oh, canada │ season 1
AS Y/N'S RIDE PULLED UP TO THE FRONT OF THE GALLAGHER'S HOUSE, an unusual hush enveloped the surroundings. For once, the chaotic energy that typically clung to this place had dissipated.
Y/n couldn't fathom why Vinnie would put his pristine white Honda at risk just to ensure she arrived home safely. No one had ever gone to such lengths for her before, and she found herself appreciating the gesture, even though she knew she could make it home on her own.
"Here?" Vinnie moved forward to see the small blue house standing on the sidewalk.
A hum came from Y/n nodding her head and turning to look at him. "Thanks again, that would've been a long walk" She smiled looking in his direction, the two had awkwardly sat in the car with neither of them knowing what to say.
Y/n reached for the door handle and swung it open, allowing the chilly night air to brush against her skin. Stepping out of the car, she approached the window where Vinnie leaned, one hand resting on the steering wheel.
"You have a phone, right?" Vinnie inquired, leaning in slightly.
"Yeah, I do," Y/n replied, her voice soft, and she bit her lower lip as she nodded.
"Good." Vinnie jotted his number down on a piece of paper and handed it to her. Y/n took the paper and tucked it into her pocket, a playful glint in her eye.
"Don't lie to me about that number," she teased, her lips curving into a smile. "The Gallagher house may not have much, but it's got food, and right now, I'm hungry, so I'm going to head in."
Vinnie chuckled at her sudden shyness, tapping the wheel of his car before they both prepared to part ways. Y/n began walking toward the Gallagher house, well aware that Vinnie was still watching. She turned toward the back of the house, heading in that direction since the backdoor was always unlocked, unlike the front door.
Just before she reached the back of the house, at the point where their paths diverged, she heard Vinnie's voice call out, "I promise I'm not lying." Her cheeks flushed, but she managed to flash a smile, looking down at the ground as she continued on her way.
"Lovely!" she called back, quickening her pace despite the flustered thoughts swirling in her mind.
Y/n rapped her knuckles against the backdoor, and it gradually swung open, revealing Fiona wearing bright yellow cleaning gloves. Fiona raised an eyebrow as she took in Y/n's appearance. "You look fancy, or South Side fancy," Fiona quipped, a hint of curiosity in her eyes as she held the door wide open for Y/n to enter.
Y/n offered a sheepish smile. "I had my mom's business dinner," she explained, attempting to excuse her early departure from the event. "I don't want to be a bother, Fi, but I'd need a place to stay for the next two days while she cools down..."
Fiona left the running sink and nodded in understanding, turning to Y/n with sympathy in her expression. "Of course. Is everything okay?"
Fiona had always been like a sister to Y/n, someone who prioritized the well-being of others, even if she wasn't officially part of their family. "Oh, it's nothing," Y/n reassured her, hanging her jacket on a dining room chair. "Is Lip in his room?"
"Yeah, I think he's either sleeping or studying. You know how he is."
With a quick exchange of goodnights and a grateful smile, Y/n headed upstairs to the cluttered house. She manoeuvred through the toys and debris that covered every inch of the floor. Ascending the stairs, she reached the boys' room, pushed the door open gently, and found Ian asleep in his bed, the room dark.
Carefully, Y/n moved around the room, climbing up the bunk bed and slipping into Lip's bed. This wasn't unusual for the two of them; their closeness allowed them to share their lives and even their personal space without hesitation.
Lip lay shirtless in bed, clad only in blue and black plaid pants. His strong, bare chest rose and fell rhythmically as he slumbered peacefully.
On the other side of the bed, Y/n had nestled herself, her head resting on a pillow next to his. A pile of pillows partially obscured his head, creating a cozy and slightly disheveled nest of comfort.
Y/n extended her finger and delicately traced it along his bare back, the touch gentle as she attempted to rouse him from his slumber. The soft, rhythmic rise and fall of his breaths continued, and she twined lightly, hoping to coax him into wakefulness.
The boy was already sleeping next to her, "What took you so long" The sounds of Lip mumbling inside of his pillow.
"I was...talking to someone outside." She said in a whisper trying not to wake up Ian who was only sleeping inches away from them.
Lip grunted sitting himself up and leaning on the wall on the other side of his bed, while Y/n sat up moving around before laying back down on the bed. "How was your dinner?" He grabbed a cig from the corner of his bed.
"Sneaked out of it." Her eyes didn't leave the placement of the cigarette going into his mouth. Silence had laid between the two of them as she went silent; before looking at his penis. "Still have your balls."
