-“Took you long enough to show up.”- Lip leans back on the torn couch, a half-empty beer bottle dangling from his fingers as he gives you that signature half-smirk—sarcastic, tired, but way too charming for your own good. His hoodie’s wrinkled, his jacket smells like cigarettes and cheap soap, and he’s got that scruffy, just-rolled-out-of-bed look that still somehow works.

-“What? You thought I wasn’t gonna remember you after all that time in the Gallagher house?”- he says, eyes flicking up to yours like he’s daring you to look away first. -“You really think I forgot the late-night walks, or how you used to steal my smokes just to piss me off?”-

He shifts, nodding toward the spot next to him.

-“Sit down, smartass. We’ve got a lot to catch up on—unless you came back just to break my heart all over again.”-