Leave Me Lying Here

Title: Leave Me Lying Here (40) 08/23/03
Author: Lydia Nightshade (nightshade10312001@yahoo.com)
Pairing: Jack/Will; Ana Maria/Elizabeth
Rating: R
Warnings: For this chapter nothing but sappiness.
Disclaimer: HA! I own nothing! I’m a disillusioned college graduate with no future to speak of. The title is a line from the Veruca Salt song Volcano Girls. I don’t own that either I just think it goes well with the fic and I love Veruca Salt! (Plot line and subsequent oddball random OC’s are mine though! Back off Disney!!)
Beta: Mike
Archive: My writing LJ www.livejournal.com/users/night_writes

Feedback: I love it.

Summary: Finally an ending!!

Author’s Notes: Big thanks to Billeh for thinking up the ending. I was a bit stuck and would have just gone on and on.

Author’s Notes 2: Another most enthusiastic thanks to all the people that kept with this story no matter how damned long it took me to get chapters out and how many cliff hangers I threw at you. Bless ya!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


“Get your arms off me, Jack. I have to get ready for my date tonight.”

The words, spoken so softly by his lover’s voice, seemed to thunder down from the heavens, blocking out all other sound and delivering a swift sucker punch to his guts. Reluctantly he obeyed William’s words and let the warm body slip from his grasp. Almost instantly William spun around to finally look at him, his youthful brown eyes wise beyond their years and shining with emotion. When it became clear that William would not start the discussion, Jack took it upon himself to do so.

“A date, eh? Always and forever ends a lot sooner these days, doesn’t it?” he commented in a casual tone, his posturing betraying his inner hostility. He smirked at William and sucked on his bottom lip, his thumbs resting in his pockets as he laughed at the distant form of Coach Dancy.

“Fuck you,” Will hissed, when he finally found his voice again. “You leave me all alone for eight fucking months without so much as a postcard and you expect me to just sit here and pine away for you forever? To wait around endlessly for a day when you might come around and find me interesting again?!” Jack backed up a little, grimacing as he took the emotional hits one after the other.

“And the sad part is,” Will continued, his voice cracking slightly, “I did,” he confessed in a teary voice. “I locked myself up in my room combing the internet for hours on end trying, desperately, to find some small clue as to where you were. I read the newspapers, yahoo alerts, blogs—fuck I even read the registries for every fucking biker convention from here to California! For eight fucking months I waited for you, but you couldn’t even pick up a payphone and drop me a quick five minute call?” he snapped, his hurt turning rapidly to resentment.

“How dare you come back here now! How dare you make me feel guilty for trying to move on! Seriously, fuck you, Jack!” He was seething, his eyes boiling with angry tears, his gestures wild and violent. Jack had gradually begun to shrink into his own skin, no longer feeling as confident in his indignation as he had upon first arriving to find William hugging another man.

“Have you any idea what it’s been like for me all these months? The courtroom drama, the media making me out to be some sort of mental case, everyone staring at me and judging me, the looks I got at school, all the catch up I had to play on school work and, worst of all, I had no one—no one to talk to about it! I refuse to be made to feel guilty for finally reaching out!”

“I’m sorry, precious, but it’s not like I’ve been living the easy life. You know how I live, I don’t have a fancy mansion to go and hide in when my enemies come knocking. I thought about calling you a million times, but I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me. I wasn’t exactly a good influence on your life. I thought I’d just make it worse. I thought of you the whole time though. Hell, I saw that fucking Lord of the Kings Return five fucking times!” He lamented, his arguments ludicrous yet delivered so sincerely William almost had a mind to forgive him.

“Return of the King,” he corrected, his lips jerking up ever so slightly in the tiniest hint of a smirk. “And your argument is bollocks. You knew damn well I wanted to see you. You could have given up the criminal life. Come back when things died down at the very least.”

“I’m here now,” Jack offered, smiling awkwardly. “I’ve realized I can’t live without you. I want to try and make it work. I’m tired of running. I want to make an honest go of it… with you.”

“What about all your warrants?”

“This is not one of the seven states I currently have warrants in. Rather ironic considering this was probably the state I committed my worst crime. The rest was petty bullshit, here I stole a fucking person.”

“Yes, I remember. I was there, you moron,” William snapped, his voice much harsher than Jack was ever used to.

“Right…” Jack commented shyly, his face flushing with embarrassment. It wasn’t until then that he fully took in William’s appearance. The gangly teenager had grown up a lot in the short amount of time they’d been separated. His arms were more muscular, as was his chest, and he seemed taller.

“You been working out, precious?”

“Don’t call me that. You don’t get to call me that anymore,” he spat back venomously, causing far more damage than he intended. Jack looked physically wounded by the comment and William almost took it back, but then he dug in his heels and stuck out his chin, shrugging it off and standing tall.

“So who’s your date?” Jack asked snippily. “Cute little scraggly thing… you certainly have a thing for athletes. Dating your coach didn’t exactly work out so well for you last time if I recall.” His tone was smug and superior. William’s nostrils flared at the comments and Jack was positive that, had William a tail, it would be puffed out and twitching.

“He’s nothing like that asshole. He’s nothing like you either.”

“That’s because I’m one of a kind, love,” Jack shot back, smiling his trademark cocky smile. William scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, unimpressed by the display.

“Thank god for small favors.”

“Come on now, Will. You can’t be that mad at me, you named that foundation after me. I took it as a sign of hope. I’ve been a shell of a man these past eight months without you. I want to make it work.” His eyes shone with excitement and he dared to step closer to the angry teen. William let out a sad, weary laugh and shook his head.

“How can I possibly trust a single word you say? How long are you planning on staying in town this time? A week, a month, a couple of hours?” He wiped angrily at his eyes and backed away when Jack moved to comfort him.

“No, don’t touch me. I won’t fall for your games again. I held out the candle for you despite what everyone else said, but I’m done now. I can’t take this yo-yo shit. I want a stable partner. A normal relationship where our biggest problem is who’s parents do we spend the holidays at and does his furniture match mine or does he drink out of the carton—normal couple problems,” he insisted, wiping at his eyes.

“Not, when will my boyfriend’s murdering creditors find him? Or we have to visit my family because his family is in a state he can’t go to anymore because he’s a wanted man.” Will’s tone was sarcastic, biting, wounding Jack.

“Wow, you sound so grown up,” Jack replied, his voice quiet and pensive. William glared at him hatefully, his eyes narrowing.

“That’s what happens when you’re left alone to pick up the pieces of a shattered life,” he shot back irritably. Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes in exasperation from the weight of his guilt.

“It wouldn’t have to be like that. I haven’t heard from Norrington in months. I think he’s forgotten about me. Besides, I’ve got some money put aside. Not much, but with that and the bike shop I want to open I can pay him back in no time. I need you though.”

“If you need me to write you a check you could have asked me months ago, Jack. You don’t have to come back and lie to me about changing and us being together,” William mumbled, hugging himself. Jack looked even more hurt by the implication, his own eyes shining with moisture.

