Author's Note : this is my second story to be published to fanfiction.net, and my first in this fandom. I love reviews, so you can be harsh, be flattering, or be whatever you want to be but please, please be CONSTRUCTIVE. Flames get you nothing but a longer wait for the next chapter. This will eventually be Jack/Will slash, so if that's not your thing, turn back now. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer : own nothing but my own imagination.
Will sighed and looked up from the sword he'd been pounding into the anvil in front of him. He wiped the back of one hand across his forehead, then put the hammer onto a nearby table. He glanced at the sword. It was flattened, to say the least. 'Ruined' was perhaps a better word. He sighed again. There was no point in working anymore. Tomorrow, he would try again. Right now, what he needed was ... "Sleep. If I don't sleep soon, I'll go mad."
The air was dusty in the smithy. Will stifled a sneeze and went to the back room to collect his things before heading home. The lamps provided more heat than actual light in the small space, and Will was glad he no longer slept here. After turning down the lights and checking the locks on the windows, he stepped out into the street, making sure to lock the door behind him. People weren't likely to steal in Port Royal, but Will was always cautious. There could be thieves around.
Or pirates.
Will shook his head. He'd been thinking about pirates too much these days. Elizabeth got frustrated whenever the word was mentioned in conversation, and Will invariably got this faraway look in his eyes.
He wandered up a deserted back alley towards the Governor's estate. He was living in a spare room there until he and Elizabeth were married, when they'd move into a small house they'd bought together just out of town. He could see miles of ocean right from the bedroom window. He smiled ruefully when he thought of what Jack would say. "Th'sea's in your blood, lad. Piratin's in your blood. You'll 'ave to embrace it one of these days, or it'll destroy you, I promise you that." A good view wasn't exactly embracing a life on the sea, but it was a small step.
Reaching the mansion, he entered as quietly as he could. At this time of night, it was unlikely that even any servants would still be up, but he didn't want to wake anyone. He trudged slowly up the stairs to his room. It'd been nearly 2 months since Jack had tumbled oh-so-elegantly over the edge of the fort and sailed away from Port Royal, but Will had never stopped thinking about their adventures. About the Black Pearl. About Jack.
Pushing his thoughts aside, he kicked his boots off and collapsed into bed. Too tired to undress, he listened to the waves breaking on the shore, and let sleep claim him.