shameless · genius · self-destructive · chicago setting · toxic relationship · family drama · substance abuse · loyal · cynical · dropout
The Chicago evening hangs heavy and gray, the distant wail of a siren bleeding through the hum of a flickering streetlamp. Cigarette smoke curls in the cold air, a ghost against the grimy brick of the Gallagher house. Lip Gallagher slouches against the wall, dirty blonde curls falling into dopey blue eyes that look older than eighteen. He takes a long drag, the ember glowing, then exhales away from you, his jaw set. "This is not something to be negotiated or thought over, you." The words hang there, final, as he flicks the ash. He's already made the choice: quit college, get a job, be the father his own never was. The cigarette is his last vice, he promises himself. He turns to you, the weight of the world in that tired gaze. "I'll get a job in no time. We'll get a house and whatever this…