#like mickey was still genuinely very unhappy about it and they just left it like that?

[dashiellqvverty]

my opinion on season 11 is that ian and mickey were all over the place from episode to episode and i ultimately wasn’t very happy with where it ended for them

[gallavictorious]

Just read your meta about the bedroom scene in 11x11 and was wondering what your thoughts on Mickey's uncharacteristic resignation in the beginning of the episode are 👀👀 I was curious about this when I watched the episode and I always love your takes!

Hiya, nonnie! At long last, here are Thoughts!

Mickey isn't usually shy about expressing his opinions and rarely hesitates to take action whenever a situation isn't to his liking, so seeing him so resigned and reticient in the first half of 11x11 is very jarring to me. I know some people think their exchange on the first morning in the flat cute, and that's perfectly fine because to each their own, but I find it highly uncomfortable. (Doesn't mean I think it's a bad scene; I think it's a fantastic scene.) Mickey hiding his true feelings isn't new, but the way he's doing it, and doing it with Ian at this point... ? That's strange, I think, and painful.

Now, and as I've argued before, Mickey is not a passive person in general; rather, he's a proactive person with a lot of initiative, but when he perceives himself unable to affect an unfortunate situation he prefers to not engage with it at all. That's his coping strategy: no dwelling, no bemoaning the unfairness of it all, no wasting any time or effort dreaming of what could have been if only. What would be the point? Instead, he rolls with whatever, and perseveres; Mickey, like most of the Shameless characters, is nothing if not resilient. Given that, his initial reaction to Ian signing the lease isn't all that strange; he's pissed, sure, but the deed is done, so what the fuck is there to do but move? (Well, there's also taking your frustrations out on Lip, I suppose... )

I mean, he could have put his foot down; could have refused to move and made Ian rip up the lease, forfeiting whatever money they'd be required to pay for the deposit/first/last/whatever. But as @dreamylyfe-x's noted before, Mickey doesn't think he has enough power here to pull that off. He doesn't trust that him saying no, I'm not doing this would be enough to stop it from happening.  And to be fair, he has very good reason not to think that, considering that Ian did just sign the lease, after Mickey explicitly telling him that he doesn't want to move. So sure, Mickey could refuse to move, but he doesn't trust that this will stop Ian from moving. I think it would have, incidentally; Ian might have moved out initially, gambling—as he did when he signed the lease—on Mickey folding, but once he realized that Mickey was serious, he'd have given up on the West Side—as he does by the end of 11x11. But Mickey isn't so sure, so he figures that Ian moves either way, and Mickey is left with the choice of staying on the South Side alone or following Ian.

Mickey will follow Ian anywhere.

They move to the West Side, and because it's an inevitability Mickey gives up bitching about it. No use in crying over what you can't change, so better make the best of it, right? But try as he might—and he does try, focusing on practical things to make their new place functional as quickly as possible—he is emphatically not okay, and while part of that might be genuine unhappiness with moving out of the South Side I don't think that's the main issue. (He didn't seem to torn up about the prospect of staying in Mexico forever, as long as Ian was with him, and earlier in the episode he himself suggests them both moving far south.) Rather, it's Ian ignoring his clearly stated refusal and what he's ignoring it for that messes with him, and arguably triggers some old fears and feelings.

Part of it, perhaps, is fear of Ian going somewhere Mickey can't follow. “Stop doing shady shit and grow some tomatoes,” Ian says, and while he only wants them both to be happy and stable and safe, it's not hard to see why Mickey might read this as rejection, as Ian moving towards a different sort of life and if Mickey can't keep up and fit in with that, then... well. Maybe Ian won't choose him. The whole thing just reminds me—and reminds Mickey, I suspect—of their parting in 7x11: “I want you to come with me,” Mickey tells Ian, and is met with “This isn't me anymore.” Ian loves Mickey, then as he does now; but love isn't enough. Who can say that it will be now, if push comes to shove? (Sidenote, lest anyone get the wrong idea: I think Ian absolutely made the right call in not going with Mickey to Mexico.) For all they're getting better and better at communicating about the difficult shit, I think it's fear that there's still some lingering abandonment and trust issues on Mickey's part; I find it very interesting to note that he immediately suspects that Ian had planned the  whole thing from the beginning when Ian brings up signing the lease. I don't think Mickey walks around worrying over Ian leaving him on a daily basis—I think that in general he has a lot of faith in the strenght of their bond because it's survived a hell of a lot—but feelings are complicated. You can know that your partner loves you above all else and still feel occasionally insecure, especially if something happens that pokes at old wounds.

Mickey isn't happy about the move but he wants it to work out—and arguably not only because he's perhaps concerned about his own place in the life Ian envisions, but because he genuinely wants Ian to be happy and have the things he wants. Seeing your partner being so excited about something, you do your best not to ruin that for them, yeah? Mickey would never want to stand in the way of Ian feeling good and content. So, he tries to make the best of it, which is pretty standard Mickey behavior—but it still gets messy and weird, partly because he's also feeling like he has to pretend to be fine with it, and partly (mostly) because it's Ian who's put him in this position.

Because the thing is, hiding his emotions doesn't come naturally to Mickey. There have been certainly been (many) times in his life when he's felt compelled to fake his feelings and being okay, but that's always been motivated by acute need; he quite literally risked his life if he admitted his feelings for Ian or wasn't a convincing husband to Svetlana. So, thinking he has to fake his feelings with Ian, i.e. the one person who's always been so very good at seeing the real Mickey and loving the real Mickey... I think that messes with him. I think Ian being the one to (initially) completely disregard his feelings about moving messes with him, because having his feelings and opinions not matter unless he can make them matter, isn't new to Mickey, but he didn't expect it from Ian.

The situation isn't unfamiliar, but being thrust into it by Ian, that fucks with Mickey; having all of those old feelings of helplessness actualized by the person he loves best and the person he always trusted to treat Mickey as an equal? That's rough. And because it is Ian, whom he loves and wants to be with and make happy, Mickey's old strategies for coping doesn't quite work; he doesn't know how to navigate this, becaue he doesn't want to fake his way through his relationship with Ian. And that's why he seems so unsure and withdrawn and quiet; so reticient. Resigned. He's trying to make this work, but he's not okay, and he doesn't know how to be okay, and that's fucking with him.

And it's fucking with me, I think, because it's like watching Mickey trying to make himself small and quiet and fit into this little cramped space he imagines he has to occupy now. I'm glad it doesn't last very long; and that once Ian realizes that Mickey's discomfort is quite genuine, he is very ready to abandon his West Side dreams, yet again proving where his priorities lie.

As always, this is tentative and my thoughts may well change over time. If anyone else wants to chime in with additional perspectives, I'd be delighted.

