Micah II & Colm ship thoughts because I absolutely need to be put down
The key point in their relationship is that it's in fact not even a relationship. They're absolutely not a couple, and absolutely do not have that lovers dynamic Colm and Micah III have, and they DO NOT have a mutual understanding, not in any way. Their relationship is kinda like what could have been and what's not. They are based on that feeling, on the spark that could have developed into fire but does not, mainly because of how their families are.
In my other HCs, the Bell family members are all sort of parts of this one figurative "Micah Bell" that does not exist, but is mainly based on Micah Bell I. One day I hope to make a post expanding that thought, but for now the point is that Micah II is very deeply connected to his heritage, even more than Micah III is. He is built in the image of his father (which actually is not even an exaggeration cuz I do have a lil HC that Micah I's reason for having a child is to have an extension of himself, but that's a thought for another time...) and even though he tries to escape it, it's still so deeply rooted into him that he simply can't. Colm, for that matter, plays the role of his independence and freedom outside of his father because both him and Owen are the first people he works for that are not somehow connected to his pa.
They're a symbol for his independence, and that spark in his life which never turns into fire because, again, Micah is too deeply rooted in what his father wants to actually let go. It's complicated, but I'd say that it's sort of like...a person living in poor and abusive circumstances who CAN make a difference but doesn't because he is too used to the lifestyle he is in.
And where Micah III abandons his heritage (sort of, he's like on thin ice), Micah II cannot. And it's funny, because Colm has sort of the same thing. He does take interest in Micah, and he does imply sort of flirting-not-really stuff when they're together, but it's also kinda...lame and coy. It's not the same as what he does with Micah III decades later, and it's probably because for the time period that they're in, Colm is also controlled the same way Micah II is, also by his family: Owen! I REALLY like to think that Owen has that influence on Colm which started from their childhood and whose absolute form is Colm being empty and fully compliant, kinda like he is at the end of "Colm Álainn". It's a very long game of mind-breaking which decreases whenever Colm is not with Owen. The reason he's so active in the game is also because Owen is dead.
Point is, I imagine that in his youth, when the O'Driscoll gang was not as massive as it is now and when Colm really wasn't that much in the business aside from doing all the dirty work for Owen's totally legal business, he was very much influenced by Owen the same way Micah is by his father. I think I even reference it somewhere in my fics. Their relationship is really just two young boys that lack the freedom to actually become something more than just colleagues. They have the capacity to, and they can, but their families influence them in a way that nothing is done. It's like a romance you have on a vacation which ends as soon as the other half flies away. Also, it's a bit like Romeo and Juliet, except they do not run away and stuff.
Colm, however, gets the chance to try again with Micah III, when he's much older and less stupid and is more of his own person. Micah II doesn't.
But! I can still pretend that the things they do together, the ones that are absolutely NOT romantic, are such. Miscellaneous, kind of fluffy headcanons for them:
– Colm is a good gun, but he is nowhere near Micah in terms of shooting, so he loves to hire him as his bodyguard to get this funny little princess treatment where Micah protects him.
– In the same way, he likes to give the princess treatment to Micah, mainly because he likes to see the conflict in his eyes, knowing his father beat (or tried to beat) the vanity out of him. Micah is not supposed to enjoy these fancy snacks that Colm offers him, nor is he supposed to sleep in a big, luxurious bed, but he does, and Colm just lives for that little childish spark in his eyes whenever he experiences these things. In the same way, he just likes to treat him well: he knows how Micah loves society and so he regularly takes him out drinking, visiting brothels, and reads poetry with him, even if he himself doesn't really like it.
– Colm likes Micah's scars. He is genuinely the type of person to like all kinds of branding on a person, and Micah has so many scars and sunburns and such that it's a pleasure to look at. He also likes his blue eyes, because they have a sort of naivety to them.
– One time, they drunk-kissed. Most of the actual romantic interactions they had come from Micah's love for a good drink.
– Micah is a really huge sadist, which is kind of canon? In-game, his son mentions that he is wanted for murder (not robbery or anything, specifically murder) in FIVE counties, and the farm job they've done has unnecessary cruelty. Like, really, slitting a couple's throats and hanging them? Plus I've seen a lot of people HC that he is a man with a short temper, and I'd imagine that sadism kinda goes with his aggression. Point is, his sadistic tendencies go well with Colm's sadism. They have it a bit differently because Colm's is much more passive. He enjoys more psychological punishments and does not have the thing of letting his anger out on someone. It's a contrast that works well, I think.
okay I think that's it for today, god bless
