"Y/N... I'm tired..."
After getting married, and with the lack of money, they needed to be creative with how they spent their honeymoon. That's why they postponed it. Even still, Lip is quick to notice how happy his husband is—judging by the amount of sex they've been having.
"What?" Y/N leans toward his husband, their naked bodies touching as they lie on the bed. "Too much for you to handle?"
"If I say yes, can we stop?"
Y/N chuckles. "Fine then." He kisses the top of his husband's head. "I guess I'll compensate for the amount of sex later."
"If we're going to have so much, can we at least have some variety?" Lip asks. "And I'm not just talking about switching positions."
Y/N raises an eyebrow. "Want me to wear those leather shorts?"
The blonde smirks. "Only if you can cuff me."
-
Despite still being in their honeymoon phase, life continues. They have six children to take care of, with Lip now handling the house while his husband works at the White Orchid. Since it's a fine dining restaurant, he works from 4 PM to 2 AM. Because of that, he sleeps until noon, helps his husband around the house or works out, and then heads to work.
When he is working, Y/N is in charge of preparing ingredients, cooking simple dishes, and assisting higher-level chefs like the line cooks. Even though he thinks he can do better, he knows he's still young, so he doesn't push his luck.
"Heyo!"
While prepping food, Y/N looks to the side, seeing one of his colleagues—Charlie, a smaller man in his thirties with short brown hair and a stubbly beard.
"How's Mr. Husband?"
"Very good." Y/N answers, smiling, the marriage still fresh on his mind—and everyone can tell.
"I can tell. You look way happier than my wife and I did when we got married." Charlie jokes. "Enjoy the honeymoon phase while it lasts."
"It's weird how Americans keep shit-talking their spouses. Maybe if you treated them with more respect, the divorce rates wouldn't be so high."
Charlie chuckles. "Probably." He walks over to his coworker and leans against the counter beside him. "You've only been here for a month, but you fit right in. Even if you're a weirdo."
"Who are you calling a weirdo?" Y/N replies, dead serious.
Charlie laughs, thinking he's joking. "Anyway, some of the guys want to celebrate your marriage. You wanna join? Since it's—you know—your celebration."
Y/N raises a brow. "I heard from Duncan that some of you throw 'celebrations' just as an excuse to get drunk."
"Hey! You know us so well!" Charlie praises him cheerfully. Y/N still doesn't understand that part of American culture. "C'mon. It'll be fun."
"Fine, but no alcohol." Y/N responds sternly. "If my husband can't have any, I won't either."
"Your loss."
-
After several hours of hard work—whether it's cooking or cleaning—Y/N and a couple of his colleagues head to Charlie's house. People immediately start grabbing beers, while the Russian is the only one who remains sober. With music blasting through the house, it's hard to hear the arguments from the neighbors caused by the noise. But it isn't just the neighbors who are complaining...
"It's three in the morning! I'm trying to sleep!"
"Well, sorry if I wanted some stress relief!"
"Is that going to be every day!? What about when our son is born!?"
"Well, he isn't here yet, so wait a couple of months before you start complaining about that!"
After his pissed-off wife storms back upstairs, Charlie returns to the party. Y/N is the only one who feels bothered by the argument.
"Be glad you're with a guy and not a woman. They can be so annoying."
"I don't think women are the problem..." Y/N mutters.
He finishes his cola, and Charlie quickly heads into the open kitchen to grab the bottle and pour him another drink.
"I hope you're having a good time at your party."
While he feels a bit tired—nothing unusual—Y/N also feels something else. A little tipsy. He assumes it's just because he's surrounded by drunk men.
"I... feel sleepy..." Y/N yawns. "Usually soda keeps me awake just long enough..."
"At least we're off tomorrow." Charlie smiles. "But look alive! It's your party!"
"I'm not one for parties..."
Charlie rolls his eyes playfully. "You're such a lightweight."
Y/N raises a brow. "What does that mean?"
"Let's just say I like to make things Irish..."
