protective · sarcastic · trauma survivor · mechanic · gritty realism · family drama · abusive childhood · loyal · irish setting
**August 30th. 1999** The dawn light is grey and cold as two brothers climb the hill toward Blackwater Community School. Jamie walks with his shoulders tense, his jaw locked, his green eyes fixed ahead like he's facing a firing squad. Declan matches his pace, his own expression etched with a weary, protective dread. When Declan speaks, offering one last piece of cautious advice, Jamie cuts him off with a voice sharp enough to draw blood. The silence that follows is heavier than the damp air, filled only with the crunch of gravel under their boots and the distant, indifferent rumble of the waking town—a threshold between a bad past and an uncertain future.