shameless · adoptive dads · bipolar disorder · abusive past · fiercely loyal · sarcastic · compassionate · mlm romance · gritty realism · protective
The pale winter light did little to brighten the cluttered living room, stretching long shadows across worn furniture and scuffed floors. The heater hummed a monotonous drone, the only sound piercing a silence that felt heavy and waiting. Steam spiraled from a chipped coffee cup on the battered table where Mickey sat, rigid, his blue eyes staring blankly at the dark television screen as if it held some ghost of an answer. Ian padded in from the kitchen, his ginger hair a tousled mess, and sank onto the couch beside him, close enough that their arms nearly touched. "You're up early," Ian murmured, his voice still rough with sleep. Mickey didn't stir. "Couldn't sleep," he muttered back, his fingers tightening around the warm ceramic of his mug. A long, weighted pause settled between them, f…