Chapter Text
Something is wrong with Mickey. I know the wedding is stressful, and he gets anxious whenever he is away from Rosie for too long, but… he just broke a chair into a million pieces because it wasn’t the right color.
He is currently stomping ahead of me and I can feel the irritation between our bond.
His scent is all over the place, but it has been for days.
“Mickey, baby, walk with me.” I call out to him.
The thing with Mickey, is they no matter how mad he is, he never actually wants to be too far away from me. He tries to deny it, which is pretty cute, but it’s so easy to tell how much he likes being close to me.
I remember the first time I felt his contentment through the bond after I had comeback from a long ROTC practice. I liked it but it wasn’t too surprising, I had missed him too. Later that same night after family dinner and a show I used the bathroom, when I took my seat next to Mickey again I felt the same strong sense of contentment that I had when I had returned home. After that I realized he how that feeling came up from Mickey so often, wether we were apart for hours or seconds. I had known Mickey loved me, but until the bond I had known how happy I made him. I knew he was secretly a marshmallow but deep down it was so much better. So soft and sweet, it’s hard not to treat him like the marshmallow he is, but he doesn’t respond well to that, in public at least. He is still a Milkovich, as he has told me 5 million times.
Of course he stops for me. Crossing his arms and nose in the air and eyebrows to his forehead. Pissed. He is pissed.
“Baby”, I say when reach him,”I’m sorry I got the wrong color chair…”
“So, you admit that is was you.” he says sharply poking his pointer finger into my chest.
“They didn’t have the gold, I thought black would work fine.”
I watch as his hand curls into fist and snaps to his side. His cheeks turn pink and he takes a deep breath. Right when I think we have a repeat of the him hulking out on the wrong chair, he tips his head up and starts plinking rapidly. And I feel a sense of panic through the bond.
Holy shit. This is not normal. Mickey HATES crying. He does not cry in public! I do the only thing I can think of. I reach around and grip the back of his neck while wrapping my other arm around him, pulling him in and putting pressure on his glands. I try not to grip Mickey, like ever, with his history… it isn’t something he would like. But, when I feel him melt into me I know it was the right choice.
The side walk has a few people passing, the road isn’t too busy. We are close to our car but I’m not sure Mickey is ready to move. I feel my shirt gain a little moister and hear a little sniffle from Mic as lessen my grip and begin stroking through his hair.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me?” He whispers into my chest. “This is stupid as shit.”
“You aren’t.. well I know that.. I mean I’m not saying.. but could you… um…”
“Spit it out Red.”
Mickey has always had a way with words.
“You aren’t going into heat are you?”
He looks up at me, irritated, “I just had my heat. Do I smell like I am going into heat?” He says as he pushes me away and stomps to the cars.
If there is one thing I have learned in the past 10 years, it is to NOT as about heats even if Mickey is acting extra grumpy cat-ish, or if he gets snackie, or if he does anything else that my resemble preheat behavior at all.
But, his scent is, well just off.
“Mickey, hear me out.” I say as I get in the drivers seat, Mickey pouting beside me.
“I know you just had your heat, and you just gave birth 3 months ago. But, your scent is off a little…”
“Oh so you think I smell bad!” He snaps, his eyebrows to the roof.
“No, of course I don’t. But, maybe it could be hormone related?”
I wait for a hot head reaction. Instead, I Mickey lets out deep sigh and brings his hands up to run through his hair.
“I know, I know I’m off. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong but I don’t want to go a fucking doctor right now. Giving birth and having a million fucking hands all around my ass was enough for the next year!”
“I mean… you didn’t mind when we… ya know.” Because fuck, Mickey seemed like he was ready and willing but what if I was just being pushy.
He looks over to me, turning slightly pink. “You know I didn’t mean you. You can touch as much as you want. I just don’t want any other people near there for awhile.”
“Let’s get back to the house and ask Vee? Maybe she will know by scent if it’s worth going in to see someone?”
“I guess.” Mickey answers as he buckles his seat belt.
Driving around the South Side feels weirder than it should. Mickey and I always visit but in that last few years the Balls and any number of the Gallagher clan have come over to Virginia to see us. It’s makes sense. The house is big enough for guests, and it’s nice to get out of Southey for awhile.
Plus, Mickey’s golden retriever is a lot in the houses back home. Mickey always wanted a Pitt but when we saw baby Sammy for sale in a box outside the hardware store, well Mickey literally couldn’t put him down. That was 3 years ago, I had another tour coming up, and Mickey and I were waiting to have a family until I was done with active duty.
It’s funny how much life can change, with Mickey and Sammy and our beautiful little Rosie in our lives, family visiting every few months, Virginia really does feel like home. But, when it came time to get married, finally, Mickey insisted we come home to Southside.
