That evening Will laid in Jack's bed, watching as the pirate captain fussed with things in the cabin. Will's body had been so tired that he'd needed to lean increasingly on Jack while the crew continued to wish him well.
Jack had stripped him down and put him to bed soon after. He'd been too tired to protest, feeling like his muscles had turned to stiff, unmoving chunks of wood. Waterlogged and horribly stiff and sore, Will had allowed Jack to pull off his soaked clothes and burry him under far more blankets than were necessary.
He watched silently across the room as Jack huffed and finally rolled up an expensive looking oriental rug. It wasn't an easy task one handed, and though it took him several tries, Jack finally succeeded in bundling up the rug and taking it outside.
When Jack opened the cabin door, telling Will that he was going to get rid of the rug, the sound of drunken, and singing pirates drifted into the room. Though Jack didn't mention to Will that they would use just about any excuse to drink and make merry (particularly when things were as dull as they had been for the crew lately), he was very pleased that his crew so obviously cared about Will.
Jack chucked the bloodstained rug over the side of the ship into the choppy black waters below.
When he returned to his cabin, Jack found Will still awake in bed, seemingly awaiting his return. He'd hoped the obviously exhausted young man would have fallen asleep by now. Will had returned to him, to the Pearl, but Jack wasn't entirely sure where they now stood on some things, mainly the issue of sleeping arrangements. Jack looked around for something else to fiddle with until Will fell asleep, hoping to postpone certain conversations.
"Jack?" Will asked. "Aren't you coming to bed yet?"
"Sure yer alright with that, mate?" Jack asked. "With what ye were sayin' earlier an' all, I thought maybe..."
Will laughed lightly at Jack's hesitation. It was so unlike him, but the look of uncertainty on his face was nothing short of adorable.
'Surely you didn't just call Jack adorable? That's the same man who tossed you into the ocean today!' Will thought.
"I am sorry about what I said earlier," Will said, turning more serious. "I was angry, I didn't mean it." Considering who's bed it was he was currently occupying Will added, "Maybe I should leave, it is your bed after all, your cabin."
Will tried to sit up but found that his exhausted arms didn't want to support his weight. Before he knew it Will felt Jack gently pushing him back onto the mass of pillows. Jack sat on the side of the bed, turning to face him.
"Don't be goin' anywhere. All that effort to get where ye belong an' yer already tryin' to leave?" Jack asked with a grin.
"Jack, I know I belong here, on the Pearl. I know that now. It's just ..." Will paused, searching Jack's eyes. "I don't know that I belong HERE," he finished quietly, patting the bed.
"Do ye feel like ye belong 'ere?" Jack asked.
"I just told you, Jack. I'm not sure if I belo-"
"Tha's not what I said," Jack interrupted Will. "Do you FEEL like you belong be 'ere? Do you WANT t' be here?"
"Yes," Will said, looking Jack right in the eyes and seeing only acceptance and relief in his expression.
"Then this is where ye belong."
Jack carefully crawled his way over Will and onto the other side of the bed. He laid back on the pillows, his shoulder against Will's.
"Jack, I don't really know how to go about ..." Will trailed off.
"Things 'ill take care of themselves in time," Jack said, purposely keeping his answer vague. "We're in no rush, eh?"
"Mmm," Will agreed.
After a moment Jack added, "Unless o'course there's somewhere else ye need t' be?"
Remembering his swim, what it felt like to push his way against the waves and away from Port Royal and all that it represented, Will said, "Absolutely not. But Jack, I can't just forget everything. I can't just pretend that Elizabeth never existed, that I never ... that I wasn't ready to marry her."
"An I'm not askin' ye to, Savvy?"
"Good. I don't think I love her anymore, but I can't just ... let it go."
"It'll take care of itself in time," Jack said again. "So long as ye let it."
"I suppose," Will said sounding not totally convinced. With a muffled grunt, he shifted position only to find himself less comfortable than before. "Did you really need to throw me in the ocean?"
"I did," Jack confirmed.
"Whatever gave you such an idea?" Will asked honestly.
Jack considered the question before answering. How could he possibly explain it to Will? He settled on an easy answer, "Pirate."
