They didn't have sex that night; they just stared at each other with their foreheads pressed against each other. He had no idea what had gotten into him, when did Mickey Milkovich ever become this gay? Romance definitely was not his strong suit but in this moment he didn't care that he wasn't good at being romantic, he only cared that after all these years he was standing here with the only person in the world who can make Mickey angry and happy at the same time. Mickey felt like he had found another missing puzzle piece and he was sure as hell going to make sure he doesn't lose it again.
It was Ian who lead the kiss the second time, he lifted his hand up until it was holding Mickeys cheek. He brushed his thumb against it looking directly into Mickeys pale blue eyes before placing his lips on his. Ian was taller than Mickey but that didn't matter, and they both didn't care how stupid they looked. Mickey didn't care if he looked like a bitch because he was, in this moment Ian Gallagher had him wrapped around his finger; he was all his. They both sat back down on the bench and Ian rested his head on Mickey's chest, they were in no rush to go anywhere. They just sat there until the night sky turned a light blue indicating that it was morning, they had been there all night.
They both walked home before the morning sun begun to rise, both knowing all too well that the women of the household were going to hound them with questions. Mickey held the red heads hand as they discreetly walked in silence down each Chicago Street. Mickey didn't mind the silence or the fact that neither of them spoke, he was never a man of too many words and he liked the fact that Ian was okay with it. Mickey would never admit it to the red head but he almost felt like a smitten little school girl being around him after all this time. He had no idea what power this boy had over him but he felt like he was under his spell, more so now than he had 4 and a half years ago. Mickey occasionally glanced over at Ian only to see him staring down at his feet. The boy looked like he had so much to say, and he was going to burst out at any moment, but he kept it all inside. Mickey wasn't one to pry but he was extremely curious about what the boy was thinking.
Boy… The word boy always came to his mind when he looked at Ian. Boy was what he was when they first hooked up, it was what he was when they were sort of together, and it was what he was when he left to the army. Ian was no longer a boy anymore; he was a man or close to being one. He was 21 now- Mandy's age; but it's not his age that made him seem older, it was his eyes that reflected the pain and images that nobody his age should have seen in his lifetime. He grew a little too- his body wasn't as scrawny as it used to be. Muscles subtly grew out his arms, chest, back and shoulders and Mickey couldn't help but notice as they seemed to show through his t-shirt.
"So you wanna come back to my place?" Mickey asked hoping Ian would say yes.
"Can't, I have to work today. I want to get a couple hours of sleep in before I go" Ian yawned. Mickey knew that they were close
When they reach Ian's doorstep, Mickey watched Ian walk up the stairs and into the house before he headed back to his own place. He had fallen asleep almost instantly as soon as he collapsed on his bed and he couldn't help but have the memories Gallagher swarm his mind and haunt his dreams.
…..
"You call me a punk for wanting a boyfriend or whatever, but you're going to marry someone who SCREWS GUYS FOR A LIVING!"
"Who gives a shit, it's a fucking piece of paper"
"Not to me"
….
Mickey had quickly woken up to the memory that replayed in his dream. That had been so long ago but even now he still felt the pain that he and Ian felt that day. If he could turn back time he would have been gone away from Chicago long before he got married and he would probably ask firecrotch to go with him, but it was too late for regrets. Especially when the terrible choices where made so many years ago that they seemed rather irrelevant in the present. He didn't want to learn from his mistakes, he wanted to change them because they were made for all the wrong reasons. When he thinks about it now, it seems the only right reason was Ian.
Mickey had no idea how long he had slept for but he slept a lot longer than he thought he had, he wasn't sure if he was reading the clock right when it displayed 2:15. He didn't think he slept that long, he thought maybe he would get a couple hours max and wake up around 11 or 12. Things were beginning to change and he could feel it. He had remembered that around early afternoon there would be shuffling of heavy footsteps, doors slamming, drunken words spoken or mumbled, and people shouting at one another for something stupid. All of that felt like ages ago when he was still young; well, younger than he was now. Had so much changed in what seems to be like such little time? 4 and half years was long time ago but somehow it still felt like yesterday.
