You And Me (Gallavich)

When Ian Met Mickey

When Ian met Mickey, it was at a very bad time. Mickey had just seen his mother for the first time after believing she was dead for the last 10 years. No doubt the boy was distraught and overwhelmed.

When Ian met Mickey, he was heartbroken. Ian always had a soft spot for the broken ones, because he could see himself in them. But with Mickey, Ian didn't really see himself. Instead he saw so much more than that. He saw chance, future, hope. Ian could never say that for himself.

Ian helped Mickey. He gave him a lot to be of use to the black haired boy. He wanted to see Mickey grow into a better person, and maybe if he was extremely lucky, he could be apart of Mickey's better life.

When Ian met Mickey, he never imagined a relationship as powerful as theirs. He never imagined that he could be so in love. Especially with a guy like Mickey, of all people.

When Ian met Mickey, he knew there would be one day where it would all go to shit. What he didn't know, was that it would he his fault.

Now, as Ian sits on the porch of the Gallagher house, just minutes after storming out on Mickey, the moon appearing in the sky, Ian realized he wishes he'd never met Mickey.

"I'm gonna ask one thing from you, Ian," Mickey had said once, pressed up against Ian late at night, just after the boys had made up after a fight.

Ian exhaled the smoke from the cigarette into the air. "Yeah?"

Mickey turned his head sideways onto Ian's chest and breathed in, eyes closing slowly. "Don't go crazy on me, alright? Just don't... lose your shit. I need one sane person in my life."

When Ian met Mickey, he felt like the most sane person around. Now, as Ian stared at the moon with tears blinding his eyes, he feels like the craziest person alive.

Murderer. Murderer.

Ian dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to shut that voice out of his head. Murdering someone was a bigger deal than he thought. He couldn't stop thinking about it. About Linda, about Kash's now fatherless children- it ate away at him. But he did it for Mickey. Mickey was supposed to be worth it.

Mickey didn't even acknowledge it. Ian should've known better than to think Mickey would care. And Maria... she was right.

"You run out on a Milkovich like that, they don't forgive you easy," she had said while shoveling dirt on top of Kash's dead corpse. Ian stopped shoveling and looked at her. Maria glanced up at him wearily. "Trust me, I would know."

Ian wouldn't say he had bonded with Maria, but in a way, he got a better sense of her. Even when Ian had asked why are you helping me? She replied because you're family now.

To Maria, possibly the most protective Milkovich, Ian was considered family. Their family. That meant a lot to Ian. He might've expected those words from Mickey, hell, maybe even Colin, but not Maria.

Out of all the Milkovich kids, Colin was the most alike to Maria. Confident, strong and protective. Maybe he wasn't as crazy as his mother turned out to be, but Ian believed that there must have been a time when they both saw eye to eye on something.