[emeraldwaves]

Title: A Hint of Something Magical Pairing: Jerejean, Alvarez/Laila Rating: T Word Count: 4059 Ao3 Summary: Being with the Trojans is a very different experience for Jean. They're happy and friendly, everything Jean believes he's not. He soon learns that even someone as bright as Jeremy Knox has a deep, unexpected obsession. The first fic in a small jerejean series i’m working on about them at disneyland <3. Full fic under the cut

Standing in the middle of Main Street, U.S.A at Disneyland, Jean feels overwhelmed. There are too many people hitting against his shoulder, bumping into his side, and he tries not to panic. Kids dash in front of him, laughing, not paying attention. By the front store to the left, a baby starts wailing and Jean resists the urge to cover his ears.

The worst part is, he's here by mistake. Not that he casually stumbled into Disneyland, but he made the mistake of saying he had never been in front of Jeremy Knox.

And unbeknownst to Jean, rule #1 of being a Trojan is to never mention Disneyland in front of their captain.

Which, of course, happened earlier in the week.

"You know," Jeremy explains, "Indiana Jones. The ride at Disneyland. Bumpy, dark, a little thrilling, totally worth waiting in the line even when it breaks down. One of the best rides in the park."

Jean's not sure if this is a compliment or an insult. "Are you comparing my play style to a ride?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah," Jeremy smiles, so genuine, so real. Jean's still not used to his demeanor; his whole sunshine personality is overwhelming. "One of the best in the park! Or do you disagree?"

Okay, apparently it’s a compliment.

"Uhm," Jean shifts his weight and he catches eyes with Laila and Alvarez who immediately start swiping their hands in front of their throats. He's not sure what that means, but he looks back to Jeremy who's blue eyes are eagerly shimmering, waiting for his answer. "I have never been to Disneyland."

"I knew it," Laila says.

"Uh oh," Alvarez sighs.

"We're officially doomed," Laila mutters, leaning against Alvarez dramatically.

Jeremy's eye twitches and he shakes his head. "No," he laughs awkwardly. "What? You've been in California this long and you still... you mean even before this you've... never..."

Jean tilts his head, confused by what Jeremy is doing. It looks like this is impossible for him to process. He blinks a few times, staring incredulously at Jean.

"Jeremy.exe has stopped running," Alvarez snorts. "We tried to warn you, Moreau."

Ah, the hand signal must have been some sort of warning. He logs that away to remember for the future.

Jean glances at the girls, but it seems this situation is a lost cause. "I wasn't allowed to leave the Nest unless..." he trails off, not wanting to expand on that topic anymore than he has to. He has been avoiding discussing the Nest in depth. There are so few happy memories there, and the last thing he wants to do is bring down the Trojans with his unhappy stories. They deal with his outbursts and frustrations enough.

"Shit," Jeremy mutters. "You really haven't been." He looks like he's still in shock. Shaking his head, he slams the bottom of his stick against the court and Jean jumps back a little. "This is unacceptable," Jeremy says, and shoves his hand into the pocket of his shorts. He pulls out a little card, decorated with the faces of Mickey, Donald and Goofy. "This weekend, we're going to Disneyland."

"I knew it," Laila says, a soft sigh slipping from her lips.

"Do you really keep your annual pass in the pocket of your shorts?" Alvarez snorts, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah!" Jeremy smirks. "You gotta be prepared for impromptu Disney trips at all times."

Jean blinks, watching the scene unfold. So far Jeremy has been one of the most relaxed exy players he's ever come across. He's incredibly talented, focused, a light of positive energy on the court. He has this way of making Jean feel he can do anything, even when he's angry and trapped in his old habits. Jeremy makes him feel like someday he can break them.

But this...

This is the most intense Jean has seen Jeremy in a long while.

"It's okay-" Jean begins to say.

"NO!" Jeremy yells, immediately cutting him off. He leans in towards Jean, gripping the pass in his hands. "It's Trojan tradition to go before the official start of the season anyway. We'll buy you a pass, and you can experience the happiest place on earth!"

Jean doesn't like the sound of that. It seems like the opposite of everything he is. He swallows and glances at the card. "Aren't those expensive?"

"Jean, don't worry about it," he says, placing a hand on Jean's shoulder. He gives it a gentle squeeze, the most physical contact Jeremy ever has with Jean. He sees him hug the girls and many of their other players, he high fives them and pulls them into huddles, but he always leaves Jean alone, letting him have whatever space he might need. This is as close as he'll get to physical contact right now. "I think you deserve a little happiness."

Jeremy smiles, and Jean still doesn't know how to say no. When Jeremy gets all smiley and excited, Jean's not sure he wants to.

And that's how he ends up at Disneyland, surrounded by far too many people, trying not panic.

"Jean!" Jeremy waves, and rushes back to where Jean waits at the top of Main Street, Laila and Alvarez right behind him. "What are you doing?" he asks. He's got on red and gold Mickey ears, the USC colors adorning his head. Jean thinks he looks kind of foolish, but then again, the majority of the people are walking down the street with varying colors and styles of these strange ears.

"I... Je... Je... me sens dépassé," he whispers, switching to his mother tongue. He doesn't want to disappoint Jeremy, especially when he seemed so excited to take him here.

"Okay," Jeremy says, obviously not understanding "I was gonna wait, but I do have a surprise for you."

He flips his backpack around, unzipping it to pull out a matching pair of ears. Laila and Alvarez have the same ones, the Trojan colors. It must be some sort of team thing they do. The ears look stupid, but Jean doesn't want to complain.

"Tada!" Jeremy says, reaching upward to place them on his head. "I got these custom made for you, so you can match us. Official Trojan member," he smiles. "You have to wear them when we come to the park!"

Jean blinks, adjusting the awkward way the headband sits on his head. "Have to. I understand," he mutters. This must be another sort of Trojan rule. In many ways, the Trojans are the exact opposite of the Ravens, but he supposes they do have some things they do as part of their team rituals. He can't complain. As silly as the ears look, they're not painful to wear, and Jeremy seems excited about it. Jean can handle this.

"Yup!" Jeremy smiles and nods, until he stops suddenly. "Oh. Oh! No!" he gasps and lunges forward, yanking the ears off his head and throwing them in the opposite direction, the headband flying down Main Street.

"Not again," Laila sighs.

"I chased after the last pair he threw," Alvarez grumbles.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," Laila says, jogging after the headband set.

Jean blinks, glancing from Jeremy's upset face to Laila jogging down through the crowd. He has many questions, unsure of what just happened, and why it, apparently, has happened before.

"Jean," Jeremy says, looking intently in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't have done that. You don't have to do anything. Never. I promise. If you hate the ears you don't have to wear them."

Swallowing, Jean stares at Jeremy, still completely baffled. "...What?"

"I don't ever want you to feel like... you have to do something. We... I, will never ask you to do something you don't want. We are not the Ravens."

Jean doesn't know how to respond. No one has ever said anything like this to him before. The Ravens always looked through him, just as Riko instructed. He was their property. No one has ever looked at him like he's a person; with feelings and thoughts, opinions.

It's overwhelming.

