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Ian pecked his boyfriend on the lips. "See you later. Remember to eat." The redhead had been invited to lunch with his family and instructed not to take his boyfriend with him. Reluctantly, he left their apartment.
Not long later, he opened the unlocked Gallagher door and entered. "Hey, sorry I'm late." He greeted, not admitting the reason he was late was Mickey pulling him back into the bedroom minutes before he was due to leave.
His family was already sat around the table, Fiona bringing the last plate through from the kitchen. He noticed someone new at the table and an empty seats both sides of him (one for Ian and one for Fiona).
"Ian, this is Mark. He just started working at the diner.
"Um, hi." He said awkwardly, stunned by the guy's good looks. The man's dark hair contrasted with his pale skin perfectly and his muscles showed indefinitely through his tight, white shirt. He offered his hand as he approached and Mark shook it, letting the touch linger.
Ian snapped his hand away, remembering his boyfriend laying at home, having a post-sex nap. He promptly sat down, tucking into the meal laid in front of him.
The meal was horrible. The company ruined the mediocre food his sister had made. Mark was trying too hard to flirt, too many touches making it not only uncomfortable, but embarrassing and Ian was glad when the dark haired man excused himself to go to his afternoon shift at work.
"What the fuck was that?" Ian snapped the moment he left.
"I thought you two might get along." Fiona feigned innocently.
"And you accidentally forgot about my long-term boyfriend whom I love so much?"
"I didn't forget about Mickey. I just thought Mark was a better match for you. You know you can do better." She said honestly.
"Fuck you." Ian stormed out the house, slamming the door behind him. How could his sister betray him like that? When would she learn?
He was still pissed when he returned home and it was evident on his face. He tried to calm down, not wanting to worry his boyfriend. A few deep breaths and some happy thoughts later, he was entering their apartment with a less visible annoyance.
"Hey." Mickey stood from the couch and greeted Ian with a soft kiss. "You alright?" He questioned when he didn't feel the redhead kiss back. "You're back early."
"Yeah, just had a bit of an argument so I decided to leave." The redhead only bent the truth slightly. It wasn't a bit of an argument.
"What did you argue about?" The boy queried, reaching for his boyfriend's hand and dragging him towards the couch.
"You." Ian admitted.
"The usual then." Mickey sighed.
"'fraid so." The older man pulled the younger into his chest for a tight hug, knowing how insecure he felt whenever the Gallaghers talked about him.
"Sorry, man." Mickey said, words muffled by his boyfriend's body.
"Not your fault." Ian whispered.
"Want me to run you a bath?" The smaller boy asked, wondering when he became such a housewife.
"Depends. Are you planning on joining me?" The redhead raised his eyebrows seductively.
"I guess." He didn't want to admit he hated when they bathed together. Showering together was something he loved; he loved the steam engulfing them as he locked lips with his boyfriend. But he's always hated baths; laying in you own filth - and in this situation, Ian's too - isn't fun. But his boyfriend wanted to and his boyfriend needed to feel loved right now so he'd go along with it and probably never get around to admitting he didn't want to because he fucking loves his boyfriend.
Ian's phone beeped where it was laid on the coffee table. "Can check that?" He shouted to his boyfriend from the kitchen.
Unknown number, 1943
Hi, it's Mark. Fiona gave me your number. I had a great time. Was wondering if you'd be interested in meeting up next weekend. I know this really nice restaurant not too far away that I think you'll love.
"What the fuck, Ian?" Mickey raged.
"What?" Ian sauntered over.
"Who the fuck's Mark?"
The redhead sighed. "This guy Fiona tried to set me up with. Invited him to dinner earlier."
"And you didn't tell me?" Mickey took a step back as his boyfriend took one forward. "Why would you hide this from me unless you were into him?"
"I'm not into him!" Ian raised his voice, preying that being louder would make him more convincing.
"But you think he'd be a better boyfriend than me?"
"Fuck no! Mickey, I love you. No one but you!"
"Fiona thinks you can do better." Mickey offered more quietly.
"Yeah and she has since we started dating but I've put up with your sorry ass for this long; why would her saying it again now make me change my mind?"
"I don't know." The shorter man conceded. "But maybe she's right. Maybe I should let you go." He took a few strides towards their bedroom.
"No!" Ian reached for his boyfriend's arm, holding him in place. "I don't want anyone else!"
"You don't want anyone else right now." Mickey corrected. "You'll get over me and find someone better." He pulled his arm free and finished his walk into the bedroom, the redhead got on his heels.
"I won't find someone better! There is no one better! You're it for me. Why don't you get that?"
Mickey reached for a bag that had been tossed on the floor by the wardrobe last time Ian had had to go away for a work thing and threw it onto the bed, going over to the dresser to grab some clothes.