Mickey got out of bed feeling thirstier than ever, he stumbled over to the kitchen to get a beer to cure his hangover or at the very least a glass of water. That's what he hated about drinking, the next day your head is pounding to the point where only getting drunk again will fix it- or you wake up with a dry mouth and extreme thirst. What he hated more about that was that a lot of the times he drank (the previous night included) he barely gotten drunk- so the hangover and thirst was a consequence for nothing. He opened the fridge to grab whatever he could grab first when he noticed a plate with breakfast foods on it and a little note.
"Morning' Mick, went to the Gallagher's to visit. Be back later, here's breakfast."
-Mandy
He didn't protest eating breakfast not even if it were cold. He was grateful there was food prepared for him so that way he doesn't have to worry about cooking later. He was bored after a while though and he needed to do something before he died of boredom. No matter what he thought about doing it didn't feel the same if Gallagher wasn't there with him condoning his behaviour. He couldn't take it anymore he grabbed his phone and decided to see what the firecrotch was up to, somehow remembering his telephone number from years ago.
MICKEY: Come over. I'm bored.
Sent: 2:30
He waited patiently for his reply and after an hour he heard the annoying ding of his phone go off telling him he had a text
FIRECROTCH: I told you earlier, Im working.
Received: 3:35
MICKEY:When you off?
Sent: 3:36
FIRECROTCH: Late.
Received: 3:40
There was no way in hell Mickey was going to take no for an answer. He got dressed in under five minutes before he left the house. He only assumed that he still worked at the Kash 'N' Grab because he was damn well close to owning the place. He remembered working there with Gallagher and how the red head walked around the store with such authority. He had a lot of memories in that place both good and bad. The good ones usually consisted of the two boys going into the stock room to fuck, and the bad ones (or one) was when he got shot in the leg by the actual owner's husband. Thinking about it now he couldn't help but smile at the memories he made there.
When he got to the store he noticed that nobody was in the front working till. Fucking Gallagher he thought as he went to the back where he would probably find him smoking. To no avail, there was nobody in the back either. Where the fuck was he? Then he remembered the stock room, he went to back to see if he was just filling up the coolers or something. That's when he saw it.
Ian had some other guy bent over a shelf with his hands curled around his waist. Mickey's eyes grew angry and he stormed in demanding answers.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?" he shouted scaring the obviously closeted gay guy to tremble as he attempted to get dressed. The guy was trying to leave but Mickey wasn't going to let that happen until he got what he deserved. "Where the fuck do you think you're goin' faggot!" he spat the word faggot as if it had no meaning to him. He grabbed the guy by the back of his shirt and threw him down towards the ground making him fall on his ass. The guy knew there was no way he was getting out of here so he ran over to stand next Ian who was looking angry to see Mickey there.
"What the fuck you doing here Mick?" Ian said coldly to Mickey, burning him his eyes.
"What the fuck am I doing? The fuck you doing fucking faggot!" Once again Mickey said the word as if it had no meaning to him, but he was so hurt by what he had just saw he was determined to make him hurt as well.
"Wait… You two know each other" said the guy who seemed to be confused by their back and forth.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Mickey and Ian shouted in unison. With them so heated in their conversation they didn't notice the guy sneakily creep away and run from the situation.
"I don't have time for this Mickey" Ian growled as he pushed past Mickey out the store room, but Mickey was sure to follow.
"So that's it huh? You blow me off just to fuck some faggot"
"I didn't blow you off, I told you I was working"
"Working on getting a new piece of ass? Pfft" Mickey scoffed, pissed off that he had let his guard down to Ian; Ian, the only guy who can make Mickey angry and happy both at the same time.
"What were you expecting Mick? That you come back and we're going to pretend as if nothing ever happened? Unlike you I try not to run away from the things that hurt me. I get over them"
"Yeah you really showed that when you fucked off to the army" Hypocrite, trying to feed him some bullshit about running away when he did it too.
"Yeah, I did go. Don't act like it was some kind of surprise, you knew what my plan was all along"
"That was your plan to get over the things that 'hurt' you?" Mickey responded back sarcastically as if Ian were high or something.
"No. That was my plan to never have to see you again, but since that obviously failed here I am with plan B"
"That fucking faggot- That's your plan B?" Mickey asked sarcastically again as if Ian was retarded. Ian looked at Mickey directly with such intense coolness in his eyes before he responded.
"Sure, you can call him that. But I usually just call him my boyfriend…"
