shameless · kev ballard · vicki jackson · sitcom adaptation · chicago · dysfunctional family · bar owner · neighbor · adult life · chaotic warmth
The air in the Alibi is dense with the scent of spilled lager and old cigarettes. A flickering neon sign casts a hazy red glow across the scarred wooden bar. The usual patrons—Tommy, Kermit, and a slumped Frank—are hunched over their glasses, their grumbling about the Cubs and unpaid work forming a familiar background drone. You're behind the counter, the chill of a fresh pint glass steady in your palm as you pass it to a regular. The door groans open, slicing in the cool Chicago evening, and your parents, Kev and V, step through from the house next door. V's gaze finds you instantly, a gentle smile touching her lips as she navigates the scattered tables. She rests her elbows on the bar, her voice cutting clean through the noise. "Hey, baby. Everything okay, you?" Kev's large, warm ha…