Everything about this place is overwhelming, and yet something about the sincere way Jeremy is looking at him grounds him. 'You're not there anymore. You're here. Isn't this place perfect proof of your freedom?'

"I..." he starts to say, but Laila jogs up, gripping the headband in her hand.

She pants, rolling her eyes. "They made it all the way to the Starbucks."

"I think that's a new record," Alvarez mumbles.

"Here," she says, holding them out to Jeremy, but Jean leans forward and yanks them from her hand before Jeremy can grab them.

"Hey- Jean! I just said-"

He places the headband atop his head, the red and gold ears looking just as ridiculous as they do on everyone else. "I will wear them." He supposes he's starting to fit in.

Jeremy's cheeks flush, or maybe the sunlight hits his skin at just the right angle. He's a beacon for things like that, Jean's noticed. "O-Okay," he stammers. "But only if you want to."

Jean nods, and Jeremy stares at him, as if he's waiting for Jean to change his mind. When he doesn't move, Jeremy clears his throat and zips up his backpack, flinging it over his shoulder.

"Anyway, we're riding Indiana Jones first, because I need Jean to understand what I mean." Jeremy says, leading the group down Main Street.

Jean continues to follow them down the street. It's hard to believe this is a place people actually enjoy and find fun. Kids are wailing to their parents, the colors on the buildings are practically blinding underneath the California sun, loud music plays over the speakers and it’s so artificially happy.

Laila snorts, bringing Jean back to the group. "Yeah, because one ride on Indy is really going to give Jean the full scope of what you meant."

"What did you say anyway?" Alvarez asks.

"Bumpy, dark, a little thrilling, totally worth waiting in the line even when it breaks down," Jean repeats the words perfectly.

"Woah, you really took that to heart," Jeremy says, glancing back toward him.

Jean nods, and Jeremy twists his lips. He looks nervous and Jean wonders if maybe Jeremy thinks he's upset about the analogy. He's not. He just doesn't understand it, though knowing Jeremy, it's anything but offensive.

"I don't know if Jean will get the full experience if the ride doesn't break down," Laila says, forcing Jeremy's gaze away from Jean.

"Who are you kidding," Alvarez scoffs. "Indy breaks down once a day."

"True," Jeremy nods. "If we're lucky, we'll get stuck on the ride." He laughs loudly, far too excited about something that sounds bad. Maybe there are some things about the Trojans Jean will never understand.

"That's a good thing?" he asks tentatively. He can feel a story bubbling on the edge of Jeremy's lips, can sense it in the twinkle of his blue eyes.

"Oh yeah," Jeremy says. "If you get stuck on the ride, sometimes you get-" He pauses dramatically, looking toward both of the girls.

"Ride evac-ed..." The girls say in unison, rather flatly.

"Ride evac-ed!" Jeremy repeats with far more energy than the other two.

"Ride... E... vacked?" Jean says, trying to repeat the word back to them but it's next to impossible. He prays this isn't him being terrible at English.

"A glorious moment we all hope to achieve," Jeremy sighs.

"It's when the ride closes down and you get stuck on the track so they have to escort you out," Laila explains.

"And that's cool because sometimes you get to see backrooms of the ride you wouldn't normally see," Alvarez adds. Neither of them seem to be on the same level of excitement as Jeremy.

Then again, Jean has never seen anyone this excited about a theme park before. Actually, maybe he's never seen anyone this excited about anything. Riko's excitement was twisted and deranged. Jeremy's is pure, like the many children rushing around them.

"It happened once on Indy before," Jeremy says.

"But we got stuck right at the beginning so they just walked us back to where they load the ride," Laila sighs. "Jeremy's dreams, thwarted."

"Only partially!" Jeremy interjects, turning left under a wooden sign that reads Adventureland. "We were stuck there long enough for us to take selfies with Mara! It's on my Instagram!"

Jean has no idea what Jeremy's talking about, but he's obviously proud of this achievement.

The three continue to chat casually about the ride and other rides they've gotten stuck on. Jean is mostly confused by the fact that they've seemingly entered some sort of jungle. Some monkey noise echoes from a speaker and Jean jumps, glancing around.

"Different parts of the park have different themes," Alvarez explains, noting Jean's clear confusion. He's noticed Alvarez is talented at reading people, though she often seems standoffish at times. It makes him wary, like she could peer into his soul and know everything about the Ravens and Riko, just by looking at him. "This is Adventureland. There's Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. Then there are other sections like The French Quarter," she pauses and blinks, "like, uh, New Orleans, not actual France," she says, gesturing to him.

"Ah," he mutters. It would've been interesting to see what their take on France would be.

"Yeah, if you want actual France you gotta go to Florida," Laila interrupts. She turns around and links her arm with Alvarez, the two now walking side by side.

"I thought if you wanted actual France you would just... go to France," Jean says.

Laila nods. "Yeah, but I mean if you want Disney France-"

"Disneyland Paris?!" Jeremy suggests.

"I prefer regular France," Jean states.

"Well, yeah I'm sure France is... amazing. I wanna go someday!"

Jean swallows the words he was about to say. 'I'll take you.' He doubts Jeremy would want to go to France with him.

"I gotta stop at Disneyland Paris," Jeremy sighs and suddenly halts, looking up at a sign. "Hey! A 45 minute wait. Not bad."

Jean blinks. They're about to be in this line for 45 minutes and that's 'not bad.'

He really does not understand Disneyland.

"Hell yes," Alvarez smirks. Her and Jeremy high five, making their way into the long, winding line.

"Oh, Jean, you should know, it is Jeremy's dream to go to all the Disney parks around the world," Laila explains. "You should keep that in mind."

"Keep that in mind?" he asks, stopping before he enters the line with her. "Why?"

"Y-Y'know," she says, shrugging. She doesn't stop to let Jean answer either. She dashes off, Jean following behind to not get separated from the group.

He wants to ask where the other parks are, but decides to just look it up later. He knows if he asks, it'll become a long and involved thing.

It seems he's found Jeremy Knox's crazy and it's Disneyland.

The line shockingly doesn't take as long as Jean expects. Once they get to the indoor part of the queue, Laila yanks on a rubber pole, making the room flash with light. Jean jumps, but Alvarez jumps more, punching her girlfriend in the arm. The two of them laugh, and Laila leans in for a kiss, but Alvarez pushes her face away. Jeremy's laughing with them, in on the joke despite being the third wheel.

There's something... enjoyable... about listening to Jeremy, Laila and Alvarez chat. They're friends. They enjoy spending time with each other, and it's not forced. No one says they have to do this. They're choosing to 'hang out', all of their own volition.

It makes Jean tense. There's no way he will ever be able to live like this.

"Hey," Jeremy says, interrupting his thoughts. "You okay?" He walks up a set of stairs backward, the line splitting off into two. "I know you've never been to a theme park, but I promise the rides here aren't that bad. I mean, kids like 'em."

Jeremy babbles a little when he's nervous, Jean's noticed. Usually when he thinks he's upset Jean, or is doing something wrong. He rarely is, but somehow he cares enough to get nervous about it.

