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He wanted to be with Mickey. It was as simple as that. Even after spending two years in a cell with the dark haired man, they were never really alone. There was always someone breathing over their shoulder. They always had to have their guard up. They were together but not in the way they wanted to be.
Mickey had stashed away some cash before he’d gotten himself locked up again. Ian wasn’t even a little bit surprised when his boyfriend told him. Mickey always had a plan. He said he’d made the plan as soon as he saw Ian popping up in the news. He said he knew something was wrong. He said that homophobia had always been Ian’s kryptonite when he was manic and Ian laughed, thinking back to the homophobic priest that they’d tricked into getting a hummer from a man. He said that he’d started putting away money instantly and spoke to a lawyer in Mexico to find out what the outcome would be if he turned himself in. He said that when the lawyer told him his best bet was to rat out the people he was working for, he didn’t even think about it. From there, he knew exactly what he was going to do.
Mickey managed to get way more time off his sentence than anyone expected. That bit, however, surprised the hell out of Ian. In that moment, he was convinced that Mickey was born to negotiate. There was only a handful of months between their release dates but Mickey would be on parole for much longer than Ian would.
As Ian grabbed the bag full of the belongings he’d brought in with him, he weirdly felt sad to be leaving. He wouldn’t miss the food, showering with other people, or the uncomfortable bed, but being away from Mickey was going to tear him up. He knew that. Going from seeing him everyday to maybe three times a week was going to be one hell of an adjustment. But he was going to fucking wait this time. Not only did he owe it to Mickey, but he just simply didn’t want to be with anyone else.
They decided early on that they were going to get a place together with the money that Mickey stashed away when he got out. Until then, Ian would stay at the Gallagher house, get a job, save up as much as he could to add on to Mickey’s money, visit Mickey every free day he had, and just wait. Wait until they could be together. And that’s exactly what he did.
The day was finally here. Mickey was getting out and staying at the Gallagher house with him until they found an apartment together. His siblings didn’t know that, but none of them were ever really there anyway. They all had their own lives. Ian hadn’t even told them about Mickey yet. He wanted to, more than anything, but something in his head just kept telling him that he’d regret it. That his family would try to talk him out of it or if he put it out into the universe, the universe would fuck them once again. So he kept his mouth shut, told his family a friend would be staying at the house with him for a little bit, and drove to the prison. They were all going to be there to greet Mickey. They just didn’t know it would be Mickey walking through the door. Ian figured once Mickey got through the door, they were in the clear.
Ian’s stomach nearly dropped when he saw his boyfriend coming through the door from where he stood, leaning against his car. When Mickey spotted him, his face lit up but he tried to hide his smile. Ian didn’t care as much. A grin spread across his face and he pushed himself away from the car and walked forward so he could meet Mickey half way.
They wrapped each other in a crushing hug and didn’t let go for far too long. Feeling Mickey against him after almost a year of only seeing him through bulletproof glass was something he hoped he’d never have to feel again. They’d been separated way too much for Ian to enjoy reuniting. Reuniting for them always led to separation and he promised himself the second Mickey had walked into that cell on his first day of prison that he’d never let them be separated again.
“Ready to go?” Ian asked, his voice choked up slightly, not even letting the shorter man go when he asked.
Mickey nodded but he didn’t release his hold on Ian either. Ian chuckled and finally forced himself to untangle their bodies and walk back to the car. The ride back was quiet. Their fingers tangled together on the middle console, both of them refusing to break physical contact until it was absolutely necessary.
Mickey seemed nervous when they stood outside of the house. Ian couldn’t really blame him for it. His family wasn’t really known for reacting well to things they weren’t expecting. But every single one of the Gallagher’s loved Mickey. Besides Frank, but Frank didn’t love anyone. When the shock passes, Ian had no doubt that everyone would be more than happy to have him back in their lives.
“Just let me know when you’re ready,” Ian said, pressing his hand to Mickey’s lower back.
Mickey scowled at him. “I’m not some little kid on the first day of kindergarten. Let’s fuckin’ go,” he grumbled, making his way up the stairs.
Ian chuckled and followed, opening the door and letting Mickey step in first. “We’re here,” Ian called out, shutting the door behind him and following the voices of his family into the kitchen with Mickey on his heels.
One by one, his siblings stopped talking as they each realized who was standing in the room. Mickey waved awkwardly as they stared at him, the room becoming more uncomfortable with every passing, silent second. To Ian’s surprise, Debbie was the first one to react. She left her seat next to Franny and rushed to wrap her arms tightly around Mickey’s middle.
Mickey was momentarily stunned, grunting from the force she had barreled at him. He didn’t waste time hugging her back, though, one arm wrapping around her shoulders and using his other to rest his hand against the back of her head to hold her in place.
“I’m sorry,” Debbie choked out.
“The fuck do you have to be sorry about?” Mickey asked, confusion painting his face.
“I should’ve said something. Anything. I shouldn’t have let you take the fall for Sammi,” she explained, burying her face in his chest.
“Fuck off, you wouldn’t have made it in prison,” Mickey teased, playfully pushing her away from him. “You’d have become someone’s bitch real quick.”
Debbie managed a chuckle and flipped him off before wiping her face with the back of her hand. Mickey seemed to have forgotten the rest of the family there because he seemed shocked to see them still staring at him.
“It’s Mickey? Mickey is the one staying here?” Lip finally spoke up, looking at his younger brother.
Ian nodded. “That a problem?”
“Not if he’s gonna help out with bills,” Fiona shrugged, standing up to wrap Mickey in a hug. “Good to have you back,” she said quietly, assumably just for Mickey to hear, but Ian heard it anyway, a small smile stretching across his face.
‘Thank you,’ he mouthed to his older sister, getting a wink in response before she pulled away from the hug.
“Why don’t you go get settled, Mickey. We’ll go to patsy’s for dinner later,” she said, nodding her head towards the stairs.
Mickey and Ian both agreed and made their way upstairs to Ian’s room which had used to be Lip’s room before he moved out. Ian tackled his boyfriend on to the bed, making them both laugh happily.
“We made it,” Ian said quietly when they calmed down.
“Not yet,” Mickey replied, looking him in the eye. “There’s no guarantee.”
“I’m not fucking going anywhere. Ever. So unless you have plans to bail,” Ian trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.
“Not a chance in hell,” Mickey scoffed, pressing his lips against Ian’s.
So, it was settled. They’d made it.