“Prec—William, that’s not what I meant. I’d never—“

“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of it. Maybe you’d never have the balls to ask, but I’m damned sure you’ve thought of it… in the dark of night, maybe with me lying there next to you even. Come on, admit it. Rich kid falls head over heels for you, you’ve got a big debt to dangerous people, don’t tell me you never thought about it.” He couldn’t stop his tears anymore and a few leaked out and ran down his face. He made no attempt to stop them.

“Who knows, maybe that was the plan all along? After Gibbs went AWOL on you that is.” Jack stayed silent a moment, his head hanging down. The lack of a snappy comeback worried William even more than if the biker had simply come at him and clocked him.

“I meant everything I said to you, William. Maybe you started off as a get rich quick scheme, but you didn’t stay that way for long. From the first time I ripped the tape off your mouth and you cussed me out for doing it too hard, I was hooked.” He laughed sadly, his face glowing with fond memories.

“I don’t want your money, William, I want you,” Jack confessed, his voice soft and sincere. William stood by his car looking ready to fall to pieces should even the slightest wind touch him. Jack was there in front of him saying all the things he’d wanted him to say, and yet he still couldn’t run into the waiting arms as he always had in his dreams. He let out a tiny whimper of grief, but stifled it immediately, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“I’m… I’m sorry Jack,” he began, his voice heavy with restrained tears, “but I need more than empty words to prove to me you’re different. I… I can’t take another rejection from you. If I take you back and you leave me again… I just can’t do it,” he confessed, taking a shuddering breath and wiping at his eyes then forcing a smile. Jack’s hope shattered with the statement, his expression falling to one of utter sorrow.

“I understand…” he whispered, his voice failing him. William wanted to rush to him, to hug him and say all was forgiven, but he owed himself more than that. Jack couldn’t get the idea that he could just barge back into life whenever he wanted and expect Will to drop everything and run back to him. “Suggestion noted. I’ll work on it.” he added with false levity, walking up to William to give him a hug. “Let me buy you dinner?” he asked hopefully, but William pulled away.

“I have a date tonight. I have to go I need to get ready,” William mumbled, rushing towards his door and fumbling with his keys. “Nice catching up with you. If you’re still here tomorrow you should stop by,” he said lightly but with none of the levity he felt. With shaky hands he turned on his car and sped off, trying his hardest not to look back. A mile down the road he had to pull over, music still blasting as he sobbed his eyes out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

William sat awkwardly in Hugh’s car, his body constantly fidgeting despite his best efforts to remain normal and not think of the drama he had just endured with his old flame. Hugh noticed the tension but appeared too nervous to ask. As they drove to the restaurant they listened to the local radio station.

“And by special request we have a long distance dedication to William from Jack, Hoobastank: The Reason with the message ‘I’m so sorry.’ Coming to you live from KC98.5!” As the song began to play William started to twitch even more. He tired to ignore it, but as the words went on they were like tiny stab wounds and he lunged for the radio, switching the station immediately.

“Was that for you?” Hugh asked, only half serious. While most people knew that William had been kidnapped, almost no one knew Jack’s identity as the teen had never sold him out. William laughed offhandedly and shook his head.

“No, not at all. I just can’t stand that stupid song. Besides dedications are such crap, only empty promises.” There was a mild bitterness in his voice. Hugh chuckled slightly at the hostile body language, but didn’t press the matter.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked again, observing the tenseness of his date. William turned to look at him and forced a smile.

“Yes, I’m grand. Where are we going?”

“There’s this great little bistro downtown that I’ve been dying to try. I hope you like Italian food.” William smiled warmly and took Hugh’s hand.

“I love Italian food.” he insisted, trying his best to block out all thoughts of his earlier meeting with Jack. He had every right to enjoy his date. He was not being unfaithful, Jack had unreasonable demands. He had left him. It was okay to move on. So what if the lousy cad had come crashing back into his life, silly promises made in hospital beds meant nothing.

“You seem distracted tonight, Will. Did something happen?” Hugh asked, squeezing the teen’s hand back gently as he wove through traffic. William sputtered and shrugged it off.

“I’m fine! Nothing happened. I’m just a little nervous. I haven’t been on a date in ages and I don’t want to mess it up,” he lied, forcing another smile and taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. “I have every right to be here and enjoy this,” he stated randomly, making Hugh raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Glad to know it,” Hugh responded facetiously, squeezing William’s hand before placing it back on the wheel.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hugh pulled up to William’s aunt’s mansion hours later. Their date had been rather lackluster, but not wholly unmemorable. William tried to shake off his meeting with Jack, but to be honest the older man’s return had left him more shaken than he cared to admit. The song dedication only made it worse. The entire date he had felt like he was cheating on his lover, which had made his time with Hugh impossible to enjoy. When Hugh dropped him off he stood awkwardly by the car, wondering what he should say.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Hugh asked nervously, bouncing from foot to foot and shivering slightly from the cold. William smiled and nodded politely. It hadn’t been a terrible time, but it was rather boring compared to what he was used to with Jack, and he had to admit his heart just wasn’t in it tonight.

“Yes, of course, the food was delicious,” William said, smiling up at the slightly taller brunette. “I’m sorry I was a little weird tonight. I’m… some old ghosts came back to haunt me recently—I’m sorry,” he apologized, not wanting to bother with formalities. Hugh sighed and nodded before leaning in to try and kiss him. William jerked back, surprised by the gesture and its timing. He had wanted it so badly when Hugh asked him out, but now it was all muddled and confused.

“I’m sorry!” He apologized profusely, covering his face in his hands when their would-be first kiss ended in disaster. Hugh looked mortified and annoyed at the same time. “I wasn’t ready but I am now,” William insisted, leaning in to meet the man halfway. Hugh took a breath and leaned in, their lips meeting awkwardly at first before deepening to something somewhat more intimate. But in the end William pulled away quickly. To his great disappointment he didn’t feel any sparks flying.

By the disappointed look on Hugh’s face when they parted, William could tell that Hugh felt the same way. He smiled sadly, wishing that things could have gone better. Hugh apologized again before making a swift exit, leaving William standing alone in the dark of his driveway. The teen sighed irritably, letting his head fall back as he looked up at the night sky. Would he ever be able to make it work with anyone?

As he made his way up the long driveway he noticed movement by his car and almost jumped out of his flesh when he realized it was the figure of a man. He stopped dead in his tracks, reaching in his pocket for his house keys to use in defense. He quickly relaxed, however, when he realized it was Jack. The biker was sitting on the hood of Will’s BMW, clad in leather, of course, smoking a cigarette with a half empty six-pack next to him.

“What are you doing here? You scared me half to death!” Will huffed, pulling his hoodie closer around his shivering body. “How long have you been out here?”

“Since your old curfew time. You’re late by the way. I wanted to make sure you got home safe. Last coach didn’t treat you very gentlemanly,” Jack explained, taking another sip of his beer. “You look nice,” he added softly, taking in the teen’s appearance.

