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“Hey, I’m leaving work now. I’ll just meet you and Yev there.” Mickey absent-mindedly said to Ian over the phone while fiddling with the door knob of the Alibi’s back door. Like most of the bar, it was a piece of crap.
“Okay, we’ll see you soon. Love you” Ian replied, causing Mickey to forget his annoyance at the door for a moment and smile.
“I love you too. See you soon.” Mickey ended the call as he managed to get the door open and walk out to where their car was parked. The car wasn't new but it was better than most of the beat up junk on the roads of the Southside. Mickey and Ian had saved up for months to get a simple second hand Ford that wasn't a death trap for Yev, or themselves. Ian used it for work mainly but when Ian wasn’t working Mickey drove to the Alibi, a much more enjoyable journey then taking the L.
Instead of heading home tonight though he was heading to the Gallagher’s for his and Ian’s engagement party. Basically a good excuse for a big piss up. Not that Mickey minded, although with having Yev, and Ian not really drinking anymore Mickey hadn’t had more than a few drinks in a long time, and surprisingly he didn’t really miss it. Alcohol used to be an escape. Now he didn’t having anything to run away from.
He reached into his pocket for the car keys when he heard a noise behind him, he whipped round and was met by someone slamming something across his head. He went down, blinding pain ripping through his skull. It was when he cut his palm placing his hand on the floor to try and steady himself that he realised it had been a beer bottle.
“Wha’ the fuuck?” He gritted out feeling blood dripping down his neck, everything now blurry. It was then that a thick black boot connected with his stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs causing him to gag and collapse fully onto the dirty alley floor.
“Fucking. Fag.” his attacker spat at him, kicking him a few more times before grabbing him by the hair bringing him up so Mickey was kneeling before punching him in the face causing everything to go black.
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Ian was sitting on one of the kitchen stools talking to Fiona and V about how Mickey had proposed. He was distracted though, constantly checking the time wondering where Mickey was. It had been well over an hour since he had spoken to him and the journey home shouldn’t have taken more than 20 minutes.
“Who knew Mickey Milkovich could be such a sweetheart” V said, Fiona smiling.
Ian was just trying Mickey’s cell for the tenth time when Lip’s panic ridden voice broke in from the living room.
“IAN!”
The redhead was up out of his seat, running into the living room where what he saw nearly made his knees buckle. Lip, with the help of Iggy, was holding up a sagging and bleeding Mickey, his eyes failing to focus on anything, fighting to remain open.
“No. No no no no” Ian chanted under his breath rushing over to take his fiancé in his arms, bringing him over to the sofa, sitting him down gently.
“Mickey, Mick. What happened? V help me!” Ian chocked out. V instructed Kev to get her first aid box from next door and sent Debbie to get some clean towels and a bowl of warm water from the bathroom.
“Bot... bottle. Some guy in… alley.” Mickey managed to mutter out, wincing when Ian lifted his shirt up, inspecting the dark bruises already forming there.
“Shit Mickey”
Once he had come to in the alley he had managed to pull himself up and into the car. How he had driven here without crashing he didn’t know but his adrenaline had now run out and he was finding it hard to keep his eyes open. Pain pulsing throughout his whole body.
“Wann… sleep”
“No! No brother you gotta stay awake” Iggy told him anxiously grabbing the slumped man’s shoulder from behind the sofa and giving it a soft shake.
“Stay with me baby, you’re gonna be fine.” Ian moved from in front of Mickey to allow V to inspect the injuries, to sit next to him on the sofa, welcoming the hurt man into his arms when he leant into Ian. She wet one of the towels Debbie had brought and began cleaning up the blood in the man’s dark hair and running down his face, Ian soothing the brunet when he winced once she reached the tender area.
“Okay, looking at it I think it will be fine to just patch it up and wait for it to stop bleeding. But, I’ll have to wrap his ribs up and I’m almost positive he has a concussion so you’ll need to wake him up every hour to be on the safe side. But, he’s okay Ian, you just need to look after him.” V comforted Ian, seeing how distressed he looked.
V was half way through wrapping Mickey’s ribs up when Yev and Liam came tumbling down the back stairs from playing in Liam and Carl’s room. Yev was telling Liam about the last episode of Batman he had watched when he saw the huddle of adults around the sofa, his Dad in the centre.
“Daddy what’s wrong?” Yev’s eyes widening when he saw how beat up his Dad looked. Thankfully Mandy and Svetlana were quick to respond. Both moving in front of the two boys to block their view.
“Is Uncle Mickey okay?” Liam asked trying to peer round the human screen.
“He’s okay, he just had a little accident. Dad and Uncle Ian are going to stay here tonight Yevvy.” Mandy calmly told the small boy, impressively keeping the worry she felt out of the voice.
“You stay with Mommy today Yevgeny, Liam too. A sleepover, yes?” Svetlana added.
O…okay. But it’s Daddy Een.” All the adults in the room looked at Ian when he said that. The redhead could only give a small strained smile.
“He asked if he could call me Dad now.” Ian spoke to them, barely looking away from the man in his arms. The memory of that conversation alleviating some of his anxiety.
“Okay Yev” Mandy smiled at the boy, knowing exactly how happy Yev calling Ian Dad would make him. “Let’s grab some stuff for Liam for your sleepover.”
The two boys gave one last concerned look over their shoulder before the ex-sister in laws herded them up the stairs and away from the drama.
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“Okay, I’m done. Let’s get him upstairs to lie down, keep him warm too.” V said, gathering the bloody towels and gauzes up.
“Take my bed tonight Ian, I’ll sleep in with Carl” Lip offered. “Do you need help getting him up?”
“Thanks Lip. No, I’ve got him.” Ian gathered Mickey as gently as he could and carried him bridal style up the stairs to lay him on Lip’s double bed.
“Practise for the wedding” Ian tried to joke, not expecting a response from Mickey.
“Fucker” Mickey muttered causing a wave of relief within Ian, glad to see a little bit of the normal Mickey coming back.
Ian removed his shoes, socks and Jeans as well as his blood-soaked shirt, replacing them with a loose T-shirt and some thick sweatpants before quickly changing himself and covering them both with the blanket.
“Are you warm enough?”
“Mmm”
“You’re really gonna hate me tonight when I have to keep waking you up.”
No… love you”
Ian laughed tiredly. “We’ll see. I love you too”.
Placing a kiss on Mickey’s temple, he checked the time and allowed the smaller man to get comfortable on his chest, proceeding to fall asleep almost instantly, Ian’s arms wrapped securely around him. Ian knew tonight he wouldn’t get any sleep, needing to make sure to wake Mickey up every hour or so. Although he didn’t think he would be able to sleep anyway.
He thought about who could have done this to his fiancé. Terry was still in prison, would be for a long time, Joey and Collin too, but they didn’t care enough about Mickey being gay to do something like this anyway. He then remembered Mickey’s recount of how he told Svetlana about their engagement at the alibi, how he had been too loud and other people in the bar had heard too. Any of the non-regulars could have heard and decided to jump him, the homophobic assholes. But this was the Southside, it was hardly unexpected.
Suddenly Ian was thinking back to the night Mickey had come out in the Alibi. Ian had given him an ultimatum and Mickey had chosen Ian. The risk Mickey was willing to put himself in, not just from his father but every other Terry like thug in the neighbourhood, Ian realised now how much more dangerous it had been then what he had thought at the time.
Yet Mickey had done it anyway. For Ian. Because he loved Ian.
Mickey was in a deep sleep but that didn’t stop Ian telling him how much he loved him throughout the night. Promising him that he wouldn’t need to prove his love for him ever again. Ian knew. Ian should have always known.