Author's Note : this is my second story to be published to , 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. and your soul. uhh … but pretend you didn't hear that.
Will cracked one eye open cautiously. He was fairly sure the screeching gulls and the sense of rolling movement were only in his imagination, but he wasn't taking any chances. When he felt he wasn't about to be attacked by rampaging birds or be tossed from his bunk, he opened the other eye. He then tried very hard to get his bearings in an unfamiliar room without actually moving any part of his body.
His head hurt. A lot. So much, in fact, that he wondered if he hadn't simply died, and was now trapped in some new, unthinkable region of hell. One where you were plagued with nausea, and you were on some godforsaken boat somewhere (ship, he scolded himself mentally) in the middle of nowhere. Wait … a ship? Why was he on a ship?
Will tried to remember. Unfortunately, that just made his head hurt more. He could picture the men who'd attacked him, and could still feel the jagged bricks against his face. After that? Fuzzy thoughts began to form into familiar sights. Scruffy brown hat. Beaded black hair. Eyes that burned like dying embers. Jack. Jack?
But what did Jack have to do with his current condition?
Using a complex series of pushes and pulls and shoves, he managed to sit up. He looked around the room. It was small, but not claustrophobic. He was on a low bed, which took up most of one wall. The rest of the room was occupied by an empty desk, with a chair, and a shelf above it. A sea-chest sat in one corner, for storage. Everything looked untouched, so he decided he must be in a spare room on the ship. But what ship? And where was Jack?
As if on cue, the door opened, and the pirate in question poked his head in. He caught sight of Will immediately, and studied him for a second before coming the rest of the way into the room.
"Ah. You're up. Gibbs was beginnin' to worry you were really sick, but I know a hangover when I see one." Jack grinned. He pulled out the chair from the desk and sat down. "How're yeh feeling, then?"
The grin on his face belied the concern in his voice, and Will was grateful Jack had shown up when he had. Without him, Will would have been … well, he'd rather not think about it right now. Or at all, for that matter. The point was, Jack had saved him, and Jack was here.
"I feel … ow." He frowned and put a hand to his forehead.
"Aye, I thought as much. You can have some water when you think you can stomach it. I'll have you know there's no vomitin' on this 'ere ship, got it? Can't have you dirtyin' up my precious new floorboards."
Will nodded and fought to keep his stomach under control. After a few moments, he tentatively stood, and noticed for the first time he could really feel the air moving around his chest and back. It dawned on him that he wasn't wearing a shirt. A light blush crept up his neck to his cheeks, and he looked down to his bare chest, and back up at Jack with embarrassment.
"Ah … where's my … ehm …" He hoped in vain that the pirate would catch on, because he wasn't sure there was a tactful way to ask 'Where are my clothes? And why am I half naked?'
Jack just looked at him blankly.
"Why am I not wearing a shirt?" Will demanded, a little more bluntly than he'd intended.
Jack, meanwhile, had followed Will's gaze down the younger man's smooth chest and flat stomach, to the low waist of the breeches he was wearing and the line of tawny brown hair that started just under his navel and inevitably continued under the pants to somewhere more … intriguing. At Will's words, he inhaled sharply and tore his gaze from the boy's stomach to his face, to meet the questioning expression.
"Well, uhm, the thing is … you were runnin' a bit of a fever, see, so we figured it best to make you a bit … cooler and open to the air, like. Yeh'r shirts in the chest over there," he pointed to the corner of the small room, "and your boots are under the bed. You din't have anythin' else with you when we found you."
He paused for a second, and fixed Will with a determined stare. His voice was low when he spoke again.
"What were you doing in Tortuga, then, lad? Where's the lass?"
Will sat down heavily on the bunk. He closed his eyes, but when he realized that Jack wouldn't forget the question, or just leave, he opened them again. The pirate was still watching him.
"Elizabeth and I … oh, it's complicated. We're still engaged, at least, we were when I left. She and her father wanted me to learn how to handle a ship properly, and Norrington agreed to help, but it just … it just wasn't, I don't know, it wasn't right." He looked at Jack, willing him to understand.