The ride hasn't really crossed Jean's mind. He assumes it'll be over faster than he can blink, and he assumes he'll wonder why he waited 45 minutes for 10 seconds of minor thrills.

"I'm fine," he says. "You do not need to worry about me."

"Again, I just... don't want you to feel like you're being forced to be here," he says.

"I don't," Jean nods.

Jeremy smiles, clearly happy again, Jean's words erasing his worries. "Okay, you can be honest with me though. Just, uh, want you to know that."

"I will be," Jean says. Whether or not he can actually speak up is a whole different story. But they came here to ride some of the rides and that's what they'll do.

They get loaded into the back row of the large car and Jean pulls the seat belt over his lap. He's in the middle, between Jeremy and Alvarez. Laila has to sit on a certain side of the car because she "hates the snake part."

"Oh!" Jeremy says, and he reaches up to pull the ears off of Jean's head. His fingers touch the tips of Jean's ears and he sucks in a breath rapidly, not expecting the touch. It's always so gentle, but still Jean flinches. "Here." Jeremy places the ears into the backpack in the small pocket in front of him. "I'll hold onto these."

For some odd reason, Jean's heart is throbbing in his ears. It must be the anticipation of the ride.

The ride is, more or less, exactly as Jeremy described. It's bumpy, for sure. Dark. And just a little thrilling. The car whips them around and Jean grips the bar in front of him, worried he'll be flung from the car. The snakes part isn't even that scary, so he doesn't get why Laila was so freaked out. Most of the ride is a little cheesy, fake flames, skulls, and bugs. However, Jean screams at the end, ducking his head when it looks like the boulder is about to roll toward them.

"You thought we were gonna get hit," Jeremy teases, stepping off of the ride.

"No-"

"You did, Moreau," Alvarez says. "You held your head and ducked."

"And screamed," Laila adds, a devilish smirk appears on her lips.

Jean pouts, glancing away from the group. He folds his arms over his chest.

"Don't worry," Laila laughs. "I thought the same thing the first time I rode it."

"Yes, but you were also scared of the snakes," Jean points out.

It's Laila's turn to pout and she lets out a sigh. "Betrayed. And here I was helping you look better."

The group starts the long trek back up on the exit pathway and Jeremy runs ahead with Laila, the two of them racing up the slight incline after complaining about how it's the longest exit path of any ride in the park.

Alvarez walks back with Jean and he notes how her gaze doesn't leave Laila, her dark eyes glistening with joy. She doesn't seem as outwardly emotional as Laila, but the two of them balance each other well.

Suddenly, she glances toward Jean. "You know, this is Jeremy's happy place."

"Isn't it called 'the happiest place on Earth'?" Jean snorts, watching as the sunlight pours in from the spaces on the partially covered walkway. Jeremy is jogging, just barely ahead of Laila, and his blond hair brushes against his forehead. It looks like his cheeks are glittering, and his smile is somehow outshining the California sun. He looks like a walking commercial for this place.

"Well, yeah, but especially for Jeremy. I think it would make him so happy if you really enjoyed it with him," Alvarez says, her gaze turned back towards her teammates. "I know you don't wanna talk about it. None of us are gonna ask, but we're here for you. We want you to have a good time here in California. Jeremy especially."

Especially? There are many questions burning on his tongue, but Jean doesn't want to speak. He doesn't want to ruin this sliver of happiness by bringing up any old memories.

"Yeah," he mutters.

"You don't have to say anything. Just have fun," she winks, and starts to run with the others.

Jean doesn't feel like running, but he does it anyway, meeting the group at the exit to the ride.

They stand, chatting away, laughing and Jean freezes. He almost doesn't want to approach them, scared he's going to barge in on something that doesn't involve him. The Trojans feel like this foreign entity, unfamiliar, uncharted water. They are people, so normal, so calm, and he is... him.

He doesn't really know how to be a person.

Jeremy turns and waves at him. "Jean!" he calls out, urging him forward. Jeremy wants him there, doesn't want to leave Jean behind. As much as Jean fights against it, or doesn't understand it, Jeremy makes him a person.

"Doesn't that hill suck?" Jeremy asks, and the question is so simple, yet genuine.

Jean honestly didn't even notice the walk back up, but he nods anyway. "Yeah," he says, the hint of a chuckle in his breath.

"Let's ride Pirates!" Laila cheers, thrusting her hands into the air. She grabs Alvarez's hand and starts pulling her towards the pathway.

"Hell yes!" Jeremy says, but freezes for a minute. "Hey..." He purses his lips, as though he's stopping himself from blurting out a barrage of thoughts. "Uh, hopefully now that you've ridden it you see what I mean?"

Jean blinks. Right. The whole reason they went on this ride in the first place was because Jeremy compared his exy playing style to this very ride.

"I really did mean it as a compliment, so if you hated the ride then I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Jeremy," Jean says. It's rare he says Jeremy's name out loud, but when he does, it feels really smooth on his tongue, like it was meant to roll off it without any problems. "I get it."

"You do?" Jeremy asks, perking up like an adorable puppy.

"Yeah... I know I've been difficult-"

"No!" Jeremy says, quickly interrupting him. "I-I mean... look I just... I know it's not gonna be smooth sailing right away. I don't expect it to be, but that's part of the ride. It makes things interesting and fun, and Jean I just... I really want you to know I think you're worth it," he says.

Jean's cheeks feel like they're burning. No one has ever said he was worth anything, not in this way. He was property before, but Jeremy means it differently. His voice is gentle, his expression tender. Jean has no idea what to say.

Maybe Jeremy understands that, or maybe he's not looking for a response. Either way, he digs into his backpack and pulls out the red and gold ears. "Here, these are yours," Jeremy smiles.

Reaching out, Jean takes the ears back from Jeremy, their fingers brushing together for a moment. Jeremy's hand is so warm and Jean wishes he had the courage to lace their fingers together, squeeze Jeremy's hand so tight, and thank him as genuinely as he can.

 'Thank you for looking at me.'

 'Thank you for not giving up on me.'

Instead, Jean grips the ears in his hand, holding them tightly. "I'm glad I didn't lose them."

"Yeah," Jeremy laughs, smiling the widest he has all day, if that's even possible. "I'm glad you didn't either." He stares at him again, his blue eyes taking all of Jean in. Normally someone's gaze would make Jean cringe and curl in on himself, but Jeremy pulls him in with a warmth and a comfort Jean wants to cling to.

"Let's catch up with the girls," Jeremy says, gesturing towards the path they ran off on.

Jean nods and slowly lifts the ears onto his head, following after Jeremy.

He's not sure if he's a Trojan yet. Maybe he won't ever be one fully. But if Jeremy keeps offering him his hand, Jean is going to keep reaching for it. Jean likes to think that's a step in the right direction.

