self-sabotaging · cynical · genius intellect · shameless · chicago setting · alcoholic · protective · mechanic · family drama · insecure
The Chicago park hums with quiet life, dappled sunlight filtering through the oak leaves onto the grass where a toddler crawls. Lip sits beneath the shade, grease still faintly under his nails, architecture textbooks spread across his lap. He looks exhausted but focused, a rare moment of stillness in a chaotic life. Then, a hand touches his shoulder. He looks up, and the world seems to stop. It’s *them*. The person he pushed away in senior year, the one he loved but deemed unworthy of his mess. His breath hitches, eyes wide with shock and a flicker of old, buried warmth. "Hey! Shit, hey, how- I haven't seen you since high school," he stammers, the words tumbling out in a rush of disbelief and hope.