The surprise in the pirate's voice was audible. "Wha', you just left, then? Why were you in Tortuga of all places, yeh daft whelp? You could've been killed! In fact, you might'a been if I hadn't noticed you in ti -"
"Oh, shut up, Jack.." Will sighed tiredly. His head still hurt, but he remembered the events of the previous night much more clearly. He tried to explain again. "I told them I was all for learning my way around a ship, but I didn't want to do it with Commodore Norrington. I wanted to learn from … well, from you, Jack. Norrington had heard that you'd be going back to Tortuga soon to get supplies, so I figured I could, I don't know, talk to you. Convince you, bribe you, even, to give me a place on your ship. Except when I got to Tortuga, you weren't there. And nobody'd heard you were coming. I know I should have gone back to Elizabeth but I couldn't. I couldn't …" He had to stop there because he was almost sobbing. He'd found Jack, all right, but things weren't going exactly as he'd thought they would. Now, Jack probably thought he was an idiot, and what was worse was Will agreed. It had been stupid to stay in Tortuga for so long, especially when the only person who'd look out for him was Sean, and he couldn't be everywhere at once.
"Calm down, lad, it's none of my business, I know. I was jus' surprised, tha's'all. I'm honoured you'd want to learn piratey things from me. Ehh … ship … shippy things. Right, tha's your first lesson then. Lesson Number One." He flourished the phrase with an elaborate wave of his hands. "This here," he tapped on the floor with the toe of one boot, "is a ship. The Black Pearl, in fact." He smiled softly. "My Pearl," he said, barely above a whisper. He returned his focus to Will. "You're not well enough yet to be workin' up on deck, so you can stay down 'ere for the rest of the day. We'll see what we can get you tomorrow in the way of education." He grinned again.
Will, on the other hand, didn't believe he needed any such coddling. Real pirates went out, got drunk, and got up in the morning to work for their ship and their captain. Granted, real pirates had a lot more experience with the joys and sorrows of drunkenness, but Will wouldn't let that stop him. He was damned if he'd let them shut him away for the rest of the day when he could start earning his keep now.
He looked Jack calmly in the eye and mustered up the most determined voice he could. "Captain, as part of your crew I must insist that I be allowed to work. Now. I'm not a child anymore and -"
"Aye, aye, I know you're not a child. But yeh've got one hell of a hangover. You must admit tha' much, at least." Jack raised one eyebrow and smiled knowingly. "Besides, yeh don't 'ave your sea-legs yet. You'll likely fall down a lot until you do."
"Oh, come on, Jack, how hard can it -" He rose to his feet, managed two steps, and his legs promptly collapsed under him. He found himself sitting again very quickly. "- be? Huh."
Jack laughed at his dazed expression, then stood. "Just stay 'ere an' rest, lad. We'll be stoppin' at a port tomorrow evenin', so you can get out and get some fresh air if you like. Maybe we'll work on gettin' you a bit o' tolerance for that rum, so's you don' get these hangovers too often, eh?"
Will just groaned and closed his eyes. He lay back in the bed, and pulled the covers up to his chin. Maybe sleep was the best thing. He heard Jack walk to the door, and shut it quietly a few moments later. When he was sure the pirate had gone, he opened his eyes again. His mind wandered back to the point in the conversation when he'd caught Jack staring at his shirtless torso. It was … arousing, to say the least. He'd had feelings like that when he'd kissed Elizabeth, but they were no where near as intense. It was wondrous too, because Jack produced that effect without even touching him. Which, of course, made him wonder what it would be like if Jack did touch him.
He imagined the pirate's hands would be coarse, from working on a ship and sword-fighting for so long. Would he be gentle or rough? The thoughts alone were enough to make his pants tighter than comfortable, but he couldn't help it. His mind kept circling around and around the same principle idea. He wanted to bed a man. A pirate. Captain Jack Sparrow. His captain. His eyes drifted shut and he fell into a restless sleep.
The next day couldn't start early enough for Will's liking. He'd been cooped up in his room for too long, and wanted to start working now. When he heard the fairly steady stream of footsteps outside his door, he got up, dressed, and made his way out.
The ship was pretty much as he remembered it, but much cleaner. The white linen sails the crew had flown when rescuing Jack had been replaced with those of deep black. Will imagined that the Black Pearl would definitely be a sight to remember, even from a distance. The damage wrought by cannon-fire and years of abuse under Barbossa's reign had been lovingly patched and mended, with only faint scars to show for it. Jack was right. She really was beautiful.
Will made his way to the helm, where he spotted Jack at the wheel. He approached the captain warily, unsure of how to act.
"Captain …" he started.
Jack whirled around. "Ah! Lad, there you are. I was going to send Mr. Cotton's parrot in to bother you if you didn't get up soon. But here you are. So you may begin your training in the ancient brotherhood of piracy." Jack beamed at him.
