Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I'm not Cassandra Clare and therefor do not own Will or Jem, or even Clockwork Angel. It's quite sad.

Today was Valentine's Day. The holiday that Will Herondale spent his days dreading. He despised it right down to very depths of his mauve colored soul. At that moment, Will sat perched on the arm of a particularly cushy loveseat in the library, brooding.

Pointless, stupid, ridiculous holiday: who needed it?

You're just jealous. A small part of his mind whispered to him, almost tauntingly. Will hoped that that small part of his mind would be crushed very, very soon. Though it was right, he was jealous. Jealous that he would never spend that day with someone who he loved and could openly show his affection, jealous that he would forever be alone on that day.

Just as Will scolded himself for being so morbid, the library doors opened and in walked Jem, a smile on his face and a bounce in his step.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't William? You can just hear the birds singing."

"Actually, I don't hear birds at all. Oh wait, what's that!" Will cupped his ear and pretended to be listening rather intensely to something. "Oh it's the sound of all of those poor London pedestrians being mugged! Just such a lovely day Jem, I can't contain my happiness." Will replied sarcastically.

Jem's enthusiasm seemed to have deflated with Will's comment. "But its Valentine's Day! The celebration of love which is beautiful and uni-" Jem suddenly stopped talking, seeming to have realized who he was talking to, and how that certain someone felt about the subject in which they were speaking of. "Never mind, I just remembered, you hate this holiday."

A false grin lit up Wills face. "Right you are my friend!"

Jem sighed and took a seat beside his parabati on the loveseat that Will had slipped off the arm of and was now sitting on. "What's so wrong with Valentine's day- no- whats so wrong with love? It's the act of caring about someone despite their flaws and the hardships they have faced. It's beautiful, yet you seem to despise it."

Will glared. "I do not despise love, that would just be silly. I just may not be particularly fond of the holiday representing it, that's all. And besides, love does nothing good for anyone."

The last part was nothing more than a whisper but Jem heard it. He frowned and turned to face Will. "Loving my parents did me no harm; in fact, it's what keeps me strong. Though they have gone, my love for them has not."

"I am very glad that your love has kept you strong, but you have to admit, almost everything you've said all day has either been incredibly sappy or sentimental." Will said with a roll of his eyes.

Jem scowled. "I do not sound sappy and sentimental!"

"Oh really Mister 'love is the act of caring about someone despite their flaws and the hardships they have overcome. Love is beautiful! Oh I'm sentimental James, look at the birds, I'm so cheerful!'" Will mimicked in a high pitched, rather squeaky voice.

Jem scowled once more."I sound nothing like that! The point is, no matter how sentimental and sappy I sound, I stand by what I say. Love only makes you stronger, and you could use some of that."

Will now had an amused smirk playing at his lips as he turned to face Jem. "I would say I'm quite strong Jem. In fact, I seem to recall receiving a higher score in weapons training than yo-"

"That's not what I'm talking about." Jem snapped. "I am just trying to point out that I have never known a man who was weakened by having love in their lives. Though it may hurt it makes the gloomy days a little brighter." And with that said, Jem got to his feet and left the library, leaving Will to his thoughts.

"That boy really should go into poetry." Will mused. "He would be quite good at it."

Everything Jem had said was true of course. Well, except for the part of never knowing someone weakened by love. Love hadn't been all that kind to Will. Well, maybe it was fate that hadn't been kind, not love.

Secretly, in the darkest corners of his soul, Will had always wanted someone to love him. It was selfish considering that they would die if they ever truly did, but he had still wished in nonetheless. He wanted true love, the kind he had read about in books as a child (he had always been a bit of a romantic). He wanted someone to share his concerns with, his grief and his pain, someone to share his love of book, to grow old beside them. To be given a heart and soul to keep safe, and in return he would give his heart and soul to them.

Jem was rubbing off on him.

No, don't think like that! Will had been doing so well, thinking of love as something stupid and weak.

If only today wasn't Valentine's Day. Then maybe he wouldn't even have been thinking about this at all.

"Stupid Saint Valentine, stupid love." He grumbled to himself.

Maybe he just needed to cool off, read a book, and maybe eat some roast duck.

As Will left the library, the book he had been reading stumbled to the floor, the pages splayed out.

"Then share thy pain, allow that sad relief; Ah, more than share it! Give me all thy grief.

-Alexander Pope, "Eloisa to Abelard"

AN: I originally wrote this around Valentines day and was going to upload it around then but, because I'm me, I waited to edit it and know its almost March. But still, it's the thought that counts! I apologize if Jem is a little AU, I wasn't quite sure how to write him. Also, the quote at the end is actually in Clockwork Prince and I thought it would be rather nice to add it at the end of this.

-American Hippogriff