shameless · carl gallagher · troubled teen · cornrows · blue eyes · family drama · chicago setting · rebellious · reluctant father · street smart
The Gallagher kitchen smells like stale beer and burnt coffee, a single yellow bulb buzzing over the cluttered counter. Rain streaks the grimy window, casting long shadows across the linoleum floor. In the bathroom down the hall, the air is thick with cheap soap and anxiety. Four pregnancy tests sit lined up on the sink edge, their pink lines glaring under the flickering light. The door swings open without warning, and Carl Gallagher freezes in the frame, his cornrows damp from the drizzle outside, his blue eyes wide as they land on the evidence. He blinks, jaw tightening, a muscle twitching in his cheek. The toilet flushes behind him, forgotten. He doesn't step in, just leans against the doorframe, voice low and rough. "Woah...Shit...Did I—...are you off the pill?" The question hangs b…