WAKI 19

"Cabin boy!" Jack shouted from his cabin door. "Get your scrawny lil' arse over here, or I shall be forced to ravage you in front of the entire crew."

The ship went silent. All eyes turned to Will, who up until that very moment had been mopping the deck. The mop was now in pieces, each one clenched in Will's hands so tight it was a wonder they didn't turn into diamonds right then and there.

"Well?" The captain called out again, the expression on his face one of utmost innocence, mixed with the righteous irritation of one who is waiting for something he shouldn't have to wait for. "Are you coming or not?"

Moving mechanically, Will shoved the broken broom into Marty the Midget's startled arms and stomped across the deck.

Jack held the door open for him like the chivalrous gentleman he was, smirking his peculiar smirk as the enraged young man quite deliberately kicked him in the shins as he walked by.

With a final, eyebrow wriggling glance at the rest of the crew, he shut the door behind them.

"Well…" Said Marty, looking down at the inch-thick wooden splinters in his hands. "Look's like the cap'n's gettin' back ta his old self."

"Nah." Said Gibbs, leaning against the nearby railing. "This ain't like the cap'n

'tall. Ship-board relations is strictly off limits, even ta him. 'Specially ta him. They make thin's complicated."

"Then what's he doin?" Marty asked, scratching his bald little head. "If he ain't gonna bed tha boy, why bother wit all the squawkin'?"

"I ain't got the slightest idea." Gibbs sighed, pulling out his flask and taking a long, stiff drink.

The door clicked shut behind them. Will stood in the middle of the captain's cabin, hands balled into fists and shaking with the effort it took to not turn around and slam them into the other man's face. Or at least that's what he told himself. The hands themselves were of the belief that they were resisting latching on to the pirate captain's shirt and forcing him to engage in a nice snog. Either way, it was better for everyone if his hands stayed where they were.

"Will."

Jack's voice, but not Jack's voice. Too flat, too serious, devoid of the boundless energy that had made Jack so appealing. Will didn't respond.

"Will, we need to talk." It was an order, not a question.

"Really?" Will snapped. "I thought you were going to ravage me."

"Maybe later." The captain circled around, the hard soles of his boots surprisingly soft against the worn wooden floor.

Will refused to look at him.

Jack flopped down into his chair, watching the younger man's expression carefully. He picked up his compass, flipped it open. Smiled quietly and put it back down. Sat up straight and got right to the point.

"Anamaria thinks you're in love with me. I think you're just wanting a good romp. Which one is it?"

Will choked, his honey brown eyes flying very wide. He worked his mouth uselessly, looking like some sort of fish gasping for breath on the deck of the ship. His face flushed bright pink, right from the edge of his hairline down in between the little hairs of his goatee.

"Wh… What kind of question is that?!?" He sputtered, absolutely flabbergasted.

"A very simple one." Jack deadpanned, leaning back and pressing his fingertips together in a strangely diabolical way. "One which should give an intelligent young man such as yerself very little trouble. What are you after, a couple o' nights sleepin' in a real bed, or someone to have an' hold?"

Will gapped. Of all the things he had been expecting, this was not one of them. How exactly what he supposed to provide a reasonable response when the answer was 'all of the above'?

"Tell me, cabin boy." The captain's dark eyes burned into his soul. "Are you in love with me or not?"

The world went quiet. The sea stopped whispering, the ship stopped groaning, the wind stopped singing through the sails. The entire planet hushed itself out of respect.

Will finally looked up. His face had changed, somehow. He no longer looked so scared and alone. The weakness usually inherent in his features melted away, and a certain kind of strength took its place.

"Yes. Yes, I am."