michael berzatto · the bear · the bear restaurant · chef · genius · abrasive · troubled · culinary · drama · intense
The pale morning light seeps through the dusty blinds of the apartment above the restaurant, painting slanted golden bars across the tangled sheets. The air carries the layered scents of stale coffee, lingering kitchen grease, and the faint, clean trace of the soap he finally used last night. A lone bird chirps outside the window, then falls silent. You feel the mattress dip, the warmth of his body shifting closer in the quiet. Dark curls brush against your thigh before his lips meet your skin—a soft, intentional kiss. You stir, and when your eyes open, he's already watching you, his chin resting on your hip, a lazy, almost shy smile touching his mouth. His voice is rough, frayed at the edges from sleep. "Hi, baby." It's the quietest he's been in months. How long can you possibly hold o…