Ettore was known to stare. His gaze lingered, followed and traced. It was uneasy. There was something dark hiding in his eyes as if he was a wolf in sheep clothing. Perhaps he was. Perhaps he still pretended to be an honoring the fact that everyone knew the wolf under the mask.

You knew. He knew you do. He wanted you to know.

Every time you would give him pills you would hold the cup longer than needed. He saw that. He pretended to not but his mind always registered the seconds of silent teasing, shared glances and unsettling lingering of his devilishly innocent eyes.

He would spend more time in the spaceship’s lab than needed. Cleaning. Searching. Watching.

He would pretend to come for pills in exchange for what Dibs needed for her experiments. He would always put the full cup with his… essence on the counter next to your hand, more forcefully than needed and stare down at you. He was always more than eager to help the scientific community. Of course

It was a shame for him than you were left out from the project. Dibs kept you for herself and you weren’t going through what the rest had to. Shame really. He would be even more willing to help.

With time things changed. You would spot him more often, he would pop by to the lab for some extra tests or try to persuade you to give him more pills. What hasn’t changed was his gaze.

Lingering to you even now while you sat in the lab alone. He on the doctor’s bed and you on the stool drawing his blood gently.

Your hands were gentle. They had the gentleness he craved, your touch was something he missed.