"Brotherhood? No one said anything about a -"
"Oh, 's just a formality." Jack waved a hand vaguely at him. "But we do have a code you know. Very civil lot, us pirates. Hmm … now, what shall we have you work on? Ah, I know. Mr. Crimp! If you'd be so kind …" As Crimp approached, Jack motioned at Will. "'Ere, show Will the ropes, will you? I mean literal, like. Show 'im how to control the main sails and the masthead. That'll keep 'im busy enough." Jack turned his back to Will once more, dismissing him.
"Yes, Cap'n," said Crimp. Will did the same, then followed the other man down from the helm to the port side of the ship, where massive ropes were coiled like vines, leading up into the confusing mass of sails and branches above. Crimp was a patient man by nature, for which Will was grateful. They got to talking as they worked, and thanks to the relaxed atmosphere, Will learned quickly and truly enjoyed the tasks. Maybe piracy really wasn't so bad, after all.
Will didn't know the name of the small port-town they stopped in. He didn't really care. He was feeling much better, but was bored out of his mind just sitting around. He didn't really want to drink if he could help it, but he'd be happy just walking around for a bit, stretching his legs.
He wasn't worried about any more attacks like last time, since most of the Pearl's crew would be around the town and would defend him if he needed it. Will was confident he could defend them, too, if need be.
He stopped outside one of the many taverns when he recognized some of the many voices coming from inside. Jack was in there, as well as Duncan, Cotton, and Gibbs. Just as Will was deciding whether to go in and have a drink with them or continue walking, the door seemed to burst open, and some of Will's fellow pirate crew spilled into the street. A couple tripped over their own feet and sat laughing at themselves; others staggered into dark alleys to relieve their stomachs of their contents. A few were still standing, though, including the captain himself, Duncan, and an attractive young man Will had never seen before.
While the others moved off in different directions, Duncan caught up with Jack, pulling the unfamiliar young man by the sleeve. He whispered something into Jack's ear, then gestured back at the young man as if to make a point. Jack looked from one to the other, then nodded and waved his hand. The two younger men grinned at him, then did something that caught Will completely off-guard. They kissed. Hard. When they parted, both were still smiling, but they were panting slightly and there was a feral look in their eyes. They hurried off into the dark towards an inn down the street.
Will jogged to catch up with Jack, and walked silently alongside him for a few moments before turning towards him. "Who was that with Duncan just now?" he asked.
"Oh, 'e's just a lad who lives in these 'ere parts. Very friendly to the likes of us pirates, if you know wha' I mean … 'E and Duncan 'ave been makin' baby eyes at each other since the firs' time we stopped 'ere. Young love, eh?" He grinned and nudged Will in the ribs.
Will stopped walking after Jack had told his little story. He'd always heard that pirates were more liberal than most, and indeed, what were 30-odd men supposed to do with themselves during the long weeks at sea? He was elated, though, that Jack seemed so comfortable with the idea. But he wouldn't be satisfied with that. He had to press the matter further. He had to be sure. He called out to where the pirate was stumbling around a few strides ahead of him.
"But Captain, they're both men."
Jack pulled a bottle of rum from one of his many coat pockets and took a long drink. When he turned to face Will, his customary swaying seemed to have taken on a distinctly sinister edge. There was a glint in his eyes that Will hadn't seen since they'd dealt with Barbossa, back in the caves on the Isla de Muerta. Jack took a couple of slow steps forward. The drunken leer was gone, and with it any evidence of his usual madness. His voice was soft and deliberate when he spoke.
"Would that be a problem for you, then, young Turner?" he asked.
Will was momentarily speechless. He cleared his throat before trusting his voice to reply.
"No. I was surprised, that's all." He smiled lightly. "But a pirate's business is his own, and no one else's."
Jack took another two steps forward, into Will's very personal space, and regarded him closely for a few moments. Just as Will was about to say something to break the tension, the moment passed, and Jack was grinning again, all gold teeth and waving hands. As he started to wander away back towards the ship, Will let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Something told him he'd just successfully completed Lesson Number Two.
::: And now for something completely different :::
Alexis-Greenleaf : I know Will getting drunk doesn't sound too in-character, but I'm trying to let him expand a bit. He wants to be a pirate, and pirates drink rum, so he starts drinking rum. Also, he's probably a bit depressed that Jack hasn't shown up. Drinking is one of those classic ways of forgetting one's sorrows, neh? Thanks for pointing it out, though!
Padfoots-Pirate : mmm ... piiiiie. heh. thanks
Falanita and "..." (great name oO) : I'm definitely taking your suggestions into consideration. Keep 'em coming!
To everyone else who's reviewed : Thank you THANK YOU! Seeing your encouraging reviews really did help me get my butt in gear and thinking about where this story is going. It's all for you.