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Mickey laid against the back of his sleeping boyfriend, letting the silence fall over him like the sheet that was barely on him anymore thanks to the fucking giant that is Ian Gallagher. Mickey sighed, pushing himself up so that he can properly inform Ian that he has to stop hogging the cover because jesus Gallagher there are other people in this fucking bed you know.
But once he managed to shuffle and move so that he was on his forearms, his eyes settled over Ian's sleeping face. his ginger hair that Mickey liked to pull at when they were fucking, then gently run his fingers through after the fact. His now closed eyes that mickey knows that when they open, will amaze him with their blue-green colour, almost identical to the sea. His flu lips that are usually pulled into a smile, especially at Mickey. the same lips that have formed the three words Mickey is afraid of saying the most out of all the other words swirling around his head when looking at Ian.
Mickey sighed again, why couldn't he just say it? His eyes move towards Ian's back, followed by his hands, feeling the dips and rises of muscle under the smooth, pale skin. Mickey, still deep in his thoughts, started spelling you 'I love you' lightly on Ian's back with his index finger. Then again, then again, then again.
'I love you I love you I love you'
After repeating the statement a few times, he realized what he was doing, but decided to keep doing it, the motions calming him in a way. he kept on spelling out the confession on Ian's back that he was too afraid to verbalize to his face.
'I love you I love you I love you I love you'
He was so transfixed in the action that he didn't realize Ian had woken up a few minutes ago.
The red haired boy woke up to his boyfriend moving a single finger around his back. After that movement didn't stop for almost a minute he got curious, what exactly was Mickey doing? Then he felt it.
'I'
Was Mickey spelling something? He concentrated on the one digit.
'l o v e'
Ian's eyes widened as the last word was spelt.
' y o u'
The more Mickey's actions repeated, the wider Ian's smile grew. This was the one thing he wanted, the confirmation that the boy he loved with everything he had felt the same way. After a few moments of basking in the feeling, Ian softly stated "I love you too, Mick". He felt Mickey freeze behind him. He obviously had not noticed Ian woke up. Ian turned over on his other side to face Mickey, his smile still bright on his face.
Mickey was frozen, he just confessed his love to the boy he loved since he first saw him, the only one besides Mandy that completely understood him, the one he thought he could never deserve, the boy he still couldn't believe was his. Mickey opened his mouth but closed it when nothing came out. Then he opened it again "I love you".
Ian laughed, but not in a mocking way, this laugh was pure joy. His mouth move towards Mickey's and he kissed him deeply. Once they pulled back, both of them were smiling widely. Ian then repeated "I love you too", saying the words like they were a breath of fresh air.
"Christ Gallagher, when did we become such fucking saps?", Mickey chuckled, which made Ian laugh again. The couple then looked at each other in a fond, comfortable silence, letting the rest of the words they wanted to say be expressed by their faces, the important words had already been spoken.
After a few more moments of gazing at his beautiful boyfriend in front of him, Mickey turned over, Ian's arm instinctively wrapping around the blue eyed boy's waist, kissing the back of his neck, then placing his forehead in the same spot. Soon their breathing fell together, and they drifted off to sleep tangled in each other's warmth and comfort.