Mickey - The View From Here - Gallavich

Dumb Kids

Debbie had an unwanted house guest, Julia; the teenager Sandy had been bickering with and apparently punched in the face. Ian and I could hear Debbie pleading with her for reason as we got ready for our wedding in Ian's old bedroom.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" we could hear Debbie groan at her guest.

The arguing was strangely comforting. This day would feel too peculiar if someone wasn't getting into it with someone else. The calm of quiet was too soft for Southside trash the likes of us.

"What the fuck? Why did I pick a bow tie?" I complained, flustered as my anxiety mounted. I tugged at the tie around my neck with hopelessness. "Shoulda just got a clip on. Fuck."

"Here," Ian offered in a soft tone as he approached me.

Taking a breath, I focused on my soon-to-be-husband and let my anxiety fall away. Aside from Terry, there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Today was going to be a good day, we had a whole crew of people seeing just to that. Today, I was lucky enough to be living a dream I had thought wasn't possible for too long. All I wanted was to be his husband, for him to be mine, for us to officially acknowledge the family we had chosen for ourselves.

Since I had never felt so lucky, I decided not to take a single moment of this day or any day to follow for granted.

Still enamored by his gentle cadence and handsome face after all these years, I watched him concentrate as he dealt with my tie for me.

"You want kids?" he asked me as his we listened to his sister bicker with who was essentially a child.

Replying with a joke, I said, "hell no. With your mental problems and my family's comfort with committing homicides?" I gave my head a quick shake.

Busy with my bow tie, Ian thought on this. "You end up marrying Debbie, could knock out a couple. We could raise 'em together."

I almost cringed. It wasn't that Debbie wasn't an attractive young woman, but that wasn't what I saw when I looked at her. I saw the little girl I met when Ian and I first started together. "You want me banging your little sister?"

His green eyes darted up to the ceiling like they always did when a thought popped into his head. "Yeah, probably be too weird."

"Yeah, you think?"

We both chuckled, but I found my mind drifting to a past life. Before I could stop myself, I wondered how Yevgeny was doing. He must have been in school by now, happy, healthy, and oblivious he had ever been called a Milkovich. I told myself not to miss him. The kid was better off. Even so, it got me thinking.

"I wouldn't mind a kid or two, though."

When his gaze met mine for only an instant, I smiled and conceded, "well, there's plenty of strays wandering around the neighborhood. I'm sure we can pick one up for cheap."

He had been great (most of the time) with Yevgeny. I couldn't wait to see him with our own kids. He could teach them about all that health shit he was into, teach them how to talk about stuff so they wouldn't be as fucked up as us, teach them all the million other things he was good at. I'd teach them how to throw a punch, how to aim, how to pickpocket, etc. Our kids would be unstoppable.

Finished with my tie, Ian stepped back and took a good look at me. "Wow. You're an ugly motherfucker."

So sweet.

I smirked and shot back, "yeah, well, at least I don't have to hide in a coffin 'til the sun goes down."

Ian chuckled before we took a moment to stare at one another in our tuxes. With some relief, he posed the question, "you ready to do this, Milkovich?"

I let my eyes rest on his lips. "Damn straight, Gallagher."

Who would have thought years and years ago that when Ian Gallagher snuck into my bedroom to retrieve Kash's gun, it would lead here? We were kids when we met and still kids, though older when we finally noticed one another. Depending on your age, dear reader, we were still kids today in our early twenties. Maybe we had always been meant to be. Always meant to wind up together. Or maybe we were just a couple of dumb kids with a shit-ton of dumb luck. Either way, my life was panning out in the best possible direction

Ian held the back of my head gently in his hand before he kissed me. We rested our foreheads together and, after a minute of peace, we opened the bedroom door and rushed to the Polish Doll with the others.