any conception of what the sky was supposed to look like.
The sea was dark, and it was everywhere. No island was in sight, nothing to break up the view of water rising in small waves.
The air was salty and silent, no wind was roaring, the waves made no sound as they lapped at his face.
It was a dream, and it was not. Someone had created this and missed the details, and yet the screaming muscles in his thighs created real pain that threatened to overwhelm him.
Jensen was swimming.
He did not know for how long he had been in the water or where he was swimming to. Everywhere was the same, the ocean did not change, and the sky did not darken. With each stroke of his arms the voice inside his head grew louder, asking him why he did not just give up. Stop struggling, let the sea take him and become his wet grave like it had for so many sailors before.
Jared.
It was his last memory before he had - inexplicably - come here: Jared and him on a beach, sun in Jared's hair as he laughed, so carefree and beautiful. If not for himself, he would live for Jared.
The waves went higher, crashing over his head but still he fought against them, swallowed water and spit it back out, took deep, desperate breaths when he could.
Something tangled around his foot, and he kicked at it. It would not budge, only wrapped more tightly around him to pull him into the black depths. One last breath and the water closed over him; helplessly he was dragged down with his chest burning.
Air bubbles escaped his mouth. The last thing he felt was water filling his lungs before everything went black.
Jared.
Gray. Dark. Silent. Salty.
Jensen did not know how long he had been swimming. Ever since he had been thrust here - wherever here was - but if that had been hours or mere minutes ago he could not say.
Jared. It was the only thought that still kept him going, the desperation to get back to him.
The intensity of the waves increased. The wind, now growing to a soundless storm, whipped droplets of water in his face, taking away his sight.
Something brushed his leg then wound its tangles around him. Jensen stopped struggling as it yanked him under the surface.
Gray. Dark. Silent. Salty.
Exhausted, Jensen welcomed the sensation of something wrapping around his ankle.
A hand gripped his shoulder. His eyes flew open, and there was Jared, treading water next to him and shouting at him to stay afloat. He kicked again and again at the thing, but it would simply not come off, unerringly tugging at him. Eyes wide with fear he looked at Jared, grasped for his hand. He had only just found Jared again, he could not lose him.
Suddenly he was under the water again and he had not even had time for a last breath, lungs immediately demanding air. He felt his mind go gray around the edges; any moment now his body would give in to the demand to breathe and -
Jared was there, hair fanning around him, holding Jensen's face in his hands. He pressed their lips together, breathed out as Jensen breathed in the much needed oxygen, giving him the strength for one more kick. Something snapped and his foot came finally free.
Reaching for Jared's hand, they swam for the surface together.
***
Jensen awoke with a start in a bed that was not his own to the faces of Christian, Colin, and a few people he did not know - and Jeffrey Morgan.
He tried to sit up but fell back again when his weak elbows would not hold him up. "Where is Jared?" he rasped.
***
The maelstrom spit Jared out where it had pulled him in. The current was still as strong, but this time Jared could not let it take him. He swam as hard as he could towards where he saw the Bisou on the horizon, hoping Jensen would be waiting for him on board. Alive and awake.
Twice he nearly lost the fight before he finally came close enough to hear someone yell, "Man overboard," and a long rope with a floating piece of wood was tossed down for him to hold onto and be pulled in.
As soon as Jared had climbed halfway up the rope ladder on the side of the hull Timothy, the sailing master, had the crew set sail to get away from the maelstrom. By the time he was halfway up, the ship was already turning. Jared ignored everyone as he marched down to Jeff's cabin dripping wet and burst in.
Pirates were supposed to be fearsome and strong. They conveyed their feelings with grunts and gruff words. Still Jared felt wetness well up in his eyes as he saw Jensen sitting up - albeit with Colin's support, who held a cup to his mouth. It got knocked aside as Jared pulled Jensen into his arms.
They clung to each other for a very long time, Jared breathing Jensen in, running his hands down Jensen's back, over his arms and thighs to make sure he was still in one piece. When eventually Jeff cleared his throat, he noticed the three of them were alone.
