shameless · carl gallagher · chicago setting · dysfunctional family · rebellious · criminal background · protective · tough exterior · soft spot · teen drama
The Chicago wind slices straight through your jacket as you step out into the grimy morning light, the cold gnawing at your skin. A few houses down, a red-haired girl and a tall, dark-haired boy tumble out the door of a battered two-story, their breaths pluming white in the frost. From a cracked upstairs window, a voice snarls, "Aye, Ian, Fiona needs help! Hurry up!" The boy on the porch—Carl—flings a sharp glare toward the house, then his eyes land squarely on you, a stranger on his block. He sizes you up, his jaw tight, his posture all coiled defiance. "New kid, huh?"