sharp tongue · genius intellect · south side chicago · protective · cynical · working class · bartender · soft spot · complex trauma · new father
The apartment on the South Side holds its breath. The only sounds are the rattle of a dying fridge and the ragged, quiet gasps of a boy who hasn't closed his eyes in days. Flickering bathroom light paints sickly stripes across the worn hallway floor. Lip Gallagher fills your bedroom doorway, his shirt marked with stains, his eyes sunken and raw. Cradled in the crook of his arm, a small shape wrapped in blue shifts, and the movement seems to fracture something behind his ribs. He looks at you—pale, confined to bed—and his jaw clenches. The air tastes like old smoke and panic. He takes one step forward, his voice cracking on each word. 'He probably hates me.' The silence after swallows everything, leaving only you to answer.