"I am glad to see the both of you returned. We are sailing back to Port Royal - try not to defile my bed too much until we are there. I stole those sheets myself and I like them." Jeff walked to the door, then paused before opening it. "And Jared, I expect you at my house two days after our arrival."
When Jared turned back to him, Jensen had that mixed expression on his face, the one between anger, exasperation and resignation because he knew Jared had done something stupid. "So what did you do?"
The End.
Pairing: Jensen/Jared, mentions of Jared/Jeff and Jensen/Jeff
Word Count: approx. 5050
Raiting: R
Warnings: None
Summary: When Jensen gets cursed, Jared needs Jeff to save him. Jeff agrees to help - for a price.
Note 1: For akintay for spn_j2_xmas. I'm so sorry for the delay.
Note 2: This story needs an epilogue, but I just could not get that done in time.
Note 3: Most of my knowledge of pirates comes from watching Pirates of the Caribbean, so bear with me. Historians are apparently undecided whether marriage between (naturally same-sex) pirates, called "matelotage", was actually practiced. For the sake of the story, I decided that it was.
Captain Jared and the Curse of the Seaman's Gold
"Captain?" the boy said, voice tinged with nervousness. Jared did not look up from the figure huddled under the covers of his bed. "Sire? You asked to be notified once we caught sight of Port Royal."
"Aye. Thank you," Jared said, expecting to hear the door open and close as the boy left, but when Jared glanced over he was still standing there wringing his cap in his hands. They had sent the cabin boy, Colin, cowards that they were, too afraid to face Jared's wrath. They were mistaken, however. The anger had drained, and the only feelings warring inside of him right now were tiredness, concern, and relief.
"Captain?" Colin said again, then paused as if to gather his courage. "How is he?"
Jared was surprised. Nobody had dared to ask him, although he knew the crew must be worried as much as him - they had made the journey from Haiti in only two days. Then he remembered that Jensen had taken a liking to the boy. Said that he reminded him of Jared and had begun to teach him knots and how to learn your path from the stars.
Jared looked down at the bed again where Jensen was resting. It was no peaceful sleep: Jensen's skin was cold and damp to the touch, his face ashen and his lips blue, body tormented by shudders ever so often. Jared sat down beside him and took his limp hand in his own. "He will be fine," he said firmly, praying that he would be right.
***
He had met Jensen about three years ago on Aruba, back when he had been recruiting new crewman for the first ship under his own command, the Mary. Sailors were a dime a dozen, most willing to work for any ship for the promise of booty and treasure. Jared did not trust any of them but he figured once he dangled the first of them from a plank for taking more than his fair share of rum, he would not have a problem with the rest.
He was sitting in a tavern eating a stew - beef, after a couple of weeks at sea he was getting sick of having fish every day - when the door opened and a man came in with a heavy stride, crossing the floor to sit at the bar, leaving two empty stools between himself and Jared. The room had gotten noticeably quieter, the laughter from the card game in the corner suddenly overly loud. Although Jared was sure he had never seen the stranger before - he would have remembered such a handsome face - some of the locals seemed to know him and were, if not anxious, then at least surprised by his appearance. But as long as nobody drew their sword or a pistol, Jared kept eating.
The man drained half of the ale the innkeeper slid over at him in one big gulp, staring straight ahead. The patrons turned back to their own food or conversations, only one man with a long, tangled beard but almost no hair on his head stood up from his table and sauntered over, taking a seat on the other side of the stranger, speaking loud enough for Jared to hear.
"Word goes Captain Morgan threw you off his ship."
Jared perked up and the stranger stiffened as well; Jared could practically hear his teeth grinding.
"So you must be looking for work."
Still the stranger did not react apart from his fingers clenching around his mug.
"You know, there is an open position on my ship. The Carmen, fastest ship sailing for the Spanish crown."
Finally, the stranger turned to the other man. "Really."
The man grinned broadly. "Aye. Ever since the last whore left, my bunk is getting awfully cold at ni-"
The stranger reacted so fast Jared did not have time to let go of his spoon and draw his dagger before the man was on his knees, howling and clutching at his crotch with a blade at his throat.
