Title: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
Author: Dala
Pairing: Jack/Will/Elizabeth
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Pirates and their environs belong to Disney


"I still can't see the appeal of the story Matthew told."

Jack peers up at Elizabeth from the corner in which he has sprawled. The girl is pacing, her face bearing that indignant look she gets whenever someone throws her little world over. "He was talkin' 'bout bedding two lasses at once. Makes f'r a whopper of a story."

Will stumbles in behind his wife and drops down beside his captain. He makes a grab for the half-empty bottle of rum cradled in Jack's lap and Jack lets him have it, watching with a grin as he swallows a good portion of it. The poor boy's face is flushed with more than just drink; old Matthew knows how to spin a tale so it feels like a man's just stepped foot in it. Not that feet were the primary focus of this particular yarn.

"Well, it seemed like he didn't do much but watch," says Elizabeth in an aggrieved tone. She's the hands-on type herself, Jack knows; he sleeps next door to the newest members of his crew. It's made for a few interesting nights even when he's got only himself, their raised voices, and his own imagination for company.

"Trust me when I say that would've been enough," he replies, snatching the bottle back from Will, whose head thumps back against the wall. Jack takes advantage of his closed eyes to sneak a quick glance downward. No worries – rum or not, Will's an eager young thing. Ah, to be twenty again, he thinks with a mental sigh. But if luck is with him, he'll have enough youth to warm his bed tonight to make up for all his own years.

The lass is going to take a bit more coaxing, however. She frowns at him, crossing her arms over her bosom and sinking down onto the bed. A coin slipped to the right man meant that every room was occupied but this one, with its single bed. Naturally the two with whom he is sharing the night's lodgings are unaware that the pallet laid out on the floor will stay as neat and tidy as you please, but Jack's not quite ready to share the information with them quite yet.

"Do all men really become excited at the idea of two women together?" Elizabeth asks. Beside Jack, Will chokes on his mouthful of rum and Jack pats him helpfully on the back.

"'Course," he says to the other, seeing her eyes narrow at Will's discomfiture. "Don't believe me, ask yer boy here."

Elizabeth raises her eyebrows and Will ducks his head. "No," he says in an unsteady voice.

"Are you lying to me, Will?" Elizabeth asks, too sweetly. Jack snickers and Will shoots him a glare.

"All right," he mutters finally, "it's true. Not that I would ever act on it," he adds quickly, giving her the hopeful puppy eyes.

Elizabeth doesn't notice; she chews on her bottom lip as she thinks. "Why would it be so intriguing?"

"Twice the pretty," says Jack with a shrug, hiding the sudden idea he's gotten at how this conversation might be turned in the right direction. "Can't tell me you've never had a bit of a swoon at the thought of two men together, Lizzie darling."

Watching Will out of the corner of his eye, he sees the boy turn a whole new shade of crimson and shift away. It irks him to lose the warm press of Will's shoulder against his own, but he'll make up for it soon enough.

Elizabeth cocks her head as she considers this. "I don't believe I've ever thought about it before."

Jack wants very badly to tell her that she may not have but her William certainly has, but it won't do to show his hand too early. It's so close – Will beside him, practically humming with mortified arousal, and Elizabeth crouching down in front of him to continue puzzling the concept over.

"P'raps thought's not good enough," he says, carefully neutral. "Might be a thing one has to see for oneself."

Elizabeth glances out the window. "Lord knows Tortuga's got enough on display." For a moment Jack fears that she's going to run out into the alleys searching for two blokes in a clinch, and that was not quite where he was going with his prompts.

"We'll make it personal," he tells her, taking another sip of rum. The rim tastes of Will, that faint hint of iron that never leaves his body, and he savors it, thinking of the opportunity to capture that flavor on his own. "Say there's two specific men, ones you're close to, whose company ye enjoy."

"Are they attractive?" she wants to know, beginning to look more intrigued.

"Well a'course they are," says Jack, rolling his eyes. "That's th' whole point of fantasy, savvy? You couldn't find two handsomer lads in all the land, an' here are these two puttin' on a show just for your little self. What say you to a sight like that, hmm?"

Twisting her full lips, Elizabeth nods slowly, thoughtfully. "I suppose I would...quite like it."

Will lifts his head in surprise at her admission and Jack knows the opportune moment when he sees it. He sees Elizabeth's sudden realization as well – that the hypothetical has suddenly become the literal – even as he reaches out a hand to take the side of Will's face and turn it to him. The boy's eyes are wide as Jack's mouth descends on him. He lets out a startled little noise as Jack parts his lips, slips his tongue inside to seek out that firebrand taste. It takes a moment of persuasion before Will is kissing him back by reflex, strong and open, his hand coming up to take Jack by the upper arm and squeeze hard. Lovely, Jack thinks giddily, all the secret sordid thoughts of the past three weeks rushing through his head as Will's mouth moves fiercely under his own.

Well, not all – there's the lass to consider. Jack breaks the kiss, leaving Will to gaze at him with reddened lips and gobsmacked eyes. He keeps his hand in the boy's hair, stroking gently, as he turns to regard Elizabeth.

Who is doing much, much better than 'quite liking it.' Her fingertips are touching her own mouth, which is hanging open. Her eyes flit back and forth between the two of them, frantically, as if she's afraid one will disappear at any moment.

"'Course," Jack rumbles, reaching out with his free hand to grasp her waist and tug her close, "doesn't really matter who you're watching, long as they're fine enough for the taking." He presses his lips to Elizabeth's, feeling a sigh course through her whole body. They can both feel Will shudder at the sight.

"Ain't that right, lad?" he asks, sliding his gaze to Will without taking his mouth from the path he is kissing down Elizabeth's neck as she curves against him.

Will, like Elizabeth before him, merely looks back and forth between them. Elizabeth and Jack share a grin over the mingled lust and panic in his expression. He'd known the boy would have to be caught unawares, but she's more pirate than he is – perhaps even more than Jack himself.

Not, not more, he thinks – just enough. Just enough to help him bend Will backwards, plundering his mouth while Jack brushes down his throat to nibble at his shirt buttons.

It seems the pallet isn't useless after all, because Elizabeth's hand somehow becomes trapped between Jack's thigh and the juncture of Will's legs, and he's making soft little moans as he watches Jack thumb Elizabeth's nipples through her shirt while she lets out something resembling a screech, and he knows they're never going to make it to the bed.