The Morning After the Night Before
Lip was sitting at the kitchen table giving Liam his juice when Mickey descended the stairs.
"Hey, there's some coffee in the...Holy shit what happened to you?" Lip exclaimed on seeing Mickey's bruised and swollen face.
"Terry happened," Mickey answered, going to pour himself a cup of coffee.
"He's out of prison?"
"Nah, back in already." Lip didn't miss the relieved expression on Mickey's face as he said it.
"He didn't catch you two again did he?" Lip asked worriedly.
Mickey stared at him, his mouth slightly agape. So he knew about what happened? Shit, just how much had Ian told his brother about their relationship? Figuring if Lip hadn't judged him up until this point he might as we'll be honest, not like he had anything else to lose at this point. Sighing, he took a seat opposite Lip at the kitchen table.
"Well I guess you're gonna find out sooner or later anyways...I uh, I kinda came out last night."
"Came out!?" Lip's shocked expression almost made Mickey stop in his tracks but he decided to continue, he'd come this far might aswell tell him all the juicy details.
"Yeah, in a bar full of whores and Milkoviches...my wife and dad included." Mickey smirked.
"Holy shit, what the fuck made you do that?"
"Ian did," Mickey shrugged without missing a beat. "Told me he was gonna leave again if I wasn't honest with everybody."
"Jesus, you must really love him."
Lip was shocked. He knew that Ian loved Mickey, he'd made that pretty clear, and he knew that Mickey had been hanging around Ian like a lost puppy since he'd been back, but somehow the idea that Mickey Milkovich was in love with Ian just hadn't seemed plausible until now. The thug who had once beat the shit out of him because of Mandy's lie. The toughest badass in the Southside was hopelessly in love with his little brother. So much so that he'd risked his hard-earned reputation and more importantly his life just to be with him.
Mickey just stared down at his coffee, going quiet all of a sudden. He didn't need to say the words. It was obvious to both men how he felt.
"Ian still asleep?" Lip questioned, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Yeah," came Mickey's quiet answer.
"He okay?"
Both men knew he wasn't just asking about Ian's physical state. Mickey knew he wasn't the only one who had noticed Ian's strange behavior. Wasn't the only one who was concerned about him. He also knew that Lip had enough shit going on with trying to get through school while looking after the kids to not have to worry about Ian. Not the way Mickey did. Ian was his responsibility now. They were together. Ian was his family, his everything.
"No," Mickey muttered... "but he will be," Mickey stated more confidently, though he wasn't quite sure who he was trying to convince more, Lip or himself.
Lip just gave him a knowing nod. "Alright well I gotta get to class" he jumped up, grabbing his coat and lifting Liam out of his high chair. Reaching for the back door he glanced at Mickey over his shoulder.
"He's lucky to have you," he threw out before heading into the cold Chicago wind and shutting the door behind him.
Mickey had never done well with praise or compliments. Other than Ian he'd never really received any praise in his life. Never been spoken to kindly at all, at least not since his mom died. Here was someone basically telling him that he was happy that he was around, that his brother was lucky to have him in his life. He wanted to tell Lip that he had it all wrong. Ian wasn't lucky to have him, Ian could get any guy he wanted, Ian could do so much better, deserved so much better. But Mickey was the luckiest guy in the world because Ian had chosen to be with him. Had given him another chance. Had pushed him to be true to himself, to everybody else. Ian had finally set him free. Something he never dreamed would ever have been possible. Being raised in a homophobic home in the Southside, Mickey had resigned himself to an unhappy closeted existence where stolen fucks in back rooms and bathrooms were as good as it'd ever get for him. Ian had shown him a whole new world, where people could be who they are and were actually accepted for it. Hell, coming out even came with perks other than pleasing the love of his life. If he hadn't been open about his sexuality he would be locked in a cell with his dad right now. For the first time in his life someone of authority actually gave him a break. He'd always been taught that all cops were pigs, the enemy. 'Fuck the police' was a mantra he was taught by his father since the time he could talk. Now he was beginning to question everything he'd ever learnt, everything about who he really was. In the last few months he'd discovered facets of his personality he never could have imagined existed before. Ian brought these out in him. He used to think that Ian made him weak, brought out his 'faggy' side but now he knew that Ian made him strong, brave. Made him face his worst fears head on.
Looking around at the empty house, Mickey decided he could use a few more minutes of sleep and headed up the stairs to 'their' room where Ian was still sleeping soundly. He crawled in beside his boyfriend and gently pressed up against him. Lying there, listening to the soft snores of the boy he loved, feeling the heat of his body beside him, he felt for the first time in forever that maybe, just maybe, things were going to be ok.