New Worlds - Havana

 

“You are going to explain all this,” Will demanded Jack once they were alone again.



They were relaxing on plush-cushioned rattan armchairs on the red-tiled verandah overlooking the lush green gardens. Huge stone pillars lined the ground-floor garden terrace, while staff in immaculate white uniforms delivered strong, sweet daiquiris and mojitos to wealthy, tanned tourists. Local musicians serenaded while peacocks paraded proudly past the fountains and plants, adding to the tropical setting.



“You know, Will, the peacock, in ancient lore, along with the phoenix, was associated with immortality.” Jack said casually, ignoring Will’s comment.



Will sighed and closed his eyes against the exasperation as he sipped his mojito.“You’re changing the subject, Jack.”



“Not really,” Jack replied, glancing pointedly at Will and quickly swallowing his shot of rum - straight up, no ice. He signalled to the waiter for another and pointed to the colourful bird displaying his plumage to the delight of the tourists. “Look at him, Will. Proud as a peacock, they say. And yet, what d’you reckon that really means?”



Will’s brow furrowed delightfully, as it does when he’s perplexed. Jack smiled, savouring the sight, chest swelling with the peacock’s pride at the thought that this wonderful man was his, for all eternity. Well, relatively speaking, as there was no written words to that effect. Only the ones etched to his heart.



“That the bird is vain? Where are you going with this?” Will answered, frustrated with dancing around the subject Will thought much more imminent than any breed of pretty birds, seeing, that it obviously had something to do with the one that belonged to him.



“Come again?” Jack, lost in the reverie of watching his lover, was caught off-guard.



Will sighed again, struggling to keep his voice calm. “You asked me what proud as a peacock meant, and I said…”



“Oh, yes. Right!” Jack interrupted eagerly, sitting up and waving an educating hand around. “The peacock is an ancient bird, known for its…”



“Jack?” It was Will’s turn to interrupt.



“Whut?” Will’s tone was all too calm for Jack’s comfort.



“Tell me how you know the Lanskys, and this “business” you’ve had with them in the past.”



Jack frowned. “Oh…bugg-- That -- Oh!”  Melting into a welcoming smile at the waiter returning with their next round of drinks, Jack nearly hugged the man with the tray for buying him time to formulate his response. He was well aware of how Will felt about either of them “meddling” in history, as Will so eloquently put it. And Jack…agreed. Being immortal entailed a certain responsibility, as they both knew all too well.



“Why don’t we take a stroll?” Jack said brightly, swiftly rising to his feet and straightening the cuffs of his white linen jacket. Donning his Panama hat, he gestured to the manicured lawn dotted with palm trees leading down to the pool.“The night is young, the moon is bright…”



Will gave Jack one of his long-suffering looks, but rose obediently, his lithe frame accentuated by the black silk shirt clinging ever so enticingly snugly to his body in the humidity, his hair smoothed  back to flow freely onto his shoulders, a lick of warm breeze stirring the curls. Jack swallowed, groaning inwardly in frustration out of the mingling of desire and the slight nag of guilt in his mind, and downed his drink in one gulp. 



“It’s quite simple, really.” Jack finally explained as they walked along the paved pathway through the immaculate gardens towards the blue tiled pool glimmering beyond, accompanied by the impossibly loud silence Will treated Jack with. “I would provide discrete transport for certain individuals from one point to another, in return for a wink and a nod from the local Customs officials.”



“Discrete transportation?” Will raised an eyebrow, questioningly.



Jack grinned, relieved by Will asking questions, instead of staying as loquacious as a brick wall. “Let’s just say, there are some persons, whose names will remain unmentioned for now, who found themselves in need of immediate departure, with very minimal attention.”



Will nodded, gathering, turning and fitting the pieces together as they were dealt.“And you rose to the occasion and provided that?” 



“Well, why not? Pay was good, no harm was done, and besides,” Jack paused and, glancing around, lowered voice and added, “Without the hassle with the Customs’ inspections, I was able to make my return trips just as profitable.”



“Transporting what, exactly?”



“Guns,” Jack replied innocently with a cheerful smile.



