Pt I
It was well known that people didn't always have the memories to match their scars. It wasn't uncommon for you to run into a person with a deformity they couldn't explain. It was common knowledge that every person had one other person in the world that could feel their pain, and that one person would always be able to feel their own pain as well.
People said that it wasn't just the physical pain, but mental. Whether you knew it was them or not you could feel how they felt. If they cut themselves, you'd have the scars to match. If you got a paper cut, their hand would sting, too. If they had cramps, so would you.
At least that's what people said. Supposedly this didn't start until you met the person.
Ian wasn't sure if he believed this or not. Every time he was hurt, it was his own doing, every feeling of happiness or otherwise was easily explained by earlier actions. Then again, he was only fourteen. He never really thought about it, people like him shouldn't find their lover's in this part of town anyways. It wasn't safe. Nobody would dare.
He was walking back from the Kash n' Grab with his older brother, they ran into one of Lip's old "customers" and Ian started cracking way to many jokes about what Lip could possibly be selling to boys. His face hurt from smiling so much. When it came down to it, Lip was Ian's favorite person.
Late that evening when he washing his hands in the bathroom and he notices the blooming bruise on his face, he's confused. Because either he got into a horrid fight and his face is proof or the mirror is broken. That night at dinner when Fiona is worried and questions the new addition to his face, he doesn't have an answer.
One thing he did know was that he fully intended on talking to that dark-haired boy again.
Mickey saw first hand what love does to a person. It happened to his Mother. She loved his father, look where that got her. The fact that his father isn't suffering is proof enough to him that that soulmate garbage is a load of shit.
Shortly after running into Gallagher and his younger redhead brother something weird happened. With the cigarette in his hand, a smile formed on his lips. He had no reason to do that sissy shit.
That night he came home to his Father standing over Mandy. Without thinking he jumped on the man's back. Mandy locked herself in her room. Terry threw Mickey off of him and landed a solid hit on his face.
When he came to he was sore and in Mandy's bed. She had mostly washed off the blood but he was obviously battered.
That night they slept in her room with her dresser up against the door and a gun under the pillow. And as they lay there that night, Mickey had one reoccurring thought, and that was that he had to see that red-haired boy again.
Pt II
Maybe he was just unobservant or maybe he just wasn't as smart as he had hoped, but the dark haired boy never seemed to catch a hint. The boys spent damn near everyday together, and Ian had landed a job at the Kash n' Grab. Something about the way the owner looked at him made him a little antsy. And sometimes he couldn't control control himself. Those were the days he ended locking the door, flipping the sign, and bending the man over in the back freezer. Most days it disgusted him. Not because Kash was a guy, but because the man was not only cheating on his wife, but something was off.
Mickey had always wondered if Ian were like. Two years later and the boy still hangs around him. Mickey also knew Kash was fucked up. The man was an asshole and a coward, but he kept his mouth shut. So when he walked into the Kash n' Grab one day to see the man talking all quite by the red-headed boys ear making him obviously uncomfortable, something ignited in Mickey. A fire caught and it was evident in his eyes. He said nothing as the man wrapped an arm around Ian. But something he didn't expect was the man to quickly retract his arm holding a gun, a trembling arm extended.
"You can't come here anymore. " His voice was to shaky to be throwing out threaghts like that.
Mickey smirked and thought what better way to shove it in the coward's face than to do his normal routine and grab as much as he wanted from the shelves.
A shot fired.
Ian cried out.
Mickey was holding his thigh, blood was soaking through the jeans. He said stupid things. Obvious things. Of course he knew he was shot.
After Mickey is gone, Ian is still biting his lip, not only had he never been so enraged by a person than Kash at that moment, but he might as well have been the one shot in the first place. Mickey was for sure the one the gun was pointed at, the one that happened to have the trigger pulled on. But when he looked at his thigh a nice scar was formed and was surrounded by purple and black bruising. And in that moment, realization hit. But he had kind of already known the entire time.
And later that night, when Linda finds Kash curled up nursing his bruised and battered body, he won't be letting the red-head's name roll off his lips because he knows he'd have done wrong.
He couldn't tell if it was the weed or the alcohol or if it could actually be happening, but he kept catching Ian staring. Mickey had the house to himself and Ian had stopped by. They'd mostly been playing Halo, cracking bad jokes, and smoking, but to hell with whoever would dare to judge. He liked being around this boy and he wasn't sure why.
Holy shit was it hot in the living room. And his bedroom. And the kitchen. And everywhere. Summer is to hot.
That's his excuse for pulling his shirt over his head. He has no excuse for smirking when he notices Ian's wandering eyes. What he didn't expect however was the sudden warmth in his pants.
He didn't expect it to get worse when he had to lean over Ian to grab the TV remote.
He even less expected the muscular red-head to shove him off and pull off his own shirt. The boy had really put some meat on his bones since they met.
And when Mickey leaned over himself he knew there wasn't going to be hiding much longer. So when he removed his shirt, it took all of two seconds of eye contact with the older boy before they both lost their pants.
It takes even less time for Mickey to find the lube, and Ian couldn't even pretend he didn't find it sexy as hell that the older boy had planned for this.
There was a split second of worry running through Ian's thoughts when he had to wonder if Mickey was going to top or bottom. But Mickey made it pretty clear when he got on all fours and snapped at Ian to hurry up. Ian obeyed. One finger slid in. Then another. And one more. And if Mickey's mewling was anything to go by he was doing something right.
Mickey didn't get a chance to complain whenever the red-head pulled his fingers out because something much better replaced.
It was that afternoon that the realization hit Mickey.
