3 Keys in the Lock
Midday sun beat down on Charles Town, turning the air thick and humid even inside the stone walls of the jailhouse.
Voices drifted in from the street, merchants arguing over shortages, women calling to children, the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer forging extra musket parts.
The blockade dragged into its second full day, and tempers frayed like old rope.
Jay paced his cell as much as the chains permitted, the iron links chafing his ankles with every step.
He had spent the morning listening to the guards' gossip when they brought his meal: another ship seized at dawn, more hostages taken, and Blackbeard's flags still flying bold as brass.
Henri had not appeared since the previous night.
Jay told himself it was nothing, shifts changed, duties called, but a knot of unease twisted in his gut.
Had the guard regretted their touches, buried the hunger again under layers of duty?
Or worse, confessed to someone? Jay shook off the thought.
Henri wasn't the type to break easily. Still, the silence gnawed at him.
The outer door creaked open around late afternoon, and Henri stepped through alone, carrying a covered tray.
He looked steadier than the night before, though his eyes carried a new wariness.
His coat was unbuttoned against the heat, revealing the sweat-damp shirt clinging to his broad chest. He set the tray down, better fare again, fish stew and fresh bread, and glanced over his shoulder before locking the door behind him.
"No word from your captain," Henri said without preamble, voice low. "The governor's fuming. Talks of hanging you sooner to send a message."
Jay took the tray through the slot, their fingers brushing deliberately this time. "And you? Still guarding me solo?"
Henri hesitated, then pulled a ring of keys from his belt.
He held them up, the metal glinting in the slanted light.
"Debated this all morning. If anyone comes...
" He didn't finish the warning. Instead, he selected a key and slid it into the cell lock.
The mechanism turned with a heavy click that echoed like a gunshot in the quiet.
Jay's breath caught as the door swung open.
Henri stepped inside, closing it behind him but leaving it unlocked, a calculated risk.
Up close, without bars between them, the guard seemed even larger, his presence filling the small space.
Jay could smell the salt on his skin, the faint leather of his boots.
"This doesn't mean I'm throwing everything away," Henri muttered, but his hands were already reaching, pulling Jay against him.
Their mouths crashed together in a kiss that had been building for days, rough and desperate, teeth clashing before tongues found rhythm.
Henri tasted of coffee and restraint finally snapping.
His large hands roamed Jay's back, gripping the pirate's shirt and yanking it over his head.
Jay groaned into the kiss, fingers working Henri's coat open and off, then the shirt beneath.
Bare chest to bare chest at last, skin hot and slick with sweat.
Henri's pecs were solid slabs of muscle, dusted with dark hair that narrowed down his abs.
Jay traced it with his palms, feeling the guard shudder.
"Been hard all day thinking about you," Henri admitted against Jay's neck, lips grazing the stubble there. He nipped at the earlobe, drawing a hiss of pleasure. "Couldn't focus on patrol. Kept seeing your mouth on me."
Jay chuckled low, hands sliding down to cup Henri's ass through the breeches, firm and rounded from years of marching. "Good. Means you're as gone as I am." He squeezed, pulling Henri tighter so their hardening cocks ground together through fabric.
They stumbled back until Jay's shoulders hit the wall, chains rattling.
Henri pinned him there, hips rolling in slow, deliberate thrusts that mimicked what they both craved.
The friction built heat fast, but Jay wanted more skin.
He undid Henri's breeches, shoving them down along with the underclothes.
Henri's cock sprang free again, thick and flushed, curving slightly upward.
Precum beaded at the slit, and Jay wrapped his fingers around it, stroking firmly from base to tip.
Henri bucked into his hand, a guttural sound escaping. "Fuck, your grip..." He returned the favor, freeing Jay's length and pumping in matching rhythm. Their foreheads pressed together, breaths mingling as hands worked faster.
But Henri pulled back suddenly, eyes dark with intent. "Not yet. Want to taste you properly this time." He dropped to his knees on the straw, the position reversing their roles from before. Jay's cock twitched at the sight, the proud guard on his knees, mouth hovering close.
Henri looked up, uncertainty flickering before hunger won. He leaned in, tongue broad and flat as he licked from balls to head, savoring the musky flavor. Jay threaded fingers through Henri's short hair, guiding gently. "That's it. Take me in."
