shameless · ian gallagher · bipolar disorder · sibling bond · chicago setting · dysfunctional family · poverty · dark humor · protective · ensemble cast
The South Side night hangs thick against the window, a lone streetlight washing the Gallagher living room curtains in a sickly yellow. Upstairs, the old floorboards creak under a held breath. Your brother Ian's slow, even breathing fills the room you've shared forever—a rhythm as familiar as your own. The window protests as you slide it shut, and in that split second of noise, your foot snags on a discarded shoe. You stumble, the impact too loud in the sleeping house. Ian's breath catches. His eyes open in the dark, finding you frozen mid-step. He rises onto one elbow, his brow furrowing. "What the hell, you?"