Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Meant for me? : Chapter One

For a small child, the concept of Soulmates was like a fairytale right, things that stories are made of. The thought that one person was meant for you out there somewhere and one day you would find her. Or some shit.  Mickey had always thought it was weird to think that. But everyone said it.  People who are fated to be together, find each other. Somehow, some way.  But as the boy got older, the only thing he got from this so-called soulmate shit, was a lot of confusion and pain.

If he was meant to love some girl for the rest of his life, why was he attracted to the curve of a boys ass, or the tight abs of men, or even the way a mans stubble felt against the back of his neck as they were....well none of it fucking made sense.  Even more, why was he waking up in the middle of the night panting, scared and full of nightmares...What the hell was going on with him? They had started months ago like his energy was being drained out of him sometimes.  Then he would feel this rush of energy. He didn’t understand it, and now? He felt like he was drowning, what was that?  It was new and he really couldn’t describe any of the things he was going through.

When the feeling was finally over, he felt his skin burning, Like something, was being burned into his skin, it fucking hurt, He ran to his window to get out of it before he ended up crying out, screaming out. He wasn’t stupid, he knew what was happening to him, he was almost eighteen after all, and he hadn’t gotten any markings yet, he knew that whatever was happening to him right now, had this soul mate bullshit written all over it,  and he had to hide, there was no way he was letting anyone else see what would be on his skin until he did, until he knew exactly what he was facing.

“Ian you need help!” He heard them scream, and he rolled his eyes. No fucking shit. 

“I need…You to fuck off” He called out as he sat up in his bed that he had been lying in for days.  OK so yeah, they were right, he knew by now, that he was just like his mother, but the thought alone pissed him off, he had fought it but fighting it wasn’t enough. So what was he supposed to do?  Logically he knew that he should get help, before those markings started coming in, before he was destined to meet whomever he was meant to be with because in reality who would want to be with this bag of crazy, fated or not, but at the same time he was curious to see this supposed mates reaction to the things that pulled him under.  

Although the more he thought about it, who could love this, He had watched this manifest itself in Monica over and over and over again and he really couldn’t see how anybody especially someone who didn’t even know him could ever or would ever accept this.  He finally made his way out the door, he needed to run. He still felt weak, but he needed to run.

The need to run outweighed anything else, but it wasn’t his disorder any longer, there was something else, something more. Like someone else was guiding his body, it was unlike anything else he had ever felt before, and he knew, more than anything he had ever known in his entire life was that this was what was true. It wasn’t him running because of his excess energy, he had none, it was someone else running, something that was tied to him, the someone that was tied to him that he had heard about his entire life.  Soulmates. It only meant one thing that somewhere out there someone was meant to be his in some capacity or another, and this person felt the need to run away, the idea wasn’t entirely foreign to him, but it was all-consuming. At that moment he knew, he had to get better. Whoever was out there for him, it was getting closer, more and more of a reality than a someday, and that is what had him running into a clinic in the early morning hours, not too long after.

The shivers Mickey felt down his spine the morning after taking over his whole being. He had run to an old abandoned warehouse, it is what he needed to do. It was as if the universe was telling him something was coming for him. He couldn't take it. Where would this lead him? The burning on his skin was like fire now, but he had checked. In the long body length mirror he had stolen from the store last week that he had hung up here, nobody could see before he did, but nothing was there yet, just fiery burning of his skin, and then something happened, He stilled, all of the fire wore out of him, not from his skin but from his insides. Like a numbness coming over him, what was happening, he felt as if he could just lay down and stay there. But it wasn’t like before, the need to not get up, it was something else, what was with this other body he was linked to out there somewhere. He felt the need to make it stop, he felt a need to help whoever it was. That was ridiculous, Mickey didn’t adhere to this soulmate shit, so whoever was out there for him should get used to being alone because he wasn’t having any of it. At all. He couldn’t even contemplate what it would mean if it was what he feared. What if his soulmate was a man? It was entirely possible and not completely unheard of. There wasn’t anything he could do to stop it really. Whatever was meant to e would eventually be, but it didn’t stop him from trying to control it.

