Only You - [Lip Gallagher]

rehabilitated?

"Hey jail bird." I tease as Mickey picks up the phone and sits down. "Hey fucking stranger, where have you been?" "Shit has been crazy. I miss you, a lot." "Miss you too, Mitch. How's Ian?" "Good, he misses you." I keep the details short, he doesn't need to know he has another boyfriend. "How's the rugrat?" "Yven is good, so big now." I smile, "How're you?" He asks, "Fine, taking it day by day. Lip gets out of rehab tomorrow. We'll see how that goes." I sigh, "Yeah, I'm thinking of getting out of here soon too." Mickey whispers, "What? How?" "I'll see you when I get out. Love you." Mickey says, hanging up the phone and walking back to the guards.

What the fuck does he have planned?

++

"Hey, how was it?" I ask Lip as he comes down the stairs, "Fine." He says, lighting a cigarette then hugging me, "I missed you." He says, "I missed you too." I smile, "Hungry?" I ask. "A little." He nods and gets in the car.  "Going back to school?" I ask as we drive to Fiona's diner. "I got expelled." "Yeah but you can transfer your credits and go somewhere else." "I don't know." Lip sighs, I don't think he's changed at all.

++

"Lip!" Fiona exclaims as soon as we walk into the diner, "Talk to him." I mouth to her once she looks at me as she is hugging Lip. "You good?" She asks, "Yeah." Lip says digging in his jacket pocket, "I got a pocket full of these, uh AA chips and a four pack a day cigarette habit to keep me off the hooch." Lip teases, Disgusting. "I'm too busy hacking up a lung to drink, so." Lip shrugs, "Uh, coffee?" Fiona offers, "Yeah, sure, that'd be good. Sade, you want anything?" Lip asks me and I shake my head, "I'm fine." I smile softly. "Eight hasn't been bussed for like twenty minutes, where's Paco?" One of the waitresses asks Fiona. "He's washing dishes. Vilma's still in urgent care, I'll bus it." Fiona says as she pours Lip a cup of coffee. "Boss now?" Lip asks, "Temporarily," She sighs, "Filing in until they find a new manager." She explains, "I can't wait to get back to waiting tables, I hate this." She groans. "What's with the tattoo?" Lip snickers as he sips his coffee, "Something to remind me not to be an idiot." She scoffs, "I got one too." I say, lifting my shirt slightly exposing my side, "Flowers?" Lip asks, "Yeah, my bouquet. Carl's birth flower," I begin to point to each flower to explain, "Debbie's, Liam's, Fiona's, Ian's, Mickey's, Yevgeny's, Kev, V, Amy, Jemma, you." I point to his last and I see his eyes light up. "You want something to eat?" Fiona asks, pulling his attention away from his flower. "Uh no, I could use a job though." He says and she looks at me and I throw my hands up slightly, in surrender. "What about finishing college? Is that off the table?" Fiona asks. "It's not for me." Lip confesses. "You future off the table too?" She asks, "I got a professor, he's gonna help me find something." "Great, another professor." I mumble to myself. "I could use another dish washer." "When can I start?" "Now." She says, handing him an apron. "I'll see you guys at home." I say, leaving.

I can't believe this is happening, what is even happening?

++

"Hey, Sade. I got a question." Carl says as he walks in the house, "What's up?" "Would you ever go down on a guy that wasn't circumcised?" He blurts out and I choke on my water, "Carl what the fuck?" I ask, shocked. "Dom won't go down on me because she said it's weird with extra skin." "Well, I've only ever done anything with Lip who is circumcised. However, Dom is being a brat. A dick is a dick, you're either going to suck it or not." I inform, "True." Ian says, coming downstairs. "Would you go down on a guy that wasn't circumcised?" Carl asks Ian, "I have plenty of times." Ian says, grabbing some juice. "Told you, Dom is just making excuses." I shrug and ruffle his freshly cut hair, "Good luck." I say walking away as the boys leave.

Just as I picked up Franny from her bouncer, Lip walks in. "Home already?" "She only needed me until Vilma got back." He explains then waves at Franny. "She's got so big." He says in amazement. "Lip!" Debbie exclaims as she runs downstairs to hug him, "When did you get here?" "Just now, I got out this morning and picked up a small shift at the diner." He explains. "When do you go back to college?" She asks and he clears his throat, "I'm not." "Where will you stay?" She asks, looking at her computer screen, "Here, I guess. Is there a bed for me?" He asks, opening the fridge, "Yeah, Ian is at Caleb's most of the time." She explains then looks at him, "Oh, uh, do you need us to hide the beer and stuff?" She asks, nervously. "Oh, uh, no. I'm good." He says grabbing a bottle of RC cola out of the fridge. "Are you sure? No big deal to hide it." Debbie further explains. "No, it's cool Debs. Thank you." Lip says, kissing her forehead.

"I have class, you guys okay?" I say, putting Franny back into her bouncer. "Yeah." Debs nods, "Can you actually bring me to the Alibi?" Lip asks and the whole room went silent, "Just to talk to Kev and V, I haven't seen them in awhile." Lip justifies. "Fine, let's go." I huff.

I can't believe I just dropped Lip off at the Alibi. After thirty days of hoping he'd get better, I don't think he has. I just want my Lip back. Please.