Disclaimer: I don;t own Shameless.

Lip is trying to make a dent into the mountain of dishes that's piled up in the sink when he hears the back door open.

"Hey, man." Kev greets as he takes a seat at the somewhat clear table. "You busy?"

Lip looks down at the plate he's been scrubbing for the last two minutes. "Nothing important. What's up?"

"Truck is making a strange sound. I need you to look at it. It's probably fine. But I don't want to be driving around with the girls in it if there's something wrong with the breaks."

"What's wrong with it?" Lip asks as he puts down the plate.

Kev shrugs his shoulders. "Hell if I know. That's why I came over here."

"What does it sound like?" Lip asks.

"G-g-g-g-g-," Kev replies.

"Wow, that was not helpful at all," Lip says.

"Are you done harassing me? So are you going to help me or not?" Kev says.

"Fine, let's go. I got a couple of hours before I have to head into the shop anyway." Lip says as he makes his way towards the door with Kev following suit.

XXXXX

An hour later and Lip's head is buried under the hood of Kev's truck. He's slowly making progress in fixing Kev's truck. Kev is doing a fine job of watching him work and being no help what-so-ever. Maybe that's a little harsh. Kev does hand him the tool whenever he asks for one. And he does offer Lip a drink every time he goes into the house to get himself a beer.

"You've been down to see Ian?" Kev asks as he stands beside Lip.

"Uh huh," Lip answers as he takes a look at the catalytic converter.

"How's he doing?" Kev says taking a sip of beer.

"He's…" Lip thinks for a second. Such a simple question. But also so complex. Yes, Ian is in jail. But every time Lip has gone to see him, Ian seems…happy? Is that even appropriate to say about your brother who is serving two years in prison? But, it's true. It's been awhile since Lip has seen his brother so at ease. "He's good."

"Good?" Kev repeats. "He's in fucking jail. That is the very definition of not good."

"Mickey is in there with him," Lip says looking up from the hood of the truck. "They're cellmates."

Lip feels a warm shower of beer on his arm. "What the fuck, Kev?!"

"Sorry," Kev apologizes. "Did you say Mickey Milkovich? As in our Mickey Milkovich? Or should I say Ian's Mickey?"

Ian's Mickey? What the fuck.

"Yeah, I guess he worked out some deal with the Feds. He snitched on some drug cartel and in exchange he gets to serve his time in whatever prison he wants. He chose the one where Ian is."

Kev lets out a whistle. "Now that's some romantic shit right there. Choosing the same prison as the love of your life to serve your time."

"Love of his life?" Lip snickers. Not because Kev's wrong, but because where they live, they don't throw out phrases like that. "You watching Disney movies with the girls again?"

"Fuck off," Kev says. "You know I'm right."

Lip raises his eyebrow "Really? What do you know about them? And I'm not talking about what happened at the Alibi after Mickey came out. Everyone around here knows about that."

"I'm a bartender. I know enough."

"You do?" Lip asks. He never thought about other people knowing about Ian and Mickey. He's known about them for so long that he never really paid much attention to the possibility of other figuring out Ian and Mickey's relationship.

Kev scoffs. "Hell yeah, I do. I see a lot at the Alibi."

"You see a lot? What the fuck does that mean?"

"What are you a fuckin' parrot? Yes, I see a lot!" Kev says.

"Like what?" Lip asks curiously. What did Kev see that he didn't? Was he so blind when it came to Ian and Mickey? Were they that obvious and Lip was just too self-centered to notice?

"Well, I mean first Ian ran away."

"Yeah, so?"

"At the same time Mickey and Svetlana got married," Kev adds.

Lip nods. He doesn't need a reminder of when Mickey and Svetlana got married. Ian was a mess that night. He never saw Ian that drunk before.

"And when Ian was gone, Mickey was down at the Alibi every night."

"So what? That doesn't mean shit." Lip says as he takes a swig from his water bottle. "He's a Milkovich. Their drinking ability puts my family's to shame."

"True, but I never saw him drink like he did when Ian was gone. He got Frank drunk. Nearly every night. And he flaps his gums when he drinks. Talking about redheads and shit. And you and I both know that there are not a lot of redheads in the Southside."

Lip motions for Kev to continue. He was away at college at this time. He wasn't around much back then. But he does remember how shitty Mickey looked when he came back home to look for Ian after the MP's tracked him down at school.

"I know he's the one who brought Ian back home after he ran away. When I went to Mickey's place to talk to him about the Alibi getting robbed, he was dressed nice and reeking of man perfume. That's not Mickey. And then the next day, Ian's back home. And Svetlana is yapping at him down at the Alibi about kicking 'carrot boy' out of the house," Kev explains. "And we are neighbors. I know that Mickey basically moved into your place after Svetlana kicked Ian out

Shit. Kev does know about Ian and Mickey. He knows a lot about them. Probably as much as Lip does.

"They went through some fucked up shit. And that was before Ian was diagnosed," Lip says. "Ian's been hung up on him for years. They got together back when Ian was like fifteen."

"Damn," Kev says as he opens a fresh beer. "Say what you about Mickey. He obviously cares about Ian."

Lip nods. He knows this. He saw it first-hand how much Mickey cared for his brother. Both then and now. He saw how frantic Mickey was when Ian t with Yevgeny. And then you have Mickey getting shipped back to Illinois just so that he can share a cell with Ian. Even after Ian left him at the border. If that isn't love, then what the fuck is.

"I mean he's obviously the reason why nothing has happened to Ian," Kev continues.

Lip nods. "Yeah, I think that was a major reason why he made a deal with the Feds. That way he can try and protect Ian. From himself and other asshole inmates."

"True, but I was talking about here," Kev says motioning to their surroundings.

"Here?" Lip asks in confusion.

"Yea," Kev replies, nodding his head. "I mean, Terry's out. He could have easily done something to Ian. I mean we both know some of the shit Terry's done. He broke Larry Schneider's hand after he accidentally brushed up against him on the way to the bathroom. I could only imagine what he would have done to Ian. He probably thinks that he's the one who turned Mickey gay. And he and his merry band of homophonic pricks has not laid a hand on Ian."

Kev is right. Lip hasn't really thought of that. He knows first-hand how brutal and vindictive Terry Milkovich can be. It is a miracle that nothing happened to Ian as he walked through the Southside with Mickey being away and his sexuality out in the open.

"My bet is Terry probably knew better than to go after Ian. If he did, Mickey would have his balls." Kev continues.

"You're probably right," Lip says as he takes another sip of water.

Kev leans back against his truck. "Cellies, huh? You can't get much more ghetto married than that."

"Guess not," Lip replies.

Kev holds up his beer. "A toast."

"A toast?"

"To the happy couple. Reunited at last."

Lip holds up his water. If anyone deserves a happy ending, it's Ian. And for Ian that means Mickey. "To Ian and Mickey."

"Cheers!" Kev says as he taps Lip's water bottle.

"Cheers!" Lip repeats.

So there you have it guys! I had to include Kev in this little story. I have it in my head that he knew about Ian and Mickey well before the famous christening after party at the Alibi. That look he gives Ian when he hands him that shot still gets me every time I watch it.