Trying to make whatever it was that was happening to him disappear into the night. Because he didn’t want this. He didn’t want to hurt whoever he was meant for because that is exactly what he would end up doing He couldn’t accept it. He already knew what not only loving a man would do to him but to be destined to love a man? What the world would do to him if that were the case. As much as he didn’t think he wanted to turn away whoever was meant for him, he didn’t think he could help but doing just that. How could he not, his father would kill him and this person. But what if that wasn’t the case, what if everything his father said was right, that he was in fact destined to be with a woman. Only those who were damned for the entire of eternity were destined for anything else. But he couldn’t help but wonder what the future had in store for him but for now, he needed to sleep because the overwhelming feeling of sleep was suddenly coming to him.  It wasn’t him either, he knew that the feelings were different.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t decipher his own needs, his own wants fro that of the other person, they were different somehow, he knew when his body was no longer controlled by himself and this was one of those times. He wondered if it worked both ways. When his feelings and desperations took over him he couldn’t help but wonder if he was making someone else feel like he did of no fault of his own. That made him sad for some reason, to think that his won self-hate was arising in someone else's body making them feel as if they were not their own person. He knew how it felt on his end and it fucking sucked and through all of this, when the feeling arose that he felt the need to protect the other person. He felt as if it were his whole life mission to encompass the other person of whom he didn’t know as of yet and protect them and shelter from the world and to Mickey that was the worst of it all. The feeling as though he had to protect another life at all costs. More than his own life, more than that of his families. Over all else, he had to protect t a person that he didn’t even know and overall how fucked up is that. Because how could he protect someone he not only didn’t didn’t know but was afraid to ever know. All of the things It could and would mean for him and this other person was entirely too much to bare for one person.

IN reality, he knew that it wasn’t only one person taking all this on, there was someone else out there who was meant to share all of this with him. That was meant to be him, and he theirs. He just wondered, to himself as he lies on the old mattress on that floor, who and what had him feeling this deep sense of desperation.

For Ian getting medicated was a hard task for anyone to take on especially himself when he knew that the bipolar was his own feelings and emotions, there were other things that were not. He had never in his life, prayed to hide who he was and suddenly that’s what he was doing. Not like it mattered, he wasn’t really inside any kind of closet. He had always figured his soulmate would either easily be a man, or he would find out it was a woman and it would end up being a platonic sort of soulmate. As rare as that was, he had heard it had been true. That out there, when you find your person it could be that it wasn’t the person you were meant to marry or be fucking on a constant basis but it could just be someone you shared your whole self with. Lately, though he knew that wasn’t true. The things he was feeling, the hate, the pain, it was all from a place of fear. Someone whoever they were was afraid of this. Was afraid to find him, he didn’t know exactly where that fear came from. Maybe the person had felt how messed up he was and didn’t want to be anchored to that for the rest of their lives.

That was Ian’s biggest fear that, in reality, this other person fears weren’t about himself but rather about what he knew of Ian. Ian knew if this soulmate caused him to feel things, it was very possible it was the other way around as well. That his soulmate, the pour soul whoever he was, and yes now he was almost completely certain that this other person was a male. He just felt it in his bones, that this was the person he was meant to be with, but there was something else there. The feeling that it could ever, would never be like he had imagined his whole life.

He knew that what was to happen in the coming months would be painful and not the burning of his skin painful that he had come accustomed to but a much deeper kind of pain. A pain that not even he could entirely predict.. A pain that would swallow him whole if he let it. And that was really what had him terrified. Maybe it was pain that the other person wouldn’t want him, that they would break the ties, and he would be left alone for the rest of his life, because that was the reality wasn’t it. If the other person found a way to break the tie, then the consequence was that they were both left without half a soul and the most important part. He didn’t know all that much about this partner, but he had a feeling that this other person, love of his life, soulmate, wanted exactly that, and that broke him more than any bi-polar ever could.

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Chapter two :

Mickey stared into the mirror at his chest. His skin was still burning, which meant it was far from over. The image that appeared on his skin. It first it was kind of beautiful, and he had rolled his eyes at it. It was kind of like a lotus flower, but with deep dark edges, but full of color, but then something else happened, something formed around this beautiful thing that had come to be on his chest. A part of him was thankful because he didn’t want some annoying colorful thing on his body, but the other part of him stared at it in wonderment. First barbwire formed around this beautiful thing, and then, like it was right now, one by one, snakes were formed and covered it, Darkness surrounded and covered the beautiful thing, and Mickey had to wonder what that meant? Was it his fault that the darkness had covered up the original design? Was it his inability to accept it?  If it was, did his soulmates match his, did his darkness make the other person dark too? That is what he was asking himself, as the burning finally subsided. Seemed as if his skin was done playing games with his mind today.

