Author: Lostiawen

E-mail: changeling@planetx.org

Rated: NC-17 overall

Pairing: Will Turner/Jack Sparrow

Summary: Jack and Will are taking a rest while they track down Barbossa´s crew.  But life has a way of dropping millstones in Jack´s and Will´s laps. ..

Archive: Parley.  All others please ask.

Feedback: Yes, please.

Disclaimer: The characters within are the property of Disney.  The author does not own them, and is not making a profit off of their depiction here. 

Author´s Notes: Many thanks to Jassy, for giving me this bunny, for Elizabeth for her suggestions, and to the Goddess of Imaginary Light for remembering the Dauntless´ name. 

The tropical storm was still raging outside as Will closed the shutters. He stirred up some of the logs in the fireplace, making sure that the room was well heated. He heard the door opening, and Jack reeled in, bearing a flask of rum. 

"Any luck?"  Will asked. 

"I´ve heard that Barbossa´s crew has a new captain and that they´ve been pillaging, but not much else." 

Will frowned. They had been trying to track down the Dauntless, but the weather turned quite foul and hindered their progress. After almost capsizing several times, they decided to dock at the pirate haven of Cabezon and stay until the storm blew over. Jack had also hoped that some news about Barbossa´s crew would be circulating around. 

Jack swayed in place. "The weather´s not going to let up anytime soon, lad, we may as well enjoy our stay here."  He locked the door and stumbled forward. "Espeshally since I have some excellent ideas as to how to make the time fly." 

Will´s eyebrows shot upward. "Oh? And what would that be?" 

Jack sashayed over to the bed and sat down. He gestured for Will to join him. Will grinned and jumped onto the mattress. 

Once Will was settled, Jack slurred, "First, I´d be getting ye naked as a jaybird, and then we´ll test my swordsmanship after I´ve drunk some of this excellent rum from yer sweet mouth." 

Will laughed. "I thought we settled that I was the superior swordsman. I still practice three hours a day." 

Jack rolled his eyes. Will was sometimes too innocent for his own good. "I didn´ mean...oh, never mind." 

He tackled Will and smashed their lips together, sucking on Will´s tongue. He smiled as Will immediately melted against him, surrendering himself with a small whimper. 

Jack descended lower to suck on the column of Will´s throat; right on the spot that he knew was the boy´s weakness. He smiled against the smooth skin as he was rewarded with a throaty moan. 

Will was completely eager underneath him, arching up as Jack wrestled their shirts off without breaking contact. Will began squirming uncomfortably, and Jack relented, pulling back to lick the small bruise now blooming on Will´s neck. 

Will panted heavily and said, "I´m going to have to wear high collars from now on. The last mark you´ve given me has barely healed." 

Jack chuckled. "Cap´n´s privilege."  He descended lower to latch onto Will´s nipple, enjoying the soft cries pouring from his lips. He reached lower and squeezed Will´s crotch, massaging the hard bulge that had already formed. Will mewled and bucked into Jack´s hand, hungry for his touch. 

A pounding at the door seized their attention. 

Jack frowned and said, "Ignore it, luv. Whoever it is will go away soon enough." 

He continued to swirl his tongue and flex his fingers, listening to Will´s throaty moans. 

The pounding grew more insistent and Jack said, "Curse their eyes."  He raised his voice to yell, "Bugger off, we´re swiving!" 

"You bloody bastard!"  A deep voice replied. The blood drained from Jack´s face as he recognized it. The pounding increased, and it sounded like the door was being battered down. Jack locked gazes with Will and said, "Quickly lad, out the window." 

Will looked confused. "What? It´s raining in sheets!" 

"Out the window, now! It´s a matter of life and death!"  Jack´s heart was hammering, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Will had grabbed his sword without any further questions. He grabbed his own sword and pistol and opened the second story window. 

He vaulted out, launching himself into the rain. He curled up into a ball, tumbled through the air, and smoothly rolled to his feet when he hit the ground, splashing through a large puddle in the process. 

As Jack stood up, he cursed. He had left his hat behind. He spun around and almost crashed into a young boy wearing an enormous oilskin hat and coat. He had pulled it down low to keep the rain off and it obscured his face. 

Damn rain, Jack thought, can´t see a thing. He muttered, "Pardon me, lad." 

"Hello, Jack," Elizabeth said, tilting up the hat. "We thought that you might do this, so I decided to wait down here for you." 

Jack´s mouth gaped. "We??? Oh no..."

