Micky had fallen asleep in Mike's arms right away, although Mike was perfectly happy to just lay awake stroking Micky's hair until he himself fell asleep a couple of hours later.
Just like it always used to be, Mike was awake long before Micky the next morning, and the Texan went downstairs to prepare them both some breakfast ready for when Micky woke up. Mike put two bowls, two spoons and a box of Kellogg's Cornflakes on a tray with a bottle of milk before quickly and quietly returning to be bedroom, careful not to wake a still sleeping Micky.
Mike set the tray on the nightstand and climbed back into bed next to Micky. Mike smiled as he watched Micky sleep beside him, and he had absolutely no regrets about his decision to ask Micky to give him a second chance.
Mike had thought long and hard since Micky's accident about what was the 'right thing' to do until the answer became almost blindingly obvious. Mike needed to be with Micky, and Mike knew that if Micky needed to be with him too then there was no other place either of them should be. It seemed stupid that he'd fought that answer for so long, but Mike had become so aware of his mistakes over the past month that he knew he absolutely had to put them right.
When Micky started to wake from his slumber, Mike could've sworn he felt his heart burst with sheer joy. Mike felt a big, soppy smile cover his face as he watched Micky stir and come to life - Micky waking up was even more adorable than Mike had remembered, and he felt absolutely smitten with the boy beside him as Micky finally opened his eyes and looked up at Mike with such beautiful innocence.
"Hello." Mike said quietly, the smile radiating through his entire body - he felt absolutely elated.
Micky's sleepy eyes focussed on Mike, and after a couple of seconds Micky's smile matched the Texan's. Mike didn't think he could smile any more, but somehow seeing the happiness on Micky's face made Mike feel like he was literally about to explode with pure, incomparable joy.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Micky grinned.
Mike used every piece of restraint he had to stop himself from pouncing on Micky and showering him with kisses.
"Because you're beautiful and perfect and I'm so in love with you I'm scared I might burst." Mike beamed.
Micky giggled, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He almost looked shy - shy and giddy - and Mike felt like he could hardly handle how cute Micky was.
Micky stretched while Mike continued to look down on him adoringly. Micky then pulled himself into a sitting position and that's when he noticed the tray on the nightstand next to him. "Aww... You didn't have to get us breakfast."
"It ain't no problem." Mike replied, still completely transfixed on the boy beside him. "I take it you still like your Cornflakes in the mornin'."
"Of course." Micky grinned, lifting the tray off the nightstand and sitting it on his lap. "You didn't have to wait for me though."
"I don't mind," Mike said as Micky passed him a bowl. "I was more than happy to watch you sleep. You've slept for twelve hours straight, Mick."
"Have I?" Micky asked, turning to look at the clock on the nightstand - the time was a little after 9:30. "Wow," He said in surprise. "That's the best night's sleep I've had in ages."
Mike continued to smile as Micky poured a bowl full of Cornflakes, handing the box to Mike when he'd finished.
"I only brought milk up," Mike said. "I wasn't sure if you still like having orange juice on 'em."
"No," Micky shook his head. "I sort of realised it was kinda gross." He giggled.
"Kinda gross?" Mike questioned. "More like seriously disgusting."
Micky giggled some more as Mike poured some milk on his cereal. "You never tried it so you're not allowed to judge!" He said in his defence.
"Damn right I didn't try it." Mike laughed. "I'm more than happy to stick with milk, thanks."
Micky grinned as he shoved a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. The couple ate in silence - apart from the sound of their crunching - until they finished and Micky poured himself another bowl.
"You want more?" Mike asked in bemused bewilderment, especially having seen the size of the bowl-full Micky had just finished.
"I'm trying to fatten myself up." Micky replied seriously with a hint of defensiveness.
Mike felt a niggle of concern. "You don't need to fatten up." He told him.
Micky didn't respond to that - instead he concentrated on covering his second bowl of Cornflakes with milk. Mike watched Micky stare ahead as he started to munch on his cereal with a thoughtful look on his face. Now the mood had taken a slightly more serious turn, Mike decided now was the time to voice something he'd been thinking long and hard about.
