never is a promise│ season 1
HE WASN'T ANSWERING. Y/n had tried to call Vinnie three times already in an attempt to ask him to be her date for the upcoming wedding. She didn't want to take someone else because she assumed he wouldn't want her to, but he seemed unresponsive to her calls.
Inside her house, Y/n went to the cabinet and opened the door. She had noticed that the pill bottles were slightly out of place, not where she had left them. She closed the cabinet, concerned about the change. She then decided to knock on her sister's door.
Emmy, inside her room, was immersed in her music, wearing headphones connected to her iPod. Y/n called out to her, and Emmy pulled the headphones out of her ears, looking in her older sister's direction. "Em," Y/n questioned, "did you move my pills?"
"Why would I?" Emmy furrowed her eyebrows, genuinely puzzled about who would have tampered with them. Then she recalled that Vinnie had been in the bathroom earlier before he left. He might have been curious about what the pills were prescribed for.
Y/n ran her hands through her hair, feeling confused and frustrated. "Okay, well, we're staying at the Gallagher's tonight for the wedding," she informed her sister before closing the door behind her. Biting the inside of her cheek, she stormed into her own room, wondering if that's why Vinnie hadn't responded promptly.
For her, it always seemed like the nice guys were the ones who ended up leaving. She went into her dresser to start packing for the wedding since she wasn't allowed to go to the bachelorette party because it was in a strip club. Y/n made her way to the side dresser and opened the drawer.
Searching through the clutter she had pulled out a small baggy of white powered crystals just sitting there. Cocaine was something that she had never done nor did she thought to do it. Maybe it was because the drug was never on the table being too poor for it or maybe it just wasn't something that she should ever have tried.
Not that she was going to make it into a big deal and be sensitive about there being cocaine inside of her dresser because of her boyfriend, that her little sister could've gotten her hands into not even knowing what it looked like.
Y/n went over to her other dresser and buried it inside her underwear drawer since no one would go searching in there. Maybe she wanted to try it one day? And this was the only way that she was able to do it.
Promising that she would watch Debbie, Liam and Carl while everyone was doing their own thing getting ready for the wedding.
Only an hour later, Carl was sitting on the couch watching some type of gory show, with Y/n sitting next to him knowing that it was normal for the boy to watch things like this as she fed Liam baby food that she had found inside of the fridge. Mumbling to Liam nonsense so that he could listen to her.
Liam sat in her arms playing with strands of her hair, with Y/n grabbing onto the remote and changing the channel. "Hey!" Carl exclaimed, with Y/n giving him one look to just stay silent.
"He's a baby" Was the only words she had said to him before her phone started beeping on the counter. Leaning over to it, she grabbed onto her phone flipping it and opening it.
Clicking all the way down to messages she noticed that Vinnie had texted her. 'Busy. At work today till 9, I'll try to stop by' Holding onto the phone she looked at it placing her teeth softly on her bottom lip and biting it out of anxiety.
'Okay,' She replied to him before closing the phone and putting it on the side table.
It's not that she thought he was cheating on her, because she would never truly know. But there was that, was he hiding behind he knew that she took pills and that there was something wrong with her enough to make her take something like pills.
Continuing to watch television with the kids, it didn't take her long enough to put them all to be, making sure there was noise in Liam's room just in case someone was fucking someone and they wouldn't wake him up.
Y/n made her way into Lip and Ian's room tiredly; "Lip is really dating Karen?" Debbie asked.
Y/n turned to this, thinking that the little girl was in bed; tiredly she nodded her head. "I don't know what they are doing" She confessed, with Debbie rolling her eyes playfully not liking Karen already. "But get some sleep, Debs," The little girl turned back around and went into her room.
She had gone into the boys room closed the door behind her and crawled up into Lip's bed, getting under the covers and cuddling up against a pillow tired.
