How to Steal Diego Brando's Heart [Diego Brando x Reader]

Chapter 2: An Act of Kindness

Hello everyone and happy New Year's! I worked hard on this chapter so I like y'all like it!

Also, SPOILERS FOR THE SCARY MONSTERS ARC OF PART 7 (CHAPTERS 28,29,30)

I DON'T ADVISE READING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET.

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You had bumped into a man. This man was no ordinary person, that you could say 'sorry' with no hesitation and move on. This man was Diego Brando. Now, you were not the person to just stare at someone, but you felt frozen under his gaze. His eyes were pinned on you, and you weren't even sure if you were breathing anymore. You should really move and get somewhere far away from him but-

"Attention everyone, stage 2 is scheduled to start in 10 minutes."

The booming voice snapped you out of your daze and you came to your senses. Shit, how long were you staring at him?

"Ah, um, sorry..! Excuse me!" you sputtered out quickly.

You said it so fast you weren't even sure if you said coherent words or not. Quickly fumbling over to the food table, you placed both hands on it in an attempt to recollect your thoughts. How could you let yourself become so flustered? But then again, you weren't surprised... Ever since you were a kid, meeting new people made you nervous. It was always hard for you to start the conversation, but once you get to know someone, you were quite the talkative one.

"Excuse me miss, but would you like some food and water? You seem very tired," a little and plump man piped up, interrupting your thoughts.

Sighing a breath of relief, you accepted the food. "Thank you very much sir," you said, sending a kind smile his way. You slowly ate the food bit by bit, and gulped your water. You couldn't let some random guy throw you off course! You had to focus on the race! Finishing your quick meal, you led Land Slide to the starting point for the next stage, this time unaware of a slightly curious gaze upon your back.

Diego was quite surprised, even if it didn't reflect on his face. He was sure everyone else was sharing this emotion, and he didn't blame them. A woman riding a horse was uncommon to begin with, but a woman taking part in a race like this and actually placing high in the ranks? Perhaps, you might be a bit of competition at all. But of course, he, Dio, would be victorious in the long run.

You and the other racers had finished stage 2. It took a couple of days for you to finish, considering the amount of land your horse had to run. Nevertheless, even though you ended up placing 7th, you were quite content with it. You were nowhere a pro, like many of the competitors, so you felt proud of yourself to even be in the top 10. Most riders decided to keep going on, so you did to.

You had entered a quite tricky area, a mountain course. Having little experience with such danger, you made Land Slide trekked carefully and slowly. The view was actually quite nice, perhaps you should spend more time just enjoying Mother Nature. You were actually enjoying yourself until your mare whinnied softly, snapping you out of your thoughts. Raising an eyebrow, you stopped Land Slide and looked around.

It was a quirk she had. There were only 2 times Land Slide would whinny - if she was very happy, or if she was uncomfortable. There was a chance of it being the latter, and you weren't about to let your horse continue.

That's when your heart literally stopped again, much like the time you bumped into Diego.

Speaking of Diego, he was the thing that made your mare whinny. There he was, lying on the ground, clutching his bleeding head with his horse not so far away. His helmet had been cast away from the side, laced with blood.