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It’s just after midnight when Mickey stumbles through the doors and makes his way up the stairs. He’s sore, tired and sweaty from work and doing overtime, all he needs now is sleep. He looks through the crack in his daughters room and smiles before heading toward his own.
He shuffles into his room and strips to his boxers before getting under the sheets. A sigh of relief leaves his mouth as he settles under warm sheets and a smile blooms his face when an arm wraps around him.
“Hey, handsome,” the man under the sheets says, leaving tender kisses on his neck. “We gotta make this quick, my husbands gonna be home soon, won’t blow over good for you.”
“Is that right?” Mickey asks, turning his head to rub his lips over his forehead. “Think I could take the guy on?”
“Fuck no, he’s a hulk. Toughest guy I know.” The man in question presses another kiss to Mickey’s jaw and then right over his ear.
“Eh, doesn’t sound like a threat,” Mickey says, smiling at the feeling of warm lips pressed against his skin. “Gallagher.”
The redhead shifts up and he smiles widely, green hues bright and happy. “Hi, Mickey,” he whispers and then slots their lips together in a warm, languid kiss. It tastes like midnight cigarettes, lemonade and mint, it tastes like coming home.
Ian hums into Mickey's mouth and rests his hand on Mickey’s chest, moving it lower and lower and then-
“Tato?” their daughter's voice rings out from down the hall.
“Probably a bad dream.” Ian pushes off Mickey and just as he’s about to turn, Mickey catches his wrist.
“She called tato, that’s me, tough guy.”
“Mick, you’re worn out. Just let me-”
“Babe, relax. I got this, alright?” Mickey gives him a reassuring smile before leaving the room.
He finds their daughter sitting on her bed, rocking back and forth. Mickey hasn’t seen her for the past week because of how early he leaves and late he comes back but she’s still as beautiful as ever. If anything, more now than ever with her glowing, pale skin and doe eyes.
“Hey, princess. What’s the matter?” He picks her up and smooths down her curly, red hair that’s standing in every which way. She looks like Ian’s twin.
“Bad dream, tato,” she whispers and tucks her face in her dad's neck.
Mickey grabs her stuffed Mickey Mouse toy, knowing she’ll ask for it then heads back to their bedroom. He lays her on their bed and she immediately curls into Ian’s side.
She’s found comfort in Ian’s arms ever since she was born. Whenever she gets hurt or cry’s, it’s her daddy’s warmth that makes her feel okay again and Mickey will never get tires of seeing it--of seeing how good Ian is with their baby girl.
“Hi, bug. You’re okay now,” Ian whispers into her hair while threading his fingers through it gently.
Mickey wraps his arm around the both of them and can’t help but smile. “Always stealin’ daddy from me,” he says, tickling her feet.
She giggles into her daddy’s neck, her dad can always make her laugh. Before they know it, soft snores are coming from her.
“Jealous?” Ian queries, a grin on his face.
“Nah. Your husband that’s comin’ home might be though,” he says, pulling the sheets over the three of them and getting comfortable.
Ian grins, always fond of their games. “Mm. Well maybe I can get him to stay out for the night.” He wraps his hand around Mickey’s face and caresses it gently. “Kinda like what I have here.”
Mickey hums and then asks, “what exactly do you got here?”
Ian doesn’t miss a beat when he says, “my whole life.” He smiles, the soft one that reaches his eyes and makes them crinkle.
Mickey doesn’t know how Ian does it, that too so effortlessly- say sweet things without so much a flinch. He feels lucky, the luckiest man in the world to have Ian even after all they’ve been through. To have Ian stand by him when no one did, when he pushed him away and didn’t want anyone on his side. They always came back together and now they’ll stay forever.
He can’t imagine his life without him, without the small and perfectly imperfect family they’ve made.
He falls asleep to the thought of his family.
When Mickey wakes the next day, his hand instinctively searches for Ian on his side. Remembering they had their daughter in bed too, his eyes flicker open quickly as he sits up.
“Hey, relax,” Ian says, stopping to pick up the dirty launder and resting a hand on his shoulder. “She’s watching cartoons, even helped me make breakfast.”
Mickey nods, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he falls back onto the bed. But not without catching Ian’s hand and pulling him down abruptly.
“Morning,” Ian mumbles over Mickey’s lips then kisses them, then his chin and then his neck. “You’re sexy when you get all protective.”
“And when I’m not protective?” Mickey breathes out, the feeling of Ian’s warm lips all over his skin getting too much.
Ian moves his way back up Mickey neck, hovering over his face again. “Still sexy as fuck,” he says.
