Two sides of the same coin//Gallavich

30: Memories- Mandy and Mickey

IAN
"Hey Mandy, I just wanted to say thank you, for helping me out. I mean, it must be difficult knowing that I don't really remember you." I smiled. Mandy carried my empty plate into the kitchen, avoiding Fiona, who was making a cake. Why? No one knew.

"What can I say, Ian? Not helping you would be like me bailing on a study session." Mandy grinned. Study session?

I watched as Mandy got something from the cupboard. While she wasn't focusing on me, my mind flashed a memory.

"Hey Ian. Thanks for comin'. I almost thought you would bail." Mandy looked at me, letting me inside.

"I almost did bail. I mean, if I was caught standing on your front porch, my brother would kill me." I explained, looking at her house.

"Sorry for the shithole. Milkoviches aren't really well versed in the area of good hygiene." Mandy laughed, sitting down on the couch. I looked at the coffee table that was full of ripped magazines, guns and other weapons.

"It's fine. Is your dad home?" I asked, looking around.

"Nope. He and two of my other brothers are out for the week." Mandy smiled.

"What about Mickey?" I asked, knowing how angry Mickey could get.

I had seen him around, always making sure to avoid him as best as possible.

"If he gets home and you're still here, I'll shut him up." Mandy reassured me.

For the next 30 minutes, we studied. Mandy would get up and grab a beer every 10-15 minutes, but for most of the time, we'd actually study.

My heart raced. That's why she mentioned a study session. I zoned out again.

"Actually, Mandy has something that she really wanted to show me." I explained, Mickey sitting on the couch.

"Well, if anything happens, I've got a gun only a few feet away." Mickey pointed to a gun that sat on a nearby chair.

Mandy appeared from her room, holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"I did it! I did it! I did it!" Mandy jumped up and down, giving me a hug.

"You did what?" I asked as she stopped hugging me, shoving a piece of paper at me.

"I got an A! For the first time Milkovich history, I got an A!" Mandy smiled. I looked down at the marked paper, my eyes widening at the giant red A marked on the corner of her paper.

"This is awesome!" I grinned.

"And it's all because of you!" Mandy hugged me again.

I smiled, looking at Mandy.

"I almost did bail on our study date, remember? I mean, back then, me being caught on your porch would have resulted in death." I laughed, Mandy's eyes widening.

"You remembered!" Mandy smiled, unable to hold her excitement and joy in.

"What did Ian remember?" Mickey asked, confused.

"He remembered the day that he came to our place for a study session." Mandy grinned.

"I also remembered the day that you showed me the A that you got." I added.

"Holy shit, this is awesome!" Mickey cheered.

Mickey sat down next to me, a beer in his hand as he turned on the TV. Mandy put in a game and for the next 15 minutes, Mandy and Mickey fought each other on whatever video game they were playing. I watched in amusement as Mickey won, fare and square.

"Goddamn it Mickey!" Mandy hissed, whacking Mickey's head. My eyes went to the wall next to the TV. As I stared at the wall, an image popped into my head. Mandy was sitting on the couch, a controller in her hand. I sat next to her, playing whatever game she had chosen.

The rest of the study session quickly faded and turned into Mandy on the couch playing a video game. I joined her, playing with her. Out of nowhere, Mickey sat on the couch, squeezing me between him and Mandy. He grabbed the controller from my hand, smirking.

"Let me show you how it's done." He chuckled, his eyes then gluing to the screen in front of him.

I snapped out of my little day-dream and looked at Mickey, who, for the first time in a while, was losing to Mandy. I stared at the wall again, now imagining a totally different scenario.

"Mickey, what are we?" I asked as I kept my eyes closed, imagining a very naked Mickey next to me.

"What do you mean 'what are we'?" Mickey asked, confused.

"I mean, what are we? Are we boyfriend and boyfriend, fuck-buddies..." I gave him a few options, finally opening my eyes to see Mickey's head popping out from underneath the sheets.

"Why you busting my balls, man?" Mickey asked, a smirk on his face.

"Just wondering if we're a couple or not." I asked, wondering what Mickey's response would be. He smiled, coming up to give me a kiss.

"Of course we are." Mickey smiled, inadvertently admitting that he was gay.

"A couple that hides?" I asked, Mickey rolling his eyes as he exhaled.

"Hey, it's working out so far, so good." He smiled, kissing my jaw.

"Getting kind of sick of it." I rolled my eyes, sitting up.

"Jesus Christ, man. How about you let me go deal with my stupid shit before I deal with your stupid shit?" He asked, trying not to laugh.

I looked at Mickey, who smiled.

"Hey, can I have some help upstairs?" I asked, Mickey not hesitating to help me up the stairs. Mandy followed with the wheelchair. After a few seconds, Mickey was wheeling me to my room.

"Hey, Mick? Can you come here for a second? I can't reach this..." I asked, Mickey smiling as he opened the top drawer of my dresser, reaching inside.

Without warning, I pulled Mickey down to my level and placed a kiss on his lips. He seemed confused at first, but eventually, he kissed me back.

"What was that for?" He asked as I pulled away.

"I now know how hard it's been for you to help take care of me. You and I, we were together and then everything changed." I sighed, Mickey helping me onto the bed.

MICKEY
"It has been hard. I watched for weeks as you lived your life without any ability to move your arms and legs. I wished every night that I could just crawl into your bed and sleep next to you. I wished every day that I would be able to kiss you. But I couldn't. I couldn't because I didn't want to freak you out. When you didn't have any memory of me, my heart broke. It was like watching the love of my life move on without me." I could feel the tears in my eyes.

"I'm the love of your life?" Ian looked at me, shocked.

"Of course you are, Gallagher. You have been since the beginning. I- I just...it didn't really occur to me until recently." I admitted, Ian now holding my hand.

"So what? Are we gonna just...go back to how it was?" Ian asked, smiling.

"No. I'm going to do it this shit right." I took a deep breath in and out.

"Ian Gallagher. Would you like to be my boyfriend?" I asked, Ian's smile getting bigger.

"Yes." Ian kissed me.

Finally, after weeks of waiting, Ian and I were a couple again. I couldn't've been happier.