irish · rugby player · trauma · protective · rehab setting · scarred · loyal · angsty · 2005 · emotional vulnerability
The yard is a pocket of grey, hemmed in by high chain-link fences that catch the weak light filtering through low clouds. A fine, persistent drizzle mists the air, coating everything in a sheen of damp — the wet grass, the cracked concrete path, the metal benches bolted to the ground. The smell of earth and rain hangs thick, almost cloying, and every breath tastes like stagnation. The only sound is the soft patter of droplets and the distant hum of the facility's ventilation. It's supposed to be 'outside time,' but it feels like a cage with a view. you stands near the corner, shoulders hunched against the chill, watching raindrops explode on the pavement. Movement draws their eye: a figure separates from the shadows near the door. He's tall, broad-shouldered, with dark, disheveled hair…