“Thank you but, I’m eighteen and in college, I don’t have a curfew anymore and stalking is illegal in all fifty states,” William scoffed, grabbing one of Jack’s beers and popping it open to guzzle down a large amount. Jack snorted at Will’s action taking in the young man’s irritated demeanor and laughing.

“Not quite the evening you had planned, was it?” Jack’s smug voice penetrated the silence of the night and startled William. “Saw that kiss… so romantic,” he snickered, dissolving into laughter.

“Fuck off, Jack, not every relationship is going to be perfect,” William muttered, too tired to argue. “You played head games with me using that damn song dedication—I mean, what the fuck, man?!” William snapped, beer spilling from his bottle as he waved it around.

“Don’t waste that, precious,” Jack scolded, pointing to the beer spilling on the ground, “and don’t blame me for your stud becoming a dud.”

“You’re so…”

“Charming?” Jack purred, sliding off the hood of the car and slithering up against Will. William rolled his eyes and backed away.

“Invasive, possessive, unwelcome.” He corrected himself, exchanging positions so that he was now sitting on the hood of the car, his feet resting on the bumper so he could rest his elbows on his knees. “I don’t care how many songs you dedicate to me. I still don’t trust you,” Will sighed, taking a long drink. Jack nodded and mimicked the gesture taking a last drag from his cigarette before snuffing it out.

“Why are you really here, Jack? You were never the jealous type.”

“I’m extremely jealous of your curly haired Adonis. Must be hard being so slick you practically knock your partner unconscious on the first date. Does he have dragon breath? He looks like he smells of sweat socks and jockstraps.”

“How old are you?!” William cried, frustrated and pissed off at Jack’s constant insults on his choice of date. “He calls me when he says he will, shows up when he’s supposed to, takes me to restaurants instead of rundown shacks, and pays with his own money! Not everyone can be a high school drop out criminal that’s never heard of vegetables!”

“Avery did the same shit if I recall. Face it, your hero is a douche,” Jack sneered, the words tasting bitter. “How long before he pulls the same old tricks?” William stood up from the car, walked over slowly and swung at the biker, catching him off-guard and landing one right across Jack’s jaw.

“Fuck you,” he hissed, nursing his hand. “He’s nothing like Avery, and if you recall you tried the same shit with me too.”

“I stopped myself,” Jack countered, his eyes narrowing in anger as he held his wounded cheek. “And I think I more than made up for it by saving your life countless times. Do you think Coach Douchebag would be of any use under heavy fire?” Jack arrogantly sneered at the thought. “He’s worthless!”

“Just tell me why you’re here!” William shouted, pulling on his hair and glaring odium at the older man. Jack sighed and put his beer down.

“Glad you finally asked,” he said smugly, brushing imaginary dust off his clothes in an overdramatic fashion. “You said you wanted more than words. I thought about it all day. What could I possibly do to show you how serious I am about us being together? And then it hit me as I walked past this charming little shop in the center of town.” With that, Jack dropped to his knee and produced a small black box from his pocket.

“William Swann, will you marry me?” he asked, grinning ear to ear. William’s face went white and he almost choked on his beer. After hacking it up and wiping his mouth he looked down at Jack wide-eyed. “This serious enough for you?” Jack grinned. I even paid real money for it,” he added proudly, looking like a child offering up a straight report card full of A’s.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” William squawked, standing up and laughing.

“No, I’m serious. So how about it?” Jack asked again wiggling the box in front of the young man. William scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.

“No, you moron, of course no! I’m only eighteen for Christ’s sake! I just started college, I’m still trying to figure exactly what it is I want to do with my life, and I’m finally feeling comfortable in my own skin. Not to mention the whole futility of a gay marriage in this country! We could cross the state line and be back to just ‘roommates’ again.” Jack’s face fell and he rolled his eyes, letting his arms fall as he was lectured yet again. He had to admit he was relieved William didn’t want to get married, but he was annoyed that he had missed the mark yet again.

“Blah, blah, blah, blah,” Jack shot back, getting up off the ground, his expression hurt and embarrassed. “What the hell do you want from me then? You say you want more than words, but then you throw this back in my face.”

“I meant get a job, get a permanent residence, establish a line of credit that sort of thing. Not another empty promise. Show me you’re going to go clean, not perform some stupid over the top romantic gesture that has no real meaning behind it,” William explained, his voice still showing his irritation, but there was understanding and sympathy under it. He had been touched by the gesture, but it was so, so stupid. Jack nodded, finally getting the point and breathing heavily through his nose.

“And while I’m doing all that are you still going to be playing tonsil hockey with that jerk off?” he asked sadly, staring William in the eyes. The young man was taken aback by what he saw there. Jack really cared about him, loved him. Maybe he was an asshole, but he was a sincere asshole.

“I… um… I don’t, I don’t know.” He fumbled with his words as the space between them closed and his senses were overpowered by Jack’s intoxicating scent. He couldn’t look away from those eyes, though he desperately wanted to. He felt like an ant under a magnifying glass. Jack’s hand came up to stroke the side of his face and, despite himself, Will leaned into it, closing his eyes momentarily at the familiar touch. Their eyes met again and Jack leaned in, ghosting his lips over William’s. When he met with no resistance he closed the distance between them.

It was slow and chaste, soft lips pressed against each other, Jack’s facial hair scratching Will’s chin. It felt so familiar, like coming home after a long journey. Gradually Jack’s tongue brushed against Will’s lips, asking for permission, which William gladly offered. Wet muscles massaged one another in a tender kiss that set Will’s skin on fire. When they parted, William sighed contentedly, his fingers grabbing at Jack’s belt loops, keeping their groins pressed against one another. They paused a moment, staring at one another, unsure of what to say.

“More than words,” Jack whispered huskily, running his fingers over Will’s trembling lips. The teen smiled genuinely, his face flushed from arousal. “I want us to be a normal couple, William. I want to start over. I bought a bike shop with Ana. I can work off the debt for Norrington honestly. Whatever it takes to make you happy.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” William laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. Jack shrugged and smirked.

“Wanted to see where your real feelings lay,” he confessed. Will shook his head in exasperation before pulling Jack down for a much more passionate kiss.

“Come here, you fucking idiot.” Tongues battled for dominance as their hands groped blindly at each other. Jack pushed William back onto the hood, the teen pulling him down on top of him. Grinding against one another on the hood of William’s car, their moans of pleasure filled the space around them as their hot puffs of breath floated up and then disappeared into the vast, dark abyss. Jack fumbled with William’s belt, his icy hand reaching inside, causing the most exquisite gasp to fall from the young man’s lips.

“Uh, maybe we should continue this inside, your hands are freezing, baby,” William moaned, his jaw slack as Jack continued to jerk him off. Jack traced his thumb over William’s lips, moaning in arousal as William took the digit in and sucked on it. “Oh, fuck, baby, don’t stop,” William panted, biting his lip in arousal. Jack smiled the most feral smile William had ever seen. As he came Jack kissed him deeply, swallowing his cry of ecstasy.

