Chapter Text
Ch. 7
Mickey and Ian were sat in the back of Dresden's blue beetle, while Murphy was in the passenger seat. Ian had fallen asleep with his head on Mickey's shoulder. The older boy had his arm wrapped around the redhead, who was still shivering slightly despite it being a warm summer night.
“What the hell just happened?!” Mickey asked in a quiet voice, so as not to disturb Ian. “I thought she was going to drink my blood...”
Dresden and Murphy both let out a laugh.
“Madeline is a White Court vamp, kid. She's a succubus. They pray on sexual energy and on human emotions. The Raith family feeds on lust. They have a big weakness, though,” he went on. “It's not sunlight or symbols of faith. It's actually much simpler than that; a White Court vampire's greatest weakness is the opposite of the emotion that they feed upon. In Madeline's case, that weakness is true love. When you offered yourself in exchange for Ian, you solidified that love. That's why you were able to burn Madeline in a way that my magic never could.”
Mickey felt a blush form on his cheeks and turned his face away from the others' view. “Is Gallagher gonna be okay?”
“Each time the vamps feed off of someone, they take a piece of that person in the form of a memory. But—I don't think Madeline had done anything to him yet. He should be fine in a few days, once the effects of the enthrallment have worn off. He probably won't even remember any of it.”
Mickey didn't ask any more questions—he didn't want to know the answers. All of this was just too weird and too much for him to swallow. He tightened his grip on Ian.
“So Murph, what did you get out of this? Why were you so interested in finding the kid anyway?”
“A lead I had on another case had mentioned this club, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find it. I just don't like loose ends, you know?”
Dresden nodded in assent. He drove the boys to Mickey's house and dropped them off.
“Umm... How do I pay you for your help?”
“As if Harry would take your money!” Murphy joked. “This case was like child's play for him.” Murphy took the dog tags off the crystal that was still hanging from the mirror and passed them to Mickey. “Be safe...”
Mickey frowned but thanked them both and helped Ian out of the car. It maybe have been an easy case for Dresden but Gallagher's life had been on the line. Mickey had come so close to losing him... He shook his head to clear it. He didn't like the direction his thoughts had been headed.
The boys made it into the house, slowly but surely, and Mickey put Ian into their bed. Ian passed out immediately and slept for 18 hours straight. Mickey kept checking every couple of hours to make sure he was still breathing.
He finally awoke the next day.
“Mick...?”
Mickey had been sitting on the floor, with his back against the bed. He must have dosed off at some point, but the panic in Ian's voice brought him to attention faster than any alarm would have. He twisted his body so that he was facing the younger boy. Ian reached for Mickey's hand, and he didn't object.
“What happened? My head is killing me...”
“What's the last thing you remember?”
Ian looked like he was struggling to grasp onto a fleeting memory. “I...I don't know. We went to the club... and you were supposed to bring me a drink... I was dancing... then it all goes blank.” He frowned at Mickey.
“Hey, don't make that face...” Mickey said, gently touching Ian's jaw. He knew Ian was thrown by the intimate gesture. He could tell from the strange look he was getting from the redhead.
“Mickey, I--”
“Look. I know you've been feeling kinda shitty lately. The community service thing sucks and you're cut off from your family... I know you're getting bored with doing the same shit every day...” Ian tried to object but Mickey cut him off. “I almost lost you tonight, and I'm never gonna let that happen again—even if it means going out on real dates once in a while,” Mickey cringed, but then continued, “as long as I get to choose where we go! And I'll help you pay back your sister now, so you can get back on good terms with your family. You can pay me back at your own pace. I know you will, eventually. I just want you to be happy.”
It was the corniest thing Mickey had ever said to Ian, but he knew it was the truth—they both did. Ian grabbed Mickey behind his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss.
“Uh, Mickey... Why am I naked?”
Mickey couldn't help but laugh. After all the stress from the weekend, it felt good to let go and laugh. “It's a long story, Firecrotch. Maybe I'll tell you about it one day...”
~
From that night forward, Mickey wore Ian's dog tags around his neck at all times. He even showered with them on. Ian asked him about them once, and Mickey's only response was that they reminded him of what he almost lost and how he finally found it again.
Mickey did tell Ian about what had happened that weekend, but it wasn't until a couple of years later, and he wasn't sure Ian even believed him. He just couldn't fathom ever being attracted to a woman. Mickey always thought that it was funny that that was the part of the story Ian had trouble believing in—not the wizard-who-has-actual-magic bit or the vampire-that-feeds-on-lust bit.
All Mickey knew was that he loved Ian, and even if he still hadn't said the words, he'd done everything in his power to make Gallagher feel happy and cherished.