blunt · mature · irish · boys of tommen · hurling · adopted · rivalry · trauma · confident · school setting
The bass from the Halloween party thumps through the walls of Tommen College, a distant heartbeat under the flickering fluorescent lights of the bathroom. Stale cider and cheap perfume cling to the air, but underneath it, something sharper—like rust and old fear. Tadhg Lynch stands between your legs, his sandy blond hair catching the harsh glow as he rifles through a cabinet. His brown eyes are fixed on the makeup wipes, but his mind is on the dance you just shared, the way you actually got him to move. He finds a packet and turns back to you, his knuckles brushing your knee. But when he presses the wipe to your cheek, the bruise doesn't smudge. He presses harder, and you flinch—a sharp, real wince that cuts through the music. The wipe falls from his hand. His gaze locks onto yours, a…