C’Mere

Like, Lip’s always been good with odds and numbers and back in the day, back when they started out a fucking lifetime ago, absolutely nobody would have bet on those two making it in the end.

He had been around back then, on the side lines catching glimpses from time to time. From ‘Mickey’s gay and we’re doing it’ and ‘i know what he felt with me’ to ‘you think i should’ve?’ and ‘because i love him’.

And Lip hesitates in the doorway when he enters the living room for a moment and watches them lie on the couch in front of the TV, wrapped up in each other’s arms, sleepy and content, for once neither bickering nor on the verge of fucking and he thinks that he’s never seen Ian so happy and being himself this much at the same time before.

And maybe he shakes his head when he looks at the man in his brother’s arms because holy fucking shit that’s Mickey Milkovich right there.

That’s ‘someone’s gotta get a beat down’, it’s ‘oh shit is right’, it’s anger issues and russian prostitutes and attempted murder and escaping prison to fucking mexico.

But it’s also the guy who pours Ian his coffee in the morning and makes sure he doesn’t drink it before he’s had something to eat, who used to count his fucking pills, who once bought a bag full of B vitamins as if they could fix it all somehow.

It’s who Ian lost sleep over, it’s who he made his best bad decisions for.

It’s Franny’s Uncle Mickey, it’s Mandy’s older brother and holy shit, it’s Ian’s fucking husband.

And isn’t that so beautifully Ian, that he saw something in that dirty faced thug from ten years ago that no one else ever bothered to look for? that he found a love that proved itself to be stronger than whatever life or fate or Terry fucking Milkovich threw at them, that pulled them back to each other every time they fell apart?

Mickey has been a constant presence in Ian’s life in a way that nothing else but Lip himself ever had. Has been a witness, a catalyst, a victim of Ian’s epic highs and lows, has done insane things to and for and because of him. As fucked up as they always were, they seem to hold the balance, they somehow make it work.

Lip loves his brother with all his heart, has done so his entire life, he knows all the best and a lot of the worst of Ian and he knows that Mickey knows it too. Loves him, too. Signed up for it all, the whole package, good times and bad, sickness and health, Monica and Gay Jesus, mania and depression. Had probably signed up for it long before they stood in front of witnesses at the Polish Doll.

So Lip smiles sometimes when they bicker over breakfast cereal or when Ian can’t keep his hands to himself even when the rest of them is right there or when Mickey talks shit like he’s still big bad Milkovich, south side thug extraordinaire and not the boy who has been in love with Lip’s little brother for the last decade.

As some else who has kids, I’d like to here your thoughts…

Ok probably like a C-/D+ sorta situation lol

Hmm, idk, I think people are just attracted to the fact that being an EMT gave him a purpose and made him feel like himself again and that was all sort of disrupted by his manic episode in s8. So, with it being yanked away from him and the unlikelihood that he could return to it for real when he's healthy again I definitely see why that period is romanticized for his character. I also think it's just really fitting for him. That's probably why people focus on it for fics and head canons, and having a job is something that more closely tied to Ian's self-worth than Mickey's so we allow him to have the one that got away, so to speak.

I think Ian's also a pretty stoic guy in general and so much of his mental state isn't blatantly explained or even shown so it's hard to say how much he cared about it. Certainly while he was still manic through s9 it wasn't exactly his priority, but when he gets out and he has to do the insurance scam with Paula, you can tell it's kinda crushing his soul a little bit because he just wants to help people and he can't for fear of retribution.

At the end of season 7 the writers weren’t sure if the show was coming back for s8 and the last shot of Ian, possibly ever, was him in EMT mode. The job was definitely a symbol of his stability but there are other ways to show that too, and they chose this.

He lost himself in s8 and s9, but I can’t imagine that he wasn’t completely disappointed and embarrassed in himself for having lost his EMT position. There are lots of hints in s10-11 that it was important to him. Like you said, his dismay at being forced to pretend to be an EMT but not really being able to help anyone. We see him using his skills to clean up Mickey’s cuts (as I’ve said it’s canon if I like it) and in checking Frank over once he’d overdosed. Just little reminders that Ian still has these skills and wants to use them, even if he can’t professionally. It’s not much, but for a show that forgets huge portions of characterization, it’s important.

And, of course, there is Ian’s glee at being able to be behind the wheel of an ambulance again. He missed it and said so. Fic writers definitely take a small detail and run with it, and god bless them for doing so, but I think in this case, it’s pretty backed up by canon.

