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Ian watched as his daughter shuffled around the carpet.
She had been playing for the last half hour and seemed to be tuckering herself out. He focused on her once she started to twist around, seemingly no longer occupied by her stuffed animals. She threw them across the floor. That caught Ian's attention. He raised his chin at her and waited it out to see if she needed him.
She twisted around facing Ian with a blank stare. “You okay there, sweetheart?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, she looked like she could of pass out any second. Half-lidded eyes that seemed to look through him and not at him. She nodded, blinking at him a few times before dramatically falling to her side, and collapsing on the floor.
He watched her for a few more seconds, she had shifted from her side, onto her back, shuffling around again. She finally seemed to get comfortable, smacking her lips before contently closing her eyes. Ian laughed to himself. Kid’s were so fucking weird.
His eyes adjusted back to the TV. It was a documentary on sealife, definitely not his choosing. She really refused to watch much more than nature documentaries. Ian suspected that was Liam’s fault. They were his old reliable as a kid. After one night babysitting them Autumn was hooked. Ian suspected it could be away worse when it came to kid’s TV so he dealt with it.
Ruby was at the old Gallagher house. She, Fred and Franny were working on some diorama project together. Franny needed to get it done for school and she was able to afford to bribe her little cousins to do the grunt work. The kid was definitely a Gallagher, undoubtedly his sister’s child.
That left the house emptier than usual. It was sometime past seven. Ian was stationed on the couch. The cat curled up against his foot on the recliner, a beer in his hand. Life could definitely be worse.
He didn’t know where Mickey had wandered off to, he said he needed to piss a half hour ago, maybe - Ian didn’t really have a grasp on time at that moment. He was tired himself. Fuck they were getting old.
He pressed the lid of the can to his mouth, taking a few sips before pulling up the blanket from the side of the couch. Missy looked up at him, jumping off the footrest and onto the floor. She stretched before scurrying off. Ian made himself comfortable like Autumn beneath him.
Wasn’t long till Mickey was back in the living room. He looked over the two, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Aye kid” He called out. Autumn lazily peeled one eye open.
“Bedtime, Brat” Autumn didn’t make the slightest attempt to even lift her head.
“Hey don’t ignore me” Mickey found himself bent over, tapping her shoulder. Nothing again. He knew she wasn’t asleep. She couldn’t fight her cheeky smile as he tapped her.
He tried again, tapping at her stomach. She gave a little giggle but didn’t move.
“Autumn” Mickey sighed. He didn’t wait for her response or lack thereof, grabbing under her arm to pick her up.
“Noooo” the toddler whined, now apparently awake.
“Get up” He tried to get his arm under her’s to try and pick her up. She wiggled out of his grip.
“Daddddy” Autumn wrangled around, avoiding his arms. “A little help here?” Mickey turned back to Ian, he didn’t stop trying to scoop her up.
Ian bit his bottom lip, his shit-eating grin persevering. Ian gave a little shrug. “Think you got it there, Mick”
“Go fuck yourself” He mouthed with an eye roll, attention fully on Autumn again.
He struggled, then once he realised he wasn’t going to win this argument, an epiphany Ian had made the second Autumn’s eyes were open.
Mickey stopped, standing back up straight. “What you gonna sleep on the floor?” Mickey raised an eyebrow at the girl. Ian couldn’t see his husband’s face, his back was turned towards him. He had lived with the man long enough to memorise his expression by the tone of his voice.
Ian could see Autumn, however. Her little face twisted up in consideration. Then just as quickly she raised her eyebrow, the trait definitely wasn’t as strong as Mickey’s but the attitude was there.
“Yeah” she protested.
Mickey tried to pick her up one last time to call her bluff. He poked at her arms, but the kid refused his efforts, little palms pushing against his hands.
“Really!?” He was towering over her, arms on his hips.
“Yup!”
“You rather lay on the hard ass ground than your bed?” There his eyebrow went again.
“Uh-huh”
“Fine” Mickey sighed, daring Ian to think he was out of breath. Autumn eyed him warily, making the man raise his hands in mock defence as if to show Autumn he wasn’t going to try and snatch her again.
He stood there for a few more seconds, just staring at her to see if she would stand her ground. She did, rolling over to her side again.
She assumed the fetal position, scooting around to get back the comfort Mickey apparently took from her. She closed her eyes again, seemly content.
Mickey gave up, relinquishing his attempt, lips curling inward. Whatever, easier on him he figured.