Will sniffed, somewhere between amused and irritated by the answer. He shifted again, wiggling some more, though he seemed unable to find any position that made his tired, aching muscles feel any better.
"Come 'ere," Jack said as he pulled Will onto his side, against him. He felt Will cuddle up to him, and rest his head on his chest.
Will wasn't sure why, but his body knew just how to curl up against Jack without any conscious effort on his part. He thought he should find it unnerving, but instead, all he could feel was save and comfortable. He wondered how many times he'd laid like this with Jack in his sleep, without even realizing it. The only time he had memories of being curled up in Jack's arms before was on Tortuga. He'd thought that nothing could possibly make him feel better, but then Jack had pulled him against his warm body and rocked him. Will had thought about that night many times over the past couple weeks. He thought he should feel shame, but the memory had only brought up feelings of calm and relief.
Unconsciously, Will nuzzled against Jack's chest, grinning sleepily, pulling his arm tighter around Jack. He felt Jack's hand come up to stroke his hair, only to feel the bandages catch lightly in his tangled curls.
"How DID you hurt your hand?" Will asked, his voice muffled slightly as his face was pressed against Jack's chest.
"Rum."
"These one word answers, Jack, they're rather irritating. 'Pirate,' 'rum' that doesn't tell me very much, now does it?"
Chuckling lightly Jack had to agree, "Ah, but maybe tha's the point then, whelp, eh?"
Will snorted lightly. The warmth of Jack's body combined with his exhaustion was making him drowsy. He forgot what he'd been trying to ask Jack.
Soon the soothing rocking of the ship threatened to lull him completely to sleep. "Tha' rocking," Will said, his words slurring slightly as he struggled to stay awake, "why's it always so relaxing?"
Jack thought back to when he'd first held Will in his arms. He'd known that despite any additional pain the movement might have caused the injured young man, the rocking motion would comfort him.
"It's the pirate's blood in yer veins, Will. Jus' wait, soon enough you'll have trouble sleepin' on solid ground, without the waves rockin' ye to sleep."
Will thought it wasn't motion of the waves he'd have trouble sleeping without. He'd have trouble sleeping without Jack under him, but before he could say it Will drifted off to sleep.
End
Jack had stripped him down and put him to bed soon after. He'd been too tired to protest, feeling like his muscles had turned to stiff, unmoving chunks of wood. Waterlogged and horribly stiff and sore, Will had allowed Jack to pull off his soaked clothes and burry him under far more blankets than were necessary.
He watched silently across the room as Jack huffed and finally rolled up an expensive looking oriental rug. It wasn't an easy task one handed, and though it took him several tries, Jack finally succeeded in bundling up the rug and taking it outside.
When Jack opened the cabin door, telling Will that he was going to get rid of the rug, the sound of drunken, and singing pirates drifted into the room. Though Jack didn't mention to Will that they would use just about any excuse to drink and make merry (particularly when things were as dull as they had been for the crew lately), he was very pleased that his crew so obviously cared about Will.
Jack chucked the bloodstained rug over the side of the ship into the choppy black waters below.
When he returned to his cabin, Jack found Will still awake in bed, seemingly awaiting his return. He'd hoped the obviously exhausted young man would have fallen asleep by now. Will had returned to him, to the Pearl, but Jack wasn't entirely sure where they now stood on some things, mainly the issue of sleeping arrangements. Jack looked around for something else to fiddle with until Will fell asleep, hoping to postpone certain conversations.
"Jack?" Will asked. "Aren't you coming to bed yet?"
"Sure yer alright with that, mate?" Jack asked. "With what ye were sayin' earlier an' all, I thought maybe..."
Will laughed lightly at Jack's hesitation. It was so unlike him, but the look of uncertainty on his face was nothing short of adorable.
'Surely you didn't just call Jack adorable? That's the same man who tossed you into the ocean today!' Will thought.
"I am sorry about what I said earlier," Will said, turning more serious. "I was angry, I didn't mean it." Considering who's bed it was he was currently occupying Will added, "Maybe I should leave, it is your bed after all, your cabin."
Will tried to sit up but found that his exhausted arms didn't want to support his weight. Before he knew it Will felt Jack gently pushing him back onto the mass of pillows. Jack sat on the side of the bed, turning to face him.
