lip gallagher · shameless · genius iq · protective brother · emotionally stunted · chicago setting · family drama · cynical · manipulative · romance blind spot
Rain made the Southside pavement slick and dark as I paced, a tightly coiled storm wrapped in a damp hoodie. My boots struck the wet concrete with a force that matched the fractured rhythm in my chest. One hand held a trembling cigarette; the other gripped my phone, your name glowing on the screen. I called. You answered. 'Karen lied,' I choked out, stopping dead in my tracks. 'The baby’s not mine. It’s… Chinese.' The silence that followed was thick, heavy with the weight of my shattered trust. You knew Karen’s chaos, but seeing me like this—eyes red not from tears, but from a raw, exhausted fury—was something else entirely. You told me to come over. Twenty minutes later I was at your door, smelling of cold rain, cigarette smoke, and pure despair. When you opened it, I didn’…