"There's somethin' I've got to say to ya, Mick." Mike said after a short silence.
When Micky turned to look at Mike the Texan could instantly tell that Micky was concerned.
"There's nothin' to worry about." Mike laughed. "It's a good thing. Well... I think it is. I guess it is."
Micky swallowed his mouthful. "What is it?" He asked gently.
"I sorta touched on it last night, when I said I shouldn't stand in the way of you makin' your own decisions." Mike begun as Micky watched him in intrigue. He looked ahead and sighed. "What I'm tryin' to say is... if uh, if you want to tell your mom and your family about us at some point, then... then... I'll support you."
Mike turned his head to see that Micky was watching him with a surprised look on his face.
"If that's what you really want, that is." Mike added quickly. "I mean it'd have to be somethin' we'd discuss first, and you'd have to think long and hard about it, but... if you ended up being sure that's what you wanted to do then... I won't try to stop ya."
Micky looked to be in complete disbelief, and he looked ahead wide-eyed. "Wow..." He said before turning to Mike again. "You'd really be okay with that?"
Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if okay is the right word, but if it was what would make you happy then I'd make myself be okay with it." He said.
Micky pondered Mike's words. "Thank you." He said with a small, almost sheepish smile. "Maybe it is something to consider in the future, but not right now. For now I just want to focus on us."
Mike smiled, feeling a little relieved that Micky hadn't run with the idea of telling his family right away. "I'd like that." He said.
"Although... I will need to tell Sammy fairly soon." Micky sighed, taking another spoonful of cereal. "I promised I'd be honest with her from now on, and I don't want to have to keep any secrets from her again."
Mike felt a little uneasy which Micky instantly picked up on.
"I know she knows about you, by the way." Micky said, giving the Texan a knowing look.
Mike cringed guiltily. "I'm so sorry." He said. "I never meant for her to find out like that, I just had to see ya and- and I was totally reckless. I should've been more careful, I'm sorry."
"Mike, it's okay." Micky laughed, giving his partner a reassuring look. "You actually did me a favour. I hated not being totally honest with her and I feel like we're even closer now she knows the truth. She's been so understanding about it all... She's been unbelievable, actually."
"Really?" Mike wondered. "I was so worried I'd made things worse for ya."
"Well you didn't." Micky assured him. "It was a bit awkward at first but once we'd talked about it it really helped clear the air. She's been totally amazing and I'm so lucky she still lets me see Ami after everything I've put her through."
Mike nodded slowly. "I ain't so sure Phyllis would be so understanding." He sighed.
"You don't know that..." Micky said, less than convincing. "I mean, I didn't think Sammy would get it either, but she does. She seems to get everything and knows that my sexuality doesn't change the fact that I'm a good dad. Even with all the other shit she's learnt about me she still saw past it and gave me a second chance, so you never know with Phyllis. You're a great dad and at the end of the day, that's what counts."
Mike managed to smile and he nodded slowly, accepting Micky's point but not necessarily believing that would be the case with his soon-to-be ex-wife.
Micky was silent for a little while as he continued to eat his Cornflakes, and Mike could tell the curly-haired man was thoughtful once more.
"Speaking of Phyllis," Micky finally said. "Why did you break up?"
"Why do you think?" Mike asked, looking at Micky. "It was never gonna work - you said that yourself."
Micky went quiet for a moment, chewing on his latest mouthful of cereal and wondering what to say next. "Why did you get back with her if you knew it'd never work?" He asked.
Mike was a little surprised by that question, but he totally understood why Micky had asked it - it was a totally fair question, after all.
"Because I wanted to know that I'd at least given it a try." Mike responded honestly. "I wanted to try and put things right... even if it was in the wrong way."
Micky watched Mike with interest.
"My grandma's letter really shook me up." Mike admitted, looking ahead. "When she told me I needed to make amends and make sure I never again hurt anyone the way I hurt Phyllis, it just- it made me think about everything. And then me and you had that row and I... I just felt like it was a sign. I know that sounds stupid."