Will looked around in alarm at the nearby tourists lounging around the pool, and hastily dragged Jack into the closest empty cabana. “Guns?” he hissed, not quite sure he was hearing right. Making sure the curtains were securely closed, Will swirled around and rasped with a whisper that resounded louder than an enraged shout ever could, “Have you gone mad?”



Jack, smiling, delighted by the unexpected but highly welcomed convenience of being alone and unseen with his paramour, pulled Will’s rigid form closer and locked Will‘s eyes with his own. Suddenly, finding deep concern in Will’s gaze, Jack grew serious. Not a hint of flirt or playfulness were at sight when he curved his hands behind Will’s neck, rubbing a soothing circle on the back of Will’s head with his thumb. “Mad about you, aye,” Jack murmured, not shifting his eyes, not even blinking. “But we already knew that, didn’t we?”



A flurry of questions bubbled inside Will, each one of them equally important in gaining the final pieces to form a clear picture, but before they got out in words, Jack placed a tentative, soft kiss to Will’s lips, and then withdrew slowly. 



Eyes closed, a forlorn smile on his face, Jack spoke again with subdued shades.“You see, the peacock-” Jack peeked through one eye and a genuine smile spread to alight his face at Will’s nonplussed expression, so Jack removed his hat, tossed it on the ground, and lifted a finger to Will’s lips to silence any protests. “The peacock, regardless of the fancy fables and posh plumes, is, at the end of the day, nothing more than a mundane chicken.” 



The beginning of a smile curving the corner of Will’s mouth prompted Jack to slide his finger over the beloved lips with a responding grin of his own, as he eased his palm to caress the side of Will’s face while scooting close enough to press his nose against Will’s, gaining Will‘s arms to wrap around his waist. 



“The peacock,” Jack continued, his words warm on Will’s lips. “While being pretty and serving as the eyes of a god or two, still fights for the same crumbs an’ worms an’ bugs as the next poultry, because,” Jack paused and drew his head back to see Will’s face. “It still has to get along when the gods aren’t around to feed it ambrosia.”



There it was, the glaringly missing piece that finally found its place, clearing the rest of the fog in Will’s mind. “There’s going to be a war,” he stated the obvious fact.



Jack only bowed his head slowly.



“But not only between the revolutionaries and the government.” Will’s eyes widened at the progressing thought. “This time it will be different, that’s why you’re doing this!”



“Keep your voice down!” Jack hissed, then leaned to press his cheek to Will’s and continued with his lips brushing Will’s ear, “They’ve started to kill each other now.”Jack flung a hand to indicate to the Lanskys and the lavish hotel. “And it looks to be more than the usual hit, and there‘s no knowing how far the spider has weaved its webs.” He shrugged, and the gesture struck deep in the core of Will with the sheer helplessness it entailed.



For Will, that feeling soon transformed into great alleviation, abating all that was left of his worst suspicions, and he couldn’t help but to give a laugh at his own doubts.



Jack looked quizzical at the odd reaction, and Will explained without asking,“You’re not really doing anything, for anyone, that would help them in gaining an upper hand, are you? You‘re only trying not to be a fly in the trap.”



“Well, technically…” Jack didn’t get any further, before Will, unable to resist, wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck, and pulled him close, inclining to kiss Jack thoroughly, his tongue demanding entrance and inviting Jack’s to join in the dance, panting slightly as he  savoured the lingering taste of rum and what was essentially Jack.



“Mmmm,” Jack hummed into Will’s mouth and departed just a fraction, enough to mumble, “It’s all still very much against any laws and regulations.”



“I don’t know what to do with you, pirate,” Will whispered in breathless, feigned dismay, and tugged Jack‘s shirt out of his trousers to sneak his hands against his bare back, avidly claiming Jack’s mouth with his tongue again, now liberated from his contemplations, allowing him to feel the full force of his desire.



Jack grinned into the kiss and pulled back deliberately so he could look into Will’s eyes again, black with excitement and yearn. “Oh, I know exactly what you can do with me, love,” he purred, and slipped his hand past the belt of Will’s trousers. 



Thanking the gods above for the current style of loose fitting pants, he slid his fingers along the hardening prize he was searching for, then wrapped his palm tightly around Will’s cock, twisting slightly, craving to hear the responding gasp and purr that shot sparks through Jack‘s whole being. 



