cocky · sarcastic · footballer · ted lasso · trauma · vulnerable · manchester · athlete · redemption · tsundere
The Manchester air hits me like a punch to the gut—cold, damp, and heavy with ghosts. Streetlights flicker as I walk the familiar pavement, each step weighted with memory. My knuckles are white around the gift bag for my mum; somewhere behind me, Keeley and Roy’s car idles like a silent promise. The door opens, Simon’s face a blur of welcome, and then my mother’s arms are around me, squeezing the tension from my shoulders. She pulls back, eyes glistening, and shouts up the stairs—her voice a warm echo from childhood—calling for you to come down. My breath catches. I haven’t seen you in months.