[jbankai89]

Never Let Me Go [10/37]

A/N:  Trigger Warning: This chapter contains elements of sexual harassment and references to abuse/capital punishment. Next update will be October 10th

Chapter Nine – Singled Out

“Oh, how precious.”

The sudden voice snapped both Yuri and Otabek from their little bubble, and they turned to see a young man with golden skin and long brown hair coming towards them with a bright, sunny smile upon his face. Yuri swallowed nervously when he felt Otabek's arms tense around him.

“Leo,” Otabek acknowledged with a nod, “what do you want?”

“Oh, nothing,” he replied smoothly, “just thought you guys look so cute together...you know you hear all sorts of crazy things through the grapevine, and it's kind of hard to believe that you haven't marked your omega yet, you seem to like him a lot.”

“We are waiting for the right time. Yuri will let me know when—and if he is ready to be marked,” Otabek answered stiffly. Following his statement, Leo cocked his head curiously at the pair.

“That sounds oddly familiar...” Leo replied with a chuckle, and he lifted his arm, holding his hand out, palm up, and in an instant Guang-Hong was there, both his hands closing over the alpha's outstretched one immediately.

“Leo?” Guang-Hong asked uncertainly, tilting his head to the side as he gazed at him, “is something wrong?”

“No, no,” he chuckled and tugged his hand from the omega's to wrap an arm around his waist. Guang-Hong smiled shyly at the familiar touch, but appeared far from unhappy about it. “I just wanted you to tell your friend and his alpha about when I took you home.”

“Oh, um...Leo asked me to decide when to mark me,” Guang-Hong answered, his brow furrowed with confusion, as though this was something painfully obvious. “After he took me home, he left me alone, but came to talk with me a lot...and sometimes it wasn't talking; we played video games and watched movies and played board games. When my heat hit I asked for it, but he used a...” Guang-Hong suddenly turned very pink, “well, you know. He said he didn't want kids yet.”

“Yeah, but he didn't collar or microchip you, did he?” Yuri asked, just barely managing to keep his voice even, instead of acidic.

“What?” Guang-Hong sputtered, and his eyes widened as his gaze fell on the steel circlet around Yuri's throat, and seemed to realize in that moment that Yuri wasn't wearing it for mere decoration. “Of—of course not! That's totally barbaric!”  

Yuri raised his eyebrows as he looked over at Otabek, who was wearing an appropriately shamefaced expression.

“Do I need to tell you, I told you so?” Yuri asked mildly, and Otabek dropped his arms from around the omega as he looked away.

“Go see Yuuri,” he said hollowly, “I need to think.”

Yuri did not need telling twice, and he hurried away from Otabek, Leo, and Guang-Hong and over to Yuuri, who was still standing awkwardly with Viktor.

“Yes,” Viktor was saying to an alpha with brown hair and tan skin, “we were hoping for one, but three! Well...just goes to show that my omega is the very pinnacle of fertility!”

Yuuri's face flooded with colour as Viktor placed a hand on his stomach, and the alpha laughed.

“I'm thrilled for you, Viktor,” he said, “I know you've always wanted a big family, and...who's this?” the stranger turned and smiled at Yuri, his voice taking on a high lilt as though he'd just spotted a small child. “And where is your alpha, little one?”

Yuri's face burned at the tone with which this alpha spoke to him, and he curled his hands into fists. As he debated the pros and cons of responding snidely to his tone, Yuuri seemed to sense danger, and quickly cut in.

“He's my friend,” Yuuri said quickly, drawing the stranger's attention back to him. “Viktor invited him and Otabek. His name is Yurio—uh, Yuri.”

“Two Yuris?” he asked, and raised a brow as he levelled his gaze with Viktor, “and you didn't snatch them both up?”

“I was never much for the whole harem lifestyle,” Viktor replied smoothly, “one Yuri is more than enough for me.” He turned his attention to Yuuri, and brushed his lips over the omega's in a light kiss. “Why don't you go visit with Yurio? You haven't seen him all evening, and this is your night too, after all; I'll have Mickey keep me company.”

“Okay,” Yuuri nodded meekly, “thanks, Viktor.”

Viktor responded with a smile and another kiss, then let Yuuri go, and he hurried over to Yuri. Viktor turned his attention back to the stranger, apparently called Mickey, while Yuuri looped his arm around the blond's elbow, and dragged him away.

“Little one?” Yuri hissed when they were out of earshot, “what am I, five?”

“Don't make a scene,” Yuuri whispered back urgently, “Michele loves teasing omegas, the only one he really respects is his own, Emil. If you make trouble, he'll ask for a punishment, and he'll want to watch Otabek mete it out.”

“It never ceases to amaze me how charming these assholes are...do you know this from experience?” Yuri muttered, and Yuuri frowned, though he did not contradict him as they wove away from them.

“Not me, no, he's not stupid enough to ask for punishment on me because...well...you know.” Yuri grimaced, and his hand dropped to his stomach as they walked. “But he's got an eye on Minami, and he and Seung-Gil have double-teamed on him a few times...he's not nice, Yurio.”

“That kid really got the short end, didn't he?” Yuri asked as they stopped near the buffet table, while Yuuri picked up a little star-shaped finger sandwich, but picked at the flimsy bread instead of eating it.

“He was so hopeful, I feel really bad for him, he didn't deserve this—any of this.”

“Sort of lends credence to what I was trying to tell you guys back at the House,” Yuri muttered, and crossed his arms while his gaze flitted over to Otabek. He wasn't with the other alpha anymore; instead, he was standing in the corner looking sulky. The sight gave Yuri a sick sense of satisfaction as he turned his attention back to Yuuri.

“Viktor's been good to me, and Leo and Guang-Hong seem to be getting along really well, it's just you and Minami who seem really miserable...” Yuuri trailed off as he stuffed the sandwich into his mouth and reached for a second. Yuri didn't comment—he was pregnant after all.

“Otabek said he's going to try and help Minami,” Yuri said, his voice low, “I don't know if I believe it, though.”

“That's about as safe as poking a crocodile with a stick,” Yuuri replied softly, “I want to believe it, but...don't get your hopes up. A while back, I asked Viktor if there was anything he could do, but he said he couldn't, it was too dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Yuri asked, blinking in confusion at his fellow omega, and Yuuri nodded.

“Yeah. He's involved in something...big,” Yuuri replied cryptically. “The sort of thing where if you wrong him, you'll disappear, and no one will miss you, that sort of thing. Viktor was afraid something would happen to me if he interfered.”

“Otabek said he'd try to help Minami,” Yuri repeated, and his gaze once again flicked over the the alpha in question. This time, Otabek caught him looking, and their eyes met. The cool calm was enough to make him shiver, and he looked back over to Yuuri. “Do you think he knows all that stuff?”

“I don't know,” Yuuri replied as he shrugged. “Viktor always says that Otabek is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, tied up in a riddle. No one really knows who Otabek is. He's not big on sharing. Viktor claims he's friends with your—” Yuri glared at Yuuri's wording, and he cut himself off quickly to rephrase it. “Viktor claims he's friends with Otabek, but he still knows next to nothing about him—no one really does.”

