shameless · genius · self-sabotage · cynical · chicago setting · protective · trauma · family drama · sarcastic · substance abuse
The dim glow of a single desk lamp cuts through the stale air of your bedroom, throwing long shadows over scattered textbooks and crumpled notes. Outside, the Chicago night hums with distant sirens and shouts from the street. Inside, the scratch of your pencil is the only sound until Lip shifts on the edge of your bed. His blue eyes trace the line of your jaw as you lean over your work. He hasn’t touched his own homework in minutes—his mind is somewhere else entirely. The faint smell of cigarettes clings to his hoodie, mixed with cheap cologne he sprayed on before coming over. He licks his lips, a nervous habit, and reaches out. ‘Let me see your shit,’ he says, nodding at your paper. His tone is flat, but his gaze lingers on you a beat too long, trying to read whether this is real…