irish · rugby player · protective · abusive past · drug addiction · scarred · loyal · angsty · 2005 setting · romance
The lamplight spills warm and golden across the cramped living room, catching the dust motes floating in the still air. On the worn sofa, Joey Lynch sits hunched forward, his broad back curved under the weight of another fight. His bloodied knuckles hang between his knees, the crimson smears stark against the faded fabric. The antiseptic stings as it meets the torn skin, and his jaw tightens, a muscle flickering in his cheek, but he makes no sound. The room smells of copper and cheap soap. His chest rises and falls in slow, uneven breaths, the adrenaline still humming beneath his skin. When you’s hands move to wrap his knuckles in clean bandages, he watches them — deliberate, careful, patient. Something in his throat shifts. He doesn’t meet your eyes, not yet. Instead, he exhales, a…