gallavich sad/fluffy/happy ending oneshot - Coupleâs Therapy #2 | Mexico
Mickey and Ian sat on the couch in their counsellorâs office. This was the second meeting. After the first one had gone well, Mickeyâs anxiety about the situation had diminished and Ian was happy to go again. Their love for each other had only gotten stronger after getting their honest shit on the table. They were closer, always cuddling, spending less time staying up at night worrying.
âWell, no offence you two,â Nadine, their counsellor, began, âBut after last time, I am expecting a doozy. You two have been through very... specific circumstances together. And I am curious to learn more and excited to help you both through more.â Nadine smiled. She had a look in her eyes that seemed to say that Mickey and Ian were a miracle.
âGlad to hear it,â Ian laughed half-heartedly.
âNow, what should we discuss today, did either of you have any ideas?â
âUh...â Ian thought. He bounced around ideas in his head, but none of them stuck out.
Mickey, however, âI want to talk about Mexico,â he blurted.
Ian looked at Mickey at first with surprise and then with a somewhat sad, knowing look. âOkay, Mickey,â he agreed, âLetâs talk about Mexico.â
This time, Ian and Mickey were holding each otherâs hands for support. Ian gave Mickeyâs hand a squeeze... to tell him that heâs listening.
âMexico? What happened in Mexico?â Nadine inquired.
âIt was before Mexico, actually,â Mickey began explaining to Nadine. âIâd broken out of prison. I was on the run from the cops and... fuck, I wanted to be with Ian,â he and Ian both had lopsided smiles, âAnd when he met me at the docks... even though he had a boyfriend, it was pretty fuckinâ intense, in a good way, if I do say so myself. And he agreed to go to Mexico with me, sorta. He got in the vehicle and we went and... well, shit happened on the way, but thatâs not the point. He left. At the border. He wouldnât go with me.â
âI see.â Nadine said.
âIâm sorry, Mickââ
âNo, no,â Mickey interrupted, âI donât want you to apologize. You had your reasons.â
âCan we step back for a moment and talk about this?â Nadine asked them both.
âYeah,â Ian said. Mickey nodded nervously.
âOkay, Mickey, can you talk about how you felt when Ian met up with you and when he left at the border?â
Mickey thought for a moment, and then began, âWhen I thought he was going to Mexico with me, I felt high.â He gave a small laugh, reminiscing, âI felt like, I donât know, I had everything. I broke out of prison, I was going to flee the fuckinâ country, and I had him there. There was nothing else I needed, you know? Ever since I came out, and I was with him, I felt like it was him and I against the world. No one else got it. No one else could get it.â He looked at Ian proudly, and then his face fell, âAnd then when he said he wasnât going... one step before the finish line... I donât know. I felt... too fuckinâ much. It felt like the opposite of having everything. It felt like having nothing. Going through the border, successfully even, and having a life out of prison felt like I was watching a fuckinâ boring movie. I wasnât me anymore. I was on the outside, looking in, feeling like a fuckinâ robot with everything I did. And Iâm not sayinâ thatâs all his fault. I have my own shit I have to worry about. But I felt betrayed, too, you know? Like he was right there. He was going to go with me, and then he wasnât. And it was like losing the reason it was all worth it after thinking that reason would be coming to Mexico with me. And... fuck. Iâll admit it; I still feel betrayed. And I donât want to.â He looked at Ian, âBecause I love him.â
Ianâs eyes were watering at this point. He was wiping them with his sleeves. Mickey could only look at him for a second more before looking away.
âThank you, Mickey. Ian, do you hear him?â Nadine asked gently.
âYes, Mickey,â He looked at him. âI hear you.â
âIan, do you want to tell us how you felt during that situation?â
âYeah,â he wiped the remainder of his tears off and nodded, âI really thought I was gonna go with him. I was happy, too.â He looked at Mickey with love, âHe was the only person who could ever make me feel that way. Even my other boyfriends, they could never... it was never the same. And as we got to the border, that scared me. I was living a really simple life. And I was scared to get back in the game... back into really being with someone who had that power over me. Mickey and I had never been... stable. I didnât know if we would survive in Mexico and that was scary. Leaving him hurt, though, and it made me wonder if Iâd made the wrong decision. I cried all the way home. And in the back of my head, I was always kinda comparing my other boyfriends to him. I pretended, I lied to myself, saying that we werenât good together. And maybe objectively most people would look at it that way too, but I knew he was the only person who could bring real feeling out of me. And that scared me. And thatâs why I didnât go with him. I know you said not to apologize, Mickey,â He looked at Mickey again, âBut Iâm sorry.â
Mickey blinked away the beginning of tears.
âDo you hear Ian, Mickey?â
âI do, butâ Can I say something else?â Mickey looked at both Nadine and Ian. Nadine looked at Ian for an answer.
âGo ahead, Mick.â Ian said.
âI guess... the thing that hurts most is that you wouldnât take a chance on me. You know, Iâd, Iâd go to fuckinâ... Russia for you, I donât know. Iâd flee the country to Russia or fucking... China for you. Iâd take that chance. And I just worry that... I donât mean that to you. And I know itâs a lot to ask, and it might be unfair. But if I donât mean that to you, I donât know. It hurts.â
Ianâs heart sunk. He got it now. âMickey... You mean everything to me. Youâre right, okay?â Ian grabbed Mickeyâs other hand and held them both. He looked Mickey right in the eyes. âI should have taken that chance. But right now, weâre married, and Iâm taking that chance every day, because you could really ruin me. You have all that power over me now and Iâm letting you. Letting somebody in like this was scarier than anything Iâve done. But youâre worth it, Mick, you mean that to me.â
Mickey was speechless. His breath was caught in his throat. Ian had a fucking way of making him cry.
âDo you hear him, Mickey?â
Mickey nodded slightly and looked at Ian. âI hear you, Ian.â He promptly wrapped his arms around Ian and hugged him tightly as he cried into his shoulder. âFuck,â he laughed and pulled back, sniffling and wiping away snot. âSorry if hugs arenât allowed in the office or whatever,â he said to Nadine.
Nadine smiled, proud that the two were communicating. âDonât worry. They sure are. Now, how about we talk about how you two can talk about these things at home when they come up.â
Nadine talked to them about communication, respect, how to step back when things got too heated, how to listen, mindfulness, and how to talk to each other in ways that arenât antagonistic. Each of them thought some points were cheesy, but still, they listened. And in the coming weeks, they tried to work what Nadine told them into their everyday lives.
To their surprise â it worked.