Work Text:
Mandy Milkovich isn’t a fool. She knows stuff people don’t want her to know. She knows Mickey is gay. Big fucking deal. She can see sometimes him looking at a guy, he knows how to do it so it’s not particularly standing out but Mandy has a gift when it comes to guess who is fucking who. And she can definitively see when someone wants to fuck someone else. And maybe the gay porn she had found under his bed helped her a bit – she was looking for weed, Mickey always has the best one.
But whatever, this isn’t the part where going to the skatepark becomes interesting. No, the good part comes when she sees someone eye-fucking her brother – well, it does sound gross now. And this someone is Ian Gallagher. So sure, it breaks a bit her heart because she had no idea Ian was gay and she kind of has a crush on him but at least it stays in the family. The redhead comes to the skatepark, sits in a corner like a creep and ogles her brother being a skilled motherfucker on his board.
Mickey is totally obvious – it’s not like he would see anything when his stupid board is near anyway – but he’s always so obvious when it comes to people being attracted to him. Like he can’t see that happens. Her brother has self-loathing problems thanks to their asshole father.
Her stupid bag is way too heavy and she’s angry. Like, so fucking angry. An asshole at the stupid 7-11 decided that it could be fun to pinch her ass. The ass now has a broken nose which is way nicer than what he deserves. But the point is, her ass fucking hurts, she can bet she’s got a nice bruise. Asshole. But all those negative thoughts flows out of the window when she spots her brother. Her brother who is lying on his back on the asphalt with Ian fucking Gallagher kneeling next to him. This looks so much better than the best tv show she has ever seen.
She stops, waiting for her brother to inevitably tell the guy to fuck off and beat the shit out of him. But then, Ian stays and Mickey sits and her stupid asshole brother lights a cigarette like nothing weird is happening. Like him being social isn’t the weirdest thing. Then they’re actually speaking, Ian’s face all broken by a wide smile as Mickey keeps being his usual eighty years old grumpy man – no but seriously, she actually heard the guy screamed at kids to get the fuck of his lawn. Then Ian is still smiling but he’s standing up and waving at her brother like a big goof before going away, sitting in his usual spot.
She watches from afar her brother do his thing and the way Ian’s eyes don’t leave him for a second. It looks like he holds his breath each time her brother’s feet leave the board and winces each time her brother hits the asphalt. She would have bet that actually talking to Mickey would have sent Ian running for the hills. Fuck her brother for having someone actually liking him when she only finds assholes who pinched her ass like it’s a public place. Mickey is lucky even though he doesn’t know it and she’ll be damned if she lets Ian looking like a kicked puppy once more.
Mandy walks to him, blocks his view and she smirks as she catches the way he’s immediately annoyed. He needs to learn patience if he wants anything with her brother. Then he smiles and says hi and she wants to hate him but God, she can’t. Mickey better be nice to him or she’ll shave his stupid head. Then they speak and she sees the way Ian’s green eyes can’t keep away from her brother and she wants to hit him in the face with something. Can’t a guy look at her like that ? but no, of course it’s her dumbass of her brother who gets the hot guy.
And now that asshole is being disgusting and showing the inside of his mouth to Ian and the redhead is actually still smiling and worrying about them. She can’t help the way her face fall. Poor, poor Ian, he doesn’t know how dumb Mickey is. After all, he never had to witness Mickey farting in the living room in his boxers while watching cartoons.
She knows something change not too long after that first time she spoke to Ian. Mickey smells like ice cream and it’s the first time she sees the secret cute little smile that tugs on the corner of her brother’s lips. Mandy is undesirable. Really, she notices that whenever she’s here, all she gets is being flipped off, ignored. But she enjoys the way Mickey keeps glaring at her when she stays sat between them and even the way Ian’s smile is a bit forced. So yeah, she doesn’t have a guy who likes her like Ian seems to like Mickey but she can annoy them to Hell and it’s the next best thing. But sometimes she can’t go because, well, everybody needs to get laid, not just homo boys.
But all go to Hell when Mickey goes to jail though. Ian still comes to the skatepark but he can’t fake happiness and she doesn’t have the heart to tell him how miserable he looks like. She wonders if one day, he’ll tell her about it. She wants to believe that they became close with all that time missing Mickey they spend together.
"How do you know if a guy you've been hanging out with likes you?"
He takes her by surprise, really. She has given up a long time ago to hear anything about any boy Ian might like.
"You like him?"
And she hates herself for the way she worries that her brother might like a guy who doesn't like him back. She knows Mickey, knows he likes Ian, maybe more than he would think. And she knows Ian likes Mickey because it's written all over his face but still, until the person says it, you can't be sure. And even then, sometimes.
"Uh-huh, but I think he hates me."
Ian looks so miserable right now and she hates her father for making Mickey emotionally unavailable. Though, if there's one person who can make Mickey likes someone, it's totally Ian.
"Ask him."
"Doesn't want to talk about it."
She rolls her eyes, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"No guy ever does."
His brows furrow and he seems lost for a moment, looking like a kicked puppy his master left on the side of the road. He's really too cute for a fight against him to be fair. She wonders how Mickey manages to say no to that boy. But then it's not that surprising, her brother being a stubborn asshole.
"How do I know, then?"
"Does he get that look in his eye when he's with you?"
"What look?"
"You'll know when you see it."
And the smile she's handing is full of concern and comfort. She wants to tell him she knows, she wants him to believe her, to trust her but she can wait. She totally can.
Sometimes, she smiles when she sees her brother. There’s a stupid secret smile on Mickey’s face nearly all the time now and she knows it’s Ian, Ian who appeared so bright in Mickey’s life, like a shooting star, Ian who illuminated Mickey’s face with a smile. Mandy Milkovich is not a fool.