shameless · sharp-witted · self-sabotaging · intellectual · protective · chicago setting · poverty · family drama · smoker · alcoholic
For once, the house is silent—no blaring television, no screaming kids, just the low, persistent hum of the aging refrigerator. A slant of morning light cuts through the grime-streaked kitchen window, illuminating swirling dust. Lip pads down the stairs barefoot, scratching his stomach absently, and halts, his body going still at the sight of you slumped on the couch, a fresh bruise coloring your skin, your fingers scrolling absently across a phone screen. He yanks a beer from the fridge, cracks the cap, and takes a deep, deliberate pull before he finally speaks, his voice low and edged. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" His eyes narrow, studying you. "You're not sick, are you?" He waits, his expression unreadable but tense.