The last several weeks were supposed to be some of the most stressful for high school students. But not to Mickey. He hadn't studied for a single one of his finals and he simply didn't give a shit. Totally fine with getting all F's since he was planning on dropping out soon anyways. It was now day three of winter break which meant it was also Christmas Eve. The holidays for the Milkovich's were never anything special. If anything it just made the tensions in the house worse.
"Iggy, I'm not fucking around. Where is my pocket knife? I just got that thing," he mutters.
Iggy rolls his eyes, still focused on the video game in front of him. "Don't fuckin' know. Ask Colin," he mumbles, not fully listening to Mickey. Outside there was at least half a foot of snow on the ground and more coming as white flakes fell from the clouded sky.
"I'm not stupid, dick breath. I had it yesterday and now I don't. Colin wasn't even home yesterday," he says.
"Then I don't know! Go ask Dad!" He yells. Mickey walks over to the tv and rips the PlayStation out from the tv. "What the fuck!" Iggy yells angrily, slamming the controller onto the couch.
Mickey smirks at him and backs away. "Give me my knife back and I'll give you your game."
"You're fucking dead!" Iggy chases after his younger brother. Mickey hurtles over the couch and Iggy tries to do the same but trips, making Mickey laugh.
"Come on, faggot. You gonna get it or what?" Mickey taunted. He rounded the kitchen and ran to his room. He tried to pull the door shut but couldn't do it before Iggy got his hand in the way. The older boy pushes on the door until Mickey stumbles backwards and falls on his floor. Iggy climbs on top of him, hands grabbing onto his shirt and slamming him back down. Mickey throws an elbow up that hits Iggy hard enough to knock him off. He then climbs on top of him and holds an arm against his chest. "Tell me where it's at," he threatens. Mickey collects spit in his mouth and threatens to spit on his brother's face, the salvia slowly dripping closer to Iggy.
"It's in my fucking underwear drawer! Now get off of me." Mickey smirks and climbs off of him, making his way to his brother's room. He goes to his Iggy and Colin's room and cringed as he reaches his hands into the drawer full of boxers. "Fucking disgusting," he mumbles. He rifles through it but doesn't find it. "Son of a bitch!" He yells, slamming the drawer closed. "Iggy you fucking liar!" Mickey walks out of the bedroom and out to the living room. He glances at the couch where Ian Gallagher was now sitting. He looked completely uncomfortable and out of place. "The fuck are you doing here?"
"Uh, I'm waiting for Mandy. She's coming over to my place," he says.
"You seen Iggy?" He asks. Ian points to the front door. Mickey immediately heads to the door and opens it. He walks out to the front porch and looks for Iggy. He sees him leaning against the railing but before he can say anything, Iggy shoves Mickey, causing him to stumble back a bit. The older boy then hurried back into the house and locks the door. Mickey immediately starts banging on the door. "Let me the fuck in! It's freezing!" Mickey had on his faded blue boxers along with his dirty wife beater which was no match against the 20 degree weather and snow that was threatening to freeze him to death. "Iggy!" He yells.
A few moments later the door opens, but it wasn't Iggy who opens it. Ian stands in front of the now open door. Mickey shoves Ian out of his way and walks to Iggy's room, his fist banging on the locked door. "I swear, when you get out of there I'm going to fucking end you!"
"All of you shut up!" Terry yells from the bathroom. Mickey immediately goes silent. His knocking stops.
Ian rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. He had been waiting for Mandy to finish getting ready but Ian was about to just leave. "So, um, you doing anything for Christmas?"
Mickey glares at him. He was starting to like Ian, but he was annoyed and not in the mood for small talk. "Does it fucking seem like it?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. Ian shakes his head a bit. Stupid question. He knew it was. The Milkovich family never did anything for holidays and Ian felt kind of bad. That was why he always invited Mandy over for things.
He nods. "You could come over to my place for tonight. We got a shit ton of food, beer, gonna watch the bulls game. It'll be fun. You should come with."
Mickey raises an eyebrow. He wanted to come, he'd do anything to get out of the house. When their mother was still around, Christmas used to be halfway decent. They would bake cookies for Santa, get a shitty tree with just a few presents underneath that were wrapped in newspaper. But the Milkovich kids always loved it. It was the one time of the year that Mickey didn't completely hate his house. But Mickey didn't want to seem too needy or desperate to come so he just shrugs. "I don't know. Got shit to do around here."
