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Birthday ficcage!
Call myself an LJ user and I don't even update on my birthday. Oh well, time for that later. More importantly;
Happy birthday,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tammaiya! Once again, we are the same age... *sighs*
And here is your present. 6,680 words of pirates. Warnings for fluff, witty banter, OOC everybody, very quick scene changes, really odd formatting of quotation marks due to evil LJ, and the Magical Disappearing Hangover. And I never want to see an italics tag again in my entire life.
A Pirate And A Good Man
''Nice hat.''
Captain Jack Sparrow didn't lift his head from his arms, although he smirked knowingly down at the rough wooden table.
'' 'Tis, isn't it?''
''New?''
''New enough.'' Jack unfolded himself from his normal sitting position, slouched possessively around an almost-empty bottle of rum, and stood up. ''I stole it.''
''Thought as much.''
''When you take a ship, you take whatever you fancy with it – including items of apparel from the captain,'' he said, swigging the dregs of his rum bottle and lurching around finally to face the other speaker. ''Pirate law, Will.''
''Of course.'' Will Turner smiled. ''And whose ship did you steal?''
Jack winced. ''Now, lad, that's such a nasty word...''
''Commandeer?'' the blacksmith suggested with mock politeness.
''Commandeer,'' Jack agreed. ''I happened to commandeer a ship from our lovely friend Anamaria.''
''What, again?'' Will asked in disbelief. ''Last I heard, you only just gave it to her.''
''All's fair on the high seas, lad.'' Jack shrugged. ''I did give her a three-day head start, you know.''
''And then you stole it back.''
''What was that?''
''Commandeered it back.''
''Damn right I did.''
There was silence, the friendly banter suddenly losing the wind from its sails and dragging to an abrupt, becalmed halt. Jack took another useless swig of the empty bottle, one of his feet tapping uneasily, and Will's hand idly tightened about the hilt of his sword as he looked around the smoky room.
''Well?''
Jack cursed inwardly, and he was good at cursing. Will wanted to talk. He didn't want to talk, at least not about the things that Will obviously had in mind. He wanted to sing. Or something. Not talk.
''Well what?''
''Jack!'' Will exploded forcibly, drawing a couple of glances from nearby tables. ''You know bloody well what!''
''Fine.'' The pirate sighed, and decided to get it over with as soon as possible. ''What're you doing here?''
Will took a deep breath. ''Well, I –''
''Oh hell, lad, couldn't we at least get drunk first?'' interrupted Jack miserably, waving the bottle. ''If I'm going to have to listen to the tragic tale of your sorry love life I'd rather not be sober at the same time.''
''You don't look particularly sober,'' Will said, shooting a pointed look at the other empty bottles lined up neatly along the table.
''Circumstantial evidence, mate,'' Jack said expansively. ''Takes more than that to get Captain Jack Sparrow drunk.''
''Good. I'd prefer to talk to you knowing that you'll actually remember the conversation the next morning.''
''I dunno, the boy's been back two minutes and already he's trying to order me around,'' Jack muttered, tossing a couple of coins onto the table. ''Right, then. We'll do it your way. But not a ruddy word 'til we're on the Pearl and I can stand properly again.''
They left the inn, Will smiling as he followed in Jack's swaggering wake. Jack had always claimed that he needed the rocking of a ship to compensate for his own swaying gait, something that made no sense unless you were Captain Jack Sparrow. In which case you made your own logic and somehow managed to convince others that it was sensible, just long enough for you to charm them or swindle them or steal the boat from under their feet.
It was crazy. But Jack could make it work.
~
''Captain Sparrow?''
''What?''
Anamaria stood firmly in Jack's way and looked meaningfully at Will, who stood two paces behind him on the gangway.
''Oh, bloody hell.'' Jack pulled some coins from his pocket and flicked them to her irritably.
''Why, thank you,'' she said in mock surprise. ''Nice to see ya, Turner.'' She winked at him and touched her hat mockingly, then stepped out of their way.
''What was that about?'' Will asked, trying to keep up with Jack as he strode angrily towards the captain's cabin.
''Bet,'' Jack said shortly.
''...And?''
''You don't need the details.''
“I see.” Will’s mouth twitched.
Jack refused to say another word until they were inside, and he had slammed the door forcefully to cut out the sound of laughter coming from the majority of his crew. He sat down in the large chair at the head of the table, and crossed his feet on the table in front of him – his usual position of repose.
“Now – why don’t you say what you came to say?” he said bluntly.
“What? Oh…” Will’s head jerked around from where he had been inspecting the cabin. He hadn’t been inside since it was Barbossa’s realm, and Jack had very obviously decided to redecorate. He resisted the urge to tell the pirate that ‘less is more’. Probably wouldn’t make any sense to someone like Jack anyway. “Okay.” He paused only for a fraction of a second before going on. “I want to join your crew.”
“I see.” Jack hesitated, trying to decide which of the many possibly courses he was going to plot here. He eventually decided on the most obvious. “Why? Don’t tell me – her father wouldn’t let you marry, right?”
“No…” Will looked uncomfortable. “He agreed, actually.”
“Really? Then… she got cold feet? You did? I’m surprised, the way you two moon around each oth –“
“I told her I wasn’t in love with her.”
This didn’t produce as extreme a reaction as Will had – hoped? Feared? Jack closed his eyes for a moment, and sighed.
“And why the blazes did you go and do a daft thing like that, Will?” he murmured, opening his eyes again to catch the blacksmith’s eye.
“Because…it’s the truth,” Will said heavily.
“Oh, so I was just imagining all the pining and sighing and moonstruck looks, then?”
“No…I…I was in love with her. Maybe I still am. I don’t know anymore.”
“So why are you here?“ The question hang in the air for a moment
“Jack –“ He looked agonised.
“No.” His voice was soft and deadly. “Don’t you dare say it, Will.”
“But –“
“Don’t you dare.”
“But –“
“That was an order!”
Will’s mouth snapped closed of its own volition, and his eyes flashed with furious pride for a second before he lowered them. Jack looked away, and a tense silence filled the room.
“If I’m taking orders from you…” It was Will who spoke first, quietly and neutrally. “…does that mean you’ve accepted my request? Can I come on board the Pearl?”
Jack’s immediate impulse was to flatly refuse, but the boy looked so bloody pathetic just standing there…and it wasn’t as if he had anywhere else to go. There was no chance of a warm reception with a woman that he’d abandoned – Jack could vouch for that, many times over. And the thought of Will – naïve, earnest Will – joining another ship didn’t sit right with him. Not all of the Captains were as easygoing as he was, and as someone with very little experience, Will would be either refused or victimised. If the damn lad just kept his mouth shut…
“There’s many a pirate who’d be very glad of a spot on the Pearl,” he said eventually, having made up his mind but deciding not to show it yet. “Why should I take you on?”
“I can work a ship.”
“Like hell you can. You’ve had – what, a week’s experience actually working as a sailor? I normally wouldn’t take an apprentice with less than two years under their belt.”
“You can trust me.”
“I trust everyone on this ship. And I’m not in urgent need of any new hands.”
“For my father,” Will said softly.
Jack widened his eyes sharply and whistled. But it he’d just about run out of excuses, and… it was a good reason.
“That was a bit low, lad.” he said eventually. “I’ve already helped you once on your father’s name. But never let it be said that Captain Jack Sparrow doesn’t honour memories.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” Jack sighed, then thought of something. “How did you get to Tortuga, anyway?”
“Norrington dropped me there.”
“Norrington?”
“He’s not that bad, really.”
“Norrington? ”
“It was a bit hard to convince him not to leap off the ship and arrest everyone on the entire island, but he agreed in the end.”
“Norring -“ Jack broke off, aware that he was beginning to sound somewhat idiotic. “That wig-wearing prat?”
“I told him I was giving up Elizabeth.” Will smiled sadly. “He would have taken me almost anywhere – I think he was glad I wanted to go somewhere as remote as Tortuga.”
Jack’s mouth twitched. “That makes sense.” He sighed and stood up. “Well, we may as well do the damn thing properly. Come on deck and I’ll introduce you to the crew formally.”
“Before you do –“
“What?”
“The bet with Anamaria. Explain it.”
“Bloody hell.” Jack looked embarrassed. “She asked after you, soon after I took control of the Pearl. And then she bet me five silver pieces that you’d be back. Bloody woman’s too smart for her own good, she is.”
“I see.” Will looked like he was wavering between amusement and uncertainty. Eventually he gave a rueful smile and opened the door of the cabin without saying anything further.
~
“All hands on deck, you sons of landlocked filth!” Jack yelled casually. There wasn’t much point, as they were still safely in harbour and thus most of the crew were simply lounging around the deck anyway – most within a suspicious distance of the captain’s cabin – but one had to keep up appearances.
