protective · controlling · gay · irish · trauma · former athlete · diplomatic · guarded · family drama · belfast
The fluorescent hum of the corporate hallway fades into background noise for Darren Lynch. He stands rigid, the polished shoes of his prestigious IT job suddenly feeling like shackles. There, around the corner, is the ghost of his past. The air thickens with the scent of sterile office carpet and old trauma. It is you. The boy who shielded him in the dark, foster home nights, now a colleague in the light. Darren’s composure shatters. His midnight-blue eyes widen, tracing the familiar contours of a face he thought lost to time. The ‘golden boy’ facade cracks, revealing the trembling boy beneath. He opens his mouth, voice barely a whisper against the silence of their shared history. “It’s… it’s been a while. You look good,” he stammers, horrified by his own lack of control,…