"You want to repeat that?" the stranger said in a low voice. The man only whimpered, clearly trying to avoid any movement that would cause him to nick his own skin. "I thought so." He let the man go, who fell to the ground like a sack of flour with his hands still between his legs, tossed a glinting coin to the innkeeper and walked out the door.
Hastily, Jared fished a couple of coins from his own pocket, likely too much for the tasteless stew, before following.
The stranger was taller than almost all of the people milling the streets outside; it only took Jared a few seconds to spot him turning into a smaller alley, the tails of his long, dark coat billowing behind him. Jared followed him down the alley, through an archway, up a lesser frequented cobbled street, around a corner -
The stranger was gone. Jared turned in a circle but the only people around were himself and a woman throwing a pail of dirty water right from her doorway out into the street. He took another step - and froze when he felt the tip of a sword press to the back of his neck.
"What do you want from me?" the stranger demanded.
"I have an offer -"
The sword dug in a little, and Jared hissed.
"Do you know how many men propositioned me today? Tried to grope me and tell me how much coin a 'pretty boy' like me could make on his back?"
"I am not propositioning you," Jared hurriedly said. "I am looking for crewmen for my ship."
"Why me?"
"You worked for Captain Morgan."
There was a snort behind him. "If your only reason is that you want to take something from Morgan -"
"I already have something from Morgan." Slowly, Jared pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to show the stranger the thin white scar running from his left wrist up to his forearm. The only visible mark that Jeff had left on him.
The sword quivered slightly as the stranger leaned around him to see, and Jared used that to spin around and draw his own sword. The two weapons clashed together as the stranger recovered fast.
"Captain Morgan only hires the best men. As quartermaster, your share would be as big as mine, you would have your own berth, and I swear I will not touch you. We cast our votes tomorrow."
For a moment they simply stared at each other. Out here in the sunlight, Jared could see the brown dots spattered over the stranger's cheeks and his eyes sparkling green as the sea.
Finally, the stranger lowered his sword. "Show me your ship."
***
Jared found Captain Jeffrey Morgan right where he had expected to: in the largest brothel in town. He was holding court in a room with deep red brocade curtains and soft sofas, one arm around a beautiful red-headed girl and the other around a handsome dark-skinned boy. Jeff looked every bit as ruggedly attractive as the last time Jared had seen him, dark hair streaked with some gray, his short beard well-groomed and not only one ring but three in his pierced ear. He made no move to stand when Jared entered.
"Captain Padalecki. I never thought to see you in such a fine establishment. Have you grown bored of the entertainment found at sea?"
Jared held his tongue, and the girl looked up at him with interest, fingers still drawing slow circles on Jeff's thigh.
Jeff nodded at the dagger in Jared's hand. "I assure you you have no need for that. If I wanted you dead you would not have made it through the door. And you could already have your knife stuck in my chest. So it must be something else you want."
"I need to speak with you. Privately."
"I am afraid I am rather unwilling to part with my lovely companions." Jeff slid his hand down the girl's cleavage and let it rest over her breast. "But speak as freely as you like. Danneel here is deaf as a post, and Antoine speaks only French. N'est-ce pas, mon chér?" He tugged at the back of Antoine's neck, who came willingly, letting himself be pulled into a deep kiss while Danneel watched with barely concealed fascination.
It only ended when Jared threw the satchel he had brought onto the table in front of them. It fell with a clunk, and Jeff licked his lips as he glanced over. "A present?"
"No." Jared sat down on the opposite sofa to pull a bundle of cloth from the satchel. He unwrapped it carefully to reveal the golden coin within. Cocking his head, Antoine reached out a curious hand, but Jeff let go of Danneel to slap his wrist, hard.
"Ne le touches pas." He looked up at Jared. "Did you touch it?"
"I would not be here if I had, would I?"
Jeff studied the coin, the lines that had already etched themselves into Jared's memory, the intricate image of a ship being swallowed by the sea. "Where did you find it?"