Y/N's eyes widen as he sets his glass down. "I've been drinking alcohol this whole time?!"
"Dude, relax." Charlie chuckles, even as Y/N starts to look angry. "Getting drunk isn't going to kill you—or your alcoholic husband. Now, you've got two options. Either cool off the booze, or... have a fun time with the boys, get wasted for one night, and party!"
Y/N thinks about it, staring at Charlie's excited face. "I'm not going home drunk."
"Then sleep over here. Couch is all yours."
Feeling loose and strangely relaxed—despite his bad experience with alcohol—Y/N makes his decision. "Fine."
Charlie grins widely. "Atta boy!"
-
Knowing his husband had gone to a party, Lip went to bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep. With the babies not crying, it seemed like a calm night. However, that's when the bedroom door opened.
A moment later, shaky footsteps made their way downstairs. Feeling that something was off, the dad opened his eyes, confused by the noise. When he turned on the bedside lamp, he saw his drunken husband.
"Y/N...?"
"Liiip!" Y/N slurred as he stumbled forward, barely managing to make it down the last step before drunkenly walking toward the bed. "I'm home!"
"Are you drunk?"
"No!" Y/N shot back, immediately falling face-first onto the mattress, prompting Lip to sit up. "I just celebrated our marriage."
"Uh-huh..." Lip knew alcohol too well not to recognize a drunk instantly. "Sure thing."
"I will never get drunk. Not when you have problems with alcohol... I won't get drunk."
"It's alright." Lip reassured gently. "Just because I stay sober doesn't mean you can't enjoy a beer once in a while."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, because I drank a lot." Y/N laughed.
Lip chuckled softly. "Let me help you get undressed so you can sleep."
-
The next day, the family was having breakfast. Lip fed the children with Ian's help. Everyone was enjoying a calm, peaceful morning—except for one person. For him, the morning was horrible.
When the basement door opened, the family turned to see a messed-up, exhausted-looking Y/N, wearing only a shirt and some sweatpants.
"Morning, gorgeous." Ian teased.
"Never knew Y/N had a wild side." Carl added, looking amused as Y/N trudged over to the table. "Next time, invite me."
"Yeah, yeah, just... be quiet..." Y/N muttered. He sat down behind his husband—only to immediately flinch in pain, hissing sharply. "Fuck... fuck... fuck...!"
Lip frowned. "You alright?"
"My ass hurts..." Y/N groaned, lifting himself off the chair again. "Carl, grab me a pillow."
Carl got up without question. Mickey, of course, saw an opening.
"You sure you didn't get fucked by someone from behind?" He joked.
"Takes one to know one, huh?" Y/N shot back, snark creeping into his tone. "But no. I didn't go with someone. I'm a fully committed and faithful husband."
"Here you go." Carl handed him the pillow.
"Thanks." Y/N set it down and carefully lowered himself onto it—only to yelp again. "Fuck!"
Lip wished his husband cursed less around the kids... though he knew he wasn't much better. "Y/N, seriously, are you okay?"
"My ass is burning..." Y/N muttered, gingerly touching the area before hissing again. "Is this a hangover, or is this something else?"
Growing concerned, Lip stood up. "Y/N, let me check it out."
They stepped behind the counter. Y/N leaned forward slightly as Lip pulled down the waistband of his sweats and underwear. The rest of the family blatantly stared.
"Any chance we're gonna see a big brown stain?" Debbie teased.
"It's not diarrhea." Y/N snapped.
But Lip suddenly froze. "Uhh..."
Y/N looked back sharply. "What?"
Lip pulled the pants down a little more—and finally saw the full picture. "Y/N... do you know you got a tattoo?"
"What!?" Chairs scraped loudly as the entire family jumped up, eager to see.
Y/N quickly yanked his pants back up. "Fuck off!"
"We just wanna see the tattoo." Mickey grinned.
"C'mon, drop 'em ." Ian smirked.
"Piss off!" Y/N barked, glaring at them all before turning back to Lip. "How the—?" He paused. Then the realization hit him like a truck. "Fucking Charlie..."
