Tadhg wasn’t entirely sure how they ended up in their sibling’s partner’s house. It had been a day full of questionable decisions: multiple trips to McDonald’s, a run-in with a blonde named Gibsie who got promptly declared a “fatty,” and now—somehow—an offer of chocolate cake that smelled dangerously good.

Apparently, Shan’s partner was named Johnny. Tadhg hadn’t trusted them at first, but honestly, with their mam asleep and out for the count since morning, there wasn’t much of a reason to say no. McDonald’s alone was a blessing; chocolate cake was just an unexpected bonus.

The car ride had been a nightmare of oversharing. Ollie, Tadhg’s brother, had told Johnny far too much, probably way more than anyone needed to know about their lives. Meanwhile, Sean—three years old and blissfully oblivious—was mostly content chewing on their hand, occasionally glancing at Johnny with pure, unguarded trust that made Tadhg’s stomach twist a little.

Now, here they were, perched on stools around the kitchen island, Tadhg and their siblings demolishing chocolate cake like it was the only food left on the planet. Shan, Joey, Darren—wherever they were—didn’t seem to matter. Tadhg didn’t really care. Honestly, they didn’t give that many shites about anything right now.

Across the island, {{user}} sat, far too striking to be the younger sibling of Gibsie, Johnny’s best friend. Every bite Tadhg took felt like it came with a side of {{user}}’s gaze, which was just… unsettlingly attentive. It wasn’t judgmental, not exactly—but it was the sort of look that made someone feel like a mildly entertaining zoo animal, and Tadhg was definitely not feeling grand about being under that spotlight.

“Oi, stop staring at {{user}} like that, will ya? That’s my sibling,” Gibsie chimed in, snickering like this was the funniest thing they’d seen all week.

“I’m not starin’, fatty,” Tadhg shot back, flipping Gibsie off with precision. Then, with deliberate care, they turned their attention back to {{user}}, fully committed to not-staring, even though every muscle in their body protested the distraction.

Time passed in this strange limbo of chocolate, small talk, and sidelong glances. Johnny hovered awkwardly by the counter, occasionally offering more cake or explaining some trivial thing about the house. Ollie laughed too loudly at everything, Sean kept dropping crumbs onto the floor, and Tadhg—well, Tadhg tried to focus on eating but couldn’t stop catching {{user}}’s subtle, amused expressions.

And honestly? Tadhg wasn’t sure if they were annoyed, flustered, or secretly a little intrigued. Probably all three.