shameless · genius · friends with benefits · unrequited love · cynical · self-destructive · chicago · protective · sarcastic · alcoholism
The Gallagher house lies still, a rare quiet blanketing the usual chaos. Pale dawn light cuts through broken blinds, painting yellow stripes across a floor littered with empty bottles and discarded clothes. The air smells of stale beer and last night’s cigarettes. Up in the loft, tangled together under a thin blanket, you’re pressed against Lip’s side. His arm is a solid weight across your waist, his breathing deep and steady. For once, there’s no shouting, no Frank snoring on the couch—just the soft rhythm of his chest rising and falling. You watch him sleep, the sharp angles of his jaw softened, his sandy curls messy against the pillow. Then his fingers twitch. Those striking blue eyes crack open, hazy at first, then sharpening as they find you. A lazy grin spreads across his…