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It had been months since you had moved in with your roommate, Diavolo. The two of you shared a secluded house on the outskirts of Italy, withdrawn from the rest of society. You had been working at home for a while doing freelance artwork, and a quiet, secluded area was just what you thought you had needed to find the inspiration for your pieces. You were a foreigner when it came to living in Italy, and had been studying the language for years even before you moved there. There were ups and downs when it came to communication with your roommate, who you barely saw in the beginning.
When you had first moved in, you hadn’t even known your roommates name. For days you didn’t even see his appearance, only knew that he was present in the house within your shared space. With the door locked to his room at all times, the only thing you knew was his voice as you communicated through the walls. Anxiety had settled within you as you began to think this was a bad idea- you could be living with anyone. Who knew if your new roommate would be a serial killer of some kind?
However, days passed, and you finally learned his name. As your roommate began to open up about himself, you continued to talk through the door. Despite weeks passing, he would still refuse to show himself to you, and you assumed he would only leave his room when you were out of the house or when you were sleeping. Admittedly, there had been a few times where you had tried to stay awake to catch a glimpse of him, but it was almost as if he had known your plans, still staying put.
You had taken your own measures to try to find out more about this mysterious man, looking him up on every database to find some sort of background check or even more information about his identity- and nothing ever came up on the internet. It was as if he had completely disappeared from society, which left you even more suspicious, but at the same time, even more intrigued. How could a person like him have never existed, according to official records?
One thing you always noticed about Diavolo whenever you talked to him was the fact that he sounded anxious- scared, even. His voice’s tone always held a sense of unease, and if you were face to face with him, you would be sure that he would be looking around anxiously like a frightened animal. Despite this, he still seemed open to talking to you. You two would spend long nights, separated by the door, talking about whatever would come up. Despite seeming so frightened, you found that Diavolo was a good listener.
Oftentimes your work wasn’t the most successful, and he was a good person to rant to even if he didn’t always have the best responses. It was frustrating trying to find success in life, having a stable income was something that seemed out of the picture sometimes and you only barely got by. In fact, you weren’t even sure who your landlord was- at one point, you had suspected it was Diavolo himself.
Despite the lack of a face to the name that you knew so well, as months passed and the conversations behind the door continued, you found yourself finding…. Feelings for him? It was strange. Despite your gut instinct when you had first moved in telling you to run away, over weeks and months, Diavolo had become a comfort to you. In all your life, you had never met someone who seemed so willing to listen to your problems. Even if he wasn’t the best at giving advice, you were surprised enough that someone would let you rant for hours on end. Something about Diavolo seemed…. World weary. You were sure that he was likely relatively young from how he described himself, but… he spoke as if he was an old man who had seen the horrors of life. The advice he gave almost seemed from personal experience and regret, as if he had seen the entirety that life had to offer and didn’t want you to make the same mistake.
It was perhaps the whole mysterious factor that intrigued you the most, but… you had spent long nights tossing and turning in bed, thoughts racing over the mysterious man behind the door. There was worry in you that you’d maybe meet him one day, and he would be the ugliest man on earth.
Or what if he actually was a serial killer? But no matter how much you thought through the negatives, the positives… your feelings seemed to outweigh the bad. What was life without a little risk, you thought? Surely it wasn’t like you were going to be murdered in cold blood by the man behind the door. You weren’t even sure if your feelings were requited. It was silly to think about, and at the end of the day, you excused it as something fleeting that would never happen.
Today was one of the days your feelings seemed to have a vengeance, though. As you lay in bed, fingers tangling through your hair, a sigh escaped you. It was almost overwhelming to think about your feelings for Diavolo, like a tidal wave of emotion crashing over you at the mere thought of anything romantic. It was a warm summer day outside, and you were definitely feeling the heat as the fans in the room were turned to max.
You hadn’t told your family back at home about your living situation, having been so caught up with work it had slipped your mind. Perhaps it was important to tell them about your mysterious landlord(?) who you had a crush on. You were worried about them freaking out over you not knowing his true identity, though. You were an adult now, and you wanted to be able to handle situations on your own, without their help.
Moments passed in agonizing silence as your thoughts ran rampant, various scenarios of you and the mysterious Diavolo running through your mind. What it would be like to see his face… kiss that face, oh so handsome in your mind. You wished that day would come one day where it would be a reality, where you could hold him and touch him for yourself. Well, that is, if your feelings were requited. It still felt quite silly to you.
You had had enough, and decided to get up for a drink. You were parched from the summer heat, and desperately needed one. Getting out of bed, the walk to the kitchen was short as you searched through the fridge’s contents. There wasn’t often much in there- it was mostly your groceries- which confused you even more that there would be a lack of Diavolo’s. What did the man ever eat or drink? Weirdly enough, he never seemed to touch any of your food. You had assumed a while ago he must have his own fridge in his room- that would be the logical explanation.
