Chapter 68.

Sorry!

I had planned on posting this at the same time as the new season but...that obviously didn't happen. Still, I'm hoping to close this story out around the same time as the show. So, without further ado, welcome to season seven!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


30 DAYS LATER

The Gallagher house was quieter than usual. Franny had been put down for her afternoon some time ago, leaving them all with a moment of peace, though Lip knew it was only a matter of time before she awoke with another tirade of her deafening wails.

Shockingly, he didn't mind it. In fact, he welcomed it. When he was in rehab, the silence had consumed him. He thought he'd appreciate it but all it served to do was leave him alone with his thoughts. He had been out for 12 hours, during which he'd managed to secure a shitty job at Patsy's Pies. Still, he didn't mind it. He was just glad to be out of the suffocating institution that had been rehab.

Now he was home, absently flipping his AA chips because he had absolutely nothing else to do. His stare lingered on the ceiling, tracing the cracks within it. As he did so, his ears perked up at the sound of voices talking downstairs. He flipped the chip again and heard footsteps coming up.

Daniela appeared in the doorframe, a wide grin plastered across her face. From the bed, Lip's eyes met hers. The chip snapped back into his palm before it was closed. At the sight of her, he felt his own smile form. Her body practically shook with excitement as she moved towards the bed.

She slumped down beside him, exhaling as she did so.

"Hi," she smiled.

Lip returned it, his voice soft. "Hi."

Slowly, Daniela craned her neck over to meet his lips in a gentle kiss. Her hand rested on his cheek; her thumb grazing the skin there. She pulled away, still grinning, but it was mixed with something more apologetic.

"Sorry I wasn't there this morning."

Lip shrugged a single shoulder. "It's fine," he assured her, using his index finger to toy with the hair at the nape of her neck. The action caused warm shivers to run down Daniela's spine.

She leaned closer. "How was it?"

Lip exhaled, dropping his hand and leaving her cold without his touch. "Everything you'd expect it to be, really."

Daniela grimaced. "That bad?"

"No, no." Lip laughed. "It was okay. Kinda boring. I mean, I could have done without all of the uplifting life mottos but that's just me."

The woman's smile returned. She bumped her shoulder against his. "Smartass. Did they at least give you any advice on what to do now that you're out?"

Lip shrugged again. "Just to keep the faith and stay sober, I guess."

"Mm, well I know I guy," began Daniela. "One of my dad's friends. He was a big boozer. Pretty fucked up for a while, but now he's sober. I asked him about what AA meeting he goes to. Just in case you weren't sure and were looking around."

Lip observed her with fake scrutiny. "A friend of your dad? You tryna have me killed?"

Daniela snorted and rolled her eyes. "Please." Her features softened. "It's just a suggestion. You don't have to go to that one if you don't want to. But if you're looking for one with at least one tolerable person, I can give you the times and address."

Lip thought about it for a moment, all the while noticing the quiet look of expectation in her eyes. His own gaze flicked downwards before he nodded.

"Sure. Thanks."

Smiling, Daniela kissed him again. He welcomed it fully, having missed the contact after a month of being forced to talk about his feelings to total strangers.

/

TWO MONTHS LATER

Life after rehab was not as easy as Lip had expected it would be.

Since Fiona had decided it was time to start caring only about herself, he had been saddled with all of the parental work. And today was no different. The washing machine Jimmy had bought them to get into Fiona's pants had finally broke and it was apparently now his job to fix it. He had stared at his sister when she told him, shocked that she was still sticking to her new-found attitude.

The thing his sister failed to remember, however, was that he already had a life. He was trying to make something of himself and, if he was being honest, had a hell of a lot more chance of actually doing it.

Fiona didn't seem to care, however. To her, managing a shitty run-down diner was somehow "making it". He would've laughed if he wasn't currently washing dishes at said diner. But that was just a part-time gig. It wouldn't last for long. Soon he'd be picked up by some rich corporate assholes, making six-figures and getting his family out of the ghetto; the way it was supposed to be.

That was the goal at least.

He glanced around the empty kitchen. Debbie and Carl had already cleared out, the latter hauling Liam off to day-care, though with much annoyance towards his older brother, before going to his military school interview and leaving Lip to soak in the rare moment of solitude. He sipped on his coffee and leaned back in his chair, feeling his eyes drift shut.

