"And here we have the top contestants riding to the goal, a mere 3 kilometers left!" the announcer's voice boomed. "In front of the crowd we have..."
You drowned the voice out as your attention was solely focused on the path ahead of you and Land Slide. You narrowed your eyes as you observed the upcoming terrain. It was a lake, and you were cut out of your thoughts as the announcer started to explain the possible route.
"The route to the right is the longer route, while the left one is pretty rocky! Which will the racers choose? Can they hold out?!"
The contestants around you began to disperse to the two sides. Meanwhile, you... you were debating about the third route. The lake was big, but... maybe if you pushed your horse the right way, she could just barely jump over it. If she made it, it would give you a huge advantage and you'd probably take 1st place... But could you do it? There was no time for doubt, you made up your mind!
You began to slow your horse down, and of course, this didn't go unnoticed by the announcer.
"What's this? (Y/N) (L/N) is slowing down?! Is her horse too tired to go on?!"
Gyro and Johnny cast a glance at you. But you knew what you were doing.
Land Slide began to take a couple steps back, and at once, you urged her to run. Run, run, run! And just began her hooves hit the shore of the lake, you yelled.
"JUMP!"
And almost magically, Land Slide rose in the air. You could feel the sun beating down on you and the other stares of the riders on you. After your few seconds of glory, your mare landed at almost the end of the lake, splashing you.
"Ladies and gentlemen, did you just see what I did?! What a huge surprise! There's a third route! And (Y/N) (L/N) took the risk and managed to cut through the lake! She's now way ahead of the other riders!"
You huffed as you gripped your heart that was beating insanely quick. You had really pulled off a stunt like that! Well, more like Land Slide did. You scratched behind your horse's ear as she whinnied in pleasure. She began to slow down, but you didn't mind. All of the other racers were quite far behind you, and Land Slide was probably tired from the jump.
In a matter of minutes, you had reached the goal and you threw your arms up in the air as sweat rolled off your forehead. The announcer screamed out your name and soon enough the other racers came tumbling right after you.
"(Y/N) (L/N)! (Y/N) (L/N)! She came to take the lead! As first place, she receives the 100 points and one hour time bonus. The placements for the third stage are as follows..."
Quickly drowning out the voices, you hopped off your horse to give your body a much needed stretch and give your horse a break. Of course, being the pure oblivious soul you are, you didn't notice the long stare you were getting from a certain blonde haired man.
It had been a few days since the previous stage had ended. Everytime you thought about your victory, you got all giddy and happy but you knew you shouldn't get cocky. The sun was setting, and only a sliver of light was remaining. You had found a decent spot to rest for the night, as there were no inns or towns anywhere near. Settling down, your horse laid down to rest her legs as you began to collect some twigs and branches lying around to create a fire. Tucking them underneath your arm, you walked back to the center where there were conveniently two log seats, as if someone was here before you.
Flopping down onto the seat, you dropped the branches in front of you and began rubbing them together. Your bottom already hurt from sitting on this rock hard log but it was better than nothing. You were quite experienced in starting fires, so in no time there was a vibrant flame in front of you. Sighing, you wiped your hands on your pants until you heard galloping footsteps approaching from behind you. Your shoulders jumped in surprise as you quickly got to your feet and turned around, motioning Land Slide to get near you.
Your heart dropped into the pit of your stomach. Of course. Of freaking course... it always had to be him.
Diego Brando.
He had stopped his horse as soon as he saw you, Silver Bullet if you remembered correctly. He normally had that look of disgust and anger in his eyes, but when he looked at you, it was... different? It still wasn't the nicest gaze, but you felt it was much better the looks he gave other people. Or maybe that's just you trying to feel like you're special. Yeah, probably the latter. But, you still remembered when he kissed your hand, so that meant he liked you a tiny bit, right? Right? Oh, please be right...
Diego stared at you, his eyes narrowing.
You had stolen his spot. He had found it and deemed it an okay place to stay for the night, but he decided to ride around to see if there was anything more... comfortable, something more fit for someone of his caliber. And of course, someone had decided to come claim it first. He frowned at your presence. But... compared to the other riders, you were one he could tolerate the most.
You gulped as you rested your hands on your heart, trying to calm its furious beat. Meanwhile, your mare Land Slide seemed at ease, simply snorting (as if trying to mock you for being scared) and resting once again. Your jaw slacked in shock at how normal she was acting around this intimidating man! Or maybe, she liked him better than you?! How could she betray you like this-
While you were lost in your thoughts, Diego sighed at how foolish you were, more foolish than any woman he ever met. First, you didn't fawn over him like all the other idiots, and what's more, you decided to help him? Hell, he can't remember anyone who tried to help him. Maybe that's because anytime someone tried to help him, they always expected something in return. Whether it was money, fame, or status, their hand was always open, waiting for something to satisfy their own greed.
And that's why he made a vow to never trust anyone again.
But you. You were different. You didn't look like you had a care in the world, and you genuinely looked happy at his recovery, simply smiling that awkward but alluring smile of yours. You didn't press the matter like he thought you would, didn't try to get close to him for anything that would benefit yourself. Perhaps you were...
The scuttling of feet interrupted his thoughts. Ah yes, here comes one of your grand speeches with lots of stuttering and nervous glances.
"U-um! Hi, um! Mr. Brando sir! I see that you took the medical supplies!" you grinned, peering at the bandages on his face. But stone cold eyes quickly made you on edge once again.
