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Thomas’ eyes were drawn back to Ethan as the other slid off his high chair. There was a hint of awkwardness about him as he approached the boy who’d been watching Damiano.
Ethan touched him, just the tips of his fingers, gently grazing the boy’s upper arm.
The boy almost visibly startled.
Apologetic gestures from Ethan. A wide-eyed look as Ethan talked.
Finally, the boy spoke, revealing pretty, straight teeth, words that were lost in the music.
Ethan bent a little closer, a tiny frown on his forehead.
Thomas watched them levelly.
Ethan looked like Ethan. The way he’d looked ever since they paused the band. No long flowing hair and rockstar eyeliner. Rather - big glasses, hair trapped in a tight knot at the back of his neck, teeth a bit crooked as he smiled.
You can’t have him, Thomas imagined Ethan telling the boy with a sympathetic smile on his face. None of us can. Trust me, we’ve tried. Wrong gender. Wrong - who even knows.
Did the boy recognise Ethan? Or was he strictly a solo-artist-Damiano fan?
They’d never had to wonder about that before.
The boy nodded and smiled.
Of course that wouldn’t have been what Ethan said.
Ethan gestured, and both their eyes strayed in Thomas’ direction.
It was probably more something like, Hi, do you want to come sit with us?
Thomas quirked an eyebrow at Ethan as they made their way over together. “Chi è il tuo nuovo amico?” Who is your new friend?
“His name is Andrei,” Ethan replied in English, either not hearing or simply choosing not to engage with the note of exasperation in Thomas’ voice.
Just a moment ago, they’d both been watching the boy.
They were in a bar in Rome, not far from Damiano’s house, to meet up with the four band members for the first time in forever - but as it was, Victoria was running late, and apparently also bringing Luna, while Damiano was being welcomed by the bar owner as if he was a long-lost hero returned from war.
Thomas and Ethan had ordered a beer and slunk away to their high table, exchanging some quiet words. And watching Damiano.
There was a faint glow about him. It had gone missing in their last few months with Måneskin, but here it was again, and while his 10-step skincare routine with Dove for sure wasn’t the only explanation, it probably was one of them.
He looked unreal - not that Thomas cared all that much for the boyband look.
If the fanboy hadn’t ambled in, dramatically stopping in his tracks upon spotting Damiano, Thomas and Ethan probably would have been watching Damiano still, too.
The boy - was very pretty.
His style echoed rock star Damiano. Smoky eyes. Low-slung black jeans, a crop top hanging off his skinny frame.
He stood out like a sore thumb in this place.
Thomas and Ethan had watched as the woman behind the bar tried to get his attention so he could order a drink, but the boy had just stood frozen, staring.
Good god.
Thomas didn’t even want to know what possessed Ethan to come up to him and bring him back to their table.
“Nice to meet you,” Thomas replied dutifully. He studied the boy’s face. The smoky eyes had hints of metallic purple and were skillfully done.
The boy looked uncomfortable.
“Where are you from?”
“Romania.”
“Long way from home.”
The boy swallowed. “Yeah.”
Ethan interrupted the awkward silence that fell. “Would you… like a drink?”
“Oh. Uh.” His eyes strayed to the two beers on the table, then to Ethan. “A beer would be great. Thank you.”
Ethan went off, back to the bar, leaving Mr. Sore Thumb with Thomas.
Thomas gestured to the empty chair next to Ethan’s with a soft sigh. Apparently this is what had become of their night out with the four of them.
“So how’d you know how to find us?” Thomas asked casually.
He sipped his beer as he watched the boy shift uncomfortably.
“I’m…” The boy met his eyes with a bit of hesitation, then sent a pretty smile his way. “I’m a… friend of… Luna’s? On Insta. I'm also a model.”
Of course he was a model.
Of course Luna blabbed. She was as hopeless as Ethan sometimes was when it came to believing a shared interest meant that someone was her friend.
Thomas just nodded. “I see. And you’re a fan of… Damiano’s?”
“Oh- and Maneskin! But also Damiano. He’s just-” His eyes strayed back in Damiano’s direction. “He’s....”
The boy didn’t finish his sentence.
“Mmmm,” Thomas agreed. “Sure. He is.”
Ethan returned with a beer and settled down on the chair next to Andrei’s.
“Thank you so much,” Andrei said. “Also for…” He swallowed. “I am actually all alone here. But I like making new friends.”
He didn’t really look like Damiano all that much. The cheekbones were something, though.
Thomas smiled patiently and looked at Ethan. “Sure,” he said. “Yeah. So do we.”
The boy’s attention had shifted back to Damiano, who was laughing animatedly somewhere towards the back.
Victoria was, as always, like a whirlwind. “Ciao, cari!” Hello, darlings. Hugs and kisses and who is this?
Luna looked a bit shocked. “This is Andrei. I know him from…” Her voice trailed off. “You’re here! I didn’t know you were coming to Rome!”
The boy smiled, running an awkward hand through his hair. “Hey, yeah. It seemed fun.”
As they struck up a conversation, Victoria sent a questioning glance Thomas’ way. “You lost Damià.”
“I think we’ll need to drag him away from his local fans.”
An eye roll, then Victoria wandered off to do just that.
Thomas wondered just how awkward things would get.
“Ciao,” Andrei stammered, voice faltering breathlessly for a moment. “Io sono Andrei. Sono un grande fan. Adoro la tua musica.”
Oh, one of those. He’d learned some Italian. Or perhaps just those very three sentences, in the hope of ever being able to say them out loud to his idol.
Andrei was blushing fiercely through his foundation.
Damiano paused, gave one of his practised smiles that was just for fans. “Grazie.” Then in English, “That’s very nice.”
Then, the look. At Ethan.
Ethan pretended not to notice.
Maybe he really didn’t notice.
“Possiamo fare una foto insieme?” Can we take a picture together?
Damiano ended up sitting as far away from the boy as possible.
Thomas watched Andrei and Ethan from the corner of his eye as he himself made conversation with Damiano, and Victoria, and whoever else drifted near.
The boy’s desperate focus on Damiano waned as he realized that he would not be noticed again. Luna kept the conversation going on their end of the table.
Every time Thomas looked, Ethan had shifted closer. He nodded seriously to whatever was being discussed, sometimes said a thoughtful few words. Careful touches found the boy’s arm, his side.
Andrei didn't touch his beer. After a while, Ethan got up and went back to the bar, and when he returned the beer was replaced by a cocktail.
Thomas snorted softly to himself.
He didn't miss how, gradually, Andrei started leaning into Ethan.
As the night grew later, Ethan met Thomas’ eyes.
A moment later his phone buzzed. Wanna join us?
Thomas huffed as he typed a reply. Oh please.
Ethan just smiled and shrugged.
A few minutes later, Ethan and Andrei waved goodbye and left.
The air was warm and buzzing with voices as Thomas stepped outside, alone.
Just a bit tired, he’d excused himself to Victoria and Damiano. We should do this another time. Just the four of us, maybe.
They were waiting for him at the Metro entrance.
Ethan looked unfazed.
The boy tilted his head in wonder.
“Andiamo,” Thomas said, suppressing a sigh. Let’s go.
Why was he here? Old habits die hard.
Andrei smiled prettily at him while the escalator took them down, and Thomas wondered if Andrei had also taught himself to beg in Italian.
Ethan was sure to lose his mind.