Chapter Text
“What the fuck?!” Fiona cried out when she heard the kitchen door slam open from her place on the couch in the living room. Of all the things she could have expected, Mickey Milkovich limping into the room was not one of them. Not even in her top 20. He was covered head to toe in blood and his face was almost unrecognizable. His eyes were swollen to the point where he could barely see and stumbled over a chair at the table, falling over onto the floor of the kitchen. Kev and V followed Fiona into the kitchen, Fiona muttering ‘shit’ as she went.
She immediately was on the floor next to him, turning him to his back as Kev moved the offending chair. “Mickey? Can you hear me?” Fiona yelled to him. He was losing consciousness fast.
“Lip?!” Fiona screamed. “V, get the kids upstairs. They don’t need to see this.”
Fiona normally wouldn’t freak out but there was so much blood. Lip and Ian came running down the stairs at the sound of their sister’s distressed voice.
“What the hell happened?” Lip asked. Ian was obviously the one to freak out.
“Mick?!”
“He’s barely breathing. What the hell do we do?” Fiona gasped out, lifting herself off the floor as Ian crashed down next to Mickey. Fiona was on the edge of a panic attack.
Ian immediately grasped Mickey’s face in his hands, not minding of the blood now on his hands. He lent down and listened for Mickey’s breath himself, not being able to keep the tears from slipping down his face at the sight of Mickey in such a state. It was faint but still there. Ian was so thankful in that moment. What the fuck happened? Did Terry do this? No, he was still in jail. His brothers? Did they find out about him and Mickey continuing their secret affair?
“Mickey, can you hear me? Please say something,” Ian fucking begged him.
Mickey cracked open one swollen eye, lifting his hand steadily to Ian’s face before smirking. “Firecrotch,” he whispered before losing consciousness.
“Fuck, Mickey,” Ian whispered back, not being able to keep the sobs inside.
“We need to get him cleaned up; see the extent of the damage,” Fiona said, keeping her distance. The last time this much blood was on this floor, Monica had slit her wrists.
Ian started taking Mickey’s clothes off as best he could right there on the kitchen floor. V held Mickey’s head right so it didn’t move too much with Ian’s frantic but careful pulls. Mickey wasn’t even wearing a jacket. Shirt, tank, shoes, socks, jeans. All were pulled off away from the deeply damaged body.
Ian let out a sob as more skin was revealed. The more skin he saw, the more damage was seen. Cuts, some deeper than other, and dark bruises littered the usually perfect pale skin. Ian kept Mickey’s boxers on, deciding he had to get him into the shower to wash some of the blood off. He looked at Lip in a silent plea, not being able to do anything by himself right now.
Lip moved to lift Mickey up from under his armpits and Ian grabbed his legs. V ran out the door to get her aid box while Kev and Fiona followed Ian and Lip up the stairs. They set him gently in the shower, Ian turning on the water of the shower right away. Before Lip could set Mickey down against the tub, he saw more damage on Mickey’s back.
“Ian,” he said softly, looking at his brother in what looked like heartbreak. Ian moved to where Lip was and looked at Mickey’s back as Lip held Mickey upright. In angry deep knife cuts across his back, it read “FAGGOT.”
Ian almost screamed out in the physical pain he felt. Lip set Mickey down gently, keeping his head up so he didn’t drown with the oncoming spray of the showerhead. Mickey was still unconscious and it scared Ian. As Fiona handed a bunch of washcloths to Lip, Ian removed Mickey’s boxers and this time Ian did scream.
Whoever did this to him obviously knew about Mickey’s darkest secret. They bruised and made small cuts onto Mickey’s dick, carving an “F” onto the shaft. No one needed to tell each other what it stood for.
Ian took washcloths from Lip and started at Mickey’s feet. Lip tried to help but Ian just shook his head. He needed to do this himself. He was the reason any of this happened in the first place. Ian got to Mickey’s lower abdomen before stripping out of his jeans and lifting Mickey up slightly so he could fit behind him.
Lip, Kev, Fiona and V looked at the scene with confusion and concern, Lip being the only one who knew about Mickey and Ian.
Ian held on to Mickey, feeling the letters on Mickey’s back pour blood onto Ian’s shirt. “I’m so fucking sorry, Mickey. So sorry,” he whispered into Mickey’s ear, hoping beyond hope Mickey could hear him. Ian still tried his best to clean Mickey’s wounds. Ian couldn’t help himself as he kissed the side of Mickey’s head, pressing his hand gently into Mickey’s stomach, making sure he was still breathing.
“Ian, we gotta get him warm, baby,” V said gently, coming to the side of the tub, putting her hand on Ian’s shoulder.
With one last kiss to Mickey’s head, Ian stood and got out of the tub, Lip helping to keep Mickey upright.
“Do you think we should take him to the hospital, V?” Fiona asked.
“No, he hates hospitals. He’ll kill himself before getting bad enough to end up there,” Ian said, not caring whatever V was going to say.
“Okay,” Fiona whispered, rubbing her hand on Ian’s back as Kev and Lip lifted Mickey out of the tub.
“Take him to my bed,” Ian said automatically.
~*~
Ian watched numbly as V dressed Mickey’s wounds, not having the energy to cry anymore. Lip told Carl to take Liam and to sleep in his room tonight before going downstairs and cleaning the kitchen floor so the kids didn’t see the blood.