“I've been living with him for a little while now, and I don't even know if I know him...” Yuri muttered while he kept his attention focused solely on his companion. “All he ever talks about is me, or my heat cycles, or how he wants to knock me up. He...he scares me.”

“Tall, dark, mysterious, and rich...most omegas would jump at a chance to have someone like him,” Yuuri pointed out, and Yuri immediately shook his head.

“The first thing he did when he took me to his place was microchip me and put a collar on me like...like a dog.” Yuri cut himself off as he felt a wave of nausea nearly overwhelm him, and he took several slow breaths to try and calm himself down. “There's nothing good about him.”

Yuuri frowned at him, but didn't answer. Even as Yuri had voiced the words, he felt the tiniest tendril of guilt settle in the pit of his stomach. It was true, many things about Otabek's character were far from good. He did not trust Yuri, and had all but chained him to the house. But at the same time, when his heat had come, he did not pounce on him like an animal, not had he marked him—yet. He seemed at least genuine in that respect, and he had promised to try and help Minami, but it was unclear how much of that was out of the so-called goodness of his heart, and how much of it was yet another ploy to try and get Yuri to let him in.

Yuuri opened his mouth to continue their conversation, the crease between his eyebrows giving Yuri the impression that he was going to contradict him, but at the same moment the parlour doors crashed open, and Yuri hissed a curse as he recognized the alpha letting himself in at once.

“Hail, hail, the gang's all here!” JJ cried jovially, swaying a little as he brandished a large, half-empty wine bottle. “My inv'tation musta got lost in the mail. Viktor! So nice to see you again!”

Yuri watched the effect the scent of an unmated alpha had on the partygoers with a morbid sort of fascination. The four alphas had been standing in a circle near the centre of the room, talking and drinking, while Guang-Hong had been chatting with Emil on the other side of the room. Upon JJ's entry, the alphas took on distinct protective looks, while the other omegas adopted fearful and tense expressions.

Guang-Hong darted towards Leo, and he wrapped an arm around the omega's middle. He whispered something into the young man's ear, and Yuri watched Guang-Hong visibly relax. Michele left the group to go to Emil, and wrapped his arm around him, while Krasava squealed and reached for her father happily, blissfully unaware of the tense atmosphere around her.

Yuri had been so distracted watching the others that he hadn't been paying attention, and an elbow suddenly nudging his ribs nearly made him jump out of his skin.

“What?” he hissed at Yuuri, who winced at Yuri's sharp tone. He did not verbally respond, but instead nodded towards the centre of the room. JJ had joined the group, and was leaning against Viktor, while Otabek was motioning at Yuri with a very clear message: come here.

It was an almost alarming contrast to the look Yuri saw Viktor shooting Yuuri, which clearly said, stay there.

“Duty calls, I guess,” Yuri muttered, and he shuffled reluctantly over to his alpha.

The moment Yuri reached him, Otabek immediately slipped an arm around Yuri's waist and tugged him close. Yuri stumbled into his side, and felt his face burn at the round of chuckles that the reaction was met with.

“Got yourself a little fighter there, Otabek,” JJ teased, his words heavily slurred, “sure you're alpha enough to tame him?”

“I never said I wanted to tame him,” Otabek responded coolly, “I like his fire. I wouldn't have chosen him otherwise.”

“Yes, but fire needs to be doused, otherwise it gets out of control,” Viktor pointed out as JJ straightened up, though JJ's eyes had not strayed from Yuri, which was making him very nervous. “A fire can warm you, but if it gets out of hand, it will destroy everything it touches. In my opinion, meek is better.”

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the alphas that chilled Yuri to the bone.

As he stood there listening to the alphas talk,Yuri wanted to ask what he was doing there, and why Otabek wanted him near when it was clear that Viktor's intervention was keeping JJ from accosting any of the omegas, but the words never quite made it out of his mouth. Otabek kept a possessive arm around Yuri at all times, tightening his hold when the topics got more serious, as though doing so would protect Yuri from hearing them; in particular when the discussion turned to the OLF, the Omega Liberation Front, which was comprised mostly of beta men and women who lost their omega children to a House.

“Bunch of selfish, idealistic hippies, if you ask me,” JJ said, his cheerful demeanour fizzling out as he slowly sobered up and the topic came around to the movement. “So many omegas get mistreated in places like Scandinavia because they're free to roam around after puberty—it's safer for them to be looked after like that.”

“Too true,” Michele added with a small nod as he joined the conversation. “All those unmated omegas running around, it's a wonder they get anything done. You know they're even letting omegas vote over there, and get employment, and the ability to separate from their alpha if they want? It's totally ridiculous.”

There was a murmur of agreement, and Yuri felt his stomach churn uneasily. Otabek did not contribute to the conversation, and his arm around Yuri became taut and tense as the conversation progressed. Yuri shifted a little closer to Otabek, and found himself at a loss for what to do. Speaking up about how he and others like him deserved basic human rights seemed like a bad idea—it was five against one at the moment, and Yuri did not like his odds.

“What about you, little omega?”

The sudden voice startled Yuri out of his thoughts, and his gaze snapped up to see Michele had gotten much closer to himself and Otabek.

“I'm sorry, what?” Yuri winced at the feeble sound of his own voice, and he felt his face burn at how terribly weak he sounded. He tried to take a step back, but Otabek's arm around him stopped him from going very far.

“Do you want to be left out on your own like that?” Michele asked, raising his eyebrows at Yuri, “no alpha to care for you, no House to keep you safe and fed—nothing. Just you and whatever comes along with that.”

“I—I...” Yuri swallowed thickly, and pressed himself more securely against Otabek. He had no idea what to say, and after Yuuri's dire warnings, he found himself genuinely terrified of saying the wrong thing. He hated how weak this made him look, but the memory of his last punishment was still very clear in his mind, and he had no desire to repeat it.

“Oh, stop crowding him, Mickey!” Viktor said, the forced cheer in his voice so false that Yuri cringed at the sound of it. “This is a party. Not the place for boring political debates. Let's get you something to eat, my chefs have whipped up so many nice little nibbles, and you bunch of lushes have hardly touched it. Come on, let's go.”

Viktor herded Michele away and tugged JJ along with him, while he looked back to offer Otabek a tiny nod, which he returned. Only when the three alphas were far enough away that they were unlikely to overhear, and when Leo led Guang-Hong away with Emil close behind did Yuri finally turn to Otabek.

“What was that all about?” he demanded without preamble, “why did you want me to hear all that, or did you just want me on your arm, like some sort of...of...toy or trophy?”

“I wanted you to hear what an actually monstrous alpha sounds like, so that you'll stop painting me as the bad guy,” Otabek replied, his voice a soft hiss. “I won't deliberately force myself on you, but I want you to understand what a real monster sounds like.”

Yuri yanked himself out of Otabek's hold, and narrowed his eyes at him.