The peace didn't last long. Suddenly, Ian emerged from the stairs, his boots thudding loudly on the linoleum. He smirked at the irritation on his brother's face and made his way to the fridge.

"Everyone gone?" He asked.

"Debbie slipped out this morning with Franny before Fiona woke up."

Ian huffed. "She's been hiding from her. Doesn't have the money for her monthly rent yet." Like his brother, he poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped at it. "What time's El getting in tomorrow?"

At the table, Lip checked his phone. "Uh, she said her plane is supposed to get to O'Hare at 6."

"At night?"

He nodded.

"She keeps texting me," said Ian, his tone somewhat leading. "Trying to find out how you are."

Lip stared back at him. "What'd you tell her?"

Ian shrugged. "I told her you were okay. That she didn't have anything to worry about." His expression turned serious; his brow furrowed and he jutted his chin. "You go to any of those AA meetings she told you about?"

"Nope," said Lip immediately causing his brother's frown to deepen.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't need 'em."

Ian paused for a moment, his confusion evident. "But you were in rehab."

"Mhm." Lip took another sip of his now-tepid coffee. "And I wasn't an alcoholic."

"That's kind of the criteria for rehab..."

Lip shrugged, unfazed. "I already told Daniela- it was an accident. You know, putting up with Youens. Wiping his ass every morning...being in there just made me see it more clearly. I've got it all under control now."

Ian drank from his mug, still skeptical. "You at least tell her you're not going back to college?"

Lip shook his head immediately. His finger trailed around the rim of his cup. "Fuck no."

He didn't need to look up to know his brother was regarding him with disbelief. Sure enough, he heard Ian groan and the thud of his cup being placed down again.

"Why not?"

Lip just shrugged. "I didn't wanna spring it on her as soon as I got out of rehab. And I didn't wanna fuck up her vacation. It's no big deal, I'll just tell her tomorrow."

Finally meeting his eye, Lip was faced with a look of pure judgement. Ian said nothing but he didn't need to.

Lip flipped him off.

With a shake of his head, his brother sighed in resignation. "She's gonna rip your fucking head off, dude."

Lip tilted his head, not disagreeing. "Yeah, well the whole point of her going to Miami for a month was so I could prove to her that I can be on top of my shit without her around. And I've got my internship," he offered as if it were meaningful. "You know, so it's not like I'm not doing anything. And its future benefits far outweigh washing dishes at Patsy's for the rest of my life."

His brother was far from being convinced and simply raised his hands in quiet surrender. He knew better than to push the subject but the knowing look on his face indicated that he knew exactly how his best friend was going to react.

Lip's face fell. "Come on, man-"

"I didn't say anything!" Laughed Ian, slipping his dishes into the sink.

"No, but your face did!"

Ian laughed again. He didn't stick around much longer and raised his hand in a backwards wave. "See you later!"

Lip watched him leave and exhaled. He dragged his phone back to him and checked to see if he had any new messages from Daniela.

Nothing.

Noting the time, he cursed and slipped the phone into his pocket. Like Ian had done, he left his dishes in the sink and made his way to Patsy's, all the while trying to brush off the sudden dread that filled his chest.

Ian was wrong, he told himself. Daniela will understand.

/

SIX WEEKS AGO

Sometimes Daniela really hated Summer.

The heat made her agitated and the idea that she could break out into a sweat without having lifted a finger just didn't sit right with her. Tonight was no different. Chicago's recent heatwave had been an unwanted occurrence, made even worse by Daniela's encroaching final assessments for the term.

The beat-up electrical fan positioned in the corner of her room whirred loudly, sending slightly less-warm air in her direction. Beside her, strategically positioned under a desk lamp, was a textbook detailing several types of medicines, their purpose, and how to calculate the correct dosage for every patient, all of which she was expected to miraculously remember by Tuesday.

She released a long breath, taking a moment to pull her hair back whilst remaining focused on her laptop screen. The white light shone in her face as she leaned back in her desk chair. Her professor had uploaded a practice test for them to study before the real one in a few days time.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling the familiar sting caused by staring at the screen for too long. She had been cramming all day, hoping to try and get in as much studying time as possible so as to not overwhelm herself the night before. Checking the clock in the corner of her screen, she saw that it was nearing midnight.