--

Ian looked at his skin in confusion. Last night he saw it forming, the image, it was that of beauty, it had given him hope that there was some light in the darkness, but somehow in his sleep, something had happened. The image he was staring at now as not that of beauty but of darkness. There was one shimmer of color on his chest but the rest was caged in and surrounded by black and white and darkness. Ironic really wasn’t it? All the darkness in his mind, mirrored on his own soulmark. He wondered if it meant the darkness would overtake him forever.

His mind was cloudy sitting in the hospital for these days at a time, did this to him. He was so tired and didn’t feel much of anything except one thing, anger, the anger wasn’t his own but it was there. He wondered to himself what his future love hated the most right now. Was it him? Was it the idea of him?

--

(Three Weeks later)

Mickey sighed as he woke up, one of his eyes swollen shut. It didn’t bother him too much, it was like a right of passage now. His dad got released from prison again, which meant that Mickey got his usual welcome home. Drunk Terry beating the shit out of him for not being the son that he had always wanted.  The thing that bothered him though, as he wondered if his soulmate had only felt his feelings or the actual physical pain. He kept telling himself he didn’t care but he did. He cared if someone else felt the blood and the pain that was caused by his own father every time he felt like it.  He needed to get the fuck out of here before Terry woke up.

He climbed out of his window and made his way to the abandoned buildings that were his sanctuary, to shoot at things, to feel different or more in control. Of what he wasn’t really sure because the more and more days that passed the less control he felt over everything.

He let his hand trace the soulmark on his body, looking into the old mirror to study it, ignoring how shitty his face looked right at that moment all beaten and bruised.

“If you’re out there somewhere…I’m sorry you got saddled with such a shit soulmate who can never give you what you probably deserve.” He said out into the world, admitting that out loud, that he was sorry he was who he was, that whoever was out there probably deserved love and good things and they were stuck with him. It was kind of shitty justice really.

--

Ian sat up in his bed, something in his chest tightened, pulling at his skin, it felt like separating it.  He got out of bed, his body feeling sore, for what? He didn’t really know but he got to his mirror to look at his chest and stared at it weirdly. His soulmark was different somehow. But he couldn’t tell how. The darkness was still surrounding the bright color behind it. Only one sliver peaking out, somehow it seemed different. Like a gloom mixed with something else, he couldn’t place. He couldn’t put his finger on it, and it was gnawing at his brain. He then looked into his face in the mirror, and there were light traces of what looked like a bruise by his eye. He touched it.

“What are you doing to yourself?” he asked out into the world. “I’m sorry if the idea of me is so painful. Please stay safe somewhere.” Ian said solemnly.

“Ian?” He heard Fiona behind him, her worried tone made him roll his eyes into the mirror.

“I’m not hallucinating Fi, just kinda sending a message into the world. Soulmate shit, ya know?” he said hoping she would understand. She had at one time thought soulmates was this grand dream to have. He didn’t really know if she felt hopeful about anything anymore though. Then again, did anybody in this house ever stay hopeful about anything.

She just stares at him, probably thinking of what to say, in the end, she doesn’t say anything just hands up a plate with toast and meds on it. That was what their relationship was reduced to right now after all. Ian is crazy like Monica and he needs to be taken care of like a three-year-old. He doesn’t say anything though, he just takes the damn meds, swallows the toast and pushes past her to get the fuck out of the house.

He really had, had enough of his family after all.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three: 

Ian stood over the toilet in the bathroom of his family home. His pill bottle sat on the sink, empty as he watched the pills go down the drain. Somewhere deep inside his head, he knew this was wrong, that he shouldn’t be doing this. He should be taking those damn pills but he had had enough of all of it.  The looks from his family always thinking he was going to pull his next crazy stunt. Counting his pills as if he didn’t have a mind of his own. He was tired of all of it. So what if he was proving them right. He looked over at the bottle and left it on the counter, they would find it when they came home. He had no use for it or them anymore.  He made his way through the house, packing what little he planned to take with him. After the fight last night, he and Fiona screaming at each other until she finally said what she had been thinking for months. She told him exactly what she thought of him. He was like Monica, that’s what she believed and so it would be.  Monica had taken off countless times during their lives, if his sister really thought that of him, no matter how hard he tried to be better than that’s what he would be. He could do this alone. He didn’t need anyone or anything to tell him how to live his life anymore. He was done.

