#bazgallaghermilkovich

[y0itsbri]

Hi Bri 🥰

C-16 if you'd like to 👀

Coffee dates and disasters

au with college!lip and barista!mandy where ian is a frequent visitor at the campus café and meets mickey under rather unfortunate circumstances. don't cry over spilled milk, buddy.

which also fits under a.u.gust for @gallavichthings

words: 2.4k

"never would have thought you the type to come to one of these places," ian mused, looking around the small café with only lamps and string lights illuminating the space. "can't believe college changed you, man," ian clutched at his heart dramatically.

"don't worry. 'm still the annoying bastard you love so dearly," lip squeezed ian's shoulder before he sauntered up to the counter.

the barista's bored expressed brightened when she saw them. her perky demeanor was matched by a high pitched voice, "hey lip," she smiled, dark lipstick striking. she appraised ian with a somewhat predatory eye, "hello, lip's friend."

"uh, brother," ian coughed.

lip rolled his eyes, "and he's gay so don't even try it, mandy."

she pouted and flicked her hair behind her shoulder, "not that it's any of your business, anyways."

ian chuckled besides him, drawing another smile out of mandy, this one kinder, sweeter.

"what can i get you boys?"

the pink highlights glistened in her dark hair as she whipped up lip's cold brew and ian's caramel macchiato, then proceeded to insist that this one is on the house. neither of them argued, but thanked her before they settled down in some stools by the window.

"fucking the barista privileges?" ian asked, raising his eyebrow at his slut of a brother.

"i think of it more like fellow south sider charity," he rubbed his bottom lip, "but yours works too," lip smirked around the edges of his coffee cup.

"you're an idiot."

"can a man who got us free drinks really be deemed an idiot?" lip philosophized.

ian paused, taking a moment of thorough consideration. he looked lip straight in the eyes as he answered, "if that man is you, then without a doubt."

lip tried to knock ian's cup out of his hand, but failed at his attempt. ian thanked his well-practiced jrotc skills and a lifetime experience of growing up in a house packed with annoying siblings for his victory.

they chatted about the robotics classes lip was taking, how he got full-time access to one of the labs, and his weird ass roommate who may or may not be gay if ian is at all interested. ian scrunched up his face. after hearing so many horror stories about the guy, ian didn't want anywhere near him. he wasn't that desperate yet.

the second that lip was out of his seat and heading to the bathroom, the beautiful mess that was mandy descended.

"hiiii lip's gay brother," she leaned against the table.

"it's ian," he spun his empty cup in his hands. he couldn't help himself from smiling at her charisma.

"well hi, ian, i just wanted to say sorry if i spooked you earlier. i just had no idea lip's brother would be so cute!"

"his ugly mug's not too hard to beat." ian laughed. "he got the short end of the gallagher stick, literally."

"cute and charming. you're funny, ian gallagher, i like you." she placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment, a movement so soft compared to her rather frantic appearance. "come back here anytime and it's on the house, yeah? i work most evenings after three."

"oh. uh- okay," ian scrambled for words, "thanks."

she squeezed his shoulder once before lip returned with a rather obnoxious entrance.

"ayo mands, stop harassing him!"

ian ducked his head in embarrassment.

"oh, shut up! i'm just clearing your cups," she winked at ian as she left.

mandy was something else. but she was kind and good company. ian could get used to the chill atmosphere over the chaos of the gallagher house anytime. he might just take up her offer.

--

"you'd think with all the time you spend here, you'd be offered a scholarship or something by now." mandy sipped on her chocolate frappuccino as she laid her feet across ian's lap. he always made sure to come visit during her breaks at least twice a week during the past couple months.

ian shrugged, "guess they only had room for one gallagher."

mandy hit his arm in a way that hurt. lip was fucked if he ever broke her heart.

"does fiona even know that this is where you sneak off to?"

"yeah." mandy's look said she didn't believe him. "well, kinda. she thinks i'm visiting lip, brotherly duties and all."

"yeah? how are those brotherly duties?"

"fuck if i know."

she laughed.

"i still think you should apply here for next fall," she encouraged, "could take some art classes."

"i suck at art."

"chemistry?"

"failed that."

"business?"

"yeah, no thanks."

mandy flipped him off, "fine. botany?