"A small, uninhibited island off the coast of Haiti. A whole chest of it."
Jeff was leaning forward now; from the corner of his eyes Jared saw Antoine sulking behind him, cradling his wrist, and Danneel trying to peer over his shoulder. "I assume Jensen told you he has seen coins like this one when he was on my ship."
At the mention of Jensen, Jared's heart gave a painful squeeze. He had left him aboard the Mary in the care of Aldis and Christian, his sailing master and his surgeon. Even though it was unlikely that Jensen would suddenly wake up, it still pained Jared that he could not be there.
"Did he tell you that I dropped them overboard as soon as we got into deeper water?" A tiny smirk played around the corners of Jeff's mouth. "Of course he was always good at following orders, and I never told him why I did it. But I admit I am surprised he is not with you now to ask."
Jared swallowed. The admission was not easy, but after all this was what he had come here for. Absently, he ran a finger along the ring on his left hand. "Jensen touched the coins. He has been asleep for three days now." And it was even harder to say: "I need your help."
"I see." Jeff stroked his beard, then said, "I will help you," holding up a hand when Jared was about to open his mouth. "For the right price, of course."
"I will give you whatever you want: silver, gold -"
"My crew has more gold than shit coming out of their arses, Jared," Jeff interrupted him. His eyes had taken on a dangerous glint; in that moment you could see why he was one of the most infamous - and most feared - pirates of the Caribbean. "I do not want your gold. I want Jensen."
"He will not come back to -"
"That is not what I mean. I help you save Jensen, you relinquish him to me for one night only." Jeff licked his lips. "Trust me, it would not be the first."
"I am not giving Jensen away like some common whore," Jared hissed through his teeth. He thought he saw something flash over Danneel's eyes at the words, but when he looked at her, her face was all intrigued innocence. Antoine, meanwhile, seemed to have overcome his indignation and began massaging Jeff's shoulder, who rolled his head into the touch and closed his eyes.
"Then make me another offer," Jeff said. "And make it fast because the clock is ticking for your boy."
Jared desperately tried to sort through the jumble in his head. He should slit Jeff's throat right here but that would not heal Jensen, and he had nothing apart from his ship, his crew, gold, jewels - all of which Jeff was not interested in. He had -
"Me," he said. "You help me save him, I will be yours for one night." That would not be the first, either.
Jeff opened his eyes, appearing thoughtful, then he shrugged. "Aye." He picked up the cloth with the coin, regarding it for a moment longer before handing it to Danneel over his shoulder. "What do you think, darling?"
Danneel turned the coin in her hand. "Seaman's gold," she said.
***
Jared had kept his oath for more than a year, even though he spent the first night that Jensen was on his ship with his hand down his own trousers and the image of Jensen's mouth on the backs of his eyelids.
He soon realized that recruiting Jensen for his ship had been one of the best decisions he had ever made. As a sailor, Jensen was strong and intelligent; he could gather a sail and raise a heavy anchor, he could read and write - which, apart from his name, was a skill that Jared himself had never managed to learn - he could navigate by the stars and draw a sea chart.
As quartermaster, he was strict but fair; quarrels amongst the crewmen were settled quickly and punishments doled out if necessary. Somehow he had a talent for finding the richest ships to plunder and the biggest treasures to dig up on the Caribbean islands.
As a friend, he became irreplaceable. Many a night was shared with a bottle of rum between them and stories of their past lives - like their respective times on Jeff's ship, where Jared had started out as a lowly powder monkey years ago.
It came as a complete surprise when Jared found himself half in bed one morning with Jensen kneeling on the floor in front of him muttering about stupid pirates and even stupider promises while he pulled down Jared's sheets.
The first touch of Jensen's tongue on his prick made Jared's had snap back onto his down pillow, which had once belonged to a wealthy merchant on his way to St. Lucia before Jared had intercepted his ship. Jensen locked once from root to tip before taking him into his mouth, the tightness of his lips and the grip of his hand pulling a first quick release from Jared that had him shout out his pleasure to he sky and the sea.
