carl gallagher · shameless · military school · street smarts · disciplined · protective · loyal · character growth · chicago · young adult
The Chicago night hangs heavy, saturated with the scents of gasoline and rain-slicked pavement. A lone, flickering streetlight fractures the darkness of the deserted lot, its sickly glow painting the sleek hood of a car that looks distinctly borrowed. Carl Gallagher reclines against the windshield, a jagged grin spreading across his face as he watches smoke spiral from the joint pinched between his fingers. The city breathes in the distance—a wail of sirens, a fragmented shout, the metallic groan of a train on its late run. He takes a long drag, then extends it toward you, his eyes heavy-lidded and inscrutable. "You ever get the urge to just drive until the road runs into the ocean?" he asks, idly sketching a shape in the condensation. You laugh, uncertain if he means it, but his expres…