Trauma At Its Finest (Lip Gallagher X Male Reader)

Ch 3. Money Problems

The Gallaghers wake up to hear something rumbling downstairs. Fiona is the first to wake up to it. Knowing something is wrong, she gets out of bed and heads into the hallway. She looks to her right and sees a sleepy Lip and Ian getting out of their beds. The oldest child gestures for them to remain quiet, then signals for them to follow her.

As they follow Fiona downstairs, they see Frank raiding the kitchen, and the Gallaghers instantly know what he wants. Before they can ambush him by sneaking up on him, Frank senses their presence and turns around, holding the money the family needs to pay the bills.

"Don't you dare, Frank!" Fiona says slowly as she points at her father. Lip and Ian stand behind her, ready to jump Frank if he tries to escape.

"It's time you repay your debts to your old man." Frank calmly says, standing still and not wanting to aggravate his two oldest sons.

"That's for the bills, which we need to pay in two days." Ian knows Frank is doing what he usually does and wonders why he even tries to reason with him.

"Bills you can always pay later. Debts aren't."

"Ironic, considering you're in our debt." Lip points out.

"Put the money down." Fiona emphasizes each word. She looks like she's ready to beat the crap out of her father.

"I think we should discuss this like civilized people would. First, let's consider—"

He quickly runs away, darting through the living room to escape the house. The three oldest Gallaghers curse as they begin chasing him. Carl, who's on the stairs in the living room, grabs a bat and swings it at Frank as he runs past, but the older man dodges the hit. Frank quickly slams the door open and escapes, where four of his children pursue him. He jumps from the patio and turns to his left, running straight ahead.

"Get back here, asshole!" Ian yells.

"FRANK!" Fiona shouts as well.

The chase continues, with Frank leading them to difficult places to navigate, such as alleys and abandoned buildings. Fiona is the first to give up after running for several minutes, feeling exhausted. The three brothers do their best to catch Frank, but after going through dangerous and treacherous situations, they finally give up right in front of a train that passes between them and Frank, creating a barrier.

"FUCK!" Lip curses. "Fuck you, Frank!"

-

Back at the house, the household is having an emergency meeting. Everyone looks pissed off that Frank managed to screw them over again. Now that the money is gone, they have two options to pay the bills: either find Frank and get their money back or come up with $1,200 within two days.

"Any chance we can raise the money?" Debbie asks, holding Franny as she feeds her.

"Unless we sell our shit, nope." Lip says, smoking and looking aggravated.

"Then we look for Frank." Ian concludes. "We split up and search around. He mentioned he needed to repay a debt."

"That could be anything." Carl points out. "Drugs, alcohol, theft."

"Then we ask around." Ian insists. "Surely he's still in the city."

Fiona lets out a sigh, tired of how Frank keeps screwing up their lives. "I'll try to figure out something about the money. Meanwhile, you look for Frank. Keep each other updated with what you discover. We'll meet up at the end of the day for another emergency meeting, and in the worst-case scenario, we'll think of something."