And, besides the chairs and the older bitch florist who talked shit about Mickeys scent, it’s all been great. Vee, Mandy and Gallagher clan have helped so much before we got here. We have only been in town two days, but the wedding is set for a week out. And it should all go just fine. Even if we don’t have the gold chivaree chairs.
But, Mickey has been just a little.. off.
When we pull up to our street we see Kev outside the Ball house holding little Rosie. Mickey scent and our bond spikes with joy and I barely have stopped the car before he is out and headed their way. The only thing that stops him from reaching Kev and Rosie in two second is him being tackle hugged by Liam.
“Mickey!” I hear him shout as I get no recognition at all. I wonder who his favorite brother is…
After a good amount of time with the whole family playing outside and Rosie eating and going down for the night and all of us having a good dinner and catch up, Mickey and I are finally alone with Kev and Vee, back at the Ball house.
Kev and Mickey are going over the menu for the wedding reception and I take Vee aside in the kitchen.
“Why are you worried?” Vee asks.
“His scent is just a little off, and I don’t know, he is kind of all over the place with his emotions and…”
Vee puts her hand up to stop me. “Mickey baby” she calls out as she walks over the living room, “come here.” Vee holds out her arms for a hug. Mickey makes a face but stands for an embrace. Vee pulls him in and takes a big smell.
Mickey pulls back slightly, “Vee, what the hell?”
“Ian said you smell off, I don’t know, come back here.” She answers gesturing for him to return to her but he just lifts his eyebrows and looks over at me.
I’m slightly worried about an outburst but then Kev says, “He is pregnant, of course his scent is different!”
We all stair at Kev.
At the same time myself, Vee and Mickey say “I’m sorry what!” “IM PREGNANT!!!!!” “Didn’t you send the snickers?!?!?”
And then it’s a game of all of us staring at each other, mouths open. Except for Kev, who is smiling.
Finally I grab Mickey and pull him into a hug, my nose going to his neck, and sure as shit, now that Kev said it I can smell the sweetened scent of a pregnant omega. My pregnant omega. My pregnant omega who gave birth 3 months ago.
I want to panic but then I see Mickeys face. I haven’t seen him this happy since Rosie was not the way.
“Kev, I thought you sent the Snickers?!” I hear Vee saying.
“I did babe.”
“Ian, did you get the Snickers?!”
“What?” I answer, because we just found out that we are having a baby and Vee is worried about candy bars? “I’m sure we can go get dessert in a minute Vee..”
“No, you idiot, before Mickeys heat, FOR Mickeys heat, did you get the snickers?”
Vee’s face is comically serious. The balls have always sent a care package for Mickeys heats, usually full of snickers bars to snack on during the duration of the cycle. We didn’t get one this time though, but they also didn’t send one before we had Rosie.
“No.” I answer.
“Fuck.” Vee says just as Kev says “Told you we should have told Ian.”
“Shut up, Kev. Ian, did you give Mickey his birth control.”
“Of course he did,” Mickey answers, he is already rubbing his stomach and looking down smiling, “On the first day, same as always.”
“Told you.” Kev says again as Vee sighs heavily.
“Well fuck.”
“What is it Vee?” I ask, genuinely worried now.
“The birth control, the actual..”
“You mean REAL birth control”, Kev interrupts.
Vee shots him a pissed off glare and continues. “The birth control you give at the beginning is a placebo. The real birth control… well we put them in the snickers bars so that Mickey would be sure to take them.”
“What!!!” Mickey and I say at the same time.
Kev jumps in before Vee can start. “You were both so young with the first heat. Neither of you wanted a baby yet and you weren’t ready. And, Ian, you were so young. It was your first rut. That responsibility was too big. So we put the birth control in the snickers and it worked great. And well I guess it just continued to work. We have been meaning to tell you, both, but we wanted to do it in person, but it just hasn’t…”
Kev has to stop because Mickey is laughing so loudly. His joy spilling over in his scent and out bond.
“I’m sorry,” he gasps, “but this is the funniest shit I have heard in so long.” And he falls back on the sofa clutching his stomach as he cracks up.
Vee, Kev and I look at him and each other and before I know it we are all laughing.
Sure Kev and Vee should have said something years ago, but fuck it, Mickey and I want more babies. I wish, for Mickeys health, we had a bigger break, but he is young and healthy, I’m sure he will be ok. Which leaves us only with the humor and the excitement of having another baby.
Soon all three of us are laughing and hugging each other. And the next day when we tell the Gallagher clan it’s Lip who cracks ups first, punching me in the arm and giving Mickey a hug. A hug that is returned. How the fuck those two have become friends is a mystery to me. But once lip stopped drinking he became less of a dick, which helped Mickey out a lot.
The wedding is on a Saturday morning. And it’s beautiful. Full of family and friends. And somehow, gold chivaree chairs.