“Most of you know young Will Turner,” he continued once they’d all assembled into something resembling a group. “Son of Bootstrap Bill,” he added for emphasis. “He’ll be joining the Pearl. ”
And that was it. A few of the newer members of his crew were hastily given the background story by those who had been there for the Aztec gold incident, and eyed Will curiously.
And out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Mr Cotton toss Anamaria a coin.
~
“Throw me that rope, son.”
“Don’t call me that!”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Hurry up.”
Will threw him the rope, a dark frown clouding his face. Jack expertly tied the end of it to a spar, lashing the sail into the wind.
“I wish you’d stop that,” Will muttered darkly.
“What?”
“Calling me ‘son’ all the time. You’re not that much older than me.”
“I knew your father,” Jack reminded him. “I captained your father.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.” Will looked smug. “I’ve been talking to some of the others. You were the youngest captain that Tortuga has ever seen.”
“Yes, well.” Jack looked proud, despite himself. “I’m the best pirate the world has ever –“
“I was just making a point.”
“Point taken. “Jack sighed. “Why did we start this little conversation, again?”
“Your annoyingly patronising honorifics.”
Jack blinked and worked his way through that sentence.
“Oh. Well then, have it your own way. It’s just a habit, anyway. I picked it up from –“ he blinked again in a not entirely pleasant realisation “ – from your father.”
“He called you ‘son’?”
“It pissed me off no end…” Jack leaned absently against a mast and stared into the distance. “Came very close to ordering him to stop. I got used to it, eventually.”
“I have no intention of getting used to it.” Something in Will’s voice warned Jack that it was better to keep his eyes averted.
“Would you prefer what I called Elizabeth, then?” he asked lightly, and then immediately wished he hadn’t as his brain caught up.
“I –“
“Will. ”
“I know.” Will followed his gaze out to the horizon.
“I suppose he was almost like a father, sometimes,” Jack said suddenly. A desperate attempt to change the subject, and one that he hadn’t meant to be quite that serious. Or that true.
“Is that why you turned out like him?”
“What?” Jack frowned.
“A pirate. And a good man.”
“I’m not a good man,” Jack said bluntly. “Oh, I’m honest when it suits me, but I’m not good. Don’t argue this one with me, Will,” he said sharply, cutting the younger man off as he opened his mouth to disagree. “There’s no such thing as a pirate and a good man. If you ever found one, he’d go down in history.”
“But you said my father –“
“I lied.” Jack sounded amused. “I wanted to get a rise out of you, and that was the one thing that you were definitely going to snap at. Your father was a good man, but he was never a good pirate. The fact that he had you shows that. Pirates don’t get tied down.”
“And what about me?” Will sounded angry.
“You?” Jack finally turned to meet Will’s gaze. “Nah. You’re a good man, Will. But you’ll never be a good pirate. You’ve got too much heart for that.”
“Elizabeth was wrong, then,” was all Will said.
“Wrong?”
“She wanted me to be a pirate, but she wanted a loving husband as well.”
“Oxymoron, lad.”
“Now who’s using long words?” Will sighed and leaned against the side of the ship. “I still feel a bit bad about deserting her.”
“Then why don’t you go back?”
Will didn’t appear to hear him. ''I bought her a dog. A farewell present, of sorts.''
''That's nice,'' said Jack vaguely.
''She called it Jack.''
''What?''
''Oh yes.'' Will's smile was very wide and bordering on smug.
''Why me?'' the pirate demanded tragically. ''What is it about me that spurs people to name their bloody pets after me? Do I look like an animal to – no, don't you dare answer that, Will...''
''Me?'' The young man in question blinked innocently.
''You were thinking it.'' Jack scowled.
“I – ah, damn.” Will looked up as more drops of rain spattered his face. “Where did that come from?”
“Storms come up fast, out here.” Jack scanned the horizon with an expert eye. “Better get inside, lad. Let us deal with this. You’d be better off cutting your teeth on something a little smaller, I think.”
Will thought about arguing but glanced again at the rapidly massing clouds and the steadily increasing rain, and nodded. “Okay.”
~
“Rum, need – what the bloody blazes are you doing here?” Jack stopped in his tracks and dripped a mix of rain and seawater onto the floor of his cabin, glaring at the blacksmith sitting sheepishly on the side of the table.
“You told me to get inside. This was closest. And it’s got the most comfortable chairs.”
“Find your own damn cabin.” But he made no attempt to throw Will out, just moved to pull a large bottle from a side cupboard and took a deep swig. “I always need to drink after a storm.”
“Is there any time you don’t need to drink?”
“That wasn’t a justification, Will,” he said airily. “I was simply explaining the facts of the matter.” Jack wandered over to his chair and sat down. He planted his feet onto the table, where they proceeded to drip dirty water onto a pile of maps. Will pushed them out of the way with an irritated sigh.
“Relax, lad,” Jack said with amusement. “I stand by my earlier assertion.”
“Which would be?”
“You need to find yourself a girl.”
“Hmm.” Will smiled, but didn’t rise to the bait. He examined the ceiling for a while, then sighed. The question came out of nowhere.
“Who's the only woman you've ever loved, Jack?"
Jack smirked and put his hat over his eyes.
"Anamaria," he said flippantly, just to see what would happen.
Thunk.
"Bullshit."
Jack tipped the hat back just enough to see the axe embedded in the table two inches from his feet, still trembling slightly from the force of the throw. A good reaction, all things considered.
"Curse me, the boy's gone and developed a temper and a tongue as rough as his father's."
"Tell the truth."
"Will, lad, remind me again what a dishonest man can always be counted on to do?"
"Tell it anyway." Will put his hands on either side of the axe and leaned forward. "It's the Pearl, isn't it?"
The hat rose all the way, and Jack looked carefully into the boy's sharp brown eyes. Will was an enigma in some ways, and this was one of them. The pirate captain was fairly certain that at least part of his feelings about this was jealousy, which was something that he hated to admit even to himself. But Will had the art of appearing much less intelligent than he actually was – something that Jack himself cultivated. But whilst Jack could seldom resist an opportunity to prove others wrong and suddenly flaunt his cleverness like a very bright hat, Will was prepared to keep it hidden until absolutely necessary.
Or until he wanted something very badly, and at the moment he was obviously determined to drag an admission of some kind out of Jack.
"Aye," he said after a moment, blinking vaguely.
“Can you pull yourself out of stubborn denial for long enough to admit that I might need you in the same way?”
It actually took a few seconds for the significance of that question to sink into Jack’s head, but when it did he stood up with a bang.
“I believe,” he said tightly, “we had agreed not to-“
“Screw that, Jack!” He’d never seen Will this angry. “You’re bloody well going to listen to me!”
“No. I’m not.”
“Fine,” Will snapped. “But since it’s quite obvious that you know what I’m going to say anyway, I wish you all the best in trying to keep it out of your head!”
And he stormed out of the cabin, leaving Jack cursing the both of them to hell and back. Because Will had just made it impossible for him to think about anything else – which had obviously been his intention from the very beginning.
Captain Jack Sparrow was not a coward. But the only option that he could seriously consider in this situation was to run.
Metaphorically, of course.
~
“You’re what?”
“Firing you,” Jack said coolly. He’d left this until the last minute, but they were about to pull into dock and it had to be said some time.
“But –“
“William Turner. Did I or did I not make it clear that a certain topic was not going to come up?”
Will’s eyes flashed angrily. “Very clear. Captain. ”
“Very well then. This isn’t Tortuga – you’ll be able to either get passage back to Port Royal or join another ship if that is your wish. I’ll give you pay and a recommendation. Now –“ Jack’s voice shook slightly. “Get back out of my life and stay there.”
“What is it, Jack?” Will asked, picking up the pouch of money that the pirate had indicated. “Why can’t you deal with this? You seem to be able to deal with anything else that life can throw at you – why not this?”
“I don’t know.” Jack closed his eyes. “Leave. Please.”
There was a slight pause, then… “Alright.”
“The recommendation?” Jack gestured to the paper that had been next to the pouch. Will shook his head and smiled faintly.
“I won’t need it.” He turned to leave, glancing back only once when he reached the door.
Jack caught Will’s eye one last time. And said the only thing that came into his head, damnably flippant though it was.
“Will…it would never have worked between us, darlin'. I’m sorry.”
And that was the only time that Captain Jack Sparrow could remember apologising to someone and actually meaning it.
~
He knew something was wrong as soon as he stepped on board, and took a quick drink from the flask of rum at his belt. If there was trouble, he was facing it with the stable comfort of alcohol behind him. There was a small knot of people on deck, and a hum of noise that died down as soon as he was noticed.
“Well?” Jack sighed.