"Ha, funny," Lip scoffed, his laughter laced with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes. He handed her the cigarette, and Y/n reclined on her side, exhaling a plume of smoke into the air. She felt the familiar burn in her throat, a temporary distraction from the emotions swirling within.
"Do you need to see them to make sure?" He quipped, her tone light as she played along, pretending not to be affected by the complicated situation involving Lip and Karen. She knew deep down that it was unlikely to last, but it still stung.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she focused on the cigarette in her hand, avoiding the intensity of the moment. "I'm staying here for two days, Fi said it's okay" She had mentioned without going into details.
"Good I need a good coffee maker" Lip groaned putting the cigarette out of Y/n's mouth and unlitting it so that the two of them could go back to sleep.
Y/n playfully reached over and lightly tapped Lip's shoulder, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. The amusing part of the situation was that she didn't even have a fondness for coffee.
In truth, she was more of a tea person, finding comfort in the soothing, gentle flavors of various herbal blends. The bitterness of coffee had never quite agreed with her palate; she always preferred something sweeter and more delicate to grace her taste buds.
Leaning back down in the bed, Lip laid back down next to Y/n. "Are you and Karen just fucking?" Y/n had asked furrowing her eyebrows in the darkness wanting to know the answer to it but never feeling like she could. "Or?"
"It's whatever." Lip shrugged his shoulders laying back. "Why?"
"Curious." She simply put it as, lying down in the bed. Biting the bottom of her lip she turned around in the bed facing the way of the wall. "A friend is coming to movie night tomorrow."
"Guy?"
"Yes."
The room was suffused with a palpable silence, and yet, it failed to offer any clues to either of the individuals present. Both of them lay there in a profound hush, not uttering a single word.
As Lip reclined in silence, he grappled with a complex mixture of emotions. It wasn't so much about jealousy or the fear of someone else commanding Karen's attention; rather, it was a pervasive sense of uncertainty that gnawed at his core.
He couldn't quite pinpoint why he harbored such discomfort about Karen spending time with her male friends. It wasn't a matter of envy, but rather a persistent 'what if' that echoed within him.
Deep in his chest, an inexplicable tension loomed, as he recognized that everyone coveted Karen's company, and yet, he found himself in the unique position of being with her at that very moment. In that instant, he was determined to seize the opportunity.
༶
An air of anticipation on Gallagher's front steps as friends and neighbors gathered to welcome Frank back to America. The unattractive RV made its slow approach, dominating the view in front of the house.
The news of Frank's recent excursion to Canada had spread like wildfire throughout the neighborhood, sparking curiosity and prompting people to assemble, eager to exchange the latest updates.
However, inside the house, the atmosphere was markedly different. Lip and Y/n were still nestled on a bed, tangled together in an intimate embrace.
Lip had one arm draped protectively around Y/n's back, and her leg was entwined with his. Lip, though still in the throes of sleep, teetered on the edge of consciousness.
Y/n had fully awakened, her senses heightened by the sound of her phone ringing persistently from her pocket. Sometime during the night, she had swapped her attire for Ian and Lip's clothing, lending her a somewhat disheveled appearance.
With a groan, Y/n buried her face into the pillow, a wave of weariness washing over her as she leaned down to retrieve her phone from her pocket. She brought it to her ear, the exhaustion evident in her voice as she sleepily flipped it open.
Y/n had never been one to embrace the early hours of the day, so she did not attempt to force herself into morning person mode.
"Hello?" She muttered into her phone with a rasp coming out and she could taste her breath causing her to grow comfortable needing to brush her teeth in the moment.
A persistent thread of OCD had always woven its way through her life, albeit not to the extreme extent seen in Karen's mother, who was virtually confined to her home, seldom venturing outside.
She grappled with a relentless need for perfection, a nagging belief that any imperfection or failure on her part would have profound consequences, both for herself and the world at large.
In her daily existence, the specter of imperfection loomed, casting a shadow over her actions and decisions.
Every task, every responsibility, carried the weight of potential error, a harbinger of chaos that she desperately sought to avoid. The fear of getting something wrong or falling short haunted her, a constant reminder of the tightrope she walked between order and chaos.
"We're about to pull up." Logan had notified her.
Suddenly everything jumped to her body like a burst of energy knowing that Kevin, V, and Logan were all back from picking Frank up. "He's all in one piece.- sadly" He huffed causing Y/n to smile a bit into her phone.
"Me and Lip will be right there." Muttering into the phone before turning it off and throwing it on the floor on a pile of their clothes. When she had fully opened her eyes to the sun shining into the room; she picked up her head looking at Lip snoring into his pillow.