"ya know what? sure." he had always wanted to grow tomatoes.

"really?!"

"heart wants what it wants, mandy. we can't all be psychology brainiacs."

"brains and beauty, what can i say?" she teased. ian laughed, eyes glistening towards his friend. mandy made things better.

"hey," she continued, "there's this concert on the main campus lawn this weekend, you should totally come!"

"isn't that just for students?"

"they don't card, dummy."

"right, right, i knew that."

"sureeee. you in?"

ian mentally checked his work schedule.

"i'm in."

--

lip and ian strolled into the café a few days later. okay, maybe ian had felt a bit guilty for abandoning his brotherly duties lately, but at least this way he could hang out with both his best friends. well he could have if he remembered the fact that mandy had the day off for her behavioral neuroscience midterm. they had literally spent her previous shift reviewing the terms, he should have known.

ian's couldn't help his face from falling as another blonde barista took their orders, mostly eyeing lip the whole time.

"hi lip," she smiled a little too sincerely, "what can i get for you today?"

ian had ordered something new at the recommendation of the blonde and he was not a fan. and to make matters worse, he had to actually pay for the atrocity that he wouldn't even be able to finish.

"so how's your little coffee dates with mandy?" lip asked over his cup.

ian nearly choked on his god-awful americano. "how'd you know?"

"please. she's obsessed with you. every time i see her, it's 'ian this,' 'ian that,' 'ian might apply here in next year.'"

"oh."

"yeah, oh. when were you gonna tell me?!"

“it’s all mandy’s idea, i’m not even sure i want to,” ian muttered, refusing to make eye contact.

“dude, i’ve literally shared a room with you since the day you popped out of monica’s wretched womb, you think I can’t tell when you’re lying?”

okay maybe ian had been getting increasingly more excited about the idea of attending school and actually learning things that he wants to learn. something that might actually lead him somewhere real since rotc was looking more and more like a poor man's fantasy the more that he thought about it.

“I was gonna tell you, swear on it.” and he was. once he convinced himself that lip wasn't going to straight up laugh in his face. but the look in his eye seemed genuinely supportive.

“mhm, i gotta catch my english lit class," lip stood up, swinging his tattered tan backpack across one shoulder. he patted ian's shoulder in his big brother ways, "don’t be a stranger, yeah?”

“yeah, yeah for sure! have fun learning a language you already know!” lip flipped him off at his smartass remark.

soon after, ian stood up to return his drink to the counter, the anxiety from the conversation making him entirely lose whatever appetite he might have had. plus, it wasn’t the same here without lip or mandy. he just wanted to be wrapped up in a cocoon in his own bed. but that was so far away. maybe he could catch an early ride—

thump.

ian crashed into a guy’s sturdy body.

the remnants of his shitty drink spilled in an americano nightmare over both of them, ceramic pieces shattering on the floor in a truly horrific manner.

ian yipped and the other man let out a grunt of irritation.

they were fucking soaked. well, at least the coffee wasn't hot? ian tried justifying the situation, but, nah, this was bad.

"shit! i'm so sorry, lemme," ian reached out and the shorter man flinched away.

they were now far enough apart that ian got a good look at him. a leather jacket.. now covered in ian's drink -- shit. and shockingly piercing blue eyes that lingered too long on ian's before his cheeks turned a shade of pink that made ian's stomach flutter.

he might have seemed cold if he didn’t make ian feel so warm.

"it’s cool, man. i gotta go, uh," and he walked out of the café without looking back.

fuck.

ian smelled like coffee the entire train ride to the back of the yards. he laid in his bed regretting his entire life.

no mandy. no lip. no dignity.

--

the day of the concert that mandy had invited him to rolled around. ian wouldn’t admit it, but he was nervous to spend a coffee-less evening with mandy, their entire friendship built inside that one room. his little bubble of safety was bursting.

well, to be honest, the bubble had burst the moment that his disaster of a coffee was spilled onto one of the most ridiculously pretty guys that he's ever seen. every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the guy’s face shift from hostile to something else. he was torn between wanting to know the his name and also on never seeing him again in fear that he would simply pass away of embarrassment.

hopefully mandy hadn't heard about it. they may not have been friends for a long time, but he already knew that she would never let him live it down.

