Work Text:
Carl Gallagher is nine years old. Kids at school are scared of him, teachers look at him with disgust, and his own family barely bats an eyes. People call him crazy, but he just wants to see those people in pain, he likes it when someone’s crying by his own doing, he likes to torture animals and hurt any living being he can.
Fiona is the backbone of the family, she’s the one who keeps them together. Lip is the smartest of them, he’s actually gonna go places. Ian is strong, and determined, he’s going steady in the JROTC. Debbie well, she’s sweet and caring, and funny, she lights up a whole room.
But Carl? He’s just Carl. He isn’t supportive or smart or strong or funny. He’s just Carl. The terror, the unnoticed trouble maker with a love for violence. He doesn’t have a place, he doesn’t do anything but hurt.
He likes acting out, because maybe then, he’ll get his few moments of attention. It could be from a group of kids watching as he finds creative ways to cause pain to other classmates, or even if it’s just Fiona getting onto him after teachers threaten to call cps. He’s been called the devil, a monster, disgusting, scary, and any other bad adjective. But, as long as it’s attention, right?
Only this time, the principal really almost called cps, and he only got out of it because Fiona’s new stupid boyfriend gave him weed. Now Fiona’s even stricter! ‘Carl stop hurting that cat.’ ‘Carl stop putting your toys and small animals into the microwave.’ ‘Carl don’t beat up that kid.’ He hates it. He needs to see something hurting..he wants to see blood and pain. It’s like his dad going through drug withdrawal! He’s going through sadist withdrawals! He’s been trying his hardest to hold back, but he’s just itching for anything to give him an outlet.
Carl..he himself is basically an animal. He’s never noticed unless he’s doing something bad or his family needs something.. so, why not do it to himself? It’s the next best thing, it might even help control his urges. It’s not like anyone will find out and scold him! So here he is, sitting in the school bathroom, with a flimsy plastic fork he took from the cafeteria. He wants to hurt a classmates of his so badly right now, so he’ll hurt himself instead. Carl looks at his exposed thigh, then the fork. He full speed plunges it into his skin with as much force as he can, but it barely breaks the skin. So he does it over and over again, in the same spot, staring with a straight expression at his leg. It helps, even if it’s just a little bit, the moment of pain distracts him. So he does it again, this time in a different spot. And again. And again. And again. Until most of his upper thigh is covered in bleeding dots, and his urge to hurt is almost fully diminished.
So, yeah..maybe Carl Gallagher is a psychopath like everyone says, but at least he’s found a new way to control his need to cause pain.