Chapter Text
10 months later
“Mick, come on! You gotta get up now or we’re gonna be late!”
Mickey scrunched up his face and groaned into his pillow, grumpy and annoyed as fuck. All he wanted was to be allowed to get back to sleep and stay in the comfort of his bed for another hour or four, preferably with his boyfriend’s body wrapped around his own. But the fucker was up and probably already dressed, now insisting Mickey do the same, disturbing his peaceful slumber in the process.
And yeah, Mickey knew he agreed to this weeks ago, but still.
He turned to lay with his back flat on the bed, squinting his eyes against the light that was coming in from the large window. God, the things he will do for that gorgeous, sexy jackass. Mickey heard him move around the apartment, feet padding just outside their bedroom door, and as annoyed as he felt just a few moments ago, he couldn’t help the soft little smile that was spreading across his face. Jesus Christ, he loved that man. His mere presence inside Mickey’s apartment soothed him to no end. Gave him a strange sort of feeling of peace.
It was wild to think about how much things had changed in the past months. At the start of the year, he’d thought his life was going to continue to consist of the same old shit as always: going to work, bickering with his sister, and bringing home random dudes that he could fuck and then kick out before morning. And while the first two things were very much still a part of his existence, something had fundamentally changed when it came to his sex life. Jesus, his love life, now.
He was in love. He had a boyfriend, an actual live-in boyfriend who he was in an actual loving relationship with, for the very first time in his life. Mickey still couldn’t believe it sometimes. It hadn’t been easy to get used to the idea, of course. Fuck, he had enough trust issues and deep-rooted insecurities that it’s a wonder he fucking managed to at all. Until not that long ago he'd been convinced he would always be alone, that it would just be him and Mandy in that apartment until one day she’d finally find someone to shack up with and then he would truly be utterly and completely alone. He'd never imagined that his concept of family could possibly extend to anyone else besides his sister.
But then suddenly there was Ian.
And Mickey’s world had changed.
It seemed to have happened both quickly and gradually, in a way he couldn’t quite understand. He fell for the redhead almost immediately, undoubtedly before their first night together was even over. But he sort of fell for him before he could wholly comprehend what falling for someone meant, what changes it would bring to his life and to the way he thought about the world and his place in it, even. So it had definitely been a slow process, to go from never having felt something so powerful and never having let himself be so vulnerable for someone, to accepting that this weird, new, but wonderful thing was happening to him.
And Ian himself had been wonderful through it. That had certainly helped a lot.
He was so patient with him, taking things slow when Mickey had asked him to but becoming an adorable, eager puppy every time Mickey did something that showed him how comfortable he was taking their relationship to the next level. Like when Mickey had asked him to move in after just a couple of months of dating. Mickey wanted Ian around all the time so it'd been a no-brainer, but the sheer happiness displayed on Ian’s face when he’d asked made him even more glad of his decision. Mickey quickly realized that making Ian happy was fast becoming one of his priorities in life.
So yeah, sometimes it took work, on both their parts. But it was worth it for Mickey, and he hoped Ian felt the same way. They always seemed to meet in the middle, both willing to do what it took to make the relationship work and make each other happy.
And that’s how Ian became family.
It wasn’t just Mickey and Mandy anymore, it was Mickey, Mandy and Ian. It had certainly helped that those two had become best friends, which made it possible for the three of them to all live together in the same apartment for months now.
Sometimes Mickey found himself thinking that he wished Mandy could find someone just like he had. She deserved to be happy too. And, a little bit selfishly, he thought of a future when he and Ian could live by themselves instead of sharing the apartment with Mickey’s sister. He wasn’t going to kick her out or anything, he liked having her around, but… it was true he was thinking more and more about the future. The future with Ian. The next steps in their life together.
Yeah, Ian was his family… of course, that meant Mickey had to deal with Ian’s family of origin, too. Which is exactly what he would be forced to do today. Stupidly, he'd agreed to go to the Gallagher house for Christmas day with Ian and Mandy. He'd pretended to only be saying yes to the less-than-enticing prospect due to the promise of plenty of food and booze, but actually it'd been Ian’s big, pleading green eyes that had swayed him. He just couldn’t say no to the asshole.
