Button’s life sucked. Not because he was gay… wait. Yes, but not for the reason people thought when somebody claimed their life was awful based on sexuality. It sucked because apparently he had no idea how to deal with people. Was the fault on him? Finding faults in everyone else? Every single one of his boyfriends seemed to get on his nerves. The feeling didn’t last long, usually, but he always had a wonderful verbal disagreement every two days or so. This had been the case with the last three, and now the fourth. He walked home in the rain, except he knew he wouldn’t go home because he’d go where he’d always gone after a fight. Maybe it was his boyfriend's’ fault. After all, they were getting on his nerves.
Button swallowed the thought, again and again, that he was rejecting every one because he only really wanted to be with his best friend. His best friend in a harem. He wasn’t like that. He could be mature. Know when things are out of reach. Right? He got an odd idea.
He had another guy friend now, even if the “guy” part was a recent development. Even before that, Scooter and him were always close. They played video games together since middle school. Well, back when Scooter’s mom would let him out of the house. As he turned directions he lifted a quiet prayer that his mother and father took the news well. Even if the fact they were putting money on it should have been offensive.
The clubhouse was as it’s always been. Heck, the girls… and Scooter… took care of it like a house. A fresh coat of paint every two years, finished wood floors. A rug that really tied the room together. The light was on so he had headed to the right place.
He knocked at the door. There was a brief clamor and what sounded like a hiss. “Who is it?” Apple Bloom called.
“Button.”
“Oh, alright. I know it’s raining, but unless you really wanna see our naked asses, give us a minute.”
“I don’t mind.” He chuckled. He wished he could have a relationship as romantic, passionate, deep and secure as what they had. One day. After some shuffling behind the portal, the door opened. They ended up wearing each other’s tee-shirts, and it looks like Scooter grabbed Apple Bloom’s jeans from how loose they were. Sweetie’s clothing was rather tight, but Button managed to control himself despite the raging boner. Isn’t bisexuality fun? He mused.
“Did ya want something bro?” Scooter asked.
“I think I know what he wants,” Sweetie giggled, lifting her arms which raised up her shirt.
“Stop teasing the poor bastard. You’re like the only girl he likes!” Scooter glowered.
“There are others!” Button objected, turning deliberately away from Sweetie.
“Waifus don’t count,” Apple Bloom goaded, earning her a glare from the boy.
“Well, I wanted to talk, but I guess I was barking up the wrong tree… as usual.” Button betrayed the sadness in his voice.
Apple Bloom sighed. “Sorry. Honestly we were kinda frisky. We can talk.” Apple Bloom sat down on a beanbag chair. Button followed suit, and Scooter served them all water from the mini-fridge.
“I wanted to talk to Scooter alone, but I think you all can help anyway.”
“Eh? If this is relationship drama I have no idea what it’s like to be a guy. I just feel like one.” Scooter plopped down and spread his legs.
Button told them what he thought was going on. How everybody got on his nerves for one reason or another. He knew it was stupid. Usually small stuff like a backhanded compliment or not being as interested in something as he was. How he never seemed to have anything in common with any of his dates.
“Oh my God,” Apple Bloom groaned, “Is this what Rumble goes through every time you get in a fight?”
“Apple Bloom try to be nice.” Sweetie reminded.
“Says the girl that beat the shit out of me because she thought I was cheating with her girlfriend.”
“You two fuckin can it.” Scooter snipped. Button should have known this was a terrible idea. Scooter turned to him, all hostility melted. “Alright hun, I’m sorry. But this is the fucking dumbest thing I’ve ever heard and I used to have a voice in my head that wanted me to kill myself.” Scooter shook his head, “Your problems don’t exist. I know you don’t want to hear that, but trust me when I say it’s the best news you’ll ever hear. I’ve seen you and Mark together. Hell we’ve been on countless dates. Remember when we all went to the bookstore and you all ended up making out in the sci-fi section because you both were so excited about finding a signed copy of Leviathan? Or that time you watched him skate with a dreamy look in your eye? Or the other time when you practically had a nerd orgasm when… whatever new game was released. Or that time he built a computer for you. You have shared interests so just quit that bullshit.”
“Stop lying to yourself.” Apple Bloom continued the tirade. “Rumble loves you only as a friend. I think that’s the issue here. It just doesn’t work. He’s not attracted to guys.”
“Scooter’s a guy!”
“In the loosest sense.” Scooter took a swig of water.
