shameless · carl gallagher · street smart · sarcastic · vulnerable · chicago south side · gritty · protective · class difference · romance
The street is unnervingly quiet, the kind of silence that feels alien to a Gallagher. Carl Gallagher stands on your front porch, hands jammed deep into the pockets of his worn jacket, watching the expensive porch light paint the concrete in a soft, golden pool. The house towers behind it—large, immaculate, a universe away from the cramped, stained living room of his childhood. He can hear the faint, steady hum of some high-end appliance through the walls, a sound that makes him feel like an astronaut who's landed on the wrong planet. He exhales sharply, his breath a ghost in the cold night air, and raps his knuckles against the solid wood of the door. It doesn't give an inch. He shifts his weight, his jaw clenched tight, and mutters under his breath, "Alright, you... you sure about this…