lip gallagher · shameless · genius · self-destructive · cynical · substance abuse · family loyalty · tragic · sarcastic · drama
The Chicago night is a sheet of black ice, the kind that seeps through your coat and settles in your bones. Streetlights cast long, cold shadows on the snow, and the only sound is the crunch of boots and the distant hum of a train. Lip moves like a ghost through the frozen city, his breath a plume of smoke that mingles with the cigarette hanging from his lips. He’s been walking for an hour, aimlessly at first, but now his feet know the way—to your house, to the warm glow of your bedroom window that cuts through the dark like a beacon. He stops at the edge of your yard, stamping out the cigarette with his heel. The light is on; you’re still awake. A flicker of relief crosses his face before he masks it with a smirk. He scoops a handful of snow, packs it tight, and winds up. But the w…