Will was woken by his growling stomach. He groaned and sat up, glancing around the room, which was small but private. His mate was a captain. That had to come with benefits, right? He ran his fingers through his soft dark curls, and then in a horrible, sickening moment, he remembered everything.

Roger was dead. Grey was dead. Tracy knew about him, and was…where was Tracy?

From next to him, Logan spoke in a grumpy, half-awake voice.

“Your friend was taken to the hospital, she’s gonna be fine. They didn’t ask too many questions. Don’t think she’ll tell.” He sat up just slightly and peeked one sleepy hazel eye at him. “Go back to sleep.”

Will frowned, considering that. Would Tracy talk? He hoped not. He had saved her life, even if he hadn’t been able to save all of them, but maybe she would blame him. He certainly blamed himself.

His stomach growled again, and he heard Logan chuckle softly from next to him. Good ears.

“All right, all right, puppy, I’ll feed you,” he teased.

The captain rolled over to face Will, but Will had already pulled away, covering his naked body with a sheet.

“Don’t call me that,” the omega growled. “Don’t you dare.”

Logan held up his hands, showing his palms. “Okay, okay. But you want food, don’t you? I mean, you’re kind of a stowaway… like a refugee… I’ve adopted you. I’d better feed you.”

Will glared, hurt coming to his eyes even more than anger. “If that’s all I am to you, just some pity case, then call the Coast Guard back and let them have me.”

Logan, to his credit, tried to reason with the emotion in that statement, not the logic. “Look, I’m sorry. You’re right. That’s not why I want you to stay on board.”

Will shrugged, still hurt. Logan seemed like he hadn’t cared about anyone else in a very long time, and that wasn’t really an appealing trait for the father of his future children. Why did Logan want him here, anyway? As some sort of pet, some dirty little secret?

Just as he was about to leave, Logan leaned in and kissed him, slowly, tenderly, like Will’s whole body had been begging of him from the very beginning.

“That’s why,” he murmured softly, as he pulled back, and Will stared up into those perfect hazel eyes, lips parted in wonder.

“Oh,” Will whispered.

Yeah. That was why. He remembered how, the night before, he’d refused to talk to Logan about their fate, about being his omega. It was true that they both knew, and that was why Will couldn’t leave the ship. He didn’t really want to. He wanted to be with his alpha.

* * *

Logan was filled with terror the moment he realized what he’d done. Looking at Will’s shocked face, it hit him. Fuck. He’d kissed him. He’d actually done that. He wasn’t supposed to do that. He’d agreed with himself not to get attached, not to love this man, but Will had caught him when he was sleepy, and… and Will was his omega. He couldn’t run from that.

“The season is short. As soon as we fill our quota of crab, we collect our paycheck and go home,” he assured Will. “You won’t have to be on Seawolf for long.”

Will shook his head.

“And then what?”

Logan shrugged. “I…”

This wasn’t part of his plan. He was acting on instinct, listening to what his heart wanted. God, he was going to get hurt.

“I don’t know. We’ll see if you still want to be around me.”

“I think I will,” Will admitted with a smile that made Logan’s heart pound.

How had he been so lucky to end up with such a beautiful omega? Why was this the first time he’d realized that?

“I hope so,” Logan said honestly.

Goddamn it all to hell. He’d had a plan! A perfect plan. Just avoid falling for his omega. Look how well that’s going, Captain, he thought to himself.

And yet, as he looked at his absolutely stunning, impossibly intelligent, passionate and confident young omega, he didn’t for one moment regret answering that distress call. How could he? Will was everything he’d ever wanted, if he’d only allowed himself to want anything.

Will seemed to sense his honesty, because he moved closer, opened up more.

“Well…if we’re going to be around each other so much, I suppose we should get to know each other,” he suggested, and if Will hadn’t seemed so sad inside, so full of grief, Logan might have thought the omega was actually flirting.

His eyes certainly sparkled temptingly.

“You’re right,” Logan said, and pulled the naked man into his lap.

He was still fully dressed, and he sort of liked the power that gave him.

“What’s your favorite food?” Logan asked.

Will smiled a little.

“Well, I’m a vegetarian, but I like cheese.”

“A vegetarian wolf?”

Logan tried really hard not to laugh. He’d never even heard of such a thing.

Will nodded.

“It’s an ethics issue,” he admitted, and the look in his eyes told Logan it wasn’t a joke. He hated when his jokes made Will’s smile disappear, so he cleared his throat and thought more seriously about it.

“Uh… all right. Well, how about a grilled cheese? Tomato soup okay? We have a lot of soup.”

A smile snuck back on Will’s lips, so Logan figured he was on the right track.

“That sounds amazing,” he admitted. “I…thank you. Did I thank you last night?”

Logan nodded, straightening his shoulders with pride.

“You did, but you can thank me again, I don’t mind.”

Will gave him another look, but this time, Logan thought he saw maybe just a hint of playfulness.

“Don’t push your luck, Captain,” Will said.

“Oh,” Logan smiled, “I definitely will.”

* * *

It was strange being trapped below deck. Will had a porthole to look out of, but he couldn’t leave the room unless he was ready to act like a dog. As cruel as the ocean had been to him, he wanted to smell it. Breathe the salt. Be soothed by its constant, as much as he could be. He just wasn’t in the mood to be petted on the head.

Grumbling, he looked through Logan’s drawers for some clothing to put on. He found his underwear first, and as he picked a pair of boxers up, wondering if that was too weird, he noticed a photograph beneath them.

It was a family. A man, who looked like Logan, but younger, cleaner cut, and a woman about the same age. Three young children stood with them. Shocked and confused, Will stared at the picture, but as he tried to look closer, Logan came in, and Will quickly shut the drawer, still standing naked, but with Logan’s boxers in his hands, and a guilty look on his face.

