3
It was too quiet for Christmas in the small house. Mark sat on the groggy couch, seemingly unaware that it was pouring outside, sludgy rain hitting the ground and hitting the ground, almost sounding musically like tears.
"Mark," Shawna said. He looked up. She didn't say anything else, just teleported onto the couch and wrapped her arms around him, putting her head on his shoulder, offering every ounce of protection and comfort she had. Had it been anyone else, Mark would have ignored them and shoved them away. But it was Shawna, one of his best friends, so he merely sighed, wrapping an arm around her and closing his eyes. The couch sunk next to his other side, weighted by what could only be Hartley Rathaway, his other best friend. Unlike Shawna, Hartley didn't say a word of comfort or offer a hug, but just sat there, Mark's rock in the wild currents.
"Hart, c'mon, join us," Shawna mumbled. Mark opened one eye and looked at Hartley, who had opened his mouth to make a snarky comment and then shut it again, shaking his head.
"What's up?" Mark asked softly. Without even looking at Hartley, he could tell Hart was feeling like shit, and as the genius's best friend, it was Mark's solemn duty to make sure Hartley felt good about himself.
"It's nothing, I called my parents, and this time they actually picked up and talked to me." Hartley said, in that tone where he was trying not to cry. If Mark could, he would murder Hartley's parents for all they did to him.
"What did they say?" Shawna asked softly, gently moving her head to look at Hartley.
"That I was, and I quote, a disgusting disappointment to the family and not to call ever again, or they'd do worse than disown me and how dare I even try to call them after all I did to them," Hartley said quietly before quietly excusing himself. Shawna nodded at Mark and teleported after Hartley, coming back and sandwiching him in between her and Mark before holding her boys close, tightly, fiercely.
It wasn't fair, Shawna mused as she squeezed her friends, ignoring Hartley's minute protests. It's not fair that Mark never got to say goodbye to his baby brother. That he didn't even know where he was for months on end until he read it in the newspaper. It's not fair that Hartley- genius, insensitive, caring, honest Hartley- doesn't have a family because they didn't agree with his sexuality. Nothing's fair when you have a lifestyle like ours.
And Shawna Baez held her two closest friends until the rain turned to snow and Hartley's minute noises of pain receded and became quiet breaths instead. Because that's what friends did. They loved each other through the worst and through the best of times, unconditionally, until their hearts couldn't contain love anymore.
It was 2:30 on the 26th of December when Hartley eventually went to sleep, ultimately not breaking his record for the longest time he went without sleeping. Mark had gone to sleep ages ago, the exhaustion of remembering seeping into his bones. Shawna went to sleep after she made sure Hartley did, curled in between her two favourite people.
The three of them lost and lost, but they also gained. Gained friends and a new family, one that didn't need to be related by blood. And as Shawna sighed, descending into sleep, she knew one thing for sure.
Wild horses couldn't tear her away from Mark Mardon and Hartley Rathaway.