Colonel Ian Gallagher, wasn't someone who you treated with disrespect. He graduated from West Point at the top of his class served 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before being given a position at the pentagon in washington. You would never think that this accomplished soldier was just a punk kid from the south side of Chicago, but they were one in the same. He came from a broken home with 5 other siblings and they had done whatever they had to do to survive in a shithole.

Ian hadn't been back in Chicago for 4 years, he always said it was because he didn't have time off to leave Washington, but that was sort of a twisted lie. He had been at his job long enough and had a pretty great reputation for being the best at what he did, so if he wanted the time he could have gotten it. Now though it seemed inevitable, his brother lip had called him 3 days ago in the middle of the night to tell him the news. Frank Gallagher was dead. The man who was never good for anything, that nobody could honestly say they liked had finally died from liver failure. It made sense that it would be his drinking that would finally do him in. So now it was time for Ian to go back, and although he wanted to see his brother and sisters because he loved them more then anything he really didn't want to set foot into Chicago.

Ian had flown out each of his siblings at least once in the last 4 years. Debbie and carl had come to visit 10 months ago. lip had already been to see him twice just this year and Fiona, jimmy and steve and come up the year before so it wasn't like they had all lost touch or that they weren't still close no it really was just about coming back to Chicago for Ian. Once you got out of south side Chicago it was scary to even go back to visit. There was also that other reason Ian was gay, his family knew and never cared they always loved him no matter what. And he could care less about what anybody in the shit hole neighborhood would think about him, the ones that mattered already knew. The problem was he was bringing his boyfriend, Ian laughed at the word boyfriend because if his boyfriend heard him use that word he would probably lose his shit.

The guy in question was one tough son of a bitch, he was a detective in the drug unit for D.C police. Ian had met him when one of his old unit soldiers had gone awol. The soldier had a reputation with drugs and Ian had reached out to the local police to get help in tracking the soldier down and getting him the help he needed. Ian had been all business when he had walked into the detectives office knowing that it was hard to get cooperation from this unit because they had a reputation of being badasses especially their unit leader.

To Ian's surprise the person he came face to face with was someone he once knew way back when he was just a punk kid living in Chicago. Micky Malcovich was shockingly a detective now, not just some punk kid in and out of juvi who ended up like the rest of his family in and out of jail. To say that both of them weren't shocked running into each other that way was an understatement.

After they had found the soldier that Ian was looking for Mickey had asked him out for some drinks with some of the people in his unit. The whole thing had been going okay, their was definitely tension between Ian and mickey, but both tried to ignore it. Ian because he had been dating someone for the last 4 months and they were just transitioning into being something official, and mickey because he had been fucking one of the guys in his unit for like 6 months and the arrangement was perfect for him, no chance of things getting messy and no feelings just the way he liked it.

Everything was going just fine until one of the officers challenged Ian to a game of pool. The officer happened to be the guy mickey was fucking, but Ian didn't know that at the time. The game had a small wager on it and Ian won the first match. They had gone a second time double or nothing, it was always polite to give a guy a chance to win his money back only Ian had won the second match too. The officer who's name was todd something, Ian couldn't really remember had gotten all bitchy and demanded a third match which Ian refused. Mickey had laughed at the situation which had pissed off todd and so the guy started running his mouth. Ian ignored him at first content at just drinking his beer and taking a drag from his cigaret when the piece of shit called him a pussy marine. Ian moved so quick the asshole never saw it coming he went down like a sack of potatoes on the first hit.

Everyone got quiet in the bar because you never hit a cop in a room full of cops. The whole place froze waiting to see would their unit leader Mickey would do because after all he invited him to drinks. Mickey just looked at todd on the floor and the moved his eyes to Ian and just said. "hey slugger you wanna get out of here" and then it was on both guys grabbed their clothes and made their way through the cold streets of D.C. They realized quickly that Ian's place was closer and after rushing into the loft clothes started flying and they couldn't even make it to the bed. The first time they fucked that night it was against the front door of the loft no lube no kissing, Ian just slapped on a condom and they went at it rough and fast. The second time was 15 minutes later, they managed to make it to the bed where they actually took their time. It was the first time Ian Gallagher kissed mickey malcovich, of course mickey protested until Ian just grabbed him in mid fucking and kissed him hard and fast. the kissing and fucking turned so frantic that they could taste blood from the cut lips. Ian collapsed on top of mickey and they fell asleep with Ian still inside of mickey. Hours later mickey woke up with Ian still inside of him and gently woke Ian up and made him pull out. They weren't done though Mickey grabbed a third condom out of the nightstand and once Ian had it on they fucked face to face slow and soft kissing each other tenderly. mickey had never done anything like that before with anybody. The whole thing could have been an amazing moment if Ian's boyfriend hadn't decided to show up just as they finished fucking.

Ian was still inside mickey when leo walked in on the two of them. Ian pulled out of mickey, but nobody said anything it was like they were frozen in place. When finally leo snapped and said "your not even going to apologize" and Ian looked at leo and said "will it matter" and then mickey watched as leo went to the closet grabbed a duffel and filled a few things inside "ill get the rest of my shit tomorrow" and then leo walked out.

Mickey waited for Ian to say something or run after the guy, but neither of those things happened. Instead Ian stood up went to the kitchen grabbed a beer and a cigarette and then climbed back into bed. He passed mickey the beer first and then lit the cigarette. And they sat their the two of them smoking and sharing a drink. once they were finished Ian got up again put on his boxers then grabbed mickey's and threw it at him which mickey put on quickly thinking it was time for him to leave. Then Ian turned to lights out in the loft and got back into bed and pulled mickey down with him. "what are you doing" mickey asked being the first one to break the silence. "going to sleep, what the fuck do you think" Ian said turning towards mickey to answer. "I'm not a fag that cuddles" mickey answered laying stiff next to Ian in bed. "shut the fuck up and sleep, cuz i'm gonna wanna go again in the morning and you should really rest after the last three rounds" Ian said before wrapping a possessive arm around mickey and putting his head the the curve of mickeys neck just breathing him in. Mickey finally sighed and relaxed " if i wasn't so fucking tired I would kick you ass for this" he whispered before letting sleep take over.

After that night they were inseparable, it took two weeks before they realized that mickey hadn't even spent a night away from the loft and another two weeks for Ian to convince mickey to just move in because it would save them money on rent and two years later they were what mickey would call some gay faggy couple who did sappy shit together. Only they were anything but typical, they always fought never talked about feeling or any lame girly shit like that. All of their friends new they were gay, but nobody really ever mentioned it because mickey got uncomfortable so in his mind everyone saw them as roommates instead of a couple.

Whenever Ian's family came up to visit mickey would go crash at a friends place, because it was one thing for their friends in D.C to know about them and keep it on the down low, but mickey couldn't handle his family finding out.

When the phone call had come in the middle of the night about frank it was actually mickey who had answered the phone and not Ian. Lip hadn't recognized his voice so it wasn't like lip knew about them being together. But Ian had asked mickey to come with him and as much as mickey acted like he didn't give a shit about stuff he knew that he couldn't let Ian down so he had sucked it up and agreed.

So here they were two guys going back to their old neighborhood and not knowing what was waiting in store for them in the south side of Chicago