Hi guys :) It’s almost 2022, so we decided to repeat last year and make a list of our personal favorites (which will vary from mod to mod) that started and completed in 2021 💝 There’s no way we could include everything we loved or even liked from our favorite authors, but hopefully you find something to jump into! ❄️ (This is a long list, but blame the writers for being so talented!)

Multi chapters:

Old Rules For New Side Pieces - Ian thinks he’s got his life together – good job, stable boyfriend – until he meets Mickey and his life is turned upside down. 

Enemy Lines - Enemies to lovers, a social justice warrior vs a lawyer.

Someone To Hold Me Up - Canon divergent from s7 - Ian and Mickey getting back together with their lives a little bit more put together. 

Under Lock and Key - Ian and Mickey man the desk of the missing keys office together and end up falling for each other week after week. 

weaver of fate (to your will I won’t fold) - Soulmates AU. Mickey is a seer who gets paid to track down people’s soulmates. Ian pays for the reading but doesn’t want to know the result.

you’ll never see us again - Ian and Mickey grow up in a boarding school without a clue about what their future holds.

The Mask of Insanity - Ian’s a detective with a complicated past with Mickey, who ends up being a suspect in a murder case he’s working. 

Mickey Milkovich’s Guide to Flirting - How Mickey Milkovich learned to stop worrying (so much) and flirt with his crush

There Are Places You Belong - Ian and Mickey adjust to the West Side and grow closer in their second year of marriage.

WIPs:

Dancing After Death - Ian moves to California and meets Mickey, a member of a motorcycle club. Friends with benefits to lovers. 

That ‘Redhead Babyface/FUCK U-UP’ Duality - AU. Ian sees Mickey in a bar and decides that he’s the perfect candidate for shooting porn together.

Intro to Quantum Dating - College AU. Friends with benefits to lovers. Ian moves to campus and meets Mickey, the RA and the weed guy of the college. 

Paragraphs - Ian has an opportunity to be a reading tutor for ex-convicts. He meets one in particular that catches his eye.

since we’re alone - College AU. Enemies to lovers. Mickey is only going to college to play hockey. When he’s at risk of losing his full ride scholarship because of his slipping grades, he gets assigned a tutor.

let the bodies do the talkin’ - Mickey’s on a quest to find a good fuck and he doesn’t think Ian could do anything for him, but boy is he wrong…

You Can Bite Me - Ian’s a vampire and is drawn to the mysterious Mickey, of course things get complicated. 

Ristretto - Coffeeshop AU. Ian works the late shift at the coffee shop with Mandy Milkovich. He might or might not have the hots for her boyfriend.

elevator music - Ian makes a terrible first impression on his neighbor Mickey, but gets to redeem himself little by little.

Apartment 4A - When the chaos of the Gallagher home gets to be too much, Ian decides to move out. He answers a roommate ad, and gets more than he bargained for.

kings of the southside - S11 canon divergent fic in which Ian and Mickey stay on the southside and take over the Alibi.

We Are Made of Star Stuff - S1 gap-filler, Ian POV. Exploration of how the boys reach the level of closeness that has Ian running to Mickey’s when Monica shows up.

One shots:

Stages - Post S11. It’s nice for married couples to share interests and experiences. But they didn’t really need their dads to die one after the other like this.

Bad for Business - Magic AU. Mickey works at a magic shop and Ian happens to be a frequent customer. 

Thicker than Forget -  Fantasy AU. Ian is a poet. Mickey is his recently-corporal muse. They eat an absurd amount of stupidly named ice cream, try to find beauty in things, and fall hopelessly in love.

the moment when a memory aches - A rewrite of the HOS episode filled with feelings, angst, and growth. 

Gotta Get You Into My Life - 2x04 fill in. Where exactly was Ian when Fiona came home to find Holly Herkimer storming out of the slumber party

Sweet Lips On My Lips - 3x05 fill-in/fix-it. mickey experiences new things after kissing ian for the first time.

Nobody makes me crazy like you (ambivalent) - Post S11.Mickey puts their neighbor in her place and won’t apologize for it and Ian learns a valuable lesson about compromising.

Risks Not Worth Taking - 11x06 fill-in. Ian worries over Mickey’s involvement in the Born Free robbery.

put my faith in this hole in the ground - Ian experiences his first manic episode after being married to Mickey. 

golden hour - 5 times Mickey admires Ian’s freckles, +1 time Ian admires his

submission sonata - Ian and Mickey spend some time together after the Alibi serenade. 

