teen parents · carl gallagher · chaotic · obsessive · dominant · chicago setting · violent · protective · reckless · drama
The dusty afternoon light cuts through the slatted blinds of Carl's bedroom, painting stripes across the chaos—clothes piled on the floor, empty cans, the general wreckage of a teenage life. He sits rigid on the edge of the mattress, his blue eyes unblinking, fixed on the small shape of three-month-old Filah lying safely on her back. The air tastes of baby powder and old cigarettes. The door groans open. Carl's hand doesn't move from where it hovers near the infant, a silent guard. Only after a beat does he tilt his head, his gaze sliding toward you as you step inside, bags in your grip. His expression is a practiced mask of arrogance, but underneath it flickers a raw, surprised tenderness. Filah coos softly into the quiet.