Hello readers! Before I write anything else, sorry for the delay, I had to readjust coming back from break, the finale feels and AH! Time went away from me. This one was a you-know-what to write but here it is!

Drop a line for me and tell me what you think! I appreciate it!

Disclaimer: All recognizable themes and characters belongs to their rightful owners.

Here we go!

"The End Days"

Chapter Six: "Streamers"

Ian needs a cleanse, a purge and a good talk.

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Previously from Chapter 5

The two boys broke apart from their kiss with a loud peck and turns to the door breathing in heavy gulps. Mickey almost fell to the ground when he sees who it is.

Mandy.

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Ian's POV

Mandy just stood there, slack jawed and her eyes were welling up with tears. Ian only seen Mandy cry once because of Terry but he never would have thought he would make her cry next. The tension in the air multiplied in seconds, though the three stood there locked in their spots, silent, each taking turns looking each other in the eye.

What exactly comes next?

Ian released a held breath and looked to Mickey whose lips were still dark pink from kissing too long. He also sees the flush on his neck, creeping up from embarrassment.

"Mandy, hold on-" Mickey spoke, standing completely still as if trying to calm a spooked animal.

"No! I should have known- fucking…all this time! You both are fucking liars!" Mandy sputtered out, she was barely making sense. She was livid.

Ian wanted to speak but he felt this was more of a "Mandy vs. Mickey" ordeal. Granted, she knows now that they have something going on and Ian has to explain that but Mandy knows Ian's gay, she just found out about Mickey…in the worst way possible.

"Mandy let me explain, please, after the wedding…" Mickey finally walks over to a distressed Mandy with his hands up, trying to calm her down.

"No!" Mandy jumps back, "This here, oh my god, in my face this whole fucking time." Mandy just whispers the last part, shaking her head with her hands tangled in her bangs.

Ian just looks at the two until he registers what Mickey just said:

"…after the wedding…"

Ian's heart dropped and he finally piped up, "After the wedding? You mean after we tell everyone the shit's off?!"

Mickey didn't speak, didn't even turn around but Ian knows he heard him.

"I can't…" Mandy chokes out. She turns and leaves out the side door of the kitchen area leading to the outside, wiggling her arm free of Mickey's grasp when he tried to stop her.

Mickey looked oddly neutral, like he knew this had to happen but the constant furrowing of his brow is obviously due to the fact that he hurt his sister.

Ian watched the door close, almost cowering at the resounding noise it made from its heaviness. He shifted his eyes to Mickey who was already looking at him with a blank expression.

"Now what?" Ian asked. Mickey rolled his eyes.

"We'll figure it out after." Mickey started towards to the door that leads to the ceremony set up but stops and turns around when he notices Ian not following, "What? Come on."

"After-the-fucking-what, Mickey!? You still gonna do this?" Ian spits out, hands fisting at his sides.

"Yeah man so what? Gallagher, it ain't shit; let me knock this out and we can look for Mandy." Mickey suggests. This elicits a 'what the fuck' face from Ian.

"What about just then, earlier, before Mandy came in?" Ian asks walking up to Mickey, this time Mickey takes two steps back.

"Yeah, that doesn't have to stop because I'm married; I know you shouldn't have a problem with that." Mickey says flirtatiously, but it was forced.

Ian's face goes blank. He automatically gathers that Mickey is talking about when he used to sleep with Kash and Ned. Is Mickey seriously relating us to what I had with them?

"It isn't the fucking same." Ian growls. Mickeys face drops from a smirk to a tight lipped expression when he hears Ian's tone.

"Yeah? How so?" Mickey unenthusiastically inquires.

"Well, for one, they don't mean shit, we do…I…care about you." Ian answers, he wasn't brave enough to look Mickey in his eyes when he said this but he heard Mickey let out a sharp exhale.

"Um…" Mickey didn't make out any words, just weird noises as if they were censoring his true thoughts.

Ian looked up then and Mickey's face looked thoughtful but still no words came. This angers Ian.

"Are you gonna say something, anything?" Ian looked around and gestured to the open air, giving Mickey the 'floor'.

Mickey shifted his weight on his other foot and looked down, "The shit starts in ten minutes."

Ian's body temperature went cold, it's like they did a complete one eighty in under a few minutes. He thought Mickey was going to try a real relationship and call off the wedding, at least Ian figured that when he kissed him back.

Obviously he was wrong.

