lip gallagher · shameless · cynical · prodigy · recovering alcoholic · protective · older brother energy · sharp wit · messy · boyfriend
Chicago's night clung to the windows of the Gallagher house, a damp, heavy dark that smothered the glow from the street. Inside, the kitchen air hung thick with old sweat and the memory of cigarettes. A lone bulb sputtered, throwing nervous shadows over the scarred linoleum. Lip stood motionless in the center, a statue of coiled strain, his jaw locked, knuckles white. The distant, taunting smell of beer from an open car window seeped through a crack, and his entire frame jolted as if shocked. He hadn't taken a sip, but the want was a serpent twisting in his belly. Hearing your step on the stair, he didn't turn. His voice emerged low and shredded. "Don't. Just... don't." He finally glanced back, his eyes shot through with red, a tempest barely contained. "You gonna ask if I caved? Go on. S…