Ian took the jeans out of his boyfriend's hands before the smaller boy could make it back to the bed though. "Don't you fucking dare pack up your shit and leave. Don't be so fucking selfish." Tears formed in the redhead's eyes, threatening to fall.
"It's not selfish, it's selfless. I'm not leaving you! I'm giving you up." Mickey had his own tears falling. He snatched the jeans from Ian, stuffing them into the bag.
"I don't want you to give me up! No good will come of it." The older man said, tears streaming down his face, as he helplessly watched the younger put some tshirts into the bag too, followed my some underwear - unaware of which of them it originally belonged to.
"Lots of good will come from it. You'll be better off with someone else. Fiona's right, I don't deserve you." He zipped the bag up.
"That's a load of bullshit! If anything I don't deserve you. I have a fucking mental disorder and you look after me like it's second nature." Ian argued.
"I'll do whatever the fuck it takes to make you happy. Of course I fucking take care of you. Anyone would."
"Yeah, you do whatever the fuck it takes. How can you not be good enough?"
"There are people who will be able to do more for you to make you happy." Mickey argued, wishing he didn't have to.
"No one will make me happier than you do! Why don't you understand that?" Ian grabbed hold of his boyfriend's hand as the smaller boy tried to leave the room.
"Ian." Mickey sighed, turning to look into the redhead's eyes.
"Mick." Ian returned.
"Don't make this worse that it has to be."
"There's no way of making this worse Mick. It's already hit rock bottom."
"Just let me go. Everything'll be okay again in a few days."
"No." The taller man said stubbornly. "Sit the fuck down now."
Mickey relented, perching on the edge of the bed, bag still in his tightly gripped hand, and cherishing the pain where the strap was digging into his palm.
"I don't know how many times I've had to tell you how much I love you and how much I need you; and I don't know how many times I will have to in the future. But I need you to trust me. I need you to believe that I know I won't be okay if you leave. I will never be okay again. You're it and you will always be it. I love you se fucking much and I honestly couldn't cope if I didn't have you in my life. I swear to God, Mick, if you left I don't know what I'd do."
Mickey didn't know what to say. Part of him was embarrassed at the thought of going and part of him was still contemplating if he should still go. After a few moments of stunned silence, Ian crouched on the floor in front of him, he released his grip on the bag and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "I love you." Was all he could manage to say.
"I love you, too, fuckhead." Ian surged up to join their lips. "Stop being an idiot and unpack your shit. You're cooking for me now as repayment." He joked, lifting the building pressure in the room.
"I've been thinking." Mickey said as they lay in bed one morning.
"Sounds dangerous." Ian laughed sleepily.
"Shut up." Mickey elbowed Ian's stomach. "Anyway, I've been thinking. It's probably about time I made up with your sister."
"Really?" The redhead pulled back to look into his boyfriend's eyes.
"Yeah. I don't want to come between you two."
"I'd love you to make up. I don't want you apologising though. Remember she's at fault."
"I know. But if we don't even talk there's no chance of us sorting it out." Mickey stated the obvious.
"I love you." Ian said in awe.
"I know."
And that's how they ended up stood outside the Gallagher house, reluctant to step inside. "You can do this." Ian squeezed Mickey's hand and reached for the door handle.
"Ian!" The youngest Gallagher was the first to greet him, hugging his legs. "Mickey!" He moved over to hug the shorter legs.
"Hey." He ran his hand through the child's hair endearingly, loving that at least one other Gallagher liked him.
"Fiona here?" The redhead asked the child.
"Upstairs." Liam ran up the stairs, small legs making him stumble a few times and resurfaced with his big sister in tow.
She sauntered towards her brother awkwardly, trying to ignore Mickey but feeling really awkward about it. "What are you doing here?" She smiled as she pulled away from the overprotective hug.
"We want to talk." He reached back over to grab his boyfriend's hand, leading him over to the couch.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" She tried to joke - to no avail.
"I'm sorry." Mickey blurted out before Ian could reply.
"What?" The woman flinched.
"Whatever it is that makes you hate me, I'm sorry."
"You got nothing to be sorry for." Ian snapped, squeezing his boyfriend's hand reassuringly. "Fi, you need to appologise."
"I know I've been harsh on you but it's only because I want what's best." He addressed her brother, ignoring the smaller man once more.
"What's best is Mick so I want you to appologise and I want you two to get along. And if you can't manage that, you're going to have to accept that you won't be part of my life."
"Ian." Fiona said pleadingly.
"I mean it, Fiona. You know you're in the wrong."
"I just want my brother to be with the right guy." She finally addressed Mickey.
"I am the right guy." He said confidently. "So suck it up and say sorry. I have."
"Then I guess I'm sorry. But one false move and I'll never forgive you." She said sternly.
"Noted." The youngest man managed to smile.