Jack heard a splash next to him and realized that it was Will following him. Will stood up, only to turn a deep shade of red when he met Elizabeth´s eyes. 

"Will?"  she said. 

Her surprised face soon colored as she gazed at Will. He bit his lip and started fidgeting as she slowly appraised his disheveled state. She glared at him when she noticed that his torso was bare, and that Jack´s hat was in his hands. 

Will grimaced when Elizabeth´s gaze looked accusingly at the love bite on his neck. But she turned livid and sputtered when her eyes swept over his cheek. Curious, Will brushed a hand over the area, and smudges of Jack´s eyeliner came off onto his fingers. He paled and looked pleadingly at his erstwhile fiancee. 

"Elizabeth..." Will said softly. "It´s not what it looks like..."

Jack said, "Yes, it´s very simple..." He started gesturing wildly. "We were attacked by these bloody immense vampire bats, and we had to take off our shirts to fight them because they´re slippery bastards and impossible to nail with a sword. But poor Will here still got bitten, y´see, so I had to knock the bat off´n him with me shirt...which got smudged with my eyeliner when I first took it off, so it rubbed off on the poor lad´s face. But them vampire bats, they´re mighty fearsome, so we had to flee. In the ruckus, Will picked up my hat, thinking it was his, and well, that´s why his appearance is a might...rumpled right now, savvy?" 

Will nodded in agreement. The two men looked hopefully at Elizabeth. She stalked up to Will and punched him in the gut. 

"I´m not a bloody dunce. I can tell what you´ve been doing," she said before she turned on her heel and stormed away. 

Jack winced and ran over to help Will up. "Well, I thought it was a w´nderful story," he grumbled. Will was doubled over, coughing and wheezing; Jack put his arms around Will to support him. 

"She´s got a good right hook, she does," Jack muttered. "Good thing she didn´t aim for your bollocks, mate."  He winced at the thought. "Or mine, for that matter." 

"She can´t aim at what ye don´t have," the same deep voice from earlier growled behind him. 

A blade pricked the back of Jack´s neck. "So, ye´ve found a new toy already, Jack Sparrow. Let me see the little slut´s face before I skewer you like the pig ye are." 

Jack turned his head, hoping that he was dreaming. His breath caught as he saw the face. The man behind him was unfortunately quite real. Jack slurred, "It´s not what ye think." 

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Will´s head bobbing up. He clamped his lover´s head between his arm and his ribcage in order to hide his face. "This poor lad´s had too much to drink. He´s about ready to retch." 

He grimaced when he heard Will saying, "Jack, I´m fine. Why won´t you let me up?" 

"Yes," the voice said sarcastically, "why don´t you?" 

Will was growing tired of Jack holding his face in his rather fragrant armpit. He was curious as to who the speaker was. The man´s voice was rich, gravelly, and sounded like pure sin. He spoke each word as if he were rolling and savoring each syllable on his tongue before voicing it. 

He was sure that he could handle himself, so he stood up suddenly, sending Jack reeling to the side. "And how dare you threaten my Captain," he said, turning around. 

His eyes widened in surprise. He felt like he was looking in a mirror. The man had the same long, curly brown hair; the same wide, brown eyes; and the same body covered in lean muscle. He also had Will´s high cheekbones, but a small diagonal scar marred the flawlessness of the left one. 

"F-father?"  he whispered. 

The man blinked. "Will?"  He glared at Jack. "*This* is how you look after my son?" 

Jack slurred, "Erm, it´s not what ye think, luv..."

Bootstrap colored. "And who yelled that he was busy swiving?" 

"Ye must have heard me wrong. I said ´stop whining.´ The doors´re thick ´round here, eh?"  Jack sashayed up to Bootstrap, but stopped his unsteady motion when the point of Bootstrap´s sword whipped up and pricked the tip of his nose. 

"I should have known that ye couldn´t be trusted to keep yer hands off of him."  He gritted. "They´re gonna need to invent a new circle of hell for you." 

Without wasting time, Will drew his own sword and pushed Jack aside. Bootstrap lunged, and their blades rang as Will parried him. "Father, don´t do this. I beg of you." 

"Stand aside, Will." 

"No." 

"Very well," Bootstrap said as he jabbed at Will quickly with his blade. Will parried it again, and tried to press his advantage, only to be forced back. 

They fought fiercely. Bootstrap was not as good as Will, but Will was distraught, and his father soon gained the upper hand, disarming him. 