"But um," cringing at the number of times you said 'um,' "you know there's more than enough space for two people! A-and I even got a fire started so we wouldn't be cold, so y-you don't have to go anywhere! I even s-started a meal! Oh, b-but I can always go if you want, in fact I'll start packing my bags right now! Even though I don't have any bags-"
Diego sighed as he let you ramble on. Was he really stuck with this chatterbox for the rest of the night? Perhaps you would calm down after a bit. All the other areas were either preoccupied by other contestants, or too desolate for him to rest in, and it was already too dark for him to try and cover more land. He knew his reputation among the other riders, and he'd prefer to not interact with those detestable beings. You, on the other hand, didn't look like you could say one mean thing even if you tried. And he had to admit, whatever you were making did smell quite good... (Dino instincts kicking in-)
He dismounted his horse, leading Silver Bullet over to the other log and took a seat. He began unpacking his sleeping bag, and he could feel your curious gaze on him.
"O-oh! You stayed! I didn't think you were going to," you whispered that piece swiftly under your breath, "but you did! Ah, I-I should probably stop bothering you now. I'll tell you when the food is ready. O-only if you want some though!"
The lack of response you received only made you cringe and sit down to avoid eye contact. You didn't want to seem idle, so you pulled out some thread and needle and began to sew up some clothing. Your eyes flicked to Diego. He was watching you like a hawk.
Shit.
He probably thinks you were some suspicious old lady trying to scam him or something like that! Mentally sighing, you finished patching up and turned your attention to the food you were cooking. Well, not the most efficient way of cooking, just roasting some stuff over a fire. You carefully removed the food from the fire and set it down in front of you, dividing it into two portions.
Diego was still watching you, rather watching the appealing food that was on your lap. You tried to squint at him sideways without turning your head because you swore you could see some little sharp teeth with some cracked skin. You guessed that was his ability?
A growl interrupted your thoughts as you whipped your head to the source of the noise.
Diego's stomach.
You could help but send a cheeky grin to him as you sat up straighter. After all, even back home, no one could resist your cooking! You knew that most women were trained to be able to cook (this is 1890 after all) but it became something you were actually pretty good at doing. You began to divide the food when your brain decided to screw you over by thinking of something that made you even more nervous than you initially were.
What if the growl you heard wasn't his stomach? What if it was your own, or even worse, maybe Diego was growling at you? You bit your lip, thinking to yourself that you really needed to stop getting worked up over nonsense like this. How you just wanted to curl up into a box and die-
You were cut off from your internal screaming at a nudge and a soft neigh to the side of your face.
Out of the corner of your eye, you could see that the horse wasn't your own, in fact, it was Diego's own horse, Silver Bullet. You were momentarily shocked and it seemed like Diego was too because the look of surprise (and betrayal) lingered longer than you thought someone like him would let.
But damn, you couldn't lie, it did feel nice. Despite traveling on the road, Silver's mane was nice and soft. Looks like Diego took good care of his horse. Huh. After all of the things you heard about him, you didn't expect something like that. He actually likes horses! Phew, that's one good thing you heard all day. The only problem was instead of backing away, you leaned in and pressed your cheek against Silver Bullet, petting him with your hand.
"Your horse is so cute!"
It seemed like Silver appreciated the extra attention he was getting as he laid his head in your lap.
Diego hadn't been this shocked in a while. (And after all of the things he's been through, not many things surprise him at this point.) His own horse, who he raised himself, had the audacity to betray him like this. And what's more, Silver Bullet has never just gone up to someone and tried to get so close to them. He was more of a reclusive horse, sticking only near his master. But hell, he never even tried that with him!
"Oh! Mr. Brando, please take this!" you said, practically pushing the bowl of food in front of him.
"I know you're hungry, I mean, who wouldn't be after such a long ride! It'd be a waste to throw it away, so please. A-and I promise it's not poisoned or anything! I'm not like that!" you continued to babble, stroking his horse's mane. You continued to hold the bowl until the weight was taken out of your hand and you glanced at him.
"Diego."
"P-pardon?"
"It's Diego."
You smiled with glee as you brought your hand up to rest on your cheek as you sent him a closed eye smile.
"S-sure! And you can call me (Y/N)! O-oh! Would you like me to patch that up as well?" you inquired, pointing at a shirt he'd discarded because of a rip. "I'll make it brand new for you, I promise!"
He sighed, narrowing his eyes at you. Big, bright, innocent doe eyes started pleading at him. Diego guessed you wouldn't leave him alone until he complied so he did, throwing the cloth to you.
"Do what you like."
You sent another toothy grin at him and begin to patch it with your thread and needle. Diego hesitantly took a bit of the food, and oddly, a sense of... warmth came over him. Almost like when he was a child.
He remembers. Even though his mother was dirt poor, there was this one time where they had a bit of money to spare. It was a very, very simple meal that his mother was able to make with the minimal and puny ingredients they had. But it tasted good. In fact, better that the shit they served at the ranch they used to live at. It tasted like....
Diego watches you silently. Only, it's not you anymore. It's his mother.
He quickly blinks and she's gone. You're still there, humming to yourself while you stitch up his clothes as Silver Bullet peacefully rests in your lap. Now that he has a good look at you, you... you kind of do remind him of his mother. A soft, gentle smile on your face even in the most desperate of times and an almost motherly aura about you.
"All done!"
You send him another smile that makes him feel things he won't admit to, handing his belonging back to him. Your small fingers brush against his gloved ones and a spark of electricity goes through him.
"You know, if ya need anything else you can just ask me!" you giggle, signaling a thumbs up to him.
He just stares at you, and soon enough your smile is faltering as your hand rubs the back of your head awkwardly, mumbling out an apology.
He could come to like you, Diego thinks.
(Jokes on him, he already does, more than he would like to admit...)
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And I'm officially back my children!! And BTW, this chapter is 2500+ words so 😳😳I hope this can make more up for my absence!
when reader sees diego: 👁 👁
✊ 👃 👌
👅
Me, reading some of the comments on this book: