ellie please tell me more about these dance parties mickey has with their kid 🥺
it starts out of necessity, as these things always do, and totally unbeknownst to daddy ian.
the first time it happens, mickey's watching their little girl while ian goes out for supplies. she gets the worst case of sniffles which results in this big and loud cry that just wouldn't stop. she's fed, she's dry, mickey even tries bouncing her in his arms, but nothing works.
at last, he has an idea. he sits the baby on her playing mat and puts on word up! by korn. when he starts nodding his head to the rhythm, the baby stops sniveling to focus her big wet eyes on her dad's weird movements.
he goes big pretty quickly. jumps on the sofa and starts playing air guitar, scrunching his face to appear all tough as he opens his mouth to the lyrics. before the song's done, the kid's happily clapping from her spot on the floor.
it becomes their thing. and the moment she starts to stand on her own, mickey's there to encourage her to wiggle to the music.
they even come up with a routine to ocean avenue by yellowcard, which involves a lot of uncoordinated hopping and head-bopping while wearing a cap worn backward and a pair of dark sunglasses that don't fit her head in the slightest and keep falling off during the first chorus, but it doesn't matter. it's perfect and mickey giggles his way through the song.
this is also when ian finds out about their little dance parties because mickey tells him to guess what they've been doing that day and ian can't even finish replying tidying up all the toys in the living room, hopefully before he steps on a barbie doll's head. he can't stay angry for too long, though, because mickey gives him that patented eyebrow wiggle and puts on ocean avenue.
obviously, their repertoire isn't just rock songs, but pop classics and slow ballads, too. one's are to mime and run around the apartment for, the other for getting ready for bed. ian records it all.
years later, at carl's (second) wedding, ian's not even that mad to miss out on a slow dance with his husband when he sees him dancing with their daughter in her puffy flower girl dress.
