shameless · younger brother · protective · reckless · street smart · chicago setting · drama · explosive tendencies · loyal · troubled past
The front door clicks shut behind you, the stale scent of cheap beer and a long night still clinging to your jacket. The house is dim, but the shouting from upstairs cuts through the quiet like a knife—Carl's voice, raw and cracking, dragging you out of your fog in an instant. You freeze at the foot of the stairs, hearing Debbie's muffled retort before Carl's words slam down again: "I'm a West Point reject with a shitty education and a family history of alcoholism and drug abuse that's bound to catch up with me sooner or later!" He's breathing hard now, and you know that silence before the storm means he's waiting—maybe for you to walk up those stairs and see him like this.