"Now where´s...Jack!"  Bootstrap bellowed the last word when he noticed that Jack was disappearing down the street. He sheathed his sword and pursued him. Jack was gaining ground, so Bootstrap tackled him, causing him to land face first in the mud. 

"So, you poxy bastard, this is how you reward me," Bootstrap hissed. "I´ll snap your fool neck."  He used his forearm as a bar against Jack´s throat and he pulled back. "Unless you have something t´say in yer defense?" 

Jack threw his head back and rammed his skull against Bootstrap´s nose. Stunned, Bootstrap´s grip loosened, and Jack threw him off. Jack darted through a few alleys, and looked behind him. No sign of Bootstrap. 

The alley in front of him was obviously used for refuse. Piles of rubbish were heaped by the sides, and Jack was thankful that the rain masked what was going to be a very foul stench. 

He smiled at his quick escape, and rounded a corner. He screeched to a halt when he almost impaled himself on Bootstrap´s waiting blade. 

"Ye´re getting old and predictable, Jack. I knew y´would come this way," Bootstrap said. "Now, where were we?" 

Will suddenly hurtled out of the darkness and knocked Bootstrap aside. Jack tried to escape again, dashing down the alley, but Bootstrap flung Will off of him. He vaulted over one of the heaps, catapulting himself in front of Jack. 

"I´m not done with ye yet, Jack," he hissed. 

Will launched himself at his father again. As they tumbled on the ground, Will managed to kick Bootstrap´s sword out of his hand. As the two men wrestled, Jack started to make a hasty retreat. Bootstrap saw this and broke out of Will´s grasp. He stood up with his back to Will and jerked his shirt open. Will saw a quick motion, then he saw Bootstrap pulling his arm back. A deadly looking knife was in his hand. 

"Hold it right there, Jack," Bootstrap yelled. "I brought me knives, and I´ve got a bead on you." 

Jack froze. Bootstrap was pinpoint accurate with his knives; he had once killed a scorpion that had clambered onto Jack´s boot without even scratching the leather. 

Will scrambled to his feet and placed himself between his father and Jack. He spread his arms and said, "No, father. You´ll have to go through me." 

"Stand aside, Will." 

"No." 

Bootstrap lowered his knife. "All right. But he does na´ deserve your loyalty." 

Will´s eyes widened as he saw Bootstrap´s open shirt. Lying flat across his left breast was a shoulder harness for two knives. But what really captured his attention was the tattoo that peeked out from underneath. An elaborate sea serpent wound its way over Bootstrap´s breast, a few inches away from his heart. Will had seen its twin before: it was decorating Jack´s lower abdomen, between his navel and his nether regions. 

"Jack...why does he have that tattoo?"  Will asked. 

Jack looked uncomfortable. Bootstrap purred, "Yes, Jack, why don´t ye explain it to him? Y´know where to find me afterward."  He bowed and made a hasty retreat. 

Jack gulped. Will was scarlet. Jack gave him a wobbly smile, hoping to defuse the situation. He spread out his hands in a gesture of peace and said, "It´s very simple, luv..."

Will immediately punched him in the face before stalking off. 

"This is not a good day," Jack grumbled. 

***

Will kept walking, ignoring the rain until he found the nearest tavern. He vaguely realized that he was still shirtless, but he didn´t care. He needed a drink. No, he needed several drinks. 

He flopped down at a table and ordered a shot of rum. He coughed as he downed it, his eyes tearing. He swore at the vile taste, and he longed for the spiced rum that Jack favored to use whenever they made love. 

Needing to squelch his thoughts, Will ordered another shot, and another. 

He soon lost track of how much he was drinking, and he became only concerned with drowning his sorrows until his senses dulled to a low buzz. 

He cursed Jack when he realized that he couldn´t get the thought of the man out of his head. As if on cue, the bar wench deposited another shot at his table, which he promptly downed. His vision wobbled, but the image of Jack was still burned into his eyes. 

"Dam´ Jack," he muttered. "He shhhould put the mizzen masht up hish arse and bug´r himshelf." 

"Sorry, me lad, I need that mast for other things," the vision of Jack slurred to him. "Besides, I´m always the one on top." 

"B´gr offsh," Will said. Damn, now his drunken hallucinations were full of cheek. He tried to glare at the illusion, but his eyes wouldn´t focus. He also felt very uncomfortable sitting upright, and decided that the floor would be ideal for his heavy head. 

He slid down, happy to touch his face to the ground. He muzzily registered that something was hauling him to his feet. He grunted in protest. 