Realising that she had been at it for six hours, Daniela closed the lid of the laptop and grabbed her phone off of the bed. She had only opened up some of her social media notifications when she saw an incoming call from Lip.

Smiling, she answered. "What's up?"

"Can we come in?"

At that, Daniela frowned. She crossed the room and pulled aside the thin curtain to see Lip standing outside her house. His phone was pressed to his ear as he looked up to meet her gaze. Beside him, Ian waved with a grin.

Laughing to herself, Daniela ended the call and made her way down the stairs, trying not to wake her dad as she did.

She said nothing as she opened the door. Moving to the side, she watched with a raised brow as the brothers shuffled inside and made their way to the kitchen. She followed suit, pulling three glasses from the cabinet and a carton of juice from the fridge.

"What happened?" She asked as she poured.

"Frank happened," answered Ian, slumping into a chair.

On the other side of Daniela, Lip did the same. He waited until she was sat down before putting a hand on the back of her chair. The other moved to grab his glass. She stared in amusement as he gulped the juice down and leaned closer to him.

Wiping a hand over his mouth, Lip placed the glass down gently. "He dropped a racoon into the lounge while we were sleeping."

Daniela paused mid-sip, her face balking. She was well-informed of Franks recent attempts to 'take back his house'. "Jesus...is it still in there?"

This time, Ian spoke. "Oh, we don't know."

"Yeah, we left Carl to take care of it."

Daniela shook her head at the pair of them before settling her attention on Ian. She quirked a brow. "So I take it things are still messed up with you and Caleb?"

That was the only reason she could think of for Ian to brave spending the night at the house. She was surprised to even see him. It was no secret that since dating Caleb he had become a bit of a recluse, deciding to spend most of his time with Caleb who he was practically living with at this point. Work and school didn't make it any easier for them to find time to catch up until Ian had come to her and Lip with concerns that Caleb was cheating on him.

The topic had stirred up some unwanted emotions for Daniela and she had jumped at the chance to help him figure out the truth. They had trailed him through the city only to find him making out with a beautiful woman she would later be told was his middle-school girlfriend who he often hooked up with whenever she was in town.

Daniela had been less than impressed given how much she had wanted to like Caleb, especially given her friend's track record with men. Ian, similarly, hadn't reacted too well to his boyfriend brushing it off and had since been spending more of his time at home.

Nodding solemnly, he sipped at his juice. "You could say that."

Feeling Lip stir beside her, Daniela watched as he leaned forward, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Did you tell her?"

Suddenly intrigued, her eyes flew back to Ian. "Tell me what?"

"Fuck you," glared the redhead but it was weak. His brother simply laughed at his expense.

"Tell me what?" Asked Daniela again. Between Lip's shameless laughing and Ian's budding annoyance, she was suddenly anxious to find out.

"He uh- he tried hooking up with a chick yesterday," Lip finally answered in-between chuckles, rubbing his thumb against his nose.

Daniela's eyes bulged. She stared at her friend in disbelief. "Fuck off!"

Ian rolled his eyes, brushing off their obvious amusement. "It's not funny." His lips smacked with a grimace. "I have PTSD."

"Wait, wait, wait...so when you say you hooked up with a chick, how far do you mean you-"

Ian's eyes shut. "Please don't."

Daniela's jaw dropped. "But you did?"

Lip's shoulders shook. "You should've seen him afterwards tryna rinse his mouth out in the sink."

Unable to hold it in any longer, Daniela burst out laughing until her stomach hurt. "Oh my God...is this because of the Caleb thing?" Her friend's silence confirmed her suspicions. "So he's bi. Who cares?"

"I care!" Cried Ian indignantly.

"Because he didn't tell you?"

"That, and because he refuses to admit that he is. And because he thinks fucking a chick doesn't count as cheating."

Daniela tilted her head. "Hmph. Well, that last part I don't agree with. But wait, you're not actually mad that he's bi are you?"

Ian jerked his shoulders and used his hands to symbolise lines on the table. "If you say you're gay, then you're gay. Eating vag isn't on the agenda."

"Maybe not," agreed Daniela before continuing on tentatively. "But from the sounds of things, he only fucks his ex-girlfriend from middle school. So that still makes him about 90 per cent gay."

Lip snorted, remembering a similar conversation he'd had with his brother on the matter.