Lip tried not to laugh—but failed. "I guess I should be flattered." He said, smiling. "'Lip's Property.' I never said you needed to mark yourself, but I appreciate it. Just in case your ass gets lost."
Y/N gasped, betrayed. "Are you serious!?"
The entire family burst out laughing—only for Y/N to glare murderously at all of them.
"It's not funny!"
Lip snorted... and immediately stopped when Y/N shot him a death glare. "I'm guessing you want it removed..."
"You think!?" Y/N snapped.
-
Back downstairs, Y/N lay on his stomach on the bed, scrolling on his laptop. Lip sat beside him, gently washing the tattooed area with warm water and unscented soap, making sure it hurt as little as possible.
As Y/N read through an article, his expression fell. "This can take several months to remove!?"
"You could always keep it." Lip smirked, though he knew the answer already. "I mean... your ass is mine."
"I don't want to constantly think about having your name on my ass." Y/N deadpanned. "I'm getting it removed. When I see Charlie, he's going to regret it."
Lip dabbed a bit of antibacterial ointment on the tattoo, making Y/N hiss. "How much does it cost?"
Y/N scrolled further. "Laser removal is done in sessions. Says here it's about... $500 per session. Depending on how big the tattoo is, I'll need multiple visits. ...How big is it?"
"It covers your entire right cheek."
Y/N groaned. "Knowing my luck? Probably five grand. If I'm lucky. If only fucking Frank didn't burn all that money..."
"We still have the kids' school funds." Lip said casually.
Y/N turned to glare at him. "We are not tapping into the school funds. If we make excuses now, we'll make excuses later."
"Just a suggestion..." Lip muttered. "Then I guess we wait for your paycheck... ask your whore brother for a loan... or sell something."
"Selling it is." Y/N decided immediately. "I don't want Vlad knowing anything about this, and I want this thing gone as soon as possible."
Lip tried to think of something valuable enough to sell, but they didn't exactly own luxury items. Consoles? Used. TV? Cheap. Furniture? Already falling apart. He mentally crossed off one thing after another—then paused.
"How about the van?"
Y/N lifted his head. "You want to sell the van?"
"Yeah. We barely use it anymore. You haven't touched it in months, and we've mostly used the car. I say let's sell it."
Lip taped a clean bandage over the tattoo, then looked up. Y/N had gone very quiet.
"So? We're selling the van?"
"No..." Y/N's voice was oddly somber, surprising Lip. "We look into something else." He slid off the bed and pulled up his sweatpants.
"What then?" Lip asked.
"I don't know. We'll see." Y/N went to the closet and grabbed a vest. "I'm going to see Charlie and demand answers."
Lip sat at the edge of the bed. "I can make an appointment for the removal."
Y/N hummed in response, distracted. Lip hesitated, still bothered by how quickly the van idea got shut down.
"Why can't we sell the van?" he asked gently.
"I don't want to." Y/N's tone stayed firm—but there was something underneath it. Something Lip didn't understand yet. "...Just drop it."
Before Lip could ask more, Y/N grabbed socks, headed upstairs, and disappeared, leaving the blonde sitting on the bed, confused and worried about what he'd missed.
-
"CHARLIE! There's someone at the door!"
"Why can't you open it!?"
"I'm doing the laundry!"
Y/N rolled his eyes as he stood on the porch of the rundown house, arms crossed, patience already fading. "Fucking white trash..."
"I'm trying to relax!"
"Oh, alright then! Let me ignore all the chores! Maybe then you'll appreciate me!"
"Bitch!"
The door finally opened, revealing Charlie, who instantly lit up with a big grin. "Oh, hey man!"
"'Hey man' my ass." Y/N didn't even attempt to hide his irritation. "What happened while I was drunk?"
"Oh, you know—me and the boys hit the town after my bitch of a wife kicked us out. We grabbed a few beers, got even drunker, got some tattoos, found some new chicks—well, I guess in your case, not chicks."