Ian smiles a bit and raises an eyebrow. "Okay, like what?"
"I don't fucking know. Just shit."
Ian laughs and nods. "Okay, well if you change your mind just come over. I don't mind," he says as Mandy walks out. She smiles at Ian.
"Hey, you ready?" She asks and Ian nods. She grabs Ian's hand and the two of them walk out of the house, leaving Mickey alone in the living room. He flops down on the couch and sighs heavily. It was quiet in the house other than Terry's snoring from somewhere. Mickey just figured the man had drank too much and passed out on the floor again.
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Mickey tugs on his jeans and curses himself. It had been two hours and he had done a good job at not cracking and going to Ian's. But that was about to change. Mickey tried to distract himself by playing video games or jerking off but nothing worked. He kept thinking about Ian's and for some reason he felt jealous. Jealous that his sister was hanging out with Ian but he wasn't.
He zipped up the faded blue jeans before pulling a black hoodie over his head and lacing his boots. He placed a cigarette between his lips and walked out of the house, the cold air practically smacking him in the face. He cups a hand around his cigarette and lights up the end. His head hangs low so that he could shield himself as much as possible from the brutal winds. The walk seemed to take hours but finally two blocks later he made it to the Gallagher's. He pressed his cigarette into the snow before walking up the steps to the house. He rubs the side of his neck before hesitantly knocking on the door. A few moments later Fiona opens the door and stares back. "Yeah?"
"Uh, Ian said I could come over," Mickey mumbles. Fiona just stares back, not believing him. She knew he was a Milkovich kid and knew Ian didn't hang out with him. "You gonna fucking let me in or let me freeze my ass off out here?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Mickey!" Ian says, coming up to the door behind Fiona. "Hey, I didn't know if you were coming or not," he says. He opens the door wider and allows Mickey to walk inside. He glances around quickly before looking back at Ian.
"Yeah, figured might as well," he says, shrugging as Fiona walks off. Mickey shrugged his coat off and tossed in on the ground by all the others.
Ian couldn't help the stupid grin on his face the moment he saw Mickey. Sure the boy was rough and rude, but Ian liked him. He liked the way his eyes lit up when he smiled and the small faded freckles that scattered his cheeks. "There's beer, eggnog, and snacks in the kitchen. Help yourself to anything," he says before leading Mickey into the house. Mandy smiles up at him from the couch.
"Hey," she says, confused look on her face. "You came too?" He just shrugs. Mandy knew Mickey was in boxing with Ian but she didn't really think they talked outside of it. Mickey never really did friendships. Ever.
In the corner there was a Christmas tree that was covered in homemade ornaments, presents underneath. Mickey was a bit surprised by how many were underneath it. He knew the Gallaghers had more money than his family, but he knew not by much. He walked into the kitchen, squeezing past Vee and Fiona and opens the fridge, grabbing a beer. Mickey pops off the cap and tosses it into the garbage, raising an eyebrow at Vee. She had been staring at him ever since he walked in. "Something wrong?" He mumbles. She throws her hands up in self defense and Mickey walks past. "That is the dirtiest white boy in America," she says, turning to Fiona. She nods.
"You're telling me. Don't know why Ian invited him. I didn't even know they talked," Fiona says. "But hey, guess the more the merrier," she mumbles. Mickey flops back down on the couch next to Ian, his side pressed against the edge.
The Gallagher house was messy, but not the same way as his was. Their house was cluttered, but Mickey's was just a straight up mess because no one cared to clean it up. Beer cans littered the floor and cigarettes were found anywhere from the sink to the fridge. It was kind of sad, but Mickey was used to it. He never was embarrassed about it until now. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with his dirty face and messy hair. Everyone else around him was freshly showered and either had no sent or smelt of deodorant. Mickey didn't. Suddenly, he stands up off of the couch. He walks to the front door, grabs his coat and leaves. A heavy sigh escapes his lips as he tugs his coat on and sits down on their porch steps. Mickey rests a cigarette between his lips and lights it. He takes in a long drag, eyes slipping shut.
He knew it was a bad idea coming here. They were expected Mandy to come and none of them seemed to care that she was there, but Mickey felt out of place. He felt like all eyes were on him, constantly judging him. Fuck them, he thought. He didn't need to be with anyone for Christmas. He was fine staying alone in his toxic house because at least there everything around him was familiar.
