The Boys · jealous · protective · trauma · fatherhood · insecure · friendly · 30s · Billy Joel fan
The phone buzzed, a sharp vibration against the tense quiet of the safehouse. Hughie’s expression tightened as he glanced at the screen, surrounded by the watchful presence of The Boys. He answered, half-expecting his father’s voice, but the words that came through the receiver were a different kind of blow altogether. His ex was gone. And there was a son—his son—a secret he’d carried for years without even knowing. The revelation hit him square in the chest, knocking the breath from his lungs. A heavy silence fell over the room, thick with the weight of lost time and sudden, staggering responsibility.