The tips of Mickey’s ears go pink, compliments from Ian will never not make him giddy and warm, leave him speechless more times than not.
“What? That too much for you, baby?” Ian asks, knowing he‘s got Mickey right where he wants him— literally and figuratively.
“What--no, I-” he sputters out a litany of useless words and shakes his head. He goes to move his arms, to touch Ian because he knows how Ian gets but he can’t.
Ian’s holding his wrists down on either side of his head and when the fuck did that happen? Mickey thinks.
“You’re too easy, Mickey.” Ian takes Mickey’s speechlessness as his cue to once again lean down and slot their lips together in a much more heated kiss, all tongue and teeth, biting his bottom lip and dragging it out as slow as he pleases.
They’re both left panting moments after they break away for air, Ian letting go of Mickey’s hands and sitting over his hips now.
“Good fuckin morning to me, huh?” Mickey says breathlessly, his hands running up and down Ian’s thighs.
“Yeah.” Ian grins, his knuckles brushing over Mickey’s bare abdomen. “And clearly not to me, go brush your fucking teeth.”
Just as Ian’s about to stand, Mickey grabs both his arm and flips them on the bed. “Didn’t hear you complainin’ with your tongue shoved down my throat.” Mickey raises his brows, slotting a leg between Ian’s.
Ian’s mouth falls open. “Mick,” he breathes out, about to speak again but-
“Dad-” she stops right in front of their door when she sees them and her eyes widen. She jumps onto the bed and onto Mickey’s back. “Tickle fight!”
Mickey’s demeanor changes as he sees their daughters small arms wrap around his neck. How can he ever say no to his two red heads? He pulls her down onto the bed and tickles her toes and then moves to her belly as she laughs loudly.
Ian lays on his side and watches the two of them- his family, smiling and laughing. It’s a good feeling.
Mickey pulls her shirt up and blows raspberries into her stomach until she’s pushing at his shoulders, until they’re all overwhelmed with laughter.
“Can we go swimming at aunty Fi’s house?” Sophia asks, turning her head to Ian.
“Sure, Soph.” Then he looks at Mickey and says, “but you gotta teach tato how to swim.” His eyes are teasing and so is his grin before he looks back at Sophia.
“Hi-larious,” Mickey deadpans, slapping at Ian’s thigh. “Go pick out somethin’ to wear,” he tells Sophia as she skips out the room.
Mickey falls back onto the bed the same way as Ian, their knees bent at the edge of the bed. “You know she’s gonna put on the first thing she finds, right?”
“Yeah and cause she’s your daughter, it’ll be one of the cutoffs you made for her,” Ian says, a smile on his face as he sits up. Thinking back to the night where they spent their Saturday on the living room floor making cut off t-shirts for Sophia cause she wanted to be like Tato.
When Mickey’s half way through his stack of banana pancakes and Ian’s done cleaning the kitchen, Sophia appears.
Just like Ian said, she’s wearing a black cut off shirt and a pair of jean shorts that sit above her knees. “All done,” she says, her hands on her hips.
Mickey swallows his mouthful, a knowing smirk etching his lips before he licks them. Just then he turns to Ian who's already grinning at him because does he know his daughter or what?
“Don’t you look cute.” Ian picks her up and she wraps her legs around him. “Hairs lookin’ kinda crazy though. How about I do your braids and Mickey Mouse gets dressed.”
Mickey rolls his eyes as the two of them giggle before heading into their room to change.
Ian sits on the couch with Sophia between his legs and parts her curly red hair into two sections. “No moving, bub.”
She silently nods but once Ian starts of course she starts tilting her head to look at the TV.
Ian tells her not to move once-twice more but eventually gives up because she’s Mickey’s daughter and patience isn’t her thing. When he’s done with the braids, they both still come out clean and tight knit, just like how they used to with Debs.
She stands facing Ian as he moves loose strands behind her ears. “Now you look exactly like daddy Mick,” he says, more to himself than her.
And to no one's surprise, Mickey walks out in his own black cut off tank and pair of dark blue shorts that were once Ian’s sweatpants.
Mickey throws her up into the air before catching her and placing her on his hip. “Think it looks better on me,” Mickey says jokingly.
Sophia's brows furrow, as if what her dad just said is completely offensive. She crosses her arms over her little chest and Ian’s all but trying to hold back his laughter (but also his tears).
He takes his phone out and clicks a quick picture of them before saying, “my Sophie baby wins.” He kisses her cheek then gives in and kisses Mickey’s too.
When Mickey and Sophia are in the car and Ian’s locking up the doors, he takes his phone out and opens Instagram.
