▪︎All for you▪︎ - Diego x Reader || DISCONTINUED

▪︎ 1. Monachopsis ▪︎

Hi! Welcome to a new story of mine! I'd like to point out that while I'm writing this chapter, i'm currently on chapter 59 of Steel Ball Run. I'll continue reading while writing this story, but don't worry. I know *the* spoilers, so I've planned the story around that. I obviously don't know all the details about what happens at the end, but I know the major things that are important.

To not talk too much, I hope you'll like this story! I'm head over heals for Diego rn and I hope this can bring someone as much joy as it does me:)

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Monachopsis
n. the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place, as maladapted to your surroundings as a seal on a beach-lumbering, clumsy, easily distracted, huddled in the company of other misfits, unable to recognize the ambient roar of your intended habitat, in which you'd be fluidly, brilliantly, effortlessly at home.

The Steel Ball Run Race. It was the biggest race in the world, and thousands of participants were getting ready along the San Diego west coast beach.

The most noticeable detail of this large crowd was the lack of women. Perhaps some were disguised? As far as I could tell, I must have been one of very few women in this race. Man after man were lined up brushing their horses, preparing the saddles before bringing them to the starting line.

I had slept relatively good last night, and I felt good about preparing for the race. My number was 363, so I had the luck of not needing to walk too far until I got to my spot. The beach was huge and I had no idea how I'd manage to win against all of these people.

"Hey! Woman!" Someone called at my left, not long after I had found my spot. I turned to them, seeing a tan man waving at me. His hair was blond and curly, looking a bit like a bird's nest.

"What?" I questioned, and he laughed as he turned to a nearby participant.

"Shouldn't you be home with your husband? I thought women belonged in a kitchen. Oh, wait, please forgive me! Perhaps you don't have a husband." He chuckled, and another man patted him on the back. "You know, I could be that husband if you'd like." He added with a smirk.

"I sincerely doubt your dick is big enough to be enjoyable, so I'll have to decline." The laughters came to an end, and I focused my gaze forward. Soon, someone called out that the race would begin, and everyone got ready.

I held onto the reins, the heavy breathing of horses were heared from both sides of me. Then, the sound of the gun went off. Everyone sped off at an incredible pace, the hooves of the horses clashing onto the ground as they ran. I leaned forward, letting the wind pass by me smoothly as I got the perfect start to this race. Most people ended up behind me, and I smiled at how much I had achieved in such a short time.

After only 1000 meters, I was in third place. At least, from what I could tell. I passed man after man, until I was right behind two incredible jockeys. No- perhaps one of them was a cowboy. His hat resembled one like that at least. The other wasn't anyone familiar to me, though he seemed to know what he was doing.

I rushed forward on my horse- Athena- quickly approaching the competing men. I ran far enough to be alongside them, but they were too busy bickering to notice. Smoothly, I rushed past them and hurried further onto the course. The hooves of the horses behind me sounded like thunder in my ears, and I smiled. Thunder, rain, and lightning were something that hit home to me, in more ways than just one.

I continued onto the race course, noticing a bridge on the front. Making a quick glance backwards, I acknowledged that the distance between me and the rest wasn't far, but still enough for me make a quick shortcut. I made a sharp turn to the left, running down into the dried up river.

As predicted, the cowboy has caught up with me. When I noticed the jockey being lost, I turned my head to see him stuck on the bridge. I chuckled to myself, happy that I made the right decision. The only thing left now was to fight with this other dude for the first place. Sure, it was only the first stage, but I had to win. No matter what, I had to win the price money in the end.

~~~

I'm 20 years old now, and I live on a farm which I inheritated from my father. While my mother passed away in childbirth, he passed due to pneumonia a while back. One of his lungs got infected when he was working his hardest, and we couldn't afford a proper funeral nor a grave. By 'we' I mean 'I'. At that same time, something terrible happened.

The man I was meant to marry lived in a rich family. He had denied helping me with the money, but I wasn't mad at him. Nonetheless, I loved him as he was. While he didn't give me financial support, he was a genuinely caring person. His name was Eric, and he worked part-time in some nearby mines. We had decided that he'd help me fix some things around the farm after work, so I waited patiently for him to show up.

He never did.

A few days later, I found out that the mine he worked in had collapsed, and he had been killed by it. It happened only a week after my father's death, and I cried for months. I saw no reason to live, so I taught myself to ride horses. It was the only animal we had left after an outbreak of some virus in the village, so I took advantage of it. I used one horse to ride on, and the other to work and get money. It seemed to be working out fine for quite some time, until it happened.

My father was in serious dept, and it was all left to me. Not only that, but Eric's family thought I had something to do with his death. They claimed I was mad at him for not helping me out financially, so they decided to sue me for a huge amount of money.

While I understood their reasoning, I decided to make a deal with them. I'd work for them instead, as a maid. I wasn't happy, but I was surviving on that. One day, I saw the poster for the Steel Ball Run Race, and brought it up with the family. They said they'd ignore the deal if I won first place. If I'd be second, they'd 'consider it', but I wasn't about to take any risks.

I'd win this race, and I'd win my freedom.

~~~

"The results are in! The winner is Pocoloco, followed by Diego Brando, Y/N L/N, Norisuke Higashikata, and Johnny Joestar!" I was upset about not getting first place despite following that damned cowboy into the woods. Sure, I was impressed by this 'Diego' who caught up after getting stuck on the bridge, but I bit my lip in anger. Top three, yeah, but it wasn't first place.

Either way, there was no time to stop now. The crowd cheered as we continued onto the second stage, with Pocoloco and Dio in the lead. Everyone would be gathered by a waterhole some distance ahead, and I needed to get my head start. I sprinted forward with my horse, holding the reins even harder while finally passing Diego again. Athena's grey fur remained relatively clean, and her white mane swayed in the wind while we sped forward. It wasn't smart to go too quickly right away, but I needed to do it.

I needed to do it so I'd win.