“But anyway, no matter how much you want it to happen, some things you just can’t change. You’re nitpicking. You think everything your partner does is wrong, because deep down you want them to be Rumble. It doesn’t work that way.”
The room started to rotate slowly. Suddenly Button had a massive headache and clutched his temples like they were going to split apart. He started crying and fell out of his chair. He thought of all the dreams he’s ever had. Snuggling up with Rumble, kissing Rumble, kissing Rumble elsewhere. Hugging Rumble, loving Rumble, giving Rumble a foot massage. Doing everything with Rumble. “You’re right!” He wailed, causing him to cry louder. “Goddamnit fucking shit I’m a worthless peice of trash!”
There was a hand on his shoulder but he didn’t look up to see which. He heard Scooter’s voice. “Don’t ever say that. Don’t even think it. Sure, you were chasing after an impossible dream, but now, maybe, you can move on. Talk to Mark about how you feel. Then you can sort out your feelings. Together.”
“But what if he thinks I’m a scumbag!”
“He won’t.”
“How do you know.”
“Because he’s been texting me the last five minutes asking me where you were.” Apple Bloom showed him her phone. It was true. They had just had a fight and Mark was wondering where his boyfriend had gone. Button rose to the occasion like a hero always does in books and video games. He rose, and wiped the moisture from his eyes, and he ran to him. “Thanks!” He shouted out the door.
Apple Bloom sent a lewd text message to her boyfriend.
Five minutes later, Rumble opened the door to the treehouse only to find that it was pitch black. He turned on the light to find his two girlfriends and boyfriend glowering at him. This was odd.
“Babe, what happens whenever Button gets into a fight with his boyfriend?”
“Well, he usually shows up at my house since he has a key. Then he cries on my shoulder and I try to comfort him.”
Sweetie rolled her eyes. “You’ve just been enabling him.”
“Enabling? What?”
“Well, to put it in the most simple terms, he’s addicted to you. He wants to be around you, cry into your shoulder, have you comfort him, because that’s what couples do. He gets into fights with his boyfriends as an excuse to go to your house,” explained Apple Bloom.
“So what am I supposed to do? Let him wallow in his misery? Cuz that seems to work out sooo well for everyone we know.” Rumble’s pointed stare tried to pierce Scooter’s soul. He felt a little bit guilty about it.
“Well, you’re not wrong.” The other boy in the room said. “He’s completely emotionally dependent on you. Remember what happened at the revine? Yeah. He’s probably in a similar state.”
“Oh, so he’s gonna go kill himself! Fantastic!” Rumble turned toward the door to save his friend.
“Actually he’s at Mark’s place. He just sent a text that Button got there.” Apple Bloom said. “And if Button tries to come to you with his problems, you say…”
“Sorry, but what happens with you and your boyfriend needs to be sorted out by you and your boyfriend.” Rumble grumbled.
“You learn quick. Of course you’re still friends, just… don’t let him cry on you. He needs to move on.”
“I thought I was helping.”
“Again, coming from me, sometimes the best help is… well, like surgery I guess. It hurts like hell but you’re usually better for it.”
“So do you guys want to… actually…” Rumble mumbled.
“Fuck no, at least I don’t.” Scooter said. “We were asleep until this whole damn soap opera. It’s one a.m!”
“So you brought me here under false pretences.”
“Shut up and go to bed.” Apple Bloom threw a pillow at him.
Mark was having a very different time of things. He never knew how damaged… no. Damaged was the term you used after a couple of handfuls of bad events. With damage you could still trust somebody. Damaged people are downright easy to fix. Button on the other hand was broken. And worse, as the gamer began to talk more and more, it was obvious that he, himself, was the one holding the hammer. So he held on to his Button for dear life, as they cried together and Button went on about how terrible his life was. How he was a jerk for expecting Mark to be Rumble, how he didn’t deserve happiness because he had been denying it to himself. Mark was a little impressed with the circular reasoning for that one. It also became more obvious that all the bullying at school (which hadn’t been a problem recently) had made him hate himself for being gay. Mark was always the more comfortable with it. He decided long ago that he wasn’t going to listen to other people. At least his parents supported both of them, otherwise they both knew their story would likely end much worse than simply crying in eachother’s arms. Their hearts were beating in time, and neither wanted to let go. After Mark tried his best to reassure Button he was forgiven, and he wasn’t a screw up and did nothing wrong, he calmed down enough to look Mark straight in the eye.
“I think I love you.” Button said. His voice was weak and cracked.