Her finger went onto his back, trying to wake him up like she always did since he was sensitive on his back and always been. Before that she had slapped his ass, causing Lip to groan jolting up and turning to her with a glare. "Frank's back."
"Yay," He said in the most monotone voice someone could say.
"Come on." She lifted herself out of the bed with Lip not listening and still lying down on the bed, and letting her crawl over him and jump to the ground but when she hit the ground looking around the room Ian was already gone to work.
Grabbing onto her shirt, she pulled it over her body revealing her purple bra. "Why are you changing it's Frank." Lip looked over from the top bunk and watched her change her shirt.
There had never been boundaries and Y/n didn't really care about the two of them not having boundaries in their friendship because they never talked about when they were uncomfortable being around each other counting they were always comfortable.
"I'm changing for you," She said sarcastically with Lip throwing the pillow over to her and hitting her hair, as she rolled her eyes bending down to put on her shirt from last night. "Just ignore the fact that I will be bringing clothes over throughout the day."
"Whatever as long as you make me that coffee." He continued to joke sitting up and still looking at her; not taking his eyes off of her causing Y/n to lean down after putting the shirt on grabbing the pillow throwing it at him.
Climbing up a bit she had reached over to put her phone back inside of her pocket and grab onto the cig that he had left from last night."You have arms and legs, don't you?" She sassed; grabbing onto her phone with Lip grabbing onto her arms and pulling her into him. "Sexist asshole" She joked.
"I am sexy thank you." Lip cast a warm smile in her direction just as she playfully tapped the crown of his head. For a brief moment, their playful instincts took over, and they engaged in a fleeting mock battle, with Lip skillfully intercepting her playful blows.
Her laughter filled the air, forming a joyful backdrop to their impromptu game. However, their playful interlude was abruptly interrupted by a knock at the door. "Deb?"
"They're here." Debbie had peeked into the room. "Hi Y/n."
"Hi Debbie, Emmy should be over later" She offered solace to the girl nestled within Lip's embrace, as if their recent playful scuffling and lighthearted banter hadn't just taken place.
Debbie acknowledged with a nod before gently shutting the door behind her and exiting the room. Y/n, seizing the opportunity, sprang off the bunk and playfully tapped Lip on the top of his head.
"I'll get you back," Lip quipped with a playful grin, to which Y/n responded with a mischievous smile of her own.
"You suck," she teased as she made her way out of the room, her smile still intact.
Stepping out of the house, Y/n had traversed its mostly empty interior. However, when she ventured into the biting Chicago cold, she nearly froze in her tracks. Fiona stood before the door, a reluctant but dutiful hostess, ready to welcome her father back into the house, despite her own reservations.
People were standing all around with Canada Flags waving in the air; Y/n held onto Debbie's shoulders looking out and waiting for the door to open which it did moments later. Looking over, she smiled seeing Logan walking out of the RV.
That had been the longest that the two had been away from each other since they had become friends and he moved upper state. Behind him came out Frank who was waving the people away from his house just so that he was able to go into it.
When V walked out, a giddy grin plastered wildly across her features. Laugh strewing momentarily afterward. She was then followed by Kev. "Finally" She called out to Logan. "Bring me anything?"
"Frank brought a lot of beers," Logan mentioned before she had wrapped her arms around him tightly and he hugged her back. "I think Frank is Canadian now," He joked with the two of them letting go of each other.
"Over my dead body," Frank muttered storming past them and going towards the house.
The rest of the Gallagher brood continued with their best attempts of a warm welcome to their father and sly pats on the back. He went into the house leaving everyone that was outside to walk away from the house and finish their conversations lingering inside of the air.
She made her way back to her house to grab clothes since Lip had house errands to run since it was his time to buy the groceries. "Lip's pants?"
"Nothing happened." She raised her eyebrows walking next to him and waiting for him to catch up with her. "Sneaked out of my mom's meeting last night, with some guy- his name Vinnie" Logan furrowed his eyebrows looking in her direction.
"Wait these business dinners have another kids?"
A hum came out of her as Logan dug into her jacket pocket handing her a Canadian Beer causing her to smile a bit. "Thank you," She finished. "And to answer your question, yes- maybe I won't run out next time if come along"
"I'm going to have to press my suit then" Y/n smiled a bit looking at him from the side of her face before looking down at the ground watching her her own step making sure she didn't bump into Logan while she was walking but bumping into his arm almost a little bit not being able to walk straight.