"Yer shivering lad. We need to get you out of these clothes and into something dry." 

"Leav´ me ´lone," Will muttered. The room was spinning uncontrollably, and everything went black. 

When Will finally came to, he was in a bed. He blinked again. He was back in the room they were in last night. Will moaned painfully, his mouth tasted foul and his temples were throbbing. It was raining, and he whimpered as the pattering water increased his headache a hundredfold. 

He noticed that he was naked. Jack was similarly unclothed and was curled up against his back, one arm draped over his body to hold him protectively. Will tried to sit up, but his head ached so much that he soon abandoned the effort. 

Jack stirred and said, "Mornin´, love."  Will turned over to look at him. One eye was blackened where he had punched Jack last night. 

Will said, "Don´t call me that."  He groaned again. 

"You shouldn´t have run off like that, you could´ve gotten pneumonia." 

"Don´t tell me what to do," he hissed as he sat up. That proved to be a mistake, as Will felt his stomach churn. "Oh god.."

Jack swiftly pulled Will´s hair back and yanked out the chamberpot from underneath the bed. Will vomited into it for what seemed like an eternity while Jack kept him from soiling his brown locks. After Will was done, Jack wiped his mouth with a rag and emptied the now full chamberpot out the window. 

He handed Will the flask from last night and said, "Drink. Ye´ve got a hangover to rival an entire town celebratin´ the King´s coronation." 

Will wrinkled his nose. "Not more alcohol." 

"Hair of the dog that bit ye, lad. Just a swallow will do." 

Will drank a bit and felt a little better. Much as he hated to admit it, the vomiting had helped. He swished some of the rum around in his mouth and spat outside. His head still ached, but at least the sound of the rain wasn´t so painful. 

Jack had risen out of bed and had picked his shirt up where it was drying over the fireplace. He put it on, and frowned when he saw that his breeches were still a little damp. He examined the door and looked relieved to find that Bootstrap hadn´t damaged it much last night. 

Will´s voice commanded his attention. "Jack, how long have you and my father been lovers?" 

Jack winced, "Getting straight to the point, aren´t ye, boy?" 

"Just answer my question, please," Will said, looking at Jack soulfully. 

"Ever since he came aboard the Pearl. Eight years before they mutinied." 

"Were the two of you in love?" 

"Yes." 

"Oh."  Will felt a pang of guilt that he had replaced his father in Jack´s heart. He decided that this needed to be settled. 

"Thank you for taking care of me," he said, looking vulnerably at Jack. 

"My pleasure, Will."  Jack tried to lean forward for a kiss, but Will ducked out of his way. 

Jack glared, but Will shook his head. "You´re not forgiven yet. I just think we need to talk to my father, first." 

Jack stumbled to his feet and said, "I need to be checking on the Pearl..."

Will shook his head and grabbed Jack´s arm. "She´ll be fine. And I´m not letting you out of my presence until we see my father." 

"Are you implying that ol´ Jack would run away?" 

"Yes." 

Jack looked at Will and swayed a bit. "Ye know me too well."  He sighed heavily. "Ver´ well, let´s go." 

They dressed, donning their oilskin overcoats to deal with the rain. Jack led Will through the streets, and they finally arrived at another tavern called the Lusty Mermaid. 

There were precious few people inside, and Will saw Bootstrap sitting in a corner. His eyes glittered dangerously when he saw them entering. 

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Sparrow, can´t ye keep yer hands off of m´boy for just *one* night?"  he boomed. 

Will grimaced in pain as they approached the table. "He didn´t do anything, father. I was soaked to the bone and incapable of caring for myself. Jack took me back to ou...er, the room and dried me off." 

"And why were you so helpless?" 

Will said in a small voice, "I got drunk." 

Bootstrap laughed heartily and Will clutched his head. "Not so loud, please," he said. 

Bootstrap motioned to the bar wench. She nodded. "Ye need some hair of the dog, boy." 

"Not you, too." 

"Don´t argue with your father."  Bootstrap finally leveled his gaze at Jack, who was trying his best to blend in with the wall. "Now Jack, explain to me why you decided to sully my innocent son?" 

"Erm, well, I didn´t tumble him immediately. He tried to kill me when we first met at Port Royal." 

"Maybe he should´ve," Bootstrap said. Jack winced. "Miss Swann already told me about your adventures with Barbossa´s crew. Tell me what she doesn´t know." 

He fixed his steely gaze on Jack. "I bet you bedded him when you were alone on the Interceptor? I know how that corrupt mind of yers works." 