"You know what? Fucking, congratulations." Ian seethed; he turned on his heel and went toward the side door Mandy went out of.

"Gallagher, come on…" Mickey pleaded from behind Ian, but Ian was angry and tired.

Ian kept through the door and walked out, meeting the dusk sky and marching forward.

He can't believe Mickey is going through with it. Ian almost feels wrong for being upset, they weren't exactly boyfriends but he knows they were something stronger than fuck buddies, that term makes Ian want to cringe, is that how Mickey saw them? No. He knows the feelings they have for one another but why does it have to play out like this? Now Mandy is in the middle.

Ian's best friend; he needs to talk to her.

-;-

Ian knows it would be too easy for Mandy to be at her house so he doesn't go there. He doesn't go home either because she doesn't know Lip knows about him and Mickey and she wouldn't be able to explain why she's upset. Ian rolls his eyes at how much of a cluster-fuck his life has become.

Turning onto a new block, Ian speed walks when he sees Mandy's aunt's house come into view. She must be here. He jogs up the back steps and knocks on the screen door.

"Hold on, dammit!" a woman with a raspy voice yells out before footsteps sounds toward the door. Mandy's aunt appears with a floral head scarf on and a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, she cracks the screen door open and stares at Ian's cotton covered chest, "Yeah, what you selling this time?" she croaks.

Ian raises an eyebrow and shakes his head, "What? No, I'm looking for Mandy, is she here?"

Mandy's aunt nods her head and hacks out a wet cough, "Yeah wait, MANDY GIRL!"

Ian's eyes widen at the woman.

"What!?" Mandy yells back, somewhere inside.

Ian perks up when he hears her voice; hopefully he gets the chance to explain things to her.

"There's an uh…" her aunt looks him up and down, "…a tall boy is out here looking for you."

Ian hears Mandy coming and stands a little straighter.

"Yeah?" Mandy says coming to the door, her face hardens when she looks up at Ian, this makes him a little uneasy but he doesn't cower.

"Hey, can we talk?" Ian softly asks.

Mandy looks at Ian for another beat and huffs out a breath, she looks back to her aunt who just smiles and gives Ian another "seductive" look over and leaves the door. She silently nods a 'yes' and walks out past Ian and sits on the top step, Ian followed suit.

"So how long, Ian?" Mandy asks.

Ian clears his throat and rubs his hand on his thighs. He looks to Mandy and grabs her hand. She automatically smiles then so does Ian. It was almost like the time they were on the swings after he first told her he was gay.

"Been a few years, not steady but, you know," Ian responds. Mandy gives him a sad look.

"Is that why you agreed to be my fake boyfriend after I told my brothers to back off? Did you guys already hook up?" Mandy asks. Her eyes only meet Ian's for a split second.

"No not at all, we were faking for a while before me and Mickey first um…er- that whole gun thing Kash was around the time we um...I'm sorry, this is weird. I swear though, I didn't use you to get close to him, it just happened." Ian explained, trying to coax Mandy to make full eye contact, she does.

"So what is the wedding for? That's a little extreme for a cover up if he wants to stay low," Mandy stands, and nods toward the sidewalk; Ian gets up and they both start walking down the street.

Ian doesn't want to talk about the rape incident; he doesn't Mandy to have that on her mind so he dances over it, but still decides to take a dig at Terry.

"Your dad caught us; this is kind of arranged, the marriage." Ian offers, Mandy face blanches when she hears 'dad'.

"Oh, but you guys can sneak, right? Mandy perks up, her voice still sounds sad but she doesn't want it show, Ian assumes.

"You're cool about Mickey, though? Also I'm sorry for not telling you, for this long…I'm rambling." Ian and Mandy both laugh at his word purge.

"I'm pissed he didn't tell me he was gay, but I understand why, Mickey can't be gay in this neighborhood, neither can you so I get why you didn't say anything and shit." Mandy says, bumping her shoulder against Ian's.

"Cool."

"Yeah, so are you seeing Mickey after the wedding?" Mandy asks.

Ian tried to keep his face neutral but he couldn't, he thought he was pissed at Mickey for going through with it, but he's actually hurt.

"Um, no, we aren't doing…whatever what we were doing anymore."

Mandy sighs and looks to Ian concerned, "You want me to talk to him?"

"No, I'll deal with my own mess."

"I want you to be happy."

Ian smiles down at Mandy, "Sure."

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