The Cry Of A Mockingbird •Dio Brando X Reader•

•Thirty-Three•

The sound of drunken laughter and shouting rose in your ears as you pushed open the door to the tavern. You scampered inside, running past the boasting men and flirtatious women, and ran straight to the counter. You jumped on one of the stools and leaned over the side, peering around for the barkeeper. Before you could call out, he entered from a back room and into your sights. 

“Afternoon, kiddo,” He smiled, ruffling your hair as he passed. “What’cha need?”

“Is Eli here?” You asked quietly. The barkeeper grabbed a glass and filled it with water before handing it to you. The barkeeper hummed and leaned on the counter. 

“If you drink that, then I’ll tell you,” He said, knowing that you hadn’t drunk anything all day. He’d seen you running around the city, dashing from shop to shop.

Your small lips turned into a frown, but you raised the glass and took a small sip. The barkeeper smiled at you before serving the next patron. 

“I’m finished,” You said, sliding the half-drunk glass towards him. He sighed and picked it up. It was more than you drank last time. 

“He’s in the back,” He said, watching you jump from the seat and scurry off towards the back. 

“Elijah!” You called popping into the room. You saw a mop of dark red-hair pop over the back of a booth before he jumped down. 

“Hey, Y/n!” He greeted. 

“Where have you been? James had been looking for you for a while,” You said with a small frown. Elijah rubbed the back of his neck. 

“S-sorry. My old man wouldn’t let me go anywhere,” He said. 

“Oh. Are you alright?” You asked, walking a circle around him curiously, looking for any obvious marks or cuts. 

“I’m okay,” He said, following you around with his eyes. “What about you? I heard you got in trouble.”

“Oh, it was nothing. I ran away,” You said, shrugging. 

Elijah laughed. “I kinda figured.”

“Wanna go to the river?” You asked. 

“Sure,”

The dim lighting from the tavern illuminated the side of your face, casting a yellowish glow on your features. It felt like ages since you’d been there. It also felt like a crime to be standing there. It felt like a crime to be in London. You couldn’t shake the feeling of the unknown guilt rising in your stomach, making it churn. You turned away from the old brick wall and began walking away. 

Your cloak swayed as you walked down the street, your figure dark and ominous. Prostitutes and hookers called out to you, trying to gain your attention towards their half-naked bodies. Men dressed in dark clothing offered you powdered substances in small baggies. Homeless men stared at you as you passed, silent as they studied your stature and walking pattern. Children cowered away from you, holding their smaller siblings closer to them as they backed into the shadows, then scurried away as soon as you had passed the alley they hid inside of.

You tore your gaze away from the normalities of London and looked towards the river. You leaned against the stone railing with a small sigh, looking down a ways. The spot where and Dio had first learned the truth about the mask was visible under the moonlight. 

“You’re fucking mad!” You shouted, voice bouncing off the walls. Dio calmly stood in front of you, watching you as you shouted at him. “Did you not even see what that mask did to that man!? Do you want to become something like that?”

“You’re not seeing it from my point of view, Y/n,” Dio said.

“No! No I am not! I’m not as stupid as you are!” You shouted. “It’s horrifying!” Dio sighed and began to walk towards you. 

“Y/n, being human has its limits. But I’ve learned something. The more carefully you scheme,” His hands ghosted on your hips. “The more unexpected events come along. As long as you are human, things will never be the same.”

“Wh-what are you s-saying?” You whispered, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. Every instinct in your body screamed at you to run. Defend yourself from...whatever Dio had become. Your trembling gaze followed him as your lips parted in shock, fear evident on your face as Dio lowered his head towards yours. 

“I’m throwing away my humanity, Y/n. I am moving beyond humanity. I believe I could rule over everyone,” He purred, making your eyes widen. The temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees as you exhaled shakily, watching your breath fog in the air in front of you. 

“Don’t you?”

You didn’t respond, making Dio pull away from you and look down at your terrified expression. He brushed his knuckles across your cheek. 

“You’re afraid,” He mumbled. 

You swallowed hard. “W-who wouldn’t be?”

Dio’s lips tugged into a slight frown. “Y/n...you...don’t think I’m a monster, do you?”

You flicked your gaze to him. The confliction in his eyes showed as he removed his hands from your waist and stepped back. He didn’t want to frighten you. He didn’t want you to think he was a monster. He didn’t want to hurt you. He wanted to destroy the human race, but you weren’t part of that. No, you were so much more to him than a mere human. He held you so much higher above them. 

“No, I don’t,” You said, making Dio look at you with slightly wider eyes. You took a hesitant step towards him. “You...you may not be human, but it doesn’t make you a monster,”

“Go, Y/n,” He said, as you inched towards him. 

“No,” You said firmly.

“I don’t want to scare you,”

“You don’t scare me,” You said, hovering your scarred hand above his chest. Dio placed his hands on your back. 

“Then what does?”

“The world,”

The wind picked up around you, blowing the hood from your face. It all seemed wrong. It all seemed...bland. Boring. Tiresome. Empty. You felt as if something was missing. You couldn’t stand here and feel the same as you did when you were younger. You couldn’t stand here and feel calm like you did just a year ago. 

Your thumb traced over the engravings in the watch resting in your palm as you blankly stared at the shifting water. You knew he was there, soundlessly standing behind you. He was watching you carefully. You felt like a rabbit, unknowing of the fierce and sly fox that stalked towards you, ready to pounce and sink its teeth into your neck. You turned to face him. 

His blonde hair blew in the wind. Gem-like ruby eyes stared down at you. Full lips were slightly frowning. Dark eyebrows were furrowed together in concern. Sharp jawline pulled tight as he clenched his teeth together. 

“Y/n-”

He stopped as you rushed towards him, burying your face into his chest. Your hands balled the fabric of his coat into your fists. Dio’s eyes softened as he wrapped his arms around your small frame. 

“Don’t leave,” You whispered, holding onto him tighter. 

“I won’t,” He said, gently running a hand through your hair. 

“I…” You took a deep breath.

“I want to live with you..”

“Forever,”