Mike looked down and sighed, but Micky continued to watch Mike as he silently ate his Cornflakes.
"I thought I was doin' what was right by everyone by gettin' back with her." Mike said. "Right by Phyllis, by the kids, by my grandma... even by you."
"Me?" Micky asked in bewilderment.
Mike turned to look at his boy. "Yeah," He replied. "I...I thought if you knew I was with someone else it would- it would make it easier for you to get over me."
Micky's expression remained unchanged. "Well... it didn't really work." He said.
Mike smiled awkwardly. "I know." He sighed. "At the time it seemed like the right thing to do - all of it. I made a lot of big decisions pretty fast but I was convinced I was doin' the right thing."
"So you weren't... you weren't happy with her..?" Micky asked tentatively.
Mike shook his head. "No," He replied. "I mean, it weren't awful or anythin'. She's a good woman and it was nice being around the kids, but... but it was never gonna work. Neither of us were happy, not really. We just had to give it a try. We always said we'd give it a six-month trial and if nothin' happened by then - if we didn't get our spark back or whatever - then we'd call it quits. And that's exactly what we did."
That thoughtful look returned to Micky's face as he looked ahead, finishing off the last of his Cornflakes.
"I only slept with her once." Mike confessed, causing Micky's head to snap in his direction. "Only once."
Micky swallowed hard, a look of surprise on his face. "I... I didn't ask." He said. "You didn't have to tell me that."
"I wanted to." Mike said honestly. "I wanted you to know."
Micky stacked his and Mike's empty bowls, put them back on the tray and moved the tray back to the nightstand. Micky didn't have anything to add to Mike's comment, but Mike couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that his confession hadn't opened the door for Micky to talk about whether or not he'd been with anyone else since they'd been apart.
Mike wasn't sure if Micky's silence meant there was nothing to tell, or whether Micky simply didn't want to talk about it. Either way, Mike didn't want to push Micky, and if Micky was going to open up he didn't want to pressure him first.
Mike couldn't pretend he wasn't curious about Micky's relationship with Tony; he had questioned Davy about it, but the Englishman gave very little away and told Mike that Tony had simply been Micky's drug dealer. From what Mike had seen that night in Tony's club - with Micky shirtless and Tony's hands all over him - he wasn't so sure that was the case, but he told himself that that may have been a one off and things hadn't necessarily progressed further than what Mike had already seen.
Still, Mike wanted to know for sure what had happened, but he wasn't prepared to question Micky about it - not just yet at least. Mike hoped that if there was anything to say, Micky would talk about it in his own time.
But there was a lot Mike wanted to know about Micky. Apart from whether or not he'd had any sexual relations with anyone else since they'd been apart - and Mike assumed that there had probably been plenty of girls - Mike also wanted to know about Micky's drug use and his apparent battle with alcohol. Mike wanted to get to the surface of Micky's brain and know everything there was to know about his boy, but Mike felt so reluctant to badger Micky for information. Mike was so happy to have been given a second chance that he didn't want to mess it up or ruin the moment by asking for too much too soon.
"What are you thinking?" Micky asked after a few moments silence.
Mike looked at his boy and smiled. That was a question Micky used to ask Mike constantly, and as annoying as it had sometimes been, Mike couldn't be happier to hear Micky say those words again.
"Just about you." Mike responded honestly.
Micky's face fell slightly and he started playing with the quilt that covered them both. "I am fine, you know." Micky said, almost reading Mike's mind. He looked up. "I know you're probably wondering about my drug use. I..I don't know what Davy told you exactly, but I am fine now. Totally fine."
Mike watched Micky carefully. "That's good, Mick." He said gently.
Micky looked uncomfortable. "I'm not a drug addict." He said. "I never was."
"I never said you were, babe." Mike reassured him. "But I know you had a tough time."
"I did..." Micky said quietly, looking down at the quilt again. "But I haven't touched cocaine in months. Not since last year."