Aligning himself to Will to brush his cock against Will’s through the annoying layers of clothes, Jack engulfed Will’s sighs and silenced his own with a devouring mouth on Will’s, the slow, firm strokes of his hand pleasing them both, urging them towards the moment when this alone would not be enough.



Will sucked Jack’s lip into his mouth, eyes closed with the desperate attempt to stay quiet, the titillating knowledge of a mere veil separating them from the eyes of the outside world only adding to his excitement, which expressed itself with Will’s fingers pressing insistently into Jack’s back.



A sudden noise outside the canvas wall alarmed both men to jolt back and listen carefully as someone strolled by close enough to reach out and touch. When the steps descended, Jack chuckled with relief, realizing that the state they were both in didn’t leave much room for guessing in the happenstance that someone would actually peek in. 



Jack’s amusement rubbed off on Will, who sniggered lightly and rolled his eyes at the whole situation, all the while drawing Jack back to himself by the arm. The prominent evidence of Will’s heated predicament hadn’t startled at all.



Will held Jack’s gaze when he licked his upper lip slowly, causing Jack to swallow hard and focus keenly on the tantalizing sight, tilting his head in lust-filled appreciation. 



With a frustrated groan, Jack reluctantly pried his eyes away and busied himself with smoothing the sleeve of his jacket. “Much as I want to, love, it’d be best not be getting caught with our proverbial pants down, aye?”



Will closed his eyes in protest, suppressing a huff, and wishing there was a solid wall he could push Jack against and convince him otherwise. Then he opened them again with an impish grin. “Jack.” 



Looking up and regarding Will suspiciously, Jack frantically tried to read Will’s expression, promising as it was. “What?”



“What’s the worst thing that could happen?”



Inspecting the ludicrously thin curtains which kept them out of sight, true enough, but did nothing in ways of keeping them unheard, briefly eyeing the two sun bathing chairs in the cabana, Jack resigned under the impossibilities. 



“Someone will hear,” Jack said, disgruntled, tallying the outcome of that happening, and pressing his cock against Will‘s irresistible hand sneaking beneath the waistband of his trousers, while Will himself feigned innocence, and followed Jack’s example at peering at the curtains with great interest. 



“Then,” Will whispered almost inaudibly, stepping around Jack and pressing himself flush against his back. “You’ll just have to be quiet.” 



Jack answered with a ragged sigh



“You remember those first times aboard the Pearl after it was no secret to the crew what was taking place in our own quarters?” Will murmured with a velvety purr and stroked a seductive hand along Jack’s waist, pulling at the hem of his shirt to reach more bare skin.



“How could I forget?” Jack groaned. Still not quite sure where Will was getting with this, but gladly reveled in his touch nonetheless.



“And what about before that?” Halting his caresses, Will waited for a favourable answer.



Softening into a wide, conspiratorial grin, Jack was starting to follow the path of Will’s mind with ease, and nudged his hips back to have Will‘s arousal tighter against him. “Aah, I know what you’re up to.”



There had been a time in the folds of history, when their personal affairs would have affected dozens of men, a time, when a blacksmith had to prove his worth in front of seasoned sailors and convince them to accept him as their peer. No words from their Captain would have made any difference, for they lived by the pirate’s code in a world where one man was for one man alone - themselves. It wouldn’t have done Will any favours, lest there were any reason to believe that Will had earned a feather in his hat by picking it from the Captains bunk, with nothing else to show but a pretty face and an arse the Captain had found delectable enough to fuck.



It didn’t mean that their relentless hunger for each other had abated in the slightest, as the solution was merely a matter of the volume they expressed their pleasure with. 



Jack took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, closed his eyes and rested against Will‘s chest, adjusting his stance to accommodate the responding lean from Will, and reached behind him, cupping Will‘s bollocks through the clothing.



With deft movements, Will opened Jack’s belt and worked Jack‘s cock out of its confinements, but with the feel of the hot hardness in his hand, and Jack’s head resting on his shoulder, his mouth slightly open, the man thoroughly molten with Will’s touch, Will was forced to admit that this, alas, would not suffice.



