When Mandy and Ian arrived back at the house, Mickey had already gone. They looked in the bedroom to see if his things were still there, they checked the drawers and the closet but all of his clothes were gone. Ian could tell Mandy was about to cry so he quickly wrapped one arm around her, and tried to comfort her. She pushed his arm away and stormed off to sit on the couch in the living room. She held her knees up to her chest and slightly rocked back and forth, burying her face in her knees. Ian went to sit by her and tried to be optimistic about the whole situation.

"Maybe he's at the Alibi, you said he was drunk when you saw him last?" Ian said knowing full well that he wasn't there.

"Yeah, and he took all his clothes with him too? I'm not stupid Ian, I know my brother he's gone by now." Ian knew this too, but he felt as if he had to console Mandy longer and make her believe that Mickey was coming back, even though they both knew that he wasn't. He also didn't want to disappoint her when she realized that he wasn't coming back, he knew that feeling all too well when his own mother left them. Ian was at a loss on how to comfort Mandy so he just sat there with his arm around her, rubbing her back and listening to her sobs. "Can you hand me a smoke?" Mandy asked as she pointed to the coffee table. He did what she asked, reached for the cigarettes that were underneath a set of car keys. He handed her a cigarette when a light went off in Ian's head.

"Whose car keys are these?" He asked picking them up.

"Ours, not like they could really belong to anybody else" Mandy said before finally cluing in. She stood up and walked over to the window to see the car sitting in the front still. "He didn't take the car?"

Ian shook his head. "He didn't take the car!" Mandy got up a little too excitedly and rushed back over to Ian.

"So if he didn't take the car, he can't be far! I only seen him a couple hours ago" Ian nodded, not wanting to ruin her mood, he didn't bother to tell her that a couple hours could be too long and that's more than enough time to leave a city if one was determined or stubborn enough; and If he knew one thing about Mickey, he was definitely stubborn enough.

Mandy grabbed her coat and was headed out the door when she turned back to Ian "Well… Are you coming?"

"We should split up if we're going to have any chance of finding him" Mandy didn't like the idea but she knew he was right "Take the car, if he went took the El then he can't be too far. Try the bus station. I'll look at the bars or anywhere else he might hang out" Mandy nodded, she agreed and took the keys and left, not realizing that Ian had no intention to go to the bar to look for him. If Ian knew Mickey, he knew that there was only one place that he would go this late at night drunk, even if he didn't want to go there himself he owed this to Mandy.

It was nearing 11:30pm and the only thing that kept the streets lit were the dim lamps of south side Chicago. Ian heard rustling as he walked by each alley way, probably from a cat or something. The streets were more silent tonight than usual, and that felt weird to him. He almost felt as if he were in a dream, one he had many times before while he was in the army. A dream where he walks the lonely, dark streets alone waiting to find something, anything; but just walking alone with no sense of direction until he finally sees a big, old, condemned building in the distance. He begins to walk faster and faster toward it, picking up the pace with every step he took until he finally reaches it… and then he wakes up. Only this wasn't a dream, this was real and Ian had reached the building, which meant he had reached Mickey.

Not being able to see anything Ian pulled out his phone and used the backlight as a flashlight to help navigate his way around the place. As he got closer to the rooftop, he heard the sound of rocks being thrown at cement, the sound echoed through the building and Ian followed it. When he reached the top, he noticed that he didn't need his phone to see anymore because the moonlight had illuminated the rooftop perfectly.

He followed the sounds of the rocks before finding a now sober Mickey sitting with his back against the wall and throwing rocks aimlessly at the ground.

"Gallagher?" Mickey looked up noticed Ian standing against the wall watching him. The way Ian stood, with his pale skin illuminated by the moonlight was probably the most beautiful he had ever looked to Mickey, but Mickey sure as hell wasn't going to admit it. "The fuck you doing here?"

Ian laughed a little, he couldn't help but smile. He felt that nothing had changed and that no time had passed, and seeing Mickey here drunk- at their special hide out that they deemed only for them made him smile even more. He couldn't help but remember the feeling of being 17 and in love again, with the blue eyed bad-ass who stole his heart. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing here" Ian pulled out a smoke from his pocket and lit it before sitting down himself. "But I'm here aren't I…"

Mickey playfully scoffed at the red head "Guess so" and looked up at Ian who was giving him his shit eating grin that Mickey loved so much.

Before any awkward silences happened Ian finally asked "So what was your big plan anyways?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know your plan. The one where you pack all your shit and leave, worrying your sister half to death… You know that plan" Mickey could hear the sarcasm in his voice, but even then he didn't have to answer to anybody.

"I'm a grown ass man, she doesn't need to worry about me" Mickey pulled out his own pack of smokes and lit one. "And if that's the only reason why you're here, then I suggest you leave Gallagher" Mickey didn't owe either of them anything, not even an explanation.

"That doesn't matter Mick, you're all she has left now. You're being selfish… She needs you Mick" Mickey scoffed; as much he loved Gallagher, he was sick of the way he talks to him, like he knew him.

"What about you Gallagher?" Mickey asked trying to turn the tables.

"What about me?"

"Well, you seem to have been doing a good job of being there for her so far. Leaving me in the dark left me to look like an asshole. Why don't you just stay with her and then everybody wins? You two can do whatever the fuck you want, and I'll be left alone"

"This is what I'm talking about. You're being selfish, she's you sister and you're going to leave her?"

"So? You did…" Mickey immediately regretted that last remark but by then it was too late. Ian felt the sting of his words burn him a little, reminding him that he too had left his family and that right now Mickey was right in implying he was a hypocrite.

It took Ian a couple minutes to try and retaliate, but during that time he had clued in on something.

"You still love me don't you" Ian asked, and Mickey just stared at him wide eyed for a second before looking away. He remembered the other night at the dugout when Ian asked Mickey if he used loved him and he didn't say anything, he just replied with a kiss. Ian knew that Mickey didn't have to say yes, and that the only reason why he didn't say 'yes, I used to love you' because Mickey still did.

"You still love me. It's okay to admit it, no one can hear you, and your dads not around to make you think otherwise"

Mickey got up and started to walk away. He didn't want to make himself vulnerable to Gallagher again, especially now that he knows that Aarons in the picture.

"Always running away huh Mick? Is that you're answer to everything?" Mickey kept walking before Ian ran up to him and pushed him, making Mickey lose his balance a little. "Go ahead, leave. You did it once, I'm sure you can do it again" Mickey just stood there, remembering the same fight that they had earlier, but this time Mickey had just about enough.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY TO YOU HUH? THAT I LOVE YOU? WHAT FUCKING GOOD IS THAT GOING TO DO? YOU WANT ME TO SAY IM GONNA STAY? SO I CAN WATCH YOU AND THAT FUCKIN' QUEER BOYFRIEND OF YOURS" Ian looked at him with an intense look, as if he was taking in everything Mickey was saying. "I CAN'T JUST…" Mickey paused, thinking about his next words wisely. "I can't say I love you, and then stay to watch you with somebody else." Mickey couldn't hold it back anymore, he felt safe here; talking openly about this to Ian and he couldn't hold back what he was thinking anymore "I just can't..."

Ian looked at him, and he tried to hold back everything. Ian felt angry, and hurt, but he knew right then that he still loved Mickey unconditionally. He grabbed Mickey's hands and held them in his own before saying "What if you don't have to?