TO BE ALONE: a series of måneskin oneshots

teach me (d.d.)

"Dami!" You called as you flung the apartment door open. It was late, but you knew Damiano would still be awake since his rehearsal with the band and your day on set had wrapped at the same time.

"Hi, baby, how was work?" He asked, pressing a kiss to your head.

"It was good." You exhaled, worn down for the day. "But I have a dilemma."

Damiano frowned slightly at that. "Oh, do tell."

"My character has to chainsmoke in this scene for the shoot next week. And I've never smoked before." You laughed. "And I can't be looking like I've never smoked before!"

Damiano let out a laugh. "You want me to teach you how to smoke?"

You mirrored his laugh. "Yes!" You giggled. "You're like my only and best resource!"

"Okay, sure." He continued speaking as he reached for his coat, digging a lighter and pack out of the pocket. "But only for this acting thing, I don't want you getting hooked on this shit. It's horrendous for your health, Love. But c'mon, let's go out to the fire escape."

You followed Damiano out to the fire escape, ducking down out of the window. You sat in the chairs you two had been known to sip the occasional glass of wine together at.

"But Damiano," You laughed. "You smoke like a pack a da-"

"I never said I didn't, Baby." He winked, putting a cigarette between his teeth before passing you the box.

You sheepishly grabbed the box out of his fingertips, anxiously looking down at the nearly full box.

"So, we need to determine something first. Is your character someone who smokes often? Is it a social thing? Is it an anxious thing?" He asked, trying to grasp the way this should be approached.

It was at times like this that you were so thankful that you were dating another artist, someone who got the work, someone who knew how to adapt to characters.

"It's alluded to throughout the season that she's been trying to quit, but then this big climatic news arises and she just completely falls back into her old habits." You explained the character arc.

Damiano nodded. "What's this turning point?"

"I can't tell you!" You gasped, giggling. "Those are spoilers!"

"Alright alright, I'll give it up." Damiano cleared his throat. "Okay, but if she's been smoking for a while, though trying to quit, we can assume she knows her way around a pack of cigarettes. You, my dear, do not."

He reached forward and adjusted your hands on the box of cigarettes.

"Hold it with one hand. She's going to have that confidence, she's aware of how the box feels, the weight. Open with your thumb. Just practice that, yeah? Open...close."

Once you started getting into a smooth rhythm with holding and opening the pack, Damiano announced that it was time that you smoked your first cigarette.

He wouldn't tell this to your face, but he was incredibly honored by the fact that you trusted him with your first cigarette. In Damiano's opinion, your first cigarette is always a learning experience. It's a stepping stone in growing up. He felt blessed to be a part of such a milestone in your maturing, even if it was as insignificant as smoking a cigarette.

"Bite down as you light it." Damiano demonstrated, clenching the cigarette between his teeth, using one hand to ignite the lighter and the other to shelter the flame from the blowing evening wind around them.

"Okay, I think I can do that." You blushed, taking Damiano's lighter and doing your best to mimic his actions.

When you had successfully and swiftly lit the end of the cigarette. "Hey, hey, look at you! You're a natural."

"How can you be a natural at smok--" You spoke before taking an inhale and exhale of the cigarette as you'd seen Dami do a million times. Your sentence was cut short by an intense fit of coughing.

Damiano laughed. "It's a good thing they got those prop cigarettes on set. Like the ones with the fucking rosemary and shit in 'em?"

Now you were laughing, though your throat was still dry from the drag of the cigarette. "Herbal cigarettes? Yeah, that's what we're gonna be using on set."

"Damn straight." Damiano muttered.

You two spent the next few minutes catching up on each other's days and Damiano continued to remind you how to properly hold a cigarette when he noticed your fingers were going all sorts of weird places.

When you two had both smoked your entire cigarettes and crushed them in the ashtray on the fire escape, a slight sadness rushed over you.

"Wait...another!" You spoke.

Damiano's head immediately whipped up. He had been intently watching the ashtray as he put his own cigarette out, making sure it wouldn't knock over. "Absolutely the fuck not, principessa." He laughed. "I told you, we can't have you getting addicted on this stuff. I don't smoke because I like it, anymore, I smoke because I'm addicted."

You pouted. "Just one more? It was fun being out here, spending time with you, you teaching me something."

Damiano shook his head softly as he pocketed the pack of cigarettes and his lighter. "I can teach you a lot more than just how to smoke but no--no more tonight."

You grinned softly, slowly approaching Damiano and wrapping your arms loosely around his neck, now just wanting to push his buttons. "And what else are you gonna see to teaching me, David?"

You playfully called him by his last name and traced your hand down his chest.

Damiano gave a laughing sigh and pulled you in by your waist. You two made eye contact and Damiano leaned down as if he was going to kiss you.

Just before your lips touched, he leaned right up against your cheek. "You'll just have to imagine whatever you'd like that to be, for the time being." He winked slightly and kissed your cheek before crouching down and climbing back into the home through the window.

~~~~~

WORD COUNT
1017

Shoutout to my bestie gal who helped me come up with and write this! I love this idea and I hope you guys liked it too!