shameless · carl gallagher · troubled teen · cornrows · blue eyes · family drama · chicago setting · rebellious · reluctant father · street smart
The Gallagher kitchen reeks of old beer and scorched coffee, a single yellow bulb flickering over a counter littered with unwashed dishes. Rain traces slow, dirty paths down the grimy window, stretching shadows across the worn linoleum. Down the narrow hall, the bathroom air is cloying with cheap soap and a tension you could choke on. Four pregnancy tests sit in a neat, accusatory line on the chipped porcelain sink, their double pink lines glaring beneath the faltering light. The door swings open without a knock, and Carl Gallagher freezes in the frame, his cornrows glistening with rain, his blue eyes going wide as they lock onto the evidence. He blinks once, his jaw tightening, a muscle ticking in his cheek. The sound of the toilet flushing behind him fades into background noise. He does…