Part 12: Faking It
Iggy saw his brother wearing a gray button-down and nice jeans, he fought back the urge to laugh because the thought of Mickey looking pretty for his boyfriend always gave Iggy a fit of giggles. His brother was so in love with the Gallagher boy he could barely stand up straight.
"You look good," Mandy said when Mickey stepped out to model in front of them. He flipped her off.
"Do you think Ian would like it?" Mickey asked. He was brushing his teeth. Iggy was impressed the impact Ian had on Mickey.
"What's the occasion?"
"We've been together for exactly one month and Ian begged me to take him to the restaurant we got together."
"Aw," said Mandy and Iggy together.
"I hate you both," Mickey said.
It took Iggy a moment to notice that Mickey was staring at him. He had no idea why. After several long minutes and one very intense stare, Iggy finally cracked.
"What the fuck are you staring at?"
"I need you to come."
"Yeah, no."
"Why, you followed me around trying to hook us up before? Why the fuck is it different this time?"
"I'm not doing it," Iggy insisted.
He lost the battle. He found himself sitting a table away at the same restaurant. Mickey was almost certain he was going to screw up and lose Ian and needed Iggy there to bail out with a clever plan.
"Hey," said the blond waiter from last time. Austin was his name.
"Hey," Iggy said glaring at the back of Mickey's head hoping he could feel it. When Mickey flipped him off over his shoulder he stopped. "My dumb ass brother and his boyfriend are on their anniversary date."
"To be young and in love," said Austin. "Can I get you anything, Iggy?"
"Yeah, my own date," Iggy said.
"I'll see what I can do," Austin said.
Iggy listened to his brother tell Ian a joke. It wasn't funny, but Ian laughed anyway. Iggy wanted to kick the kid in the face for laughing like that. He's a fucking sap, Mick. No wonder you dig the kid.
Austin returned ten minutes later and sat down across from Iggy. He had sprayed on some cologne and fixed his hair differently.
"What the fuck are you doing, bro?" Iggy asked.
"You asked me on a date, so here we are."
Oh fuck.
"Aren't you working?" Iggy asked to be polite.
"Yeah, don't worry about it I asked Donna to cover for the next hour or so."
This guy needs to get a fucking clue. Austin reached for Iggy's hand. Iggy rolled his eyes and let him stroke his fingers. When Mickey and Ian turned to look Iggy flipped them off and glared grenades at Mickey.
"You have beautiful hands," said Austin, staring at Iggy's knuckles. "I love the tats."
"Thanks."
"You don't have a boyfriend who'd be upset over this?"
"Nope. As I said before always the bridesmaid never the bride," Austin said.
"You're such an asshole, Mickey," said Ian.
Iggy pulled his hand out of Austin's to figure out what was going on with his brother and the Gallagher kid. Ian was half-way standing and Mickey was panicking.
"No. I didn't mean it like that. I don't mean that I don't want to kiss you. I mean I don't want to kiss you here. What if someone sees?"
But Ian was all the way out of his chair. Mickey was standing now too. He grabbed Ian's arm. People were indeed watching them. Mickey was not wrong.
"Kiss me," Austin said.
"No fucking way," Iggy said.
"I will show them that it's okay. They're safe here."
But before Iggy could say no again Austin's lips were on his. The kiss lasted a long time and Iggy wasn't sure what happened exactly. He felt a lingering sting on his lips when Austin sat down. Iggy saw that it had in fact worked. Ian seized the moment and kissed Mickey. They were locked in a tight embrace and kissing like their lives depended on it.
Iggy's head was pounding. There was a ringing in his ears followed by a jerk of some part of his body in a lower area. He wasn't sure what any of it meant, just that Austin tasted like strawberries and rum. Austin was staring at him with more intensity than the two love birds at the next table.
"You okay?" Austin asked.
Dad's going to kill all of us and bury us in the backyard and piss on our graves. He's going to shit twice and die. I can't believe this. Oh fuck.
"Iggy," Mickey said, who was now poking him in the rib.
"That kiss knocked him straight on his ass," Ian said.
"There wasn't anything straight about it," said Mickey waving a hand in front of his brother's face.
"Can we go home now?"
"Nope, Ian and I just got our food. We're going to be about another forty minutes, what with the dessert and all the stopping to make out," Mickey said. He patted his brother on the back.
Iggy leaned back in his chair. I loathe you.
"You're a dead man," Iggy whispered to his brother.
Mickey and Ian made out until their appetizers were brought out. Iggy consumed four breadsticks at once. They were so good he couldn't stop himself. Austin was smiling at him while he inhaled them. Iggy looked at Austin's lips which were wrapped around a breadstick.
Get a grip, man.
Austin made moaning sounds while he ate on the breadsticks and began to lick them and deep throat them to show off to Iggy. Iggy wasn't sure whether to flee or make him suck him off right there.
"I can't do this," Iggy said.
"Sorry. I'm being a little ass."
"Did Mickey pay you to hit on me?"
"Wait, no. You said you wanted a date and I thought I'd keep you company. Sorry for giving a shit," Austin said. Iggy expected him to get up, but he never moved. Austin was stubborn. He pushed his glasses up his face and stared at the two who were now feeding each other appetizers. IT was disgustingly cute.
"I've never been on a date with a man, but I could play along. Just don't kiss me again."
"You didn't like it?"
I don't know.
"No."
"Then I won't kiss you again. You have my word. Scouts honor. Let's just have a nice dinner together. Kissing and sex are off the table."
Iggy felt a twinge of annoyance to knowing that Austin wasn't going to make another pass at him. It disappointed him more than the idea of how his dad would feel to know two of his sons had kissed men. Iggy felt a twitch in some lower region of his body and looked up to see Austin was smiling at him. He maneuvered his legs so they would be on Austin's side of the table.
"So is Mickey your only brother?" Austin asked when another waitress brought out the salmon that Austin ordered. Iggy got the steak because Austin offered to pay. Iggy felt Austin push his legs under the table and looked up when he accidentally bumped Iggy's. But neither moved. The ball is in Austin's court.
"No, I have three brothers and a younger sister."
"I'm fucking jealous. I'm an only child," said Austin suddenly rubbing Iggy's left foot with his right. They shifted so their legs were between each others.
Dad's going to kill me.
He had forgotten his brother and Ian for a minute until he noticed they were practically sitting on top of each other eating dinner; it was so sexual that people around them were getting a little handsy with their own dates.
"They need to get a room," said Austin.
"No joke. Guys, you're in public," Iggy said throwing a bread stick at Mickey's head. Mickey resurfaced from Ian's lap and returned his chair which he scooted back, but enough so their body's were still touching.
Iggy watched Austin eat for a while. He wanted to try the salmon. Austin must have read his mind because he tried to feed him off his own fork. That's indirect kissing. No. Iggy used his own fork to get a bite. It was delicious and he wished he had gotten that instead of the steak.
When Ian and Mickey were ready to leave and had paid, Iggy stayed seated at the table. He had to untangle his legs from Austin's. But the truth was, he genuinely enjoyed the other man's company so much he didn't want to leave it.
"Maybe we could have another fake date sometime," Iggy said, refusing to look Austin in the eye.
"Doesn't have to be fake," said Austin, passing Iggy his phone number. He kissed him on the cheek before getting back to work.
"What's your dad going to say when he learns two of his sons are fags?" Ian asks, taking Mickey's hand.
"Shut the fuck up, Gallagher," Iggy said.
"Not only that, Iggy is dad's favorite," said Mickey.
"Fuck you, asshole. You're the dick who made me come here."
"You liked it and you know it," Mickey said.
