───── ⨾ 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐘 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄
requested by -maybanksgf_

✧ ARTIST ♡ Bojan Cvjetićanin
✧ WARNINGS ♡ None
✧ SYNOPSIS ♡ Cassia Damiano represents Italy in Eurovision 2023, although she has a bit of anxiety, so Bojan invites her to go out to take her mind off things.

    EUROVISION WAS QUITE a stressful thing but Cassia Damiano was trying to do her best and have fun, but it wasn't easy as there was so much pressure. She wanted to make her home country of Italy proud but it seemed almost impossible sometimes. She felt as a slight disadvantage, being a trans woman in an industry dominated by mostly cisgender people. She kept trying to remind herself that she was talented and chosen for a reason.

    She felt as though she had to work much harder to be seen and viewed as an artist, it was mentally draining at times. What also didn't seem to help was her anxiety that she had for years, since her early teens. It was a battle that she never felt like she would win.

    Since the Pre-Parties, she had been able to make some friends, which helped Cassia become more comfortable. She wasn't used to being so open about her anxiety but after Alessandra and Bojan pointed out some of her tics, she had to explain. Her friends had set out to always distract her, the Slovenian more specifically since he had come to be one of her closest Eurovision friends.

    He cared about her and was always there to cheer her on, which she appreciated a lot more than she could ever express. He really was the nicest person and he had started to pay closer attention to her nervous tics as a way to know when Kaz needed to have some sort of distraction.

    It was the day before the Grand Final and she couldn't shake the nerves that she felt deep in the pit of her stomach. She and the others had some free time for the day, only having an interview or two earlier on that morning. Bojan Cvjetićanin had seen Cassia then and noticed the way her leg bounced when she was sitting, the way her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth, the way she was playing with her fingers constantly.

    He was worried but didn't have time to do anything about it because of the interviews, but he wanted to do something about it now since the rest of the day was free for them. The male texted her about thirty minutes after they got back to the hotel, asking her to get ready since he was going to take her out to this nearby roller skating rink.

    The Italian attempted to get out of it but the Slovenian was determined, so she gave in and agreed. Kaz wasn't that bad at roller skating but she hadn't done it in months; the last time she went was with some good friends from home, and it ended with one of her friends falling and getting a black eye.

    Cassia threw on a purple tank top and a pair of cuffed jeans, preferring comfort due to what she would be doing. She grabbed her bag and phone before going to meet him outside of the hotel. They took a taxi to the skating rink so it didn't take long.

    They rented some skates and went to put them on. The girl wasn't showing her signs of worsening anxiety but Bojan wanted to make sure that she would be okay, really not wanting for her thoughts to spiral. As a person who had suffered from anxiety before, he understood how bad it could be.

    The H/C haired girl finished lacing up the skates and looked up, noticing that Bojan's eyes were on her. She graced him with a small smile. She thought about fidgeting her fingers due to the attention but didn't want to make him feel bad or like she was feeling uncomfortable around him; that wasn't the case but he just made her feel nervous for good reasons.

    "Hey, thanks for this. I'm so thankful that you care for me so much even though we've only been friends for a short period of time. It's nice to know that I'm not alone." Cassia would have teared up but she didn't want to ruin the fun.

    Bojan felt happier knowing that he was making an impact, no matter how small or big. "Of course, I hate that you have to go through such tough times. I may not fully understand how bad your anxiety gets but it is not your fault and I know that it's rough."

    "It is, but you talking with me and taking me to fun places to get my mind off of it, it does help." The male felt relieved knowing this as it's all he really wanted; to help Kaz in any way that he could.

    Cassia and Bojan spent the next minute looking at each other, smiling. There were so many thoughts in their heads but all of them seemed positive. The Italian couldn't believe just how big of a support system she had because of the contest, but she would never change it for anything it the world.

    She could feel herself blushing, looking away before speaking to break the silence between them. "We should go skate now," she suggested. She stood and tied her hair back. "I need to practice."

    Cassia skated away, leaving Bojan with his thoughts. He just realized just what he was feeling for the girl and it made him give the biggest smile. He finally snapped out of it, standing up and going to skate with the Italian.