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In the middle of the night, with the exact time eluding her, Y/n sensed Lip returning home. Ian had walked into the room and headed straight to bed without saying a word to her, even though he was aware of her wakefulness. Lip woke her up as he pushed her aside to make room for himself in the bed.
Y/n opened her eyes, everything still blurry as her vision adjusted to Lip's presence and the unmistakable scent of beer that filled the room. "Shower," she mumbled, her voice barely audible, as she shifted to her other side to escape the overwhelming odor.
"It's too late," Lip slurred, shaking his head and settling comfortably into the bed. He teased her, "Now that you have a boyfriend, you won't even face me in my own bed," his words carried a hint of bitterness that couldn't be concealed.
Y/n could tell that Ian had awakened, likely stirred by the tension in Lip's voice. "No, you smell like booze and..." she started, only for Lip to interject with an inappropriate remark.
"Tits," he boasted, causing Y/n to roll her eyes and turn away, pretending not to hear the intoxicated boy's complaints.
Lip remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on her. He brushed her hair away from her face, but Y/n scooted back, adjusting it herself without acknowledging his attempt. She pulled the covers up to her face, hoping to get back to sleep.
"I don't think your girlfriend would want you in bed facing me," she recalled his earlier comment.
"Not girlfriend," he clarified, "unlike your boyfriend."
"Not boyfriend," she corrected, reminding him that neither of them had officially labelled their relationship.
"Good," Lip concluded the conversation, closing his eyes. Y/n watched as a faint smile formed on his lips. She knew he was drunk, and that was the only certainty in her mind. However, Lip understood that once Vinnie became her boyfriend, their close relationship would have to change. No more playful flirting, limited physical contact, and no more sharing a bed like they used to.
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And it didn't help that the sun was also violently blaring out of the crack of a window, its rays beating down on her flushed face. Getting up from the bed she didn't react to Lip's snoring. Placing his hand on her waist he put her back into the bed with Y/n groaning a bit tiredly. "Coffee Maker?"
"You suck" She laughed whispering since Ian was still sleeping. Lip groaned everything but okay, he was hung over and busy with morning wood. She felt it poking into her back as he held her tightly. "Might want Karen to help with that."
Looking at her Lip groaned again just now noticing it. "Right" He let go of Y/n, and she jumped off of the bunk trying to stay silent. "Lemme deals with this and I'll be down."
Letting a chuckle out of her mouth she breathlessly hit the top of his bunk. "Fix yourself up in no time, Phillip" She continued to tease him as he groaned into the pillow sending her a thumbs up.
Y/n made her way to the bathroom and cleaned herself up with the toothbrush that she had inside her bag so that Carl didn't need to get to it. She was happy that she had woken up early enough to not be bothered by Carl or any of the boys since the Gallaghers needed to use the bathroom always at the same time.
When she was finished, Y/n took her pills put them back and made her way out of the bathroom; on her way down the steps she opened Debbie's door peeking inside of there to see that Emmy was still asleep on the floor, along with Liam and Debbie.
Making her way down the steps she already heard talking early in the morning. "I'm maid of honour and I didn't know you had a brother." Fiona's voice echoed in the air with Y/n walking down the steps. No one said anything about her presence continuing on.
"Veronica has a brother?" Y/n questioned joining in on the conversation; furrowing her eyebrows and sitting down on the bottom step.
"Yep" Veronica turned to Y/n in her bra and underwear with her hands on her hips, it was obvious that stress was going through her body.
"There's a reason for that" Kevin was sitting on the couch tiredly with dicks all over his face in sharpy and sitting there almost defeated by something.
"He broke out of prison" Veronica continued to pace the living room.
"What was he there for?" Fiona asked worried.
"Aggravated assault, larceny, and arson." Both Y/n and Fiona didn't know what to say looking at the woman speechless because of the fact Veronica was never public with this brother that she had.
Muttering under her breath as she held herself on the side chair. "Oh wow."