Y/N's eyebrow shot up. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You hooked up with a guy." Charlie said as casually as if he were commenting on the weather. "We ran into Noah—you know, the waiter guy—and you fucked him. Good for you!"
"No, it is not good for me!" Y/N stepped forward, horrified. "I'm married!"
"Yeah, but do you love your husband?"
Y/N blinked, confused by the question. "Yes!"
Charlie leaned against the doorframe, studying him with exaggerated seriousness. "Okay, okay... but hear me out. Do you really love him?"
"Yes! Stop asking stupid fucking questions!" Y/N snapped, unable to believe what he was hearing. "I didn't hook up with anyone!"
"Do you remember hooking up with someone?"
"No!"
"That's because alcohol does that to you." Charlie said with a shrug, as if that solved everything. "Happy I could help."
And with that, he casually closed the door in Y/N's face, leaving the Russian standing on the porch in stunned, furious silence.
-
While taking care of the children, Lip finally managed to make a moment for a phone call. With the calendar on his lap, he watched the kids playing as he waited for someone to answer.
"Mik, stop trying to destroy Alyo's toys." Lip said sternly. Mikhail frowned but went back to playing next to his younger brother.
Someone finally picked up. "Hello, Fade Away Tattoo Removal. How can I help you?"
"Yeah, hi. I want to schedule an appointment to remove a tattoo from my husband's body."
"Alright. Where is the tattoo located?"
"...His right cheek."
"Mouth?"
"Butt."
"Your husband wouldn't be the first one." The receptionist said with amusement. "What's his name?"
"Y/N Ball Gallagher."
"Alright... earliest we can fit him in for a lasering session is this Thursday at 12."
Before work. Lip doubted it would take long. "Yeah, that works."
"Perfect. The appointment is set. Call us if anything changes."
"Oh, I doubt anything will change." Lip muttered. "Thanks. Have a good day."
He hung up and returned to playing with the kids. A few minutes later, the front door opened, and Y/N walked in—looking even more agitated than before. Lip immediately grew worried.
"You alright?" The blonde asked.
"...It's better to talk somewhere private."
That alone made Lip's stomach drop. He stood up, turned to Mikhail, and said. "Don't bite Alyosha."
Mikhail grinned. "I mean it."
The couple went into the kitchen. Y/N instantly grabbed a glass of water while Lip leaned tensely against the counter.
"So... according to Charlie, I slept with a waiter."
Lip stared at him. "You slept with someone—!?"
"According to Charlie. And who knows if he's right?" Y/N quickly countered. "The dude is a worse alcoholic than you." Lip pressed his hand against his temple. "Not to mention his drug problem. I'm surprised my boss even hired him."
"I don't care about Charlie!" Lip snapped. "I want to know whether you slept with someone or not! So—did you fuck someone or not?"
"I dunno! I don't think so!"
Lip took a long, shaky breath. "So... you're telling me you're confessing to cheating... that may not have even happened...?"
"Well, you always complain when I keep secrets—"
"I don't even know how to react!" Lip cut him off. "I have a husband who may have or may not have cheated while drunk!"
"I didn't cheat!"
"You literally just said you may have cheated!"
"Yeah, but I don't even think I would cheat while drunk!" Y/N defended himself. "Hell, Charlie was probably drunker than I was!"
Lip stared at him, exhausted. "Holy fucking shit. I'm done arguing about something you might not have even done." He took a deep breath. "Let's just go to Charlie, demand real answers, and then argue about whether you cheated."
Y/N thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, fair."
Lip turned around, walking back to the living room and muttering under his breath.
"Why does this happen to me...?"
-
The next day, before work starts, the spouses walk into the restaurant together. Entering the kitchen, where some cooks are already preparing for the evening, the couple heads straight toward one particular cook. They find Charlie doing stock keeping.
"Hey, man—"
"What the fuck happened while I was drunk?" Y/N cuts in before Lip say something.
