The Fight (Ardal, Mal, Mary) [Backstory]

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It had happened so quickly, none of them had even seen it coming before it was their reality. Without ever meaning to, Mary had become a part of them. She had joined Ardal and Mal's little twosome and, together with her unborn baby, made it into a quartet. They pooled whatever resources they had, and on the occasion that Mary got a place to stay where she could sneak Mal and Ardal in, she did just that. She had also shown the boys how to raid the clothing bins at the Salvation Army to get 'new' clothes. She insisted it wasn't stealing since they had been given away in the first place. That certainly got around Mal’s staunch refusal to steal anything.

Mal was quite enamored with Mary, and he had a tendency to hang off of every word she said. For that reason, Ardal was not particularly fond of her, though he wasn’t someone who would send another human being away. Especially not a pregnant person. He did know Mal wouldn’t leave him for Mary, but he couldn’t help that it bothered him.

When Mary couldn’t get accommodation, they were forced to find somewhere else to stay. Dublin did not suffer from a shortage of abandoned buildings and their latest find was what looked like it had previously been an apartment building. Now it stood empty, a husk of its former glory. The best thing about it the building was that it was large, and that made it easy to find a room that wasn’t open to the elements. They managed to find a room on the third floor and thy set up there. Miraculously, the building still had running water as well, though it didn’t heat up much. The boys didn’t care. Both of them showered and then darted to their sleeping rolls to hunker down until they warmed. Mary started a fire in the fireplace while shaking her head at the antics of her male companions.

“You could have frozen your bollocks off, you know!” she called to them, amused.

“Bollocks!” Mal called back, please with himself for his rudimentary joke. “We’re tough!”

“That I know.” Mary turned and she gave Mal a huge smile, managing to miss the annoyed look Ardal shot her as she clearly admired his boyfriend. “Are you warming up now?” Her fire had started to get going and she held her hands out to it to reduce the chill.

“Getting there!” Mal answered, cuddling into his sleeping bag. “Wouldn’t want to be outside tonight. Supposed to snow again.”

“Is this winter ever going to end?” Mary looked discontent. She stood and walked to a broken window and she gazed out of it, over the frozen city. “I hate that it’s so cold.”

“It’ll warm up eventually.” Mal crawled out of his sleeping bag then, moving across the room to stand with Mary. He gazed out the window beside her and he sighed. “Something has to change. Spring will come.”

Mary turned to him and she grinned, her affection so clear on her face that it took everything Ardal had in him to remain where he was and not jump up to slap her. “I hope it comes quickly she said and then she leaned her head on his shoulder.

As insignificant as the gesture might have been, it was that Ardal reacted to. He was in a situation he hated and saw no out from, he was miserable and hungry and cold and tired and now some woman was cuddling his boyfriend when he wanted Mal to comfort him. Mal’s comfort, and his shoulders, they were Ardal’s, not Mary’s. And he snapped.

“Will you get away from him!?” Ardal hissed, jumping up so he could cross the room. “Get your head off of him!” He grabbed Mary’s wrist and he tried to pull her away from Mal.

“Hey!” Mary wrenched her arm out of Ardal’s grip and seconds later Mal stepped between them and he was gently pushing Ardal away from Mary. “Don’t hurt her, Ardal!”

“Oh, sure, don’t hurt her, who cares if she’s hurting me, right?”Ardal yelled, eyes flashing.

“She just had her head on my shoulder…”

“And you don’t give a shit how I feel!?”

Mary looked uncomfortable then, and she glanced at the both of them. “I can go…”

“No,” Mal said, his voice firm. “Don’t go, Mary. Ardal, you’re being insane!”

“Oh am I?” Ardal asked, eyes flashing. “Ever since she came to stay with us, you spend more time with her and I just get pushed to the side!”

Mal didn’t honestly know how to handle a situation like this. He was only sixteen, and he had never really fought with Ardal before. Not since Ardal hadn’t spoken to him for a few months in the aftermath of an attack on Whitehead’s policeforce. It had been that attack that had convinced Mal to discontinue his association with the PIRA. In this situation, the next logical step was much vaguer. He couldn’t just ask Mary to leave, could he? She was pregnant and she needed someone to look after her. Or was Mal’s affection supposed to be focused on Ardal and was paying attention to Mary a betrayal? Mal could honestly say he had never betrayed Ardal in his heart. “Ardal…I’m not pushing you to the side,” he finally managed to say, and he honestly had no idea of ut was right.

Mary stood up, eyebrows raised. “Obviously you boys need to talk…”

“No,” Ardal stressed. “There’s nothing to say. Forget it.” He grabbed his pack and he turned on his heel and he stalked out of the room.

Mal’s throat threatened to close, and he swallowed roughly. “I’ll just be a second…” Mal apologized to Mary and then he darted out into the hallway to follow Ardal. “Ardal, don’t go! Don’t leave me!”

Ardal whirled around, his hands clutching his pack. “I’m not leaving you, Mal.” Ardal knew very well he couldn’t survive out here without Mal. And he loved him. “I just..I left my home for you-“

Mal squared his jaw and then he yelled back, “I didn’t fucking ask you to come!”

“I KNOW! I just need some time. Jaysus, give me that.”

Mal twisted his hands in front of him, but then he nodded. “Ardal, I love you. You. Please. Be careful…”

Ardal nodded. “Yeah. Okay. See you soon, Mal.” And he turned and left.