“Let me fuck you here, right on the car,” he panted huskily into his lover’s ear, making the young man shudder all over and close his eyes. William didn’t even respond, merely nodded his head in affirmation. Jack grinned ear to ear as William fumbled with their trousers. Once they were both liberated from them, Jack used the seed from Will’s climax to lube himself up. He paused at Will’s entrance, seeking the young man’s permission.

“Do it,” William panted, pulling Jack down for a kiss. Jack obeyed, pushing in hard and fast. William groaned into his mouth, the burn of being penetrated a truly great feeling. “I love you,” he moaned, kissing Jack passionately, his eyes shiny with moisture. The biker mirrored his expression and nodded back, putting all his emotion into the kiss. He started rocking his hips, causing them both to become wordless, grunting machines. The two moved together perfectly after so many couplings.

“I’m close,” William mumbled, pulling his lover down for a heated kiss as he arched up against Jack’s body and came. His contracting muscles surrounded Jack’s cock in throbbing, tight heat and Jack spilled his seed deep inside William, his hips jerking up automatically as his body shook from the force of his orgasm. They both lay there panting heavily, Jack resting his head on Will’s chest as the teen held him tight, kissing the top of Jack’s head in gratitude. They were both trembling so that they could hardly move, their muscles feeling like jelly.

“Now, we can go inside,” Jack said cheekily, lifting his head up so he could kiss his lover tenderly. William laughed, pulling him closer. Now that they had settled he realized how cold it was outside and he shivered.

“Yeah, my room is heated and I’ve got a private bath,” he said impishly wiggling his eyebrows. They pulled their trousers up and crept into the house. Jack practically scooped the teen up and carried him to the door. As soon as they reached William’s room they fell to the bed in a tangle of limbs, ripping clothing off and rubbing against one another, making out heavily. Soon they were devoid of all clothing, rolling around together like they had so many times before in stolen hotel rooms.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sunlight filtered its persistent way through the dark curtains of William’s plush bedroom to illuminate the two figures lying motionless upon the bed. Jack was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling, having awoken over an hour before. William was beside him, lying on his stomach sound asleep, lips slightly parted and his arm flopped lazily over Jack’s stomach. Jack sighed contentedly, staring up at the patterns in the plaster above. It was so quiet here. No rats, no sirens, no junkies and no domestic disturbances to wake up to. A man could get used to the simple life of a small town. New England wasn’t the worst place to end up.

He turned to look at William and smiled to himself. Will’s face never looked more angelic than when he was sleeping soundly. Rolling over to get a better view he accidently disturbed his lover, causing the teen’s face to scrunch up. His arm retracted as he pulled it close to his body, his hand resting right in front of his face. Jack chuckled at the unconscious action and reached out to touch the face he loved so much. He ran his hand down the side of William’s face gently, waking the youth. When he saw William’s eyes open and light up at the sight of him, Jack knew he was he wanted William forever.

“Good Morning, star shine, the earth says hello,” Jack whispered facetiously as he pulled the naked teen into his arms. William let out a groggy laugh and snuggled up next to him. He had missed these tender morning moments almost, if not more, than the sex itself. “Are you sore?” Jack asked with concern, punctuating it with a kiss. William shrugged and squirmed when he thought about it.

“A little,” he replied nonchalantly. “It was worth it though,” he added, twirling his fingers in Jack’s dreads. Jack smiled and kissed his lover again.

“We fit together, precious. I don’t know why, but we do. You can’t deny it.”

“I can deny anything,” William cut in, laughing nervously and drawing patterns up and down Jack’s chest. The biker leaned in and kissed him tenderly yet passionately.

“Marry me.” Jack whispered it against William’s lips. The young man sighed and pulled away, looking up in exasperation.

“Jack… I said no. One night of enjoyable sex is not going to change that. All the stuff I said last night still applies this morning and you’re still—“ He was cut off as Jack kissed him again, his hands running down the teen’s body and pressing them closer. Will resisted at first, but soon melted, his body responding as well as his heartstrings.

“I’m a changed man, precious.”

“I need proof, Jack. I’m sorry, but this is as far as it goes for us… at least until I can finally trust you again,” he explained sternly, looking Jack square in the eyes. “I’m not going to be hurt by you again.”

“And I’m not going to hurt you again. I’m going honest. That bike shop I want to get with Ana has a loft apartment over it. We could live together, go grocery shopping together, all that normal mundane crap you want. It’ll be our own warped way of playing house.”

“That’s the problem with you, Jack, everything is play.”

“I’m serious this time. No more running. I’m tired of it and gas prices are just too high.” He laughed, trying to lighten the mood. William sighed and wiped at his eyes. “Don’t cry, William. Move in with me.”

“No,” he replied flat out, despite his desire to fall for the tender kisses and erotic touches. “No, I won’t go through that again.” Jack sighed and ran his hand down his face. He stared William down a minute trying to think of something more to say. Then a spark of an idea kindled in his brain and he got up from the bed searching for his discarded trousers. William watched him curiously, groaning when he saw Jack come back with the same small box.

Jack walked back to the bed with it in hand and slid back under the covers sliding up next to his lover. William rolled his eyes and scooted away.

“Jesus, have you gone deaf?”

“No, but I thought of a compromise. You take my ring—“

“I’m not getting engaged at fucking 18!” William interrupted, almost pulling on his hair.

“Let me finish?” Jack huffed, rolling his eyes in irritation, “You take it, but instead of an engagement ring, we’ll call it a promise ring, okay? You give me six months time. If I’m still here and the shop is doing well then you’ll move in with me, deal?” William was speechless; Jack had said something that made sense. He sat on the bed awkwardly, his mouth agape as he tried to process everything. In the end Jack simply took the ring out of the box and slipped it on William’s finger for a perfect fit. William looked down at it curiously, feeling hypnotized by it in fact. It was silver with a small rectangular sapphire stone in the center.

“It’s beautiful,” William said out loud, feeling his eyes well up as so many emotions crashed down on him all at once. Jack was there, but for how long? He was promising him everything he wanted, but could he trust him? He felt Jack’s warm arms wrap around his waist and he jumped, not realizing he’d started crying.

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I thought this was what you wanted.”

“It is, in a warped way… but I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“Just give me one more chance, William. I promise I won’t cock this one up,” he said, earning a laugh from Will. The young man leaned into him, taking his hands and kissing them.

“…Okay,” he mumbled into Jack’s hands. Jack perked up slightly, kissing William’s shoulders in a comforting manner.

“What was that?”

“I said okay. I’ll give you six months… but God help you should you fuck me over again,” he said, half laughing, half crying. Jack grinned ear to ear and squeezed the teen so tight William thought his head would pop off. Jack spun him around and kissed him passionately, pushing him down to the mattress in his glee.

“William? Are you in there? I hear voices. Are you okay?” Both men cursed under their breaths and rolled off the bed in desperate search of clothing as they heard Aunt Lena on the other side of Will’s bedroom door.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit! Where the fuck are my boxers?” William cursed, searching the bed frantically. Jack laughed and shrugged, holding up a piece of fabric.

