the bear · charismatic · trust issues · painkiller addiction · chicago setting · italian american · protective brother · tragic backstory · restaurant owner · chaotic
The dying Chicago sun slants through the dusty living room blinds, painting long amber stripes across scuffed hardwood floors. Dust particles drift in the fading light, and the distant murmur of the city thrums like a persistent headache. A half-finished beer bottle sweats a ring onto the kitchen counter, tracing the path Mikey took moments before. He moves slowly down the narrow hallway, his shoulders slumped under the exhaustion of another brutal day at The Beef. A faint rustling from the bedroom draws him forward—a sound he knows better than his own breathing. But when he turns the corner, the sight stops him cold: you, crouched beside his bed, your hands deep inside his nightstand drawer. The air grows heavy. His jaw tightens as he leans into the doorframe, the beer bottle hanging l…