Chapter Text
Lip sat on his bed in the small dorm room trying to focus and study for the upcoming math test. He’d flunked on the last one and had no intention of messing up again. Apparently they meant business here at MIT and Lip knew he’d to really apply himself. He tried to focus on the maths textbook resting on his lap but his thoughts wandered. A lot had happened this last year. Lip clearly remembered when Ian went away one day only to call Fiona four days later telling her he’d gotten busted for trying to enlist under a false identity. Lip’s identity.
It had come as a complete shock for Lip. He’d never thought Ian would do something like that. When the initial shock had subsided Lip got angry as hell. He’d never been that angry at Ian before. Ian had gambled with Lip’s chance at going to MIT and worse still, he’d royally fucked up his own future. Ian had gotten away with a month in juvie and a ban on enlisting or working within anything army related.
When Ian eventually went home to the Gallagher family after doing his time in juvie (he’d refused to get visitors there) they received a shadow of his former being. He’d lost weight, his eyes looked almost life less and he barely said a word the first week at home. Lip felt worried and helpless. He realised that he wasn’t angry at Ian anymore. He was worried about him and he was furious with Mickey for messing with his brother. Lip had seen how upset Ian had been at Mickey’s wedding. He was convinced Ian wouldn’t have made that huge mistake of leaving if it wasn’t for Mickey. Fiona had also been worried about Ian, worried he was more depressed than she’d realised. She tried to talk to him but got nowhere. Ian just said that he was “fine” whenever she asked. Eventually Fiona asked Lip for help. He went up to Ian where he lay in bed. Lip remembered the conversation like it had happened yesterday.
“I had to get away.” Ian said in a tired voice.
“From Mickey you mean?” Lip felt his fists clenching from just mentioning the name. He was completely done with the Milkovich family. Mandy and he had broken up only a week ago. He was both sad and relieved about that. Mostly relieved though. The Milkoviches only meant trouble.
Ian said nothing, he just closed his eyes for a moment.
“Ian, I’ve said this before. That train wreck of a person isn’t worth your time. You should just stay away from him.” Lip was speaking louder now. “Would you’ve ran away like that if he hadn’t gotten married?”
“I don’t know Lip. Can you please forgive me for trying to enlist in your name? I feel like shit.” Ian rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. He looked pale.
“I’ve already forgiven you about that Ian. Don’t worry. I just want my brother back. If that means killing Mickey I would happily do that” Lip realised while he said it that he was dead serious.
“Thanks but I don’t think that would solve anything” Ian smiled a little. It was the first smile Lip had seen since Ian came back home and he felt somewhat relieved.
“Fiona is making dinner. Why don’t you come downstairs for a bit?” Lip could hear in his voice that he was pleading.
Ian nodded and stood up.
Things went on almost like normal for a while. Well, as normal as living in the Gallagher house could be at least. Fiona was seeing some Mike guy from work. Lip wasn’t sure what to think of him. The kids seemed to like him though and Lip had to admit that Mike was good with them. Ian had gotten his old job back at the Kash and Grab. He was gone from home a lot even when he wasn’t working. Lip had no idea where he went. Ian just answered with “out” when Lip asked him where he’d been.
Lip hadn’t seen Mandy, Mickey or his wife for almost three months. Not that he was complaining but he wondered what he would do if he ever got hold of Mickey. Probably not as much as he wished he would do. Frustratingly enough, Lip felt somewhat intimidated by Mickey and wanted as little as possible to do with him. You could say that Mickey was the last person Lip would like to encounter in a dark ally, despite Mickey’s small frame. There was just something about him that Lip couldn’t read and it was impossible to understand what Ian had ever seen in Mickey.
Lip had been in contact with MIT and apparently he still had a shot at going there. Lip thought about it for two seconds and the next thing he knew he had booked the plane ticket. Three days before going to MIT he’d walked around a corner about two blocks away from home and saw Mickey leaning against a wall on the far end. Lip had stopped in his tracks when he saw Ian walking towards Mickey. Mickey had flipped his cigarette away and smiled at Ian.
Lip wasn’t sure what confused him the most – seeing Ian and Mickey together again or seeing Mickey smile like that. Ian and Mickey both walked into an alley and out of Lip’s vision. Lip just stood there and stared for a while. The same second he had spotted his brother he knew that Ian was lost to Mickey again. Lip knew Ian was in for another heartbreak and couldn’t believe he would go there again. Mickey and Ian had been caught by Terry that one time and Mickey was married now. His wife was pregnant. What the hell was Ian thinking?
When Ian walked into his and Lip’s room Lip had been sitting on his bed with a whole speech prepared in his head. Instead he ended up yelling ugly things about Mickey and something about Ian’s complete lack of judgement. Ian had yelled back and screamed that Lip was such a hypocrite and how much he hated how Lip had treated Mandy. Lip yelled back that it was only because Ian “didn’t know the whole story”. Ian answered with “well you don’t know shit about me and Mickey either so stay the fuck out of my life” before walking out. Lip could hear the slamming of the front door.
Ian had come back in the middle of the night smelling of beer and smoke. Lip had stayed awake that night and he could sense Ian was awake too. They didn’t say anything to each other the following two days. As the time for arrival grew nearer Ian, with his hands in his pockets, said to Lip to “have fun at school” and Lip had nodded with an uncertain smile and that was it.
