Crimson Tear [ Avilio x reader ]

04 | Misunderstandings

TIME-SKIP TO NEXT DAY

"Can you believe this, Eloise?" Nero buried his face in his hands, "Vanno. He's gone." 
"I know." I replied sorrowfully.

When Nero found out that Vanno had been taken out, he immediately informed me, for I was a close friend to his family. I sat on the couch in his room as he sat on the edge of his bed, locking his hands together. I couldn't bring myself to tell him who actually killed him. My head pounded, and I placed a hand on my head.  

"Are you alright, Eloise?" Nero looked at me.
"I'm fine."
"I'm sorry to upset you."
"You're not to blame."

Then who's to blame? Both of us are in a dispiriting state.  It was even more shocking to find out that Vanno was one of the men who killed Angelo's family.

I wonder if Nero knew.

Angelo. Avilio. Angelo. Avilio. Why is this so complex? Why has he never told me it was him the whole time? He tells me to stay by his side, but he was the one who left me for seven years. Talk about irony.

Mixed feelings aroused within me. Betrayal, hatred, and most importantly; I still miss him, and I can't deny that.

"Avilio said that both men shot each other," Nero frowned, staring at the ground, "I told him to lead the way to Serpente's body to prove his explanation."

What a liar.

"And..?" I asked.
"He's going to do it today," he replied, "if he doesn't, he can have a nice trip to hell." 
"I want to join. I want to see Avilio's proof." I looked at him in the eye.
"What?"
"You heard me."

An intense silence filled the air, almost suffocating me somehow. This could probably be the worst decision I've ever made in my life, but it's not as bad as deciding to stain my hands with blood, for I know my hands will never be clean again. 

"No. That's dangerous. You could get killed." Nero affirmed, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Nero. I'm not a kid. I've been through worst. If I get hurt, I'm responsible for my own life." 
"Eloise, that's-"
"No. I'm going, whether you like it or not. I may look fragile and small, but I'm much more than that." 

We stared at each other for a moment. Now that I think of it, what does he know about me? Nothing, yet I know most of the things about him and his family. He doesn't know what I've went through. 

"Fine. Don't get yourself killed, or else I'll never forgive myself," he crossed his arms, "you better stay intact." 
"Heh, that's a piece of cake." I smirked.

Because I'm a survivor. I always survive. 

----

SCENE SWITCHED 

AVILIO'S POV

"So where is his body?" Corteo asked, standing there near the door.

I held my cigarette in one hand, and glanced back at him. 

"It wasn't you, right?" I asked, earning a confused look from Corteo.
"Huh?"

A ghostly smile spread across my lips for a moment, but it all disappeared as I recalled the thing I wanted to tell him. 

"I think Eloise caught me." I spoke, staring blankly at the wall across me.
"What?!" Corteo gasped, "how?!" 
"She was there when I shot Vanno. I don't know why she was at the cemetery, but I'm certain that it was her." 
"What are you going to do now?" 

A moment of silence filled the air, as I lifted my head to look at the ceiling. She caught me, and it was frivolous trying to deny it. What cruel fate. She was better off not knowing the "true" me, for the Angelo she knew in her dreams was a safer lie.