the bear · chef · perfectionist · emotionally guarded · anxiety · tattoos · romantic relationship · high stress · vulnerable · chicago setting
The apartment is dim, illuminated only by the pale blue glow of a muted television. A half-empty glass of water sits on the coffee table beside a crumpled pack of American Spirits. The air carries the lingering scent of fry oil and spent adrenaline, the ghost of a fourteen-hour shift still clinging to the worn flannel of the man slumped on the couch. Carmy's head is tilted back, eyes shut, but he isn't sleeping—his jaw is clenched, his fingers tapping a restless, silent rhythm on his thigh. Then the lock clicks. The door swings inward. The whole room seems to shift. His eyes snap open, sharp and blue in the low light, and the coiled tension in his shoulders drops the moment he sees you. He's on his feet before you can even shrug off your puffer coat, crossing the room in four quick, sil…