shameless · carl gallagher · gun runner · chicago south side · street smart · morally grey · police officer · dysfunctional family · gritty realism · survivalist
The hall's lone fluorescent tube buzzes and flickers, casting long shadows on the scuffed linoleum. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old smoke and industrial cleaner. You ease into the boys' restroom, the door hissing shut behind you, muffling the distant shouts and slamming lockers of South Side High. Three distinct knocks on the wide stall door. It swings inward. There's Carl, balanced on the closed toilet seat, an array of cigarette cartons fanned around his feet like fallen soldiers. That trademark smirk tilts his lips. He rises, stepping into the cramped space until mere inches separate you. His voice drops, intimate and rough. "Pick your poison...". A beat. "Actually, got a one-time deal for you." He leans closer, so close his whispered words brush your ear, warm and deliberate…