Hearing Dexter's voice out of nowhere, then seeing his fairly handsome face, Fiona was genuinely surprised.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I'm staying at a nearby hotel. Came out to grab something to eat and happened to hear you calling out," Dexter said with a smile.
Fiona felt a little awkward. She brushed her hair back and skipped right past her earlier shouting. "I'm looking for my dad. He apparently spent the night at this bar."
"Frank?" Dexter had left pretty early the night before. "Didn't Carl take him home?"
Fiona was stunned again. "???? How do you know who my dad is? And how do you know Carl?"
"I'm friends with Kevin. I come hang out here sometimes," Dexter explained. "I was here last night too and ran into Carl. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was a kid, so I chatted with him for a bit."
Fiona finally understood and shook her head with a bitter smile. "Carl's basically antisocial. You're saying he was like you as a kid?"
"People change as they grow up. Don't worry too much. With a little guidance, Carl might actually surprise you someday," Dexter said.
After all, Carl becoming Carl would be a massive surprise for the Gallaghers.
Hearing that one of her brothers might actually have a future put Fiona in a better mood than she'd been in for days. Honestly, this was probably the first time she'd felt genuinely happy in a while.
"I hope you're right," she said softly. "That would be great."
Dexter nodded. "The future's a long road—anything's possible. Oh, by the way, I should probably let you know: Carl and I made plans to play paintball tonight. He seems really into it. Is that okay with you?"
As soon as she heard that, Fiona frowned slightly and didn't respond right away.
In the U.S., an adult hanging out with a kid could easily be misunderstood.
Dexter immediately added, "Don't get the wrong idea—I'm normal. And if you've got time, you're welcome to join us."
Fiona was still a little uneasy. She looked him over carefully. He didn't seem like a creep, but she hesitated anyway. "It's nearby?"
"Of course. There's plenty of open space around here."
That put her a bit more at ease. After thinking it over, she said, "We'll talk about it later. I need to deal with my dad first."
"I'll help you," Dexter said with a grin. "A beautiful woman yelling like that—it's not ideal."
Before Fiona could respond, he stepped up beside her, raised his hand, and bang bang bang—pounded on the door.
"Frank! Wake up! I'm buying you a drink!"
As a shameless, bottomless alcoholic, Frank was truly a professional.
Sure enough—
The moment he heard that, Frank—who had been sleeping like a rock—snapped his eyes open and replied on pure instinct, "Sounds good! Where's the booze?"
His voice wasn't loud, but both Dexter and Fiona heard it clearly.
Instantly, Fiona's face went blank.
Dexter couldn't help laughing. He turned to her and said, "Your dad is honestly impressive. I've never met anyone like him."
Fiona sighed. "Stick around a little longer. Spend more time with Frank, and your entire understanding of reality will probably get reset."
"That bad?" Dexter asked, playing along with an exaggerated look of shock.
"Not exaggerated at all."
"Then I definitely need to experience it for myself," Dexter said smoothly, sensing an opening. "I'll be staying around here for a while anyway. I'm opening a restaurant nearby—it's already under renovation."
He hadn't mentioned this the other night. Kevin and Veronica were too drunk to bring it up either.
"A restaurant? That's impressive," Fiona said, with a trace of envy.
"It's nothing special. Maybe later you can help recommend it to people."
"Sure. I'll do my best."
"Thanks in advance." Dexter pulled out his phone. "Alright, then—"
He called Kevin.
The call connected quickly.
"Kevin, Frank slept overnight at the Alibi. Fiona came to get him, but the bar's locked. Can you come open the door?" Dexter asked politely.
Kevin was very fond of Dexter as a friend and didn't hesitate. "What?! Frank slept in the bar?! We're screwed. I'm on my way!"
Fiona heard every word and watched what Dexter did.
Before she could stop it, a strange feeling crept up inside her—part annoyance that he'd stepped in without asking, part… appreciation.
With that complicated mix of emotions, she nodded stiffly. "Thanks."
Dexter smiled, clearly satisfied with the reaction. "Friends help each other out."
He'd watched Shameless more times than he could count.
He knew exactly how Fiona worked.
The method was simple.
Fiona had spent so long taking care of Lip, Ian, and the rest that she hadn't been taken care of herself in ages. She didn't dare rely on anyone.
So if you wanted to win Fiona over—don't ask. Just do.
Do it enough times, and she'd inevitably get hooked and start relying on him.
Of course—
He wasn't interested in sleeping with Fiona.
But that didn't matter.
Because most of the time, wanting something you can't have was the most addictive feeling of all.
Let Fiona rely on him… but never quite get him.
Now that was fun.
—
Kevin moved fast.
It didn't take long before he showed up at the bar.
The door opened, and the three of them walked inside.
The moment they stepped in—
Good lord.
A thick stench of piss hit them right in the face.
Dexter couldn't take it and immediately covered his mouth and nose.
Kevin had expected this and exploded on the spot. "Frank! You couldn't make it to the bathroom?!"
Frank was slumped half-conscious in a wheelchair, grinning as he rambled. "Kevin, you can't blame me. The bathroom door's too narrow. I tried—I couldn't fit. Not my fault."
Kevin was already behind the bar, quickly scanning the place.
No surprise at all—Frank had stolen alcohol during the night.
"Frank! What the fxxk—how much did you drink?!" Kevin was losing it. His irritation was written all over his face.
"I didn't," Frank denied immediately. "Don't slander me."
Kevin didn't want to waste another word on this human disaster. "Fiona, take him and go. He's not welcome here."
What choice did Fiona have? None. "I'm sorry."
After apologizing, she hurried behind Frank's wheelchair and started pushing him toward the door.
Dexter wasn't idle either. He pulled out five hundred dollars and set it on the bar. "Kevin, thanks for the trouble."
Kevin stared at the money. "??? Dexter, what's this?"
Dexter immediately winked at him, then subtly gestured toward Fiona.
Kevin got it. He grinned and pocketed the cash without hesitation. "No problem at all."
Fiona wasn't blind. She saw everything and panicked. "Dexter, don't—this isn't—"
"This has nothing to do with you," Dexter said calmly. "I called Kevin out here. I should pay him. Come on, let's go."
He stepped beside Fiona and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. "You go in front. The door's narrow—we'll need to coordinate."
Fiona hesitated briefly. "...Okay."
Watching all this unfold—
Ding-dong.
Frank suddenly had a brilliant idea.
---