21st Century Girl [Dio X Reader]

Chapter Seven

The night wind grazes Y/n's skin as she relaxes in the grass. The days have been growing warmer and although it's still a bit chilly at night, tonight she's enjoying a stolen bottle of watered down whiskey on the river's edge. The stars hang bright in the sky, their dazzling lights reflected on the river's surface. It's sad to think that in just a few more decades pollution will eat away at the beautiful scenery.

The occasional person passes by along the banks of the river and it's for this reason and weather that Y/n had to stop camping out here and invest in her shoebox apartment. She almost got robbed when she was sleeping once, but the scariest incident was waking up to find a bloated corpse washed up on shore. Just as she manages to suppress the unsettling image to the back of her mind, a head of blond hair shines in the moonlight as the person slowly makes their way down the river's edge. Their walk is a strict, deliberate one, as if demanded to simply charge forward. No other intent rises from the person, and more than the bloated corpse whose eyes were still open with the shock of death, this person feels rather empty. It's only when the person's golden brown eyes catch the light that Y/n jumps up.

"Dio?"

His feet lull to a stop below him. His blank expression looks up at her, illuminated by the moon.

"Dio?"

"Ahh," the monotone noise slips from his lips. A girl is clambering down a hill to greet him and to his right is a river. He's not at home anymore.

A light smile dresses her lips as she stops in front of him. "What's with that reaction?" Her voice is bubbly with alcohol. "Oh, don't tell me you got caught avoiding me?" She chuckles brightly, but the man in front of her doesn't so much as budge.

"Hey," her hand extends slightly, only to retract to her side. Her words hang in the air around them, the smile drifting from her face. Y/n nods up to the place where she left her bag and cloak-turned-blanket. "Wanna drink with me?"

Y/n wouldn't be able to explain it, but it's as if a switch goes off in Dio's head. Beneath the starry night, his face warms with color, the edges of his habitual smirk picking up just slightly. "Sure."

Y/n leads him up to her spot on the grass and moves her bag beneath the arm opposite him. Careful to maintain a respectable distance between them, Y/n hangs her wrists off of her knees after draping the cloak over their legs. When she hands him the partially drunken bottle of watered down whiskey, Dio takes the bottle to the head. Y/n watches him gulp down a few mouthfuls before placing her hand lightly on his shoulder. "You should slow down." He doesn't shake her off. "Or else there'll be none left for me."

He takes another sip then obediently hands the bottle back to Y/n. She wasn't planning on drinking much more, but letting him drink too much could lead him to suffer a serious hangover or worse. She brings the bottle to her lips and takes a long sip. Dio watches her every movement. Y/n looks forward at the growing cityscape. "Most of the buildings in front of us are going to be destroyed." She passes the bottle back to her companion. "But the ones that are built in their place are going to be brighter, taller, more steady..."

The whiskey swigs in the bottle as Dio finishes taking another sip. "What if I don't like the new ones?" It's bitter and not the brand that he's used to. But there's enough alcohol for him to feel better either way.

"Destroy it and build again."

After a moment, Dio's arrogant smirk returns with a curt chuckle. He catches Y/n's hand as it reaches for the bottle and locks it against the space between them. "You're already tipsy," Dio could tell she wasn't a heavy drinker from the beginning. "Let me finish this for you."

The look in his eyes is distant, as if he could see something in the starry sky that she couldn't. But now, a light smile dusts his lips. As if a heavy burden has been lifted, stealing away with it a precious part of him. Y/n squeezes his hand lightly. "Thank you."

TO BE CONTINUED...