It’s not that he didn’t like Ian’s siblings or anything. Fiona was alright, if a little too judgy sometimes. Lip was a bit of an arrogant prick, but then again Mickey never saw much of him since the fucker was off at college most of the time. The younger ones – Debbie, Carl and Liam – were cool, it was easy to shock them with his stories and it seemed to please Ian whenever Mickey made them laugh, so no complaints there. He really liked the Gallaghers' neighbors, Kev and Vee, too. It was just a bit much when they were all together, which Mickey had been subjected to a couple of times before for some impromptu barbecues this last summer.
So it could be said he wasn’t exactly looking forward to spending Christmas day with the boyfriend’s family.
Things were always so easy when it was just him and Ian. Hell, even when it was the two of them and Mandy, to a point. But he felt like Ian’s family was his family too. He wanted it to be. And he guessed in the end, that’s the way it is with family. They can be a little much, but you love them anyway. He knew Ian himself felt that way about the Gallaghers sometimes, so he supposed it was normal. He and Ian were going to get through today together, like they always did.
Mickey groaned again and heaved himself up so he could sit up on the bed, digging the heels of his palms into his eye sockets while still sporting a deep frown on his face. Just then Ian appeared standing in the doorway to their room, a fond, dopey grin on his lips as he witnessed his boyfriend slowly coming back to the land of the living.
“Mick, I’m serious, you gotta get up now. It’s already pretty late,” Ian said in a sweet, soft tone despite the urgency of his words.
Mickey looked up at him, still frowning but with a hint of a smirk forming. “I'm up, I'm up, don’t get your panties in a bunch, Gallagher. Not like we'll be missing much if we get there a little late. In fact,” he raised one eyebrow seductively and continued, “you could even get in the shower with me, help me wake up right.” He was full on smirking and wiggling his eyebrows at this point, hoping to leave Ian no choice but to comply.
“But I’ve already showered,” Ian practically whined, his weak, albeit very rational protest having already lost the battle against his far more powerful need to do whatever Mickey asked of him right now.
“So?” Mickey said in the most sexy, raspy voice, as he slowly got up from the bed and walked closer and closer to Ian. Mickey got right in front of his boyfriend, who was fully dressed while Mickey was just in his boxers, and fisted his hands in the material of Ian's shirt, looking up at him through his lashes.
Ian lost himself in Mickey’s eyes for the next few seconds, his resolve crumbling with every passing instant. Suddenly he growled and grabbed Mickey by the back of his thighs, hoisting him up on his waist and starting to carefully lead them towards the bathroom. “You’re the worst, you know?” he whispered harshly into Mickey’s ear.
Mickey was already busy sucking a spot on his neck as he held on to his boyfriend, his hands lovingly combing through red hair. He angled his head and breathed into Ian’s ear, lust filling his voice, “Shut the fuck up, you know I’m the best. Now get us in that shower so I can fucking show you.”
____________________________________________________
“I can’t believe we fucking survived that,” Mandy sighed as soon as they entered the apartment later that day. She made a beeline for the couch, intent on kicking her shoes off and putting her feet up as soon as possible.
“You can say that again,” Mickey slurred after a snort. “I'm so fucking beat I think I’m just gonna pass out for like an hour or something. Spending the whole day with your family ain’t no walk in the park, Gallagher. I need a fucking nap to recharge or what-the-fuck-ever.”
“The whole day? We were only there for like four hours, Mick!” Mickey just made a face and a dismissive sort of noise. “And anyway, you sure it was spending time with my family that tired you out? It wasn’t the amount of booze and food you gorged on?”
“Fuck off, haven’t had that much. Of either.” Ian didn’t really have it in him to argue with Mickey, looking at him as he was with such a cute scowl on his face. His boyfriend was clearly very much in need of that nap, whatever the reason.
“Uh-uh, whatever you say. You go take that nap, I'll come wake you up later,” Ian said with a sweet smile.
Mickey made an appreciative noise and raised his eyebrows high on his forehead, while Mandy responded with a disgusted sound and a sneer from her seat on the couch. Ian just laughed lightly and watched as his boyfriend finally turned on his heels and sluggishly made his way to their bedroom.
