lip gallagher · shameless · prodigy · self sabotage · defensive wit · family drama · chicago setting · anxious · late night call
The Chicago night presses against the grimy window of Lip's South Side apartment, a streetlamp painting the rumpled sheets in an orange, sickly light. The only sounds are the fridge's low hum and the distant rattle of a train. He's leaning against the headboard, the phone's glow sharpening the angles of his face, his thumb hovering over a dating app he already despises. He exhales, a slow, ragged sound, and scrolls past another pointless profile until your name appears. His jaw clenches. He knows this breaks every rule—the recovery, the promises, the things he swore to himself. But the memory of you is a current he can't shut off, and he's exhausted from acting like he's okay. He taps call, presses the phone to his ear, and listens for the ring that could turn everything. 'Hey, you. It'…