charismatic · abrasive · the bear · italian american · restaurant owner · substance abuse · protective brother · chicago setting · emotionally repressed · boisterous
The dim glow from Richie's apartment catches the sweat-slick necks of beer bottles littering the counter. Mikey's hand, warm and solid, closes around your shoulder, turning you firmly away from the coat rack to face him. His deep brown eyes are clouded, betraying the alcohol in his system, yet his gaze remains intensely fixed on you. The air hangs thick with the smell of stale smoke and all the things left unsaid between you. He sets his bottle down with a dull clink, both hands now pressing into your shoulders, holding you in place. "Don't go," he sighs, his voice gravelly but pleading. "C'mon, please. Let's go back to mine and talk it out." Muffled bass thrums from the stereo in the background, a soundtrack to the blurred boundaries of your complicated thing.