partner. lover. family.

gray. adult. she/her. ao3: grayola. 🌿

[gallavichy]

Chapter 6: Until We Get There

In the 90s and early 00s, they were distant neighbors on a long, dirt road out in the middle of vaguely Georgia farmland. Ian and Mickey: two poor, closeted Southern kids with similar financial situations but very different families, harboring secret crushes that felt illegal and that manifested themselves as sharp words, punches, and self-loathing.

In 2021, Ian, a high school teacher in need of a fresh start, returns to his childhood home after nearly 20 years to find himself once more sharing a lonely dirt road with Mickey, the boy he once knew and the man he's desperate to get to know.

Rating: E overall, this chapter T/M

Chapter Word Count: 23k

Summary: He thinks the main difference between him and Ian is that Ian is brave and he isn’t.

Fic Playlist: Click

Click here to read Chapter 6 or here to start from the beginning.

[gallavichy]

hi everyone! love you all and thanks for the concern! i’m totally good. ♥️ i have simply fallen into the problem of my writing getting placed on the backburner because i’ve been spending time with other hobbies (i’ve gotten back into hiking and have been doing bouldering/climbing training) and then i’ve been having trouble getting back into the habit of writing when i do have the time.

i’m committed to getting this baby done. i’m actively working on chapter 7 today and i feel like once i get this one done, the next will come easier and hopefully faster. sorry. i really hate being slow to update and am also sad that i’ve reached a point in which i’ve gotten like this (though it was bound to happen lol; i’m frankly surprised i managed 2 full years of pretty consistent updates). i just used to be writing constantly and for very long stretches of time, and while that allowed me to be relatively prolific, it didn’t really leave room for a lot of other things. now that i’ve got other things i’m doing, i’ve just been writing in bits in pieces every now and again. i get that it’s probably frustrating as a reader, and i apologize and appreciate your support and love. i’m just in a really good place in my life right now. for me personally, my mental health is tied in so much to the outdoors and physical activity, and i’m trying to lean into that as much as i can now that i’m miraculously in that mindset again for the first time since covid quarantine. 

i know tbm is not the most fun to have a long waiting period between updates right now because it’s a little angsty, but a lot of that should be over soon and the next several chapters will be very sweet.

don’t worry. i have every intention of finishing and will keep chugging along with it. thanks for your patience, kindness, and love over the past couple of years. you all have enriched my life, and i appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!

love, gray ♥️♥️♥️

[gallavichy]

dear gray, it's my birthday tomorrow 🥺🥺🥺 and I was hoping to have a tiny bit of the next part of TBM, maybe a few emoji ? 😍

aww happy birthday! ♥️ hope it’s a great one!

i’m hoping to finish very soon. sorry for the delay. i just haven’t been sitting down to write as frequently as usual. but here are some emojis!

⚖️💊🍻 | 🧑‍🦱👦🏼👨🏻‍🦰🏡 | 🚤🏊🏻‍♂️🩳🥵☀️| 🏍🌳🌳🍃🌅📱😳 | 🤦🏻‍♂️🙋🏼‍♀️👦🏻👨🏻‍🦰🔥 | 🔥🌕😳😊

[gallavichy]

thank you for your kind messages! 🥰️ don’t worry! i’m still working on tbm and have just been taking a while with chapter 7. it will be here soon!

[also i am really behind with asks but i will try to get to them all asap.] ♥️

[gallavichy]

Not a question but just wanted to say, you know you’ve written an amazing fanfic when someone (me) goes to LA and keeps seeing CG references everywhere 🥲 thank you again for such a lovely piece of fiction ❤️

😭😭😭 i miss them

[gallavichy]

A friends with benefits tag 👀. Gray I gotta tell you I’m very very curious to see how that get set up! Are they going to be cute little awkward boys? I know PJ is some how involved with pushing for that! 😂.

the cutest and most awkward. 🥰️

[gallavichy]

Hey Gray

Does Ian borrow Mickey's Cub Cadet to mow his grass, or did he buy a new one?

well my intention was that ian was going to borrow it at least once more before he bought his own, but i completely neglected to address it in the previous chapter! so he'll probably end up with his own the next time we see him mow.

