Just a few thoughts before I start. This is my first ever fanfiction, so please don't be too harsh. I've loved Shameless from the start and I've always shipped Ian and Mickey, but this season was just too full of emotions! I seriously "needed" more of the show, so I started reading any and all Gallavich fanfics I could get my hands on. Sadly, there aren't that many multi-chapter ones out there… Solution: write my own. It gives me a reason to re-watch the show again from Season 1, for the millionth time, and also helps me justify to myself (and my husband) why I talk about Ian and Mickey 24/7.

I've always thought that Mickey was a product of his environment, and that if that were to change, so would Mickey. It's obvious that he has evolved as a character; just look at the difference between the dirty boy who tried to beat Ian up in season 1 to the actual human being at the end of season 3. He clearly changed. So in this fanfic, everything is starting from the beginning. What if one single event had gone differently? If Mandy never got Mickey to go after Ian, what would the repercussions have been? This story begins at episode 3 of the first season.

Oh, and last thing: I hate being confused when I start reading a story, so since this one's point of view will alternate between Mandy and Mickey, I'm going to clearly state so at the beginning of each chapter. I hope you don't hate it.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show Shameless and I don't own the characters (just my OCs). Chapter 1 is the only one that will follow the show closely. After that, things change :)

Chapter One

(Mandy POV)

The first time Mandy really met Ian was at the Kash and Grab. Sure, they had been in some of the same classes in school for years, but she had never paid much attention to the redhead. She knew his family by reputation-drunk father, crazy mother, older sister who looked after the kids, smart-ass brother, and a few more brats running around.

That night, she had taken the El over and walked into the store with a purpose. She saw that Ian was on a step ladder stocking some shelves. His ass looked so perfect in his tight black jeans, so she did what any horny teen would have done and pinched his butt cheek, right there and then.

Ian laughed and said, "You know, that's sexual harassment!" as he turned around to face her. Realizing who it was, he started to say, "Mandy—" but Mandy cut him off.

"Hey Ian!" she practically sang, trying to put as much charm as she could into it.

"What's going on?" Ian asked her.

"I wanted to thank you for coming to my rescue in history class today." She was referring to what Ian had done to their pervert of a teacher, Mr. Bancroft. The teacher had been standing next to Mandy's desk with his disgusting erection bulging through his pants, right in front of Mandy's face. Ian had slowly slipped his backpack on the floor into Mr. Bancroft's path. He'd tripped and fallen on his ass, cursing on the way down, much to the amusement of everyone in the class.

"No problem; Mr. Bancroft's a prick." Ian laughed, almost to himself, clearly not understanding just how appreciative Mandy actually felt. That disgusting teacher had been getting on her nerves all semester, and when she had turned around in her chair to see what had happened, she had felt a combination of relief and surprise upon realizing what Ian had done for her.

Mandy decided to try a different approach. She batted her lashes at him and said, as sweetly as she could manage, "Well I think you might be my knight in shining armor…" with a huge grin on her face, actually giggling in the process.

Ian still tried to shrug it off like it had been nothing. "Right…"

Mandy, still giggling, told him, "You're funny, Ian Gallagher!" She not-so-subtly asked him what time he got off work, and Ian replied that it was inventory night, so he would be there until really late. A little bummed, but in no way deterred, Mandy told him she would see him around school the next day. Then, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and started leaving the store, but not before squeezing past him a little closer than necessary and gently trailing her fingers across his back on her way out.

Maybe she should have gone home, but she felt like she had gone all the way there and wasn't giving up that easily. It wasn't like she had anything better to do at home. Her brothers were probably out beating up some little punk and her dad was guaranteed to be drunk and passed out on the sofa. Instead, she walked around to the alley by the back of the store and settled in, waiting for Ian to finish work. There was still snow on the ground and she was wearing a mini skirt, as usual, so she found a spot in the back of the delivery truck, where she hoped she'd be a little warmer.

Sitting there in the truck, she started to think about her history with boys. She hadn't had the greatest track record lately. The last boy she'd dated, Danny, was only trying to get close to her in order to score some free weed. He had heard about the new strain her brother Iggy had started selling. When she had found out that he only fucked her for access to the pot, she had cried quietly in her room for the whole night, until her brother Mickey had come in and found her. He had told her that Milkoviches don't cry and demanded to know who he had to go beat up. She had told her brother everything that had happened, and he and Iggy had kicked Danny's ass so badly he had missed two weeks of school.

The guy before Danny had been a complete asshole too. Keith had been assigned to be her partner on a biology project. She had been nice to him so that he would do the bulk of the assignment for her, even letting him feel her up and make out with her during their "study dates" or whatever they were. The night before the project was due, she had gone over to his house and Keith had convinced her to blow him. Then the next day in class, he had turned in the shitty project, and when the teacher asked which parts Mandy had worked on, Keith had thrown her under the bus and said she hadn't done any of the work.

She didn't know why the guys she hooked up with ended up being such jerks, but she knew that Ian was going to be different. She could just tell from his smile. It was so genuine. It didn't look like there was a single malicious bone in his body.

