without you | gallavich

Ch. 12

thank you guys for being patient & I lied
I didn't think I was going to finish today

They say when you see your soulmate for the first time, you know. This wasn't the case for Mickey. The first time he saw Ian Gallagher, all he knew was that he was an ambitious, lanky Gallagher who had big dreams with a big smile. Everything that Mickey wasn't.

It had been years since they first saw each other but this was the first time Mickey knew. The first time that Mickey knew that Ian was the only one he wanted and the only one he could ever want. He stood at the end of the hall of the hospital, his hands fumbling with the ends of his sleeve. Discomfort was clear on his face and anyone who looked at him for longer than a second would realize that he was having a mental battle with himself.

'Come on Mickey. He's just down the hall.' The boy bit down on his trembling lower lip before glancing over at Lip who was too focused on trying to see his brother's room from where they were standing. This was it. The boy who had brought him back onto his feet was trying to bring him back to the boy he loved.

"You can do it," Lip said quietly, his gaze moving to meet the older boy with a raised eyebrow. He didn't understand why Mickey had been frozen in the same spot for the past ten minutes but knew he'd be in the same position. He went to reach a hand out to his shoulder but Mickey tensed up, tightening the grip he had on the sweater he was wearing - Ian's sweater.  Mikey took a deep breath and glanced at Lip carefully before giving a sad smile. He really wanted to see Ian.

Digging his blunt nails into the walls, Mickey slowly made his way towards the room. He kept his lips pressed tight as he dragged his feet forward, one step after another. He approached the windows of the hospital room and kept his body pressed against the drywall. He could see into the corner of the room but didn't want to risk stepping forward to catch Ian's eye. What if it was all a lie? What if they were just trying to lure him into coming back here to get medical attention? What if Ian wasn't better?

"He's in there," Lip stated, his gaze focused on the trembling black haired boy. He could see the way the Mickey was trembling, the blue eyes filling with tears before he hastily wiped them away. He took a deep breath and stepped into view of the room and suddenly time stopped. There Ian was, a gentle smile on his face as he fiddled with something in his hand. He was staring up and Mandy who was peering over him, a wide grin on her face as she reached out to flick him gently.

It brought Mickey back to their all their firsts, beginning with their meeting.

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Everyone knew the Gallaghers. Frank had a reputation for being an absolute shit-bag and dragging his children into it. Monica had a reputation for being able to bend anyone to her will and then collapsing into the dark for weeks on end. They were a destructive pair and their kids were the ones who took most of the hit. Little Fiona with her broken soul, dragging her brothers around to keep them safe. The genius Lip, trying to figure out what he wasn't doing right and why his parents weren't getting better. And poor little Ian, a heart too big and dreams too loud. They were just children.

"I'm Ian," a small redhead had pipped up, sitting next to Mickey on the high school bleachers. Mickey scowled, sliding away from the younger boy with a scoff.
"Get away from me."

"My mum is at home, not getting out of bed. My dad is drunk and high somewhere. Lip won't come play with me and Fiona is trying to finish her homework. Will you play baseball with me?" Mickey glanced at the boy's worn glove and metal bat before dropping his head. He was supposed to be on lookout for his older brothers to make sure the police didn't stop by.

"I guess so," Mikey mumbled after a few moments of pondering his decisions. He hadn't see any cops drove by in the past hour and he was getting bored. Hopping off the bench, Mickey looked up at Ian with a raised eyebrow and a hand extended for the baseball bat.

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"He's there," Mickey mouthed gently, a soft whistle escaping his lips. He stared at Ian blindly, his entire body numb and cold as he watched the boy smile. He was alive, in all of his glory. Slowly shaking his head, Mickey dragged his feet until he was in the doorway and bit down on his lip gently. Ian's eyes lit up as he looked over at Mickey, his heart immediately picking up its pace.

"You came," Ian breathed and Mickey just stumbled forward and lurched himself into Ian's arms. The redhead immediately tightened his arms around Mickey's body, tucking his head into the crook of his neck. Time seemed to still in the room, the presence of everyone else soon forgotten as the boys bathed in the feeling of relief that overwhelmed them. Mickey's heart raced as he moved his hands to the base of Ian's neck, lifting his head up to stare at the redhead.

"You're here, Mick. I'm here. It's okay." Ian's words were lost as Mickey's eyes began to tear up, raising a hand to wipe the tears as quick as they could fall. He kept his eyes focused on Ian's hypnotizing green ones, searching them for any source of emotion. All he found was love. Mickey rose his hands to Ian's cheeks, tucking his fingers under Ian's jawbone and leaning forward to press his lips against his boyfriend's.

The kiss was softer than any other that Mick could remember and in the back of his mind, he realized why: this was a kiss filled with love. there's no other intention - just a reminder of love. Their lips molded together easily, neither of them even daring to deepen it as they relished in the taste of tears and blood.

"I'm so sorry," Ian mumbled with a broken tone against Mick's lips, tears now flowing down his cheeks. His hands trembled against Mickey's waist before he moved them up to the older boy's shoulders. "I'm sorry Mick." Mickey pulled away and shook his head, giving Ian a lopsided smile as if to say 'it's okay.'

Ian just smiled sympathetically before pulling Mick back close, burying his face in the familiar sweater - his sweater.

Things were far from okay but at least the most important thing in their lives was okay.