Cadence ( Part 2 of Rhythm ) Completed*

Chp 4: Repose

Mickey's driving from one job to another when he does a double take. It's not that he hasn't been down this particular street before, it's just that he's sure he hasn't seen the giant "SPACE FOR RENT" sign draped across a good portion of the row of storefronts he's passing. It's right in the middle of the strip, probably several unoccupied spaces for rent. Slowing his SUV to a stop alongside it, he makes a humming noise in thought. He's getting ahead of Ian's planning stage but this is pretty prime Milwaukee storefront real estate. He doesn't know the nitty-gritty about that type of stuff but he knows enough to know that there is both a good deal of foot and vehicle traffic in this area. Putting the car in park, he hops out in order to get a closer look. The stores are pretty bare at the moment, but when he cups his hands on the sides of his face as he leans against the window and see more clearly.

"Shit," Mickey whistles. He's not sure the size Ian and Jason have been tossing around, but the space looks big enough. Even looks like two rental spots could be combined for a larger space if the landlord is on board. Pulling out his phone, he snaps a picture of the contact information posted on a large sign beside the stores. Ian's only really started taking the storefront idea seriously 5 months ago, but the research is going slower than expected. In the pipe dreams and fantasy stages, it seems like an easy plan. On paper, Ian and Mickey found out they had a lot of research on their hands. And Mickey's not letting him do it alone. Sure, Jason is a giant help, the man already has a very basic knowledge of what they need to get done. But other than that, they've been figuring it all out on their own. The only thing checked off their list is that Ian already has a business license from the city of Milwaukee but there is so much more that he needs.

Taking several steps away, Mickey makes sure to get pictures of the store from all angles, including one that is angled so as to capture the whole span of the street. When he has enough that decently capture the esthetics, he starts a message to Fiona. Attaching several of the photos, he doesn't give her much pretext when he types, "What do you think?" There is a weird rush of feeling proud of himself over the simple moment when he realizes how far he and Fiona have actually come. They're relationship has never been what Mickey would deem as a bad one but there have been times where it was easier for them to fade into the background of each other's lives. There was little for them to connect on, but despite that Mickey found himself in an awkward plain of existence where he would probably go to bat for Fiona, love her in a way that he felt duty bound to feel. She's Ian's sister – a sister Ian loves – and that makes her important to Mickey. Besides, she understands parts of Mickey's life that not many people do. They've shared enough similar situations to respect where they both came from, not the homosexual, child birthing ones but she was close enough to a mother that Mickey feels like they're on the same team more often than not. Her freak-out over his pregnancy aside, she's been a relatively stable force in his life since he and Ian had Mikayla. Still, he doesn't often reach out to her in this way so the novelty of it feels a little more like growth than a one off.

Instead of the phone chirping back with a text it full out rings.

"Hey," Mickey props the phone to his ear.

"Kinda thought you were sending me a picture of my niece. Gotta say, she's a hell of a lot better to look at than some vacant buildings."

"I wouldn't be askin' you 'what do you think?' about your niece. Too late for that talk. She already loves you." Mickey gets side tracked. "You're Ann FiFi by the way, it's the best she can do right now. Better than being 'Yip'."

Laughter floods the line. "Shit, she's talkin' that much already?" Fiona's voice fades into a warm hum. "You got videos of that?"

"Nah, Ian might though." Scratching at the back of his neck, Mickey paces slightly as he talks. "Anyway, so, yeah, I just..." He stops and decides to start again because none of that is coming out in a way that makes sense. "Ian tell you he's thinking of opening a storefront?"