"hey ian!" her familiar voice called. that sounded promising.

his face fell with relief as he finally spotted her at the corner. she embraced him in a warm hug before pulling back and giving him a once over.

"huh, could have sworn you'd still have coffee behind your ear or something after the description karen gave me of your little disaster the other day." she smirked, quite literally double checking behind his ears as they turned hot under her gaze.

"ugh, fuck, how much did she tell you?" he itched his forehead and scrunched up his nose.

"oh, calm your tits, it's funny as fuck." she giggled, punching his arm in a way that still unintentionally hurt.

"whatever. are you excited for the concert tonight?"

their reunion conversation lulled eventually, and ian noticed that they weren't necessarily standing alone.

no. fucking. way.

just his luck, if he was being honest. he probably deserved this.

there he stood. the man that has plagued his dreams the past few days. in a light wash jean jacket that was a little tight on the biceps, leaning casually against the wall, kicking the pebbles on the ground with his boot.

"uh, what's he doing here?" ian gestured towards the victim of The Coffee Incident.

“what, you know him?” mandy asked, walking them towards him.

“vaguely.” if that wasn’t the understatement of the year.

"huh. i didn’t think my idiot brother had any friends."

brother? how did ian not realize she had a brother?

"what, did you think i was going to babysit you all night? i can't let everyone here thinking you're my boyfriend, no offense or whatever, but you're in good hands!" she kissed his cheek, clearly not helping her own not-looking-like-her-boyfriend rule.

ian eyed said brother's good hands only to see the faded letters of FUCK U-UP on them. oh.

mandy pushed ian over to her brother, "ian, mickey. mickey, ian," she introduced before pushing and shuffling her way through the crowd of college students to find herself someone’s cheap ass fruity alcohol to mooch off of.

mickey. ian's brain repeated over and over, a chime against the murmuring sea of voices they found themselves enveloped by.

"nice jacket," ian pointed out, an awkward attempt to converse before shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"it's my second favorite." the corners of his mouth lifted like there was more to the statement. ian took the bait, as if he could resist.

"what's your first?"

"first is still airing out the fuckin’ coffee smell," he smirked as ian groaned. "oh c’mon, man, don't go crying over spilled milk."

how could he not? on the bright side, he didn’t seemed to hate ian for it.

“if it was anyone else,” mickey drawled, “they’d have to get a beat down for it.”

“why do I get a free pass?” ian mused.

“well, you’re mandy’s friend, right?”

“yup,” ian tried to suppress his disappointment. he really did. but fiona always told him he wore his heart on his sleeve.

“yeah, that ain’t why, though,” his eyebrows waggled suggestively and ian nearly felt his heart drop out of his ass.

ian blessed whatever coffee god was out there for sending him both mandy and the beautiful man in front of him.

“you wanna go listen to the band?” ian nodded his head towards the stage with passionate players jumping around like they were playing lollapalooza or some shit.

“lead the way, stud, just try to keep your drinks off of me this time,” mickey knocked into ian’s own flannel covered shoulder.

yeah, ian couldn’t believe his luck. maybe karma was finally on his side.

—

mandy smirked at her brother and best friend not-so-subtly checking each other out over the course of the night, bopping their heads to the music and downing whatever free booze they could get their hands on.

she hoped that adding mickey to the equation would be enough incentive to convince ian to stick around. things were better when he was near.

the way that ian followed mickey around like a lost puppy with that dopey moon-eyed look, it seemed like her hopes would come true.

and when both ian and mickey strolled into the café to come visit her at work the next week, mickey in his worse-for-wear leather jacket and ian in borrowed denim, she thanks the coffee gods for her luck.

[gallavichsbitch]

I'm obsessed w your pfp😭 Bitchy Ian but make it Christmassy 😌

bitchy ian is very special to me so i had to 💀💀

here are all the ones i made if anyone wants to use them :))

[heymrspatel]

Okay but Ian randomly holds Mickey's hand and pulls him in to dance w him at home, right?? And he goes all in and twirls Mickey who attempts to be like, ‘This is so gay, Gallagher🙄’ but ends up being all ☺️☺️🥰🥰, RIGHT??

omg yes yes! you're 1000% right!!!

