Chapter Six The Morning After
Will was surprised, when he woke the next morning, to find Jack pressed up against his back, one arm laying limply across his chest. He hadn't expected the pirate to stay with him the whole night, although he supposed that it was only logical since it was Jack's bed they had finally fallen asleep in. Waking upside someone, however, seemed far too like some form of commitment for him to readily associate it with Jack.
He had dreamt of waking up beside Elizabeth, long before he had met Jack, and then he had believed the action meant love, on both their behalves. Apparently it didn't, though, because as much as it pained him, he knew that Jack didn't love him that way, and likely never would.
That didn't mean that it didn't feel good.
He smiled slightly, contentment settling into his bones, and closed his eyes. He wanted to prolong the moment for as long as he could.
The next time he woke, he could feel warm breath on his ear, and the arm on his chest had tightened its hold, feeling almost possessive in its grip. His smile widened, and he shifted against Jack, enjoying the faint hitch in the pirate's breath as he did so.
"'Morning," he whispered softly, not wanting to disrupt the almost idyllic mood that he had settled into.
"'Morning," Jack replied, voice still husky with sleep. He tugged gently on Will's arm, and Will rolled himself over so that they were facing.
Jack was wearing a sleepy, but sated smile, and his hair, usually groomed to at least presentable standards, was a mess of tangles around his head. An amused grin threatened to break out on Will's face at the sight, but was interrupted when Jack, breath hot against Will's face, leaned in and kissed him.
Will couldn't think of a more perfect way to be greeted in the morning.
Jack pulled back fairly quickly, though, a faintly regretful look on his face. "Duty calls, young William," Jack said, and Will barely repressed a flinch at Jack's use of the word young when talking about him. After the previous night, it seemed wrong somehow.
Will inclined his head in a slight nod, and Jack swung himself off the bed, dressing almost as if he were in a hurry. He left the room without another word.
Will spent several minutes simply staring at the door Jack had left through, his heart pounding strangely fast. He felt tired suddenly, and allowed himself to fall backwards, staring up at the ceiling blankly.
The previous night had been wonderful, he supposed, but now that it was morning, and he was alone with nothing but his thoughts for company, he couldn't keep himself from dwelling on what would happen next.
Last night had meant very little to Jack, Will knew that without being told, and from what he had heard, meaningless sex never went very far. He would be lucky if he lasted even a few days with Jack, before the pirate tired of him and began to look for someone more to his liking. It wasn't something that Will would ever want, but nor was it something that he could do anything about.
Jack was simply Jack. A pirate, albeit a handsome one that Will was quite certain he was falling in love with, who cared for nothing more than his ship, and his freedom. It was who Jack was, and Will wasn't about to do anything to change that, even if doing so would benefit him. He couldn't. Jack meant far too much for him to do so.
He didn't want this. Didn't want to feel this way when he was given nothing in return. Didn't want to mean nothing to Jack, when the pirate meant so much more to him. Didn't want the gnawing feeling inside him that was busy telling him that what he felt was his own fault, that he'd gotten what he'd asked for, and that nothing else would ever compare.
He closed his eyes, burying his face in the pillow that smelt so strongly of Jack, and wished, not for the first time, that he was somewhere else.
He was woken once more, this time by Jack shaking his shoulder roughly and repeating his name several times over.
When he opened his eyes, he found Jack's face inches from his own, looking down at him with an expression of frustration.
When he seemed certain that Will was awake, Jack pulled away, sitting down on the bed beside Will and threading his fingers together, expression suddenly thoughtful.
"Will," he said, voice so serious that Will found himself dreading what he was going to say. "We need to talk."
A/N: Once again, I'm so sorry for the amazingly long time between updates. .:blushes:. Real life intruded, once more, this time in the form of ridiculous amounts of schoolwork and assignments. Damn Year 12 – only 15 weeks to go.
I don't like this chapter as much of the others, doesn't seem to flow quite right, and that's probably because it's been so long since I last updated. Incentive to get the next chapter done quicker, I guess.
Hope you enjoyed it though.