Work Text:
Babysitting
Mickey was freaking out. He’d given his son milk, burped him, changed his diaper, and even bounced him while walking around, but the baby just kept crying. He’d called his wife at the Alibi twice already and the bitch had just laughed at him. “ This first time you watch baby? It only eat, sleep and poop. Don’t be pussy.”
He’d called Mandy mext, and she’d suggested the burping thing, which obviously hadn’t worked. Mickey was getting desperate, so after another twenty minutes of nothing but screams from Yevgeny, he took out his cell and texted Ian, practically begging his boyfriend to come over.
“Hey,” the redhead said when Mickey opened the door fifteen minutes later. At hearing the baby’s cry, Ian furrowed his brow. “Thought you said you were busy today?”
Mickey groaned, knowing that he’d lied and told Ian he had to interview some new girls for the Rub n’ Tug today as his excuse for not spending the day with him. At the time, it seemed like the easiest option: a way to appease his wife without making his boyfriend sad, angry and jealous, or any combination of the three. He’d thought he could handle taking care of his son on his own…
He wanted to say he was sorry‒that he was a fucking idiot for not trusting in Ian‒but instead, he opened the door further to reveal Yevgeny bundled in his arms, face twisted in a horrifying scream while tears streamed steadily from the corners of his eyes. Mickey wordlessly shoved the baby into Ian’s arms, feeling utterly helpless but at the same time thankful that someone else was there to help him deal with this impossible task. “I can’t make him stop. I’ve tried everything. I even sang to him. He just won’t stop. ”
And, to Mickey’s surprise (not to mention relief), Ian’s expression softened once the baby was in his arms. He didn’t get pissed about Mickey’s dishonesty, nor did he hold a grudge. Ian looked down at the little boy he was holding and smiled at him.
“Did you feed him?”
Mickey nodded.
“Burp him?”
He nodded again.
Ian walked into the house and took a sniff of the baby’s diaper, then shrugged. “Maybe he’s tired?”
“Well then he should go the fuck to sleep! I’ve been rocking him for the last hour…”
“Sometimes when babies are too tired, they can’t fall asleep. We can try giving him a bath. That calmed Liam down when he was in a fit. Where’s the baby bath tub?”
Mickey panicked. He didn’t even know babies had their own tubs. “He doesn’t have one…” Mickey said, freaking out yet again.
“Okay, it’s okay. Relax,” Ian told him, putting a reassuring hand on Mickey’s shoulder. “We can use the sink. How ‘bout you hold him while I empty it?”
Ian must have read Mickey’s face because he quickly suggested that he would keep holding the baby while Mickey emptied the sink of its dirty dishes. In the meantime, Ian put the baby over his shoulder, bouncing lightly as he walked around the house while patting the little guy’s back.
“You should go hang a towel over the heater so that it’s warm when he’s done. Oh, and warm up a bottle so that we can stuff him up with milk before he naps.”
Ian showed Mickey what to do, step by step. He was a fucking natural. He was so gentle with the baby that Mickey caught himself imagining Ian with a son of his own, but quickly shook his head clear to focus on the matter at hand. Once the bath was over, Ian forced Mickey to be the one to feed Yevgeny, and the baby fell asleep mid-bottle. The brunette tiptoed over to the bassinet and placed his son into it.
“At this age, he should be out for at least a few hours,” Ian whispered as he went to pick up his jacket. “So… I’ll see ya.”
“You gonna leave?” Mickey asked in surprise. He had expected Ian to stay and hang out, now that the baby was settled.
“Yeah. You can handle him now. He’ll be in a much better mood when he wakes up.”
Ian had misunderstood him. Mickey wasn’t worried about being left alone with the baby anymore… He just didn’t want Ian to leave. Mickey reached a hand out and grabbed the younger man by his elbow. “Don’t go.” It might have been an order but it sounded more like a question. Mickey’s voice was loaded with uncertainty.
Ian shook his head. “You can’t just use me for babysitting help,” he muttered.
Mickey bit his bottom lip like he always did when nervous about something, then groaned and decided he had to explain. “I didn’t know how you’d react, so I didn’t tell you she was makin’ me watch him today,” he pointed to the baby as he whispered his words. He bit his lip again. “Sorry… I just didn’t want to get you upset. Last time it took you two weeks to get back up…”
Now Ian was the one looking guilty, and Mickey hated himself for making the redhead feel that way. None of this was Ian’s fault. Mickey now understood that Ian couldn’t help how his brain and body reacted to things…
“Are ya pissed? D’you make other plans or somethin’?” At Ian’s answering head shake, Mickey continued, “or are you just leaving because you feel like I don’t need you here anymore?”
At that, Ian looked up at Mickey and the two boyfriends stared at each other for a long minute.
“I always need you…” Mickey told him, voice still low so as not to disturb the baby, releasing the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding when he saw the corners of Ian’s lips turn up into a small smile.