Dear Mel,

This weekend, Ian and Mickey got invited to a baby shower! It's for one of the moms at their new apartment complex, and Ian is so excited about it. You know, baby fever, a little nudge nudge, we should have one too to Mickey kind of thing.

Mickey, as usual, sees right through him. But he goes along, Ian's in that cute, excited as a puppy mood and the food's probably gonna be bomb. That bitch Marta from 3C is catering, and she once made them a mean casserole.

Turns out, Mickey ends up having way more fun than he was expecting. The food was great, but the baby stuff hanging on the walls and shit were sort of cute, too. Not that he would admit that.

However, Ian is the one who gets antsy afterwards. All the talk about doctor's appointments, baby furniture, pre-school ("Mick, did you hear Brit is already looking at schools? She's not even 30 weeks pregnant!" "Who the fuck is Brit, man?" *chewing noises*) made his head a bit dizzy. He feels overwhelmed, maybe he's not fit for this? What if he messes it up? And fuck, he can't even tell Mickey about that, he's the one who "pushes" Mickey about having kids. Maybe he doesn't even want them and just agrees with Ian so the subject will die (which is totally Ian's head messing with him. Mickey wants kids just as much as Ian at this point).

So, they get home. And Ian is weirdly quiet, mind going a thousand miles per minute but body not moving, he's stuck sitting on their couch staring at nothing. And Mickey knows what this is. And he thinks he knows why he's like this.

My question is, how does Mickey comfort Ian about that?

ah debs! i can see this happening so clearly. ian has such a vision for their future and he believes in it so much! and he believes so fully in mickey. ian wants to make a family and be a dad - and he especially wants to do it with mickey. it just feels natural! but i bet there are moments when the reality of it all settles over him. how much there is to plan for, how scary and real and important it is. and there are surely moments of real doubt about his own ability to handle it.

so yes - mickey sees it all playing out, he can see the thoughts bouncing around ian’s head. i don’t think he’ll ask about it directly, not right away. he’ll sit next to ian on the couch and comment on the shower - probably about the food or lack of booze. just a little thing to get ian’s attention. ian will just nod or smile a bit, and mickey can move in there. kinda like the deleted scene?

“that was a lot, huh?” or “you tired now?” - a little question to alert ian to the fact that mickey can sense something’s up, even though he probably already knows. but it gives ian a chance to sigh and deflate a bit, lean into mickey and let go of the tension. ian will start and stop, he doesn’t want to freak mickey out or make a whole Thing of it. but when mickey opens his arms and raises an eyebrow, it all comes out. the worries and fears and regrets. mickey just listens, rubbing at his back. hums a bit as ian speaks.

when ian quiets down, mickey keeps holding onto him. stays quiet for a minute, lets the words settle. after a moment - “you wanna know what i think?” and ian will nod. always. mickey will tell him that ian takes care of them all, he sees to their needs and loves them fully and completely. and at the end of that day, that’s what matters. that’s where you start. and they’ll learn this, they’ll learn it together and they’ll help each other because they are partners in everything. mickey will be there to back ian up when he feels unsteady, and he knows ian will do the same for him. and they have so much support in their corner. they won’t ever be alone in this. what ian gives to the world and their family - they will show up and give that right back. and mickey will tell him that it’s normal and okay to be scared shitless (he still is, too), but he knows ian can do it. he knows ian was made to care and love and nurture, and he wants to see ian try. he wants to see ian succeed - and he wants to be part of it. mickey feels sure of himself because he has this partnership! ian will smile a big tearful smile and kiss his husband, thank him quietly, and tell him that he loves him. they’ll stay wrapped up in each other, making little plans until it’s time for bed ✨

hello i love you

oh hello! that’s very interesting, thank you for letting me know. did you know, however, that i love YOU? please consider this for a moment 🥰