“Is he gonna be okay, V?” Ian asked hesitantly.
V sighed. “The bleeding is under control. They are already trying to heal. He shouldn’t be moved too much. He probably has bruised ribs if not broken. He just needs to rest and when he wakes up, make him eat something and give him painkillers. It’s touch and go right now. We can only hope he gains consciousness by tomorrow morning. Just keep him comfortable and check on him frequently. I’ll come over in the morning to change the bandages.”
Ian let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was even holding. “Thank you,” he whispered, not taking his eyes off of Mickey.
Ian looked at Fiona, not sure what to say to her. Fiona just patted his back sympathetically. “He’ll be okay as long as he stays here.”
Fiona folded her brother into a hug as tears started coming out of him again. Kev and V left soon after Mickey was as comfortable as he was going to get.
Ian was left alone in the room with Mickey, sitting on the floor with his hand covering Mickey’s and his head on Mickey’s thigh. “I swear whoever did this to you is dead as soon as you tell me who. I’m so sorry. Can’t even tell how much blood you lost because you’re so fucking pale to begin with,” Ian laughed watery. He face soon fell because Mickey didn’t say anything with his smartass remarks. “Fuck, Mickey. Please wake up. I’m done losing you. I can’t fucking do this life thing without you. I need you alive and biting my head off for some stupid comment I make. Like I love you, which you know I do. I know you love me too but please don’t leave me without telling me at least once. Don’t leave me at all. I love you, Mickey. Please wake up.”
Ian was sobbing so hard he couldn’t even talk anymore. The fingers he was holding twitched before they tightened around his hand. Ian looked up in shock. Mickey was still unconscious but Ian knew Mickey heard him.
Ian squeezed back gently, moving to his knees so he could be by Mickey’s ear. “I’m here, Mick. I’m not going anywhere.”
Ian kissed Mickey’s battered cheek before resuming his previous position and falling into a light sleep.
~*~
Fiona came downstairs as Lip finished cleaning the floor, moving to the chair that had smudges of Mickey’s blood from when he fell over it.
“How is he?” Lip asked.
Fiona shrugged. “Ian or Mickey?”
Lip shrugged back. “Horrible. Both of them. You wanna tell me what the hell that was up there?” Fiona asked.
Lip sighed. “It’s a long story but it all makes sense in a way. Go sit on the couch, I’ll get you a beer and try to tell you what I know.”
Fiona did as she was told, lighting a cigarette on the way to try to calm her shaking hands.
“Ian’s gay. We all know that. He was screwing his boss a couple years ago at the Kash and Grab and Mickey kept coming in and stealing shit. When Kash finally got the balls to get a gun, he didn’t even have the balls to fucking shoot it when he brandished it at Mickey. Mickey stole the gun and when Ian found out, the dumbass went to the Milkovich house and threatened Mickey with a tire iron to give it back. Apparently that’s when this whole thing with Ian and Mickey started. They had sex,” Lip said, taking a long drag on his cigarette and gauged Fiona’s reaction.
Her eyes got wide but didn’t say anything as she took a long gulp of her beer. Lip continued, “It became a routine for them. It just started happening whenever it could. Well, Kash caught them doing it at the store and shot Mickey because he was jealous. Mickey went to juvie and Ian visited him as often as he could without raising suspicion. When Mickey got out, they fell back into the same routine. Mickey landed himself back into juvie and Ian didn’t seem to care anymore. Apparently they had a big fight before Mickey went back in. When Mickey got out again, Ian was seeing Ned at the time but he and Mickey fell back into the same routine again.
“It’s more than just sex now. Ian fell in love with Mickey pretty quickly but because Mickey comes from a place where you’re only family if you don’t do stupid shit like be gay or whatever, Mickey tried to make Ian realize that nothing could come from what they already had.
“When we were put in the system by DCFS Ian snuck out to be with Mickey at the Milkovich house because everyone was out of town. Terry caught them the morning after and beat the shit out of both of them.”
“What the fuck?! Terry beat Ian? Our Ian?” Fiona asked in anger.
“Ian can take the physical blows compared to the mental issues Terry gave him after. Terry hired a hooker to fuck Mickey in front of Ian to prove he’s straight. Mickey wound up marrying the bitch because she was pregnant even though the kid probably isn’t even his. No doubt Terry made him do it. That’s why Ian enlisted early. He begged Mickey not to marry her but Mickey did anyway.”
“But Mickey’s gay?” Fiona asked, sounding doubtful.
Lip nodded noncommittally, “seems that way since he lets Ian stick it up his ass.”
“Ugh, God, Lip! I coulda lived without that image in my head! This is Mickey Milkovich we’re talking about. He beats guys up for even acting gay or what he deems as gay,” Fiona said incredulously.
“I’ve known pretty much since it started and I’m still just as shocked as you. But Ian loves him for some reason,” Lip said, shrugging his shoulders.
Fiona sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You know what this means?”
Lip furrowed his brow at his elder sister. “No.”
Fiona looked at him wearily, holding her head up by her hand. “Means he’s family. Means we will help him and protect him. Who do you think did that to him? Who else knew?”
“Terry knew but he’s in jail. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved, though. Mandy knows but she would never do that to Mickey. In some weird sort of way, they love each other,” Lip said, looking away in thought.
“Well, whatever happened, he’s here now and while he’s here, he’s safe. We’ll make sure of that,” Fiona said in a sigh.