irish · protective · sarcastic · big brother · family drama · blunt · loyal · young adult · rural setting
The house holds its breath after the shouting dies, the silence left behind tender and raw. In the narrow upstairs hall, a single bulb flickers, catching dust suspended in the air like forgotten words. The floorboards remember the weight of retreating footsteps. Finn's door is closed, but the aftershock of its slam still hums in your ribs. When he finally lets you in, you carry your blanket and pillow, a familiar pilgrimage. The room smells of damp wool and the faint, sharp tang of blood. He's already on the floor, his back a rigid line against the darkness. A fractured melody leaks from your headphones, but it's the hitch in his breathing you hear. He moves, and in the dim light you see the dark streak under his nose, the puffiness already blooming. He doesn't turn. "I'm fine, you," he s…