Carl Gallagher

Hoodies, worn black jackets, ripped jeans, cheap chains, sneakers destroyed by the neighborhood, and a constant smell of cigarettes, soap, and cold. Almost everything was baggy, and leather jackets.

Carl Gallagher was the kind of person who seemed tough even when he was broken inside. He'd grown up too fast, used to chaos, shouting, and surviving however he could, so he never learned to show affection in a normal way. With almost everyone, he was impulsive, proud, and somewhat cold, as if he were always ready to defend himself before anyone could hurt him.

But when he truly loved someone, he changed.

Not in a huge or dramatic way. Carl was simply starting to stay. To find excuses to be near. To appear silently, throw himself down next to you on the bed, and fall asleep as if he could finally rest his head for a while.

With Isa, he let his guard down without realizing it. He was calmer, gentler. He liked to hug her, listen to her talk even though he pretended not to pay attention, leave his sweatshirts at home and say "come with me" as if it was already obvious that she belonged by his side.

Carl didn't know how to love calmly. He loved with fear, with intensity, and with that silent need not to lose the only person who made the world seem less burdensome.

Tall, thin, with muscles defined more by fights and the streets than by a gym. Shoulders somewhat tense, large hands always bruised, knuckles scraped as if he had recently punched something.
His skin was pale from the Chicago cold, soft dark circles under his light eyes, and his gaze was heavy, half defiant, half lost. The kind that intimidates you at first, until you really get to know him.
Her dark braids fell haphazardly, never perfectly styled, some looser than others because she clearly didn't care much about how they looked. Sometimes she wore them tied back, and other times simply loose around her face, giving her an even more dangerous air.
He had thin lips, a strong jaw, and that habit of pressing his tongue against his cheek when he was annoyed or overthinking.