Lighten Up Would Ye?

Hello!
Thanks so much to my two reviewers so far. :D

I've asked aff.net about a sub-category, I hope it goes through... Davy deserves his own category, aye?

i'll shush now.

~yer resident lunatic

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(1.4)


My jaw dropped, Davy’s brow shot up and Maccus, in the middle of a rather girlish giggle fit, informed Clanker “You said you!”, consequently having to take two shots himself.

The arm around me tightened an inch, and the Captain looked at me with a grunt and question in his eyes. I wasn’t sure whether to be afraid, happy, or devising Clanker’s doom. Hell with it.

“It’s either this, or ye lose yer coat.” I shrugged, taking two sips of my rum. I couldn’t help it though, I was smiling. Either way I’d get a lil’ fun outta this transaction.

I assumed he’d do the dignified thing and take off his long-coat, but before I knew it I was lifted to straddle his leg, his arm taut around my waist, and he crushed me into a lip-bruising kiss. I think I squealed but settled in when I actually realized what was happening. Gently he explored, invading, beard tentacles found their way onto various parts of my face, caressing my cheeks and sliding into my loose hair. I felt his hand make its way up my spine to cradle my neck. My stomach clenched and I wrapped my left arm around his shoulder and held on for dear life. So this is what drowning feels like…

An unknown time later he released me. We were both breathing rather hard and Davy had quite the predatory gleam in his eyes. I, on the other hand, was completely gobsmacked and, well, bent backwards over the table. He removed his hand from my neck, flicking my bottom lip with a tentacle, then twisted and repositioned me back where I was. Then he turned back to the crowd and smirked, while I sat there still in a bit of a happy daze. My heart was beating so hard I could feel it hitting the walls of my chest and I couldn’t for the life of me settle it down. Somehow throughout that entire ordeal I still had a death-grip on my rum.

“Verrrry refressssssshing. Good enough?” Davy rumbled in the deepest tone I’d ever heard from him. I finally looked up and saw he was addressing Clanker, who dumbly nodded. Satisfied, Davy lazily wrapped his arm back around my waist and beamed at me. We both looked at the others and snickered; they all looked like they’d been kicked in the head.

“Maccus?” I rasped, then cleared my throat, forcing myself to be as calm as possible. It was his turn anyways. To emphasize my false composure, I let my body lean towards Davy’s til it rested comfortably against his, and he didn’t seem to mind. Good.

Good? BAD! No, good. Definitely good.

“Maaaaaccusssss.” I sing-songed. He finally snapped out of it and drew his card, stealing glances our way and trying not too look shocked anymore. Not workin’ mate.

The next round went by in a blur, my mind still on the lip-lock with Davy. If he’s that good at kissing I wonder how he is in…

“CHEERS!” Clanker bellowed, holding his bottle out. Everyone clinked it and drank. Maccus, too drunk to think of anything creative, made the rule of no names or titles again. I decided that Davy needed more rum and gave all four from my card to him. Spellbound I watched his throat work as he took four long pulls on his bottle, finishing it with a bit of a cough.

“Another one, gentlemen!” He grinned, totally in the spirit of the game. I don’t know how but I found his clawed hand playing with the fingers of my left hand, which, by some strange coincidence, lay on his thigh. We gave each other sideways secret smiles and refocused on the game. His claw was surprisingly gentle as it ran over my knuckles and I suppressed a shiver.

With his tentacled finger he fished (no pun intended) another card out, grinned, and looked playfully over at Maccus. I peaked over and saw the Seven.

“Mr. Maccus!”

I flicked his claw with a finger, “Name, drink.”

He scowled at me, took a swig, and continued, “Vengeance is sweet. Kiss yer benchmate, and put some passion into it!” As he finished he sipped his drink again and his eyes blazed with victory.

I thought I’d seen it all, but the look of utter revulsion that passed over Maccus’s face was so damned priceless I fell into a frenzy of mad cackling. The remaining ten or so non-participants started hooting and cheering, whilst Davy sat there looking quite pleased with himself. His lips quivered with barely controlled laughter when Clanker gave him the dirtiest ‘touch me and die’ look he could muster.

Maccus pleaded with his eyes, “It’s either this or…” He gestured at his shirt.

“Then take your ruddy shirt off, I don’t want your scabby stinkin’ lips anywhere near me!”

“That’s three drinks, mate.” Koleniko piped in, only to have one of the empty bottles tossed at him.

“BUGGER OFF!”

That broke the dam, the laughter went from loud to deafening and I got squeezed extremely hard by Davy as he was bent by his mirth. Poor Bootstrap was teared up watching as Clanker continued to stare daggers at Maccus for even considering the option.

“Fine!” Maccus attempted to strip out of his shirt, having to take the boots off his head first and stretching the collar so much I thought it would tear. Drunken stripping in itself was funny but watching Maccus manhandle his shirt off his head made for great teasing material later on. Hopefully I’d remember this come mornin’.

Finally topless he crossed his arms and frowned at the lot of us. I wolf-whistled and hooted just to humiliate him a little more and he brandished his rum bottle threateningly.

“Kiss me arse, shark-bait!”

I grinned. “Not even if you paid me, boot-head.”