Mike nodded slowly. "I know... Davy told me you'd stopped doin' it."
Micky looked up and Mike could tell the slightly younger man was feeling a little paranoid. "What else did Davy say about me?" He asked.
"Nothin' much," Mike replied. "Just that you'd gotten yourself better at the start of the year. He told me that you'd started using...you know, coke, quite a lot but you managed to stop it before it got out of control."
Micky was now playing with his hands nervously. "That's right." He said. "I quit it at Christmas. The drinking wasn't so easy to stop though."
Mike looked down sadly. "Samantha told me you were havin' a hard time again after she and Ami moved outta here..." He said.
"Yeah," Micky admitted. "But I'm not an alcoholic either. I just chose to drink a lot, that's all. I haven't had a drink since before my accident."
"Well that's great." Mike said with a small smile.
The two men went quiet as Micky fiddled with the signet ring on his finger.
"Why did you do it?" Mike asked, unable to resist. Micky looked up, willing the Texan to elaborate. "The drugs, I mean... and all the drinkin'."
Micky shrugged his shoulders. "The coke was different to other drugs." He said. "I tried it just like I'd tried acid and pills and shit... only it was different. It has a totally different effect. It makes you feel- it made me feel invincible. Alcohol made me forget about my problems, but cocaine didn't. The thing with coke is it just made me not give a shit about my problems; they were still there, but I felt strong enough to face them. I felt strong enough to face anything after a line or two."
While Mike was interested to learn about the effect these drugs had had on the man he loved, it also made him feel uncomfortable to know that Micky had used cocaine in the first place.
Micky clearly picked up on Mike's discomfort. "But it's good I stopped when I did, because I can see how easy it is to get sucked into it." He admitted. "I know it's not the answer to anything. I get that now."
Mike nodded slowly. He looked down and brushed a few Cornflake crumbs off his lap, unsure what to say next. He sighed sadly before finally saying; "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" Micky wondered innocently.
Mike looked up. "You said you used that stuff to fight your problems, and that you drank to forget about your problems," He said. "I was a problem, wasn't I?"
Micky looked at Mike with a mixture of sympathy and uncertainty. "You didn't know I'd do all that shit." He finally said. "I didn't know I'd do all that shit. And it wasn't just you... it was a mixture of things. But it doesn't matter anymore because I'm totally over all that crap now."
Mike could see the positivity in Micky's eyes, and that helped make the Texan feel a whole lot better.
"I'm really good." Micky smiled. "My accident changed everything for me. It made me realise what a stupid idiot I'd been and how I'd made some really dumb choices and wasted so much time being screwed up. So I'm cool now. I'm happy to be alive."
Mike smiled when Micky reached out to take hold of his hand.
"I have you now," Micky smiled, squeezing Mike's hand. "And I have my gorgeous daughter who I still get to see despite all the stupid shit I've done. I've got a lot to smile about and a lot to be thankful for."
Mike stroked Micky's hand with his thumb. "It makes me so happy to hear you say that, Mick." He said. "I'm proud of you."
"Good." Micky grinned. "Because I'm seriously cool now. All that shit is behind me. Like I said, I haven't had a drink in over a month now. Okay, so I haven't actually been allowed to drink because of these painkillers I'm on, but I haven't really had a desire to get wasted, which already makes me better than I was before the accident. The accident might've fucked up my body but it seems to have fixed my brain."
Micky laughed, but Mike simply smiled - he didn't feel like he'd ever be able to make jokes about Micky's near-death experience, but he knew it was in Micky's nature to try and make light of dark situations.
"I'm going to stop taking these pain meds soon anyway, seeing as I'm not in too much pain anymore." Micky continued. "And who knows, maybe I'll be able to go back to just having a casual drink again like I used to."
Mike couldn't help but feel a little concerned. Although he hadn't seen Micky during his dark period, he had heard from Davy that alcohol had started to have a seriously big impact on Micky's life, and from talking to Samantha that day too he knew that it had also affected the amount of time Micky had gotten to spend with his daughter, too.
