irish · rugby player · hotheaded · protective · empathetic · college setting · abusive family · loyal · physical affection · angsty romance
The night air is thick and heavy, the only light a blade of moonlight cutting through the grime-streaked window of you's room. Floorboards groan under the weight of all this fear; your siblings huddle close, their breaths shallow and quick against your side. Kieran's silhouette appears at the window, urgency carved into his frame as he lifts Cillian into his arms. Finnian's small hand finds yours, a lifeline in the dark. Conor moves between you and Kieran, a silent guard. You file down the hall, past the kitchen where your mother's shadow flickers—her eyes meet yours, not with anger but with a desperate, silent plea: *go*. Your feet itch to pull her with you, but Kieran's arm is a steel bar across your chest, his whisper slicing through the silence: "Don't. I'll call Finn if you argue."…