adria_harrison

Title: Oh! You Pretty Things
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: It all began the day Andy learned Lizzie had gone to the Halloween Dance with Beckett.
Author's notes: AU set sometimes after the the release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars at a ficticious English boarding school. Will be a four-part...thing. Will also eventually be Turrowton. The song at the beginning and end is "Soul Love" by David Bowie. The title of the whole series is also a Bowie song. Feedback is very much apreciated.


Part One: Soul Love (Jack/Will)

Love is careless in its choosing - sweeping over cross a baby
Love descends on those defenseless
Idiot love will spark the fusion

***

St. Jude's was the only house at Paquin whose members acted like a family. All five houses were well-united, but only St. Jude had as much dysfunction and fighting as a true family had.

They had the annoying distant relatives whom Will always hoped wouldn't show up at Christmas. Geoff Barbossa, the school Captain, was a huge asshole, but Will would have defended him to the death simply because he hailed from St. Jude's. Even Beckett, the shit that had been made a Prefect for Year Ten, didn't get pushed around when there was another St. Jude's boy in sight. Will loved them all in a complicated sort of way, even the girls. If his parents had to send him to boarding school, he could have done much worse than Paquin.

In Year Eleven things were going good for Will, academically speaking. He wasn't into books the way James was, but he'd always been good with his hands. Because of this he thought ship-building would be the trade for him. The only subject he did well in without trying was maths, and that took care of the engineering side. For the first time, he was sure that things would be all right outside of Paquin.

Will loved St. Jude's house. He liked that all its members were frosty to outsiders, he liked that they weren't the smartest house or the best at sport, yet they always won the house championships in academics and football. He even liked that the real name of the house wasn't St. Jude's at all, but just Jude House. St. Jude's was a nickname made up years before Will's time.

"All the houses are named after Nathaniel Paquin's sons," Lizzie had told them years before. "Julius, Michael, Augustus, Brandon and Jude. When Jude was going to school here he hung himself in his room up in the dorm. That's when everyone started calling it St. Jude's."

"That's morbid," Teddy had replied with a shudder.

"You talk too much," Jack had informed Liz, who lofted her nose in the air.

The school had only gone co-ed a year before Will started there. Boys still out-numbered girls two-to-one, but there were no big issues between the sexes in St. Jude's. Will didn't like to be alone with any of them aside from Anamaria--they tended to get too close for his comfort, often speaking in euphemisms he didn't want to understand. Lizzie was all right, but she was really James' friend.

He'd lived in the same dorm room with Jack, Teddy and Andy since he'd started school. James had been in with them as well until he was made a Prefect. Or, as Jack put it, "Until he went Narc." The four of them knew Will better than his own parents.

***

"So then she says to me, 'Would you like to take a turn about the room, Mr. Smith?'," Jack told them, imitating Lizzie's voice almost perfectly. "Seriously--I think the poor girl's on drugs. I told you we should've stopped her from going to the dance with Beckett."

James sighed, "She was joking, you idiot."

Jack looked puzzled by this, his brows drawing together, "Well I didn't think it was very funny. Her sense of humor must be worse than yours."

"It's from a book." Teddy said helpfully, "Pride and Prejudice."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Oh, not that again! She's known me for about seven thousand years. What in our history together would make her think I've read that book?"

"But you have heard of it?" Will couldn't resist teasing his friend.

Jack gestured to James, who was reading on the other side of the room, "This one has it. I picked it up one night when he was busy reading."

"What made you read it?" Andy inquired.

Jack examined his nails, "Annoying him while he was trying to read got boring."

James looked up suddenly, glaring at Jack, "You do realize you have your own room wherein you could be discussing these things."

Jack grinned, "But your room's so much nicer."

Will smiled himself as he looked around James' Prefect-issued room. It was smaller than their quad, naturally, but it had a nice view of the football fields and the lake beyond. James sat at the window, his neglected book resting on the ledge. Teddy and Andy were on the bed, pens and paper in hand as they attempted to write their Chemistry reports. Jack sat directly in front of Will on James' desk, back against the wall as if he were the most comfortable he'd ever been in his life.

"Since when is Liz dating Beckett?" Andy demanded. Will gave him a grateful look, hoping the change of subject would head off a Jack/James battle.

"She's not dating him." Teddy replied, speaking more loudly than was necessary, "They just went to the Halloween dance together."