[gallavichy]

i hope my baby ian gets all the happiness in the world. my heart hurts for him so much and i love him to death. i can't wait for mickey to make him happier and both of them grow together

ian is so lonely right now i wish i could give him a hug 🫂

i love him so much, too, and i promise he is going to get so much love and support he won't know what to do with it all! <333

[gallavichy]

Is Mickey going to get a Grindr account to stalk Ian and get some sneaky dick pics 😖?

Will Mickey get jealous of hot, experienced yet boring teacher Chris?

These are things I need to know after my 4th re-read 😆

yes to one of those things 😉

[gallavichy]

Hi Gray!

No ask. Just wanted to thank you for all the work you put into writing. And to thank you for sharing those wonderful words with us.

Everything you put out just manifests into so much love.

Just wanted to send a little of it back to you.

💛

ahhh this is so kind of you to say and it made my morning! thank YOU so much for your love! ♥️♥️♥️

[gallavichy]

You’re the queen of slow burns in fanfics (in the best way)

With chapter 7 being next will we break the slow burn barrier or will we have a few chapters left until we see anything happen?

chapter 7 will give you an idea of where it's going and will give ian some much needed information. in chapter 8, you'll start to see some results of that information... 😉

[gallavichy]

I just now noticed the friends with benefits tag. Gray. Gray? GRAY!

😏

[gallavichy]

Hello Gray!

Will Merle play a bigger role in later parts of the fic?

Also, any teasers for the next chapter?

Love to you. 💜

merle is the cutest thing. we will meet her in person (rather than just references to her) as iggy sorts out his life. <333

as far as a teaser goes...

lip and fred come to visit, four boys go to the lake, ian and mickey have a conversation about the past, and there may be a bonfire involved!

[gallavichy]

Hiya Grey

Any news on Chapter 7 of TBM? Just asking because my whole freaking life revolves around it, lol.

Two more questions. Does Mickey still have Ians baseball he stole in Chapter 1? Will they discuss Mickey maintaining the vegetable garden?

All of the Greyola WhatsApp Fanclub think your original characters are amazing. We 100% support you writing an orignal novel and I would like to request that you reserve me a first addition signed copy. I'll pay top $ 😛

Look forward ot the next chaper Gray.

Xx

you're so sweet!

nice catch! we haven't seen the last of the baseball! <333 and yes, the garden stuff (along with some really heavy metaphors) will come about within the next couple months fic-time.

i'm working on ch. 7, so it should be along soon! <33 thank you so much for your support. it means so much! 😘

[gallavichy]

I think CG Mickey would lose his mind at this-

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdVFDeR5/

he ain't the only one... 😏

[gallavichy]

OK, double-asking, but I just remembered the other thing I was thinking about -- you may already be planning this, but I would love to hear from PJ why Mickey is her best friend and what it is about him that's made her put in the work to be in his life. You've already said she wanted him and Aleks to have some kind of relationship, and I love her for that, but it's clear even without that she loves him and would still be his friend. Obv he's the best, but it would be sweet to hear her take

awww, we'll definitely hear about it! 😌♥️

[gallavichy]

I'm loving TBM so much! The last update was great. I was thinking earlier about Ian, Mickey, PJ, and Aleks all bonding--they all make me laugh and I love them so much, so I'm excited for Mickey and Aleks getting close and Ian becoming part of the family. It made me think, too: I co-sign everyone's love and excitement about those 4, but I can't wait to see more Bodie! She and Aleks are the two dopest kids, and I expect Ian's relationship with them will be fun to watch <3

i also love them so very much! i can't wait for bodie to see right through ian and mickey. 😌

glad you're enjoying!