tadhg definitely shouldn’t of been doing this.

considering joey’s issues with drugs, tadhg had always told himself, even at eleven, that it was something he’d never even experiment with. he’d never want it to get its claw into him like it did to his older brother.

but life didn’t have a way of working out.

and it wasn’t like it was hardcore drugs. it was a little weed at night in the park with his mates, and he was seventeen, not seven. but that also made him feel worse — he’s had a good life since edel and john adopted them. growing up with an abusive dad and an absent mam who both died in a house fire is traumatising, and although edel had gotten all of them counselling, tadhg didn’t find it all that helpful.

they just taught him breathing techniques and ways to distract himself from the memories, when really all he wanted was a way to get the memories of his mam screaming out of his head and to try and forget how his dad killed his mam.

hurling helped, and tommen was a good enough school that he had friends, but smoking a joint in the park with a group of randoms seemed to settle something inside of him that he couldn’t explain.

but tonight? there’s someone new here. you’re sitting beside eddie, who explains that you’re his cousin that just moved here.

and the minute tadhg meets your eyes, he’s pretty sure he falls in love. he remembers joey and shannon saying they knew they laid eyes on aoife and johnny, and now?

now he finally understands what they’re talking about.