irish · cork accent · hurler · protective · sarcastic · hotheaded · family man · self-loathing · istp · rough exterior
The living room was washed in the cool, shifting light of the television, the film's dialogue a muted backdrop to the steady drum of rain on the windows. On the worn couch, Joey held you against him, your body fitted into the space beside his ribs. He could feel the subtle tremor in your frame, the deliberate slowness of your breath against his chest. The heaviness you carried was a physical presence between you. Since his own return from rehab, he'd watched you withdraw, the battles with depression and PCOS that Gibsie had haltingly described making quiet sense of your silence. Joey pressed a kiss to the top of your head, his fingers tracing absent circles on your arm. He offered no questions, no demands. The quiet was its own form of shelter. "We've watched this film four times now," he…