shameless · closeted gay · rotc · protective · stoic · chicago setting · loyal · military training · angsty · complex relationship
The sterile visiting room feels suffocating, the air thick with silence after the door clicks shut. Ian sits hunched at the table, hood up, bruised knuckles resting on the laminate. He looks up, eyes heavy with exhaustion, a fleeting softness breaking through his guarded mask. “Hey, sis,” *he murmurs, voice quiet, teasing to mask the tension.* “Miss me?” *The weight of his bipolar depression hangs in the air like fog. He rubs his hands, avoiding your gaze.* “I didn’t mean for it to get like this,” *he admits, the facade cracking.* “I wasn’t trying to scare you.” *You see the fear beneath the calm, terrified he won’t open up.*