Ian was feeling much less tired than his partner. He was actually feeling pretty wired after the day he’d just spent with all the people he loved the most. He went to plop himself down on the couch next to Mandy, hoping to take this opportunity to discuss something he'd been thinking about for a while with his best friend. That’s if he could find the courage to bring up the subject.
“So, did you have fun today? I know my family can be a lot, but…” he trailed off, wanting to hear what she thought about them.
“Nah, they were alright. I guess me and Mick are just… not really used to this kind of family gathering, so it can take a lot from us. But I actually think he had fun too,” she told her friend, reassuringly.
“Really, you think?” Ian asked, biting his lower lip. He relaxed slightly when she smiled and nodded her head. “Okay, good. And yeah, I get it. Mickey’s told me a bit about how your family was growing up, I guess we had pretty different upbringings, huh?” A sad expression settled on his features as he looked at her carefully.
“Yeah, you can say that again.” She was biting her lip too now, lost in memories she tried not to dwell on too often or for too long. She shook her head and tried to bring the conversation back to less distressing subjects. “Really, though. Considering how bad Mickey usually is in social situations, I'd consider that a fucking roaring success. I mean, I think he actually likes some of your siblings, at least. And he wasn’t actively a dick to any of them, so I’d say it all went pretty damn well.”
Her genuine smile warmed Ian’s heart, and he eagerly reciprocated it. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Fuck, I'm so happy it went well. You guys are my family just like they are, you know that right?” His eyes were sparkling with emotion. He needed her to know how much he meant it. Mickey and Mandy were family to him.
“Of course we know, Ian. And you know we feel the same.” She rested her hand on his arm, her own eyes wet after seeing the earnestness in his gaze. Once again she felt the need to change the tone of the conversation to something a little less emotional and a little bit more playful. “Hey listen, your brother seems nice.”
“Who, Lip? Yeah, uh, I guess you hadn’t really met him properly until today, since he’s been off at college and all.” He noticed her smirking expression then and caught up to what she was actually saying. “Ugh, seriously, Mandy? Please, please tell me you’re not gonna start fucking my brother!” He was scowling at her now, his outrage evident on his face.
“Like you’re one to talk, you fuck my brother all the time!”
“I'm in love with your brother, there’s a difference!”
“Yeah well, you weren’t in love at the beginning though, were you? You were just fucking at one point.”
“But you and I didn’t even know each other, this is completely different!”
She looked at him with an unreadable expression for a handful of seconds and then she just erupted in a laugh, shoving at his shoulder in a fit of giggles. “Relax, Jesus! It’s not like I’m that into him. Nothing’s gonna happen. Probably.”
Ian looked at her pointedly and that caused her to laugh some more. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. It just feels weird to me, you’re kinda like my sister and he’s my brother, y'know?”
She put her hands up in surrender even though she was still barely suppressing her laughter. “Hey, I was just trying to bring our families closer together, you know? Cementing Gallagher-Milkovich relations and all that.”
She was full on snickering again, like she'd just said the funniest thing in the world in her opinion. Her laughter would’ve probably been contagious too, if her words hadn’t reminded Ian of the important thing he’d wanted to talk to her about. He tried to steel himself to approach the subject, waiting for her laughter to subside.
“Hey, uh… speaking of cementing Gallagher-Milkovich relations, I, uh… I wanted to ask your opinion on something.” He was biting his lip again and failing to meet her eyes.
“Sure. What’s up?” Her smile was still bright but her expression was growing confused since she sensed his change in demeanor.
“Um, so, I was kinda thinking about the next step in Mick's and mine relationship and uh, well I don’t know if he'd be into it and I know it’s probably way too soon anyway ‘cause we haven’t even been together for a year yet, but um-"
“Ohmygodyouwannamarryhim!” Mandy interrupted Ian’s blabbering, whisper-shouting the sentence excitedly like it was all one word. She looked at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, panting slightly while she was trying to process everything.
Ian looked back at her sheepishly, his mouth slightly parted too. “Um… yeah. Yeah, I wanna marry him,” he said softly but assuredly, nodding his head a few times.
