Trauma At Its Finest (Lip Gallagher X Male Reader)

Ch 12. The Bet

It's 35 days into rehab, and Lip can tell he's been making steps forward. While the progress feels small, he knows he's beginning to understand himself and his struggles better. He's been making an effort to speak during therapy, even if he remains silent in group meetings. Still, his therapist seems satisfied with his progression.

"I never had the best track record... My first girlfriend, Karen, was... complicated. We were in high school. She was my first real relationship. Things were great at first, but then she got pregnant. I didn't mind it. ...If anything, I wanted to prove to everyone that I'm not like my father. I was ready to give up on college if it meant raising my kid. But then... it turned out it wasn't mine. Looking back, she played with my emotions a lot."

"She eventually got hit by a car—a hit and run—by this other girl I was seeing, Mandy. Mandy really cared about me, but I didn't treat her right. I was still messed up from Karen and took it out on her. She deserved better. I regret how things ended... even though she had her issues too."

The therapist hums, jotting notes on his pad. "Any other relationships?"

Lip pauses, gathering his thoughts before answering. "When I was in college, I met this girl, Amanda. She was smart, driven. But it was more about the physical connection for me. We didn't have much in common beyond that. It didn't help that I was seeing someone else at the same time... well, another woman."

"And how did that go?"

"Her name was Helene. She was my professor. It was an affair, but her husband was okay with it—still, it was wrong on so many levels. At first, it was exciting, but it quickly turned destructive. It messed with my head and my academics. Eventually, Amanda found out and leaked it. Helene almost lost her job, and she ended things with me. I really loved her... and after that, I had nowhere to turn. So... I drank, to the point where I got kicked out of school."

The therapist hums again, noting Lip's unease but also his effort to open up. "Any other relationships after that?"

Lip hesitates, knowing the current issue he's been avoiding needs to be addressed. "Months ago, my neighbor, Kevin, found out he has a long-lost brother. His name is Y/N, and we became friends. He helped me out once after I got drunk and into trouble. On the way home, I got wasted again. The next morning, I woke up in his arms... naked. I... didn't understand what had happened and thought Y/N raped me... but he said I wanted it. Later, as we kept hanging out, I got drunk again, and we started having sex... a lot. Apparently, I confessed my love to him while I was drunk. I led him on, and he thought I was in love with him."

"Do you love him?"

Lip thinks carefully before answering. "I... care about him. I came here... for him. But I'm not sure if I love him. I always thought I was straight, and when I look at other guys, the thought of being with another man just seems... wrong. And yet... when I think of Y/N, it feels different."

The therapist studies him for a moment before asking, "Do you think you might be sexually confused?"

Lip lets out a sigh, finally admitting, "Yeah... I guess so. I just don't understand why Y/N is the only guy I find attractive."

"Attraction isn't always about physical features." The therapist points out. "Are there any traits he has, or the way he acts, that you find appealing?"

Lip considers this, quickly landing on a memory. "...Y/N had a kid with some random woman in Africa—a biological thing. She came to visit with her kid, and we ended up babysitting. Y/N always acts like he knows better than everyone, but he doesn't have a clue about taking care of a kid." Lip starts to smile a little as the memory warms him. "So, I helped him. I was standing next to him while he was trying to soothe his son."