“My bad, precious, I ripped them off you last night, don’t you remember?” he said with a humorous apologetic look. William scrunched his face up and smacked his forehead.

“Fuck!”

“I’m using my key,” Lena warned, fearing the worst for her nephew.

“Closet, closet, closet!” William whispered as loudly as he could, shoving Jack, still mostly naked, into his spacious closet. He then quickly dove back under the covers and pretended to be asleep. Lena burst into the room looking around wildly. William bolted up pretending to be scared by her sudden entrance.

“Lena! You scared me to death!” he gasped, clutching his chest. “Why are you in here?”

“I heard a man’s voice. I thought you might be in trouble.”

“No, it must have been the television.” He spoke quickly and scratched at the back of his scalp out of nerves. Lena looked to the dark television screen and then back at her nephew.

“The television’s not on.” William blanched and stared at her wide-eyed, trying to think up another lie to cover his lie.

“I, uh, turned it off just before you got in,” he explained, his voice quavering slightly as he tried to subtly straighten out his bed sheets. Lena was not having it, however.

“But you were sleeping… naked. You never sleep naked. You practically wear a bathing suit in the shower.” She stared her nephew down, making William incredibly uncomfortable and self-conscious. He was almost certain she knew exactly what had happened and he started to panic.

“I’m fine, okay!” he finally blurted out before pulling the covers up to his chest and blushing redder than a fire engine. Lena cocked her head to the side in curiosity, her green eyes catching the condom wrapper in the trash. She smirked in amusement and tried to hide her laughter.

“William, you’re eighteen now. As far as I’m concerned you can see whoever you want to, but don’t take me for a fool, and a little heads up would be nice. I mean, you were abducted once before, I’d like to know if I should be expecting voices other than yours or Lizzie’s coming from this room,” she stated calmly as she held his gaze. William thought he would burst into flames at any moment. He stared up at her apologetically, his embarrassment palpable, and nodded ever so slightly. She smiled in relief that he understood and leaned down to kiss his cheek before heading for the door.

“And don’t ever disrespect me like that again. I’m not a servant, you don’t shout at me,” she added in a stern tone, causing William to blush even deeper.

“I’m sorry… and, thank you?” he mumbled in a stunned tone, his expression making her laugh. William looked the picture of comedy sitting on his bed, hair wild from what must have been a very good romp, bed sheets torn asunder and his face a mask of confusion. “What?” he asked her nervously when she lingered in his doorway.

“You look like every virgin on prom night.” she teased. “Well, more like the next morning when you wake up wondering where your underwear’s gone and how are you going to explain this to mum and dad, and what was the guy’s name,” she drifted off, sighing nostalgically, causing William to raise his eyebrows in question. “Don’t ask me, I won’t ask you,” she said preemptively, causing him to laugh.

“Listen, I understand that my brother, your father, made you feel ashamed of who you are, but I’m nothing like him. I won’t disown you. I love you. I do want you to be careful though. Sex is a big responsibility and I expect you to rise to the occasion… no pun intended.”

“I appreciate what you’re saying but this is too weird for me. Can we please do it another time? I mean, I’m naked for Christ’s sake!” William asked in the most endearing tone, his voice choked up. It had been one emotional bombshell after the other and it wasn’t even eleven in the morning. Lena snorted in laughter but nodded in understanding. Plus she had a pretty good idea that Will’s late night playmate was still hiding in the room somewhere.

“I’ll leave you to it then. Come down for breakfast, if you’re not dinning in that is,” she teased, earning her one more blush from her bashful nephew.

“Oh, God!” He groaned in teenaged mortification as she finally left the room so he could be alone in his embarrassment. He sat on the bed with his eyes squeezed shut in shame, trying not to think about how he was going to face her again. He didn’t know why, but the thought of his aunt knowing he was having sex made him feel so very disturbed. For some foolish reason he thought she could forget everything said in the trials, but now she would have this lovely memory burned into her brain forever.

“Fuck…” he moaned, lying back against the pillows and sighing out his defeat.

“Is she gone?” Jack poked his head out of the closet, clothing hanging from his head and looking utterly disheveled. William burst out laughing, shaking his head at his hopeless lover.

“No way you’re really older than me.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One Month Later

Ana stood at what would be the reception desk of their recently purchased repair shop. It had been a long struggle to get the banks to loan money to either of them and the truth of it was that neither of them would have been successful except that Jack had already accumulated so much money on his own. He even put The Pearl up as collateral. She never thought she would live to see the day Jack Sparrow put his one and only love on the line for a person other than himself. Not only that, he was planting roots. It was so surreal she thought he was fucking with her.

She sighed contentedly as she looked around the small, dusty shop. A lot of work would have to be done before they could get this place up and running, but since neither of them had anything better to do with their lives it seemed worth the effort. She’d never had a single thing in her life to be proud of, perhaps this could be her second, third, fourth chance as well. She heard the homemade ‘alarm’ Jack had made jingle, and looked up to see the man himself, walking in with a dubious looking William behind him.

“Why do you have Christmas decorations up already?” William asked, noticing the cheap, rusty, decorative jingle bell on a ratty red string hanging above the door. Ana laughed as Jack’s face fell and he coughed under his breath. She still couldn’t believe how much the kid meant to her friend. Jack was killing himself to make William proud of him and it was utterly adorable.

“It’s not a decoration, it’s an alarm. This way if we’re in the back working on a bike we’ll know when someone comes in—did it meself,” he explained, perking up with pride at his ‘invention.’

“Oh.” William replied, unimpressed by the device but trying to be polite. One glaring visual cue for excitement from Ana however and he perked up. “Oh, oh, how very, very cool… and smart even,” he fumbled, trying to make the small accomplishment seem bigger. He knew Jack was trying hard, but thus far he wasn’t feeling very hopeful. Though he secretly wanted Jack to succeed in winning him back he didn’t want to look too anxious. He was still a little angry about their last goodbye in the hospital. Jack smiled at the compliment and then turned to Ana, his face beaming with pride. She smiled back, pretending everything was fine. Jack then flashed her a look that she recognized as ‘get the fuck out’ and she rolled her eyes.

“Well, I’ve got tons of work to do and I still have to go meet Liz, so I guess I’ll leave you two boys alone,” she said in her usual sly, seductive tone as she sauntered out. William watched her leave apprehensively, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be alone with Jack again. Since their reunion he had tried to limit their contact, not trusting himself around the older man. He almost jumped when Jack came up behind him and took his hand.

“I can fuck you in the back.”

“Huh—What?!” William fumbled, looking up at Jack nervously. Damn, Jack looked good in his blue tank top, and he smelled absolutely edible. Jack laughed and shook his head.

“I said I wanted to show you the back… where we fix the bikes,” Jack explained, not fully understanding why his lover looked so hot under the collar.

“Is it hot in here?” William asked, moving away from Jack and going to the receptionist desk Ana had recently vacated. He forgot how much choppers turned him on. It was almost Pavlovian now. Whenever he got near choppers he got horny and it was the exact reason he hadn’t wanted Ana to leave.

