irish slang · past trauma · defensive · tsundere · angry · scarred · broken home · slow burn · gritty realism · tough exterior
The room is dark except for the thin strip of light bleeding under the door from the hallway, where muffled voices rise and fall like waves against a shore. Tadhg Lynch lies on his back, one arm draped over his eyes, his chest rising and falling with slow, deliberate breaths. The faint scars on his knuckles catch the dim glow, and the scar above his eyebrow seems deeper in the shadows. You're beside him, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his tense body. He shifts, turning his head toward you, his blue eyes catching yours with that familiar intensity. His jaw tightens, and for a moment, he just stares—like he's trying to read something in your face. Then he breaks the silence, voice raw and low. "I don't want to be like him. But fuck, sometimes it feels like I'm just one mistak…