The cold air of the fridge felt great, and you almost wanted to stand in front of it for a little while just to cool off. A few moments passed as you basked in the cool air before deciding to grab a can of lemonade. It was the last one left, and you sighed as you closed the fridge, walking past Diavolo’s room and stopping there.
“I’m drinking the last lemonade right now, just so you know.” You warned.
No response. Cool.
“Okay. Guess I didn’t need to bring it up.” You huffed, beginning the walk to your room before you were interrupted by a loud ‘wait.’
You froze in your tracks, looking backwards. “Yes?”
“I need to talk to you.” Diavolo sounded breathless as he spoke, as if he had been just running a marathon. You were always wondering what the hell he was up to in there, and this only made you more confused. You took a few steps until you were in front of the door.
“Yeah? What is it?”
More silence.
“Well… this is important. It’s about me and you.”
Your heart stopped. What could that possibly mean? Thoughts immediately began to run through your mind- hopeful ones as you felt your heart skip a few beats. “W-what is it?”
You heard Diavolo sigh from behind the door, and whatever was on his mind was clearly causing him trouble. You swallowed, hoping it was nothing bad.
“We’ve known each other for several months, as you may know, and… I believe that it’s only fair that you would be allowed to know my identity.”
There was no way what you were hearing was true, right? Butterflies danced in your stomach as you reprocessed his sentence, running it through your mind a few more times for good measure. Finally, months after knowing him, your dream would come true? You would see his face? And then maybe… no, you were getting ahead of yourself. Keep it cool.
“Realy? You mean that?”
“Yes. It’s been a hard decision for me to make, trusting you, but… I think that it would only be fair to you. I could assume you’ve been dying to know who your roommate is.”
It was like Christmas morning for you practically, excitement filling up every part of your being. You were so giddy, you were tempted to yell and jump for joy. You didn’t want to freak him out though, and even then, the deep unease of the truth of his identity began to surface. What if your worst nightmare was true, and he was a freak, or was super ugly? You swallowed.
“...If that’s the case, then can you just open the door now?”
A moment of silence passed, and you were worried you had done something wrong. Luckily, Diavolo broke the silence.
“No, I can’t do that. I had another plan in mind. Are you free later this evening?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Alright. Well, in that case then, I would like you to meet me at the location I’m going to send you over the phone. Meet me there at 5 PM. I promise I’ll be there, and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Are you really sure about this?” You asked. “I don’t want to do this if it’s going to make you uncomfortable.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I want to make things up to you. Meet me there in an hour, alright? I promise I’ll be there.”
“Alright…” You hesitated at the door, almost wanting to linger or draw out the conversation more. You knew it would probably be best to leave him to his privacy until the time stated, but part of you wanted to ask more about his motivations. Still… Diavolo trusted you enough for this to happen, and you were mostly just glad that was the case. “I promise I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
---
An hour passed, and you had looked up the location that had been sent to you by Diavolo. It was a beach not a long walk away from the house you two lived in, in a secluded cove. It didn’t surprise you that the place had such secrecy to it as well- it fit Diavolo as a person. Part of you had screamed at you telling you this was a bad idea, and that this is where you would get murdered. However, curiosity killed the cat, and in this case, it might kill you too.
It was a short walk as you made your way across the sand dunes of the beach, the calming sound of the waves on the shore filling your senses. The scene of the beach was picturesque as the sun began to set over the sea, castling a warm glow over the land. The hopeless romantic in you thought that such a scene would be perfectly romantic for a love confession… but the realist in you told you it would never happen. You were just good friends, meeting up to reveal each other's identities to each other.
You made your way over to the cove he had instructed you to, and as you began to approach the area, you were shocked to see a figure standing there. From a distance, you could tell they were relatively tall- long pink hair flowing over their shoulders as the sea breeze blew through the strands. Their back was turned to you, and you could tell they were quite minimally dressed- a simple lace top as well as pants adorned their figure.
You swallowed. Was that Diavolo? From what you saw, you didn’t hate it…. in fact, you liked it. But that wasn’t his face. For all you know, he could still be ugly, hideous- he could smell bad, have awful breath- the possibilities were endless. You didn’t want to scare whoever it was though by sneaking up on them, so you cleared your throat and called out. “Hello?”
It was almost instant as the figure heard you and turned around, and your eyes widened as you made eye contact with the man. He still wasn’t that far from you, so you were able to see him well and you were very into what you saw.