Jack flushed. "Uh...not immediately..."

"Been eyeing his arse for a bit and thinking about how ye could get your cake and eat it too, eh? After all, my Will was a sweet virgin, all there for the taking, and he looks just like me."  In a blur of motion, he swiftly drew his pistol and leveled it at Jack. As he cocked it, he said, "I curse the day I ever laid eyes on you." 

Will quickly drew his sword and pointed it at Bootstrap´s throat. Bootstrap looked at it contemptuously. "And what would ye be doing with that sword, boy?" 

"Don´t threaten Jack." 

"Will, don´t..." Jack began, but Bootstrap silenced him. 

"Or what?"  Bootstrap´s mouth curled into a smile. "Ye´ll kill me?"  He grabbed the sword and yanked down suddenly, pushing it into his chest. "I be as cursed as the rest of Barbossa´s crew." 

Will´s eyes goggled. He looked helplessly at Jack. Jack shrugged, and Will now knew that Jack had discerned Bootstrap´s true nature from the very start. 

Bootstrap continued, "Who knows how many years I waited for my boots to rot off and free me from that cursed cannon. And it was a good many years more before I could make my way back to the Caribee." 

Will said, "And how did you find us?" 

"I met Miss Swann in Tortuga. She told me that ye were aboard the Black Pearl, hunting Barbossa´s men. I knew that Jack would eventually come ´round to Cabezon, so we bribed someone to take us here. I was looking forward to seeing m´lover again, only to find that he sunk his corrupt fingers into you." 

Bootstrap put his finger on the trigger. "Jack, I want to hear why Will is your bed warmer before I send ye to your just reward." 

"Father, don´t!" 

"Why´re ye still defending this pox-ridden piece of sea trash?" 

Will looked down shyly. "Because I still love him." 

Bootstrap gaped. "What?" 

He locked eyes with his father, the liquid depths blazing with conviction. "I love him." 

Bootstrap lowered his pistol. "Then he didn´t seduce you?" 

"He did the first time," Will said earnestly. 

Jack groaned and Bootstrap immediately swung up his pistol to point at Jack´s chest again. 

Will amended hastily, "But I let him. I could have stopped him at any time, but I didn´t. And he told me that I could." 

Bootstrap glared at Jack. "Is this true?" 

"Aye. Yer boy´s a much faster swordsman than I ever was." 

"You still haven´t answered my question as to why ye did it, Jack." 

Jack sighed. "I thought ye wer´ dead and gone. And me heart was sore, until I saw young Will here. Believe me, I tried to avoid it. But he looked too much like you, William. And..." He paused. 

"Yes?"  Bootstrap said. 

"I fell in love with ´im as soon we laid eyes on each other." 

Bootstrap looked at him coldly. "And what about me?" 

"William..."

"Answer me!" 

Jack said softly, "I still love you, too." 

Will gaped, stunned by Jack´s admission. 

Bootstrap looked at Jack and scowled. "Curse ye, Jack Sparrow," he said as he pulled the trigger. 

Jack closed his eyes and braced himself for the shot. Instead, he heard a loud click. 

Bootstrap put the empty pistol down. "I could never hurt ye, Jack. I was tempted to beat the tar out of you last night, but y´know I wouldn´t have gone through with it, even if Will hadn´t interfered." 

Jack muttered, "It was hard to tell at the time." 

Bootstrap laughed. "You were never one to admit yer feelings unless someone held a knife to yer throat, and I wanted to make sure that ye wanted to keep me boy as more than a whore."  He looked up, his brown eyes vulnerable. "And God help me, but I still love yer deceitful, poncing, rum-soaked arse." 

Jack said, "You do?" 

Bootstrap nodded. The two men embraced each other. 

Will said, "Um, what about me?" 

Bootstrap said, "Son, it´s somewhat of a moot point until I get uncursed. But ye may want to consider sharing, because I am not lettin´ him go." 

Will clutched his head and moaned, "Why can´t my life be simple?" 

"A pirate´s life is never simple, whelp. Especially for someone in love with Jack Sparrow," Bootstrap replied. 

He ordered another round of rum. Jack said, "Thought ye couldn´t drink?" 

"I can´t. It´s for Will." 

"Why?" 

Bootstrap pulled Will´s sword out of his chest and handed it back to him. "Because now that I´ve said my peace, he has to deal with Miss Swann." 

Jack gestured at the barmaid, "Bring us several rounds of yer strongest rum, luvvy. He´ll need it." 

----
end part 1