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

Chapter 11: Debts

You had just crossed the finish line for the fourth stage, earning 5th place. Nothing too special, but still decent enough for you - after all, you had never been too focused on winning, and lately, your thoughts had been preoccupied with something else, or rather someone else. You found yourself thinking about Diego more than you originally thought you would. He was the last person you thought you would befriend, you had expected to get closer to less threatening people, like Johnny and Gyro. Even Hot Pants seemed like a more suitable candidate; even though they claimed to be a man, you had a lingering suspicion of their gender. But your mind quickly wandered back to the blonde-haired man.

Speaking of Diego, you hadn't seen him. It was quite easy to spot him after the finish line was reached because the reporters would go wild upon seeing him, but there was still no sign of him. Which was strange, as quite a few racers already crossed. And more racers. And more... You started to get nervous. Anxiety climbed up and swirled around in your stomach, your heart racing, your mind already conjuring up the worst possible scenarios. Where the hell was Diego? You fidgeted over to the ranking scoreboard, accidentally bumping into someone. Quickly muttering an apology, you glanced up towards the board, praying to see Diego's name scrawled at the top. Your heart sank.

"Hey, (Name!)" A voice echoed from behind you. A hope fizzled up and immediately died within you. Diego would never call out your name so loudly.

You spun around and were greeted by the familiar sight of two people, Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, two of your fellow racers.

"Johnny, Gyro! Nice to see you guys!" Though they weren't who you were hoping for, it was a nice surprise nevertheless. They were good people, and you were happy to see they weren't hurt.

"Checking out the rankings?" Johnny nodded at you from atop his horse, while his friend seemed disappointed from ranking third place.

"Yeah, you guys did a great job! As expected of course." You smiled at him and then gazed back at the board, your smile slowly slipping from your face. You guessed it was noticeable because Johnny commented on it.

"Everything alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Yes, everything is fine. I just thought it was a bit peculiar that Diego Brando isn't on the scoring list. You know, because he's always one of the high rankers," you hummed in thought. It's not like you were expecting a response or anything, but you felt the two men get unusually quiet and tense.

"(Name), I've said this before, but you shouldn't get close to him. People like him..." Johnny was interrupted by Gyro, a scowl on his face. You shifted to get a good view of where Gyro was looking at. Speak of the devil... there was Diego, walking alongside his horse, in an almost defeated manner. The bad feeling you felt before had evolved to something much, much worse. Worries scattered across your mind. How? What happened? Why? Is he ok? You held onto your horse's saddle for support.

"The 'Emperor' Dio finishes in a surprising fifty-fourth place! Fifty-fourth place! It looks like he's taken some damage from the storm!" The reporter's voice boomed for all to hear. You cringed at the tone of voice. You felt terrible for Diego, but you couldn't imagine the anger boiling up in him. You knew he hated being pitied and looked down on more than anything. Meanwhile, Johnny and Gyro whispered behind you.

"Guys like him... they really piss me off."

You wanted to question Diego, but you knew you couldn't, especially not now. You could see his pride was hurt, and he would just brush you off. And that would give the reporters some new big scoop they would blow out of proportion, which you didn't want.

You would have to wait.

--

It had been a few days since you last saw Diego. As you moved further toward the goal, the land became cold with snow. You had to gear up with a fluffy jacket otherwise you would freeze. You had never traveled in such conditions so you struggled a bit, but you'd rather be safe than sorry. Admittedly, you were more interested in seeing Diego again than the race at this point.