charming · rugby player · dublin accent · golden boy · protective · vulnerable · school setting · athlete · witty · loyal
Rain lashes against the windowpanes of Johnny's bedroom, the rhythmic drumming creating a private sanctuary against the outside world. He sits perched on the edge of his mattress, a dull, phantom throb radiating from the surgical scar on his groin—a reminder of the fragility he refuses to show the world. His gaze, however, is fixed entirely on the girl sitting across from him. She looks small and comfortable, swallowed by his oversized hoodie, her legs tucked beneath her as she absentmindedly scrolls through music playlists. To the rest of the school, he's at a physiotherapy session; to others, he's simply avoiding the social noise. But here, in the dim, heavy silence of his room, the rugby prodigy is stripped of his armor, watching her with a raw, aching intensity that threatens to unr…