Muse - Ian slowly, but surely working his way into interior designer Mickey’s heart. 

Old Wounds - The time between Mickey finding out Ian’s going to prison and their reunion.

What Became of the Likely Lads? - 11x06 fill-in. How did Lip ask Mickey to help him steal bikes, why did Mickey bring donuts in the morning, and other questions answered.

nothing to worry about - Ian gets jealous and they settle it in familiar ways.

lit up - Ian and Mickey spending some quality time together in their very own place. 

The Ghosts of 218 - The journey to Mickey getting ready to be a dad. 

he wants to fucking tear you apart (series) - Ian discovers reddit porn, in particular user going by u/aleksandr.

soft, sensitive - Some short, soft one-shots ranging in topics.

i've thought so much over the years about gallagher/gallavich attachment styles, someone like Debbie is so easy to pinpoint as reactive attachment, but gallavich changes so much through the years.

ian - anxious attachment - ian seeks closeness, but due to unpredictable parenting, he also shies away from closeness. he has this constant push-and-pull with monica, which just confuses him even more. and yet he desires a relationship but struggles with feeling lovable. it's not just due to bipolar disorder that he pushes mickey away, it's due to this unpredictable relationship with monica that causes him to hold people at arm's length. he's waiting for the inevitable rejection due to his constant rejection from his parents. he self-sabotages because of this instability.

mickey - avoidant attachment - of course, he has avoidant attachment as we see in s3 after being abused and neglected his whole life. how can you trust anyone when you can't trust your own caregiver? he never learns to express himself, he is independant, self-sufficient (because he has to be). he avoids closeness, classic early seasons mickey.

but this is the amazing thing about gallavich, which is that they have the power to change each other and they do!!! ian learns in this slow journey to be loved by others, and maybe it's not all mickey, it's also his family & (don't hate me) people he dates along the way. people want him! he is desirable! but maybe not truly lovable, until the moment in S9 when gallavich are reunited, i think it is this moment that makes him realize how much he is loved by someone, the holy fuck that comes out of his mouth is also saying wow, someone loves me this much they'd sacrifice themselves for me. he's not done his journey as we see in s10 but maybe he will always struggle with this, and that's okay because mickey will always remind him how lovable and amazing he is.

and mickey? what the fuck tho? he changes so wildly and i would argue his attachment style does too, to even dare i say an almost-secure attachment? he realizes he is lovable too, and not only is he lovable, but that he doesn't have to worry about being unlovable anymore, because he is so loved by ian and it is s7 that solidifies this for him. but the same applies for ian, too! he doesn't have to worry anymore, he realizes mickey is never going anywhere, because mickey has come back again and again and he doesn't leave or abandon - unlike monica.

ian sees mickey waving his hand around his face like a sneeze is incoming and just leaps into action. husband looks uncomfortable? oh, husband is about to sneeze. husband’s sneezes make him basically fall down? that’s annoying and possibly embarrassing for husband? time to throw myself over this coffee table to support husband 😌 that’s neither annoying nor embarrassing for anyone involved 😌

“Hey Ian, how’re you holding up?” Mickey ventured. Ian had been down lately, but today, he got out of bed and showed up to the breakfast table.

“M’okay.” Ian shrugged and shuffled over to pour himself a bowl of dry cereal.

“Ya think you’re up to going out in the bus with me today? I could use the extra manpower if you’ve got it in you.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Ian sighed. “Just wish I wasn’t so...tired all the time.”

Mickey put a reassuring arm around Ian’s waist. “Things’ll level out, man. They always do.”

💖 Read the rest, complete with fluff and praise, on AO3! 💖

“Think you’d be better at this by now,” Mickey mutters as he scoops soil over the new seeds Ian is so proud of. “But you’re still making me do all the dirty work.”

“Maybe I just like seeing you like this,” Ian flirts above him. “On your knees and filthy.”

Mickey snorts, giving the soil one last pat as he stands.

“Please,” he says dryly. “You just want an excuse to get me into a bath.”

Ian is grinning when Mickey looks at him, completely unabashed, and his carefree smile does something to Mickey’s heart, makes it warm and fucking tingly.

“Leave any dirt for the plants?” a voice comes from behind them, and the warmth goes away as fast as it came.