He pulls up the picture he took and smiles before posting it with the caption, ‘my two queens.’
Just then Mickey’s phone buzzes, IanGallagher just shared a post
—and so fucking what if he gets alerted when Ian posts something?
When he sees the photo, he can’t help the chuckle that escapes him. He turns his phone to show Sophia in the back and she beams.
“Looks better on you,” Mickey admits.
She grins, petting the stuffed toy and says, “I know.”
When they get to the Gallagher house, it’s nothing short of a party. Everyone's there, including the nieces and nephews, Kev, Vee and their twins too.
Kev and Lip are starting the barbecue up and Debbie’s pushing Carl into the pool just as they arrive. They make their way through the crowd and then Sophia's holding hands with Franny and jumping into the pool.
The sight pulls at Mickey’s heart strings as he takes hold of Ian’s hand and squeezes it. “Ian,” he says.
Ian turns with two beers in one hand and raises his brows.
“I want another kid.” He looks at the girls laughing for a second longer then back to Ian.
And Ian remembers when he’d said he wouldn’t mind a kid or two.
“You mean now?” He hands Mickey a beer and backs him against the brick wall. “We could start trying,” he teases.
“C’mon. Be serious, you dick.”
“I am. Let’s have another kid. I’d say the next one should look like you but,” he stops and turns his head to their daughter who's dunking Freddie into the water. “She acts exactly like you.”
Ian promises to talk about it once they get home.
After Ian’s had his fun in the pool with all the kids he makes his way to sit on the steps, watching everyone laughing, eating and having a good time.
“She reminds me of you,” Fiona says, sitting beside Ian and grabbing his beer. “High on life, always making everyone around her laugh.”
Ian smiles as they both watch his daughter laughing and eating her burger with the help of Mickey, her face a complete mess.
“Knew how stressed you were as a kid with all of us, long as I made you laugh,” he pauses, looks at her, “I did my job.”
Fiona bumps their shoulders. “You two did good with her.” She hands him the beer bottle back. “You used to be my sweet face and now,” she pauses, just watching them.
So Ian finishes for her when he says, “and now I’ve got my own little sweet face.”
When she turns to look at him, she’s got a wobbly smile on her face. She places a hand on his face and kisses his cheek. “I’m real fuckin’ proud of you,” she says, and then, for old times sake, “sweet face.”
Just then Lip throws an arm around the both of them from behind and takes a seat between them. It’s cramped but oddly comfortable, just like the Gallagher house has always been. “I’m proud of you too, sweet face,” he teases and then, because it’s him, pulls him close and presses a kiss to his temple, mumbling soft bitch along the way.
Freddie and Sophia both run over to the three of them with Mickey not looking particularly happy in tow.
“Uncle E?” Freddy sits in Fiona’s lap, all eyes on him as he talks.
“Yeah, bud?”
“Why’d you call uncle Mick a queen for?” He’s got the most innocent look on his face and Ian has to try his hardest to keep his laughter down.
Ian looks up to Mickey who's glaring at him so he does what he knows best.
“Cause he’s beautiful,” he says and this time when he looks at Mickey, the glare is replaced with something soft.
Lip snorts. “Yeah, sure. That’s why,” he says mostly under his breath.
Fiona socks him in the shoulder and Ian wraps his arm around his neck tightly and pulls him into his chest— just like old times.
Sophia grins and cheers her dad on but it’s what Freddie says that makes everyone else laugh.
“Does that mean Dad’s a queen, too?”
It’s enough to make all of the adults pause, look at one another and then burst into laughter. Fiona’s hugging Freddie tightly as she laughs and presses a kiss into his curly hair.
Just as Mickey says yeah, Ian cuts him off, “no, Fred, not everyone can say that,” he says, his laughter subduing as he lets Lip move back.
“Ha-ha, laugh it up.” Lip tousles Freddie’s hair and can’t help but smile. Where once he was lost and hurting, now he sees a future behind his son's eyes.
The sound of an ice-cream truck breaks them from their moment, they all go to the front to fulfill their summer time cravings.
Then it’s just Ian and Mickey.
Mickey a step below Ian.
Ian’s legs on either side of him, arms wrapped around him—holding, loving, protecting him.
Mickey turns his head up from where it’s pressed against his chest and Ian looks down, faces upside down.
Mickey opens his mouth but it’s Ian that says, “I know.”
And Mickey shouldn’t even be surprised but he is, of course Ian knows, Ian knows it all.
They meet halfway in a warm kiss, Ian’s hands caressing Mickey’s jaw.
Mickey knows he’d do it all over again if it meant he could be right here.
