The Broken Places (Septiplier)

4) Getting out

"Thanks, man. We really appreciate this." Matt looked tired, the sunken bags that lingered around his eyes an ugly and vicious black. He looked beaten down and exhausted, obviously grieving as much as Mark. "It's nice of you to take care of us when you came out here to have fun. I'm really sorry you got roped into this."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad to help." Jack replied, settling a plate in front of the blonde, absentmindedly smoothing his fingers through Mark's hair when he realized he wasn't eating. "Mark, you need to eat, c'mon, just a few bites."

Mark nodded noncommittally and began picking at his food. Jack set a plate of food in front of Ryan, who simply nodded and began playing with his food as well. 

Of the four men clustered around the table, Jack noticed he was the only one eating. After a moment he stopped, ignoring the rumbling him stomach made, and took a long look around the table. He wanted to say something to rally his friends, to convince them to eat, to live, to want to be something besides lonely and broken and dead inside. It was hard to know what to say though, to know what would make them feel better. 

"Where was Joseph's favorite place?" Jack asked, finally, after a long moment of deliberation. 

"The Zoo." Mark replied quietly, finally finding the nerve to take a small bite of bacon.

"Then it's decided, we're going to the Zoo." Jack stood, finishing his plate as he walked to the sink, before rinsing it and tucking it into the dishwasher. "You're wilting like flowers in this dark house, and yes I know you're hurting and I know it's hard but Joseph wouldn't want you to sit in the dark and waste away. He'd want more for-"

"How would you know what he wanted?!" Ryan was up so quickly his chair toppled to the floor, his plate flying from the table and smashing on the floor. "HOW THE FUCK WOULD YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM!? YOU NEVER MET HIM! YOU DIDN'T KNOW HIM! YOU DIDN'T LOVE HIM. YOU'RE JUST SOME STUPID LITTLE PATHETIC FAN WHO GOT A FEW MILLION SUBSCRIBES AND WAS FINALLY BIG ENOUGH SHIT FOR MARK TO TALK TO! UNLIKE YOU, MARK DOESN'T TALK TO US BECAUSE OF OUR SUBSCRIBER COUNT!  YOU THINK YOU'RE BIG SHIT, DON'T YOU?! YOU THINK YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT WE FEEL, HOW WE FEEL BECAUSE YOU HAPPENED TO STUMBLE INTO OUR HOUSE AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME?! WHO THE FUCK DO--"

"Ryan, stop. Just stop." Mark was on his feet now, glaring at Ryan with icy eyes. He no longer looked dead, he looked positively livid. "Jack is trying to help us, he came all the way to America, for the first time, and ended up taking care of us out of the goodness of his heart. He extended his fucking trip for Christ's sake, just to be here and take care of us! You really thinking screaming at him and making him feel like shit is a good way to go about things?!"

"You said it yourself Mark! He's pathetic. He's always been pathetic! Some whiny little fan who got an army of ever more pathetic little fangirls and FINALLY got popular enough for your attention. That's all he his. How fucking dare you bring him in here and expect us to just let you! He didn't even know Joseph and you expect us to just let him lead us around like dogs!? Fuck that! And fuck you too Mark. I'm done. I'm done with both of you." 

There was silence as Ryan left and, after a moment, his door slammed hard enough to shatter what sounded like a picture frame. 

For a long moment, Jack was still. The shock controlled him, leaving him blank, had he really just been screamed at? But, after the brief second of shock wore off, the humiliation and pain set in. Tears stung his eyes, his hands began to shake and he took off shooting down the hall towards the door so quickly he blurred for a fraction of a second.

"Jack! Jack!" Mark's voice cracked, one hand outstretched as if to stop the other man, but he was already gone.

The front door slammed with an air of finality and Mark's shoulders slumped, his thoughts a mass of screams. Had he really said those things? Had he really been so cruel to Jack? No, he couldn't have. Could he? There were many occasions he remembered not remembering, but could he really have said those things about Jack? When would he have said something like that?