Lip made his way down the steps, with new clothes on his body and a sharpie also on his forehead but the word that seemed to be written was something that didn't even make sense. "Arson? Who you talking about?"
"V's brother" Fiona tiredly spoke, sitting up on the couch from the top of it with making room for more people who were going to wind up coming down and joining the conversation.
Looking around at everyone that was in the room still confused about the conversation that was happening. "Oh, is that, like, a sibling brother, or just a black-guy brother?" He questioned.
"Remember the fire at Curves in the mall?" Veronica asked just for the ones who didn't know nodding their heads. "That was him." She was trying to hurry and put clothes on knowing that if Lip was up slowly all of the younger kids would be getting up. "He loves setting fire to things and he hates women. It was the perfect storm."
"He's nuts" Kevin butted in. Lip laid down on the chair next to Y/n, his head relaxing on her lap as he handed the lit cigarette towards her. She put it inside of her mouth listening still. "Serious, he's nuts. He came at me. I had to fight my ass off. Then one time I'm having a brew, he came up to me, all; 'Ass cunt fuck!' on me."
"Is he special?" Fiona questioned with worry surrounding her face wondering what he would do to the wedding since it was later in the day.
"I wish. Tourette's couples with bipolar disorder and a drinking problem." Veronica continued finishing putting her dress on, "He's a shrink's wet dream."
Fiona had looked over at Y/n almost shocked and tired by the new information that was given to her, everyone in the room but Y/n looked as if they were on the edge of a cliff ready to jump off of it. "What are we gonna do?"
"Kick his ass back to prison," Veronica pointed out, "If there's one person you can always count on to fuck things up, it's Marty."
Passing the cig to Lip as he put it in his mouth inhaling everything inside of it. "Well, Logan's uncle is a police officer" Y/n commented trying to help the best way that she was able to.
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Logan had been a great help in finding Y/n a dress for the wedding, something that she could both afford and genuinely liked. After selecting their wedding attire, Y/n and Logan made their way out of her house, closing the door behind them. Just as they stepped outside, the gate swung open forcefully, pushed by Lip, who was in a hurry, with Carl following closely behind him.
Logan began to count down, "Three, two..."
However, before he could finish, Lip and Carl rushed over to them, leaving Y/n and Logan bewildered about the sudden commotion.
Lip halted in front of them, panting slightly. Y/n and Logan exchanged puzzled glances as they waited for Lip to explain himself. "Something is happening at V and Kev's house," he finally managed to convey.
Without hesitation, the four of them rushed down to the next house and entered the alleyway between Y/n's house and V's. Fiona was gripping a ladder on the side of the house while Debbie was dangerously trying to peek through a window.
"—You should be in a nuthouse!" Veronica's voice was charged with confrontation as she pointed her finger at the man barricaded inside her home.
"What's going on?" Lip inquired, turning his attention to Fiona for an explanation.
Fiona's focus remained on the ladder and Debbie, who was struggling to hold it steady. "Veronica's brother locked himself in the bathroom. He's threatening to burn the place down."
A glint of excitement flashed across Carl's features rapidly, lips upturning into a grin in the course. "Cool !" Y/n ruffled the hat that was on Carl causing the little boy to grow silent not saying anything else not wanting it to happen again.
Logan looked at Y/n topping to question anything that was happening with the house in front of them since he had been missing a lot of things because of his move back to the city. "Is he really going to do it, I mean-"
"No fucking way" Veronica cursed side-eyeing the little kids that were around. "He's going to be put back into the nuthouse! Before he even gets the chance," Noticing Logan standing next to Y/n, "Hey you have your uncle around."
"He's on a case" The brunette boy had shrugged his shoulders with his hand placed inside of his pocket shaking his head. "Sorry, either way, he doesn't deal with- whatever this is."
