Tony was a man, and men have their pride.
"I don't know either..." Tony shook his head with an incredibly awkward, bitter smile. "Whatever. I'm heading out. Goodnight."
It was humiliating, and Tony didn't want to dwell on it.
"Night," Dexter replied with a smile. Watching Tony walk away, he couldn't help but feel that at this rate, Tony was destined to follow the original script: getting pushed so hard by Fiona that he eventually flips the switch and turns gay.
He was a good guy, but he had the bad luck of falling for the one woman he shouldn't have—and definitely the one least worth his time. He couldn't get over that hurdle, and eventually, he'd just decide women weren't worth the hassle and switch teams.
Life really is full of curveballs. One minute you're straight, the next, you're looking for a detour.
"Why are you still staring at him?" Bianca chimed in, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Dexter looked away, wrapped his arm around Bianca's waist, and answered as they walked toward the house. "Because he's kind of fascinating. He's been in love with Fiona for years, always chasing but never catching. He's already showing signs of turning gay."
"????" Bianca's eyes went wide instantly, a gleam of excitement flickering in them. "Spill the tea!"
Seeing her reaction, Dexter was genuinely surprised. He didn't expect Bianca to have this side to her. He chuckled; her inner gossip girl was fully awake and ready to rage.
"Do you really need to be that intense about it?" Dexter asked, laughing.
Bianca nodded vigorously, grinning. "Of course! A guy getting driven to switch teams because of a woman? That's juicy as hell."
Dexter: "..."
Okay, fair enough. It was pretty interesting.
The two of them bantered all the way home, ready to call it a night.
---
2114 North Wallace Street.
After sprinting all the way back from Mickey's place, Ian was curled up in bed. The image of Mickey shooting at him played on a loop in his mind. He had been crying nonstop until his voice was nearly hoarse.
At the same time, the sheer power of his "love brain" broke its limits and started accelerating in the opposite direction.
It all hit him right then.
Screw Mickey!
Screw love!
The thought of leaving this place and completely forgetting Mickey started like a small spark, rising silently in Ian's mind.
Little by little, that spark grew into a flame.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Snap.
Ian sat up abruptly, gritting his teeth. He made a decision with absolute finality.
He was leaving this hellhole. He was going to join the Army.
Once the decision was made, Ian smiled through his tears.
"Fxxk you, Mickey!" he cursed with a smile. Then, he lay back down, his body slowly relaxing.
About half an hour later, even though he was still heartbroken, Ian's face was completely calm.
Before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.
---
The Milkovich House.
The pretty girl had long since been kicked out by Mandy.
Mandy cleaned up the house, took a shower, watched a bit of TV, but in the end, she couldn't just ignore Mickey. She got up, walked to his bedroom door, and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Mickey, you asleep?"
Mickey was leaning against the headboard, chain-smoking like his life depended on it. The whole room was filled with a haze of smoke, looking almost surreal.
Hearing her voice, Mickey snapped his head toward the door and roared aggressively, "Fxxk off!"
Mandy didn't care. "You wanna talk? It might help."
BANG!
Mickey grabbed the handgun sitting next to him and hurled it at the door, creating a massive thud.
The sudden noise made Mandy jump, and her temper flared. "You giant pussy! You think I actually want to deal with your sht?"
She cursed him out and added, "So you're gay. Who cares? There are tons of gay people in the world. It's not a big deal. Just think about it, you idiot."
Dropping that truth bomb, Mandy turned and walked away.
She said what needed to be said. If he didn't listen, screw it.
Inside the room.
Mickey sat there, the word gay echoing in his ears, louder and louder each time...
He felt a wave of dizziness, the whole world spinning before his eyes.
As the room spun, Mickey couldn't help but imagine what would happen if people on the South Side found out he was gay. The way they would look at him...
Terrifying! Horrifying! He wouldn't survive it!
Bam!
Mickey couldn't take the thoughts anymore. He punched the headboard, putting a hole right through the wood.
Pain!
But pain was good.
The sharp sting snapped him out of his spiral.
Mickey let out a breath and went back to smoking.
A long time passed.
Having calmed down a bit, Mickey let out a heavy sigh. Then, he pulled out his phone, opened his gallery, and started scrolling through photos of Ian, one by one.
Slowly, a smile crept onto Mickey's face.
---
2114 North Wallace Street.
Carl sat on his bed, happily playing video games. He wasn't thinking about the earlier drama at the Gallagher house at all, and he had zero clue what Ian was going through in the next room.
People with simple minds really do have an easier time being happy.
Time flew.
It was past 11:00 PM.
Carl yawned, feeling a bit sleepy. After a brief hesitation, he shut off the game, turned out the lights, and went to sleep.
For Carl, life was simple. No complications required.
...
2117 North Wallace Street.
Dexter was putting in the work in the bedroom.
He finished up.
Not long after, a satisfied Bianca—after being smooth-talked by Dexter—put on her pajamas and fell asleep.
Dexter didn't sleep. He got up, went downstairs, and sent Little Crow to check if Carl was asleep.
Little Crow quickly reported back.
Carl was out cold.
Perfect. Wait another thirty minutes, then it's off to the Caribbean.
The thirty minutes flashed by.
Considering the different time periods, bringing modern items probably wouldn't work. Plus, he had enough Karma Points to just open loot boxes once they got to the Caribbean, so Dexter didn't bother prepping much gear. Seeing the time was right, he grabbed Daijiu by the scruff of the neck with one hand, gently held Little Crow's wing with the other, and pulled up the System interface.
[Activate: One Dream Card]
[Carry along: Bianca Greene & Carl Gallagher]
[Activate: Business Trip Ticket]
After navigating the menu, he reached the final step.
The System popped up a notification.
[Warning 1: In the Pirates of the Caribbean world, if the people you bring with you die, they die for real. They cannot return to the Shameless world.]
[Warning 2: In the Pirates of the Caribbean world, items you obtain from loot boxes can be used by the people you bring along.]
[Confirm transport of Bianca Greene and Carl Gallagher to the Pirates of the Caribbean world?]
Staring at the prompt...
Even though he expected this, and was confident his skills and Karma Points could keep Bianca and Carl alive, imagination is one thing—reality is another.
When the moment actually came, Dexter couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
He hesitated for about two or three minutes.
Screw it!
"Confirm!" Dexter didn't want to overthink it anymore.
[Confirmed.]
[Five-second countdown initiated.]
[Five, four, three, two, one.]
[Shameless World saved.]
[Traveling...]`