"Mi Dispiace, Amore Mio" (Luca X Alberto) Villan AU

Time's Up

The wetness that fell onto Alberto's forehead caused him to open his eyes again. "Luca, are you crying?" Alberto said teasingly while still on his side holding onto Luca's thigh. He thought his confession of love had moved Luca to tears. He shifted his body weight onto his back again but instead of meeting the affectionate eyes of his lover, he was centimeters away from a cold black gun pointing at him. His focus shifted from the pistol to Luca's flushed face with pools of hot tears hysterically streaming down his soft red cheeks. The aria in the background started to quiet into a low hum.

Alberto sprung up from Luca's lap, causing him to drop his gun to the side of him. Alberto had never seen Luca like this; his face was twisted with the torment that Alberto could tell was eating away at him. Thoughts of their previous time spent together flashed through his mind like a deck of cards violently shuffled by a clocked magician. He could never imagine that the hand Alberto had held just hours before would ever be on the other side of a gun...pointed at him. "I...I can't..." he heard Luca mutter to himself. Alberto reached his hand out to him trying to understand, "Luca..." but his arm was swatted away instantly. " I CAN'T DECIDE WHETHER YOU SHOULD LIVE OR DIE," finally broke through the radio. The words were as powerful as the bullets loaded in the pistol and though Luca hadn't pulled the trigger, it killed Alberto inside.

Alberto eyed the gun in front of him, "you were going to...but... Luca I dont understand..." A much heavier thought plunged into his mind, "did I do something wrong?" Luca pulled the air around him in but his dry throat sent a burning sensation that filled his lungs with thorns. "NO!" The plaza bell outside mocked Luca: time's up. "Alberto, listen to me," Luca said frantically grabbing his hand. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I didn't mean for it to go this far with us. I didn't mean to fall—I just had to do this —" the hum of a vehicle was speeding down the narrow Italian streets. "Ercole is coming, I was supposed to do it, but I—" tears surrounded his eyes again, "I can't amore mio... I'm sorry," Luca sobbed as he threw himself forward and was embraced by Alberto tightly.

The roaring of Ercole's vehicle finally stopped and was replaced by the heavy clicking steps of his shoes. "He's here," Luca grabbed the gun and jumped off the bed, "get behind me," he looked back at Alberto. "BUT—," Alberto began to protest, "JUST LISTEN TO ME" Luca snapped back at him. The doorknob twisted slowly and Ercole's silhouette appeared, his figure was backlit by the Portorosso streetlights. He took a single step in the room and eyed Alberto behind Luca, then back at Luca. "You failed," he said callously, "I had a feeling you couldn't do it. I am number one: disappointed, and number two: hate being right...hmm, but not really." Ercole said snarkily as he drew out a gun. Alberto stepped aside, "DO IT, KILL ME THEN!" Alberto cried out, "NO!" Luca shouted and tried to push Alberto back behind him.

"I could," Ercole said with a thinking face, "but I want you to see you suffer first," Ercole repositioned his gun towards Luca and pulled the trigger. Alberto tackled Luca and took the bullet to his upper chest. Their bodies slammed against the cold terracotta tiled floor. "Idiota," Ercole scoffed at them. "no no no NO! ALBERTO!" Luca said holding Alberto's heavy body with both arms. "WHY?" he cried out. Alberto coughed and blood ran down the corners of his lips. "...I was doomed from the start...He would've...you" he coughed deeper as blood started spreading rapidly through his shirt like a wildfire. Ercole smiled from afar. Luca held Alberto's hand on his swollen cheek to feel his lover's touch once more. "Ti amo..." Alberto faintly whispered to him. Luca held his bleeding body closer, "TI AMO DA MORIRE!" Luca shouted back at him.

Ercole blasted two more bullets, surely killing Alberto now. Luca hollered out like a wounded animal but his dry throat only produced a silent scream of nightmares. He looked up at Ercole who coldly commanded, "let's go." Luca whipped the gun he was carrying and held it towards the brutal man. "Now what? You're going to kill me?" Ercole said with a condescending smile. Luca shook off what he knew could happen if he did. "No," Luca finally said, "I could never go back with you," he hunched over Alberto's limp body like a protective loyal dog. Luca drew back the gun at himself, "and I could never live without him either," he clenched Alberto's body tighter and pulled the trigger. A large pool combined the two together as one again and started creeping towards Ercole's feet. "Imbecille," Ercole said under his breath and closed the door on the pair. Their bodies were found the next morning still intertwined tightly; their last moments were evidently filled with passion. The entire town was shaken, especially Alberto's family, but Ercole was nowhere to be found.