Andy seemed to think this over for a minute, staring at the carpet in a squint. Nearly a minute passed before he looked up and burst out, "But she's too tall for him!"

"I think that of the many things wrong with the situation, that should be the least of our worries." James remarked.

Will was relieved. Lately, it seemed that every conversation between Jack and James ended in a fight. Not just verbal spats, but physical, to-the-death boxing matches that had already given each boy several black eyes and many bruises. It was a great acheivement whenever one such fight was aborted.

There had always been some friction between Jack and James. In their first year at Paquin the pair had hated each other. Will and the others had felt like double spies, only able to talk to James when Jack wasn't around and vice versa. Will couldn't remember just what had started their friendship, but now there was no doubt in his mind that Jack and James loved each other.

Usually, the pair only fought verbally. There had been incidents where punches were thrown and lips were split (James only ever lost his temper around Jack), but nothing that had lasted so long. Truthfully, Will had always enjoyed listening to Jack and James squabble. They were both smart, and a small fraction of the time Will hadn't been able to understand the insults between them. But there had been affection in that kind of fighting. Now, they fought as if they truly hated each other.

"Yes." Jack was smirking, "I suppose you of all people would see several things that are wrong with the situation."

Will inwardly sighed. James did not look happy.

"If you have something to say to me, Sparrow," James spat out the old nick name like it was a slur, "just say it."

Jack looked up innocently, "That's precisely what I was trying to do. I veiled the attack so as not to frighten the children."

Will bristled indignantly. He got the feeling he was one of the "children" whom Jack was refering to.

"Why do you keep bringing this up?" James demanded, slowly standing. His gaze was focused on jack, as if the other three weren't even there, "It's none of your damn business anyway. Just let it fucking go and we can all get on with our lives."

"Oh, it's just so easy, isn't it, Jamie?" Jack said, standing as well. As was the usual when Jack was getting ready for a fight, he had a small smile on his face, "Just keep pretending-"

"Fuck off, Jack." James cut him off, walking toward the door.

Will looked toward the bed. Teddy and Andy looked as confused and anxious as he felt.

Jack gave a huff of laughter, "I would if I could."

It happened very fast. James was on Jack before Will, Teddy or Andy could even move. James was pummeling Jack with all he had, and it took Jack a moment to push him off. The dull sounds of fists hitting flesh hit Will's ears and he was finally able to move.

"I hate you." James spat at Jack as Teddy took hold of his arms.

"I hate you right back, you wanker." Jack replied, shoving out of Will's hold. "It's fine. I was just leaving anyway."

Will's eyes met Jack's for a second. Though the look gave nothing away, Will felt calmed by it. He watched Jack leave a second later.

James had struggled free of Teddy, and he slapped off Andy's hold on his shoulders. He didn't look at any of them.

"I'll go talk to him." Teddy volunteered, "I'm sure he's just-"

"A weak, spineless prick?" James offered, going back to the window.

Will and Andy exchanged a glance as Teddy left the room. Without words, Andy's eyes said, I think at least one of us should stay. Will quirked his brow in response, Suicide watch? the look joked.

"See you later, James." Will said quietly.

There was no response from James as the door softly shut, depositing Will outside. Alone.

***

It was the worst Saturday Will could remember. Normally, their days off from classes would be spent outside, either relaxing by the Lake in the Spring or bundled close together under a tree in Winter. Moments like that had brought Will more happiness than he's realized at the time. He was, it appeared, only happy when Jack and James were talking.

He knew from past experience that talking to Jack first was the safest bet. James, in all likelihood, wouldn't talk to anyone for the next few days. If all else failed, Will would be able to talk about music or movies or something completely irrelevant with Jack, even if the fight was off-limits.

With this in mine, Will headed back to their dorm after eating super alone in the dining hall.He didn't knock before entering, and he wasn't surprised that Jack was the only one in the room.

"You anorexic now?" Will asked lightly, sitting at the foot of Jack's bed.

Jack didn't reply. He was laying back on his pillows, eyes trained to the ceiling.

"Wanting to kill your best friend in a fit of temporary rage is all well and good, Jack." Will ventured, watching for signs of a brewing storm, "Going for his balls was just psychotic."

"He started it." Jack bit back.

Will smiled slightly, "I know. But I'm sure you deserved it."

Jack sat up suddenly, tilting his head to the side and assessing Will, "And why is that, exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"No one would ever suspect that Jamie Norrington, Prefect of the Ages, would provoke me, would they?"

"Probably not." Will admited.

