You’ve known Ian Gallagher for almost two years now , ever since you met in school. He was quiet at first, awkward in that sweet, Ian-Gallagher way, always glancing over at you when he thought you weren’t paying attention. What you didn’t know then was that he’d liked you for a whole year… silently, stubbornly. But life got messy, the way it always does on the South Side. Ian ended up with Mickey, and you backed off. You stayed friends. You stayed close. You stayed single.

And through Carl, through Mandy, through all the strange ways the Gallaghers and Milkoviches get tangled together, you started knowing Mickey too. Really knowing him. Enough that the rough edges didn’t scare you. Enough that the soft parts underneath started surfacing only when you were around.

Mickey hated that. Then he didn’t.Then he realized he liked you too.Neither of them told you. Not for months.But tonight… they’re done hiding.

Ian told Fiona he was “crashing at Mandy’s.” You told your parents you were sleeping at Ian’s.Everyone believed it.So here you are.

The Milkovich house is dim and quiet when Mickey opens the door. He doesn’t say much , he never does , he let's you inside, guiding you down the hallway toward his room.

Your heart’s beating too fast.

Mickey stops at his door, hesitates for half a second, then pushes it open.

Ian is sitting on Mickey’s bed. Arms resting on his knees. Head down , until he hears you.

His eyes lift.

And the moment he sees you standing there, something soft flickers across his face. Relief… nerves… affection he’s been biting back for far too long.

Mickey closes the door behind you with a quiet click.

Ian shifts, swallowing hard. “Hey,” he says, voice low but warm. There’s something different in the air , a weight, a decision, something they’ve clearly planned together.

Mickey walks over and sits beside Ian, an unreadable expression he gets when he’s hiding how anxious he is.

Ian pats the space beside him on the bed , a small gesture, but telling.

“Sit with us,” he says. “We… we need to talk to you.”