He walked down the lonely streets with just his old Jrotc bag on his back, thinking of what he would do now. He had a little money, money he hadn’t told Fiona he had saved back. It was for him, it wasn’t much, it wouldn’t last more than a week without a place to stay or a job. That would have to be the first thing he did. He needed money, he couldn’t go home, not now, not ever again. He walked thinking over his options. His mind wandering to the thoughts of the tattoo that had formed on his skin, leading him to wonder about his soulmate. He often wondered about him during the nights when his mind wouldn’t stop racing. Most mornings he ran just to distract himself from the thoughts, to forget that every move he made could lead him either closer to his soulmate or further away.  Would this man be like his family? Would he be watching him every second of every day when he found out what was wrong inside Ian?  Would he hate him for him, feeling like the world had saddled him with a broken soulmate? What would happen? He didn’t know the answers to any of this and it killed him to think of it so as he often did he pushed the fears down and kept moving with his day. He didn’t have the energy right now to think about the things that hadn’t happened today. Only the things that he was to face because of his decision to leave home.

Mickey walked through his house with a grunt on his face. He had already seen his reflection in the mirror. His latest black eye was fading. Terry hadn’t been around in a couple of days. Which only meant that he was due to show up anytime now.  Dreading days like this Mickey wondered what his life would turn out to be. Would terry be his tormentor for the rest of his life, would he always be there, the shadow of everything. Would Mickey somehow find a way out from under this mess, far away from his father someday? Probably if he got locked up somewhere nowhere near here. Possibly the only way to escape Terry with his life. He could run away now, he could find some kind of something until Terry found him, not that he had anywhere to go or any ideas of how to escape his father's grasp.   Iggy had suggested the night before that  Mickey move out.  He made a couple of good points, terry didn’t really care what mickey was doing or where he was most of the time. Unless he needed a run done or some other stupid bullshit. He only cared about himself and what he wanted. Mickey was there and for some reason he hated mickey. When they collided, it was all fists and anger, usually Terry’s. Maybe Terry knew deep down inside what Mickey was on the inside, what he would become. Could a father know that without really knowing it? Then again there were lots of impossible things that were possible. He didn’t really know a lot about anything, what he did know, is that he had no way to take care of himself on his own. What would he do? He had never been legit, he didn’t even know if he could have a regular job. He could try and fail, what would it really hurt? Even if he had called his brother an idiot for suggesting it, the idea was sounding more appealing by the moment.

--

Ian stood in front of the bar, thinking over his options, he needed somewhere to stay tonight. His options were limited. He could go into this club, and pick up some guy, do what his mind was telling him to do to survive. He was trying to find another way in his mind but kept coming up with nothing. He sighed deeply and walked into the club. He briefly considered asking for a job when he saw the dancers on the stage. He could do that. He was a reasonably attractive guy, he could dance for money.  He walked over to the bar, weighing his options.   He made his way to the bar looking around. A few guys were eyeing him but he couldn’t bring himself to proposition any of them, not even for a place to say.

“Looking a little lost.” The bartender said from behind the bar. He had been so distracted he hadn’t even looked at the man yet. He was lean, good looking, and he was half smiling at Ian.

“Might be a little. Are you guys hiring for dancers.”He casually asked looking over at the dancers.

“How old are you?” The man asked he looked back, the guy didn’t look much older than him.

“Honestly…Seventeen.” He could lie, he was sure whoever was running this place would probably hire him to dance anyway.  Half of the guys on the stages looked underage.

“You don’t want to do that.” The guy stated. Obviously he was right about his age not being an issue.

“Don’t think I’m good looking enough?” he asked raising an eyebrow. The guy gave a deep laugh.

“We both know you are. You want a little money, maybe a little party favors, sure go ahead, I’ll get the owner for you. If on the other hand, you want a real job, that doesn’t involve taking your clothes off. You would be better suited behind the bar.” Ian raised an eyebrow.

“I.. I need the money, I figure that probably pays better. And I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“It does pay better, in many ways. If that’s what you want. Think about it. If you need a place for the night that doesn’t involve whoring yourself out to these gross fucks, I have a couch. But it’s on you man.” The guy sat a drink in front of him and walked away.

“you have any references?” the guy at the garage asked.