༶
Finishing up the homework that she had been going on with for the past couple of days that was due tomorrow. Y/n sat at her dining room table since her mom was at work not even here to yell at her. Emmy was off with Debbie babysitting a few kids in the Gallagher house something that they did daily.
The sound of the door opening was heard, as she turned looking the way of the door to see Lip walking in. "Homework?" Lip asked her walking over and making his way to the kitchen.
"Sadly didn't finish the math," She noted; blanking out and placing her pencil down.
He put his jacket on the back of the couch as he walked into the kitchen going into the fridge grabbed himself a beer and opened it with the counter before taking a sip. "Need help?"
Lip was almost like a genius for some reason he knew how to pass every test, and knew the answer to everything. For someone from the South side, he had so much potential for when he was older. Y/n couldn't lie when she said that he was going to get out of this shitty side of the state and move somewhere like London for college.
"Would I have to blow you?" Y/n raised an eyebrow in his direction with Lip rolling his eyes and making his way to sit on the living room couch putting his feet up and turning the television on since it was better than the small box he had at his house.
"Steve came looking for Fiona-" Lip took a sip from the beer and lay back turning the
Rolling her eyes she didn't know how to feel about Steve, he was nice to all of them and helped around the way he should've but Steve messed up really bad by taking care of something he didn't need to take care of.
"I'd throw myself to the wind" She announced to Lip; crossing her legs and leaning a bit on the table; biting her bottom lip as she
Lip chuckled a bit with a smile on his face turning and looking at Y/n. "I don't know why she doesn't leave him."
"Sometimes someone just has to stick around, yknow" Standing up she closed her stuff stuffing it back into her bookbag. "You just have to keep them," Lip watched her walk away from the table.
Unexpectedly, the front door swung open, revealing Lucy as she made her entrance. She came to an abrupt halt, her gaze fixated on her daughter, her face etched with a heavy burden of regret. Despite the tension that filled the room, she carried on as if she were invisible.
"Hello, Lip," Lucy forced a fake smile, her voice betraying the strain beneath the surface. "How's Frank?"
Lip sensed the palpable unease in the room and sat up, knowing that Y/n might prefer some space in this moment. He moved over to shut off the television, offering a subtle wave to Y/n as a sign of support.
She nodded in understanding, acknowledging that she might eventually find refuge at his house regardless of how this impending confrontation unfolded.
Once Lip had discreetly exited and closed the door behind him, leaving mother and daughter alone, Y/n found herself on the receiving end of her mother's icy silence.
"Mom," she called out, her voice a mixture of guilt and remorse. Lucy, without a word, made her way to the kitchen, removing her purse and placing it on the counter. Y/n continued, desperation creeping into her tone. "Mom."
Still, Lucy remained resolutely silent, her reluctance to engage painfully clear. Y/n accepted the silence as her mother's way of expressing displeasure.
She bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes as she quietly acknowledged her mistake. She knew that it was her actions that were in the wrong, not her mother's and that she should have stayed at the dinner, enduring the embarrassment instead of sneaking out.
"I know I messed up, Mom," Y/n confessed softly, her words tinged with remorse. "I'm sorry, Mom?"
Lucy's silence persisted, a chasm of unspoken emotions between them. With a resigned nod, Y/n accepted her mother's decision not to engage in conversation. She turned away and ascended the staircase to her room, where the tears she had been holding back began to sting her eyes, the emotional turmoil threatening to overwhelm her.
As she entered her room, an overwhelming wave of emotions crashed over her, hitting her with a force she had never anticipated.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried to wipe them away, but they flowed unabated. She continued to pack clothes into a bag, her vision blurred by tears, unable to stem the tide of her emotions or know how to do so.
༶
Just a couple of hours later, Y/n found herself gravitating toward the one place that had always been a welcoming refuge for her.
The Gallaghers were hosting a gathering, a congregation of friends and acquaintances all engrossed in a shared television spectacle. Fiona had kindly extended an invitation for Y/n to bring Vinnie along.
On her way back to the Gallagher house, having just made a quick stop at the corner store to pick up a bag filled with juice and water, Y/n's path was suddenly pierced by the intense beams of a car's headlights. She halted in her tracks, instinctively pulling over to the side of the road, her heart racing in response to the unexpected intrusion.
"Need help with the bags?" Vinnie's voice echoed through the air, with Y/n looked down at the small black bags inside of her hands shaking her head. "I'm trying to be a gentleman" A smile formed on her lips.
