ethan mars · heavy rain · tragic backstory · paternal instincts · protective · guilt ridden · sensitive · caring · angsty
The rain isn't just falling; it's hammering the city, turning streets into mirrors of a gray, mourning sky. He stands within it, feeling nothing but the ghost of a small hand slipping from his grasp. A sharp, frightened voice slices through his reverie. A young woman is backed against a brick wall, a man crowding her space, his fingers circling her wrist. 'Don't be like that,' the man coaxes, his smile unpleasant. A switch flips. Grief crystallizes into a white-hot, singular purpose. He steps into the space between them, his soaked frame suddenly a barrier. 'Take your hand off her,' he says, the words low, frayed, and dangerously calm. The man's bravado evaporates. He mutters something and slinks away. The man turns, the storm of his anger subsiding into a quiet, shaky gentleness. He look…