Lip called Fiona to catch up on things almost daily the first two weeks at MIT. He liked it there and he guessed he was doing alright. He felt miserable though and it took him about a week to realise that he missed Ian terribly and he hated the way things had turned out between them. A couple of days later he was on the verge to call Ian’s cell just to hear his voice when Fiona had called Lip and said that Ian had moved away from home. Ian had told Fiona that he’d found a job at a construction site in Detroit and that he was going to move into an apartment there. He said that Mandy had a friend of a friend who had hooked Ian up on the job. He had everything planned. He was going to save as much money he could each month and send it back home. It was only about four hours away by train so he could come home and visit. Fiona didn’t like it but Ian had seemed like his old self again and despite, or maybe thanks to, being the strong person she was Fiona had crumbled. Ian had moved out about a week later. He’d called Fiona after a few days. He’d sounded happy.
Lip was glad to hear the news and called Ian immediately, at least now they had something to talk about other than their disagreements about Mickey. Ian’s voice tensed upon hearing who it was on the other end. Lip put on an excited voice trying to compensate for Ian sounding almost like a stranger.
“I just talked to Fi and she told me about you moving away. How do you like living on your own?”
“Look Lip I have to tell you something. Uh, Mickey is here too. We share the apartment”
“You’re kidding right? You took off together?” Lip could feel his heart sink.
“Actually Mickey was here before me. I, uh, moved in with him”
“Okay, well that explains everything”
The silence that followed felt like an eternity.
“Uh, so how’s school?” Ian voice was tentative.
“It’s alright. How’s work?”
“It’s okay. We’re both doing okay here. Mickey is working as a mechanic at a nearby garage. It’s good.”
“Where’s his wife?” Lip suddenly felt really tired.
“She left two months before Mickey moved here. He doesn’t know where she went. Her phone was and still is disconnected so…”
There was a long silence again.
“Lip, I know you don’t like Mickey or us being together but…” Ian let out a deep sigh and then went silent. Maybe he was in lack of words or maybe he was just as tired as Lip.
“Listen, Ian I’ve to go. You take care now you hear?”
“Yeah, you too”
It had now been almost five months since that phone call. Lip hadn’t spoken to Ian after that. He had wanted to but something had changed. He felt like he didn’t know his brother anymore or maybe he was just too proud to be the first one to reach out. He guessed Ian felt the same thing. Lip got occasional updates of Ian’s well being from Fiona. She said that Ian had visited them one weekend and he seemed fine. Fiona received money each month from him. It wasn’t much but it was still a life saver. Lip felt bad for not chipping in more to the family but Fiona assured him that they were doing okay. Mike had moved in with them and Fiona said he was a trooper for not running off yet. She sounded almost relaxed and Lip felt like a load was lifted from his shoulders. At least Fiona and the kids were doing well.
Lip almost jumped out of bed when his phone started vibrating on the table nearby. He’d set the phone on vibrate to not get startled if it rang while he was studying. Apparently he was so deep in his thoughts that this too caused him to jump. He reached for his phone, causing the textbook to slide of his lap onto the bed. He didn’t recognise the number on the screen but decided to answer. It was a welcome break from studying or thinking about stuff he shouldn’t be thinking about right now.
“Yeah?” Lip stood up and stretched out his back.
“Lip? This is Mickey” Lip froze on the floor in the middle of the room. He had never talked to Mickey on the phone before but that deep, edged voice was somehow all too familiar. It was definitely Mickey. Lip had thought of a millions things to say to him but there was only one thing that really mattered at this moment.
“Is Ian alright?” Lip suddenly went cold. Clearly Mickey wouldn’t be calling him without a valid reason. Just don’t let there be something wrong with Ian.
“Yeah, he is. But that’s why I’m calling. I think you should come here and see him. He misses you.”
“He told you that?” Lip‘s tone was more incredulous than surprised.
“Nah man, he doesn’t have to. You could tell from a mile away.” Mickey paused for a moment. It was a crackling sound in the background, it sounded like wind.
“Is Ian there? Can I talk to him for a bit?” Lip’s million things to say to Mickey were suddenly gone and Lip really wished his brother was on the line instead.
“I’m walking home from work right now. He will be home in about… half an hour. So will you come here and see him or what?”
“Maybe in a couple of months. I’m going to need to scrape up some money for the plane ticket.” At least that was the truth. Lip had a tiny sum but it would not get him to Detroit and back. At least if he wasn’t going to starve for the rest of the year. Trying to live an honest life without scamming for money truly was a bitch.
“Yeah, I figured you would say that. Look, I’ve some money saved so I can pay like half of the cost of the ticket.”
“Really, you would pay me to come and see Ian?” Lip was kind of stunned. He had not seen this coming at all.
“That’s what I was saying, right? So will you do it then?”
“I have to think about it. I call you in…”
“Will you quit stalling? You need to see your brother. You guys need to sort your shit out.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it. But only because I really want to see him, not because you want me to. I might be able to make it in a couple of months.” Lip really missed Ian but couldn’t believe he had agreed. Since when did he start to listen to Mickey?
“No, in three weeks. He has a couple of days off then”
“That’s too soon. I need to call Ian. We can figure out a date later on.”
“Fuck no. He doesn’t know about this. If you tell him he won’t shut up about it until you get here.”
“He doesn’t know about this? Come on Mickey. Just let us clear this out ourselves.”
“Yeah sure. ‘Cause that has really worked out fine up until now. You’re obviously both too stupid to do anything about this. In three weeks. Okay?” Mickey’s tone indicated that he wanted the whole conversation to be over with right there and there.
“Okay I’ll fix it somehow. If we’re not telling Ian about this you better call me in a couple of days or so.”
“Yeah and I need to know where to wire the money. I’ll call you.”
“Hey Mickey, thanks for the money. It might take a while but I’m going to pay it back”. Lip felt weird saying it. Owing Mickey money? Wasn’t that really stupid?
“Yeah whatever” There was a crackling on the line and then Mickey hung up.
Lip opened the window in the small room, lit a cigarette and leaned out a bit in the cold air. The smoke filled his lungs and calmed him down a bit. Apparently he was going to Detroit.