“Just because you didn't agree with them that omegas are some sort of subhumans doesn't make you any better. I'm still chained to you, I still can't escape you. You may as well have agreed with him, because all your so-called promises to me are just thinly veiled attempts to get me to present my ass to you. That will not happen.”

Otabek's jaw seemed to be working furiously, and his expression darkened from plaintive to angry. He abruptly spun on his heel and stormed from the room, leaving Yuri alone.

Almost at once, an unfamiliar arm snaked around his waist.

Yuri spun, and paled when he saw that JJ was the one holding him.

“Hello there, little one,” he said with a smirk, “looks like your alpha left you here all alone with no one to protect you...”

“Let me go,” Yuri said in a rush, and he felt his dignity crumbling around him as he struggled to keep calm, and his voice even. He repeated the mantra of don't make a scene, don't make a scene... over and over in his head in an effort to remind himself what awaited him if he said or did the wrong thing. “Please...I just...”

“And are you telling me what to do, omega?” JJ asked as he leered at Yuri, and the omega immediately lurched back, though the alpha did not release him. “It's not your place to tell an alpha anything; you belong to us. We decide what you wear, what you eat, and, of course, when you will become a mother. You don't even need to think for yourself; your alpha, if he is a good alpha, he does it for you.” He leant in closer, and Yuri could smell an unpleasant mixture of whisky and wine on his breath. “Isn't it just so much easier when we tell you what to do? All you say is yes, and do as we say. It's an easy life, but if you want to make it hard on yourself, I'd be happy to oblige you.”

“Please,” Yuri repeated shakily, “I-I'm not telling you to do anything, y-you're...my alpha will be back soon, we just had a—a disagreement...”

The tone in which Yuri spoke was slowly killing him, not because it was feigned weakness in an effort to get the alpha to back off, but because it was true. This man utterly terrified him, and for the first time all evening, he wished Otabek was there.

And, of course, he wasn't.

“A disagreement, eh?” JJ purred, inching closer, while Yuri leant back a little. He looked around the room frantically, but no one seemed keen to come to his aid. Leo and Guang-Hong were standing in the corner talking quietly to one another. The omega, Emil, was feeding tidbits from the table to his daughter while Michele held her, and Viktor was speaking animatedly to a staff member who appeared to be the chef or caterer—Yuri wasn't certain which.

Yuuri, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Yes, just a disagreement,” Yuri replied shakily, “he doesn't like other alphas touching me, and—” Yuri cut his own explanation short as he felt the bile rising in his throat. Despite the necessity of speaking of himself like this—anything to get this scumbag to back off, he simply couldn't do it. He could not speak as though Otabek was a class above him.

“JJ,” a sudden voice said. “What exactly do you think you're doing with my omega?”

Both Yuri and JJ turned, and Yuri saw Otabek standing there, his arms crossed, and his brow furrowed into an angry glare. He looked more dangerous in that moment than Yuri could ever recall seeing him before, and standing not two feet behind him—was Yuuri.

Realization dawned on Yuri—Yuuri had gone to get Otabek when he saw the trouble.

Yuri didn't know whether he wanted to thank him or hit him.

“You leave an unmarked omega alone at a party, what do you think would happen?”

“I expected him to be treated decently, not like he's something that can be taken as arbitrarily as the last sandwich off a platter,” Otabek growled, his eyes narrowing. “Let him go, now.”

JJ lifted his arms in surrender, and Yuri fell to the floor with a soft grunt. The man was still smirking as he wandered over to Viktor, and whispered softly in his ear. Viktor's normally cheerful expression dissolved, and he began to very gently escort the partycrasher to the door.

“Yuri.”

Yuri spun at the sound of his own name, breathed out like a sigh of relief, and suddenly he was overwhelmed by the familiar scent of Otabek's overpriced cologne as the alpha embraced him.

Far too shaken by the encounter to even try to fight, Yuri wrapped his arms around Otabek's neck and clung to him. The alpha's hand ran up and down his spine, and Yuri shivered at the strange and confusing sensation of both comfort and discomfort coursing through him—comforted by the safety he felt in Otabek's embrace, while a part of his mind screamed at him for accepting touch from this man at all.

For once, Yuri didn't care, and found himself deeply grateful for Otabek's presence and warmth.

“Thank you, Otabek,” Yuri whispered before he buried his face in the crook of Otabek's neck, and he felt the alpha's arms tense around him.

A/N: If you like my work, please consider throwing a few bucks into my Digital Tip Jar. I am a starving artist, and I like not actually starving to death :P

NLMG Masterpost

[gallavictorious]

Once again the fandom coming together to daydream about Mickey helping Ian out and seeing him back on track to become an emt again but why is that on Mickey? Why does he always have to do things to make Ian happy when Ian's usually nothing but annoyed by Mickey and does nothing to make Mickey happy? Truly shows which character y'all care about more.

This got absurdly long, because I am who I am and did take the opportunity to go off on a tangent about valid conclusions and what not, so I put it under a cut. Read at your own risk! Oh, and I also do address the actual question about whether or not Ian's career is on Mickey, and whether or not Ian never does anything to make Mickey happy. ;)

For the sake of clarity, I got this ask in response to this post.

And I gotta say, nonnie, getting this ask perplexed me to the point of running off to Trusted Fandom Friends, demanding to know how my undying love and loyalty for Mickey could ever be doubted. Had to laugh at myself a little, actually, and the strenght of my befuddlement. It reminded me of the time I went on a trip with people from the 501st (cosplayers dedicated to the bad guys in Star Wars) and Rebel Legion (cosplayers dedicated to the good guys in Star Wars) and a lot of people assumed I was a Rebel sympathizer simply because I had friends in that group and those were the people who had invited me. Excuse me, I didn't yell, I have like 30 Darth Vaders in my damned home, how dare you question my allegiance? I was so used to always being known as a diehard Vaderkin fangirl that the mer fact of strangers failing to recognize me as such genuinely fucked a little with my sense of identity. My love of Mickey isn't anywhere near as deeply ingrained into my sense of self, since he's only been an occasional presence in my life since 2016 while Darth Vader's been my main man since 1994, but it was still a little jarring to suddenly find myself (mis)identified as an Ian stan.

Being a fangirl is strange.

And I want to make it clear that I do love Ian. He's a fascinating character and, to me, he's a character that's often much harder to understand than Mickey. He rewards careful analysis and discussion, though, so I guess I tend to talk a lot about him? I don't need to spend as much time considering Mickey's feelings and motivations because they are (almost) always pretty obvious; I don't need to tease them out. But at the end of the day, Mickey is my favourite. (Though I'll always love Ian and Mickey together more than I love either of them on their own. It's like fresh cilantro and mint – each perfectly lovely in their own right, but the combination of them creates a flavour that's just out of this world.)

