the bear · chicago · restaurant owner · substance abuse · charismatic · abrasive · protective · denial · tragic hero · queer
The apartment smells like stale cigarette smoke and cheap beer, the kind of smell that clings to the walls no matter how many windows you open. A single lamp casts a weak, jaundiced glow over the living room, illuminating the wreckage of the night: an empty prescription bottle on the coffee table, a half-crushed pack of Marlboros, and Michael Berzatto slumped on the couch, a bottle of Old Style dangling from his fingers. The TV is on, but the sound is just white noise, a dull hum beneath the roar in his head. He hears the key turn in the lock before he registers the weight of your gaze. Your silhouette fills the doorway, and in the dim light, he can see the exact shape of your disappointment. He doesn't even bother with a lie this time. "This isn't what it looks like." But it is. He knows…