"He's saying that he's gonna light both the dress and the shit-sack house on fire," Debbie reported, gaze darting down to the six that stood below her. Veronica had nothing but panic in her face, even though she didn't believe that he would do it. There was everything inside of her with the wedding pressure saying that he was going to do it. "What's a shit-shack?"
Grabbing onto Logan's hand the two of them had to start getting ready for the wedding counting Logan said he'd go as her date with Vinnie ghosting her all the way. "We have to start getting ready, hope for the best with your prob" Y/n noted.
"Same" Logan nodded his head, pulling him away Lip watched the two of them walk away with dagger in his eyes, turning away and back to the problem that was in front of them.
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"Is Vinnie not coming?" Logan stood in front of the mirror, a perplexed expression etching itself onto his face as he deftly tied his necktie.
Turning his attention to Y/n, who was sitting on the bed in a state of crisis, he asked about Vinnie's absence. Y/n, draped in a square-necked black and pink prom dress she had worn the previous year, merely shrugged her shoulders in response.
The dress, chosen not for its style but to conceal her body, was her shield against the world. Y/n was determined not to let a grown man have any further influence over her body, especially after the traumatic ordeal she had endured.
"He found my pills" She pressed into her own hands. "I'm guessing that's why."
Y/n found herself caught in a confusing web of emotions and desires. She couldn't discern the fine line between mere lust and genuine love.
In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was deeply in love with Vinnie. Despite knowing very little about him, he remained a mysterious figure in her thoughts. The allure of his age and his willingness to listen to her every word had ensnared her heart.
As Logan turned to her, she noticed a glimmer of pity in his eyes. It made her laugh bitterly, the idea that someone might leave her because of something beyond her control seemed almost comical. Y/n wondered if Vinnie would still want her if she stopped taking the pills if she let herself be who she truly was.
She couldn't help but contemplate the implications of it all—adding up the factors, following the patterns, and spending endless days in bed, yearning for an escape from the torment that resided within her own mind. The fear of stepping outside and the constant dread that someone might hurt her, causing wounds that would never heal, haunted her thoughts. She couldn't help but question whether this was what Vinnie desired from her.
Y/n didn't know what it was like to not feel deep emotions, if she didn't feel deep emotions she wasn't truly going to be herself at the end of the day.
"It's silly, really silly" She smiled shaking her head and looking down. "He has a job that he has to keep up with, almost in college basically in college." Logan didn't say anything just looking over at her concerned.
"Are you taking your pills?"
Y/n couldn't help but release another sardonic laugh as she clung to her legs, her head bowed, and a deep sigh escaping her lips. "Why does everyone keep asking me that," she wondered with an air of innocence. "Yes, I am."
A sudden knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and without waiting for permission, Lucy barged into the room. "We're about to leave. I don't want to be late and make a fool out of myself."
"Of course," Y/n replied, dragging herself out of bed. Logan began packing up his things and stashing them in his bag, opting for a simple black and white suit, unaware of any potential wedding theme. He left the room and headed down to his car, where he stowed away his belongings, knowing that Lucy would be responsible for transporting them to and from the wedding.
Meanwhile, Y/n rummaged through her small purse, her mother's voice suddenly breaking the silence. "Is it too dark?"
Y/n glanced at herself in the mirror, appreciating her appearance. She had chosen to forgo makeup, as she never truly liked the feeling of it, but her lips were adorned with lip gloss, and her hair cascaded down in a messy yet fitting manner.
She went silent, pulling her dad's old bomber jacket off a broken lamp in her room and putting it on, covering a significant portion of her outfit. "What?" she replied with a touch of sarcasm.
"Thank you for saying I looked nice, Mom." Her words dripped with irony as she sighed and made her way out of her room, leaving her mother standing there, perplexed by her daughter's attitude.
Most of the time, Y/n didn't even believe her mother truly liked her. Despite uttering the words "I love you," it had always seemed that her mother didn't particularly care for her own daughter. Lucy scoffed and closed her daughter's bedroom door before following her down the stairs.