Barely able to form the words through his lust-constricted throat, Will rasped into Jack’s ear with a trembling voice, letting his hold of Jack‘s erection with a lingering brush of fingertips.“Jack, I’m sorry, I can’t do this.”



Petrifying, Jack snapped his eyes open, not believing what he’d just heard, and turned around the moment the words sank in. 



Gawping at Will, his cock jutting demandingly from his pants, Jack could not even begin to come up with a response.



Closing the distance with a pacifying hand to capture Jack’s, which in turn flailed in search of words out of the thin air, Will managed to add the important part of his announcement silently despite his unspeakable urge to shout it out for the whole world. “Not like this, birdie, I want you too much.” Will wrapped his arm tightly around Jack’s back, clutching the man against his chest, and grabbed Jack’s cock in his hand hard without a word of warning, staring him in the eyes darkly enough to make a lesser man shake with trepidation. “I need all that you have to give.”



The Adam’s apple in Jack’s throat worked up and down in time with Jack swallowing the moan that welled in his chest. The look in Will’s eyes already said everything there was to say, and Jack felt his heart twist painfully with the same yearning they had been trying to quench for decades, always finding  it being barely enough to keep the thirst at bay before it became too much to bear. Savouring every mewl, every groan and whimper, every single gasped word and the voluptuous sounds at the heights of ecstasy, and treasuring each of them safely in the deepest corners of their hearts, did not compare with a hasty tumble on the fringe of a disaster… Not, when it could be years before they could listen to each other again.



Jack realized he hadn’t been breathing for a few minutes, so he gasped a lungful or air, feeling the calming rush course through his every limb, and he nodded in agreement. Another breath, and Jack was able to speak again, and even mustered a faint smile, “Mind unhanding the goods then, darling?” Jack pushed his cock back and forth slowly in Will’s hold. “Otherwise you’ll just have to take it all right now.” 



Momentarily confused, then giving a short laugh at himself, Will acquiesced to the sincere request, but instead of stepping back and giving Jack room to cover his self, Will abruptly genuflected and engulfed Jack’s prick deep into his throat.  



Tossing his head back and gritting his teeth so that the tendons in his throat tautened, grabbing Will’s hair almost violently, Jack fought to keep his despairing call to himself.



After a few bliss-filled seconds, Will slid the rigid flesh out his mouth, drawing his tongue along the length, and pecked a kiss on the tip, before standing up again, swiping the corner of his mischievous smirk with his thumb.



Trying hard not to pant too loud, Jack stared at Will as if he’d just dropped from the skies, and wheezed, “What the hell d’you do that for?!”



Will bit his lip, savouring Jack’s taste, then shrugged and tilted his head pretending verdant indifference. “I was making sure you won’t forget me on your date.”



“My date?” Jack tucked his shirt in, almost forgetting to keep his voice down.“Your date’s more like it.”



“Oh? So that means this time you’ll actually remember my name without someone having to squeeze it out of you with peen tongs?” Will watched Jack fasten his belt, and straightened his own appearance, frowning at a button on his shirt to keep from grinning too widely.



“I’ll be sure to have you know that I bloody well remember your name by heart, the very moment we get some privacy around here.” Dressed and sharp-looking, Jack picked his hat from the ground and dusted it before planting it on his head.



“I’ll have to take your word for it for now, since I wasn’t the one who forgot to introduce me to the Lanskys.” Will made a tutting sound, “Where are your manners Captain Peacock?” 



They melted for one more, hat dropping, lingering kiss before Havana again whisked them away from the opportunity. 



“Ready?” Jack asked, clearly reluctant to let Will out of the embrace. 



Stepping back and arranging his own, unsatisfied goods more comfortably, Will nodded resolutely and made towards the outside world, holding the curtain open. “Yes. Let‘s go.” 



Adjusting his hat and giving another tug on his now considerably less tight slacks, Jack tilted his head in the direction of the fading light beyond the cabana. “What say you we go spend some Imperialist dollars at the casino then?” As Will followed him out into the night, Jack added in a low voice for his lover’s ears only. “No doubt I’ll lose my pants in the process.”