Someone was pushed to the front of the group. Jack somehow wasn’t surprised that it was Will. The boy had left easily enough and no-one had seen him for almost a week, but the ship was pulling out of port tomorrow. And to tell the truth, the pirate captain had been a little suspicious that Will had given up that easily. Relieved, for certain – but he knew the other man far too well.
“I thought I’d fired him,” he snapped to the crew in general.
“You did,” Anamaria answered calmly, “but you never said anything about denying him access on board ship. Besides –“ she smiled in a way that Jack recognised and really didn’t like “- he invoked the Code.”
“I’m going to fight this out with you, Jack.” Will’s voice was just as calm as Anamaria’s had been. “And if we have to do it here on deck, then so be it.”
Jack stared at him for a moment, then gritted his teeth and gave up. “Fine!” he almost yelled. “But not out here. And the rest of you can bloody well get back to whatever you were doing.”
“Aye, Captain,” Anamaria said, only half-mockingly.
~
Jack wondered just how many more times he was going to be stuck in his cabin with Will and an uncomfortable conversation. It seemed to be one of those things that were unavoidable – maybe he should just accept it and make it as painless as possible.
"And what was it you were wanting?" Jack turned around suddenly in one almost drunken movement and raised his eyebrows.
"Parlez. " Will's voice was even.
"Parlez?" Jack took a swig of his flask and forced his face into an incredulous expression. "You want to negotiate terms?"
"Yes." Will raised his chin. "I do."
Jack regarded him for a moment. "Nah," he said eventually. "I don't think so, Will."
"Very well."
"Hey –" But Will had snatched the flask from Jack's hand and sprung onto the table. "You little –"
The pirate stopped short and raised his hands involuntarily, eyeing the blade pointed in his direction warily. It was singularly unfair that Will could use an axe and a sword. His gaze then moved mournfully to the small bottle, which Will's other hand was currently dangling above his head.
"Parlez, " said the blacksmith firmly.
"Now come on…" Jack flailed for the flask, in vain. "That's hardly fair, mate."
"Parlez. "
"Fine, fine," Jack said sulkily. "We'll have our little chat. Now give a man back his rum."
Will dropped the bottle casually, and Jack dove to catch it, muttering something just loud enough for the other man to hear.
“That’s anatomically impossible, you do know that, right?” said Will calmly.
“Shut up.”
“I know you don’t want to talk about this,” he continued. “However, I’m not going to stop chasing you until we can at least come to a resolution of some sort.”
Jack gave him a long, considering look. “I’m sort of coming to grips with that,” he said sarcastically.
“You know why I’m here,” Will said, voice very soft. “And don’t try and tell me that you can ignore your own feelings, because I know you better than that.”
Jack really, really wished that his flask was bigger. And that…
“You would be a lot easier to get along with, lad, if you weren’t always so bloody right, ” he whispered.
Will smiled, a true smile, and Jack’s mind resigned itself to being outnumbered by his feelings. It wasn’t going down without a fight, though.
“Go ahead. Find your bloody resolution.”
Will leaned forward.
"What was it you told me a ship was to you? What the Pearl has always been?"
"I really haven't the faintest why you're asking me these bloomin' questions when you already know the answers, Will."
"Freedom." The blacksmith appeared to ignore this comment and looked at him earnestly. "The love of your life has always been freedom. And I've got just enough pirate blood in me to want the same."
"The darling little Miss Swann –"
"She doesn't represent freedom. Not in the way I want."
There was a pause, and then Jack spoke softly, his voice losing just a little of its normal mocking drawl.
"Right, Will. My ship has always been my freedom. But your pirate blood ain’t enough for her to mean the same to you. So I'm thinking you be meanin' something different."
"I think we're in exactly the same boat, Jack."
"If that was an attempt at a very poor joke –"
“You said it yourself. Pirates don’t get tied down. But you’re tied to this ship and this life because being bound to it is the only way you can set yourself free.”
“Well, look, the boy’s waxing philosophical,” Jack said sarcastically, but his heart wasn’t in it. Will’s words had hit far too close to home.
“I’ve already covered this,” Will said impatiently. “This is what I need. This life. And you.”
“And did you never stop to think about what I might want?” Jack said, annoyed. “Did you never think that it was a bit selfish to decide this solely on your own wants –“
“Decide?” Will said dangerously. “Oh, no. I didn’t ask for this, Jack. Do you think this was what I wanted? I had a plan for my life, and none of this was supposed to happen. I was going to get my own forge, somehow find a way to marry Elizabeth, and be happy. And I was perfectly content with that. But you – you weren’t in the Grand Plan, Jack.” He was wavering between despair and anger. “Not ever.”
“I’m notoriously difficult to plan for, dear boy,” Jack said, his sense of humour reasserting itself despite the situation. “It’s because I’m so devilishly unpredictable, you know.”
“An honest man…” Will said with a half-smile.
“Only sometimes.” Jack sighed. “Can we get to the point of this before I lose my nerve and walk out?”
“You want me to be blunt?”
Jack gave him a dirty look. “It’s a bit too late for that.”
"You are my freedom."
“…not that blunt,” Jack managed to croak. Will was looking at him in a singularly unnerving way.
“That’s the only way I can explain it,” Will said with a mixture of helplessness and defiance that only served to melt Jack’s brain a little further. “You need the Pearl – and I need you.”
~
Captain Jack Sparrow reflected sourly that he seemed to be doing altogether too much running away, these days.
~
It was funny, Jack reflected, squinting thoughtfully down at the empty rum bottle, that he had to get drunk to be able to think about Will with any degree of sobriety. Usually his mind just shied away from the topic and found easier things to focus on.
That was it, Jack realised suddenly – or as suddenly as he could manage, given that thoughts had to sneak up on him slowly when he was drunk if they wanted to stand any chance of being noticed. Most things in his life were simple. But Will… Will was complex. Will was far too many things at once.
Right, Jack thought as firmly as possible. He was going to work out exactly how he felt about Will, because the damn boy had bullied him into it. That was a thing about Will – he wasn’t cunning by nature, which was one of the things that made him so appealing. But he did have just enough pirate blood in him to be able to manage guile on occasion – he’d certainly caught on to Jack’s trick with the gold quickly enough, when they were fighting Barbossa. And Jack had the uncomfortable feeling that he’d just been thoroughly emotionally blackmailed.
The problem, he decided eventually, was not that he didn’t love Will. Much as he might try and deny it, the fact was there. The problem was just as complex as Will himself, and involved a large war between his head and his emotions.
The object of his thoughts stuck his head round the mast, looking depressed. “Want to go find a bar and get drunk?”
“I already am drunk,” Jack managed sulkily.
“Drunker?”
“Why not?”
~
It wasn’t until Will was thoroughly plastered – which actually didn’t take all that long – that Jack figured out that he’d been manipulated again. Whilst he was still capable of rational thought – long years of drinking having given him something of an immunity in that area – his resolve and logic were rapidly crumbling. And from the satisfied, hazy and altogether gorgeous look on Will’s face, the younger man was quite aware of this, and very pleased with himself.
Jack groaned and threw a half-empty bottle forcibly away from him. “I hate you.”
“No, y’don’t…” Will waved a finger vaguely.
“No, I really think I do.”
“Jack, c’n I ask’ya somethin’?” Despite everything, Will managed to look serious.
“Yes?”
“C’n I kiss you?”
“…no?” Jack finally managed.
“You paus’d.”
Jack was going to protest this, but found that when he was being kissed enthusiastically it was difficult to speak. Alcohol really was evil.
But that thought was quickly replaced by a multitude of others, as Jack closed his eyes and resigned himself to the inevitable.
Kissing Will was running his hands over the wheel of the Pearl, feeling the smoothness of the wood and flicking it smoothly to one side, and having the deck shudder in response beneath his feet.
Kissing Will was laughing in the midst of a storm, pulling ropes and shouting orders and feeling the unmistakable exhilaration of facing death and coming away victorious.
Kissing Will was looking in every direction and seeing nothing but a seamless blue horizon, and knowing that you could sail on until the horizon swallowed you but there would always be another one.
Kissing Will was standing in the very top of the rigging, one arm around the mast and the other holding his compass, singing softly to himself and hearing the tune carried away by the warm breeze that caressed his face.
“That’s interesting,” he murmured, pulling back slightly. “The boy was right.”
“Hmm? What?” Will’s eyes were still half-closed and he looked dazed and drunk and delicious and damn…
When Jack pulled back after that, he had to wait a second before his breath returned enough to speak.
“That,” he said with satisfaction, “is what freedom tastes like.”
“So… s’much…” Will seemed to be having trouble forming words.
“So much what?”
Will’s face managed to arrange itself into a smirk, and he looked around at the suddenly uninterested people in the barroom. “So much for Cap’n Jack Sparrow’s reputat’n.”