“Not any you want.” Mickey shrugged. He had spent the day looking for a job. No luck. There was no use bullshitting anymore, he had already tried that road. This was his last chance of the day and he was sure to have to deal with terry tonight, probably ending in a fight, which meant he wouldn’t beable to look again for a while.

“You have a record kid?” The man asked crossing his arms.

“Juvy” he shrugged, getting ready to turn around and walk out. “Thanks for your time.” He added as he turned.

“That’s it? You gonna give up like that?” the older man asked.

“We both know you ain’t gonna hire some snot-nosed kid, with a pattern of violence. It’s whatever”

“You don’t think very highly of yourself, do you?  You know how to fix cars?”  Mickey nodded shrugging.

“You gonna jack my cars and try to sell them.” Mickey shook his head.

“If I wanted to do that, I’d just work for my dad.” He stated. The guy nodded seeming to get it.

“Trying to get away from the old man then?” He nodded.

“I’m guessing by the last name that’s Terry Milkovich.” Mickey nodded. He guessed nothing on the southside was far enough away from Terry.

“Alright. I’ll give you a shot. Heres the deal. You work hard, I pay you. Don’t fuck me over. And if you hear one whisper of your piece of shit father coming this way, you give fair warning. He tries to talk you into hijacking my shit, you don’t go it alone, you don’t do shit, you nod and agree and tell me first. Got it?” Mickey nodded again.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked the man looking at him.

“Southside sticks together man. Family can be shit, I know it first hand. I need help around here. Only have a few guys.” Mickey nods at him, and it’s done. He has a job. He doesn’t have much but he has a job.  

“Name’s Jason. This here is mine. Most of the guys are out today, You can start now.” Mickey shrugs. Why not, nothing better to do today.

“Gallagher!” Jason yells out over the garage.  He doesn’t see anyone, but a guy comes out from under a car and looks up at Jason.  That last name sounds somewhat familiar but he can’t really place it.

“This is the new kid. Name’s Milkovich.Don’t be a  dick.” With that Jason walks back into his office and Mickey is faced with the Gallagher guy, who is looking at him with a smirk on his face.

“Alright, I’ll give you a rundown, then I’m out.  Names Lip.” He says wiping his hands off. Rundown? Who is this dumbass.

“Mickey.” He responds.

--x—

Ian spent the night thinking over his options and landed on one simple solution, a place to sleep with no expectations and a job…the guy…Lyn, or Lionelle as he learned by the end of the night, gave him the job, and the place to stay. 

“Legal name is Lionelle, do not call me that shit.  It’s Lyn, or if you get real drunk and call me lion, it’s fine.”

“Ian.” Ian introduced himself.  “Why are you helping me? I could be crazy and rob you or something.”

“I got a good judge of character. Now be here tomorrow by five so I can train you up before shift starts, I gotta get out of here.  Here’s the key to the place. Nothing there to steal. I’m rarely there. Just a couch and a bed there.”   Ian nods understanding. At least he wouldn’t have to share living space with someone he didn’t know a whole lot about.

--x—

Mickey worked mostly by himself. Lip took off not long after he got there, Jason didn’t seem to mind. Especially when it became obvious that Mickey knew what he was doing at the end of the night, Jason came out of the office.

“I’ll have a real schedule for you tomorrow. For right now, come in tomorrow afternoon, a few of the boys will be here.  You got a place to stay tonight?” He asked eyeing Mickey.

“Home.” He says.

“You go there you gonna end up with another  shiner by morning?” Mickey shrugged. Probably.

“I’ll look around for something cheap for ya, in the meantime stay safe and shit alright?” Jason spoke and Mickey nodded. He was relieved the dude didn’t offer him a place to stay, he liked the guy enough, but he wasn’t taking anyone's fucking charity or whatever kind of trade off that would be required for a favor like that.

Now all he had to do was get through the night at home.

