Mickey Milkovich was a bad boy. He was dirty, rough. No one crossed him without getting royally fucked up. He dealt with shit he needed to deal with and then moved on. He lived day to day. But no one knew him. Well, everyone knew him. He was Mickey Milkovich for fucks sake. But no one actually knew him. He never let anyone get that close to him. Except Ian. Ian Gallagher was the one exception. See, Ian was nice guy. A guy that expressed his feelings no matter what. He was the guy that would tell Mickey over and over again that he wanted them to be a couple. A real couple. A couple that held hands and went to the movies together. A couple that kissed without fear of anyone seeing them. A couple that loved each other unconditionally. The only problem was that Mickey couldn't do that. Mickey didn't want people to know that he liked guys. Partially because Mickey didn't allow himself to be "gay." That was a strong word. A defining word. And Mickey wasn't about to let a word change his life and redefine the "badass" Mickey he had become. He was strong and he wasn't going to let people think any less of him, even if it meant not being with Ian.

Ian Gallagher was a soldier. He was a guy that would not let anything stand in the way of what he wanted. Sure, Ian wanted a lot of things. At one point he wanted to be in the military. At another he wanted to be with his thirty-something year old boss. He has always wanted to take care of his family. Ian's family meant more to him than anything else in the world. And then there was Mickey. Mickey fucking Mikovich who had turned his life upside down. He had fallen in love with this guy. Like head over heels in love. But Mickey always refused to have feelings for Ian. Said that Ian was "nothing but a warm mouth" to him. And that hurt Ian. It hurt like hell. It hurt like hell because deep down, Ian knew Mickey cared for him. A lot. Ian knew Mickey cared about him ever since Mickey kissed him on the lips. That was their defining moment. That was when Mickey let his guard down just enough to show Ian that under his cold, rough exterior was a human soul. A soul that wanted more than anything to be free. However, the neighborhood they were in prevented Mickey from being free. Being free was something that Ian desperately wanted for Mickey. For the both of them really. And Ian needed to hear Mickey say it. He needed to hear Mickey say those 3 words, 8 letters. Just that simple confession was enough for Ian. Even if Mickey wasn't ready to come out to the world, Ian needed Mickey to be able to come out to him.

Ian walked through his neighborhood searching for Mickey. He checked his house, the bar, and all the places he could think to look. As Ian was on his way home, he saw Mickey sitting against a wall in an alley. Ian made his way towards Mickey, concerned as to why Mickey looked so sad, so broken.

"Mick, I've been looking for you all day, what's wrong?"

"Fuck off Gallagher, I'm not in the mood for your bullshit."

"Oh, you don't want to hear that I actually want to be with you. That you actually mean something to me? That bullshit?"

"I said beat it Gallagher, fucking leave."

"No Mick. I'm not gonna fucking leave just because you want me to. I'm not gonna keep ignoring my feelings for you just because you're too big of a pussy to hear it."

"Ian, if you don't fucking leave, I'm gonna..." Mickey was cut off.

"You're gonna what? Beat the shit out of me? I'm not scared of you. You're the one who's scared Mick. You're fucking terrified because you want to be with me just as much as I want to be with you. Admit it. Just fucking admit it!"

"What do you want me to say Ian? What the fuck do you want me to say? That I like fucking you? Because I do."

"You know what I want you to say. I want you to say what you've been too scared to say to me. What no one has ever said to you except me."

"You want me to say that I love you or something? I'm not your boyfriend. We're not together."

"The fuck we are Mick. See, this is what's going to make me leave you. This wall that you put up to protect yourself. But protect yourself from what? From me? Like I'm gonna take your vulnerability and laugh in your fucking..."

Ian was cut off by Mickey's fist crushing into his jaw. Mickey tackled Ian to the ground, slamming his head into the ground. Ian took control of Mickey' hands and rolled Mickey onto his back. Ian had Mickey pinned as his hands gripped Mickey's with strong force. Mickey could not escape the hold Ian had on him and he also couldn't escape Ian's eyes. Ian's face was right above Mickey's as Ian waited for Mickey to say something. But Mickey wasn't budging. He was silent. Ian tightened his grip on Mickey's wrists, making it absolutely impossible for Mickey to move.

"Fucking say it Mick. I'm here. No one else is around. Just say it and everything will be okay. We will be okay"

With tears forming in his eyes, Mickey's voice was rough and strained,

"It's not gonna fucking be ok Ian. We can't be together. That's not the world fucking works. Just because I...just because..."

"Just because you what Mick?"

"Just because I care about you doesn't mean this is a thing. It doesn't mean we hold hands walking down the street. Because that's not who I am."

"But it is who you are. Mickey, you are gay. A total homo. And that's fucking okay. It is who you are. And you can't keep living like you've ben living. It's going to kill you."

"No, my dad will kill me. My brothers will kill me. This whole fucking neighborhood will kill me. That's what you don't understand. This isn't just shit I can say and be done with it. This follows me my entire life. I'll get bullshit my entire fucking life."

"But they can't kill you unless they kill me too. I'm not scared Mick. I know what I want. I want you. I want you because I fucking love you. And I know you love me too."

"Gallagher, love is for fools. It's for fucking fools who don't want to go through life alone."

"Then I'm a fool. I'm a crazy ass fool who doesn't want to live without you."

"Just get the fuck off me Gallagher. I've got places to be."

Ian released his hold from Mickey, trying hard not to let tears fall out his eyes. As Mickey stood up to walk away, he heard the voice in his head telling him to leave and to not fucking care about Ian Gallagher. But then there was this sharp pain in his chest. A pain that was coming from his heart. Mickey had a high tolerance for pain, but this one was just unbearable. As he was walking away, he heard something...

"Mickey, I'm done. Whatever the fuck we are, it's over. You're a coward. A fucking coward. And I'm not going to keep hurting because you're too fucking scared to be who you are."

With that, Mickey turned around and rushed toward him, pressing his lips into Ian's. This kiss was different. It was different because this time, Mickey wanted all of Ian. Not just his body, but his heart. As Ian returned the pressure, the kiss became deeply passionate. This was the first time Mickey intimately kissed Ian. Not just for sex. But for himself. In this moment, it didn't matter who was watching. All Mickey knew was that he wanted to be with Ian in this moment and many moments to come. As Ian slowly pulled away, Mickey grabbed Ian's shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. With Ian's ear right beside Mickey's mouth, Mickey whispered the words Ian so longed to hear,

"Fuck Gallagher, I...I love you. And I want you to be with me. You're fucking mine Firecrotch."

And with that, a smile swept across Ian's face. He finally heard what he had been searching for his entire life. He wasn't just searching for a love confession, he was searching for a confession of identity. Ian always knew Mickey was gay. But in this moment, Mickey Milkovich wasn't just the shit-talking bad boy of Southside. He was a vulnerable human being with a heart just like rest of them. And this boy's heart didn't feel worthless anymore, it felt loved.