[name_m]Ethan[/name_m] [name_u]Royce[/name_u] Malenhey (27) is the guy Richard’s been set up with, a date orchestrated by their mutual friend, who Ethan’s known since high school [and she jokes he struggled to rid himself of her when he had the chance]. Admittedly, it took her quite some time to get [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] to agree to anything: he’s a very shy person and tends to second guess romantic situations easily. A lot of this stems from his longest running relationship, which lasted for 4 years - when [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] was 19-23 - and stemmed from a friendship he forged during his first year of college, but broke down when Ethan’s boyfriend got a job in Dubai and began trying to pressure him to move too.
This wasn’t exactly fair, as [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] had just begun his internship in his dream job - working as a music promoter and tour assistant in the metal genre - and also didn’t want to leave home thanks to his grandma being in palliative care. His boyfriend wasn’t at all understanding where Ethan’s perspective was concerned - feeling he was the selfish one - and they parted ways. While more than a little awkward, they ultimately didn’t fight or endure too much tension, although [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] opted to not pursue a friendship in the aftermath.
For the past couple years, he’s seen a few people - having realised he was pansexual at 25 - but nothing serious broke out. In part, Ethan’s been glad for this, as he didn’t want to rush into something and end up facing a similar dilemma, however it has led to his confidence diminishing where dating’s concerned. Ethan’s typically been someone who prefers hanging back opposed to taking the spotlight, and admits he’s a little awkward at times, but once in a more comfortable zone he has a quick sense of humour and is very knowledgeable about a variety of topics; especially mixed media and the production of music. Now he does travel frequently due to his job, spending a lot of time in Northern Europe where the metal scene is highly active and flourishing; however Ethan’s able to remain based from home if necessary, such as when his grandma passed away and he wanted to remain close to his family.
The Malenhey family is small - it’s just Ethan’s parents, his younger sister and him, while his mom only has one brother and his dad’s an only child - however it’s never something he gripes about. Their tight knit and reliability in a crisis are qualities that [name_m]Ethan[/name_m] not only appreciates and works to embody himself, but also recognises and values in others. He visits his parents and sister as much as possible, typically in the company of his beloved sheepdog - [name_u]Spruce[/name_u] - who was a birthday gift from his close friend, who adopted two puppies, the younger always intended to be given to [name_m]Ethan[/name_m].