"You're so nice" Y/n complimented, Vinnie smiled to himself because of the compliment Y/n nodded towards the house following along locking his car doors double times. She noticed that she noticed everything, but it made sense for him to be on edge in a neighborhood he'd never been in before.
Grabbing the doorknob with her free hand, she turned it opening it to Carl's yelling. "I didn't touch your doll!" Vinnie jolted at the sudden yelling with them walking more into the house he closed the door behind them.
"Debbie we searched Carl there's no high edition pen on him" Lip walked down the steps with Ian following along with him. But once he reached the bottom of the step he looked at Y/n, and the new boy who was taller than he was and more built.
Ian eyed Y/n for a second before doing the same thing that Lip did. "Vinnie, Lip and Ian- and Carl" She pointed all of their directions, Ian put his hand out shaking it and Lip didn't say anything just walking over to the kitchen silently.
"Y/n a word?" Ian muttered before grabbing onto her arm, and the two of them went up the steps a bit out of anyone's view. "Who's that?" He asked almost stumbling over his words, Y/n furrowed her eyebrows at this sudden questioning.
"Friend" Ian just looked at her as she looked up at him not being able to hold the smile. "He is, I don't- I don't think I want anything right now." She needed a little fuel to take the flight and finally get with someone instead of waiting her whole life for something she couldn't have.
Ian continued to have this gaze on her face causing her to smack his shoulder and turn back around walking down the steps. Once she had made it to the living room again, she made her way towards the kitchen with Carl already watching television.
"Where's Fi?" Y/n questioned the dirty brown-haired best friend who was eating leftover KFC and a beer in his hand closing the fridge and drinking the beer. She looked over to Vinnie who was unpacking the bag of candy and snacks she had brought for the house.
"How many people live here?" Vinnie furrowed his eyebrows turning off at Lip and Y/n.
Lip didn't answer him mostly asking as if the man didn't really exist. Y/n waited for her friend to say something just for him to stay silent. "Okay, um five counting Frank" Putting one of the juices inside of the fridge.
"You don't?"
It was funny for her that she had been mistaken for a Gallagher counting she had basically lived here every day of her life to live next door to them. "No next door," Pointing in the direction of her house.
"But basically here," Lip said putting his face close to hers almost teasing, she pushed his face away. "Karen's coming over, so be nice" He acted as if she wasn't always nice to Karen there was no reason not to be nice to the girl other than her being with Lip but that was a stupid reason.
Walking out of the kitchen he almost chugged the beer in his hand; "He's-"
"Franks son" Y/n leaned on the fridge with a Canadian beer in her hand as well; nodding it towards him he shook his head. "There's not that much cool food here, your people's food" Vinnie couldn't help but laugh at that with Y/n thinking all he ate was rich people's food.
The door opened with Fiona walked through it taking off her jacket since she was late to watch the movie. "Who's the white boy?" Veronica whispered not so loud coming from behind Fiona with Kevin following along.
"Vinnie this is Fiona, and neighbours Kevin and V" All of them said their hellos with Fiona going into the living room to check on the younger kids.
Kevin stood next to Vinnie looking at the boy's height since he was almost the same height as him, and since Kevin was around six four he had to be around six two, six five. Vinnie awkwardly looked in his direction. "You're not going to take Frank to Canada?"
"I don't have my passport" Vinnie mentioned, causing Kevin to patt him on the back almost proud of what he said. "Don't really need it, per se"
"He's a keeper" With those words, Vinnie confidently eyed Y/n with a smile on his lips both of them looked at each other as she smiled into her beer and felt the cold liquid going through her throat.
Nearly half an hour passed before they found themselves gathered around the television. Ian occupied one couch, while V and Kevin cosied up in the corner of another.
Fiona skillfully braided Carl's hair nearby, and Debbie cradled Liam on the same couch. Over on a separate couch, Karen nestled closely to Lip, who had his arm draped around her. Y/n leaned on Vinnie, who welcomed the proximity with a warm gesture.
All of them were focused on the movie with Y/n feeling eyes on her every couple minutes from Lip while she turned her head keeping an eye on him; which caused him to look away.
Cell phone ringing had echoed through the air; Fiona looked around trying to find whose phone it was. "It's not me" Fiona pointed out, Y/n rugged into her pocket checking to see if it was her along with other people who had a phone counting Vinnie.
Everyone shook their heads putting the phone away with the ringing continuing on. Fiona looked around the couch trying to find out where it was coming from before she grabbed onto the phone hiding with Liam and Debbie before answering it.
Y/n went back to watching the movie placing her head more down on Vinnie's chest as the boy didn't say anything moving closer to her and holding onto her.