noooo your tags please never stop writing that's exactly the scenario I was thinking of with kev venturing to gay neighborhoods and bars in chicago arranging blind date after blind date with guys for mickey hoping to find "the one" so his friend and best employee isn't sad and lonely half the time. they're a mix of redheads and non redheads, some are nice, some are northside hipsters, some are from the southside so they can relate to mickey more, but there's no spark with any of them.
mickey's not being a jerk on the blind dates, he's just not putting any effort to make a connection either. he agrees to go on the dates partly to humor kev, partly to get out so he has something to do and somewhere to go. he figures it's better than being hung up on ian, even if he hasn't given up on him he doesn't want to wait around either, so he's going to try to have some fun.
when ian finds out he's surprised but tries to play it off like "whatever. we broke up, he can do what he wants" in this au for ian I think it would be better if he stays single and focuses on his health along with being an emt. after he has himself together he finds himself missing mickey and maybe there's some attempts at being just friends. he's not worried about the blind dates since they go nowhere.
but whoops one of the guys kev finds for mickey is actually cool and easy to talk to, and oh no he and mickey are going out again, and ian knows he should have moved on by now, he knows it's just four or five dates but he's envious. he complains to kev in a not so subtle fashion but kev is in a happy "finally one of the dates I picked out for mickey was a success" mood so he's not really listening to any of ian's griping, lol rip.
ian realizes he's never stopped loving mickey and he wants to get back together but he's afraid to say anything because it's been, let's say, seven months since the break up in season 5 and that was messy, and maybe he thinks he's being selfish when mickey seems happy with this new guy. and mickey is, but there's no strong feelings of love there, it would feel like settling. it would last maybe a year before he and the guy decide they're better off as friends.
ian's struggling with the possibility of letting mickey go to see where this new relationship might lead, or being vulnerable enough to tell mickey he loves him still and wants to be with him again.
this would follow into season 7 with a will they won't they drama with lots of tension and longing stares that ends with them getting back together in episode 4.
Aaah, YES!😭 Ian being torn because he wants Mickey to be happy is half the reason he broke up with him in the first place, so he's like, isn't this what I wanted? For him to find someone he doesn't need to change or change for? And he feels bad but he CAN'T just let go completely, he never really could.
But he's been working on himself and he's more confident and more settled and when he sees signs that maybe Mickey isn't totally gone on his new guy, he decides to see if the new him is still someone Mickey wants.
And OF COURSE HE IS but maybe Mickey's a little gun shy what with everthing that went down, so it still takes a little longer. And meanwhile, Kev is happy they're getting their heads on straight but also low key annoyed that Ian stepped in and ruined his matchmaking, because he was so proud and had totally been bragging to people that he got Mickey Milkovich settled.
Bonus points if Ian hangs out at the bar a lot and pretends it's to play with the kids or something, and Svet keeps giving him drinks while muttering in russian about men being stupid.