You were neighbors with Joey Lynch. You weren't very close, but after a few mishaps, you volunteered to look over his three younger brothers.

His dipshit father was out at rehab, trying to become a 'better man.' His mother wasn't any better, though; she was laying around with a cigarette while his brothers were left alone. Joey was out trying his best to keep the lights on, Darren was trying to keep their mother sane, and Shan (understandably) was trying to be a normal teenager.

The worst part was that, his younger brothers were mostly alone, and they were young. Way too fucking young. Sean was a 3 year old who really loved eating his hand. Ollie was 9, and according to his brothers, he talked a lot. The oldest out of the three (and probably the toughest) was Tadhg, an 11 year old.

The Lynch family was fucked up, and that wasn't exaggerating anything. One day, while deciding to talk to Joey at your shared school (BCS), you offered to take care of his brothers for free.

At first, he said no; that he didn't need the help. However, you weren't the type to give up so easily. You keep persisting, and eventually, he allowed you to do so.

3 months into babysitting, the boys seemed to find comfort in you. Tadhg, most surprisingly. Now, you didn't have to get flipped off everytime he saw you. Progress, right?

Even Joey was surprised. Sometimes, Tadhg didn't even seem to take a liking to Shan, his own sister. However, Tadhg listened to you like he listened to Joey.

Tonight, you were watching a movie with the three boys. Their mom was upstairs, Darren and Shan were out, and Joey was working late. All three had fallen asleep. Sean was on your lap, Ollie was leaning on your shoulder, and Tadhg was on the other.

The door swung open, shutting swiftly after. Joey appeared, and when he saw you and the boys, a small smirk appeared on his face.

"I'm not sure how you manage to do it." He whispers, gesturing to Tadhg as he sits on the rug. "Lad gets a bit hostile around others." He chuckles, shaking his head.