"I know what you're thinking," Micky said, giving Mike a knowing look. Micky's mood had changed from awkward and nervous to confident and upbeat. "And you don't have to worry. Like I said, I'm not an alcoholic. I just used booze to try and deal with my problems. But I don't have any problems anymore. I'm happy. My whole outlook on life has changed, and now I have you back too everything is totally groovy. Once I'm feeling a hundred percent better in my body then I can start making plans with Samantha about when I can have Ami and we can even talk about her staying over, which is something we never did before because I wasn't in the right place mentally. But I am now, so I can really focus on being the best dad I possibly can be."
Mike nodded slowly, and he smiled at Micky and his new, positive outlook on life. "That's really great, Mick." He said. "It's good to hear you talk like that."
"Life is great." Micky smiled. "And I'm excited about being alive. Seriously, being told I nearly died was such a wake-up call. But everything is so groovy now."
Mike squeezed Micky's hand lovingly. "I'm so proud of you, baby." He smiled, reaching up to stroke Micky's hair with his free hand. "You're so much stronger than you think."
Micky's face softened and he looked down shyly. He took a small, short breath in before lifting his head. "Let's not talk about serious stuff." He said, shuffling closer to Mike and wrapping his arms around the Texan's neck. "I wanna spend our first day back together having fun."
Mike beamed at his boy. "I like the sound of that." He said. "What do you wanna do today?"
Micky shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care as long as it's with you." He replied with a sweet smile.
Mike found the big, cheesy grin that covered his face earlier return to him. "That sounds good to me." He said.
Mike and Micky lazed around in bed for a little longer, cuddling in silence before Mike decided it was time to get up.
"Do you mind if I take a shower?" Mike asked as he climbed out of bed.
"'Course I don't." Micky replied, opening the curtains to let beautiful sunlight fill the room. "You don't need to ask."
"Sorry." Mike smiled. Micky turned to look at him. "It's a gorgeous day out there."
"Yeah, maybe later we could hang out in the sun." Micky suggested.
"Sounds good." Mike replied.
Micky walked around the bed to where Mike was standing and kissed him on the cheek. "There's a clean towel in the bathroom."
"Thanks." Mike smiled. He picked up his long-sleeved shirt that he'd been wearing the night before. "I might have to borrow one of your t-shirts if we're gonna be out in the sun today. I think I'll be too hot in this."
"Hang on," Micky said, walking to his closet and opening the door. He reached up to the top section and grabbed hold of something. "I still have this."
Micky handed Mike a white piece of clothing that was folded up. Mike frowned as he opened it up to see that it was his old Triumph t-shirt. "You still have this?" He asked, looking up.
"Yup." Micky replied casually.
"I wondered where this went... I figured I must've left it here but I thought you'd have gotten rid of it or somethin'." Mike commented.
"Nope." Micky shook his head. "There were some other things of yours that I er, kinda boxed up and gave away to charity, but for some reason I couldn't let go of that t-shirt. You used to wear it all the time."
"It's a bit of a mess." Mike laughed, noticing how creased up it was.
"That's probably my fault." Micky replied with a shy smile. "I kinda used to sleep with it sometimes..."
Mike narrowed his eyes, not really understanding what Micky meant. "Sleep with it?"
"Yeah, like... I'd go to bed with it." Micky said, his cheeks going a little bit red. He looked a little sheepish and clearly felt rather silly, but he let out a little laugh. "I'd sort of cuddle it sometimes... it was kinda like a comfort blanket."
Micky giggled at himself, but Mike didn't find it funny. Instead, he felt absolutely awful.
"Stupid, huh?" Micky said, laughing at himself in a self-deprecating manner.
Mike approached Micky silently and wrapped his arms around the curly-haired man, pulling him into a tender hug and squeezing him tightly. Mike stroked Micky's hair and sighed sadly as he cuddled his boy, and after a few seconds Micky let out another one of his charming little giggles.
"Are you trying to squash me?" Micky asked.
Mike pulled back and looked at Micky guiltily. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt ya?"