Logan stared at Will, two mugs in his hand, each with a basic grilled cheese sandwich balanced on top.

“Uh…if you want something to wear, I’ve got sweats in the bottom drawer. That might be warmer.”

“I didn’t mean to see it!” Will blurted out. He was a terrible liar. He could feel his ears flush and turn pink.

“See what?” Logan asked, confused. “My underpants? Hopefully you’ll see more than that at some point …”

“The-the picture, I didn’t mean to—” Will was just getting himself in deeper and he knew it. He didn’t have to explain, Logan would have never even known.

“Oh,” Logan said, and nodded with a sad little smile. “Guess which one’s me?”

Will shook his head. “Wait, aren’t you—aren’t those your kids?”

That made Logan laugh, and Will smiled, feeling silly.

“Nah, that’s my dad. We looked alike, aye?” He set the soup aside and pulled out the photograph, pointing. “Look, there’s me. The littlest wee one.”

Will sighed in relief. “Oh,” he said. “I thought—”

“You thought I had three boys?” Logan asked, incredulous but amused. “Nah. Never been married to anyone but the sea,” he promised.

Will smiled, admiring the photo. “You were cute,” he pointed out.

Logan nodded, tucking the photo away again. “I was. Good genes,” he said, and winked.

The omega flushed, and went over to sit on the bed, accepting his cup of soup and the warm sandwich.

“Thank you,” he said again. “I feel like I’m always saying that.”

Logan shook his head. “I can’t expect you to bear my children if I won’t even feed you,” he pointed out, still teasing.

Will would be grateful for that one day, he was sure, but he wondered if it were a defense mechanism.

“Do you?” he asked, looking up at Logan soberly. “Expect me to bear your children? I barely know you, Logan.”

Logan seemed disturbed that he’d been misunderstood again, and Will wondered if maybe he was just being too sensitive.

“No, that’s not…. I just… I like the idea, that’s all. But no rush, believe me. Before you showed up, I tried not to even think about kids.”

Will ate a bite of his sandwich and sipped his soup.

“Well, you’re a decent cook,” he said, relenting a little to Logan’s constant attempt to lighten the mood. “Not a bad trait for a dad.”

“I’ll say,” Logan grinned.

Will gave him another small smile and leaned in to kiss his stubbled cheek. When he did, he got a good whiff of his scent, and groaned softly. It wasn’t right to want Logan so badly when Roger and Grey lay at the bottom of the sea because of Will. Such a terrible thing had happened, how could he want sex? He set his mug aside, feeling sick with guilt. And anger, suddenly. Logan should have gotten there sooner. Grey and Roger had been trained; they should have been able to get themselves out of the boat. He should have gone back for them. Tracy should have helped him. None of the thoughts really helped, or rang true, but they all rushed at him at once, as his mind searched desperately for something to blame for the senseless loss.

Just when he was starting to really spiral, and tears came to his eyes, Logan’s strong, warm, muscular arms wrapped around his naked body and held him close.

“Is there anything I can do?” Logan asked softly, and Will looked up at him, surprised once more. His alpha did have compassion, under the growling and the joking, he had empathy, he could care and love. It didn’t hurt that he was so handsome as well.

“I can’t stop thinking of what could have gone differently. How they could have come out of it alive. I wish I could have died instead. I just want them back. I haven’t even…I haven’t even accepted that they’re gone.”

Logan kissed his forehead, and Will shut his eyes, letting his alpha’s warmth flow from those full lips, through his skull and face, down his shoulders and into his chest, relaxing his body.

“You can’t bring them back, and nothing could have gone any differently than exactly how it did. It’s a horrible truth, but by the time you accept it, it won’t be as horrible as the things you’re telling yourself.”

Will opened his eyes and looked at Logan’s sea-weathered face and his hazel eyes, which were extremely wise and knowing in that moment. He felt like Logan really understood him. Like he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t ask why, but he knew that Logan had suffered a great loss himself. They had that experience in common now.

“Are you sure?” he asked, searching for comfort from his alpha, finally allowing himself to take it.

“I’m sure,” Logan whispered. “And I’m sure you won’t do their memory any justice by refusing to live your life for as long as fate allows you to have it.”

The words rang so true that Will was finally forced to face his own sadness. He buried his head in Logan’s strong chest and let himself cry, let it all flow out.

By the time he was finished crying, he was exhausted. He started to fall asleep on Logan’s chest, when he was woken by the feeling of Logan moving out from under him and tucking him in.

“Wait,” he murmured, opening his eyes. He grabbed Logan by his shirt and pulled him in, giving him his own kiss, a real kiss, with the life and passion that he’d considered denying himself.

Logan growled softly, very interested, and placed his hands on either side of Will on the bed, leaning in closer. Will rolled onto his knees for a better angle, pushing his tongue into Logan’s mouth, feeling his short beard against his face and his hot lips on his own.

Placing one knee on the bed, Logan slid his large, strong hands up Will’s back, warm as they stroked into his hair and held him. The kiss seemed to last forever, and Will thought it might turn into more, when a knock came at the door.

Logan snarled softly, and pulled away.

“We’ll continue this later,” he murmured intimately, giving Will a heated look and touching his cheek. Will turned and kissed that hand, holding his wrist close for just a second longer before his alpha fully pulled away from the bed, leaving Will there, aroused and naked but unable to deny him his duties as Captain.

“We had better,” he said, giving Logan a tempting little smile.

The alpha gave another soft growl and pecked Will’s cheek before he slipped out the door.

“I’ll be back. Be good. Eat!” he ordered, and Will smiled, picking up his mug of lukewarm tomato soup.

Maybe Logan was right. Roger and Grey would want him to live.