There were a million lines Mark thought of in that instance. Ranging from “I know,” to “So do I,” but even that simple phrase didn’t feel like enough. He finally said, “I love you too.” They slept, still holding each other. Mark slept easy, though doubts of speaking too rashly reeled in his mind.
The next day Button went home and oddly, the situation was reversed. Mark was the one that didn’t want to be left alone this time. He was confused and wanted to talk to somebody. So, where else would he go except to the Harem? They were at Sugar Cube Corner like they normally were on a Sunday afternoon, concocting a scheme that may or may not put somebody’s life in danger. When would they realize they were just adrenaline junkies? Well, anyway, he sat down at the table and soon Pinkie delivered a milkshake.
“This must be how Rarity feels,” Sweetie mumbled. There was a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll the size of her head in front of her. Breakfast.
“So what can the Grand High Relationship Council help you with today,” Scooter snorted.
“What is love?” Mark realized how dumb the question sounded. You could fill the library of Alexandria with the books people used to try and explain it. He just wanted to tune in and see if he was feeling anything close.
“Oh my god you used the L word didn’t you?” Apple Bloom asked, flailing her arms dramatically. They were all in a particularly good mood today.
“Well, yeah…”
“We’ve all talked about this before. We like to sit around sometimes and talk about how we feel. You’re gay, you should be perfectly comfortable with that.” Apple Bloom said, waving her hands in a more dismissive way. Mark gave her a flat stare. “Sorry. Lack of sleep makes me sarcastic. But anyways, you probably want to know what actual love is, not just the word you say. Well, we each have different definitions.” Apple Bloom took a slurp of her shake. “I love these two gals for a different reason than Rumble, even. They’ve been my childhood friends forever. I’d do anything for them, and it makes me happy to make them happy. As many ways as you could think of. Every Time they smile it makes me smile. We know each other on an almost uncomfortable level, if it was anyone else. I know things about these two that should never see the light of day. I’d trust them with my life. Rumble is… well, attractive, well-mannered, cute, and a good listener. I’m a little biased to him just because of my own sexuality, But in terms of bonds, these two and I have the stronger.” Mark nodded.
Scooter spoke up next. “I love Sweetie because every time I think about her I feel less broken. I know that’s kind of dangerous dependency, but it’s really the reason I’m still alive. Every time I look at her I want to be a better version of myself. She inspires me to be kind and gentle. She makes me want to hug a tree and smell the flowers. Her face makes me want to write poetry. I’m not saying it’s any good, but…”
“Hush, you’re better than you realize,” Sweetie grumbled, causing Mark to notice that her coffee was empty and another mug came very swiftly. Her cinnamon roll was finished.
“Love is what makes you feel alive. Apple Bloom is basically the same. I feel alive when I’m around her. Her strength inspires me as well. And when both of them look at me, they see past my flaws and only help me. Not gonna lie, I don’t actually feel a whole lot for Rumble. He’s fun and all, but eh. He's kind and considerate.”
“I need more coffee, but here it goes,” Sweetie began. “About Scoots here, I used to think it was my job to protect her from everyone. That kinda backfired, but we’re here now. That’s not the case anymore. I want to empower him to be the best person he can be. I want to be there for him, and help him overcome the obstacles in his life. AB is hot. Just take our word for it. Anyway, she tells me I have a tendency to wear my heart on my sleeve. She’s someone to lean on for support, when I need it.”
“Which is frequently.” Apple Bloom interjected.
“Not denying it. But we ended up in a triangle of support and love. If anything happened to either of them I’d be there in a heartbeat. Heck, I took care of both these idiots when they had the flu at the same time.” She took a long draw of coffee. “Rumble is… he’s so understanding sometimes. I appreciate that he tries to keep us all grounded in reality. Between the three of us we’re kind of a mess, and he prevents us from flying off our handles when he can. That, and we have a shared interest between us in one way or another. For me and Rumble it’s art house movies, Scooter… well we have a whole chart actually.”
“That’s fine, I think I got what I wanted.”
“So, what’s your answer.”
“I’m about 70% positive.”
“That’s OK, I’m about 60% sure I’m a guy.” Scooter shrugged. “When Sweetie and I started going out I was about 90% sure I was condemning myself to hell, when really she was my deliverance. Actually what does that have to do with anything…” Scooter chewed on an index finger in thought before Sweetie’s mothering instinct kicked in and removed it.
“Just think it over,” Apple Bloom winked. “I’d call those pretty good odds.”