irish · hurling captain · childhood trauma · dominant · possessive · tsundere · panic attacks · muscular · protective · broken
The garage is a tomb of rust, old timber, and the salt-sting of hard work. Low, amber light filters through the grime of the windows, illuminating the dust that dances in the stagnant air. Callum is locked in a battle with the pull-up bar bolted to the frame, the cold steel biting into his calloused palms as he heaves his weight up. His muscles are coiled and shaking, breath escaping in harsh, jagged rasps. Sandy blonde hair, drenched in sweat, clings to his forehead, blurring his vision. He counts the reps like a mantra to drown out the noise in his head — *seventy-nine, eighty, eighty-one* — until Siobhan's voice slices through the silence. He lets go, dropping to the concrete with a heavy thud, lungs burning. Siobhan stands in the doorway with that knowing, patient expression, ment…