Chapter Text
It started one night after lights out. Ian was in a silent battle with his anxiety over how time was beginning to blur. It had been a long while already and yet somehow he still had over a year left to serve. That couldn't be right, he thought. It couldn't.
Enough time had passed that he had settled into the routine of life behind bars, had adapted and taken on a second personality for his time outside of their cell, and yet still it had only been months. Time had warped. It felt different, now.
He tried to tell himself that maybe he should lean into it. Let himself drift through these strange non-days, until one day he would only have thirty left. Maybe it was for the best. Or maybe it would make it feel even longer giving into it like that?
Ian irritably rubbed his forehead and for the hundredth time tried to push the entire thing from his mind. This was futile, as his restless bouncing foot served to remind him of the tightness in his chest that it was trying to expel. That's when Mickey's voice drifted through the darkness.
“Hey, ya know those apartments on McKinley? Next to the old Blockbuster?”
Ian was so caught off guard he didn't immediately reply. He had thought Mickey had crashed out over an hour ago.
“Yeah, what about 'em?”
“I'm just thinking they might be doable for me.”
What was he talking about?
“They're the right level of shitty,” continued Mickey, “Shitty enough that rents not bad, but not so shitty that the plumbing doesn't work.”
“Yeah,” rasped Ian. He cleared his dry throat before continuing more clearly, “Annie Wallace lives there with her babydaddy, I think.”
Mickey scoffed. “I'm surprised she's not lying dead in a crack den.”
“No, she cleaned up her act after highschool. I heard she's a good mom.”
“Well, see that proves my point. Shitty and cheap, but not too shitty for a family like that. They still have a high turn over rate, right?”
“I dunno.”
“Guess I'll find out,” murmured Mickey.
“Why are you talking about getting an apartment?” asked Ian finally, unable to silence his curiosity.
“Where the hell else am I supposed to go? Back to my dad?” Mickey snorted, “I'm sure that would be a nice family reunion.”
Ian was even more confused, now. He actually felt some hesitation before suggesting what he thought was obvious, “Wouldn't you come stay with me?”
Silence.
Ian's eyes wandered the stains on the ceiling for a long moment as he waited for a reply that didn't come. That's when he rolled off the side of his bunk onto the floor. Mickey was laying the same way he always slept, curled up with his back to the wall. Their eyes briefly met as Ian casually slipped in next to him. There was a hint of a scowl on Mickey's face that warned Ian of something hiding below the surface.
“Did I miss something?” inquired Ian, “Why wouldn't you just come stay with me when you get out?”
“I have two and a half years on you, Gallagher.”
“Yeah, but you know you'll be out sooner than that—So long as you behave.”
Mickey rolled his eyes, murmuring, “We'll see.”
Ian became briefly distracted as their feet touched. He looked down between them as he slipped one foot between Mickey's ankles and began to move it up and down a bit. When his gaze returned to Mickey he found his eyes had been wandering around Ian's face.
“You'll probably be out sooner than you think,” said Mickey, and Ian almost felt guilty for how relieved that made him feel. “So, I'll be stuck in here for like three years after your ass is gone.”
“What's your point? You planning on shacking up with someone else in here once I'm gone?”
“Fuck no. I'm just sayin' that, ya know, I don't know what'll be going on with you by the time I get out.”
“Mick...”
Ian frowned and reached out to Mickey. Already they were super close due to the narrow bunk, but he moved even closer still.
“It's cool,” spoke Mickey casually, “I'm just not expecting you to wait for me.”
“Because I didn't last time?”
Mickey's brows went up and he nodded with a tight shrug. Ian's stomach clenched uncomfortably.
“I don't blame you for thinking that way. That's on me.”
“It's fine, Ian. We've talked about it before, you were going through a lot then.”
“So were you,” mumbled Ian.
“And you were trying to better yourself,” Mickey pressed on, “You were trying to have that normal ass prime time tv life. If I had the opportunities you had then, I might do the same. Who wouldn't want that calm normal shit?”
“Really? You want that kind of life?”
“The fuck you think I'm talking about apartments for? I've gotta have a permanent address and job for probation. You think I'm just going to high-tail it outta here when I'm released?”
“No, but you never really walked the legal route after jail before.”
“Jail time. County is one thing. I don't ever want to come back to this piece of shit place, again. And can't we agree that I've had enough adventure to last a lifetime?”
Ian chuckled. “I guess I'm just surprised to hear you talk about having a normal life.”
“I tried to have it with you, didn't I?”
Ian's heart skipped. He was right, even if it hadn't looked entirely normal, it was. Even now he could imagine the whole bag of vitamins Mickey had bought him from the pharmacy and the way he had helped Ian navigate his days in the healthiest way possible at that time. Hell, he could remember the feel of them laying down in the same bed every night together, how it was to have frequent showers together, or the way they would text each other updates throughout the day, and not to mention the total normalcy of unwinding at the end of the day on the couch with tv and dinner. They had had those very normal things before.
“I mean, it's not like I had a legal job or some shit, but that was the most normal my life has ever been,” added Mickey with a dark laugh that followed.