"Because it would be completely out of character," Jack added, his expression growing more and more tense, "James has never acted in any way dishonorably toward anyone."

Will frowned, "Jack-"

Jack leapt off his bed, "Let's get pissed."

***

Nothing good ever came out of Jack "Sparrow" Smith suggesting such a thing. Mostly because Will could never refuse.

"Agh, James," Jack lamented, sprawling out across the sofa in the Common Room, "He's such an...arse sometimes."

"All the time." Will encouraged, only a little less drunk than Jack, "But the question is...what'd the arse to this time?"

"What didn't he do, more like." Jack scoffed. "Stupid bloody pillock."

Will watched Jack from his own seat in an overstuffed armchair. It was nearly midnight, and the two of them had spent the past four or five hours drinking rum out by the lake. Jack hadn't said much about the fight until now.

Jack was trying to sit up. He looked at Will with a comically serious expression, "It's like this, William...there's friends, and then there's James." Jack shrugged, "You know what I mean by that?"

Will shook his head, "No bloody idea."

They both laughed a confued, drunken sort of giggle. Jack slid into a full sitting position, his upper body over the arm rest of the sofa.

"Some people shouldn't dissapoint you. And James is some people."

Because he now understood, Will nodded.

"I mean," Jack snorted, "I expect you to fuck things up. It's what you've always done. You do it well. Nobody fucks things up better than you do."

"Thank you for that."

"You're welcome." Jack grinned, "But James...he's not allowed to do stupid things."

Will thought back through all the years he'd known James. Any sort of betrayal would be catastrophic coming from James, who was always so good. Now, he could see where Jack was coming from.

"And Elizabeth," Jack made a dismissive sound, "Stupid tart. James fancies himself in love with her, you know."

That did surprise Will, "Really? That's why you're angry with him?"

Jack shrugged, "Not really. I've known for a few months. Mostly I though he'd lost his mind, but I expected him to get better. It wasn't until he kissed me that I got fed up with all of it."

"Well maybe..."

Will trailed off, feeling like he'd missed something, "Wait...what?"

Jack looked at him quizzically, "What?"

He leaned forward, a sensation like falling taking over his body, "James...he kissed you?"

"Oh, yeah," Jack nodded, "A few weeks ago. It was a good one, too, till he jumped back and started all this shit about not liking me that way, you know."

"No," Will was sinking to the floor now, "I don't know."

Jack was oblivious to Will's sudden emptiness. When nothing came along to pick him up off the floor, Will could only take another gulp from their last bottle of rum.

"Will?"

And suddenly, Jack was there. He pushed Will back into the armchair and squeezed in beside him. His eyes seemed so much darker than Will remembered them being, and it only reminded him of how green James' were in comparison.

"You all right?"

It took all the energy he had just to shake his head, back and forth three times.

"Oh, Will," Jack sighed, "I'm sorry. We should go to bed, then."

"No!"

Jack looked surprised, "No?"

Will wasn't sure what had made him say it. He just knew he wasn't ready to leave the Common Room and have this momment join the past.

But Jack was smiling, so maybe he understood.

"You know, I'm not even the most upset about the Liz thing." Jack said quietly--as quietly as he ever spoke while intoxicated.

"You aren't?"

Jack shook his head, his expression turning more young and happy, "I'm more upset about you."

"Me?" it was the last thing Will had been expecting.

"Yeah." Jack had his elbow on the arm rest that Will was backed into, and he put his chin up in his hand, "Our first year, he stole you away from me."

Will frowned, "He did?"

"You were my best friend, and we both hated him." Jack remined him, "Then over Christmas I went home and you both stayed at school. When I came back, you'd decided maybe he wasn't so bad after all."

"But..." Will couldn't for the life of him remember any of it, "You like James. We both do. He's...he's our friend."

The words were so lame. The term "friend" didn't encompass everything James was to Will and Jack. He was just...James.

"Of course we do." Jack agreed gently, "Of course he is. But he still stole you from me. And I don't think I've ever forgiven him."

Will was aware of two things. The first was how warm Jack was, pressing his body into the arm of the chair. The second was that no matter what, he never wanted to forget what this felt like.

Because that was the problem with knowing people so long. You forgot so many things, and Will had never had the best memory to begin with.

When Jack's lips touched his, it was decided. There was no way Will was ever going to let himself forget this.

***

Inspirations have I none - just to touch the flaming dove
All I have is my love of love - and love is not loving