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Today it became one year. Not that Mickey had kept count, but he knew it. He remembered this day one year before very well. The day he lost the one thing, the one person that made sense in his life. So much had happened in those 365 days, but the feelings he had for his Firecrotch were the same, if not stronger. He now accepted it, that no matter how much he tried to deny it to himself, he loved Ian Gallagher. Only Mandy knew that, of course.
About 3 months after Ian’s departure, Svetlana, after seeing how miserable her fake husband was, told him the truth. The baby wasn’t his, she had been pregnant even before his rape. She was also going to Las Vegas with Nika, who apparently was her girlfriend. “Land of opportunities” she had said. The divorce papers came through the mail 2 months later, to Mickey’s relief. He gladly signed them.
3 months after that, more good news came. Terry, who was in prison at the time, had been killed there in a raid. Maybe he shouldn’t have felt as happy as he did, but he did anyway. Both he and Mandy were finally free. The big obstacle between him and Ian was finally gone, the one person he truly feared couldn’t harm anyone anymore.
But as time passed, he started to realize, Ian was not coming back, he had vanished to the army for good, and Mickey wasn’t a part of his life anymore. That only angered Mickey, now that they could finally be together without Terry or Svetlana in the way, Ian had to fucking leave. After all the suffering he had put him through, the bastard just left.
So that was his life now, still running the Rub n’ Tug, even without Svetlana, smoking, drinking and getting angry at Gallagher, at his love for the redhead, that after all this time was still the same.
Mickey was sipping a beer in the living room and watching some shitty TV show about cars, just trying to forget the day in the calendar. He was alone with Mandy, since all his brothers were in jail at the time. There was a knock on the door.
“Oi douchebag, you waiting for someone?” he shouted.
“No, I’m not!”
“Well neither am I, go answer the fucking door!”
“I’m in the bathroom assface, you go!”
Mickey sighted and lifted himself from the couch, heading to the door. “Fucking bitch, always on her bloody period, can’t even open the god damn d…” He stopped dead in his tracks. Because he couldn’t believe what his eyes saw. One year, one year after leaving, after draining Mickey Milkovich of all his hopes, Ian Gallagher was at his door.
***
It had been one year. Ian knew it very well. One year since he left Mickey crying in his room, trying to stop him from leaving but not finding the words. One year since he abandoned his family and left to Westpoint, only to regret his heat headed decision not much later.
Some weeks after joining the Army, Ian started to understand the mistakes he had made. He was using Lip’s ID, who was trying to make a better life for himself at college, and this could put him in some serious trouble. The missing school year affected him in his training more that he liked to admit, and he also realized how dangerous this could be, he could seriously die in that shithole just because he was training in an unprotected field.
But worse, the worst of all his mistakes, was leaving Mickey, leaving the man he loved, and who haunted his mind every day, behind. He just wanted to see him again and say he was sorry, that now he understood why he did what he did, and that he wanted his Mick back.
He waited a few months to make himself sure that he wanted to leave the army. So almost a year later, he went to the LT’s office and requested to leave. “It’s a shame we lose you” the Lt had said. “You were one of our best apprentices, but I understand not everyone can hold it in here.”
And so, two weeks later, exactly one year after leaving, there he was, back to the Southside. He had already been home, where everyone had hugged him and celebrated his return. Ian promised he was back for good. However, it was time, he had to go see the person he probably most missed that year, he had to see Mickey. He wasn’t sure how the older guy would react, if he even gave a fuck about him anymore, but he had to see him.
So here he was, in front of the Milkovich yard, breathing heavily. He walked the remaining steps to the door and knocked. He heard shouting. Mandy and Mickey. God he had missed those voices. He heard someone approaching.
“… can’t even open the god damn d…” and there he was, still with the same black hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Never had something looked so beautiful to Ian, one year later he was finally seeing his Mick.
***
They stood like that, Mickey holding the door, mouth semi opened, and Ian with his hands at his side. Seconds passed, minutes, they weren’t sure, but didn’t care anyway, all that mattered was the person in front of them. “Mickey who is it?” they heard Mandy asking. None of them answered.
Mickey saw Ian’s eyes, those fierce green eyes he had so much missed, getting watery. The sassy side of him whispered in the back of his mind “Could he be more faggy?”, but then he felt tiny drops rolling down his cheek, and realized he was also crying. “God you’re such a faggot” his mind thought.
“Mickey did you die out there? Who is it?” Mandy repeated. They heard steps, Mandy was coming to look for Mickey. “Hey assface why weren’t you answeri…” she stopped, now seeing who was at their door. “Oh my god…”. Ian’s eyes shifted to her, the hint of a smile appearing on his face, but not for long until they were back to stare at Mickey’s. Mandy, despite wanting to talk to Ian, understood that this was a moment only of them, and left to her room. After all it had been one year, there was more than a lot to discuss between those two. She could wait.
A lot of things crossed the mind of both boys in those minutes, staring at each other. Tears were still falling down their faces, but none of them could gather the forces to say something.
Then Mickey made the first move. Ian felt the fist with the “FUCK” tattoo collide with his face, not that strong, but enough to take him off his feet, and stagger backwards. Ian realized Mickey was holding himself, his punches could to be much stronger, but he let himself being beaten up.
“One…fucking…year…one…fucking…year” the smaller boy kept saying, between punches at Ian’s chest. The punches lost force, until Mickey just stopped and looked down, breathing heavily, not wanting to stare at Gallagher. The younger kept his head low too.
“I’m… I’m…” Ian couldn’t find the words. He looked up and saw that now Mickey was staring at him. They stood like that for around two minutes, and then moved at the same time, mouths colliding hard and desperate, both of them desperate to feel what they had longed for a whole year. It was a rough kiss, all tongue and teeth, but also full of love, full of the desire kept in each other. Then Ian managed to find the words he was looking for, and whispered them against Mickey’s mouth. “I’m so sorry, I should have never left, I don’t know why it took me so long to come back, I never forgot you, please Mick…”
He was interrupted but the older boy’s own words. “Terry’s dead, Svetlana left long time ago, there’s nothing between us anymore.”
Ian smiled against Mickey’s lips. “Yes” he whispered, before kissing his Mick again.
***
Five years later, on that exact same date, Mickey was pacing around his and Ian’s apartment. They used to celebrate the date with something special, since they decided it was a way to remind each other that leaving was just an impossible option, though none of them thought of leaving at all. But this year it was different, it definitely would be different. Mickey just didn’t know quite how to do it. Ian left their room, already wearing his tuxedo.
He stared at Mickey. “Ok that’s enough. You’ve been acting weird all day Mick, what is going on?”
Mickey looked away. “Nothing… just nothing” he answered.
“Mick…” Ian said, grabbing his arm.
“It’s noth… ok you know what, I was gonna do this at the restaurant, but im’ma do it now, I don’t care.” Ian started to panic. Was Mickey about to break up with him? The smaller guy turned to him. “Firecrotch” he started, while taking something out of his pocket. He opened the small box in front of Ian “will you marry me?”
Ian stared at the simple silver ring, shell shocked, for a few moments. “yes” he mumbled.
“What?”
“YES! YES YES YES OF FUCKING COURSE YES! OH MY GOD!” Ian answered. Was this really happening? He went straight to Mickey’s mouth, kissing him hard, showing his lover how thankful he was.
Needless to say they never made it to the restaurant. They just had time to reach their bedroom, where Ian made sure Mickey knew how thankful he was.