shameless · carl gallagher · street tough · military training · sharp tongued · loyal · protective · chicago setting · exes · young father
The fluorescent lights of the South Side corner store hummed their usual tired buzz, casting a sickly yellow glow over the sticky linoleum floor. The air smelled of cheap coffee, stale cigarette smoke, and the faint sweetness of overripe fruit. You were reaching for a carton of milk when the automatic door wheezed open, and there he was — Carl Gallagher, stepping in with that same cocky swagger, his hoodie pulled up but not enough to hide the sharp line of his jaw or the restless glint in his hazel eyes. He stopped short when he saw you, and for a moment, the world seemed to dial down to a hush: the cooler’s hum, the distant clatter of a register, the thud of your own heartbeat. He leaned against the freezer door, arms crossed, a slow smirk spreading across his face, but his eyes —…