The door opens behind him and Mickey jumps a bit, startled from the noise. He turns around and sees Ian. "The fuck you want?"
Ian shrugs. "Nothing I guess," he says, sitting down next to Mickey. "Something up?"
Mickey just shakes his head, eyes focused on the cigarette that hung loosely between his tatted knuckles. "Nope just wanted a smoke," he lies. He lifts the smoke back up and places it back between his lips.
Ian just nods and looks out into the dark street ahead. Mickey wasn't okay and Ian knew something was up. But he also knew he shouldn't ask because Mickey wouldn't answer him. "Why don't you come back in? Dinners done."
Mickey stands up, butting the cigarette out against the railing. "Nah, man. I'm just gonna get going," he says, starting down the steps.
"Just wait," Ian says quickly. "We've got a shit ton of food to share, Mandy's here. Why don't you at least have dinner here?"
"Because no one fucking wants me in there. You only invited me outta pity and I don't fucking need it," he spits back.
"I don't pity you, Mickey. We box together, we hung out once. I just... I'm trying to be your friend here. Just stay for dinner. After that you can fuck off to wherever you wanna go." Mickey doesn't say anything at first. He runs his knuckles over his lips and glances down at the dirtied snow by his feet. He shrugs his shoulders just the slightest bit.
"Just for dinner," he repeats. Ian grins and nods.
"Just for dinner." Ian leads Mickey back up the stairs and into the house, shutting the door behind them.
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It was complete chaos at the dinner table. Everyone was reaching for the same thing at once, things were tipping over and everyone was talking. "Fuck off outta my way," Mickey mumbles, shoving Lip's hand out of the way to put a few slices of ham onto his plate. Mickey gives him a small smirk before piling mashed potatoes on his plate as well.
"Who the fuck even invited you?" Lip grumbles, grabbing some ham.
Mickey snorts. "The fuck's it to you?" He picks up his beer and sips it.
Lip flips him off before going back to eating. Mickey glances over at Mandy, actually surprised to find her talking to the other Gallaghers. She was talking to Vee right now, Mandy's eyes lighting up as she laughed. Mickey ignored all of their conversations, way too focused on his meal to pay attention. It had been years since Mikey had had a home cooked meal like this. He scoops up a spoonful of his mashed potatoes and shoves it into his mouth.
"Food any good?" Ian asks, sipping his beer. Mickey turns and looks at him, nodding.
"Yeah, its alright I guess." Ian laughs.
"The mouthful of mashed potatoes says otherwise," Ian teases. "Fi, always makes awesome food. I could live off of her mashed potatoes if she let me." Mickey smiles a bit and shakes his head. Mickey scoops up some of the mashed potatoes onto his spoon before flinging it at Ian. He laughs as it lands on Ian's nose, right in between his eyes. Ian glares at him. "Fucking, asshole," he says. He reaches down and picks up one of his green beans, throwing it at Mickey's head. Mickey flips him off, small smirk on his face. He then picks up a huge piece of ham, ready to throw it until Fiona butts in.
"Okay, knock it off you two. You're acting like fucking five year olds," she says, trying to keep herself from laughing. Mickey smirked a bit, looking down at his plate and nodding.
He glances over at Ian and the two boys share a look. Mandy raises an eyebrow watching the two. A small smile spread across her face. She knew her brother never hung out with anyone unless they were smoking or doing something else stupid, so she was actually surprised to see him getting along with Ian.
Mickey's eyes flicker over to Mandy and he immediately looks down at his lap. He rubs the back of his neck, taking a bite of his ham.
Ian was still smiling on the other hand, nudging Mickey in the side. "Don't worry, Mickey. This isn't over yet," he teases and Mickey had to wipe the grin off of his mouth.
The rest of dinner, Mickey stayed quiet. Soon enough everyone finished and they all piled onto the couch. The three youngest Gallagher's sat around the tree. Mandy, lip and Ian all sat on the couch while the three adults sat on chairs. Mickey sat on the ground, his back leaning against the side of the couch. "One present each and that's it," Fiona smiles at them, watching as they each pick up one.
"Shit, this is awesome!" Carl says, pulling a BB gun out of a box. Liam went next, pulling a little action figure out of the wrapping. The boy grins widely and hugs it to his chest. Debbie unwrapped the Santa themed wrapping paper and pulled out a pink make up bag that was full of pretty much every beauty product she had wanted. Her eyes go wide and she grins.
