A/N: Something a little different. Past fic. Derek/Mark friendship.
Christmas Caroling
Sixteen-year-old Derek shoved Mark into a snow bank and took off running. If Nancy found either one of them, they would be roped into caroling with the family.
Mark never seemed to mind, but Derek needed time away from all the estrogen. Derek's and Mark's brand of caroling was a little different than his family's.
Mark tackled Derek from behind and smashed his face into the cold snow. They both froze when they heard two voices chattering at each other. Mark pressed his finger to his lips and motioned for Derek to follow him.
Mark always seemed to intuitively know what to do so Derek didn't protest. When they were far enough away, Derek burst out laughing and threw a snowball at Mark.
Mark ducked and half-heartedly pushed Derek. "Come on." He pulled a pint of Wild Turkey whiskey out of his inner pocket and shook it at Derek. "Dad padlocked the liquor cabinet this time so I had to convince Sherry to buy this for me."
Derek rolled his eyes. "I doubt you minded."
Mark grinned and uncapped the bottle. He took a sip and grimaced. "If we make it to town before dark, we'll make it to church in time for everyone to come out."
Derek accepted the bottle and took a small drink. He coughed as the liquid burned a slow trail to his stomach. Mark was his best friend and he was usually able to persuade Derek to do some pretty out there stuff.
By the time Derek and Mark made it to town, they were more than a little tipsy. They stood in front of the local baptist church and belted out carols at the top of their lungs, substituting many of the lyrics with much more vulgar terms.
They moved on when Derek saw one of the ushers through the window with a phone in his hand.
Derek and Mark walked through the streets, heading to Mark's empty house. They were singing crude Christmas songs and falling over each other.
A few times, their pushing and shoving turned into all out wrestling.
"Excuse me, boys."
Derek had his knee in Mark's back and was grounding Mark's face into the snow while crooning his own rendition of Winter Wonderland. With a few muttered curses, he released Mark and turned toward the voice. "Hey, Cheif Patterson." He struggled to look and sound completely sober, but he had a feeling he didn't quite succeed.
"What are you two doing?" He clearly knew what they were doing.
"Caroling," Mark answered innocently. His face was pink and a bit muddy from being pressed into the dirty snow.
"Mmhm." Chief Patterson helped both boys to their feet. "I got a call concerning the two of you. Are we going to take this to the station?"
"No, sir," they both mumbled.
"Good." Chief Patterson had a soft spot for the Shepherds. The girls were really sweet and their mom did the best she could. Derek was the odd man out, but Mark seemed good for him...most of the time. "I'll give you two a ride home."
It was an unspoken rule that Mark went to the Shepherds. His parents were out of town all the time, and Mama Shepherd took care of him like he was one of her own.
The disappointment on Mama Shepherd's face and in her voice as she told them their punishment made both boys feel guilty.
They learned their lesson. The next year, they got permission to go to NYC to one of Mark's parents' many places. No one knew them, and it wasn't uncommon to see two young men stumbling through the streets singing dirty Christmas carols.