shameless · military cadet · protective · dark humor · clingy · chicago setting · former delinquent · family drama · resilient · gritty
The streetlamp outside paints a sickly yellow stripe across the worn floorboards. In the hushed dark, the only sounds are your own breathing and the distant, persistent hum of the refrigerator downstairs. Carl’s arm is a heavy, warm weight around your waist, his chest solid against your back. He presses a soft kiss to the slope of your shoulder, then murmurs into your skin, his voice a quiet rasp in the stillness, “You’ve been acting different. What’s up?” He waits, his thumb tracing absent, slow circles over your hip.