"Oh my god, I love it," she says, smiling at Fiona. Lip unwrapped his, pulling out a new pair of jeans. They were a dark denim color and didn't look too cheap or too expensive. He smiles.
"Thanks Fi," he mouths and she nods back, grinning.
Last but not least was Ian. He had a medium sized box on his lap, neatly wrapped up in green wrapping paper with little raindeers on it. He unwraps the box, tossing the wrapping paper onto the floor in front of him. He opens it up and smiles down at the present. In the box was a pair of his own boxing gloves. They were blue, unlike the red ones they had at the gym. "This is the best," he says. He pulls them out and tries them out. Ian leans over and slugs Lip in the arm, laughing.
Lip rubs his arm and playfully glares at him. "Asshole," he teases. Mickey smiles a bit. He'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't the slightest bit jealous. Sure the Gallaghers were fucked up, but it was in a different way than the Milkovichs. Mickey was stuck in a house with a father who thought of him as just something he could knock around. They barely had money for bills and food and the money they did have, Terry always used on drugs or beer. Never saving a penny of it for his kids. But here, this family really loved each other and even though they barely had any money, they someone still came together to care for one another.
"Those are fucking sick, man. Better than the shitty ones at the gym," he says, grinning up at him from the ground. Ian smiles back.
"Wanna go test them out?" Mickey nods. The two boys get up and Ian leads them down to the basement. "I found this out on the side of the road one day. It's shitty as hell but I like it," he says. Ian was referring to a punching bag that hung from the middle of the ceiling. It was orange and torn up in a few places but it was pretty decent. Mickey grins, glancing over at Ian.
"This is pretty cool, man," he says, walking up to it. He hits it gently with his fist, testing it out at first. He then holds his hands up and slams his left one into it.
"You're gonna hurt your hand like that," Ian says, pulling the boxing gloves off of his own hands. "Here you can use mine." Ian holds the blue gloves out to Mickey who just stares at them. He shakes his head.
"Nah, man, I'll get them all dirty and shit. They're your gift you use them," he says.
"They're gonna get dirty eventually. Might as well start now," he says, smiling softly but Mickey refuses. He refused to ruin something of Ian's. Something that he knew Ian really liked.
"I'm fine. I like hitting the bag with my bare knuckles anyways," he says, his fist hitting the bag. It swung from side to side, the chains it hung by making a small jingling noise.
"That's something I don't get about you. Why do you always hit the bag with no gloves on when it hurts?" Ian asked as he slipped the gloves back on.
Mickey shrugs, throwing multiple punches at the bag. He had pent up anger and frustrations from the day. He hated Terry for being a shitty fucking father. He hated himself for being such a coward and he hated Ian Gallagher for making him feel so damn vulnerable. "Maybe I like the pain," he mumbles, mostly to himself.
"I'm surprised you showed up," Mandy whispers to him. The two siblings walked down the dark street side by side. Mandy was pressed against Mickey in an attempt to warm herself up. He shrugs his shoulders slightly, hands in his pockets.
"Nothing else to fucking do at home," he mumbles back. His eyes stayed trained on his boots as he walked next to his sister who kept staring at him. Her eyes ran up and down his body, trying to figure him out. She knew he was acting weird, but she didn't know why.
"You like Ian?" She asks and Mickey swears he never moved so fast. His head snapped around and he looked over at his sister. "I mean I know you've got other guys you call your friends but you seem to really wanna hang out with Ian." Mickey felt himself start to breath again once he realized she meant as a friend. Once again, Mickey shrugs.
"I mean... he's kinda cool I guess. Wouldn't necessarily call him my fucking friend or anything," The boy mumbles, kicking down a small mound of snow that was in the middle of the sidewalk. Mandy smiles a bit. She knew how her brother worked. His "he's kinda cool I guess" meant Mickey did think of Ian as a friend, he just didn't want to admit it. She nods.
"He is pretty fucking cool. I've been talking to him since freshmen year. You should get more friends like him. Your other ones suck." Mickey glares at her. He picks up a chunk of snow and throws it at her. Mandy laughs.
"Asshole!" She says. She picks up her own snow and retaliates, throwing it at Mickey's head. The two siblings run down the street, throwing snow at each other and laughing. Maybe it was only Christmas eve, but so far this Christmas hadn't been too damn bad for the Milkovich kids.