Ian shook his head and sunk even further into his chair. "Honestly, I'm too tired to even give a fuck right now." Standing up, he raised his arms to stretch before letting out a sharp hiss. "Jesus...sleeping on the floor last night really fucked up my neck."

"Yeah that and you shoving your hand down your throat to clean it," smirked Lip, his comment causing Ian to flip him off. He returned it happily.

Rolling her eyes, Daniela nodded her chin in the direction of the stairs. "You can take the spare room. Just grab some sheets from the cupboard."

Ian nodded and yawned. "Thanks, El. See you guys in the morning."

The couple waved him goodnight, hearing his heavy footsteps carrying up the stairs. One glance at Lip told Daniela that he was just as tired. She stood from her seat and grabbed the now-empty glasses to put in the sink. Once she was finished, she returned to Lip and extended her hand. He took it right away, his fingers lacing with hers before allowing her to pull him out of his chair and up to her room.

Not in the mood to do any more studying, she closed her textbook and went to brush her teeth. When she came back, she saw that Lip had already made himself at home on her bed. He had removed his shirt and shorts and was now lying down absently flipping his AA chip.

Daniela moved to join him, feeling her stomach flutter like it always did whenever she saw him shirtless. Her head rested on the pillow beside his, quickly snapping him out of his haze.

"How's the cramming going?" He asked knowingly, nodding to the desk.

Daniela groaned quietly and wiped a hand over her face. "I feel like my head's gonna explode."

Smirking, Lip caught the chip and placed it on the bedside table. He turned back to Daniela, now lying on his side to see her completely.

"I just need to get through next week and then it's smooth sailing from there."

At that, Lip's gaze dropped. "Oh yeah. That."

Sensing his mood shift, Daniela's eyes snapped to his and she felt the ensuing guilt rise in her chest. Two weeks into his rehab stint, her abuela had called to remind her about the plane ticket to Miami she had gotten her for her birthday and that it would be expiring soon. So, despite her not wanting to leave Lip at a fragile time, she had agreed to visit after her classes were complete.

She had waited to tell Lip, not wanting to spring it on him fresh out of rehab. And despite his reassurance that it was fine along with some half-hearted encouragement, Daniela still didn't feel confident leaving him alone so soon.

But, not wanting to linger on the subject much longer, she turned sideways to match Lip. "Hey, did you hit up that AA meeting I told you about?"

She watched as Lip frowned for a second before shaking his head. "No, no. I uh- I ended up at another one. Youens told me about it," he supplied. "Mostly college kids."

Daniela nodded slowly. "He tell you anything about getting your expulsion lifted? Or transferring your credits."

"It's a little difficult right now, you know?" Lip stared back at her and shrugged helplessly. "He's gonna try and set up an internship for me in the meantime."

"That's good then," smiled Daniela.

"Yeah."

Inhaling, the woman adjusted herself. "You know...if you want, you can come to Miami with me."

Lip's body stilled for a moment. Neither said anything as he released a low breath. It wasn't like she had never mentioned it before. And it wasn't like he hadn't thought about it. But she had never asked him directly, only hinting here and there.

At his silence, Daniela pushed on. "It could be good, you know? Get away for a little while. You can meet the rest of my family," she teased.

Lip smiled at that but felt an ugly emotion brewing in his stomach simultaneously. He knew a big part of her asking was because she didn't want to leave him alone. And that unnerved him slightly.

Regardless, he shook his head, his eyes softening once again as he stared at her. "It's okay, really. I mean, I'll have my internship."

Daniela nodded after a long moment, understanding his answer. Shifting closer, she brushed her lips against his. "Okay. I trust you."

Remembering the last time she had told him that, Lip's chest clenched. But he quickly reminded himself that this was different. And it was.

His fingers found their way into her hair, pulling her further into him. She went along with it willingly, grinning against his mouth. Their chests pressed tightly together as Lip gently guided her onto her back. Smiling still, Daniela succumbed to him; the conversation drifting quickly from their minds as they became lost in each other.


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Like I said in the last chapter, this is a direct continuation of where we left off and reads more like a second parter to the last season rather than a standalone like previous seasons. As such, these last chapters (6 or 7 depending on how things go) will move very fast as I'm running out of things to have the characters do to fill space and I just want to finish telling the story of Lip and Daniela.

Hopefully, I don't keep you waiting too long for the next one,

Love you guys! Stay safe x