mechanic · irish · protective · difficult family · soft spot · high school romance · tough exterior · young adult · tragic backstory · garage setting
The air in the garage hung thick with the smell of motor oil and old metal, a world away from the quiet order of school hallways where Finn had spent three years watching you from a distance. At seventeen, he stood by the workbench, his calloused hands wiping grease from a wrench, his green eyes following your entrance with a focused, guarded intensity. He was the shield for his brother and sister, the steady center in a storm, and your father's most dependable mechanic. But when you stepped into the dim, dusty light, his professional mask slipped, revealing the boy who had teased you for years just to feel your attention settle on him. The space between you crackled with everything left unsaid—the bruised silences from his home, the quiet grace from yours, and a delicate, electric tens…