My Star || Delta x Dante fanfic

☆ Chapter 20 - Run

Dante’s POV

My chest felt like it was caving in.

The noise in the stadium, the cheers, the confusion, the shouting. It all turned into one unbearable roar that drowned out everything. Arthur’s words were still ringing in my head, over and over again. Every second he stood there, smiling that same twisted smile, I could feel that same crushing weight from three years ago pressing down again.

“Did losing Dragon finally teach you humility?”

I could feel his gaze still burning into me from across the arena, like he was daring me to move, to prove him right again.

And I did.

I ran.

I didn’t think. I couldn’t. My body just moved on instinct before I even realized it. One second I was standing there beside Valt, trembling, and the next I was pushing through the crowd, ignoring the calls, the questions, the hands trying to reach out to stop me.

The lights blurred. The walls, the noise, the people, they all melted together into something dizzying and suffocating.

“Dante!!” Valt’s voice shouted from somewhere behind me. “Wait- what’s going on!?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

My throat burned. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I needed air. I needed to get out. Away from him. Away from that voice. Away from the reminder of everything I lost.

I pushed through the exit doors, the cold air outside slapping my face like a wake-up call. But it didn’t help. The world was still spinning. My breath came out uneven, shaky. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

Dragon.
Arthur.
The burst.
The look on his face when I lost.

It all kept replaying, like a film I couldn’t shut off.

“Dante!!”

I turned to the sound, Arman’s voice. Of course he followed. So did Ichika, Pheng, Taka, and even Fumiya. They must’ve followed me out. Their faces were a mix of confusion and concern.

“Dude, what happened back there?” Pheng asked, panting a little from running. “You looked like you saw a ghost.”

I wanted to say something. Anything. But nothing came out. My lips parted, no sound coming out from my mouth.

Ichika frowned, stepping forward, “Dante- who was that guy? The one who called you-”

“Don’t.”

The word came out sharper than I meant, and I instantly regretted it. But I couldn’t… I couldn’t do this right now. Not with them. Not here.

“I just… need a minute,” I muttered, turning away.

Arman caught my wrist before I could walk further. “A minute? Dante, you bolted out of the stadium in the middle of a match! What’s going on?”

His voice cracked with worry, and that almost made me stop, almost. But the tightness in my chest got worse.

“I said I need a minute!” I snapped, yanking my hand back harder than I should’ve.

The silence that followed stung worse than Arthur’s words.

I took a shaky step back. “Please… just- leave me alone.”

Ichika looked like she wanted to say something, but Fumiya stepped in first, crossing his arms. “Okay, fine. Take your minute. But don’t expect us to just pretend we didn’t see that, got it?”