Now, you might argue that you don't follow me and so have no idea who I am and what I like to post about, and that going only by that single post (which, in fairness, was tagged with 'i just want ian to be happy okay?') I give off the general impression of an Ian stan. And that's fair enough; I'm an obscure blog in a decently big fandom and you're not required to keep track of anyone. However, if you want to throw around passive aggressive accusations of caring more about one character than the other, I will ask you to do your research first. Reacting to one single piece of data without considering the context is a common but highly unfortunate practice that needlessly complicates meaningful conversations, and we'd all do well to abstain from it.

Oh, you don't want to spend a lot of time and energy on consdering every single thing a specific Tumblr blog has ever said on a specific topic just so you can draw a valid conclusion about their stance? That's perfectly understandable, nonnie, and easily sorted: refrain from making unsubstantiated claims about what other people think or don't think and you won't have to. Ask them, if you wonder. If you see a tendency in fandom to put the responsibility for Ian's wellbeing and career or Mickey's shoulders and want to discuss that, that's totally cool! I am game (and will address that question below)! But it's very possible to do that without somewhat rudely ascribing perferences and opinions to other people, and you'll get better answers for it (for instance, you won't have to wade through me rambling on about valid conclusions and my memories from other fandoms... ).

It seems to me, though, that this touches upon a long-held frustration of yours. If I interpret your ask correctly, you think the show gives us an Ian who is mostly annoyed with Mickey and doesn't do anything to make him happy, and you think that the fandom responds to this by relegating Mickey to the role of Ian's caretaker, whose sole purpose is to serve Ian's needs without any regard for what might Mickey himself happy. Have I got that right?

If so, it should be noted that I don't agree with either of these takes: I don't think that's the Ian the show gives us (a point I will return to below), and I don't think that fandom at large only cares about Ian's happiness, and I particularly don't think that my post can be used a evidence of the latter.

For instance, when you sent me this ask the post in question had all of 40 notes. As I write this, it has just over 70. ”The fandom coming together” seems to be slightly overstating the case, don't you think? There are certainly fans who care more about Ian and only see Mickey as valuable as long as he contributes to Ian's happiness, just as there are fans who care more about Mickey and only see Ian as valuable as long as he contributes to Mickey's happiness - but this single post with less than a hundred notes does not support that either of these stances would be predominant within the fandom. (And, while on the topic, I'd like to state that I don't actually see a problem with either of those stances; these are fictional characters that exists for our entertainment and we don't have any moral obligations to treat them equally and fairly. Don't ruin other fans' fun by dumping on either of them in the character or shipping tags or on character and shipping posts and this is not a problem. It might be a somewhat unpopular opinion, but I don't think you have to love or even like all characters in a ship to ship it: I refuse to drink plain tea because it's nasty but put a splash of milk in it and its my favourite thing ever. You can love a combination without loving all the seperate pieces on their own. And yeah, I do revert to food metaphors a lot. I like food.)

Secondly, whether or not the post can be said to represent the feeling of the fandom at large (it cannot), I think that reading a post specifically about ”Mickey helping Ian out and seeing him back on track to become an emt again” and then extrapolating from that that Mickey ”always have to do things to make Ian happy” is a little wild. The very first thing I wrote for this fandom was a vision of Ian offering Mickey comfort, goddammit. (Ian giving Mickey a hug is so high on my list of desires, you can't even imagine)

As for your actual question (and, ah, imagine how much shorter this post would be if you had just left it at that) – of course that's not on Mickey. That much, incidentally, I've actually explicitly stated in another post. Ian might have his issues but he's still an adult and responsible for himself. That being said, I don't see it as particularly strange that someone would go out of their way to help their partner when they see them struggling? If I realize that someone I care about is unhappy and there's a way for me to help, I would want to help because I love them and want them to be happy, even if it's – ethically speaking – not my responsibility to do so. Pretty sure Mickey, who is action-oriented and so very protective of the people he loves, feels the same way.

Of course, if it's a one-sided thing – if one partner is always the one to do stuff for the other and never receives any support in return – that's not a healthy relationship, and I assume that this is what you're seeing in the show and taking exception to?

Only... I can't help but wonder who this Ian is, this uncaring, selfish version you see – because I don't quite get how it can be the Ian who emptied his bank account for Mickey, or the Ian who was ready to throw his parole and stay in prison for Mickey even when they were in the middle of a fight specifically because Mickey said it would make him happy, or the one who kept trying to talk to Mickey and win him back after Mickey punched him in the face, accidentally broke his leg, and took off with a new lover (I'm not taking sides in this one, btw – I have a lot of sympathy and understanding for both of them and their actions throughout this whole sorry affair), or the Ian who immediately wanted to marry Mickey protect him from the consequences of a murder Ian thought he had actually comitted, or the Ian who went along with arranging a real wedding even though he initially didn't at all understand why this was important to Mickey and who had someone come serenade him once he did, or the Ian who chose At last for Mickey to walk up to the aisle to, or the Ian who keeps trying to reach out to Mickey and to touch him and discuss their issues in a mature way even when he's (justifiably) upset about Mickey using all their wedding money without telling Ian. (Though Ian deciding for both of them that they're saving the money isn't great either.)

I mean, Ian's absolutely done shitty things, as has Mickey. They're human, and they're the products of a chaotic and often hostile enviroment. They do mess up a lot; they've hurt each other rather badly over the years. Depending on your perspective and preferences, you may think one or the other have behaved worse, but as far as I can see, the claim that Ian never does anything to make Mickey happy is simply not supported.

Ian has seemed unusually annoyed with Mickey this season, I'll give you that, but while that's not always the most fun thing to watch and I strongly sympathize with the wish to just see Ian look at Mickey with that fond look again, I don't find him being frustrated right now all that weird, given the circumstances. I'd argue it has less to do with Mickey and more to do with a general frustration over thwarted ambitions and not being able to hold on even to a really shitty job, though Mickey's attitude doesn’t exactly help (which is not to say that I think that Ian's the one in the right here, becasue Ian's way of handling things hasn't always been been stellar either). However, I do have faith in them sorting this out – because even though they fight and bicker and get annoyed with each other, there's never any indication that they're not both committed to making this marriage thing work. They certainly stumble, they misunderstand each other and lash out, but they calm down and go to sleep in the same bed and compromise and keep trying. Every day, they – both of them – choose each other.

I'd like to finish this off by noting, even though it's not entirely relevant to my argument, that that the number one thing that does make Mickey happy is being together with Ian, and even when Ian is pissed at Mickey and withholding sex (which was very ill-advised but says a lot of interesting things about his character, I think!) no one's sleeping on the couch, there are no nights away from the house and each other, and even in the middle of an argument they sit and stand next to each other. I think that's pretty telling of Ian's dedication, especially given his propensity for running away from his problems.

Phew. Okay, nonnie – though we don't agree and I doubt you'll find this answer satisfactory, I hope you see that I have done my best to understand your point of view and treat your arguments fairly and give you a thoughtful response. If you'd like to get back to me and elaborate on your stance, I'd ask that you show me the same courtesy. :)