“Wow, this wood is really hard,” he said, innocently enough at first, as he ran his hands over the smooth surface, but then blushing when he realized what he’d said. “I mean—you know—Is it hot in here?”

“Are you okay, William? You look…” He broke off, choosing to stride up to the young man silently.

“…hot?” William responded unsurely, swallowing audibly as Jack sidled up to him. Jack looked him up and down, wondering what was wrong with him, laughing as he noticed the flush of arousal color William’s cheeks the closer he got.

“You do look ravishing today,” he purred, leaning in towards the worried teen. William slunk away though, almost rushing for the back.

“You said you wanted to show me the back. I want to see the back. Let’s look at the back,” William insisted, walking at a brisk pace. He stopped in the middle of the empty garage looking around as if the big, empty dusty space was fascinating to him. “Wow, this is great. Where would you put it—them!”

“Everywhere,” Jack replied, standing in the doorframe with his thumbs tucked into his leather pockets. His tongue peeked out from between his lips slowly as he pretended to moisten them thoroughly. William shivered in his sketchers as he watched and scratched at the back of his neck.

“T-That’s good… really good. You’re really coming along then, eh?”

“Yup, coming right along,” Jack said seductively, staring William down with aroused amusement. The young man shifted his weight from one foot to the other, wringing his hands together.

“Put in any cameras yet?” he managed to ask, sucking on his bottom lip. Jack quirked his head to the side and scoffed.

“No, I can’t afford that, but I sleep right upstairs so I’ll be here to monitor things.” William nodded in understanding walking past Jack with a stiff gate before ending up once again at the reception desk his hands spread out over the wood. “So what do you think?” Jack asked curiously, coming up behind him and running his fingers over Will’s shoulders and down his arms. He placed feather-light kisses on the back of Will’s neck and smiled to himself that William was letting him do it.

“Honestly?” William asked, quirking his eyebrow, his voice choked with lust.

“Of course, that’s the whole point.” Jack replied, backing off his lover enough to let him speak. William closed his eyes and swallowed hard, turning around and pushing himself up onto the desk.

“I think I want you to fuck me right here on this desk,” he said with a straight face, spreading his legs just enough to give Jack the idea. The biker’s jaw dropped initially, but he recovered quickly, his face cracking in the biggest grin William had ever seen. Jack chuckled in happy delight as he searched Will’s face for any sign of him backing out, but there was none.

With the energy of a horny teenager Jack pounced on his lover, almost bowling the desk right over. Their tongues battled for dominance, William giving a series of loud moans as Jack undressed him roughly. Normally Jack was not rough with him. Given the nature of so many of William’s past experiences the biker was always gentle, but there was something different in William’s eyes tonight and somehow Jack knew this was what he he wanted.

William ripped Jack’s blue shirt right down the middle, biting at the exposed flesh he found there, much to Jack’s delight. Jack sucked on the supple flesh of Will’s neck leaving a nice red mark. He pushed the teen down roughly on the desk, pulling Will’s jeans and boxers off all in one swoop. He hurried to unbuckle his own and spit into his hand to lube up. William was already stroking himself as he watched, biting his bottom lip in arousal. Jack flung Will’s legs over his shoulders and pushed in, causing them both to moan in pleasure.

“Oh, fuck,” William moaned wantonly as Jack began moving. He pushed so hard Will’s head smacked off the wooden back of the desk, but he didn’t care. He encouraged Jack to go harder, which the biker gladly did. Halfway through Jack pulled Will off the table entirely and turned him so he was bent over it, a position that served to be much more pleasurable for both of them. He pinned Will’s hands down and thrust into him with all his might, Will practically screaming in ecstasy underneath him.

“I’m coming!” William shouted, so close he could hardly speak. Jack cried out shortly after, his dick squeezed mercilessly by William’s clenching muscles. They lay on the desk frozen in their positions, both sweaty and panting, unable to move. Eventually Jack pushed himself up and helped William to stand up. The teen rose and pulled up his jeans and boxers from around his ankles in a nonchalant manner. Still panting he turned around and smiled at Jack casually, running a hand through his hair to fix it. He took a moment to compose himself and then searched for his shirt.

“Sorry about that… Bikes kinda get me hot now,” he explained apologetically his voice guilty, causing Jack to laugh.

“I’ve got the same problem, precious. Always have.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m still not moving in.”

“I know.” Jack said sweetly, making no move to get dressed.

“Aren’t you going to put your clothes back on?” William asked curiously, looking at the still very naked biker. Jack laughed and looked around the empty place.

“It’s my fucking shop, why bother?”

William laughed and shook his head, coming up to kiss the older man tenderly. It, of course, became much more heated than he intended as Jack reached down to grab his ass and rub their groins together. William let out a tiny mewl of delight at the bold treatment, not wanting to break the moment, though he had to.

“I know, but Lizzie and Auntie Lena are coming by later to give their approval and I want you to make a good first impression on her,” William reminded him in his dulcet voice as he subtly rubbed up against the older man. Jack groaned in his throat as William cupped him, but the mention of Lizzie killed any boner he might have had.

“Shit, she’s never liked me. Never will either.”

“She’s warming to you. She sometimes calls you Jack now instead of ‘cowardly bastard’,” Jack sighed, waiting for one more kiss before he finally pulled himself away enough to get dressed.

“Oh, by the way, I was going to ask you if you wanted to work the reception desk, but I don’t know how well your greeting policy will go with some customers,” he joked, running upstairs to grab a fresh shirt. William rolled his eyes and laughed, putting his own shirt back on.

“Cheeky bastard.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Six Months Later

“So while I’m lying there practically unconscious, I look up and I see his stupid ass fly off the second floor balcony and grab at one of the cords from the ceiling, only it doesn’t hold his weight and he comes crashing down and all I’m thinking is, ‘Shit, I’m gone die’!” William’s amused retelling of his times in captivity had him reeling with laughter, but Darcy seemed less amused. They were sharing beers in the back of Hugh’s pickup truck. During the sports season they had become friends and often hung out after classes were over. Today William was in no rush to get home. Spring Break was coming up and he had a stack of papers to get in before the last minute.

“That sounds really scary, not funny,” Hugh commented, crinkling up his face in disbelief and taking another sip from his beer. It had taken him forever to get William to open up about what had happened to him during his time with Jack, the stuff that never made it to court and thus the papers. After six months of friendship William had finally decided he could give Hugh a taste of what he’d been begging for. It was the least he could do after fucking someone else the night of their first date.

“It was scary as hell back then, but it’s funny now. He’s so clumsy,” William replied, his voice softened with nostalgia. Talking about Jack with someone besides his shrink was actually a bit of a relief. He had kept so much locked inside, things he couldn’t talk about even with Lizzie, but for some reason he could talk about them with Hugh.

After their first disastrous date they had decided to keep their relationship friendly and nothing else. Jack was not thrilled with the idea of them being around each other at all, but as William pointed out to him on several occasions, he had no say over what he did as they were still not a couple, though they had fucked on several occasions. Christmas, Will’s birthday, and a few other occasions found the two lovers once again wrapped in each other’s arms and sharing fluids.