After, Jensen crawled up the bed to kiss him, and Jared knew right away that for Jensen this was not some desperate fumble borne from lonely months at sea. Nobody kissed like that if they did not mean it, deep and dirty so Jared could lick his own taste out of Jensen's mouth. He managed to undo the laces at Jensen's throat and broke the kiss to tug Jensen's shirt over his head before his fingers lost all coordination to help, knotting into Jensen's hair instead.
He usually kept it shorter but they had not been on land in a while and he refused to let Mark saw it off like the rest of the crew did - or at least those who did not care how it looked like afterwards. Jared had never been more grateful for that than he was today, as he used his grip to guide Jensen's mouth to where he needed it most, down his neck and lower to suck on his nipples, pull them into hard nubs.
Jensen raised is head for a second to wet his finger, and Jared immediately knew where this was going, canted his hips up and spread his legs to help. He had never done it this way before, but in this moment he would have given all the treasures in the world to have it.
"Two, Jensen," he groaned, and Jensen looked up at him, eyes dark and full of promise. "Get the oil beside the washing bowl, then come back here and fuck me, or I will make you walk a plank myself."
It only took Jensen half a minute to get up and fetch the oil, but Jared already missed his touch. Jensen made up for it by taking off his trousers and climbed back on top of Jared naked. Jared's hand stroked along Jensen's side almost on its own volition.
"You know Aldis would push you in right after me if you threw me over board," he said.
"Mmhm." Jared pulled him in for a quick kiss. "I guess I would start a mutiny for you, too."
One slick finger went in easily, two was a tight fit, and Jensen had to work for three, distract Jared with the soothing touch of his tongue.
It hurt when Jared was finally breached, only a quick flash of pain that made Jared tense up and Jensen still on his way inside.
"No," Jared said, locking his ankles over Jensen's arse to urge him on. "Deeper."
Jensen laughed softly. "So demanding. What would the rest of the crew say if they saw you right now?" He bent down to Jared's ear. "Or hear you." He pulled almost all the way out, then slammed back in.
Jared's yell could probably be heard all the way up in the crow's nest.
***
"You said she was deaf!" Jared shouted, struggling against the hold of the two men gripping his arms. They had shown up out of nowhere when Jared had tried to draw his pistol.
"Yes." Jeff inclined his head "And you believed me, so who is more at fault here? If it helps, Antoine really does only speak French. But I can send him away if you want." He whispered something to Antoine too low for Jared to hear, and the boy unfolded his legs to stand. Just before he could turn away, Jeff held him back briefly and cupped him between his legs. "Hold onto that thought, mon chér." Then he motioned to the two men to let Jared go, which they did, although they kept his weapons when they vanished to where they had come from.
"Sit back down, Jared, your fidgeting is not helping," Jeff said, sighing when he saw Jared's murderous face. "Will you sit if I apologize? I thought having a witch right here instead of needing to go look for one would please you."
"A witch?" Jared eyed Danneel, in her dress with the tightly laced blue bodice that thrust out her barely covered breasts.
"A girl needs to earn her keep," Danneel simply said. "And a deaf whore hears a lot."
"Danneel has been in my service for a while," Jeff explained. "But she is a witch, and she knows more about curses than anyone I have met."
"A curse." Jared was still furious that Jeff had deceived him so easily, but at the moment he seemed to be in no danger, and any anger paled with every minute that Jensen was unconscious back on the ship. He sat back down.
"This gold is cursed," Danneel said. "I cannot tell you why, or who cursed it. That knowledge has been lost for years. But I have seen men fall victim to it before." Her dark-rimmed eyes were intent on Jared. "Few came back, and none of them on his own."
"Then tell me how to get him back."
"He is drowning, Jared. That is what the curse does to him, over and over in his mind while his body wastes away. You want to save him, you need to dive into the water to pull him out. Literally."
"You mean to tell me I go down to the port and walk off the pier and I will find Jensen underwater?" Jared fingered his ring again. He would sink to the bottom of the sea if that was necessary.