Micky shook his head. "No." He replied. He titled his head to the side and gazed at the Texan. "You don't have to feel bad, you know."
"How can I not feel bad?" Mike asked. "You used one of my old t-shirts as a comfort blanket. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"
Micky visibly cringed. "It was dumb. I didn't tell you about it to make you feel bad. Please don't feel bad."
Mike carefully stroked the side of Micky's face before leaning in to kiss the tip of his nose. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, you big softie." Micky smiled. He pressed his finger to the end of Mike's nose playfully. "Stop feeling guilty. It's not your fault I'm weird."
"You ain't weird." Mike replied. Micky raised his eyebrows knowingly. "Okay, maybe you're a little bit weird... but that's why I love ya."
Micky leaned in and kissed Mike on the lips firmly before smiling brightly at the Texan. "Go take a shower." He said before taking the Triumph t-shirt from Mike. "I'll find you another t-shirt to wear; you don't want to wear this when it's all creased up like this."
Mike took the t-shirt straight back from Micky. "Actually, I want to wear it." He said, giving Micky a small smile.
Mike and Micky spent most of the day lounging around in the sunshine. The two men laid on a blanket on Micky's back lawn, looking up at the sky and talking, talking, and talking some more. The couple didn't talk about anything serious, though; Mike told Micky all about the music he'd been making, while Micky spoke for ages about Ami and how he was enjoying being a father. Mike also told Micky about his sons and filling him in on everything he'd missed over the past seven months.
Mike couldn't help thinking this was the perfect way to spend his first day back with Micky. It was relaxed and natural, and everything about the two of them together felt completely right - everything felt to be exactly as it should be.
Micky laid across the blanket, using Mike's stomach as a pillow. Mike absent-mindedly played with the curls on Micky's head as he looked up into the mid-afternoon sky.
"Do you ever think about how quickly life can change?" Micky wondered thoughtfully after a couple of minutes of content silence.
"In what way?" Mike asked.
"In any way." Micky replied, his hands clasped over his stomach as he looked into the sky reflectively. "Like one minute I'm riding my motorcycle with the wind in my hair, and the next I'm having an accident that almost kills me. Or how one moment I'm lying on the couch watching some boring movie, and the next I'm opening my front door to see you standing there. It's crazy. So much can change from one moment to the next, without you even realising it. Do you ever think about that?"
Mike pondered his answer. "Sometimes. I guess I should think about it more, though."
"I think it's so scary, but it's also amazing at the same time." Micky continued. He looked and sounded so thoughtful which Mike always found to be one of Micky's most endearing qualities. "This time yesterday I was so... blah. Like, I was okay, but I wasn't. I mean, I was okay, but I felt that's all I'd ever be, and I was also okay with that too." Micky paused while Mike tried to understand exactly what his boy meant. "I know that makes no sense." Micky giggled. "But it's true. I was just sort of here. But now I'm here with you everything seems to make sense again."
Mike was silent as he thought over Micky's words. He continued to play with Micky's curls until Micky rolled onto his side so he could look up at the Texan. "Did you know I'd have you back?" Micky asked innocently, his head still resting on Mike's belly.
"No." Mike replied honestly. "I was fairly certain you still loved me 'cause of what Davy had told me, but I didn't think that meant you'd want me back. Not after the way I hurt ya... and it ain't like it was the first time I hurt ya either. You'd already given me a second chance before."
Micky's almond-shaped eyes watched Mike carefully. "That first time didn't really count." He said gently.
Mike narrowed his eyes. "Didn't it?"
"No, because we weren't a solid couple then." Micky said. "When we first got together, it was...it was so uncertain. You wouldn't even let us define what we had or say that we were in a relationship. I kinda see when we got back together the first time as being the real start for us, because we both knew where we were at then... We knew we were in love and we were upfront about it."
Mike gazed at Micky in fascination.
