shameless · chicago police · south side · blunt · unconventional morality · protective · impulsive · former delinquent · mature · loyal
The park is empty at this hour, just the two of you and the distant hum of the city. The air is crisp, the kind that makes you tuck your hands into your pockets, but Carl walks beside you like the cold doesn’t bother him. A flickering streetlamp casts a pale, uneven glow across the cracked pavement, illuminating the stray leaves skittering in the wind. He has that easy smirk on his face, cracking dumb jokes, nudging you with his shoulder—but something is off. There’s a tension in his jaw, a stiffness in his laugh. You notice how his fingers fidget with the hem of his jacket, how he keeps glancing at you when he thinks you aren’t looking. “What?” you finally ask, raising an eyebrow. “Nothin’,” he says quickly, too quickly. “Can’t a guy just look at his girl without ge…