Hugh shook his head in disbelief at the stories that came out of his friend’s mouth. “It’s insane. I don’t know how you survived. Seems unbelievable that all that shit happened to you in so short a time—I mean, a fucking tornado?!” he said in amazement, laughing and scratching his head. William laughed along with him, nodding in affirmation.

“I know, I must be cursed by some higher power,” William laughed as he grabbed another Dorito from the bag and scarfed it down. “Don’t tell anyone you saw me eating these,” he warned, thinking of all the times he’d scolded Jack for his poor food choices.

“I promise,” Hugh replied, not fully understanding the request, but laughing anyway. I can see why you’re still in love with him,” he added a bit softer, watching William’s face very carefully. William almost choked on his beer.

“Hu-What?” he sputtered, wiping at the beer that had flowed down his chin. “I’m not—I never said—not anymore,” he insisted, dismissing the idea as ludicrous. Hugh scoffed and stared back at him. William swallowed hard and looked away, taking another sip of his beer and blushing slightly. He didn’t want to admit it. He had spent months denying it and he still wasn’t entirely convinced that Jack was going to keep his promises. True, Jack had made some major changes and it appeared to be going well, he even remembered William’s birthday, and they had been in close contact.

“Come on, man. You still wear the damn ring he gave you, you defended him all through the trial, and you turned me down flat as soon as he showed up back in town.” William sighed at having evidence of his own feelings presented to him by an outside party, but his hand found its way to the spot under his shirt where lay the promise ring he wore on a chain around his neck. “I don’t get why you won’t admit it.”

“Because I’m not. I can’t be… It’s complicated,” William mumbled, his voice sounding tired. He took a final drink from his bottle and then put it down on the truck bed, sighing deeply. “So fucking complicated.” Hugh mimicked his expression as he reached out and rubbed Will’s shoulder in comfort.

“He’s a lucky bastard,” Hugh added, smiling at his friend reassuringly. William laughed at the comment, turning towards Hugh as he did.

“Thanks, you’re a good friend.” He smiled and pulled Hugh into a hug.

As if on cue he heard Jack’s bike pulling up. Hugh groaned under his breath at the biker’s arrival and they pulled out of their embrace. William chuckled to himself as he saw the expression on Jack’s face when he got off his chopper and walked up to them. Both men hated each other with a fiery passion.

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Is this appropriate coach/student touching?” Jack asked in a casually smug tone as he strutted up to them, pulling off his leather gloves. Hugh glared back, watching with great upset when Jack took one of his beers without asking, popped it open, and drank it as he stared at him hatefully.

“Aren’t you late for an arraignment somewhere?” Hugh scoffed, taking the remaining beers and putting them back into his cooler. Jack narrowed his eyes and smirked.

“Tell me something, college boy… do you like apples?” he asked snidely, his voice rising an octave in anger. Hugh’s eyes blazed and they both looked ready to fight when William jumped off the truck and stood between them.

“Hey, hey, hey, calm down, guys. We’re all adults. All single adults.” William stressed, staring Jack down. The biker was not intimidated though.

“Yes, we’re all single adults, but some of us are single fucking adults. So, I don’t really feel the need to humor this cock weasel.” Jack responded heatedly. William grabbed on to his leather coat to keep him at a distance from Hugh. Instead of fighting he gestured between himself and William, staring pointedly at Hugh before whispering animatedly. “Applesauce, mate. Apple… sauce.”

“Very gentlemanly, I don’t know what the fuck he sees in you,” Hugh sniped, getting off the tailgate and slamming it shut. “I’ve gotta go, Will. It was nice talking to you. See you tomorrow in class,” he said, his voice hurried and thick with irritation. William flashed him a sad smile and waved as he drove off, feeling bad for his friend. As soon as he was out of sight he spun around and punched Jack in the shoulder.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! What kind of petty bullshit comments were those?! Applesauce?!”

“What? You’re the one that fucked me after your first date with Coach Douchebag over there. If he can’t handle that fact it’s not my fault. Besides, we are fucking, ergo, I get more sway with you than him.” He was resolute, his voice loud and angry. William laughed and shook his head.

“Where the hell did you learn the word ‘ergo’, let alone how to use it properly?”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, precious and I like it that way,” Jack shot back in a haughty tone, crossing his arms and waggling his eyebrows.

“Christ, yours is one closet I don’t want to go poking about in. Likely to find an alien skeleton in there along with, big tubs of napalm.” Will teased, holding his arms up to demonstrate how large the tubs would be and causing his lover to laugh despite his anger. William flashed his 1,000 kilowatt smile and cozied up to the older man, making Jack smile even more.

“Admit it, you think I’m utterly adorable.”

“I think you’re utterly shaggable,” Jack corrected, holding the teen tight. “God, you smell good. What are you wearing?”

“It’s the cologne you gave me for my birthday.”

“Ah, yes, well you know, nineteen is a big year.”

“Shut up, no it’s not,” William laughed, resting his head on Jack’s chest as they stood there locked in one another’s arms.

“Mmm-yeah it is. It’s your last year as a teenager. You should enjoy it while it lasts. After this you have to be an adult.”

“Well, you’re twenty nine now. When’s it going to kick in for you?”

“Never mention my age again,” Jack mock-scolded, kissing the top of William’s head affectionately.

“So, what brings you here this time? You’re becoming my friendly neighborhood stalker. This of course wouldn’t be necessary if you would simply get a working phone.”

“That’s why I’m here!” Jack chimed in excitedly, breaking the embrace and fishing in his pocket. “Lookie, lookie I bought a phone! It’s not a Go Phone, either. I get a bill once a month that’s sent to my place of residence since I don’t have a computer to pay online… and I have no idea how to get online,” he added, flipping the phone open and showing his lover all the nifty features inside.

“I have no idea what it does,” he finally admitted, handing it over to William to look at.

“You can’t figure out a cell phone, but you can commit fraud effortlessly?”

“I could figure out the old phones, but these new ones are all weird looking with cameras, web links, those little stick things and video recorders. I’m sorry, it’s new to me. I’ve not had to deal with many of them. You can trace cell phones and I spent most of my life trying to be untraceable.”

“Fair enough. Now shut up. I’ll help you figure it out.” William fiddled with the device. “Here, smile,” he said, leaning up against Jack and smiling as he held up the phone in front of them. The phone made a tiny clicking noise and then William held it up for Jack to see. “Photo I.D. for when I call,” he explained with a shrug and a smile. Jack’s eyes lit up as he looked at the photo, but he showed no other sign of emotion.

“Gonna stare at that thing all day?” William asked when it seemed Jack wouldn’t stop looking at their photo. Jack looked up and let out a nervous chuckle.

“Sorry, it’s the first picture I’ve had of you… or us,” he explained, shrugging it off as if the sentiment embarrassed him. William was taken aback by the response and couldn’t help the slight curl it put in the corners of his mouth. Jack really did care.

“So, how’s business?” William asked, wanting to break the tension. Jack looked up at him again, then back down at the photo of them and nodded.