"I'm not saying it didn't hurt when we broke up the first time," Micky continued. "Because it seriously did. But when we broke up last time, that was- that was a whole different level. And it was different too because you were honest about why exactly you were breaking up with me. The first time you ditched me you made out you didn't care about me, but last time- well, it was like you cared about me too much."
Mike swallowed hard. He admired Micky's ability to speak so candidly and frankly about their break-ups, but he also felt hideously guilty that he was the one who'd ended their relationship both times they'd split up.
"Even though I understood why you left me, it kinda made it hurt even more." Micky went on. "Because I blamed myself as much as I blamed you. I was pretty angry for a while there."
"I'm sorry." Mike said quietly, gently stroking Micky's hair once more.
"You don't have to be sorry." Micky assured him. "I meant what I said earlier about not wanting you to feel bad about anything. I told you that I understand why you left me."
"That ain't the point." Mike said, unable to look at Micky's sweet face. Instead Mike looked up into the sky and sighed. "I hurt you."
Micky sat up, turned himself around and laid down next to Mike, propping himself up by his elbow so he could look over the Texan. "Hey," Micky called gently. "Look at me."
Mike tore his eyes off the sky to look at Micky guiltily, although Micky was looking at him with the kindest, most loving eyes Mike had ever seen.
"Yeah, you did hurt me," Micky said. "But I know I hurt you too by putting you in an impossible position. You can only ever do what you think is right."
Mike gazed at Micky in a loving disbelief. "How the hell are you so understandin'?" He asked.
"Because I know you, and I trust you, and I know that everything you've ever done you've done because you think it's what's best for me." Micky replied seriously. "And it's... it's nice to know someone loves me that much."
Mike continued to stare at Micky in absolute wonder. He reached up and placed his hand on the side of Micky's face. "You never fail to amaze me." He said quietly, hypnotised by the boy hovering over him. "Even after all this time."
"Aw, shut up." Micky giggled, looking away bashfully.
"I'm serious." Mike said.
Micky's expression softened and he gently brushed Mike's dark hair away from his face. Micky smiled sweetly at the Texan, and Mike instantly felt his heart flutter as Micky looked down on him. Micky then closed the gap between their faces, pressing his lips to Mike's in a gentle kiss.
Micky pulled back for a moment, hovering just inches away from Mike's face, gazing into Mike's eyes with a more serious look than before. Micky then pressed his lips to the Texan's again, although this time the kiss was significantly hotter than before.
Mike was the first to slowly slip his tongue into Micky's mouth, wrapping his arms around the curly-haired man's neck as the passion grew between them. Mike slid his hands down Micky's back while Micky stroked Mike's mass of dark hair, and after almost a minute of this slow and sensual kissing, Mike decided it was time to wrap things up when he felt a twinge in his crotch.
Mike reluctantly broke the kiss, remembering what Micky had said the night before about not being in a good enough physical state to do anything sexual just yet. Mike was a little surprised, especially as Micky seemed to be moving around pretty well, but he appreciated that he had no idea how Micky was really feeling after his accident.
The two men smiled at each other after their kiss was broken, and Micky laid down next to Mike, snuggling up close to the Texan.
"I'm so hot." Micky sighed, wiping his brow.
"You can say that again." Mike joked.
Micky laughed. "I don't mean like that." He giggled. "It's boiling out here now."
"Yeah, now the clouds have cleared we ain't gettin' a break from this sun." Mike said. He watched as Micky sat upright and fanned himself with his hand. "Why don't you take your shirt off?"
"No, I'm okay." Micky replied, running his fingers through his curly hair.
"Babe, you're bakin'." Mike laughed, propping himself up on his elbows. "Take your shirt off."
"I don't want to." Micky snapped defensively, surprising Mike and causing the Texan to frown. "Sorry," Micky said. "It's just I can't really, can I? I can't exactly put suntan lotion on my scar, and I sure don't want it getting sunburnt."
"Yeah... sorry." Mike said with a sympathetic smile. "I didn't think of that."
"It's okay." Micky smiled. "Maybe we'll go sit in the shade for a while."
The two men moved to a cooler spot of the garden, sitting down next to each other in the shade.