"Don't be goin' anywhere. All that effort to get where ye belong an' yer already tryin' to leave?" Jack asked with a grin.
"Jack, I know I belong here, on the Pearl. I know that now. It's just ..." Will paused, searching Jack's eyes. "I don't know that I belong HERE," he finished quietly, patting the bed.
"Do ye feel like ye belong 'ere?" Jack asked.
"I just told you, Jack. I'm not sure if I belo-"
"Tha's not what I said," Jack interrupted Will. "Do you FEEL like you belong be 'ere? Do you WANT t' be here?"
"Yes," Will said, looking Jack right in the eyes and seeing only acceptance and relief in his expression.
"Then this is where ye belong."
Jack carefully crawled his way over Will and onto the other side of the bed. He laid back on the pillows, his shoulder against Will's.
"Jack, I don't really know how to go about ..." Will trailed off.
"Things 'ill take care of themselves in time," Jack said, purposely keeping his answer vague. "We're in no rush, eh?"
"Mmm," Will agreed.
After a moment Jack added, "Unless o'course there's somewhere else ye need t' be?"
Remembering his swim, what it felt like to push his way against the waves and away from Port Royal and all that it represented, Will said, "Absolutely not. But Jack, I can't just forget everything. I can't just pretend that Elizabeth never existed, that I never ... that I wasn't ready to marry her."
"An I'm not askin' ye to, Savvy?"
"Good. I don't think I love her anymore, but I can't just ... let it go."
"It'll take care of itself in time," Jack said again. "So long as ye let it."
"I suppose," Will said sounding not totally convinced. With a muffled grunt, he shifted position only to find himself less comfortable than before. "Did you really need to throw me in the ocean?"
"I did," Jack confirmed.
"Whatever gave you such an idea?" Will asked honestly.
Jack considered the question before answering. How could he possibly explain it to Will? He settled on an easy answer, "Pirate."
Will sniffed, somewhere between amused and irritated by the answer. He shifted again, wiggling some more, though he seemed unable to find any position that made his tired, aching muscles feel any better.
"Come 'ere," Jack said as he pulled Will onto his side, against him. He felt Will cuddle up to him, and rest his head on his chest.
Will wasn't sure why, but his body knew just how to curl up against Jack without any conscious effort on his part. He thought he should find it unnerving, but instead, all he could feel was save and comfortable. He wondered how many times he'd laid like this with Jack in his sleep, without even realizing it. The only time he had memories of being curled up in Jack's arms before was on Tortuga. He'd thought that nothing could possibly make him feel better, but then Jack had pulled him against his warm body and rocked him. Will had thought about that night many times over the past couple weeks. He thought he should feel shame, but the memory had only brought up feelings of calm and relief.
Unconsciously, Will nuzzled against Jack's chest, grinning sleepily, pulling his arm tighter around Jack. He felt Jack's hand come up to stroke his hair, only to feel the bandages catch lightly in his tangled curls.
"How DID you hurt your hand?" Will asked, his voice muffled slightly as his face was pressed against Jack's chest.
"Rum."
"These one word answers, Jack, they're rather irritating. 'Pirate,' 'rum' that doesn't tell me very much, now does it?"
Chuckling lightly Jack had to agree, "Ah, but maybe tha's the point then, whelp, eh?"
Will snorted lightly. The warmth of Jack's body combined with his exhaustion was making him drowsy. He forgot what he'd been trying to ask Jack.
Soon the soothing rocking of the ship threatened to lull him completely to sleep. "Tha' rocking," Will said, his words slurring slightly as he struggled to stay awake, "why's it always so relaxing?"
Jack thought back to when he'd first held Will in his arms. He'd known that despite any additional pain the movement might have caused the injured young man, the rocking motion would comfort him.
"It's the pirate's blood in yer veins, Will. Jus' wait, soon enough you'll have trouble sleepin' on solid ground, without the waves rockin' ye to sleep."
Will thought it wasn't motion of the waves he'd have trouble sleeping without. He'd have trouble sleeping without Jack under him, but before he could say it Will drifted off to sleep.
End