Jack was seriously considering slapping him, but decided to pass out instead.
~
The thing about alcohol, see, was that it had the remarkable ability of making complex things very simple. There was still a huge amount of issues surrounding Will, but they had been neatly shunted to the side by the simple fact that Jack didn’t want him to leave. Simple things were good, Jack decided, idly running his hand through the unconscious blacksmith’s hair and wondering how long it would take him to wake up.
“Mmshgggff.”
Not too long, then.
“J’ck?”
“Yes?”
“Oh, good.” Will’s voice recovered slightly and he lifted his head. “Where are we?”
“Exactly where we were when we passed out, I imagine.” The owner of this particular bar was more than used to Captain Jack Sparrow passing out on the tables, and had helpfully left them alone for most of the night and morning to sleep it off. Jack had been awake long enough for his own hangover to fade to a bearable level, but Will was looking much the worse for wear.
“Ow. Neck.” Will winced as he tried to move. “Remind me not to sleep on tables again soon.”
“You get used to it.” Jack dropped a quick kiss on his forehead and helped him to stand.
Will looked startled, then his face went through a comical series of emotions as the previous night came back in a hazy rush. “Oh,” he said.
“Indeed.” Jack looked around for his hat.
“Then… is this okay?” Will looked at him seriously. “I know I sort of pushed you into it…”
“Yes,” Jack said finally. “As long as you don’t go saying things like ‘for the rest of our lives’. It’s fine, for now. A pirate lives for the moment, for the now, not for next month – because there very well may not be a next month.”
“I understand.” Will looked like he might say something else, but didn’t.
“Don’t look so glum, lad.” Jack threw him a smile, and perched his hat jauntily on his head. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a moment while it lasts.”
~
“Captain?”
“Don’t say anything, Anamaria,” Jack managed, slamming the door and stamping his way over to throw himself forcefully into his usual chair. ''Do you know how much I owe the damn woman this time?'' he exploded. ''There'll be no living with her now.''
''Just as there was no living with Elizabeth?''
''Oh, she told you that one, did she?'' Jack sounded amused.
Will snorted. ''No, you did. On the voyage back to Port Royal.''
“Right,” said Jack vaguely, automatically sitting back in his chair.
“Jack?”
“Mm?”
“Will you explain just why you said those things when you left?”
“What? To who?” Jack sat up.
“Everyone.” Will pulled a chest out from the wall and sat on it. “It was a pretty cryptic collection of parting shots, if you ask me…”
“But –“
“Let’s see.” The blacksmith started counting on his fingers, obviously enjoying himself. “You told Norrington that you were rooting for him all the way – a charming turn of phrase, may I add – you told Elizabeth that it would never have worked between you – looking almost sad in the process – and you rounded off the whole ridiculous affair by complimenting my hat. Well done, Jack.”
The man thus addressed sat still for a while, and then ducked his head in a mannerism that looked almost embarrassed.
“And which one did you want me to start with, then?”
“Let’s go chronologically, shall we?”
“Chrono what?” Jack looked blank.
“Chronologically? In order determined by time?” Will looked amused.
“Throw me a line here, lad. Some of us weren’t given a fancy education.”
“You’re evading.”
Jack gave a sudden grin. “A skill every good pirate should learn.”
“You’re still evading.”
“Fine.” Jack heaved a sigh and slouched back into his chair. “Never mind any chrono bloody logic. Give me a name.”
“Norrington.” Will said immediately. “You were rooting for him in what way, exactly?”
Jack wondered for a second just where Will had picked up such a dirty little mind. The fact that it was probably from him brought a minor glow of pride.
“Alright.” The pirate took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you were aware of this, lad, but there was a fight going on between you and Norrington every time you were within a sizeable distance of each other.”
“What –“
“Just hear me out.” Jack’s voice was serious. “There may not have been swords involved, but I’m a pirate – and believe me, I know a fight when I see one.”
Understanding dawned on Will’s face. “Elizabeth.”
“Exactly.” Jack nodded. “You were fighting over her – except both of you were too gentlemanly and stiff to admit it and clear the air with some good honest shouting. So every time we had a get-together I had to cope with this bloody tension in the air.”
“You haven’t answered my question,” Will said suspiciously.
“You weren’t listening, luv.” Jack smiled. “You were fighting over the girl. I was rooting for Norrington –“ the smile grew to a grin “- for all the obvious reasons.”
“Oh.” Will looked sheepish, then embarrassed, and finally settled for quite pleased. “Alright then. Elizabeth?”
“Hmm.” Jack looked pensive. It didn’t suit him very well. “I’m not sure how to put this…” Problem was, it was going to come out sounding stupid no matter how he put it. “You know about the little incident on the island?”
“Elizabeth seemed surprisingly reluctant to talk about it.” Will smiled archly. “I got the impression she was slightly drunk.”
“Slightly?” Jack snorted. “The girl was sozzled, mate. Well and truly. She tried to kiss me.”
“What? ”
“Oh, she passed out before getting anywhere. Couldn’t hold her rum, that lass. What…“ he smirked sidelong at the spluttering blacksmith “…don’t tell me you’re jealous, Will.”
“Well…yes.”
“On whose account?” Jack asked with interest.
Will opened and closed his mouth a few times. He looked adorably idiotic, Jack reflected.
“I…don’t know,” he managed hopelessly.
“Not part of the Grand Plan?”
“Exactly.” He flashed a relieved smile. “But on reflection, I can probably narrow it down.”
Jack drew in a sharp breath at the heated look Will shot him.
“Stop that, Will,” he muttered.
“But… why did she try and kiss you?”
“I’m Captain Jack Sparrow, mate.” Jack spread his arms triumphantly. “I’m irresistible. Ow.”
“She was obviously very drunk.” Will tossed another wooden mug, but Jack dodged that one easily.
“Not that you can talk, with your stunning track record when it comes to drunk kisses.”
“Evasion!”
“It was a joke,” Jack said flatly. “I genuinely liked the girl, and I thought I’d tease her a bit. That’s all. Besides, I was telling the truth.” There was a note of defensiveness in his voice. “I couldn’t live with Elizabeth. She’d drive me mad.”
“And me?” Soft, but filled with tension.
“Oh, hell, lad, what was I supposed to say?” Jack burst out, looking pained. “In front of half the Royal Navy, that twat Norrington, the girl you were doing a damn good job of appearing to be in love with, and her father? Was I supposed to ask you to come with me? When it was very clear that all you wanted was your life back the way it was, and a pretty lass into the bargain?”
“I – I’m sorry.” Will sounded shellshocked. “It’s just…” he took a deep breath and looked up “…I guess I expected something more. A recognition, perhaps? Ah, hell.” He buried his face in his hands. “How can I expect you to know what I’m talking about when I’m being so helpfully incoherent?’
Jack watched him carefully for a second, fingers playing idly with one of his braids.
“And then there was the most important reason of all,” he said eventually, making sure there was humour in his voice.
“Hmm?”
“Can you imagine the massive hole that that would blow in Captain Jack Sparrow’s reputation?”
And Will laughed.
~
It was later, sunset. Two figures stood outlined against the horizon in the fading light, one leaning comfortably on the rail of the Black Pearl and gazing out to sea, the other a few paces behind.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Will murmured.
“I suppose,” Jack said lazily. “Looks almost like a sheet of gold.”
“Poetic,” Will said mockingly. “And yet, so very mercenary. I was thinking more along the lines of firelight.”
“And that, lad, is because you are –“
“A good man. I know.”
Jack moved to stand near the younger man, and they stood in comfortable silence for a while longer. The muffled sound of laughter and singing came from the main deck of the ship.
"Look at us,” Will said suddenly. “A pirate and a good man." He smiled sidelong, the closest Jack could remember that charming, proud face coming to an outright grin. "We might even make history."
"History, luv, is for scholars and soldiers." Jack threw and caught his hat, a falling shadow in the dim light, and then idly repeated the action with his sword. He looked sideways, and it was a grin.
"A pirate lives for the moment. ”
“A moment like this?” the other man asked softly.
Jack closed his eyes, smelt salt on the wind and felt the reassuring waves through the wood under his feet. Opened them again, saw the last golden fire disappear below the horizon, and reached out to claim Will’s hand.
“Yes. A moment like this is worth living for.”
Happy birthday,
tammaiya! Once again, we are the same age... *sighs*And here is your present. 6,680 words of pirates. Warnings for fluff, witty banter, OOC everybody, very quick scene changes, really odd formatting of quotation marks due to evil LJ, and the Magical Disappearing Hangover. And I never want to see an italics tag again in my entire life.
A Pirate And A Good Man
''Nice hat.''