"I told you I'm seeing Ami tomorrow, didn't I?" Micky asked as the couple got themselves comfortable.
"Yup, you did." Mike nodded.
"Well... I'm going to tell Samantha that we're back together." Micky said in a slightly awkward tone. "That's okay with you, isn't it..?"
Mike felt a little tense and uncertain about someone knowing they were actually together, but he nodded his head. "Yeah... if that's what you want." He said.
"Well I can't take the risk of lying to her again." Micky sighed. "I almost blew it last time and I don't know how many more second chances she's going to be willing to give me."
Mike started picking the grass beneath him. "You don't need to explain, babe." He said.
Micky sighed again. "I just really hope she's okay with it." He said. "I mean, it's not like she didn't know about us before, it's just this time she'll know we're actually together."
"Have you thought about whether you wanna tell Davy that we're back on?" Mike asked, still picking at the grass.
"I want to eventually." Micky said, looking at his partner. "I mean, he's been with me through this whole thing. I'm not sure how happy he'll be about it, though. He was pretty much constantly telling me to get over you and that you were bad for me."
"Well... to tell ya the truth, Davy did actually sorta encourage me to ask for you back." Mike admitted.
Micky's eyes widened. "Are you serious?!" He asked in disbelief.
"Well... kinda." Mike nodded. "When you were in hospital and we didn't know if you were gonna wake up, we uh, we kinda had a confrontation."
Mike looked down again and continued to pick at the grass.
"What kind of confrontation?" Micky asked.
"I was really angry about everything and uh, and I sorta blamed Davy for not tellin' me that you were having a hard time again," Mike begun awkwardly, unable to look at Micky. "So I went to see him, and...and he said somethin' that-that was wrong and I- I took it pretty badly. I sorta... I mean I was really scared about losin' you, and he was pushin' me quite hard and I uh..."
Mike trailed off, feeling a little embarrassed and wondering why he'd brought his confrontation with Davy up in the first place.
"You what..?" Micky asked gently. "You didn't hit him, did you?"
Mike looked up. "No, no I didn't hit him... I wanted to, though. But I 'spose I couldn't really blame him for what he said to me." He said.
"What did he say to you?" Micky wondered.
"It don't matter what he said." Mike replied. "But I got upset. And it made me acknowledge a lot of feelings I'd tried to keep locked away for so long. Davy kinda realised then that I loved ya, and he actually said somethin' to me that made me reconsider everything. He was the one who made me re-think what I'd done."
"Really?" Micky asked sweetly.
Mike looked up. "He told me there was no such thing as perfection, and that- I mean, it's so stupid, but it really helped me put things into perspective. He also told me that you'd never been able to get over me."
"Wow..." Micky looked away, surprised to learn that Davy of all people had actually played a part in he and Mike getting back together again. "So... if it wasn't for Davy, you wouldn't have come to see me..?"
"I would've figured it out myself eventually." Mike confessed. "But my head was a mess at that point... I was so scared about losing you that I couldn't think straight. I ain't gonna pretend to know what it's like to be told I nearly died, but being told that someone you love might die..." Mike shook his head slowly in reflection of what might've been. "My god, Mick. You have no idea how much you scared me."
Micky smiled sympathetically, and he placed his hand on top of Mike's. "Well I'm still here. Fighting fit and going strong... almost." He smiled.
Mike squeezed Micky's hand. "Davy is protective over you." He said. "And while he did sorta try to push me into tryin' make amends with you, I do think he'd prefer it if you just got over me and I stayed away from ya altogether."
Micky nodded slowly in agreement. "But when he sees how solid we are, hopefully he'll be supportive." He said. "But we don't have to tell him right now. I'll deal with telling Samantha first, and then we can tell Davy in our own time; there's no rush. But I would like him to know eventually."
Mike nodded. "I understand that." He said.
"But for now," Micky begun, wrapping his arms around Mike's neck. "I'd like everything to be all about us."
Mike felt his face light up. "That's just the way I like it." He said.