Same Mistakes As His Mother
Sex was not something uncommon on a pirate ship, despite the surplus of men and uncomfortable conditions. Most sex took place after a fair share of rum had been consumed, as the majority of the men onboard were heterosexual and were only looking to another man as a substitute until they returned to shore and it was possible to share a bed with a woman again. So when Will Turner had stepped onto the Black Pearl one day, accompanied by the captain, saying that he was to become a member of the crew as a sword smith, most of the men would have assumed that he and Jack would eventually become intimate, as Jack had long since become indiscriminate about who would lay with him, man or woman, and Will was certainly more handsome and young than anyone else onboard.
Perhaps if one was carefully observing the two men one bright morning they would have guessed that the night before had been their first night in bed. Jack joked and socialized with everyone, including the young sword smith, yet there was nothing special about how he spoke with Will, as though he could have been talking to anyone, and it just so happened to be him.
As the day went on and the men all worked hard to maintain the infamous ship, Jack heard a loud crash coming from below deck, where Will usually worked on his swords. Jack curiously followed the noise and saw Will sitting on the wooden floor, clutching his arm in his hand.
“What have you done?” Jack exclaimed upon seeing the blood gushing from a sharp wound on Will’s wrist.
Will looked up at him nervously. “I lost grip of the sword as I was sharpening it,” he explained.
“You could have killed yourself, and then all I spent on your food and place on this ship would have been a waste, as you have yet to produce a single decent sword,” Jack scolded, uncharacteristically stern.
Will looked as though he might cry. “What do you expect me to say?” he asked.
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. “You could apologize, and then promise to hold your own weight from now on.”
“Fine, then!” Will exclaimed. “I’m sorry.”
Jack nodded, satisfied.
“Do you forgive me for falling for you?”
Jack, caught off guard, narrowed his eyes at Will as though he thought him crazy.
“Ever since I’ve done so I cannot concentrate on my work. So if you are going to forgive me for something, it should be for that,” Will explained, head bowed down.
Jack paused, thinking long and hard about how to answer him. He finally said, “Okay, I forgive you,” with a forced smile, and retreated up the stairs, leaving Will to hold his head in his bleeding hands, teeth clenched in frustration.
~*~
That next night was the second time Jack and Will were intimate. It was less painful for Will, being recently deflowered, and he was able to enjoy it just a little bit more. When they were finished Jack lay down next to Will and caught his breath, much like the first time.
Will was inwardly furious with himself for being so weakened by his feelings for the pirate. Jack had blatantly rejected him, yet he always still had hope.
Jack stood up, clothes already back on, to get his half-empty bottle of rum from the table. He offered some to Will, holding it out to him, and that was when Will saw the long scar on the palm of his hand, nearly identical to the one on his own hand.
Will declined the offer and stayed silent as Jack guzzled it down.
“Jack?” he finally asked softly. The pirate looked at him over his shoulder. “Why did you take that medallion from the cursed treasure all those months ago? You could have simply left me to return my piece, without the risks of losing it and remaining undead forever.”
Jack wiped his mouth as he polished off the bottle. He stood up to get another one.
When Will realized he was not going to answer, he asked, “Well? Why did you do it?”
Jack picked up another, much bigger, bottle, then put it back down, and sighed. Without looking at Will, he said, “Because I would rather walk the earth next to you as a ghost, then go to heaven and never see you again."
Will’s eyes widened, but he was not nearly as surprised as he expected to be.
Perhaps all his hope was not completely wasted.