"No." Danneel wrapped the coin back up in the cloth and placed it in the satchel, then stood up, straightening her skirts. "There is a place we call The End of the Ocean. I will come with you; you would not find it without me."
Jeff took the satchel and swiped a bottle of clear liquor from the table. "We are taking my ship."
***
It had been a short ceremony. They exchanged golden rings and signed some papers each naming the other as their inheritor. Jensen moved his chest into Jared's cabin where he had slept the past months anyway. The crew received an extra share of rum and got drunk and hopefully did not hear Jared's groans as Jensen fucked him against their cabin door.
Jared was re-elected captain, and Jensen continued as quartermaster.
In Port-au-Prince they released the bewildered crew of a ship they had plundered some hundred sea miles away - minus their surgeon. According to the Mary's articles, Christian was given a choice, and he decided to stay. Jensen took some fabric they had looted from the ship into town to have a new coat made and came back with a map he had won gambling at an alehouse.
Four days later Jared showed his appreciation for the new coat.
Two weeks later they found the chest.
The lock was ancient and crusted with sand; Jared had to pry the flat of his dagger under it and wriggle until it became loose and broke off.
Jensen was kneeling on the wet beach beside him, and although Jared often teased him for being impatient, he secretly loved how excited Jensen would get over their latest treasure, his eyes shining even more brightly than usual.
The chest held a pile of golden coins about half the size of Jared's palm with some kind of drawing on them.
"I have seen these before," Jensen said, confused. "When I was on Jeff's ship. What -" He reached in to pick up one of the coins - and collapsed into Jared's arms.
***
"This cannot be," Jared whispered. Beside him, Aldis crossed himself. They were both standing at the fore railing of Jeff's ship, the Bisou, looking at what should have been the calm sea. Instead, a sea mile or two out a giant maelstrom pulled the water spiraling in and down, forming a funnel as if someone had pulled a plug at the bottom.
"We have been here before," Jared said. "There was nothing like this here."
"If you came across this place during your travels, the ocean would appear as everywhere." Danneel stepped up to them, hair tousled by the wind. "You can only find it if you are looking for it."
"That does not make sense." Aldis scoffed.
Danneel pierced him with her stare. The sailors had been worried at first at having a woman on their ship, but she could very well hold her own. "Like a man falling under a curse for touching a coin?" She turned to Jared, her gaze instantly becoming much warmer. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Further down in the ship's belly Jensen was in Jeff's cabin, lying in Jeff's bed. Jared had protested at first but then grudgingly admitted that it was the safest place for him. He had four of his own crewmen with him, plus Colin who had refused to step away from Jensen's side but would probably be useless in a fight.
He looked down at his bare finger - he had given his ring to Colin for safekeeping.
"Aye," he said.
Jeff had the Bisou sail as close as he dared. Much too close for the liking of his sailing master, who cursed up a storm as he fought to keep the ship in position, but Jeff seemed to feel almost childlike glee at pushing to defy the elements.
Jared had almost climbed up on the railing when Danneel called him back. She pulled his head down to press a kiss to his forehead. "For luck," she said.
Jeff clapped him on the arm. "I will keep him safe while you are gone. You have my word," he said, and this time Jared knew it was the truth.
He climbed over the railing and dove down into the waves below without another word.
The current was strong, yanking at his limbs and trousers. The Bisou became smaller and smaller as he was carried along, inevitably closer to the black eye of the maelstrom. When he was pulled under the water, he did not fight.
***
Gray. Dark. Silent. Salty.
The sky was gray. Not the different shades of clouds but a uniform color as if someone had painted it that way without any conception of what the sky was supposed to look like.
The sea was dark, and it was everywhere. No island was in sight, nothing to break up the view of water rising in small waves.
The air was salty and silent, no wind was roaring, the waves made no sound as they lapped at his face.
It was a dream, and it was not. Someone had created this and missed the details, and yet the screaming muscles in his thighs created real pain that threatened to overwhelm him.
Jensen was swimming.