Captain Jack Sparrow didn't lift his head from his arms, although he smirked knowingly down at the rough wooden table.
'' 'Tis, isn't it?''
''New?''
''New enough.'' Jack unfolded himself from his normal sitting position, slouched possessively around an almost-empty bottle of rum, and stood up. ''I stole it.''
''Thought as much.''
''When you take a ship, you take whatever you fancy with it – including items of apparel from the captain,'' he said, swigging the dregs of his rum bottle and lurching around finally to face the other speaker. ''Pirate law, Will.''
''Of course.'' Will Turner smiled. ''And whose ship did you steal?''
Jack winced. ''Now, lad, that's such a nasty word...''
''Commandeer?'' the blacksmith suggested with mock politeness.
''Commandeer,'' Jack agreed. ''I happened to commandeer a ship from our lovely friend Anamaria.''
''What, again?'' Will asked in disbelief. ''Last I heard, you only just gave it to her.''
''All's fair on the high seas, lad.'' Jack shrugged. ''I did give her a three-day head start, you know.''
''And then you stole it back.''
''What was that?''
''Commandeered it back.''
''Damn right I did.''
There was silence, the friendly banter suddenly losing the wind from its sails and dragging to an abrupt, becalmed halt. Jack took another useless swig of the empty bottle, one of his feet tapping uneasily, and Will's hand idly tightened about the hilt of his sword as he looked around the smoky room.
''Well?''
Jack cursed inwardly, and he was good at cursing. Will wanted to talk. He didn't want to talk, at least not about the things that Will obviously had in mind. He wanted to sing. Or something. Not talk.
''Well what?''
''Jack!'' Will exploded forcibly, drawing a couple of glances from nearby tables. ''You know bloody well what!''
''Fine.'' The pirate sighed, and decided to get it over with as soon as possible. ''What're you doing here?''
Will took a deep breath. ''Well, I –''
''Oh hell, lad, couldn't we at least get drunk first?'' interrupted Jack miserably, waving the bottle. ''If I'm going to have to listen to the tragic tale of your sorry love life I'd rather not be sober at the same time.''
''You don't look particularly sober,'' Will said, shooting a pointed look at the other empty bottles lined up neatly along the table.
''Circumstantial evidence, mate,'' Jack said expansively. ''Takes more than that to get Captain Jack Sparrow drunk.''
''Good. I'd prefer to talk to you knowing that you'll actually remember the conversation the next morning.''
''I dunno, the boy's been back two minutes and already he's trying to order me around,'' Jack muttered, tossing a couple of coins onto the table. ''Right, then. We'll do it your way. But not a ruddy word 'til we're on the Pearl and I can stand properly again.''
They left the inn, Will smiling as he followed in Jack's swaggering wake. Jack had always claimed that he needed the rocking of a ship to compensate for his own swaying gait, something that made no sense unless you were Captain Jack Sparrow. In which case you made your own logic and somehow managed to convince others that it was sensible, just long enough for you to charm them or swindle them or steal the boat from under their feet.
It was crazy. But Jack could make it work.
~
''Captain Sparrow?''
''What?''
Anamaria stood firmly in Jack's way and looked meaningfully at Will, who stood two paces behind him on the gangway.
''Oh, bloody hell.'' Jack pulled some coins from his pocket and flicked them to her irritably.
''Why, thank you,'' she said in mock surprise. ''Nice to see ya, Turner.'' She winked at him and touched her hat mockingly, then stepped out of their way.
''What was that about?'' Will asked, trying to keep up with Jack as he strode angrily towards the captain's cabin.
''Bet,'' Jack said shortly.
''...And?''
''You don't need the details.''
“I see.” Will’s mouth twitched.
Jack refused to say another word until they were inside, and he had slammed the door forcefully to cut out the sound of laughter coming from the majority of his crew. He sat down in the large chair at the head of the table, and crossed his feet on the table in front of him – his usual position of repose.
“Now – why don’t you say what you came to say?” he said bluntly.
“What? Oh…” Will’s head jerked around from where he had been inspecting the cabin. He hadn’t been inside since it was Barbossa’s realm, and Jack had very obviously decided to redecorate. He resisted the urge to tell the pirate that ‘less is more’. Probably wouldn’t make any sense to someone like Jack anyway. “Okay.” He paused only for a fraction of a second before going on. “I want to join your crew.”
“I see.” Jack hesitated, trying to decide which of the many possibly courses he was going to plot here. He eventually decided on the most obvious. “Why? Don’t tell me – her father wouldn’t let you marry, right?”
“No…” Will looked uncomfortable. “He agreed, actually.”
“Really? Then… she got cold feet? You did? I’m surprised, the way you two moon around each oth –“
“I told her I wasn’t in love with her.”
This didn’t produce as extreme a reaction as Will had – hoped? Feared? Jack closed his eyes for a moment, and sighed.
“And why the blazes did you go and do a daft thing like that, Will?” he murmured, opening his eyes again to catch the blacksmith’s eye.
“Because…it’s the truth,” Will said heavily.
“Oh, so I was just imagining all the pining and sighing and moonstruck looks, then?”
“No…I…I was in love with her. Maybe I still am. I don’t know anymore.”
“So why are you here?“ The question hang in the air for a moment
“Jack –“ He looked agonised.
“No.” His voice was soft and deadly. “Don’t you dare say it, Will.”
“But –“
“Don’t you dare.”
“But –“
“That was an order!”
Will’s mouth snapped closed of its own volition, and his eyes flashed with furious pride for a second before he lowered them. Jack looked away, and a tense silence filled the room.
“If I’m taking orders from you…” It was Will who spoke first, quietly and neutrally. “…does that mean you’ve accepted my request? Can I come on board the Pearl?”
Jack’s immediate impulse was to flatly refuse, but the boy looked so bloody pathetic just standing there…and it wasn’t as if he had anywhere else to go. There was no chance of a warm reception with a woman that he’d abandoned – Jack could vouch for that, many times over. And the thought of Will – naïve, earnest Will – joining another ship didn’t sit right with him. Not all of the Captains were as easygoing as he was, and as someone with very little experience, Will would be either refused or victimised. If the damn lad just kept his mouth shut…
“There’s many a pirate who’d be very glad of a spot on the Pearl,” he said eventually, having made up his mind but deciding not to show it yet. “Why should I take you on?”
“I can work a ship.”
“Like hell you can. You’ve had – what, a week’s experience actually working as a sailor? I normally wouldn’t take an apprentice with less than two years under their belt.”
“You can trust me.”
“I trust everyone on this ship. And I’m not in urgent need of any new hands.”
“For my father,” Will said softly.
Jack widened his eyes sharply and whistled. But it he’d just about run out of excuses, and… it was a good reason.
“That was a bit low, lad.” he said eventually. “I’ve already helped you once on your father’s name. But never let it be said that Captain Jack Sparrow doesn’t honour memories.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” Jack sighed, then thought of something. “How did you get to Tortuga, anyway?”
“Norrington dropped me there.”
“Norrington?”
“He’s not that bad, really.”
“Norrington? ”
“It was a bit hard to convince him not to leap off the ship and arrest everyone on the entire island, but he agreed in the end.”
“Norring -“ Jack broke off, aware that he was beginning to sound somewhat idiotic. “That wig-wearing prat?”
“I told him I was giving up Elizabeth.” Will smiled sadly. “He would have taken me almost anywhere – I think he was glad I wanted to go somewhere as remote as Tortuga.”
Jack’s mouth twitched. “That makes sense.” He sighed and stood up. “Well, we may as well do the damn thing properly. Come on deck and I’ll introduce you to the crew formally.”
“Before you do –“
“What?”
“The bet with Anamaria. Explain it.”
“Bloody hell.” Jack looked embarrassed. “She asked after you, soon after I took control of the Pearl. And then she bet me five silver pieces that you’d be back. Bloody woman’s too smart for her own good, she is.”
“I see.” Will looked like he was wavering between amusement and uncertainty. Eventually he gave a rueful smile and opened the door of the cabin without saying anything further.
~
“All hands on deck, you sons of landlocked filth!” Jack yelled casually. There wasn’t much point, as they were still safely in harbour and thus most of the crew were simply lounging around the deck anyway – most within a suspicious distance of the captain’s cabin – but one had to keep up appearances.
“Most of you know young Will Turner,” he continued once they’d all assembled into something resembling a group. “Son of Bootstrap Bill,” he added for emphasis. “He’ll be joining the Pearl. ”
And that was it. A few of the newer members of his crew were hastily given the background story by those who had been there for the Aztec gold incident, and eyed Will curiously.
And out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Mr Cotton toss Anamaria a coin.
~
“Throw me that rope, son.”
“Don’t call me that!”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Hurry up.”
