Separation

Prompted by 'Guest' and set 21st May: this is the aftermath of Ste and JP's separation.

"It's over, Ste"

Neither John Paul nor Ste even tried to hold back the tears that were flowing. There was no point: they both felt exactly the same way as they clung to each other, so there was no use in pretending that they weren't devastated.

Eventually John Paul pulled away, "Uh, I should probably head back to the flat and pack up my stuff" he sniffed

Ste looked confused, "You don't have to" he assured him quietly as he wiped his eyes

John Paul nodded, "Yeah I do" he corrected shakily, "And I should do it sooner rather than later"

Ste reluctantly agreed, realising that nothing was going to change his mind, "Do you want me to help you?" he asked hesitantly

John Paul glanced away, "That won't be necessary" he replied quietly, "I'll get it done quickly"

"There's no rush" Ste reassured him

John Paul looked unconvinced, "Why prolong it?" he asked

Ste opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. Instead he just nodded slowly and John Paul gave him a small, forced smile before walking away. Ste watched after him pleadingly, wondering where things went wrong and what he needed to do in order to get his husband back.

xxx

"My marriage is over"

Mercedes watched her brother worriedly as she followed him back to the flat. She was concerned for the younger man and how nonchalant he was behaving despite the fact that his marriage had just ended. Mercedes wanted to wring Ste's neck for causing her brother so much pain, and was reminded of her threat to him about ten months earlier: 'You break his heart, I'll break your head'. She certainly was tempted to go ahead with it and make the young man suffer the same way that he had made her brother suffer. However, she knew that she had to focus on John Paul and support him, rather than waste time thinking about his scally of an ex-husband.

There was absolute silence as they walked side-by-side, John Paul's face set like stone and unreadable. Once John Paul had entered the flat, though, he let out a loud breath that became a sob and let himself fall to the floor. Mercedes said nothing, and instead she wrapped her arms around her brother and let him cry into her shoulder.

After John Paul calmed down slightly, he realised that he had to start packing so that there would be no chance of him running into someone, Ste in particular. Mercedes left him alone for a while and decided to make him a cup of tea to pass the time and in an attempt to help. John Paul smiled gratefully when Mercedes entered the bedroom with the hot drink, which she placed on the bedside table.

She watched her brother folding his clothes for a while before asking, "How are you feeling?"

John Paul just shrugged as he laid the clothes in the suitcase, so Mercedes continued, "I get how difficult this is"

John Paul scoffed, "Of course you do, how many husbands have you had again?"

"Hey, that's uncalled for" Mercedes pointed out sternly, "There's no reason for you to hold my past against me"

John Paul nodded sombrely, "I know, I'm sorry" he apologised quietly, "My head's a mess right now, I'm not thinking straight"

Mercedes nodded in understanding and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder, "I get it, but you know you can talk to me, right?"

"Yeah, I know" he breathed

"So, let's try this again" Mercedes began, "How are you feeling?"

John Paul hesitated before murmuring, "Drained"

Mercedes nodded, "That's understandable" she replied, "But you know you're better off without him, right?"

John Paul jeered, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"It's true!" she argued

"Would you have said that even if we hadn't broken up?" John Paul asked curiously, "Honestly, have you always thought that?"

Mercedes considered this, "I've known him for a while" she began, "I know he's got a dodgy past-"

"-That's an understatement" he interrupted

Mercedes chuckled before looking more serious, "I was worried about you, both of you" she admitted, "I thought you'd be good for each other, but obviously I was wrong"

"Too much happened" John Paul murmured, "Nothing ever went right for us, and every day became more and more difficult to cope with"

"Then you did the right thing" Mercedes assured him, "At the very least you can have a breather and focus on other things"

"Like Phoebe and Nana" he interjected

"Exactly" Mercedes agreed, "Then you can clear your head and decide whether it's worth going back to him or not"

John Paul nodded, "Well Ste and I made an agreement that on Christmas Day we'd meet under the archway if we decided to give our relationship another go"

Mercedes mulled this over, "That's not a bad idea actually" she replied, sounding slightly surprised, "Just make sure you don't hold yourself back in the hope that you two will be reunited. Make sure you explore other options and see what else is out there, or 'who' else is out there"

John Paul nodded slowly, "Yeah, I will" he assured her, "Thanks"

Mercedes smiled, "Anything you need, let me know, ok?" she reminded him, "I'll even go and beat him up if you want"

John Paul shook his head dismissively and Mercedes gazed at him pleadingly, "Can I, please?"

He laughed and Mercedes grinned wickedly, "There, I finally got a smile!" she yelled in triumph. John Paul chuckled and pulled her in for a hug.

After a few moments, John Paul let out a deep breath, "What happens now?"

Mercedes held him tighter, "I don't know" she admitted quietly before suggesting, "We could ceremonially burn all of his clothes"

John Paul snorted, "Don't tempt me, I've been wanting to get rid of his godforsaken trackies for ages now" he warned her

Mercedes grinned, "Yeah, he's a married man who dresses like a teenage boy, it's so weird"

"Yeah, like I said, don't tempt me" John Paul joked, then looked more sombre as he pulled away, "I think what we should do now is go home to unpack, then go to the Hospital" he suggested

Mercedes nodded in agreement, "Good idea" she replied

She and John Paul finished packing his clothes and she gently led him out of the flat. Once they had arrived back home and told the other girls what had happened, they each embraced him tightly and made a fuss of him. John Paul sniggered at the thought of how much he missed being around them: he used to complain about being the only man living in a house full of women, but at this point in time, it was exactly what he wanted and needed to help him through this time.

Thanks for reading, and thanks 'Guest' for the prompt: I wasn't quite sure how to approach this, so I hope this is somewhat close to what you were expecting. As usual, if anyone has any more ideas for one-shots, then let me know, and remember that reviews are always welcome!