He did not know for how long he had been in the water or where he was swimming to. Everywhere was the same, the ocean did not change, and the sky did not darken. With each stroke of his arms the voice inside his head grew louder, asking him why he did not just give up. Stop struggling, let the sea take him and become his wet grave like it had for so many sailors before.
Jared.
It was his last memory before he had - inexplicably - come here: Jared and him on a beach, sun in Jared's hair as he laughed, so carefree and beautiful. If not for himself, he would live for Jared.
The waves went higher, crashing over his head but still he fought against them, swallowed water and spit it back out, took deep, desperate breaths when he could.
Something tangled around his foot, and he kicked at it. It would not budge, only wrapped more tightly around him to pull him into the black depths. One last breath and the water closed over him; helplessly he was dragged down with his chest burning.
Air bubbles escaped his mouth. The last thing he felt was water filling his lungs before everything went black.
Jared.
Gray. Dark. Silent. Salty.
Jensen did not know how long he had been swimming. Ever since he had been thrust here - wherever here was - but if that had been hours or mere minutes ago he could not say.
Jared. It was the only thought that still kept him going, the desperation to get back to him.
The intensity of the waves increased. The wind, now growing to a soundless storm, whipped droplets of water in his face, taking away his sight.
Something brushed his leg then wound its tangles around him. Jensen stopped struggling as it yanked him under the surface.
Gray. Dark. Silent. Salty.
Exhausted, Jensen welcomed the sensation of something wrapping around his ankle.
A hand gripped his shoulder. His eyes flew open, and there was Jared, treading water next to him and shouting at him to stay afloat. He kicked again and again at the thing, but it would simply not come off, unerringly tugging at him. Eyes wide with fear he looked at Jared, grasped for his hand. He had only just found Jared again, he could not lose him.
Suddenly he was under the water again and he had not even had time for a last breath, lungs immediately demanding air. He felt his mind go gray around the edges; any moment now his body would give in to the demand to breathe and -
Jared was there, hair fanning around him, holding Jensen's face in his hands. He pressed their lips together, breathed out as Jensen breathed in the much needed oxygen, giving him the strength for one more kick. Something snapped and his foot came finally free.
Reaching for Jared's hand, they swam for the surface together.
***
Jensen awoke with a start in a bed that was not his own to the faces of Christian, Colin, and a few people he did not know - and Jeffrey Morgan.
He tried to sit up but fell back again when his weak elbows would not hold him up. "Where is Jared?" he rasped.
***
The maelstrom spit Jared out where it had pulled him in. The current was still as strong, but this time Jared could not let it take him. He swam as hard as he could towards where he saw the Bisou on the horizon, hoping Jensen would be waiting for him on board. Alive and awake.
Twice he nearly lost the fight before he finally came close enough to hear someone yell, "Man overboard," and a long rope with a floating piece of wood was tossed down for him to hold onto and be pulled in.
As soon as Jared had climbed halfway up the rope ladder on the side of the hull Timothy, the sailing master, had the crew set sail to get away from the maelstrom. By the time he was halfway up, the ship was already turning. Jared ignored everyone as he marched down to Jeff's cabin dripping wet and burst in.
Pirates were supposed to be fearsome and strong. They conveyed their feelings with grunts and gruff words. Still Jared felt wetness well up in his eyes as he saw Jensen sitting up - albeit with Colin's support, who held a cup to his mouth. It got knocked aside as Jared pulled Jensen into his arms.
They clung to each other for a very long time, Jared breathing Jensen in, running his hands down Jensen's back, over his arms and thighs to make sure he was still in one piece. When eventually Jeff cleared his throat, he noticed the three of them were alone.
"I am glad to see the both of you returned. We are sailing back to Port Royal - try not to defile my bed too much until we are there. I stole those sheets myself and I like them." Jeff walked to the door, then paused before opening it. "And Jared, I expect you at my house two days after our arrival."
When Jared turned back to him, Jensen had that mixed expression on his face, the one between anger, exasperation and resignation because he knew Jared had done something stupid. "So what did you do?"
The End.