biological 》ian gallagher

nine

Ian walked with full energy towards the house he grew up in, as the sun had started to rise. His right hand had a white knuckle grip on the plastic bag he carried as he opened the front door. Walking into the kitchen, he was greeted by Rosie first, who ran straight to him with a smile.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed, as Ian crouched down to pick her up into a hug. Fiona, angrily, turned to see Ian. Carl quickly found an excuse to leave before a full argument took place.

"I have to get ready for school." Carl said, standing up. Debbie followed him, quietly, noticing the glare Fiona shot at Ian.

"Hey, sweetie." He smiled, standing up straight, using his left arm to hold her up. He hardly noticed the look on Fiona's face, as she waited for Rosie to be out of earshot for her to hear. "I got you something." Ian raised his eyebrows at Rosie, setting the plastic bag onto the table, before reaching inside of it. Rosie smiled widely in excitement, as he pulled a small, shirt and pants from the bag. The outfit was pink, of course, with small flowers stitched into it, with different colored string.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" She exclaimed, as Ian set her down onto the ground. He gave her the outfit, nodding his head towards the stairs.

"Go put it on." He smiled, making her nod quickly and race up the stairs. Ian smiled, as he watched every move she made until he couldn't, anymore.

A small sigh had escaped his lips as he turned back over, seeing Fiona, finally.

"You mind explainin' why I had to be the one to give her a bath, and put her to bed?" Fiona asked, glaring at Ian. Ian kept a small grin on his face, not noticing the anger leaking in her voice. "And, why she was wondering, all night, why her dad didn't come home to say goodnight?" Fiona cocked her head to the side, as her statement made Ian's grin disappear immediately. "And why Mickey was here for hours last night, waitin' on you?"

"Mickey?" Ian asked, looking at her in slight confusion. Fiona ignored this, as she approached Ian more.

"Don't ever leave for a night without tellin' anybody." Fiona growled, before turning on her heel, and march towards the front door, grabbing her jacket on her way out. Ian felt glued to the floor, being reminded of, Mickey once again. He stared off into space, until he heard Rosie walking down the stairs.

Rosie came around the wall, walking down the last few steps, as Ian watched.

"You look beautiful." Ian smiled, going wide-eyed at the sight of her. She smiled, twirling around once to admire herself.

"Thank you!" She looked back up at him. She had long forgotten about his absence last night, as she was perfectly fine with him being there, now. "I made a new friend, daddy." She nodded at Ian, making Ian turn his head to the side in slight confusion.

"Who?" He asked, looking at her for an answer. She smiled before she spoke.

"Mickey." She looked happy, but Ian's heart broke, making him want to catch his breath. "He's nice. Oh, and I made cookies!" She remembered the chocolate chip cookies, as she ran past Ian, towards the counter, to grab a cookie from the plate.

"Do you like Mickey?" Ian asked her, suddenly finding amusement in the whole situation. She nodded, holding out a cookie for Ian to take.

"He's handsome." Rosie spoke, with a nod. Ian laughed, hard enough for his stomach to hurt. He kept his eyes in Rosie, as her smile grew wider. Ian used his free hand to pick Rosie up, making her wrap her arms around his neck.

"I'm tellin' him you said that." Ian teased, walking towards the front door. He wasn't exactly sure where they would go together, but he would figure it out.

"No!" Rosie dragged out, as Ian shut the door behind him with a smile.

"Fine, then. I'll just have to teach him a lesson, or two." Ian joked and teased, pretending to punch her cheek. She laughed, before shaking her head.

"No!" She giggled, playfully pushing Ian's chest. Ian looked at her as he continued walking down the sidewalk.

"No? He's trying to take you away from me!" Ian joked, with a laugh before using his upper body strength to put her on his shoulders. A squeal of a laugh escaped her lips, as her hands clutched onto his head, as Ian held onto her feet to keep her balanced.