“It’s good, really good. Turns out there’s a lot of people around here with bikes. Mostly rich assholes who want to think that just because they dropped $35,000 on a vintage piece and named their dog Harley they’re somehow not still corporate douchebag, sellouts like everyone else they work with. It’s so tragic, but it’s lucrative. Let the posers pose, I’ll take their money regardless if it means I can earn you back,” he said honestly, lost in his own little world. William had to laugh at the look of pure disgust on Jack’s face as he spoke of ‘rich assholes’, but the fact that Jack was willing to deal with them simply to prove himself to him meant more than he could possibly express.

“So, you ready for a vacation yet?” he asked, biting his nails nervously.

“I’m not going anywhere! I promised you and I meant it!” Jack insisted, sounding irritated by the constant accusations. William put up his hands to stop him.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant that I’m going away for Spring Break, a nice little cruise in the Caribbean, and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me.”

Jack’s jaw dropped a moment, but he recovered quickly enough and put up a brave front.

“Well… I still have so much stuff to do. I guess I could let Ana take over for a while, though the thought of her running my shop leaves me feeling… icky.”

“It’s only a week. I’m more worried about the packing. I hate packing for a trip,” William groaned, resting his head against Jack’s shoulder.

“Well… you could always just… not unpack, and leave your stuff at my place. It’d be so much easier.”

“Are you trying to get me to move in again?”

“It’s been six months… to the day,” Jack said solemnly, looking at his lover with no hint of mirth. Will’s breath caught in his throat and he couldn’t speak for a momentt. This was what he wanted, but he was also terrified of it as well. Part of him had always thought Jack would pick up and bolt within a week, but he hadn’t. He had stayed and made good on all his promises.

“I don’t know…” William mumbled, pulling away from Jack and hugging himself. “It’s not a good time. I’ve got so much going on at school and I just got out from under Auntie Lena’s guardianship early. They finally declared me sane.” He joked about the situation but his voice was hollow. In truth, he was simply trying to avoid the very difficult situation before him. He wanted to capitulate, but there was still so much pain locked inside him.

“It’s never going to be a perfect time, William,” Jack said, moving closer to his lover, his face serious. He looked Will in the eyes and took the teen’s hands in his own, moving in so close their foreheads touched. “Look, I know I’ve hurt you a lot in the past and I know you’re scared of me doing it again,” he began, his voice impossibly soft, causing Will to tear up.

“But I’ve done everything you asked me to, William, and I’m glad you made me do it. I want this so much for us. I know you’ll be giving up a lot, but I’ll take care of you,” he whispered, squeezing Will’s hands and causing the teen to let out a small whimper as his emotions got the better of him.

“I promise I will never leave you alone again,” Jack swore, reaching up to stroke the side of Will’s face gently. William was practically shaking he was so confused and scared by everything he felt. In the end he simply nodded his consent, barely able to even whisper. Jack’s face cracked into the biggest smile William had ever seen and he practically smashed their faces together in a violent, passionate kiss. When they finally parted from their lip lock William wiped at his eyes and let out a small bark of laughter.

“I can’t believe this is happening. I’m so happy,” he said between laughing sobs. “This is really happening—we’re moving in together. You really did it, you really, really did it!” He was so happy he was practically bursting, all his stress pouring out from months and months of waiting with bated breath to see if Jack would really stick around. He was laughing and sobbing at the same time. Jack couldn’t help the adoring grin that broke out on his face at the sight of his young lover so happy, and he hugged William close to him, kissing the top of his head.

“You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, precious. I’d be a fool to give you up again.”

“Remember that next time you get ants in your pants, okay?” William replied in a light-hearted warning, tightening his arms around Jack’s torso. Jack laughed at the phrasing and looked down at his lover with amusement.

“You’re priceless, babe.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The gruesome twosome sat next to each other in first class on their flight to the Caribbean. To look at them one would think they were newlyweds on their honeymoon they were so lovey-dovey. William couldn’t stop smiling and even the usually surly Jack allowed himself to be positively giddy in public. They had no desire to hide their relationship and failed to see why they should. Some passengers stared at them as they held hands and touched each other playfully, not to mention the sporadic kisses, but they didn’t care.

The flight would be long and the happy couple had settled down into their comfortable seats. William pulled out his laptop to entertain them, though neither of them were really paying any attention to the screen. Jack never let go of Will’s hand, almost as if he was afraid the teen would disappear if he did. When it came time for their meals they hardly noticed the flight attendant until the all too familiar voice pierced their ears.

“Holy shit! No way you guys are on this flight?!” Billeh’s all too excited voice rang out through the quiet section in a horrible breach of conduct. Jack and Will looked up as if fearful of the wrong person recognizing them, saw it was the charming young man from Hot Topic they’d met what seemed so long ago.

“Oh, my, god… you’re a stewardess now?” William asked in surprise, smiling up at the young man. Billeh shrugged and held up his hands.

“We all gotta pay the bills somehow, honey. Not all of us can be in movies.”

“Yes, but how do you make such a leap from pot smoking sales clerk to flight attendant?”

“Well, they don’t check my bags. They assume I’m trustworthy,” Billeh countered, winking at them mischievously. “It’s awesome to see you guys though. I figured you were totally over after all that news coverage. I would just die if that was me.” William flinched at the memories, but shrugged it off quickly enough. He had his man by his side and he wasn’t going to be ashamed of how they met any longer.

“It was hard at first, but it’s golden now. He’s proven himself,” William insisted, teasing Jack slightly with the comment. They leaned in and shared a kiss before turning their attention back to Billeh.

“So, where’s your other half? Aren’t you two constantly together?” Jack asked curiously when he didn’t notice the cynical redhead come waddling down the aisle as well. Billeh smiled and laughed. Before Jack could question him further a very familiar, stuffy voice came over the loudspeaker.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking…” Jack and Will looked towards each other in abject horror, their hands clenching tighter.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph she’s flying the fucking plane!” Jack whispered, sharing a look of fear with poor Will.

~Fin~


OMFG! I finished it! Oh, mercy... I need a fucking ciggie and a bottle--oh wait, I have both, huzzah! I still have plans for a sequel as I forgot how much fun this story was and I rather like the idea of exploring these boys as a regular couple, plus I still gotta get the Norrington crap wrapped up. I make no promises when it will be out, but I am not officially saying "fuck no, it ain't gone happen, stop asking" either. I wish I had better news for those that want it, but I don't want to lie to anyone. I've got a buttload of other stories I've been writing and hoping to finish and as usual once they get close to completion I want to start something else so it could work out.

Thanks so much to the loyal readers. I laugh my ass off when I think about this story as when I started it I remember the idea of DMC was so far off in the distance and now it and AWE have been on DVD for, what, over a year now? *bangs head on desk* Fuck I was in college when I started this and now I'm already disillusioned with the working world and wanting to cash in my chips--ha! Long live the procrastinators, man... and we will because we keep putting off death for "tomorrow" HA!

Babbling, drunk, per usual.

Thanks again!

*muwa!*