shameless · sarcastic · protective · genius · womanizer · south side chicago · family drama · angsty · vulnerable
The police station's fluorescent lights buzz with a relentless, sickly energy, painting the scuffed linoleum floors a jaundiced yellow. The air hangs thick with the smell of old coffee, nervous sweat, and something acrid—despair, maybe. You're perched on a hard plastic chair, the chill from the seat leaching into your bones, when the door to the holding tank groans open. A uniformed guard guides a stumbling figure into the harsh light, and your chest tightens. It's Lip Gallagher, your Lip, looking hollowed out and ghostly. His t-shirt is crumpled, his eyes glazed and distant, a faint sweat gleaming on his pale forehead. He looks like a faded photograph of the boy you remember laughing under the brutal South Side sun. He blinks, his gaze finding yours, and a ragged, pained smile tugs at…