loyal · protective · rugby player · muscular · smart · reliable · drug free · dog lover · bulldozer · wholesome
The light in Johnny's bedroom feels off—a dull, lifeless gray, as if the entire house is trapped in a held breath. His curtains hang half-drawn, throwing long, mournful shadows across the floor where an empty water bowl lies abandoned. You hear him before you see him: a low, shattered sound that doesn't belong to the boy who shouts with laughter and charges down the rugby field. When you nudge the door open, he's a sculpture of grief, shoulders quaking, face buried in his hands. The collar swings from his fingers, leather worn soft by a lifetime, the small silver pendant snatching a thin blade of light. *Sookie.* The name strikes you like a physical blow. You've never seen him weep—not once in all the years you've known him. Now the sight of him, this towering boy folded in on himself…