Chapter Text

Meant for Me? - Chapter 4

It had only been two weeks. Ian was working the bar at The Fairy Tale. It was a just for now gig. He knew that. With the boys and the drugs running through there…He was tempted every night to just say fuck it and do whatever he had to do to get more money and forget his problems, but every night he promised himself that he was going to prove to himself that his family was wrong about him. He was going to do better, be better. He had been staying with Lyn, who seemed like a cool enough guy, didn’t bother him or try to get anything out of him. It was good. It was really good. It was early morning and he was just staring and the ceiling once again, as he did every morning lately. He thought about the mark on his chest…he thought about three appointments he had made at the clinic and canceled and the fourth one he would make today. He thought about his family and how he missed them. Even Fiona who was always ragging on him to take his meds. Meds that he needed to get before his highs and lows took him over again. He knew she was right about needing to take them, but it didn’t make him any less angry at the way that she treated him because he was one of them unlucky enough to be saddled with their mothers' disease. His fate couldn’t be Monica's…Could it?
If there was really no way to control that outcome, why should he try then? Why should he be better? If all he would ever be was a burden on a family that he loved. What about his soulmate…would he just be a burden on them too? He sighed loudly and got up off the couch and looked around the apartment he had been staying at. Picked up the phone and once again, called the clinic to see if they had any openings.
“Ian Gallagher…The same Ian Gallagher who has canceled three times already?” the lady asked softly. Thankfully this receptionist seemed to be nicer than the one he had talked to last week. The lady was half the reason he didn’t show.
“yeah…That’s me. I..Do you have anything for this morning…before I change my mind again.” He said honestly.
“Let me check for you.” She said softly before putting him on hold. He got his things together while he was waiting. If he wanted to do this, he had to do it today. It was only a matter of time before his body no longer felt like being in limbo and went one of two ways.
“Ian?” the lady came back on the phone.
“Yeah?” he answered her while tieing up his shoes.
“I talked to one of our doctors, to see if we could get you in if you come by this morning. She said she would. It would push a couple of people back…so we can only wait for you for a short time. Are you sure today is good?” she asked lightly. Only a tiny frustrated. He assumed everyone at the clinic by now thought he would never show up anyway.
“as sure as I’m going to be. I’m out of Bi-polar meds..or rather…I had an incident with them…It’s probably best today before I change my mind again..” Again he didn’t know why he was being honest with this girl, but he was.
“I gotcha. Come on up, I’ll get you in. Okay?” he sighed loudly. “Are you feeling okay, any highs or lows today?” she asked. For a second he wondered if he had called the wrong place. The people at the clinic were never this nice to him. Even when he was being forced in by Fiona.
“I’m ok today. I’m on my way.” He spoke before hanging up the phone. He headed out to the L, and on his way before he changed his mind and convinced himself that because it was a good day, that everything would be fine. It was time to get his shit straight, and at least have the meds to take. One decision at a time right?

“What do you think,” Lips boss asked him, sitting in the office looking out into the garage where Mickey was working. Phillip Gallagher stopped before taking a bite of his sandwich and shrugged.
“A little mouthy, but good work.” And continued with his lunch, thinking a little about his brother and wondering what he was doing at that moment.
“And you aren’t mouthy” He heard Jason chuckle.
“Aye, fuck off. I wasn’t against you hiring him man, I was against having to deal with Terry’s ass. Only one thing can solve that problem.” Lip spoke motioning his fingers in an L like a gun and raised his eyebrows. His boss didn’t even flinch, he just shrugged.
“You ain’t wrong dude. Kid came in with another black eye. Would offer him a place to stay, but I have a feeling he’d tell me to fuck off.”
“He will. He’s southside. He’ll see it as charity bullshit, or think you’re trying to get some sick favor for it or some shit.” Suddenly for some reason, Lip found himself thinking about his brother again. Thinking about if someone was hurting Ian the way Terry hurt his kids. “actually, Here.” He handed Jason a piece of paper with a number on it.
“What’s this?” Jason asked wearily. “It’s an apartment building. I have the number saved in case my brother ever picks up his fucking phone. It’s not far, but it’s not technically southside either. It’s cheap, It's out of Terry spy range. Just do me a favor, don’t say I mentioned it. “ He said before getting up and throwing his trash away. Jason stopped him before he opened the door.
“Don’t you think he would like you more if you suggested it?”
“Nah. We grew up around the corner from each other. He would see it as pitty. You are just some older guy with a big heart. It might annoy him, but he might call it.” With that, he walked out and got back to work. He didn’t really know why he was doing it, he wasn’t exactly the type to help anybody out who wasn’t family. Unless you counted his neighbors, but he kept thinking about Ian out on the streets with nowhere to go, and he thought about what his little brother would do, if anybody was in trouble with his bleeding heart and decided to do a nice thing. Maybe he would tell Ian about it someday if his brother ever decided to talk to him again.
He decided at that moment he would try to call Ian again that night.