Charlie looks a little startled by the sudden hostility. "Uhh... well, we got drunk. My bitch of a wife kicked us out, so we went around the city, chilling, having fun. I got some coke. I offered, but you weren't interested."
Y/N glances at his husband. "I told you I make smart choices, even when I'm drunk."
"Shut up." Lip mutters before turning back to Charlie. "What happened then?"
"Uhh... we went to the tattoo parlor. I dared you and the others to get a tattoo, and you did."
"You dared me to do it!?"
Charlie flinches slightly. "I felt like I should keep some things to myself..."
Lip groans. "Alright, then what?"
"Well, we all had fun, but then we split up. The next day I got a call from Noah—you know, the waiter guy—and he said he really loved fucking a guy with a 'Lip's property' tattoo on his ass."
Lip's mouth drops open. When he turns to look at his husband, he sees the same stunned expression. "Lip—"
When Y/N reaches out to touch his shoulder, Lip steps back. "I... Just leave me alone."
The upset man storms off, and Y/N is left standing there with nothing to say. The guilt hits him hard—but quickly turns into anger. He snaps his gaze toward Charlie, eyes burning.
"You happy!? You ruined my marriage all because yours sucks!"
Charlie looks offended. "Don't say my marriage sucks! And for the record, Noah is a cutie. I mean, if I was gay—oh boy."
"Fuck off!" Y/N snaps. Furious—at Charlie, at himself, at everything—he turns and walks away.
Once outside to catch a breather, Y/N leans against a wall, breathing rapidly. He spots another one of his colleagues smoking—Shawn, who was also at the party. Shawn is a bit smaller than the Russian's height, but heavier. Noticing the man's stress, he offers a cigarette.
"You look like you need it."
"Yeah... but drinking already screwed me over, so no."
"Suit yourself." Shawn replies, taking another drag.
Y/N breathes in and out calmly, trying to regain composure. Suddenly, the other cook's phone slips from his hand and falls to the ground. Shawn scowls.
"Shit! Fucking butterfingers!" He stomps on the cigarette and bends down to pick up the phone.
Y/N glances over and notices something alarming—Shawn's butt crack. And on it, partially visible, is a familiar sight: Lip's name.
"Charlie got you a tattoo too...?"
Shawn picks up his phone and glares at Y/N, quickly lifting up his pants. "Yeah. Goddamn asshole convinced me to copy someone else's tattoo. Dunno whose though."
Y/N's mind races. Charlie had mentioned Noah texting him about someone with the same tattoo. If he isn't the only one, that means—
"Did you hook up with Noah?"
Shawn frowns. "What!? No! I'm not gay!"
"That's what my husband said too when he 'hooked up' with me while drunk." Y/N mutters, fully confident he didn't cheat. He senses Shawn is projecting. "Drop your pants."
"No!"
Determined to prove he's not the only one with the tattoo, Y/N pushes. "I said drop them!"
A light struggle begins. Y/N quickly jumps on the heavier man, trying to force him down. Shawn resists fiercely.
"Get off me!"
"Not when I'm proving I didn't cheat!" Y/N snaps, pulling Shawn down to the ground.
The back door suddenly swings open. Both men glance up to see Charlie looking surprised.
"Whatever makes you happy, Y/N."
"Shut up! Help me get his pants down, or I swear I'll beat you!"
"Dude, you didn't even need the threats." Charlie says with a smirk.
Charlie unbuckles Shawn's pants while Y/N pushes him down. Once exposed, the tattoo is clearly visible: 'Lip's Property' on his right cheek.
"Damn, must be getting popular." Charlie comments casually.
Shawn scoffs. "You forced me to get it!"
"I did?" Charlie looks genuinely confused.
Y/N looks annoyed at him. "You got dementia—never mind, just take a picture."
Charlie shrugs and grabs his phone. "Sure thing."
-
Not knowing what to do, Lip just tries to do his duties as a stay-at-home dad. All the while, he isn't sure how to handle the situation. Whether it's going out to destroy cars, kick his husband out or go back drinking. Feeling just empties at the end of the day, the upset man went to bed, not knowing what to say to the man he thought was so faithful.
