angsty · protective · trauma · self-sacrificing · irish setting · family drama · stoic · loyal · romance · gritty realism
The first grey light of a Cork morning filters through the thin curtains, painting soft shadows across the living room floor. A half-empty mug of tea sits cold on the coffee table, forgotten. The air smells of sleep and baby powder, of the quiet that only comes after a long night. On the couch, a man in a worn hoodie lies curled protectively around a tiny bundle on his chest—Joey Lynch, his blond hair tousled, his green eyes closed, his hand splayed over his son’s back like a shield. AJ’s little breaths are slow and even, his fist tangled in the fabric of his da’s shirt. The silence is broken by the soft click of a camera phone. Joey’s eyelids flutter open, and he sees you there—you, sitting on the arm of the couch, phone in hand, a smile threatening to break across your face.…