Once the laughter died down and Davy was once again composed (or as composed as he could be with the amount of rum he’d consumed, I’d lost count), he looked to Clanker to choose his card. Clanker on the other hand was still fuming. Finally he chose his card and gave Davy all five shots out of pure spite. At this rate the Captain of the Flying Dutchman was at risk of losing to his crew. As it was his head was lolling a little and his tentacles seemed to have grown a mind of their own, some reaching over my way and twirling themselves in my hair. I had to yank it free and give it a quick braid so it wouldn’t be available. Last thing I needed was trying to detangle my hair from his damned tentacles.

Maccus, topless and with boots hangin’ from his head, chose his card and it was a story. I screwed up after the second run around the table and had to drink. Nevermind Jones, I don’t think I’ll make it much longer… not sure if that warmness in my belly is from too much rum or too much proximity to a giant inebriated Scotsman, I thought, taking an uncertain glance at my Captain. He seems like a good man now that I’ve seen him relaxed. I hope it’s not just the rum…

With a great heaving sigh, Davy suddenly released me and rose, flashing his Eight and proclaiming loudly, “Must drain the eeeeel, hoooold steady!” He almost tripped over the bench, and then stumbled on the stairs on the way out to the decks. None of us dared laugh aloud but I could see the amusement in everyone’s eyes as we heard Jones swear vehemently outside.

Bootstrap spoke for the first time that evening, “Lucky tha’ No Cursing rule ain’t in effect, aye?”

A resounding chorus of “Aye!” sounded out.

The room was silent for a moment, and strange as it was, I felt a little lonesome on that bench all by myself. With both elbows on the table I sat and stared at the candle across the room. In defiance of my own feelings I took a reaffirming shot of my rum and thought about it. When was the last time you had any contact like this with a man, huh? YEARS ago, that’s when. And for a guy with tentacles he’s rather handsome…strong…those eyes… and can you just imagine what he could DO for a woman with that beard? Oh shush, yer shameless!.

He was taking an awfully long time so Koleniko went up to go check on him, just to make sure he didn’t flip overboard. Curiousity got the better of me and I asked the room, “Ye know, I gotta ask, how da hell did ‘e manage to… ehhh… get a woman? Ye guys told me ye couldn’t go ashore fer another four years!”

“That’s…a lot of drinks, lass.” Bootstrap informed me, but I waved him off.

“Game’s paused, Bill. Don’t count if all da players ain’t ‘ere.” Wow, accent’s really showin’ through now… anytime now I’ll start babbling my own tongue and they’ll think I’m possessed!

Maccus argued, “Says who?”

“Says I, Tea-boy.”

Maccus just mumbled something presumably nasty under his breath and started chatting with one of the other crewmembers.

Bootstrap answered my question anyways, “Well lass, there ARE women on some of the ships we pillage. Once in a while we get one that ain’t died yet, ‘n on rare occasions…” He drifted off there with the insinuation clear in my head already. “Las’ one was ‘bout five months ago, aye?” He asked the others, and some nodded their affirmations.

“This be a con… consex… consentual thing, right?”

“O’ course! We ain’t rapists!” Clanker said heatedly, appalled that I’d even think it.

“Sorry.”

Bootstrap shook his head. “Aye, and the Cap’n doesn’t partake often, only that time and one other since I was… recruited. And only when the women are especially fiery or… interested.” He gave me a rather odd look after he said that.

I shook my head in understanding, relieved. I didn’t feel like so strange about this now.

I was about to ask what happened to those women afterwards, as I hadn’t ever heard of a woman before me crewin’ the Dutchman, but had to stop. Davy’s signature thumping as he descended the stairs with Koleniko holding his shoulder announced the game back on. He looked a little dazed but had a goofy smile on his face as he made weaving way to the table. I grinned up at him and swore I heard a low growl in his throat in response… he was most definitely smashed. I moved over a little so he could reseat himself.

Making that cute little pop sound, he bent instead, plucked me off the bench effortlessly, and in a whirl was seated with my rump on his right leg and my legs dangling between his. The chitinous limb wasn’t as uncomfortable as I’d assumed it would be. My feet were no longer anywhere near the floor and I gave Clanker quite the surprised look, but he just smiled and took a small sip of his rum. Davy put his right arm back around me, securing me in place. Grinning down at me, he more or less dared me to argue about my new throne. Seeing as he dwarfed me completely and I was rather enjoying where I was, I just settled in, leaning back against his shoulder. His beard immediately started running up and down my arm.

Blushing, I turned back to the game. “Where were we?”

Bootstrap was trying not to laugh as he told me that it was my turn. I absently leaned forward and retrieved a card, holding Davy’s arm for support, and gave two drinks to Maccus. Once again he had a disturbed look to him, accented hilariously with his bare chest and boots hanging flaccidly off his head.

For the next few minutes or so I tried to ignore the thin appendages that writhed and tickled and caressed my over-sensitive neck. I found myself drifting off when I should have been strategizing. Snap out of it!

Another eight drinks were handed out and a Story went by before I noticed Davy’s elongated finger under my shirt, trailing over my bare stomach. It hastily pulled away when I twitched my belly muscles. Like a horse-tail swattin’ a fly! Hahahaha!

Forcus!

FOCUS! Geez, drunk even in my head!

I drew a rule card and decreed that we had to say one cuss word before every drink we took for the rest of the game. Davy’s chuckling bounced me up and down a little, and the image of the horse came back. I sputtered and laughed at myself.

Koleniko looked at Bootstrap, “Drunk?”

Bill looked back at him. “Most definitely.”

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thanks for readin'!