Trauma At Its Finest (Lip Gallagher X Male Reader)

Ch 16. Exhaustion

Lip has been gone for two weeks, back in college. This changes the Gallagher household. Not only with the eldest son leaving, but Carl is also away at military school. With two fewer people, Y/N is left with his son, Debbie, Franny, Liam, Ian, and Mickey. While the house feels emptier, the Russian expects things to be more peaceful. Though, he didn't anticipate what was about to happen.

With a loud, piercing cry, Debbie wakes up with a tired scowl on her face. She gets out of bed and walks to the baby room, where she finds Mikhail crying his eyes out. For the past few weeks, the youngest sister has been forced to wake up, not just for her child but for the baby boy as well. Each time, she grows more irritated at being tasked with caring for someone else's child, even though Y/N pays her. Fed up with the lack of sleep and the workload, she grabs the crying child and storms off.

Y/N wakes abruptly when he hears Mikhail crying, confused as to why he hears him so clearly. Moments later, he hears someone coming downstairs. Turning toward the sound, he sees Debbie holding his crying son.

"I'm... done!" She says, her voice full of frustration. She forcefully hands the child to Y/N, who awkwardly takes him, unprepared to be woken up this way. "You can keep your money!" Debbie turns and storms off, leaving the Russian stunned.

"Debbie, don't you dare leave!" Y/N calls out, his voice still groggy but firm. However, she slams the door behind her, leaving the dad alone with his crying baby. He looks down at Mikhail, letting out a tired sigh. "You didn't shit yourself, and you've already been fed. What do you want?"

-

When morning arrives, Liam heads downstairs and finds everyone in the kitchen, but the usual cook is notably absent. Looking around, he notices the bags under everyone's eyes.

"Where's Y/N?" Liam asks.

"Probably in bed." Ian replies, sounding just as exhausted.

Suddenly, crying echoes from the basement, followed by someone yelling, "For fuck's sake!"

"There goes our free breakfast." Mickey mutters. He heads to the kitchen to fix something up, with Debbie and Ian joining him.

"What do you want, Liam?" Debbie asks.

"Cereal." Liam replies simply. "You all look tired."

"No shit." Mickey grumbles irritably. "How the hell can one fucking baby cry all night?"

"Why is Mikhail crying so much now?" Ian wonders aloud.

"Because Y/N is a horrible father." Debbie states coldly. "I refuse to take care of that little demon any longer. It's hard enough to take care of Franny."

The basement door opens, and the crying grows louder. Y/N enters the kitchen, his eyes twitching slightly with irritation. Normally clean and composed, he now looks like a complete mess.

Mickey is the first to lash out. "Can you keep your son quiet?"

"Can you shut the fuck up before I make you cry?" Y/N snaps, brushing past everyone to grab a carton of juice from the fridge. Chugging it down, he ignores the glares aimed his way. After finishing the carton, he tosses it in the trash.

"And now I have to get back to Mik." Y/N mutters. He glances back at the group. "What does it mean when a baby cries, but he isn't hungry or dirty?"

"It means he needs a father." Debbie retorts with sass.

"Oh..." Y/N pauses, realization dawning. "He misses Lip..." Without another word, he storms back downstairs, determined to figure out how to stop his son from crying.