Logan was talking to Owen in the living room both of them getting ready to leave, Emmy was in the kitchen trying to hide that she had a stain on her pink dress.
Lucy went into the kitchen trying to help her daughter quickly get the stain off of her dress with Owen looking at his daughter standing at the door getting ready to leave as her arms were wrapped around herself staring out at the snow tiredly, trying to hide the tears trying to escape her eyes.
First, the man she was talking to didn't even want to show up to the wedding for her, and second, her mom didn't know how to like her daughter. "You look beautiful, pea" Owen's voice echoed through her ears as she turned to her dad with a small fake smile pressed on it.
"Thank you, Dad" She meant it, getting ready to leave for V and Kevin's fake wedding.
༶
Their wedding ceremony was an intimate and heartwarming affair, attended by a select few who were like a second family to them, as well as the regular patrons of the Alibi. Despite the modest scale of the event, it was abundantly clear that V and Kev were deeply in love, and their happiness radiated throughout the ceremony. Y/n couldn't tear her eyes away from V, who was holding hands with Mandy, one of her closest girlfriends.
Throughout the entire wedding ceremony, Logan's gaze remained fixed on Y/n.
As the officiant spoke about daily problems and earthly possessions, Y/n glanced at Logan, who offered a small, reassuring smile in return. She then turned her attention to Liam, who was peacefully sleeping in Ian's arms. "Nor the desire for earthly possessions dominate your lives. But may your heart's first desire be always the good things waiting for you in the life of heaven."
"May daily problems never cause you undue anxiety" Mandy laid her head on Y/n's shoulder; they never really remembered how they became friends it just happened; one day inside a bathroom Y/n needed a tampon.
When the officiant declared, "You may kiss the bride!" Y/n joined the enthusiastic applause for the newlyweds.
A genuine smile graced her lips, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. The joy in the air was infectious, and everyone present felt a sense of pride and contentment for the newly married couple.
Kevin and V had always been there for Y/n and Emmy whenever they needed support. Veronica had been the one to accompany Y/n after her first time with Lip, ensuring she got the morning-after pill. Kevin had watched over Emmy as if she were his own child. Seeing V and Kev so blissfully happy filled Y/n with a profound sense of joy and satisfaction. They truly deserved all the happiness in the world.
In the blink of an eye, the Alibi room was transformed as music blared from the speakers, instantly elevating the party atmosphere. Y/n surrendered to the rhythm, dancing with a vivacity that seemed to define her very essence. It was as if she had found her natural element in the heart of the dance floor.
Owen, preferring to avoid the drinking scene, had slipped away to a quieter corner. Lucy, on the other hand, was enthusiastically dancing alongside Frank, both of them revelling in the spirited celebration.
Emmy caught up in the contagious energy, joined the dance floor with Debbie and Fiona. Y/n found herself dancing with Logan, her moves embodying the carefree spirit of the moment.
Amidst the revelry, Carl grabbed Y/n's hand, inviting her to dance. She gladly accepted, matching his energy and losing herself in the music. Logan playfully confiscated Y/n's beer, but she hardly noticed as she continued to groove to the beat.
Lip and Karen, their passion intensifying with each passing moment, shared passionate kisses that Carl eagerly recorded on his phone. Y/n watched them with a hint of disapproval, and then, driven by an impulsive decision, she reached into her bra and pulled Mandy aside.
"What's up?" Mandy inquired with curiosity, unaware of Y/n's hidden agenda.
Y/n unveiled a small packet of cocaine from her bra, catching Mandy up on her recent experiences with Vinnie, the person she was seeing. "It's on the house," Y/n added with a mischievous grin, glancing around as if searching for the right words.
Mandy laughed, her excitement building. "fuckyeah!" Y/n deftly crushed the cocaine on the sink, and the two friends bent down to snort it.
"How long does it kick it?"