Will threw him the rope, a dark frown clouding his face. Jack expertly tied the end of it to a spar, lashing the sail into the wind.
“I wish you’d stop that,” Will muttered darkly.
“What?”
“Calling me ‘son’ all the time. You’re not that much older than me.”
“I knew your father,” Jack reminded him. “I captained your father.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.” Will looked smug. “I’ve been talking to some of the others. You were the youngest captain that Tortuga has ever seen.”
“Yes, well.” Jack looked proud, despite himself. “I’m the best pirate the world has ever –“
“I was just making a point.”
“Point taken. “Jack sighed. “Why did we start this little conversation, again?”
“Your annoyingly patronising honorifics.”
Jack blinked and worked his way through that sentence.
“Oh. Well then, have it your own way. It’s just a habit, anyway. I picked it up from –“ he blinked again in a not entirely pleasant realisation “ – from your father.”
“He called you ‘son’?”
“It pissed me off no end…” Jack leaned absently against a mast and stared into the distance. “Came very close to ordering him to stop. I got used to it, eventually.”
“I have no intention of getting used to it.” Something in Will’s voice warned Jack that it was better to keep his eyes averted.
“Would you prefer what I called Elizabeth, then?” he asked lightly, and then immediately wished he hadn’t as his brain caught up.
“I –“
“Will. ”
“I know.” Will followed his gaze out to the horizon.
“I suppose he was almost like a father, sometimes,” Jack said suddenly. A desperate attempt to change the subject, and one that he hadn’t meant to be quite that serious. Or that true.
“Is that why you turned out like him?”
“What?” Jack frowned.
“A pirate. And a good man.”
“I’m not a good man,” Jack said bluntly. “Oh, I’m honest when it suits me, but I’m not good. Don’t argue this one with me, Will,” he said sharply, cutting the younger man off as he opened his mouth to disagree. “There’s no such thing as a pirate and a good man. If you ever found one, he’d go down in history.”
“But you said my father –“
“I lied.” Jack sounded amused. “I wanted to get a rise out of you, and that was the one thing that you were definitely going to snap at. Your father was a good man, but he was never a good pirate. The fact that he had you shows that. Pirates don’t get tied down.”
“And what about me?” Will sounded angry.
“You?” Jack finally turned to meet Will’s gaze. “Nah. You’re a good man, Will. But you’ll never be a good pirate. You’ve got too much heart for that.”
“Elizabeth was wrong, then,” was all Will said.
“Wrong?”
“She wanted me to be a pirate, but she wanted a loving husband as well.”
“Oxymoron, lad.”
“Now who’s using long words?” Will sighed and leaned against the side of the ship. “I still feel a bit bad about deserting her.”
“Then why don’t you go back?”
Will didn’t appear to hear him. ''I bought her a dog. A farewell present, of sorts.''
''That's nice,'' said Jack vaguely.
''She called it Jack.''
''What?''
''Oh yes.'' Will's smile was very wide and bordering on smug.
''Why me?'' the pirate demanded tragically. ''What is it about me that spurs people to name their bloody pets after me? Do I look like an animal to – no, don't you dare answer that, Will...''
''Me?'' The young man in question blinked innocently.
''You were thinking it.'' Jack scowled.
“I – ah, damn.” Will looked up as more drops of rain spattered his face. “Where did that come from?”
“Storms come up fast, out here.” Jack scanned the horizon with an expert eye. “Better get inside, lad. Let us deal with this. You’d be better off cutting your teeth on something a little smaller, I think.”
Will thought about arguing but glanced again at the rapidly massing clouds and the steadily increasing rain, and nodded. “Okay.”
~
“Rum, need – what the bloody blazes are you doing here?” Jack stopped in his tracks and dripped a mix of rain and seawater onto the floor of his cabin, glaring at the blacksmith sitting sheepishly on the side of the table.
“You told me to get inside. This was closest. And it’s got the most comfortable chairs.”
“Find your own damn cabin.” But he made no attempt to throw Will out, just moved to pull a large bottle from a side cupboard and took a deep swig. “I always need to drink after a storm.”
“Is there any time you don’t need to drink?”
“That wasn’t a justification, Will,” he said airily. “I was simply explaining the facts of the matter.” Jack wandered over to his chair and sat down. He planted his feet onto the table, where they proceeded to drip dirty water onto a pile of maps. Will pushed them out of the way with an irritated sigh.
“Relax, lad,” Jack said with amusement. “I stand by my earlier assertion.”
“Which would be?”
“You need to find yourself a girl.”
“Hmm.” Will smiled, but didn’t rise to the bait. He examined the ceiling for a while, then sighed. The question came out of nowhere.
“Who's the only woman you've ever loved, Jack?"
Jack smirked and put his hat over his eyes.
"Anamaria," he said flippantly, just to see what would happen.
Thunk.
"Bullshit."
Jack tipped the hat back just enough to see the axe embedded in the table two inches from his feet, still trembling slightly from the force of the throw. A good reaction, all things considered.
"Curse me, the boy's gone and developed a temper and a tongue as rough as his father's."
"Tell the truth."
"Will, lad, remind me again what a dishonest man can always be counted on to do?"
"Tell it anyway." Will put his hands on either side of the axe and leaned forward. "It's the Pearl, isn't it?"
The hat rose all the way, and Jack looked carefully into the boy's sharp brown eyes. Will was an enigma in some ways, and this was one of them. The pirate captain was fairly certain that at least part of his feelings about this was jealousy, which was something that he hated to admit even to himself. But Will had the art of appearing much less intelligent than he actually was – something that Jack himself cultivated. But whilst Jack could seldom resist an opportunity to prove others wrong and suddenly flaunt his cleverness like a very bright hat, Will was prepared to keep it hidden until absolutely necessary.
Or until he wanted something very badly, and at the moment he was obviously determined to drag an admission of some kind out of Jack.
"Aye," he said after a moment, blinking vaguely.
“Can you pull yourself out of stubborn denial for long enough to admit that I might need you in the same way?”
It actually took a few seconds for the significance of that question to sink into Jack’s head, but when it did he stood up with a bang.
“I believe,” he said tightly, “we had agreed not to-“
“Screw that, Jack!” He’d never seen Will this angry. “You’re bloody well going to listen to me!”
“No. I’m not.”
“Fine,” Will snapped. “But since it’s quite obvious that you know what I’m going to say anyway, I wish you all the best in trying to keep it out of your head!”
And he stormed out of the cabin, leaving Jack cursing the both of them to hell and back. Because Will had just made it impossible for him to think about anything else – which had obviously been his intention from the very beginning.
Captain Jack Sparrow was not a coward. But the only option that he could seriously consider in this situation was to run.
Metaphorically, of course.
~
“You’re what?”
“Firing you,” Jack said coolly. He’d left this until the last minute, but they were about to pull into dock and it had to be said some time.
“But –“
“William Turner. Did I or did I not make it clear that a certain topic was not going to come up?”
Will’s eyes flashed angrily. “Very clear. Captain. ”
“Very well then. This isn’t Tortuga – you’ll be able to either get passage back to Port Royal or join another ship if that is your wish. I’ll give you pay and a recommendation. Now –“ Jack’s voice shook slightly. “Get back out of my life and stay there.”
“What is it, Jack?” Will asked, picking up the pouch of money that the pirate had indicated. “Why can’t you deal with this? You seem to be able to deal with anything else that life can throw at you – why not this?”
“I don’t know.” Jack closed his eyes. “Leave. Please.”
There was a slight pause, then… “Alright.”
“The recommendation?” Jack gestured to the paper that had been next to the pouch. Will shook his head and smiled faintly.
“I won’t need it.” He turned to leave, glancing back only once when he reached the door.
Jack caught Will’s eye one last time. And said the only thing that came into his head, damnably flippant though it was.
“Will…it would never have worked between us, darlin'. I’m sorry.”
And that was the only time that Captain Jack Sparrow could remember apologising to someone and actually meaning it.
~
He knew something was wrong as soon as he stepped on board, and took a quick drink from the flask of rum at his belt. If there was trouble, he was facing it with the stable comfort of alcohol behind him. There was a small knot of people on deck, and a hum of noise that died down as soon as he was noticed.
“Well?” Jack sighed.
Someone was pushed to the front of the group. Jack somehow wasn’t surprised that it was Will. The boy had left easily enough and no-one had seen him for almost a week, but the ship was pulling out of port tomorrow. And to tell the truth, the pirate captain had been a little suspicious that Will had given up that easily. Relieved, for certain – but he knew the other man far too well.
“I thought I’d fired him,” he snapped to the crew in general.
“You did,” Anamaria answered calmly, “but you never said anything about denying him access on board ship. Besides –“ she smiled in a way that Jack recognised and really didn’t like “- he invoked the Code.”
