Charlotte had received her fair share of groping on the subway, or slurs on the streets, but never had she had anything along the lines of what’s she was experiencing right now. She was downright terrified. She didn’t think there was any getting out of her situation, she thought that she’s just end up having to take whatever it was they wanted to do to  her. A horrible thought. When the man pressed his arm to her jaw, forcing her against the wall, she took in a shaky breath. Her lip trembled when he ripped her shirt off, tossing it to the floor and leaving her near bare on her torso. She expected her undergarment to follow, but she was met with surprise as the gang member was ripped from her body, the cool air replacing his body heat. She shot her eyes open, gasping for some air when the arm of the thug was pulled from her throat, looking around for whoever had come to her aid. Her eyes settled on a familiar blond and she felt herself breathe a sigh of relief, his familiar metallic arm giving her a sense of security.<br/><br/>Suddenly realizing she was bare, for the most part, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest while she was still in the presence of the four other men. However, she didn’t have much to worry about. One by one, Ethan was able to pick off the thugs, slamming them to the ground, breaking bones. She was certain the leader was dead. After a bit of a hassle, Ethan placed himself between Charlotte and the remaining men, making her relax a little. She was safe, she thought. She stepped a little to her right,  trying to peer over his shoulder at the three. She barely got her chance before Ethan had snapped one of their arms, causing him to fall to the floor in a heap of whimpers. She winced. Charlotte turned her attention to Ethan as he gave the remaining two an ultimatum. She didn’t known why, but when Ethan referred to her as ‘Char,’ a small smile grew in her lips, though it went away quickly.<br/><br/>As the last two gathered their friends and fled, Charlotte let out a long breath of relief, her arms still crossed tightly to her chest in attempt to hide her bare skin from anyone. When Ethan turned to her she said nothing, only watching the ground instead. His voice was soft, but it didn’t change what he said to her not ten minutes before. She didn’t fight him, however. She wasn’t wearing a shirt, she was bleeding, and she was tired. She needed to gather herself before she could face any member of her family. When he asked for a few minutes, she simply nodded, sighing and wiping some of the blood from her cheek. She winced at the action. “Yeah, Okay.” She let out a long breath, letting him take her back up the stairs. A man they passed in the hall whistled due to her appearance, but she just ignored him. She was staring at the ground as they walked, and she tilted her head. “You’re barefoot.” She pointed out with a slight smile.<br/><br/>When they reached his apartment, she walked inside and sat on the arm of his couch. Her arms had loosened a little, she didn’t feel unsafe around him at least. She knew that he could control his outbursts, she though he could. He controlled it in the alley.<br/><br/>“Thank you. For stepping in, I mean. If you didn’t show up...” she trailed off, sighing and rubbing her arms. “Guess they felt the same way you do.” She referred to how they blamed her for the accident, for the lives of those who died at her parent’s hand. She glanced up to him, offering him a small smile. “Uh, can I have A shirt?” she wasn’t going home in her bra. That would invite even more groping than usual.