Some time later, she thought she heard Ian walking by. She waited for him to pass the back of the truck and she surprised him with a loud "Boo!" She smiled when she saw that she truly did startle him. "Did you miss me?" she asked him.

"Yes," he responded, and her heart did a little flip. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting to walk you home, silly!" she said, jumping out of the truck to lock her arm into his. They walked to Ian's house like that, arm in arm.

A half hour later, they were sitting in the Gallaghers' living room, watching some stupid monster truck show on the TV with Ian's little brother Carl. Mandy watched Ian intently, but his attention seemed to be on the program. She licked her lips and scooted closer to him, but he got up immediately and asked Mandy if she wanted another beer. She said okay, so he went into the kitchen. While he was gone, Mandy got Carl to leave.

When Ian returned, he passed Mandy the beer and sat down at the edge of the sofa. She could tell Ian was nervous, and wanted to show him that he didn't have to be. She bit her lip and made up her mind. She suddenly straddled Ian and started trying to make out with him.

"Mandy! Mandy... maybe we should..." Ian started to say, as he gently tried to push her away.

Mandy grinned at him and said, "Don't worry. I have one," as she pulled out a bright yellow condom from her bra. She'd known this was what she wanted from the moment she stepped foot into the Kash and Grab, and she had come prepared. She unzipped his fly and started trying to get things started.

Ian was breathing heavily but he managed to spit out a few words. "Mandy. Please, stop. Can we please just talk for a second?"

She pushed away from him and took a look at his face. He looked panicked. She suddenly had a strange thought. "Ian Gallagher, are you a virgin?" she asked him, although he was 15 too, so she didn't see how that would be possible.

Ian laughed out loud all of a sudden and said, "Yeah right!" but then his expression suddenly twisted and he looked at her guiltily. "Well, technically yes," he amended.

Mandy was really confused. She got off of Ian's lap and sat back down on the couch beside him. She turned so that she was facing him, but he wasn't looking at her. She slowly reached out an arm and put her hand on his cheek, turning his face towards hers. "What do you mean by technically?" she whispered.

Ian started to blush from her intense gaze, so she put on a slight smile to make him feel more comfortable. "Mandy... I don't want you to think this is about you. Believe me, it has nothing to do with you. I haven't told this to anyone. I didn't even tell Lip—he just sort of found out," he muttered, more to himself than to her. He took a deep breath and continued, "The reason I don't want to do this... is because I'm gay." He cringed as he said the last part, as if waiting for her reaction.

Mandy was shocked, sure, but more because of the fact that he was telling her this, not because of what he told her. She was surprised that he actually trusted her enough to tell. In their neighborhood, being gay would get you killed. Hell, her brothers would probably be the ones to do it. Instead of getting upset, Mandy thought about how important this moment was for Ian. He was confiding in her and she honestly believed him.

Mandy realized her hand was still on Ian's cheek, so she put her other one onto the opposite side. Cupping his face, she slowly exhaled and said, "Ian. You don't need to worry. I'm not going to tell anybody." She watched as Ian visibly relaxed. He gave her a shy smile as he realized that he really could trust her. The smile made her insides melt. He was just so adorable.

"How long have you known?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know... My whole life, I guess?" he replied.

"Are you sure that you're not just making this up?" she asked him.

As if mirroring her earlier thoughts, Ian said, "In this neighborhood? Why would I make that up?" He took a deep breath, waiting for her answer.

Mandy shrugged. "I just thought you were lying so that I wouldn't get upset. Maybe you think I'm ugly or something..." she said, being honest for once. She had never been this honest with a boy before, but she just had a feeling she could tell Ian the truth.

Ian's eyes opened wide and he looked at her like she had suddenly grown another head. "Mandy, you're beautiful! This has nothing to do with the way you look," he told her. "I'm just not wired that way." Nobody had ever called her beautiful before, not even her own parents. Sure, some of the guys she had hooked up with in the past had complimented her and told her how fucking hot she is, but this was definitely different.

To her surprise, Ian suddenly put his hand on Mandy's breast and then used his other hand to put hers on his crotch. He waited, looking at her expectantly. She realized he was trying to prove to her that he was not aroused. "See? Nothing," he said. She laughed a little.

She moved her hand away and leaned back in the couch, still laughing. She reached for her beer and took a sip. Ian's eyes met hers again and he laughed too. The atmosphere in the room had definitely changed. They went back to watching TV. A few minutes later, Mandy turned to Ian again. "If you want, I could pretend to be your girlfriend at school and stuff. Then no one would give you a hard time."

Ian looked at her, startled. "You'd do that for me?" he wondered quietly.

Mandy shrugged. "Sure, it would keep the creepy guys away from me. Besides, I've never actually had a real boyfriend before. Well, not that you'd be a real boyfriend, but a boyfriend I could do things with. Instead of, you know, getting finger-banged all the time." She grabbed his hand and their fingers intertwined.

Just then, Ian's sister Fiona walked into the house. They both turned back and looked at her. She stopped when she saw them sitting on the couch. Much to Mandy's pleasure, Ian said, "Hey Fiona, this is my girlfriend Mandy." He smiled his adorable smile at Mandy and turned back to watch the TV, hands still locked together. Mandy had never been so happy before.