However, he soon gets bothered by the very same person. "Lip! Lip! Lip!"
The lights get turned up, and with the shouting, Lip only frowns. When he opens his eyes, he sees his husband walking over to him. However, not in the mood, the blonde rolls to turn his back towards Y/N.
"Not now..."
"No, no, no!" Y/N then gets to the other side of the bed, but again Lip turns his back.
That's when the taller man gets on top of the bed, causing the blonde to get annoyed. "I'm not in the fucking mood!" Y/N then gets out his phone, with the blonde looking at a picture of someone else's ass that has the same tattoo as his husband. "Y/N, what the fuck is this?"
"Charlie convinced someone else to get the same tattoo, and he said Noah mention that he slept with someone with the very same one." With a grin, Y/N then goes on his phone to show a recording. "Now watch."
That's when a video plays, where Lip can see a young guy that is Noah. "Tell me who you slept with." Y/N's voice can be heard.
"Dude, that's not your business."
"Just fucking say it. It's Shawn."
Noah looks shocked. "H-How did you know?"
That's when Y/N stops the recording, with Lip a bit stunned. "And now that everything is cleared up, I'm still 100% faithful and committed."
Still processing by the sudden news, Lip can't help but crack a smile, even though he still feels the anxiety he had almost the entire day.
"Thank fucking god...!" Lip let out a laugh. "I wouldn't know what to do if you did."
"Good thing that isn't going to happen." Y/N then get off his husband to begin removing his clothes. "Alright, with that sorted out, I'm going to sleep."
"Just like that?" Lip is a bit surprised how quickly Y/N changes his attitude. "You don't want to... I dunno, rub in my face that I was wrong, or demand an apology."
"Not really. That way, whenever I did something fucked up, I can mention you never apologized to me." Now undressed, Y/N drops in the bed, while Lip is still shocked. "Goodnight."
With a sigh, the blonde gets out of the bed to turn off the light before he goes back to sleep. "What a fucking weirdo..." Still, Lip feels really relieved."
-
Eventually, the day came for Y/N's first laser appointment. Lying on the chair, the buff man's butt was covered with a towel, his normal clothes still on. Wanting to stay close, Lip remained by his husband's side.
As the doctor examined the tattoo, Y/N shot a slightly annoyed glance at his husband. "I wish I could've told you my ass was only yours."
Lip chuckled. "Just as long as I'm the only one who sleeps with it."
Y/N hummed. "This must be what Shawn felt like... My boss called me into the office for 'questionable behavior.' When I explained the situation, he thought I was making some dumb excuse."
"Are you going to get fired?"
"Unless I forced other people to drop their pants, I'm free to stay." Y/N replied. "And Shawn was chill about it too after I paid him off."
"I've examined the tattoo." The doctor stepped aside. "By my estimation, removing it will take around eight sessions. Since we space laser treatments about five weeks apart, it might take forty weeks—or more—for it to be fully removed."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Y/N groaned. "Almost a year of having my ass exposed just to get lasered?"
"I'm afraid so, sir." The doctor said. "At least look on the bright side—you don't have to come here every day."
Lip asked. "And how much will it cost?"
"We charge $500 per session, so the total will be about $4,000."
While not absurd per session, considering Y/N's paychecks it was still a significant amount. On top of that, they still needed to cover the kids' needs, repay Vlad's loan, and pay bills. The spouses exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging that they needed to carefully manage their finances.
-
After the lasering, both men got back home. Right before they walked inside, Lip's eyes fell on the van parked beside the house. Turning to see his husband approaching, he spoke up.
"Why won't you sell the van?"
Y/N stopped and turned around. "You haven't used it in months... And with the lasering, I want us to be prepared for any emergencies—like the fridge breaking down." The taller man looked hesitant, making Lip curious about his reasoning. "At least tell me."