Will could only smile hopefully in response. 

****



Strolling across the lawn back towards the hotel, Will saw something glimmering in blue on the ground, which, on a closer look, proved to be a tail feather of a peacock. Will stopped and glanced at Jack’s retreating back, then stepped to pick the feather up with the intention of calling Jack to wait. 



Getting up, Will found Jack standing, his brow lifted in question. “What is it?”



“I think you dropped something,” Will glibbed, striding to Jack while waving the feather around, and snatched his prize from Jack’s reach when he extended a hand to touch it. 



“No, my good Sir, please, do allow me to do the honours,” Will bowed pretentiously with a playful, teasing smile, then forced his face solemn, stood up straight as an arrow and cleared his throat mightily.



Ignoring Jack’s thoroughly puzzled expression, Will continued his histrionics and declared with a deep voice, “I hereby, on this day, crown thee, Jack Sparrow, The Most Cockiest Cock Among Cocks, were it Pea, or otherwise.” Unable to bite back the chuckle following Jack’s gleeful snort at his newly acquired title, Will gestured for Jack to bow his head, and mounted the peacock feather under the band around Jack’s hat.



Beaming, pleased with his handiwork, Will took a step back to admire it from a distance, tilting his head this way and that, tapping his finger to his lips with a deep frown, and altogether looking like he was estimating a precious, invaluable work of art.



Jack, a step away, switched postures and turned around gradually for the judge to have all the possible assets at his perusal, then stood stoic with his hands to his hips, staring blindly into the distance like a statue, waiting for the final conclusion.



“No.” Will reached his decision with a dismissive shake of his head and made to pluck the feather off the hat.



“What you mean ‘no’?” Protecting his possessions, Jack quickly snatched the hat off his head and hugged it to himself, teasing Will with an indignant lift of chin. “It’s mine now, you gave it to me yourself!”



“Fine, you can keep it.” Will failed miserably in trying not to smile fondly at the pout Jack had mastered to perfection over the years. “I was only trying to save you from a fierce revolution by ousting you peacefully.”



“Ousting?” Jack released the hat from his hold and fiddled with the feather, then pleadingly peered at Will from under his brow, his eyes still twinkling amusedly.“Not very far, I hope.”



Will felt the ache of their denied osculation with a pang, and barely stopped himself from filling the hollow by reaching to touch Jack’s face. Succeeding in besting his emotions, Will merely shook his head slightly and smiled lovingly along with his words, “Not so far that I wouldn’t hear the song of my hummingbird.” 



Closing his eyes, Jack picked the feather off the hat before donning it, and said nothing upon opening them again. The nigh nauseating skirmish of ‘having to’against ‘wanting to’ turned his stomach, and he only nodded towards the hotel as necessity declared the undisputable winner.



Will allowed his hand the less than satisfying pleasure of placing it to Jack’s back, and marked the end of the moments of carefree silliness that the bystanders saw as nothing more than two tourists having imbibed a few too many mojitos, and gotten giddy from the luscious surroundings. 



With that large hand, Will helped Jack, as well as himself, to return to the harsh, cold reality of mobsters, murders and money.



They moved along for a few paces before Jack halted, and with a long, arresting look into Will’s eyes, drew the peacock feather between his fingers once, watching as the vanes bent brutally along the scape, and sprung back to form the fancy feather in all its glory, good as new… Jack dropped the feather to the ground and tugged Will by the sleeve wordlessly, sighing deeply to gather himself, to arrange his own plumes so that they would once again resist and recover the awaiting pressure.



A song sounded faintly from a distance as they left the lonely feather behind, the music so quiet, that unless one knew what they were hearing, it would’ve been impossible to decipher.



Jack gave quick, unnoticeable brush across Will’s palm, and the instant response, the light touch of his love’s fingertips, were a much needed reminder that this time… This time, Jack wasn’t left to smooth his feathers out alone.  



Encouraged, feeling much better already, Jack began to hum along the distant song. Further fortified by the pleasantly surprised smile from Will, Jack thought, with a wide, joyous grin and pure devotion in his heart, that there was a mighty good reason why he so loved living the life of a hummingbird.