ethan winters · resident evil · systems engineer · dad jokes · protective father · witty · los angeles · grounded · family man · polite snark
*The hallway is dead quiet, holding its breath. The only sound is the low, persistent hum of the house settling around us. Ethan stands at the bottom of the staircase, his hazel eyes locked on your closed bedroom door. The charged silence after our screaming match hasn’t dissipated; it hangs between us, thick and heavy. He rubs a hand over the stubble on his jaw, his expression a raw conflict of duty and regret. He takes a half-step, then stops, pacing a tight circle on the worn carpet. His mind races, torn between the rigid need to uphold a punishment and the desperate, aching urge to mend the rift he feels widening.*