Mandy inquired about the onset time, but Y/n's carefree response was, "Who cares?"
With the echoes of their laughter still lingering, Y/n and Mandy rejoined the pulsating heart of the party, seamlessly slipping back into the festivities. Y/n surreptitiously tucked the remaining cocaine packet back into her bra, ready to embrace the night's revelry with renewed enthusiasm.
The crowd formed a dance circle around Liam, whose infectious smile and enthusiastic moves drew everyone's attention. Chants of Liam's name filled the air as Y/n laughed, her hand flying to her mouth in sheer amusement.
After a brief but spirited dance with Fiona, Y/n found herself dancing with Lip, their bodies moving to the rhythm of the music. Lip's voice barely reached her ears over the music as he called out, "Yo, dance with me for a little since Ian stole your real date."
She glanced over to where Mandy and Ian were dancing together, their chemistry apparent to anyone watching. As Logan disappeared into the bathroom, Y/n couldn't help but notice Karen's hostile glare directed at her. Feeling a bit unsure, she stood there, her movements cautious.
Lip, however, made his way toward her, extending his hand to her. She accepted it with a smile, her pupils dilated from the earlier cocaine use. Lip expertly guided her arms to rest around his neck, and she nestled her frame against his with newfound ease.
It was the first time they had seen each other since the earlier incident, and Lip couldn't help but ask, "How is everything?" Noticing the change in her demeanour, he wanted to ensure she was doing okay.
"Life" She shrugged her shoulders letting out a deep sigh a broad smile on her face. "You and Kar?"
"Yeah, she's fine with this." Lip glanced over at the girl not paying attention to anything; there was intoxication inside of his tone not being the best at hiding it. "Only if I fuck her in the back when this is done." By fine with it, he meant she was too drunk to remember in the morning with Lip dancing with Y/n.
"Wow" Y/n tried to keep the smile on her face, looking around and seeing Logan dancing with Carl. "Every conversation we have now is about lovely Karen, isn't it?"
"I guess so" Lip muffled, feeling bad now.
"But it's okay, you're in love with Karen" She simply faced the reality of the situation between the two of them. "But hey, you're a Gallagher" Y/n pulled his own line on him as a joke.
"I'm so sorry, Y/n" Lip pointed out, dramatically leaning down and holding onto her hips. "Can you forgive me," A laugh came out of her mouth, with his hands holding the sides of her as she was trying not to fold against him, feeling her face burn.
The door to the Alibi swung open, drawing Y/n's attention, and a bright smile instantly lit up her face when she saw Vinnie entering.
Lip stumbled a bit in confusion, trying to make sense of the unexpected arrival, but it didn't take him long to notice Vinnie's presence in the room. He watched as Y/n eagerly rushed into Vinnie's arms, their lips meeting in a deep, passionate kiss.
Their connection was electric, and in that moment, Y/n couldn't care less about any unanswered questions or uncertainties. She was lost in the sheer joy of Vinnie's arrival, and he reciprocated her enthusiasm by grabbing her ass and bending down to meet her at eye level, intensifying their kiss.
Not far away, Lip grabbed Karen's hand and hastily guided her out of the main room, heading for the bathroom. Karen couldn't help but smirk in Y/n's direction, noting that Y/n seemed blissfully oblivious to their departure.
As Y/n and Vinnie continued their passionate embrace, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and finally managed to speak over the music's thumping beat. "Where have you been?" Her words held a subtle message, though it seemed Vinnie might have missed it.
Without skipping a beat, Vinnie suggested, "You should stay with me for a little while. Come to my place as my girlfriend." His proposal was met with an infectious giggle from Y/n, who eagerly jumped up to kiss him once more.
"Let's go to your place," she replied.
"Okay, Nympho" He grabbed her ass and helped her walk out of the Alibi; "You look pretty," Feeling her face heat up as she looked up at Vinnie nodding her head and biting the bottom of her lip continuing out of the Alibi.