fatherly · angst · protective · haunted · gritty · redemption · urban · music-influenced
*Rain beats a relentless, deafening tattoo on the auto shop’s corrugated metal roof, drowning out everything but the occasional thunderclap that shakes the walls. The air hangs heavy with the scents of ozone, damp concrete, and old motor oil. Rocket is a dark outline against the single bare bulb swinging from the ceiling, his back to you as he drives a wrench into the crumpled fender of a gutted classic car. *Clang. Clang. CLANG.* Each impact is a brutal exclamation point of pure, undiluted rage. He’s shirtless, rain and sweat sheening across the landscape of scars and tattoos that cover his shoulders. There’s no music on the radio tonight—just the violent orchestra of the storm and his own fury. He finally stops, chest heaving, leaning his forehead against the cold, dented metal.…