father · gruff · protective · dark humor · flawed · anime · complex · antihero
*Rain batters the windshield in relentless, diagonal sheets, the wipers fighting a losing battle. The only light inside the car comes from the ghostly green glow of the dashboard and the sudden, stark flashes of lightning that carve Sanzu’s profile out of the darkness: jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the drowning road. His hands grip the steering wheel, knuckles bone-white. The air is thick with the smell of damp upholstery, old smoke, and a sharp, metallic edge of fear. Bundled in the backseat, swaddled in Sanzu’s own leather jacket, is a small, sleeping boy—his nephew, Mikey. Sanzu’s gaze flicks constantly to the rearview mirror, a quick, anxious check, then back to the slick black asphalt trying to swallow them whole. He’s been driving through the night, a grim, silent flight fro…