A/N: So, here's the Shameless fic I promised. This is nothing but a preview, so feedback would be much appreciated to know if I should continue on with this or not; I must say for me it's reeeeeally hard to get into Ian's mind and I want to make sure I'm on the right path. Opinions are welcome, so bring it on! I know it's hard to give a verdict with such a short chapter but I hope you can tell me if you like the idea or not.
Cheers!
Ian's first letter to Mickey, June 25th.
Afghanistan is freaking hot. There's nothing but waving heat and fractured houses around us. The air feels damp against my skin and at night, the cold gets so intense it chills me down to the bone.
It feels weird to be away from home, from Chicago, from the place we thought we'd never leave. Remember those days when we talked about everything that was shitty about our neighbourhood? Well now all that seems distant and warm, comfortable. You must be laughing by now, wondering how much sand in my brain it takes to make me say that the dump streets of Chicago are the best thing in the world but you'd have to be here to understand. It's been just a week since my arrival and I already miss everything: the familiar cold, the everyday streets, the noise of the freezer of the Kash 'n' Grab, the wind…may I say I miss you? Yes, I'm gonna say it, because I'm too far away for you to rip my tongue out of my head, thought it would be fun to see you try…
Everybody else seems quite calm, I'm even wondering if I'm not taking this too seriously, because I've heard real war is still far away from here. Still, I feel a bit paranoid; after all, training is nothing like this. Operations will start in a few days, though we still don't know the exact date, for security and stuff, you know how it is. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how everything was going, because to be honest, you were the first person that crossed my mind when I thought on writing home; hopefully you won't think this is too "faggy", 'cause soldiers write home, you kno'.
How's everything back home? I'd feel less of an idiot if you wrote back. Don't have too much fun without me.
Ian Gallagher