RL with notjackkerouac

[fortiter_in_re]

Jack Sparrow, James decides at some point over the next month, is clearly trying to drive him mad.  Completely bloody insane.  After their date that month ago- because yes, it was a date, no point denying that- James had expected, maybe hoped for a call in a week or so, after Jack had served his three days in prison.  But nothing.  And then nothing

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[notjackkerouac]

The past two months have been two of the busiest months in Jack's life.

London, when Jack chooses to stay longer than the requisite amount of time to fetch a paycheck, usually runs out of entertainment but quick. Spending weekends drunk with Gibbs and a handful of weekdays alternatively flirting and hiding from Anamaria grows a touch boring by the end of the third week. Even when Jack manages to track down Bill for a pint and a jam, it's fairly soon that he finds himself having nothing better to do than catch morning shows in his underwear or sitting in Teague's flat at strange hours, playing gin while drinking gin. It's at those times that Jack dumps a cheque into his bank account and takes the Pearl for a hop, skip and jump across some ocean, any ocean for an impromptu holiday

[fortiter_in_re]

If James didn't know before that Jack was doing this just to vex him, he certainly does now. Jack smiles that wicked, glittering smile, like he fancies himself some kind of cat, regarding a particularly entertaining ball of string, and James wants to grimace- or better yet, to shake Jack by the shoulders and ask him what the hell he's been playing at- but he doesn't. He restrains himself, and settles for a sedate sip of his lager.

'You could say that.'

Theo, meanwhile, bless him, is looking bemused, but generally unruffled. Not much ruffles Theo, really, and he looks between Jack and James with a canny little lift of both eyebrows. It's a silent question that asks James What's going on with you two, then? And don't bother to lie to me, James, I can tell.It is, perhaps, a sign that he and Theo have been friends a little too long that James can read all that in just a look

[notjackkerouac]

James' cold response shouldn't be all that surprising, Jack supposes, if he and James had more than one night together -- not even a full night, at that, only a kiss in a Kensington park. If Jack had promised him anything more than to ring, then Jack's behaviour would border on the questionable: ignoring James for James' friends. But Jack promised nothing, and this way, he's learned far more of James than he could have done traversing university webpages and bending the law enough to deserve another trip down to the library

[fortiter_in_re]

One eyebrow disappears into his fringe when Jack accuses James of throwing the book at him, and James smiles a little wryly into his glass. 'It's hardly as if you didn't have adequate representation,' he says, his tone mild. 'I've never in my life seen anybody play a courtroom in quite that fashion

[notjackkerouac]

Enjoyed which part? Jack clicks his teeth together while Theo chuckles again, oblivious to the direction Jack's brain is headed, eyes narrowing at James. There's almost a compliment somewhere buried in there, followed by something that's almost a suggestion. It rubs against James' stiff tone

[fortiter_in_re]

James appreciates Theo's tone of voice on that; one doesn't like to brag, of course, but James knows he's good at what he does. He's always been good at what he does, and he takes pride in that, and it's nice to know it's such a lazy, easy fact for his friends. And he likes, too, in a slightly more vindictive way, the message that it sends to Jack

[notjackkerouac]

Bo-ring. Jack's brain feels like it's cracking in two at the way James condenses that entire afternoon into two sentences. He looks at Theo for help but Theo seems not at all concerned about it, taking it in a fully-fleshed anecdote and moving along. It's so distressing that he can't even laugh at the way Theo mimics Sel-whatever's overly-protruding nose.

Jack turns round on James, frowning (maybe pouting a little) at his lack of description. "You need to work on your conversational skills, mate."

Far more happened than just Jack taking matters into his own hands, though he did, and dumping what's-his-face to sit quiet on one of the chairs for the majority of the trial. James didn't even mention Jack climbing to his feet on one of the table tops and dramatically reciting some speech about courage and fortitude in the face of certain death. That might be because that didn't happen -- but the point is it could have happened. And James utterly missed the mark.

"You left out all the good parts," Jack -- it's not really a whine, per

[fortiter_in_re]

Good James may be, but he uses words in a different way from Jack. Which is to say, he uses them; they're a tool He's efficient and clever and knows how to use words, to use his voice, to accomplish things. He knows how to command an audience, how to get a point across, how to persuade someone of something, no matter how wrong it may be.

But storytelling? Not exactly a big part of his repertoire.

So when Jack lifts his glass, grumbling into the bottom of it, James actually chuckles; a tiny little exhalation of laughter. 'I'm afraid I couldn't say, Theo.' He meets Theo's eyes for a moment, before switching back to Jack. 'But if Jack thinks he can tell the story so much better than I, pray, go ahead.'