Henri did, lips parting to engulf the head, sucking experimentally. He was clumsy at first, too much teeth, then too tentative, but eagerness made up for inexperience. He bobbed deeper, hand stroking the base, saliva dripping down to coat Jay's balls. Jay's thighs tensed, the wet heat overwhelming.
"Swirl your tongue right there, yeah, under the ridge." Jay's voice came rough. Henri followed, humming around the shaft, the vibration shooting straight to Jay's spine. The guard's free hand cupped Jay's sac, tugging lightly, rolling the balls with growing confidence.
Jay's hips jerked, fucking Henri's mouth in shallow thrusts. "God, your throat... relax it, let me in deeper." Henri gagged once but tried, eyes watering as he took more. The sight undid Jay, the strong man submitting, cheeks hollowed, beard scraping sensitive skin.
"Close," Jay warned, pulling back slightly. But Henri held firm, sucking harder. Jay came with a hoarse cry, pulsing thick ropes down Henri's throat. The guard swallowed around him, some cum escaping the corners of his mouth as he pulled off coughing.
Jay hauled him up, kissing him fiercely and tasting himself on Henri's tongue.
"Your turn now." He spun them, pushing Henri against the wall.
But instead of dropping low right away, Jay kissed down his neck, sucking marks into the collarbone, then lower to latch onto a nipple.
He bit gently, soothing with tongue, while his hand stroked Henri's leaking cock.
Henri's head thunked back against stone, moans echoing. "Jay... need more."
Jay sank lower, trailing open-mouthed kisses over abs that jumped under his lips. He nuzzled the trail of hair, then buried his face in Henri's groin, inhaling deeply before taking the cock in one smooth slide. Henri's length hit the back of his throat, thick enough to stretch his jaw.
But Jay had other plans. He pulled off, spreading Henri's thighs wider. "Turn around. Hands on the wall."
Henri obeyed slowly, bracing his palms, ass presented. The cheeks were muscular, lightly furred. Jay parted them, exposing the tight pink hole. He blew cool air first, watching it clench, then leaned in to lick a broad stripe over it.
Henri jolted, a shocked gasp turning into a moan. "What, oh hell..."
Jay rimmed him thoroughly, tongue circling the rim before pushing inside, fucking the hole with wet thrusts. Henri's legs shook, cock dripping precum onto the straw below. Jay reached around to stroke him in time, thumb pressing the sensitive spot under the head.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" Jay murmured against the skin. "Your ass opening for me. So tight."
Henri pushed back, chasing the tongue. "Don't stop... please."
Jay added a finger, slick with spit, easing it in alongside his tongue. Henri bore down, taking it to the knuckle. The heat gripped him, velvet soft inside. Jay crooked the finger, searching until, there. Henri cried out, body arching as Jay rubbed his prostate.
"That's the spot," Jay said, voice muffled. He added a second finger, scissoring gently, stretching while his tongue lapped around them.
Henri's strokes faltered in his own hand, he'd taken over pumping his cock. "Gonna cum like this... fuck, Jay!"
He did, shooting hard against the wall, cum splattering in long arcs, some hitting his own thighs. His hole clenched rhythmically around Jay's fingers, milking them.
Jay eased out slowly, standing to wrap arms around Henri from behind. They leaned together, sweat-slick and spent, Henri's back to Jay's chest.
"Never knew it could feel that way," Henri whispered after a moment, turning in the embrace. His eyes held wonder and a touch of fear.
Jay kissed him softly. "And we're just getting started."
They cleaned up with water from the bucket, dressing reluctantly.
Henri lingered, fingers tracing Jay's scars, one from a knife fight in Nassau, another from a fall in the rigging.
Jay shared the stories quietly, and Henri reciprocated with tales of guard life, the boredom, the rare excitements, the loneliness that had driven him to this edge.
As shadows lengthened outside, a shout echoed from the street, news arriving by boat. Henri tensed, stepping to the barred window. A messenger was running toward the governor's house, waving papers.
"Flag of truce again," Henri said, voice tight. "Might be an answer."
Jay came up behind him, hands on his shoulders. "Whatever it is, we've got now."
Henri nodded, but as he locked the cell again and prepared to leave for his report, his hand brushed Jay's through the bars one last time. The touch lingered, a silent vow amid rising uncertainty.