After a moment, Y/N sighed and walked over to the van, with Lip following. When they reached the back, the Russian opened it, looking both fondly and somberly at its contents.
"You remember Indiana?"
Lip froze for a moment. "When I got drunk, and you picked me up?"
"Yes..." Y/N recalled. "It was my first time... not just with you, but ever. Back then, I... never really enjoyed life. But when we were together... something changed. And then we spent more time together, and we got together... It feels like I have a completely different life now." He glanced at his arm, noticing the scars from the past.
Lip softly hummed. "I get your sentiment." He reached out and took his husband's hand, making Y/N look back at him. "If you hadn't picked me up, who knows where we'd be now?"
"Yeah, but considering your old habits, we definitely would've fucked anyway." Y/N replied seriously, making Lip laugh.
"Yeah. Not that I'd complain." The blonde smiled, and Y/N eventually returned the smile.
Getting an idea, Lip climbed into the back of the van. "This isn't me saying you should sell it, but... if you do, let's enjoy some old memories."
Y/N leaned against the door, noticing the smirk on Lip's face. "I thought you didn't remember every time we had sex?"
"I did... mostly." Lip admitted. "I thought it was all weird dreams, so I didn't think much about it."
Y/N raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think much about us having sex while you hadn't figured out your sexuality?"
"It was a confusing time." Lip laughed, with Y/N laughing along. "So... what do you say? Want to say goodbye to this old girl?"
Without replying, Y/N climbed into the van and closed the door behind him. Both husbands were smiling widely.
Outside, Carl was holding his bag, with Ian, Debbie, and Liam joining him. Carl, preparing to return to military school, looked at everyone.
"See you next Christmas."
"Better not in a body bag." Ian joked.
"We would miss you." Debbie said. "Mostly."
"Shouldn't you say goodbye to Lip?" Liam pointed out.
"Yeah—" Carl started, then glanced at the shaking van. Everyone noticed, causing an awkward silence. "I think I'm good."
Several minutes later, both men held each other, their naked bodies pressed together, looking relieved. But Y/N's smile faltered as a thought struck him.
"Do we need to sell it?" the Russian asked. "These memories are too important to me..."
"I get it." Lip gently caressed his husband's arm. "And we don't need to sell it. I'm just concerned about the money. I know we get income from your job, child benefits, and Frank sending money from prison, but... I just want us to be prepared if something in the house breaks."
Y/N quietly hummed. "I understand that." He sat up, taking in the van, feeling a wave of nostalgia. "I know back then you were drunk, so it wasn't really a relationship. But... I viewed it that way. All because I'd never had one before."
Lip raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad we worked it out." He sat up as well, wrapping his arms around Y/N from behind. "We had our issues, but I'm not that dumbass alcoholic anymore, and you're not that naïve guy you used to be."
"Right... that's all in the past." After a deep breath, Y/N made up his mind. "Then... let's sell it."
"You sure?" Lip asked gently.
"Yeah... like you said, it's in the past." Y/N looked back at his husband. "I'd rather focus on the future. I've got the best husband in the world and six beautiful children. They're more important to me. And if that means keeping my ass clean... well, I'll do it."
Lip chuckled. "I never said the tattoo bothered me—"
"I'm going to remove it."
-
A week later, it was finally time. For $30,000, a young man around Y/N's age bought the van as its new owner. With the keys in hand one last time, the buff man handed them over.
"Just promise me you'll take good care of him. I made a lot of happy memories in this van."
"I will." The guy assured with a small smile. "Planning to travel around the country with my girlfriend. See what life has to offer."
Despite feeling like shit, Y/N cracked a small smile. "Sounds like a wonderful time. Well... don't let me stop you. Have fun."
"Thanks, man."
As the young man got into the van and drove away, Lip appeared next to his husband. Noticing Y/N's somber expression, he gently grabbed his hand. Together, they watched the van—and a piece of their past—disappear down the street.
Even though a reminder of their past was gone, they still had countless reminders of the future. And with that, they knew they wouldn't just be okay—they'd be great.