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You stood before the doorway of Lord Dio’s room. He had summoned you here in urgency; Vanilla Ice had collected you, was annoyed as always, and told you Lord Dio was in need of your skills. It’s true you were a powerful stand user, but what Lord Dio could see in it you had yet to determine.
“Lord Dio,” you called into the darkness. You knew of Dio’s vampiric nature - all of his followers did, one way or another. You’d watched him hypnotize and ensnare the less trustworthy allies with parasites of his own flesh; others offered their own blood, willingly or not. You had been one of the willing; Dio had even asked for you again in the past.
Maybe that’s why he had summoned you now.
The room was hauntingly quiet, the air chilled. It sent a shiver through you as you stepped inside, seeing Dio reclined in a chair, his profile sharp even in the dim light. You watched his form rise from his chair, his broad shoulders barely visible in the low lighting. Dio certainly wasn’t one for modesty, not in the time you’d known him. Candlelight flickered over his body, illuminating every feature and curve of his muscle.
“Y/n,” he spoke, his voice low and as smooth as the wax that dripped from the wick of the candles. “Won’t you come into the light for me?”
You obeyed him, stepping into the golden light.
Dio faced you fully, his dark crimson eyes flickering over you, laden in shadows. “Tell me, Y/n,” he began, “what do you think of me?”
You clasped your hands together, another chill creeping across your skin. “Well, Lord Dio,” you started, “you’re very powerful, and-”
“No, no,” he waved, dismissing your attempt. “Deeper than that. I need your honesty.”
Your gaze lowered to the floor. You couldn’t lie to Dio; he had told you it was one of the reasons he found you to be trustworthy; you were truthful in everything you did. He’d commended you even when you disagreed with him, especially when the other recruits found displeasure in it. He’d said they were jealous of you; what they were jealous of, you couldn’t place. You supposed it was the closeness you had with Dio - trust wasn’t usually his main form of communication - but you'd always thought you were the last resort for him; he’d promised to return your honesty, but he had yet to tell you otherwise.
“I think you’re beautiful, in a way,” you spoke, nervousness subduing your voice.
Dio was suddenly before you, as though no time had passed for him to stride across the floor. “Is that so,” he said, his words brushing over your skin in a breath. You shivered again.
You felt something warm trickle down your shirt; your hand reached up to investigate, brushing your shoulder; you found your fingertips come back slick with red.
“Lord… lord Dio,” you mumbled, feeling heavy. The room swayed and you stumbled - Dio’s hand rested around your back, holding you in place as his lips found the skin of your neck.
You hadn’t felt his fangs pierce your flesh; the pain of it was immense, you knew from the first time this had happened. Instead the hum of his voice washed over your skin, reverberating through you, dripping with the red that stained your clothes.
“How about now, Y/n? Do you still think of me as such - this body that you call beautiful - it isn’t even mine. Am I still beautiful as a monster, Y/n? As I suck the very life force from you, stealing the sustenance that keeps you alive out of your very veins?”
You grasped onto him, searching for any sort of anchorage. The feeling of his lips speaking against you was sending your heart into overdrive.
“Dio… I do,” you gasped; your increased heart rate pulsed in your neck. Dio pulled away to examine you with scrutinising eyes. Your gaze flitted over the red stains on his lips; red and velvet green pigment blending together.
“Beauty isn’t just physical. I find beauty in truth,” you explained, “just like I do in you.” You took a breath, regaining some stability against him. “You’ve lived for so long, and yet you find the time to make apprentices and keep growing in power. The sheer resolve you have is unmatched to anything I’ve ever seen. And- and the fact you see potential in me. You gave me a stand; a chance to become more than I am. To become more like you.”
“Why would you want to become a monster like me?”
He didn’t look at you, his eyes trained on the wound on your neck. You reached up to gently brush his cheek, urging his gaze to meet yours.
“You aren’t a monster,” you stated firmly, “you’ve done what you need to survive.”
“Y/n, I’m tired of surviving. I’ve been surviving my whole life. Ever since I was a child. I no longer wish to merely survive.”
Hearing Lord Dio speak like that… the usual determination his voice held, the authority he always carried about him had faded away; as though your blood had the opposite effect as it intended to. You felt both of his arms envelop you as he held you against him. He pressed into the crook of your neck, and you felt something warm drip down your neck; you almost reached for the wound, but then realised it was on the opposite side. It had also stopped bleeding a while ago. You didn’t need to look to know that this time, the liquid staining your clothes wasn’t the deep red essence of life - but clear and composed of sadness. Your arms reached around him tenderly, moved by the sudden shift in him.
“Lord Dio-”
“Dio.”
“Dio,” you tried again, your voice soft, “you’re tired of surviving because you want to live. Living and survival… they’re different things entirely.”
You were both quiet for a long time before Dio spoke up again, retreating from your embrace to set a hand on your cheek. His eyes still shone, but the tracks that would have been left on his face had been diffused.
“Allow me to be truthful with you,” he mused. “This may sound contradictory, but you remind me of the sun. I used to hate the sun; but in times when I miss it, I find myself thinking of you. Does that seem odd to you, Y/n? Your honesty is like sunlight. Something all organisms need to live. I believe that just as I am beautiful to you, you are a necessity to me. Perhaps,” he spoke, “you can help me to live.”
Your heart warmed in your chest; offering a smile, you settled your hand on top of his. “I think I can do that.”