but wait what about when mickey surprises ian and is the one to sneakily wrap his arms around him in the kitchen and slowly start swaying to "this stupid fuckin ed sheeran song that came out of nowhere" and ian loses his mind "🥺mickey🥺... did you add this to the playlist?" "............no.......... shut up!" "🥰🥰🥰MIIIIICK🥰🥰🥰"

[tamiettitami]

Hi hi hi 🥰

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨- for a random things they like about each other headcanon!

i definitely posted this without saying hello back because i'm the worst, but, HELLO DRISH 🥰 thank you, this was a nice pick-me-up (is that phrase hyphenated?) and exactly what i needed on this not-so fine wednesday morning

omg, okay, so you know when ian laughs and he, like, braces himself? he'll grab onto the ledge of a counter or put a hand over his stomach? yeah, mickey fuckin' LOVES that shit, and i'm confident he purposely tries to make him laugh just for the ~butterflies~ it gives him <3

sticking to the theme of smiling, ian lives for the little crinkles around mickey's eyes when he does that stupid grin that makes his pupils literally sparkle à la getting ready for their wedding... also see:

SEND AN EMOJI FOR A HEADCANON

[buffymilkovich]

Hiiii

🌈 for SWA !❤️

DRISH HI HELLO YOU WONDERFUL EXCELLENT HUMAN BEING 💕💞💖💗💓💗💖💞💕💖💗 thank you for the ask 🥺

🌈 what inspired you to write since we’re alone?

honestly??? mostly boredom and i was going through a pretty bad brain spell and needed a distraction and something to focus my creative energies on 🥲

PLUS i’ve always wanted to write a fic with all my favourite overdone tropes (jealousy, fast sexual burn/slow emotional burn, mutual pining, tutor/tutee, so many more) and when ness said she wanted to write one too it was just like LEZGOOOOOO

cc: @lethargicmick ♥️

[clingymickey]

Sorry spelled out w spaghetti noodles 😭😭

Don't tell him but Mickey's the biggest simp ever!!

HE ISS!!! (and it's alright i won't) but i think he knows that he's a simp (ian too) but he wouldn't admit it like EVER, not even in a million years.

And now ian can't even stay mad at him so he goes "c'mere 🥰🥰 you soft motherfucker"

"I'm sensitive and you're soft remember" mickey says and goes towards ian and gets a make-up kiss.

[tiacky]

Tia!!!

Thoughts on not-so official boyfriends??

Drish my beloved ❤️

They're so stupid 😂❤️ please just let them learn to communicate better. 🙃

They're boyfriends but they don't talk. I'm so excited to see who will start the 'boyfriend' talk. I was pretty sure that ian is going to start this topic but now... maybe mickey'll just drop the word 'boyfriend' in some context. 😅

[saviorofunicornsinneed]

*shouting from the rooftop*

"HEIDI DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE AT THEIR FIRST ANNIVERSARY WHEN SANDY ISN'T THERE. HEIDI DIDN'T FUCKING WALK MICKEY DOWN THE AISLE"

YES GO THE FUCK OFF 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[yeah-all-of-it]

Hey Anna!!

17, 18 and 24 ❤️

Drish!! Lovely to see you! Thanks for playing!❤️

17. Long hair or short hair?

These Ian hair styles:

These Mickey hair styles:

So, longer on top, short on the sides? How’s that for a non-answer😬 I do love Mickey’s s7 long hair but definitely prefer him with a fresh fade and a floppy mop on top. And Ian’s s10 is is peak for me.

18. Mickey’s beard or Ian’s black hair?

I don’t hate the black hair completely but I love a beard. If not a full beard, Noel can clearly grow some scruff (7x10a was for sure his real hair) so I don’t know why they didn’t let him grow it out a little in favor of glueing fake hair on him in 7x10b and in s2. But yeah, Mickey’s hot with some scruff.

24. Having kids or having pets?

I’ve made it no secret that I want to see them as dads. I think they’ll be so good and just the thought of them parenting a tiny baby or a feisty toddler or an angsty teenager together warms me to the cockles of my heart. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing Mickey asleep on the couch with an orange kitten curled up on his chest.

[aeliagioia]

Scrolling the FB page of a coworker's tattoo artist and...it's BAZ!!