Ian cleared the last of the space between them and pressed his forehead to his. He shut his eyes but reached his fingers up to Mickey's hair. He inhaled some of Mickey's discarded breath and licked his lips.
“Mick,” Ian spoke softly, mustering up all of his sincerity for the next words, “I promise I will wait for you this time.”
“I said it's fine,” returned Mickey with a clearly forced gentleness, “Look, just worry about you when you get out. You've gotta figure all your shit out and who knows where life's gonna take ya this time. We'll see when I get out what's going on.”
Ian's throat tightened listening to him, his heart beat hard and painfully in his chest. He pulled back enough to look Mickey in the eye, though he seemed to be avoiding Ian's gaze a bit.
“Mickey, listen to me. I'm going to wait for you. I promise.”
“Okay, alright,” chuckled Mickey. “Don't get so worked up about it right now.”
Mickey really didn't believe him. He was just trying to dismiss it.
Ian looked to Mickey's strange half smile while he felt Mickey's fingertips slide up his forearm. What was all this? The past several months they had been nothing but fiery passion. It was unavoidable that they both knew—so obviously knew—that they were just meant to be. They were a perfect fit. They had both grown and changed in their time apart and came back together understanding each other better than ever. Every time they kissed, or touched, or fucked, Ian felt with every fiber of his being that they made more sense together than anything else ever could.
Ian was so sure that this was the start to the rest of their life together. But, now he was suddenly forced to see that those certain thoughts were one-sided. Mickey was just enjoying every second he could get with him, while he could, apparently.
A heavy weight slipped over Ian's entire body and he contemplated going back to his bunk to pretend he was asleep, to slip into the dark hole that beckoned him.
“Hey whoa, what's with the sad eyes, Red?”
What if the damage he had done to Mickey was irreversible? What if Mickey would always be waiting for Ian to abandon him?
“Ian?”
Mickey's sweet hand caressed Ian's cheek and in response he swallowed roughly, loudly.
“I'm sorry, Mickey,” whispered Ian thickly.
“C'mon, man, don't be like that.”
“No, I-I know why I made the choices I did. I know that you know and understand why, too. But, I still...You don't have the same faith in me as I do you.”
“That's not true.”
“It is,” argued Ian, louder than he'd meant. “And I have to figure out how to fix that, because I'm in it for the long haul with you.”
Mickey smiled again, but this time it was real and so warm. He leaned in and pressed those loving lips to Ian's. It didn't take more than a second for Ian to open the kiss up to a more consuming, desperate one. Mickey responded with a matching heat that brought back the same thoughts as always; They fit perfectly together. How could their lives be anything but conjoined?
They soon shifted until Ian was pressing Mickey into the thin mattress, pouring all of his feelings into wide silky kisses that grew hotter and hotter, faster and hungrier, until Mickey was grinding up against Ian's hardening cock.
Ian groaned into Mickey's mouth before pulling away enough to press his tingling lips to the side of Mickey's neck, instead.
Mickey sucked in a breath as Ian's warm tongue slid up his neck. He grasped onto Ian's red hair that was finally growing out enough to be gripped. Ian then nibbled at Mickey's earlobe while he began to grind into Mickey with a steady rhythm.
“You're worth waiting for,” he breathed against Mickey's ear.
Mickey swore audibly as Ian's tongue slipped into his ear. Ian leaned against the cold wall as he slipped his hand down to the lowest buttons on Mickey's jumper. With a quick tug they came apart and his hand dove inside. As soon as he had Mickey in hand his desperate feelings implored his hand to move quickly.
Mickey moaned and sought out Ian's lips, kissing him wildly and roughly. He sucked hard on Ian's tongue, keeping it hostage in his mouth for a moment as he began to meet Ian's strokes with needy thrusting. Ian let out a soft whine, rubbing his face against Mickey's.
“I want you in my future, so bad, Mick,” he spoke weakly, jerking his hand even faster and squeezing just a tiny bit more. “I need you. You know that, right? I need you.”
“I need you, too,” returned Mickey breathlessly.
Those words turned the passion within Ian into a blazing wild fire. He kissed Mickey fervently once more before pulling away and moving down to take him in his mouth instead. He swallowed him down a little too quickly and choked, but recovered quickly with determination.
“Jesus christ, Ian,” gasped Mickey.
Ian looked up to see Mickey gripping the blanket below him, panting endlessly. This is what he wanted. Mickey had proven time and time again that he would do anything for Ian, in spite of how many obstacles they faced. He could never thank Mickey enough for loving him when he thought he was unlovable, or difficult. For being the one to always go the extra mile for him. And now they finally, finally, had a chance at a permanent future together and Ian wanted this. He wanted Mickey writhing in bliss until the end of their days. He groaned with pleasure around Mickey at the thought.
It didn't take long, with the vigorous and greedy way Ian sucked and bobbed on him, for Mickey to orgasm. Ian raised his gaze to Mickey's again and locked it as he consumed every last drop from him eagerly.