“I’m going to fight this out with you, Jack.” Will’s voice was just as calm as Anamaria’s had been. “And if we have to do it here on deck, then so be it.”
Jack stared at him for a moment, then gritted his teeth and gave up. “Fine!” he almost yelled. “But not out here. And the rest of you can bloody well get back to whatever you were doing.”
“Aye, Captain,” Anamaria said, only half-mockingly.
~
Jack wondered just how many more times he was going to be stuck in his cabin with Will and an uncomfortable conversation. It seemed to be one of those things that were unavoidable – maybe he should just accept it and make it as painless as possible.
"And what was it you were wanting?" Jack turned around suddenly in one almost drunken movement and raised his eyebrows.
"Parlez. " Will's voice was even.
"Parlez?" Jack took a swig of his flask and forced his face into an incredulous expression. "You want to negotiate terms?"
"Yes." Will raised his chin. "I do."
Jack regarded him for a moment. "Nah," he said eventually. "I don't think so, Will."
"Very well."
"Hey –" But Will had snatched the flask from Jack's hand and sprung onto the table. "You little –"
The pirate stopped short and raised his hands involuntarily, eyeing the blade pointed in his direction warily. It was singularly unfair that Will could use an axe and a sword. His gaze then moved mournfully to the small bottle, which Will's other hand was currently dangling above his head.
"Parlez, " said the blacksmith firmly.
"Now come on…" Jack flailed for the flask, in vain. "That's hardly fair, mate."
"Parlez. "
"Fine, fine," Jack said sulkily. "We'll have our little chat. Now give a man back his rum."
Will dropped the bottle casually, and Jack dove to catch it, muttering something just loud enough for the other man to hear.
“That’s anatomically impossible, you do know that, right?” said Will calmly.
“Shut up.”
“I know you don’t want to talk about this,” he continued. “However, I’m not going to stop chasing you until we can at least come to a resolution of some sort.”
Jack gave him a long, considering look. “I’m sort of coming to grips with that,” he said sarcastically.
“You know why I’m here,” Will said, voice very soft. “And don’t try and tell me that you can ignore your own feelings, because I know you better than that.”
Jack really, really wished that his flask was bigger. And that…
“You would be a lot easier to get along with, lad, if you weren’t always so bloody right, ” he whispered.
Will smiled, a true smile, and Jack’s mind resigned itself to being outnumbered by his feelings. It wasn’t going down without a fight, though.
“Go ahead. Find your bloody resolution.”
Will leaned forward.
"What was it you told me a ship was to you? What the Pearl has always been?"
"I really haven't the faintest why you're asking me these bloomin' questions when you already know the answers, Will."
"Freedom." The blacksmith appeared to ignore this comment and looked at him earnestly. "The love of your life has always been freedom. And I've got just enough pirate blood in me to want the same."
"The darling little Miss Swann –"
"She doesn't represent freedom. Not in the way I want."
There was a pause, and then Jack spoke softly, his voice losing just a little of its normal mocking drawl.
"Right, Will. My ship has always been my freedom. But your pirate blood ain’t enough for her to mean the same to you. So I'm thinking you be meanin' something different."
"I think we're in exactly the same boat, Jack."
"If that was an attempt at a very poor joke –"
“You said it yourself. Pirates don’t get tied down. But you’re tied to this ship and this life because being bound to it is the only way you can set yourself free.”
“Well, look, the boy’s waxing philosophical,” Jack said sarcastically, but his heart wasn’t in it. Will’s words had hit far too close to home.
“I’ve already covered this,” Will said impatiently. “This is what I need. This life. And you.”
“And did you never stop to think about what I might want?” Jack said, annoyed. “Did you never think that it was a bit selfish to decide this solely on your own wants –“
“Decide?” Will said dangerously. “Oh, no. I didn’t ask for this, Jack. Do you think this was what I wanted? I had a plan for my life, and none of this was supposed to happen. I was going to get my own forge, somehow find a way to marry Elizabeth, and be happy. And I was perfectly content with that. But you – you weren’t in the Grand Plan, Jack.” He was wavering between despair and anger. “Not ever.”
“I’m notoriously difficult to plan for, dear boy,” Jack said, his sense of humour reasserting itself despite the situation. “It’s because I’m so devilishly unpredictable, you know.”
“An honest man…” Will said with a half-smile.
“Only sometimes.” Jack sighed. “Can we get to the point of this before I lose my nerve and walk out?”
“You want me to be blunt?”
Jack gave him a dirty look. “It’s a bit too late for that.”
"You are my freedom."
“…not that blunt,” Jack managed to croak. Will was looking at him in a singularly unnerving way.
“That’s the only way I can explain it,” Will said with a mixture of helplessness and defiance that only served to melt Jack’s brain a little further. “You need the Pearl – and I need you.”
~
Captain Jack Sparrow reflected sourly that he seemed to be doing altogether too much running away, these days.
~
It was funny, Jack reflected, squinting thoughtfully down at the empty rum bottle, that he had to get drunk to be able to think about Will with any degree of sobriety. Usually his mind just shied away from the topic and found easier things to focus on.
That was it, Jack realised suddenly – or as suddenly as he could manage, given that thoughts had to sneak up on him slowly when he was drunk if they wanted to stand any chance of being noticed. Most things in his life were simple. But Will… Will was complex. Will was far too many things at once.
Right, Jack thought as firmly as possible. He was going to work out exactly how he felt about Will, because the damn boy had bullied him into it. That was a thing about Will – he wasn’t cunning by nature, which was one of the things that made him so appealing. But he did have just enough pirate blood in him to be able to manage guile on occasion – he’d certainly caught on to Jack’s trick with the gold quickly enough, when they were fighting Barbossa. And Jack had the uncomfortable feeling that he’d just been thoroughly emotionally blackmailed.
The problem, he decided eventually, was not that he didn’t love Will. Much as he might try and deny it, the fact was there. The problem was just as complex as Will himself, and involved a large war between his head and his emotions.
The object of his thoughts stuck his head round the mast, looking depressed. “Want to go find a bar and get drunk?”
“I already am drunk,” Jack managed sulkily.
“Drunker?”
“Why not?”
~
It wasn’t until Will was thoroughly plastered – which actually didn’t take all that long – that Jack figured out that he’d been manipulated again. Whilst he was still capable of rational thought – long years of drinking having given him something of an immunity in that area – his resolve and logic were rapidly crumbling. And from the satisfied, hazy and altogether gorgeous look on Will’s face, the younger man was quite aware of this, and very pleased with himself.
Jack groaned and threw a half-empty bottle forcibly away from him. “I hate you.”
“No, y’don’t…” Will waved a finger vaguely.
“No, I really think I do.”
“Jack, c’n I ask’ya somethin’?” Despite everything, Will managed to look serious.
“Yes?”
“C’n I kiss you?”
“…no?” Jack finally managed.
“You paus’d.”
Jack was going to protest this, but found that when he was being kissed enthusiastically it was difficult to speak. Alcohol really was evil.
But that thought was quickly replaced by a multitude of others, as Jack closed his eyes and resigned himself to the inevitable.
Kissing Will was running his hands over the wheel of the Pearl, feeling the smoothness of the wood and flicking it smoothly to one side, and having the deck shudder in response beneath his feet.
Kissing Will was laughing in the midst of a storm, pulling ropes and shouting orders and feeling the unmistakable exhilaration of facing death and coming away victorious.
Kissing Will was looking in every direction and seeing nothing but a seamless blue horizon, and knowing that you could sail on until the horizon swallowed you but there would always be another one.
Kissing Will was standing in the very top of the rigging, one arm around the mast and the other holding his compass, singing softly to himself and hearing the tune carried away by the warm breeze that caressed his face.
“That’s interesting,” he murmured, pulling back slightly. “The boy was right.”
“Hmm? What?” Will’s eyes were still half-closed and he looked dazed and drunk and delicious and damn…
When Jack pulled back after that, he had to wait a second before his breath returned enough to speak.
“That,” he said with satisfaction, “is what freedom tastes like.”
“So… s’much…” Will seemed to be having trouble forming words.
“So much what?”
Will’s face managed to arrange itself into a smirk, and he looked around at the suddenly uninterested people in the barroom. “So much for Cap’n Jack Sparrow’s reputat’n.”
Jack was seriously considering slapping him, but decided to pass out instead.
~
The thing about alcohol, see, was that it had the remarkable ability of making complex things very simple. There was still a huge amount of issues surrounding Will, but they had been neatly shunted to the side by the simple fact that Jack didn’t want him to leave. Simple things were good, Jack decided, idly running his hand through the unconscious blacksmith’s hair and wondering how long it would take him to wake up.
“Mmshgggff.”
Not too long, then.
“J’ck?”
