Work With Me -Bruno Buccellati x Reader-

28- Haze of purple

"Come on, we've got some things, let's just get back inside." You try to calm him, but he doesn't respond, only barges past you to climb inside.

You follow him, and for once the inside of the vehicle feels warm, well at least warmer than the outside. You grab a long-sleeve shirt from the things you grabbed and pull your soaked shirt over your head. Fugo has moved back to his original seat and stares at the floor, hands on his knees, fingers tapping. You put the new shirt on and it sticks to your wet skin. Fugo mumbled something under his breath, and you turned to look at him,

"Are you ok?" You ask, watching as he tugs at his tie, gripping the fabric until his knuckles turned white.

"Leave him," Bruno warns, eyes darting to look at you in the mirror as he pulls out of the layby and back onto the road.

You don't listen, it's only Fugo. Bruno mentioned once that he was like you, angry and easily-provoked, but you weren't really thinking. You grab another shirt and lean over to him, offering it,

"Here, put this on, clothes full of holes won't do you any good in this weather."

He ignores you.

"Fugo-" You drop the shirt on his lap, and reach to try to wipe a wet clump of hair from his face. His hand grabs your wrist with a painfully tight grip, so tight you worry your bones might shatter,

"Don't touch me! Stay on your side of the car!"

You frown, "I was only trying to help, what's wrong with you?"

Fugo lets go of you, purple smoke seems to radiate of his skin. The air is thick with stand energy, and you watch in wonder. Bruno barely takes a second to realise what's happening,

"Fugo? Fugo don't."

He stops suddenly, the brakes screech with the effort to stop on the wet roads, it's lucky there's nobody else on the roads. Bruno drives straight back into the layby. He jumps out of the van and opens the door beside you. Water sprays on your skin and you stare at him, confused.

"Get out, now!" He reaches over you and undoes your seatbelt, dragging you out of the van and leading you away from it.

You stand in the pouring rain with Bruno, his arms wrap around you protectively. Sticky Fingers hovers behind the pair of you, and you watch as the van door opens again and a mysterious purple stand slinks out of it.

"I've really done it this time, haven't I?" You lean back into Bruno's touch.

"Fugo's stand isn't one to laugh at, Purple Haze will kill anything in its range, including us." Bruno takes another step backwards.

Purple Haze growls. Slobber dribbles down its chin, animalistic as it scans its surroundings. It reminds you of a hound on the hunt, its fists clenched, ready to pounce on anything it chooses to. Fugo steps outside a moment later, and his eyes are ice on you. Sticky Fingers, from what you could tell, unzips the ground beneath and hides. Bruno pulls you further away yet again, watching as Fugo takes a single step forward.

"What- what does it do?" You can't take your eyes off of it. Drool flecks from its panting jaws, its eyes are cloudy with rage. When a single dribble of spit lands on its thigh, it launches into a rage. Growling, snarling, howling, hands frantically rubbing itself clean as it twists and contorts like a rabid mutt. Now, Bruno's hold on you is unbearably tight. You lean back into him further, the heat from his body is gone, replaced by freezing rain that rolls down the exposed skin on his chest.

"Purple Haze releases a virus, if you're in its radius, you'll die. The only one immune is Fugo, now come away, we're still too close." Another step back, your feet sink into a puddle, but you're too frozen with fear to feel it.

It begins rather suddenly. Pure Haze stops cleaning itself and for a moment its calm. Fugo looks around again, and glares at you with such venom you choke on the air. Purple Haze beats the ground, a flurry of punches that crack the floor below, rocks and grit fly into the air, followed by smoke that swirls and dances. The smoke floats up, up into the air, clouding your view of Fugo and his stand. Bruno mutters something that sounds like a prayer under his breath and places a single kiss to the top of your head. You realise now that its too late, you can only hope you're far enough away to not be affected.

The smoke coils, moving freely, unaffected by the wind or the terrible rain. It spreads out, like tendrils of a beast, reaching out for any life it can touch, anything it can grab and squeeze the life out of. The plants, beaten down by the weather, turn black and drop to the earth, a bird that had been seeking shelter in a hedge calls out once before dropping dead with an ominous thud. It's perfectly silent for a moment, and it seems the virus has killed all it can. The smoke, purple and smelling like sickly sulphur, stops just short of you and Bruno, as if an invisible wall is holding it at bay. Any closer and the two of you would be dead on the floor.

Bruno sighs. It appears to be over. You think about worming out of Bruno's grip but then a man comes stumbling out of the bushes, struggling for breath, writhing in pain, hunched over and gargling as he wades through the smoke. He was dry, at first, but soon the rain hits him and he gets soaked, weighed down with water. Fugo stares, surprised as the man spots his stand and stumbles back, still choking, skin red and blistered. He's a sorry sight, but there's no helping him now. He dies with a strangled yell, shaking on the floor until it finally comes to a deafening silence.

The rain stops. The sun is hot and welcome, the wind dies instantly. Fugo recalls his stand and the smoke fades within a second. Sticky Fingers emerges behind him, and grabs Fugo before he can do anything else. Exhausted, he gives no resistance. Bruno finally lets you go and you run to the man, looking in horror at his withered, pathetic body that lies lifeless on the ground. Bruno grabs you again before you can touch his broken skin,

"Better to be safe than sorry." He says.

Fugo is stood there, gasping. He watches the dead man, eyes wide and puzzled.

"He-"

"Was the stand user." Bruno finishes, "Now the weathers cleared up, we can get moving again."

"I-I'm sorry."

"You're incredibly lucky, if you had been a step to the right you wouldn't have reached him." Bruno folds his arms over his soaked chest, he clears his throat and Sticky Fingers lets Fugo go, who stumbles into the van wordlessly.