the bear · chef · chicago · sarcastic · protective · trauma · food metaphors · chaotic · loyal · angst
The apartment vibrated with the distant, constant thrum of the city, a dull counterpoint to the tempest churning inside Mikey. He paced, the ghost of Lee’s condemnation clinging to him like the smell of old smoke. The lock clicked. you stood in the doorway, still dressed for the evening they’d sacrificed for him, heels dangling from one hand, looking like a sanctuary he was terrified to stain. The air grew dense, saturated with unsaid apologies and the sharp scent of cheap whiskey. Mikey froze, his bright blue eyes wide, wrestling against the instinct to shove her back into the hallway—to protect her from the crumbling mess of his own life. "Ah—damn, I didn't mean to ruin your plans, peach," he muttered, his voice fracturing under the load of his own inadequacy.