“Yes?”
“Oh, good.” Will’s voice recovered slightly and he lifted his head. “Where are we?”
“Exactly where we were when we passed out, I imagine.” The owner of this particular bar was more than used to Captain Jack Sparrow passing out on the tables, and had helpfully left them alone for most of the night and morning to sleep it off. Jack had been awake long enough for his own hangover to fade to a bearable level, but Will was looking much the worse for wear.
“Ow. Neck.” Will winced as he tried to move. “Remind me not to sleep on tables again soon.”
“You get used to it.” Jack dropped a quick kiss on his forehead and helped him to stand.
Will looked startled, then his face went through a comical series of emotions as the previous night came back in a hazy rush. “Oh,” he said.
“Indeed.” Jack looked around for his hat.
“Then… is this okay?” Will looked at him seriously. “I know I sort of pushed you into it…”
“Yes,” Jack said finally. “As long as you don’t go saying things like ‘for the rest of our lives’. It’s fine, for now. A pirate lives for the moment, for the now, not for next month – because there very well may not be a next month.”
“I understand.” Will looked like he might say something else, but didn’t.
“Don’t look so glum, lad.” Jack threw him a smile, and perched his hat jauntily on his head. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a moment while it lasts.”
~
“Captain?”
“Don’t say anything, Anamaria,” Jack managed, slamming the door and stamping his way over to throw himself forcefully into his usual chair. ''Do you know how much I owe the damn woman this time?'' he exploded. ''There'll be no living with her now.''
''Just as there was no living with Elizabeth?''
''Oh, she told you that one, did she?'' Jack sounded amused.
Will snorted. ''No, you did. On the voyage back to Port Royal.''
“Right,” said Jack vaguely, automatically sitting back in his chair.
“Jack?”
“Mm?”
“Will you explain just why you said those things when you left?”
“What? To who?” Jack sat up.
“Everyone.” Will pulled a chest out from the wall and sat on it. “It was a pretty cryptic collection of parting shots, if you ask me…”
“But –“
“Let’s see.” The blacksmith started counting on his fingers, obviously enjoying himself. “You told Norrington that you were rooting for him all the way – a charming turn of phrase, may I add – you told Elizabeth that it would never have worked between you – looking almost sad in the process – and you rounded off the whole ridiculous affair by complimenting my hat. Well done, Jack.”
The man thus addressed sat still for a while, and then ducked his head in a mannerism that looked almost embarrassed.
“And which one did you want me to start with, then?”
“Let’s go chronologically, shall we?”
“Chrono what?” Jack looked blank.
“Chronologically? In order determined by time?” Will looked amused.
“Throw me a line here, lad. Some of us weren’t given a fancy education.”
“You’re evading.”
Jack gave a sudden grin. “A skill every good pirate should learn.”
“You’re still evading.”
“Fine.” Jack heaved a sigh and slouched back into his chair. “Never mind any chrono bloody logic. Give me a name.”
“Norrington.” Will said immediately. “You were rooting for him in what way, exactly?”
Jack wondered for a second just where Will had picked up such a dirty little mind. The fact that it was probably from him brought a minor glow of pride.
“Alright.” The pirate took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you were aware of this, lad, but there was a fight going on between you and Norrington every time you were within a sizeable distance of each other.”
“What –“
“Just hear me out.” Jack’s voice was serious. “There may not have been swords involved, but I’m a pirate – and believe me, I know a fight when I see one.”
Understanding dawned on Will’s face. “Elizabeth.”
“Exactly.” Jack nodded. “You were fighting over her – except both of you were too gentlemanly and stiff to admit it and clear the air with some good honest shouting. So every time we had a get-together I had to cope with this bloody tension in the air.”
“You haven’t answered my question,” Will said suspiciously.
“You weren’t listening, luv.” Jack smiled. “You were fighting over the girl. I was rooting for Norrington –“ the smile grew to a grin “- for all the obvious reasons.”
“Oh.” Will looked sheepish, then embarrassed, and finally settled for quite pleased. “Alright then. Elizabeth?”
“Hmm.” Jack looked pensive. It didn’t suit him very well. “I’m not sure how to put this…” Problem was, it was going to come out sounding stupid no matter how he put it. “You know about the little incident on the island?”
“Elizabeth seemed surprisingly reluctant to talk about it.” Will smiled archly. “I got the impression she was slightly drunk.”
“Slightly?” Jack snorted. “The girl was sozzled, mate. Well and truly. She tried to kiss me.”
“What? ”
“Oh, she passed out before getting anywhere. Couldn’t hold her rum, that lass. What…“ he smirked sidelong at the spluttering blacksmith “…don’t tell me you’re jealous, Will.”
“Well…yes.”
“On whose account?” Jack asked with interest.
Will opened and closed his mouth a few times. He looked adorably idiotic, Jack reflected.
“I…don’t know,” he managed hopelessly.
“Not part of the Grand Plan?”
“Exactly.” He flashed a relieved smile. “But on reflection, I can probably narrow it down.”
Jack drew in a sharp breath at the heated look Will shot him.
“Stop that, Will,” he muttered.
“But… why did she try and kiss you?”
“I’m Captain Jack Sparrow, mate.” Jack spread his arms triumphantly. “I’m irresistible. Ow.”
“She was obviously very drunk.” Will tossed another wooden mug, but Jack dodged that one easily.
“Not that you can talk, with your stunning track record when it comes to drunk kisses.”
“Evasion!”
“It was a joke,” Jack said flatly. “I genuinely liked the girl, and I thought I’d tease her a bit. That’s all. Besides, I was telling the truth.” There was a note of defensiveness in his voice. “I couldn’t live with Elizabeth. She’d drive me mad.”
“And me?” Soft, but filled with tension.
“Oh, hell, lad, what was I supposed to say?” Jack burst out, looking pained. “In front of half the Royal Navy, that twat Norrington, the girl you were doing a damn good job of appearing to be in love with, and her father? Was I supposed to ask you to come with me? When it was very clear that all you wanted was your life back the way it was, and a pretty lass into the bargain?”
“I – I’m sorry.” Will sounded shellshocked. “It’s just…” he took a deep breath and looked up “…I guess I expected something more. A recognition, perhaps? Ah, hell.” He buried his face in his hands. “How can I expect you to know what I’m talking about when I’m being so helpfully incoherent?’
Jack watched him carefully for a second, fingers playing idly with one of his braids.
“And then there was the most important reason of all,” he said eventually, making sure there was humour in his voice.
“Hmm?”
“Can you imagine the massive hole that that would blow in Captain Jack Sparrow’s reputation?”
And Will laughed.
~
It was later, sunset. Two figures stood outlined against the horizon in the fading light, one leaning comfortably on the rail of the Black Pearl and gazing out to sea, the other a few paces behind.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Will murmured.
“I suppose,” Jack said lazily. “Looks almost like a sheet of gold.”
“Poetic,” Will said mockingly. “And yet, so very mercenary. I was thinking more along the lines of firelight.”
“And that, lad, is because you are –“
“A good man. I know.”
Jack moved to stand near the younger man, and they stood in comfortable silence for a while longer. The muffled sound of laughter and singing came from the main deck of the ship.
"Look at us,” Will said suddenly. “A pirate and a good man." He smiled sidelong, the closest Jack could remember that charming, proud face coming to an outright grin. "We might even make history."
"History, luv, is for scholars and soldiers." Jack threw and caught his hat, a falling shadow in the dim light, and then idly repeated the action with his sword. He looked sideways, and it was a grin.
"A pirate lives for the moment. ”
“A moment like this?” the other man asked softly.
Jack closed his eyes, smelt salt on the wind and felt the reassuring waves through the wood under his feet. Opened them again, saw the last golden fire disappear below the horizon, and reached out to claim Will’s hand.
“Yes. A moment like this is worth living for.”
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Have favourite part/lines:
“So why are you here?“ The question hang in the air for a moment
“Jack –“ He looked agonised.
“No.” His voice was soft and deadly. “Don’t you dare say it, Will.”
“But –“
“Don’t you dare.”
“But –“
“That was an order!”
and
Kissing Will was running his hands over the wheel of the Pearl, feeling the smoothness of the wood and flicking it smoothly to one side, and having the deck shudder in response beneath his feet.
Kissing Will was laughing in the midst of a storm, pulling ropes and shouting orders and feeling the unmistakable exhilaration of facing death and coming away victorious.
Kissing Will was looking in every direction and seeing nothing but a seamless blue horizon, and knowing that you could sail on until the horizon swallowed you but there would always be another one.
Kissing Will was standing in the very top of the rigging, one arm around the mast and the other holding his compass, singing softly to himself and hearing the tune carried away by the warm breeze that caressed his face.
Was just very gorgeous.
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