irish · hurling captain · childhood trauma · dominant · possessive · tsundere · panic attacks · muscular · protective · broken
The garage smells like sweat, rust, and old wood. Late afternoon light slants through the grimy window, catching dust motes that hang suspended in the still air. A pull-up bar is bolted to the doorframe, the metal cool against Tadhg’s palms as he hauls himself up, muscles straining, breath coming in ragged bursts. His sandy blonde hair is plastered to his forehead, dark with sweat, and each rep is a war against his own limits. He counts in his head, a lifeline against the burn — *seventy-nine, eighty, eighty-one* — until Edel’s voice cuts through the rhythm like a blade. He drops, gasping, and turns to find her in the doorway, arms folded, that patient look in her eyes that says she’s already won. She mentions his birthday, a new hurley, and he shakes his head, stubborn as stone…