“Fucking weirdo” Mickey muttered to himself, crashing into Ian on the couch. Their shoulders crashed. Mickey made minimal effort to separate their bodies. Ian wasn't protesting their proximity, tossing the blanket over Mickey’s hips. His free arm was lazily thrown around his husband, pulling them impossibly closer. He offered Mickey the rest of his beer, his now free hand searching for the remote.
Autumn let out a whine the second Ian had closed out of the documentary. “Aye you're supposed to be asleep, ‘member” Ian strained his next slightly watching as the kid took his words into consideration, flipping over again with a dramatic sigh.
He snorted at her antics, quickly putting back on the show he and Mickey had been half watching for months at that point. Ian watched Mickey from the corner of his eye. The older man finished the beer, crushing and tossing the can across the couch. Then he shifted his hips, head landing on Ian’s shoulder. Ian could tell Mickey’s attention wasn’t on the screen, he was staring down at Autumn.
“Little shit” he called out again. Despite the harsh words, his tone was soft. “Would you like a blanket at least?” She thought about it for a second, eyes peeling open.
Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Yeah daddy” Mickey rolled his eyes at her. He strained across the other side of the couch, grabbing the extra ratty blanket that had been on that couch since their Westside days, and then a pillow. He threw it down to her, hitting her in the legs.
She didn't seem to mind, pulling the blanket over her shoulder. She let out a much louder, happy “Thanks!”. Guess she was really gonna sleep on the floor.
Mickey scratched his head clearly exasperated by the girl. Nonetheless, Ian and Mickey settled in together, eyes lazily following the people on the screen.
Ian didn’t remember falling asleep. His eyes snapped open in an instant. He looked around confused. Mickey was asleep beside him. He had managed to pull the blanket completely off of Ian, wrapping himself in it. Telling by his open mouth and the noise coming down deep from his throat, Mickey was long gone too.
Ian groggily pulled his arm from behind Mickey, grimacing through the pain of his arm that was evidently just as asleep as he was. Mickey limply leaned further into his shoulder. Ian eyed him for a second to see if he would wake.
He didn’t so Ian held his watch up to his face, his eyes taking a second to adjust. It was already ten pm.
The room was uncharacteristically bright for that time of night. The kitchen light to the side of the living room from when they had eaten dinner was still on. The TV had autoplay to what had to be the next season at that point.
Ian was about to give in to the everpresent sleepiness when he remembered Autumn. Sure enough, there she was dead asleep, her blanket pulled up to her ears. He considered getting up and carrying her to her bed. Decided again it when he realised she would provide protest him too. It was fine, she looked comfortable. Incredibly cute.
He smiled to himself. Those sweet nothings were a dime a dozen those days. Didn’t stop Ian from appreciating them so dearly, though. He then turned his head to see Mickey, he looked exactly the same. They both managed to cocoon themselves in their blankets.
Since Autumn’s birth mom was Tami, there was some deliberation that the kid could have been Lip's. A late night afterthought they prayed not to be true. That turned into an active nightmare. That after all their efforts - the awkward turkey baser insertions and handjobs in the Gallagher-Tamietti bathroom,- after all that, the kid could just end up being Lip’s.
Fate had been crueller to them before, the possibility really wasn’t that much of a stretch. They didn’t exactly have time to get a paternity test when Autumn was born. Between the long stays in the NICU and being in and out of heart surgery, they were definitely a little too occupied with more pressing matters.
Autumn was three now, Mickey’s dead ringer.
There was absolutely no doubt that she was Mickey’s. So much so that if she didn't come out of Tami they would have considered if they were related. His eyes darted between the two. Their expression was exactly the same. Same laxed brows, eyelashes fluttering slightly. Now that Mickey bumped into Ian’s shoulder, the same lightly parted lips that curled up into a little smirk at the end.
Mickey would snicker whenever Ian would bring up how much they looked alike. Shrug it off. Ian always noticed the slight blush. “Those Milkovich genes are strong. There’s a good chance she’s gonna become a psychotic murderer, ya know”
Ian always knew those comments came from a place of deflection. He knew Mickey saw it too, especially now that she was getting older.
Same big blue eyes, grumpy little frown, dramatic eyerolls. The crease between their brows when they thought, the way they puffed out their cheeks when they were mad. The same stupid toothy smiles. They even rolled their eyes the same way. Assholes.
As Ian looked between the two, a fond smile overtook his expression, sleepiness overtaking his mind he couldn’t help but think of one thing. He was so glad Autumn looked like her daddy. The kid got pretty lucky in that regard.