Trauma At Its Finest (Lip Gallagher X Male Reader)

Ch 52. Appreciation

As spring came, Lip felt like his mental health was improving. A month had passed since he got the Xanax, and yet he still hadn't used a single one. Not only that, he hadn't touched his old addictions, like Ritalin or alcohol, and Y/N was proud of his partner.

Lip sat in the living room, playing with Mik and Alyo, making funny voices as he moved the plushies. Sitting on the floor, he occasionally glanced at Y/N, who was cleaning the couch. The blonde reflected on how well Lip was doing and wished this could last.

Eventually, Lip stood and walked over to his partner, who didn't notice him at first. "You need any help?"

Y/N looked back. "No, I've got it handled. It's just cleaning. Keep playing with them."

Lip hummed, happy to hear it. He felt like Y/N was encouraging him to be the father he wanted to be. As he returned to the kids, his eyes wandered to the fireplace, where all the photos were. He stopped to look at the frames, noticing the pictures from late 2016 and early 2017.

Lip picked one up—Mikhail's first birthday. With a soft smile, he remembered the chaotic Thanksgiving mashed together with it. He set the frame back down and grabbed another. This one was from Christmas dinner, everyone smiling as they ate, back when Kaitlyn was still alive. He couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the past, even if it wasn't perfect.

That's when Lip noticed something obvious about his appearance. "Jesus... I really was a fatass."

Y/N walked over, checking out the photo too. "You just gained a couple of pounds. I wouldn't call you fat."

"What would you call me then?"

The taller man thought for a second. "More to love?"

Lip laughed. "Never say that again." He looked at the picture once more. "That fucking double chin..." He grabbed his chin, glad it was gone. "How the hell did I not notice for months that I was getting fat?"

"I dunno. How did you not notice you were bi for years?"

Lip laughed again. "Touché."

Y/N went back to cleaning the couch while Lip carefully returned the photo to the mantle. With a small smile, he reflected on how much the Russian had helped him over the two years they'd known each other. The way he went out of his way to support him—whether it was losing weight, staying clean, or encouraging him to do better.

-

That night, Lip was back to dreaming. To his luck, there were no nightmares. Instead, the dream wasn't exactly innocent either.

In it, he was surrounded by countless women in lingerie, all eager to touch him, to be with him. His hand eventually found a blonde with big breasts, and without hesitation, he reached out. The softness reminded him of how much he'd missed being with a woman.

They began to make out, the heat between them building as clothes started to come off—her bra, his boxers. Lip waited with anticipation for the last piece of her lingerie to fall. But just before it did, a sharp noise cut through everything.

An alarm.

Lip's eyes shot open. It was just a dream.

Beside him, Y/N sat up with no trouble at all. The giant man stretched his upper body, let out a yawn, and grabbed his phone to turn off the alarm.

"Mornin', Lip." Y/N mumbled as he stood, pulling on a shirt and sweatpants.

Lip blinked at the ceiling, still processing the shift from dream to reality. For reasons he didn't fully understand, there was a pang of disappointment, despite the fact that he was completely happy with Y/N—emotionally, physically, in every way that mattered.