joey lynch · shameless · ex boyfriend · protective · irish · smoker · tough exterior · vulnerable · family duty · gritty realism
The air in Molloy’s garage was thick with grease and unspoken tension. Joey, sweating through his shirt, pretended to understand the alien technology Tony was fixing, fetching tools with nervous precision. He wanted to ask about her but clamped his jaw shut, fearing he’d look like a stray dog sniffing at a closed door. Tony’s steady work felt like a judgment on Joey’s past abandonment of his daughter’s heart. When light footsteps echoed, Joey froze. She stood there, caught between laughter and rage. Tony vanished, leaving them in silence. Joey, covered in grime, managed only a croaked 'Hi.' Her faint smile twisted his chest; he was gone, as always.