read full inpatreon
belamy20
In a room at a hotel-style apartment.
Ian woke up, glanced at Ned, and flashed a submissive smile.
After last night, by this time in the morning, Mickey held almost zero weight in Ian's heart.
The phrase "out with the old, in with the new" applied perfectly to Ian.
Ian realized he liked this life.
Nice apartment, upscale environment, new man...
He wanted more. In a way, he had found—or rather, discovered—a new hobby.
Of course.
He wasn't stupid. He knew Ned was just here for fun and wasn't looking for any emotional commitment.
Since that was the case.
"You up? Wanna go again?" Ian smiled coyly and asked Ned.
About half an hour later.
Feeling refreshed and invigorated, Ian left the apartment building. With a spring in his step, he walked to the L station and took the train back to North Wallace.
Returning to the Gallagher house, Ian walked into the living room and saw Fiona curled up on the armchair, still fast asleep. He was a little confused as to why she was sleeping there.
Hesitating for a moment, Ian walked over to wake her up. That's when he noticed her face was streaked with tears. She had obviously been crying hard.
By now, Ian's manic episode had mostly subsided, and he was returning to a somewhat normal state. Seeing Fiona like this, he genuinely felt worried and reached out to nudge her.
Fiona was shaken awake. She opened her eyes, revealing bloodshot whites.
Ian saw it clearly and was a little spooked. "Fiona, what happened to you?"
Fiona looked at Ian groggily. It took her two seconds to process who it was. Then, she reacted instinctively with intense emotion.
The reason was simple.
Of the five kids, only Liam and Ian were left. And Liam was too small to talk to.
Instantly, like a drowning woman grabbing the last straw, Fiona jumped up and hugged Ian tight.
Ian was a bit bewildered. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew something must have happened. After all, this was the Gallagher house.
"What happened?" Ian asked again.
Fiona didn't say anything, just hugged him tightly, refusing to let go.
Ian felt helpless. He wanted to pull away, but after thinking for a second, he endured it.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Fiona finally let go. She sniffled and asked with concern, "Are you better?"
Ian smiled faintly and nodded. "Much better. What happened to you?"
Fiona gave a bitter smile. "Had a huge fight with Lip."
Ian wasn't surprised to hear that. "Looks like it was bad. What about?"
Fiona really didn't want to relive it, but it had already happened, and she had to face it... at least, she needed to get Lip back.
After hesitating, Fiona sat back down. "Let me tell you. Maybe you can give me some advice."
---
Around 9:00 AM.
In a room at a cheap, old motel.
Lip woke up. Seeing the room at first glance, he was disoriented. It took a few seconds to wake up fully and remember what had happened.
The fight from last night replayed in his mind, making him irritable.
Driven by that irritation, Lip didn't want to think about it anymore. He turned to Karen, who was still asleep beside him, and reached out to touch her.
Just like Fiona, Lip liked to use sex to vent his emotions.
Before long.
Karen woke up, and they went at it.
Afterward, Karen leaned into Lip's chest, playing the role of the perfect girlfriend to the hilt. She asked softly, "Are we going out to rent a place later?"
To be honest, Karen was a little nervous. She worried that after sleeping on it, Lip might change his mind.
Lip didn't.
What would happen in the future was anyone's guess, but right now, Lip didn't want to see Fiona's face at all.
"Yeah. We'll rent a place today. Tomorrow, I'm going to Canada to make some extra cash," Lip said confidently.
Karen smiled and said thoughtfully, "Don't worry too much about money. I still have some. Enough for us to live on for a while."
Having been with him for so long, Karen knew that arrogant, proud Lip couldn't stand hearing that. Hearing it would only make him work harder to earn money.
Hehe. Men like this were so fun to manipulate.
Hearing this.
Lip reacted exactly as Karen predicted.
He immediately put on a serious face and said toughly, "I'm a man. Don't worry, I'll get the money."
Karen kissed him in response.
They cuddled in bed for a while longer, then got up and went out to find a place to rent.
Lip thought he was smart, so naturally, he wouldn't use an agent and let them earn a commission. He decided without hesitation to find a place himself.
---
The Gallagher House.
Listening to Fiona's story, Ian was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected so much to happen in just one night.
Shocked, it took him a while to process it. Then, he smiled slightly at Fiona. "Do you really love Jimmy?"
"I don't..." Fiona started her habitual deflection.
In this regard, Fiona and Lip were the same. Neither sibling really understood what love was, or even how to love.
Ian was different.
As a hopeless romantic, Ian understood. So, he cut Fiona off decisively before she could finish. "Fiona, be serious. Stop with the 'I don't care' attitude."
Fiona was stunned. She stared blankly at Ian for a few seconds, then gritted her teeth and nodded. "I think I do love him."
Ian smiled. "Then that's it. Since you love him and he loves you, other people don't matter."
"Fiona, it's time to think about yourself. You don't want to keep going like this forever."
"As for Lip... maybe he's smart, but at the same time, he's stupid. He always thinks he sees through everything, but in reality, he's just a seventeen-year-old kid who causes trouble."
"You don't need to care too much about his opinion. Actually, I think you don't need to care about anyone else's opinion."
"What do you think?"
Fiona was speechless. She felt the Ian in front of her had suddenly changed a lot, becoming somewhat unfamiliar.
Seeing Fiona silent, Ian thought for a moment and gave a sly grin. "So, how should we get rid of Jimmy's Brazilian wife?"
Hearing this.
Fiona was amused. She laughed, and her mood suddenly lifted. "Stop joking around. You have to help with Lip. We need to get him back. His leg isn't healed, and I don't know where he ran off to."
Dissatisfaction aside, anger aside.
Thinking of Lip, Fiona—still playing the mother role—was worried.
Ian nodded. "I'll call him."
---
Dex Restaurant.
Dexter sat on the sofa, silently monitoring the scene fed back by Little Crow.
By this point.
He felt that perhaps, there really was a chance for Fiona's life to enter a new stage from here on out.
So.
Start a company and guide Fiona a little?