(artwork by Steph Winters, Fall River MA)

[heymrspatel]

Julissa 🥺

I'm just thinking about Mickey's cheeks looking freckly in the summer sun and he's going '😊' at something Ian said and Ian finds him so adorable he just smooches his cheek 🥺 and Mickey gets all blushy like '☺️ Wtf Ian you're such a sap ☺️' so ofc Ian kisses his cheek again

drish, i can not believe you’ve brought me the image of freckly mickey cheeks today! how can i thank you? 💙💙💙💙

ian smooches his cheeks so much, it just can't be helped! and he loves holding on to the side of his face and swiping his thumb over mickey's freckles on his cheek, and drawing a straight line down the freckles on mickey's nose 🥺🥺

he haggles mickey all the time about the importance of sunscreen and mickey's all "you're one to talk! you're one big freckle, ian! leave me the fuck alone" but of course ian just tackles him to the ground and starts swiping sunscreen all over his face and squishing his cheeks in the process. mickey's resolve wears thin pretty quickly... ian's sitting on top of him playing with his cheeks and looking at him all moon eyed and when he starts kissing his sunscreen covered face mickey just melts and sighs into it.

because if his biggest problem now is wearing some "weird coconut smelling fuckin lotion" to make ian happy, then he figures he would probably slather his entire body in it daily if that's all it takes. 🥰🥰🥰

[sickness-health-all-that-shit]

🏆🌻🧠!

Drish 🥺🥰 thank you!! (taking this opportunity to tell you I think you have the biggest brain and also such a kind, positive energy especially in your replies to asks 💖✨💗 and I love that </3)

which mutual am I

[buffymilkovich]

“...little does he know there's a man in Michigan thinking the exact same thing”

NO BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SO DISTRACTED BY SAD ANGSTY MOPEY JEALOUS MICKEY THAT I KINDA FORGOT THAT IAN'S MISERABLE TOO BUT NOW YOU'VE GOT ME THINKING ABOUT HOW HE HURT HE FEELS AND HOW HE'S QUESTIONING EVERYTHING AND HOW HE MUST KEEP REPLAYING THE WORDS MICKEY TO SAID TO HIM

AND I'M

NOT OKAY

@lethargicmick

me whenever i think of ian back in michigan going over and over and over what happened…………,,,,,?/!8,!28,!29.!:7:82

they’re both hurting so bad i literally wanna end my shit drish !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[clingymickey]

AJSKLJGJH DRISH!!! MY BELOVED

hey everybody drish loves me do you know? yep it's true drish loves me 🥰☺☺

Hi drish you do Not know how much this meant to me, literally my serotonin went 📈📈

I love you too drish more than anything and if you'll let me i'd like to-[gets pulled off stage by security]

[trashbaget]

11, 21 and 32 💘 (how nice of you to choose numbers ask game this time😘)

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 oh drish 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

thank youuu beloveddd!! 💕💖✨

11 - hogwarts house

pretty sure i’m a hufflepuff now.

story time: i used to always be a ravenclaw and then a few years ago i could sense things changing and i took the quiz and got puff. and then for a while i’d get them both. then last year around may or june i think, i woke up in a cold sweat feeling something was off so i took the quiz and got gryffindor, had a miniature crisis, and went back to sleep. pretty sure i’ve taken it and gotten hufflepuff since then.

21 - last song you listened to?

i currently have “memory” by kane brown and blackbear on (like it literally just started as i typed out the q, “little bit of love” by tom grennan was just on. i never know if these mean like, the current one counts? so i always do both lmao)

32 - what’s your third favorite animal?

idk? i know my first is a squirrel. and then probably cat for two. hmmmmmmmmm………………… 🤔🤔🤔💭💭💭💭🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟 <- this is a visual reenactment of me pondering whilst looking out my window at this very moment.

y’know what? worm. it’s worms. squirrel. cat. worm.

[tiacky]

Tia HI 🥰

Thoughts on us possibly getting OFFICIAL BOYFRIENDS in the next CG chapter!? 😌💘

DRISH 🥰 hiiii

They're going to be boyfriends in the next chapter I'm sure 😭❤️ they're going to kiss more often because mickey loves kissing his boyfriend...

And they'll support each other whatever happens. And Ian will find a career path where he's able to help people. (The youth center I'm sure)

Ahh I have no more special thoughts I'm just so excited for Tuesday 😍😍 what are your thoughts?