Trauma At Its Finest (Lip Gallagher X Male Reader)

Ch 37. A Vacation Of Stress

Deep in Lip's dream, he keeps returning to whatever problem is currently plaguing his life. Right now, it's the terrifying fact that he and Y/N may soon have twelve children—not even counting the chance of twins or more.

He's sitting on the couch, looking completely overwhelmed by the number of babies needing constant care. They all need to be fed. They all need their diapers changed.

Next to him, his boyfriend tries his best to help, cradling one infant while dozens more cry in the background. The noise is relentless. Maddening.

"Holy fuck! Can they shut up!?" Lip yells out in frustration.

The Russian tries to feed one of the children, doing everything in his power not to have a full mental breakdown. Lip, however, isn't doing nearly as well. The urge to drink creeps back into his chest like a bad habit he can't shake.

He puts down the screaming baby and storms off to the kitchen.

"Lip?" Y/N calls after him, confused.

Lip doesn't answer. He opens the fridge—and sees it fully stocked with beer, all lined up, waiting for him. Without hesitation, he grabs one and starts chugging it, the desperate sound of crying still ringing in his ears.

"Lip!" Y/N cries out, voice cracking.

Suddenly, Lip wakes up, breathing heavily. His heart pounds in his chest. A dream. Just a dream.

He lets out a long sigh as the familiar surroundings of the hotel room in Ibiza come into focus. It's only their second day here.

From behind, he feels the warmth of Y/N's body snuggled up close, arms loosely wrapped around his waist.

Carefully peeling himself out of the buff man's embrace, Lip slips out of bed. Through the quiet darkness, he walks toward the bathroom next to the bed. Once inside, he flicks on the light.

In the mirror, he sees his own reflection: completely naked, bags under his eyes, jet lag weighing down his posture, and the stress of everything else dragging him further.

He turns on the faucet and bends down, drinking directly from the stream.

Standing silently at the door is Y/N—also naked, his hair messy, his expression full of concern.

"Can't sleep?" He asks softly.

Lip looks over at him. "Yeah..." He mutters, tiredly. He turns off the sink and turns to face his boyfriend fully.

"You're still worried about the whole fertility clinic thing?" Y/N steps closer. "I told you, the lawyer will handle it. And Frank might be bluffing."

"Frank wouldn't bluff when he knew about it." Lip says, his jaw tightening. The stress is written all over his face.

"Even so, Frank just wants us to suffer. I say—for at least this week—we put that worry aside." Y/N's voice is calm, but even he looks a little worn down. "The lawyer will do their job, and once we know more, we'll act. Your brothers and sister are watching the kids. This vacation is for us. We shouldn't waste it."

Lip knows he's right. But it's still all he can think about. "You're right... sorry."

"It's alright." Y/N walks over, gently cupping Lip's face and kissing him. His thumb brushes across his boyfriend's cheek in a soothing motion. Despite his tired eyes, the blonde begins to relax a little.

Then—suddenly—Y/N crouches, wraps his arms around Lip's thighs, and lifts him off the ground like a bride.

"Whoa!" Lip yelps, laughing in surprise.