[notjackkerouac]

This is not how it's meant to go, an adventure wielded down to two bloody sentences and none of them communicating either Jack's brilliance, or for that matter, James' own. That's just -- Jack sticks his tongue out like the beer has somehow turned sour in the last five minutes

[fortiter_in_re]

He can clearly read the amusement in Theo's face as he prompts Jack to continue, and he catches his eyes, at once grateful and silently laughing. Because while it's clear he likes Jack, he's still on the same page as James, and James appreciates that. It's nice to have someone to back you up. Even though in this situation, he rather suspects Theo is just as amused at his plight as he is at Jack's. But one can only ask for so much

[notjackkerouac]

Two sentences exactly: Jack counts them for vindicative purposes. James does well at hiding his reaction, but Jack is good at finding things that don't want to be found and he thinks he spots a bit of pink tinging the tops of James' cheeks.

That's a bit better.

"Oh, but let's not be so quick to judge," Jack says, tight smile morphing into a convining grin. He wiggles his fingers to stop James from interupting. "Theo my lad might not find the tale boring at all. I certainly don't."

And he won't to hear James' tell it. That night, for what little happened, somehow managed to be one of the most interesting times of Jack's life. James is one of the most interesting times of Jack's life. All Jack seems to want these days is a chance to know more and more about him

[fortiter_in_re]

Ah, so he does have someone to back him up. Well, thank God for small mercies. The smile James gives Theo is small, but he knows he'll be able to read it as grateful. Still, he also knows he'll have to explain later about what exactly Jack means by Kensington Park, and he'll get a talking to for not telling him that he'd gone on a date with Jack Sparrow, Theo's new favourite person.

But that's certainly better than having to deal with that in front of Jack. 'Quite so,' he says smoothly. 'I'm glad somebody sees things my way.'

'Well, only sometimes,' Theo shoots back with a grin that promises mischief later. And with that, he tips back his glass, draining the last dregs of beer at the bottom, setting it down on the counter with a clink, and a smile at both Jack and James. 'Fascinating though this is, gentlemen, I have to head off. I told Andrew I'd meet him later tonight.'

That last is directed at James, and accompanied by a little quirk of one eyebrow that says and won't he be interested to know that you and Jack are

[notjackkerouac]

Theo's parting smile in genuine, tinged at the corners with mischief, and Jack mirrors it, waggling his fingers as Theo departs. That leaves him with James. Who looks not exactly thrilled. Well, that's no good. Jack will just need to change that.

He kicks out Theo's vacated chair in a silent offer for James to sit. "Boyfriend?" he asks conversationally, actually half curious for the answer. "Andrew," he clarifies. "They together? Or just good matesJack's heard the name come up before anecdotally, usually paired with James, but he never let Theo go on much about it lest he somehow coerce Jack into revealing that his appreciation of Theo's stories went deeper than just polite curiousity. He's fairly sure Theo can work out the reasoning behind that now

[fortiter_in_re]

The idea of Andrew as Theo's boyfriend is so singularly ridiculous that James nearly laughs. But then he remembers that Jack has been driving him completely 'round the bend for the past two months, and suppresses the urge. Instead, he snorts a little, scoffing.

'Boyfriend? Hardly.' And then, as if he feels the need to explain how the three of them- he, Andrew, and Theo- know each other, adds, 'We were all at school together.'

Andrew, he knows, will be hearing from Theo that something is going on between James and Jack Sparrow. Knowing Theo, he'll probably blow it out of all proportion, and Andrew, as the one James had sat and grumbled about Jack with whenever Theo wasn't there to join them, will be none too pleased. He's got more of a temper than either Theo or James, but really, James isn't terribly worried

[notjackkerouac]

"Threesome, then?" Jack asks when James supplies that far too short explanation. That's something that, were it true, Jack would be very curious about. He doesn't try to hide that, narrowing his eyes to show just how overly-interested he is for it to be a completely harmless question

[fortiter_in_re]

'However did you guess?' James drawls sardonically. 'It's wild bacchanalias every Wednesday at Theo's place, but I'm missing out tonight to sit here with you. You should feel privileged.'

That would translate, in case Jack has somehow managed to miss it, as an emphatic 'no.' He and Theo and Andrew are good friends- the best of friends, have been ever since they were all about fourteen. Even if Theo and Andrew weren't both quite comfortably heterosexual, getting involved with either (or both, apparently) of them would be immensely awkward.

He's snapped back into the conversation by Jack's words about Elizabeth, and he narrows his eyes. 'Your social circle? She's seventeen years old, Jack, for God's sake.'

True, he doesn't know what sort of a social circle Jack keeps, but he hardly imagines they're the sort Mr. Swann would want his impressionable, free-spirited daughter hanging around with. Nor, for that matter, would James. Elizabeth is very much a younger sister to him, and he likes to look after her when he can.