Mandy still looked shocked but after searching his eyes for a few moments, she just launched onto him and threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. “Fuck, I can’t believe it! I'm so fucking happy for you guys.”
She sounded like she was on the verge of tears, and Ian was being flooded with emotion too right now. He chuckled wetly, “Hey, hey, he hasn’t said yes yet!” He waited until she pulled away from his neck and looked her in the eyes, a serious look on his face. “You think, uh… You think he is gonna say yes?”
“Fuck yeah!” She replied instinctively, but then took a few moments to consider. “I mean he's never said shit to me about being interested in marriage, but he fucking loves you, Ian. He's already done plenty of shit I never thought I'd see him do and it was all ‘cause he’s never felt this way about anyone else. Never felt so comfortable around anyone else. And I get it, ‘cause I feel the same way too. Listen Ian, he'd be a fucking idiot not to say yes and I will personally be the one to beat his ass if he even thinks about saying no.”
She was smiling so openly that Ian couldn’t help but feel all the stress leaving his body, as he returned her smile and relaxed his shoulders and all his tense muscles. He knew actually popping the question to Mickey would put him through a lot more stress and nerves, but Mandy’s enthusiasm and reassurance went a long way to assuage his worries that Mickey might reject him, or feel spooked or anything like that. He'd hate for that to happen, since all he truly wanted was to make Mickey happy.
He just wanted a chance to do that for the rest of their lives.
____________________________________________________
A little later, Ian returned to his and Mickey’s bedroom, leaving Mandy alone in the living room to reflect on what she and Ian had talked about. Ian had told her he was going to ask Mickey right away, taking advantage of his still sleepy, semi-inebriated state and hoping for the best. Ian had looked so worried, despite Mandy’s efforts to reassure him, but she understood why. It was a bit of a leap into the unknown, and she definitely couldn’t guarantee a hundred percent that her brother would react positively to the idea of marriage. She was sure he loved Ian and wanted to be with him forever, but that’s not necessarily the same as wanting to get married.
As she waited to find out how the conversation between the two men was going, her mind naturally drifted to a similar situation she had found herself in about ten months earlier. At the start of this whole thing. When Mickey was the one with a question to ask and Ian the one who had the chance to make or break their future with his answer. That time Mickey had been nervous as hell, just like Ian was now, and both men had ended up talking to Mandy before taking that big leap, looking for help and reassurance and maybe a little bit of courage. She hoped she’d done good with both of them, in both of those situations.
That other time, everything had turned out for the best. The two men had been on the same page, Ian just as eager as Mickey to try and build something more out of their one-night stand. Way back when Ian was just a stranger who Mickey had decided not to kick out of his bed. It was now odd for Mandy to imagine a time, not even a year before, when Ian had been a stranger to her and her brother, considering what an important part of their lives he had become since then. And if Mickey wound up saying yes, he’d be an even more important part.
He’d be family, officially.
Mandy’s thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly began hearing Ian’s and Mickey’s voices through their bedroom door, the volume slightly raised.
Fuck it, this time she was actually going to eavesdrop. This was too important, goddamn it.
She scrambled from the couch and went to stick her ear against their door.
She could hear Ian’s voice trembling as he said, “So, I guess what I'm trying to ask is… Mick, will you marry me?”
Mickey was silent for a bit, save for a whispered, “Fuck…” Then suddenly she heard her brother’s voice distinctly again, though it was full of emotion, as he said, “Of course I'll fucking marry you, dipshit. C'mere.”
As soon as she started hearing the sound of kissing she retreated from the door, but her eyes were wet with tears and she was sporting a big toothy smile on her face.
That was it.
Her brother and her best friend were engaged and were soon going to be husbands.
She felt an indescribable happiness at that thought. She loved them both and she couldn’t be more excited for them. They proved to her day after day that true love was real and that if you were lucky enough to find it, it was truly the most beautiful thing in the world.
Yes, she would always be thankful that that redheaded stranger came into their lives all those months ago and never left them again. He was someone they weren’t looking for but had discovered they profoundly needed. Someone who brought them a happiness they never even knew existed.
And thankfully he was here to stay. Forever.