The man’s face was certainly attractive- green eyes that looked back into yours. You noticed he had pink lipstick on as well, and not only that, but… he was smiling at you. Heat quickly flooded to your cheeks as you suddenly felt you were having trouble standing up straight, trying your best to stay composed. This had to be him.
“It’s you,” he called. You recognized that voice, and you tried your best to stay composed, though there was a huge goofy grin on your face. Time felt like it slowed down as you found yourself unable to take a step forward, paralyzed by the man in front of you. Luckily, he began to close the distance for you, and before you knew it, Diavolo stood in front of you.
He was even more attractive up close, and you found yourself becoming even more of a mess. Countless thoughts ran through your head as you made eye contact with him, your cheeks flushing even more with such an intense warmth you almost felt feverish. Surprisingly, he didn’t even smell bad. You chuckled. “Hi.”
Diavolo’s smile widened. “Hello there.” He seemed hesitant as his gaze raked over you, taking you in in full. Despite the silence between you, it felt comfortable, familiar- as familiar as your long talks into the night with each other. Diavolo’s expression suddenly fell solemn as he looked at you. “Listen. I’m sorry it took so long for this to happen. But you finally see me now, don’t you? Isn’t that all that matters?”
You frowned back at him. “It’s okay. I don’t really understand why you did it, but.. You’re right, I guess. I see you now, yes. I know who you are.”
Diavolo nodded, and his frown shifted a bit into a small smile. “I’m glad you understand why it had to be done. I’m here now, and… I had something I needed to say to you.”
Your heart raced in your chest at his words, eyes widening as you looked at him. There was no hiding your surprise, and you were sure that you would be an idiot in the end for thinking he was about to say what you thought he was.
“Y-yes? What is it?’
Diavolo averted his gaze from yours as he spoke, that solemn look returning to his face. “I… I don’t know how to say it. Nothing like this has happened to me in such a long time, and I’m not sure what to do. But…” His gaze returned to yours, and you could see the sincerity in his eyes. “I believe that I have feelings for you. After all those nights together, I don’t see it being any other way.”
Those words were all it took for your heart to go on overdrive as your mouth hung open, awestruck by what was happening right now. There was no way this was real, right? This super attractive man who was the man you had been in love with for months now, confessing to you? You felt like you were going to faint from the emotion that overwhelmed you.
“R-really? Are you serious?” You stuttered.
Diavolo nodded, his expression a bit worried as he looked at you. “Yes, I am. I believe I, Diavolo, have caught feelings for.. You.”
Why did he refer to himself in the third person like that? You know what, it didn’t matter. He was so hot, all that mattered was that this was real, and that your dreams were coming true. You frantically nodded back at him. “ME TOO! I DO TOO!”
Diavolo was caught off guard by your energy, eyes widening until he began to laugh. “Are you telling the truth? Truly, you do?”
Your nodding only became more frantic as your hands reached for his, grasping them tightly. The skin of his fingers was somewhat calloused against your own, yet warm. “I do. I’ve never been more serious about ANYTHING in my entire life.”
Diavolo’s expression still remained shocked as he looked at you, but then something soft replaced it as his gaze became fond. That smile you had already begun to love returned to his soft, very kissable looking lips. You found your gaze lingering on them for a little too long before your gaze returned back to his eyes. “I… I am glad about that.”
You nodded, looking back at him as you felt his hand within yours. You felt his hand was trembling within your grasp, which surprised you, and you gave it a gentle squeeze as a silent reassurance. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this for,” You murmured, looking into his eyes. “I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, and I wasn’t sure I’d even like you, but… I do, so so much.”
Diavolo returned your affectionate gaze, nodding. “Me too. I’ve thought about it for such a long time, but it seems there’s no one who puts me at ease quite like you do.”
You found your gaze falling back to his lips, and noticed how the setting sun cast a warm glow perfectly framing Diavolo’s face- as if he were an angel sent from heaven. You gulped. “Can I… can I kiss you?” you whispered.
Diavolo nodded. “Please.”
Your heart raced in your chest as you closed your eyes, and began to close the distance, anticipating the feel of his lips, your dream coming true after months…. Until you suddenly heard the loud engine of a car that seemed to be very close.
Your eyes shot open, and you noticed Diavolo was also looking in the direction of the loud noise. Whatever car was approaching was approaching very quickly, the engine revving at violently loud speeds as the sound came closer and closer. “What the fuck is that driver doing?” you asked. You were so far out that whoever was coming in your direction must have traveled a very long distance to do so.
“There’s no way… no… NOT NOW!” Diavolo exclaimed.
Your question was answered as suddenly, a giant monster truck flew over the sand dunes above you. It was at such a blinding speed, you didn’t have time to process what was happening until it flew right past your eyes, and you were knocked back by the impact as a spray of blood filled the air.
You landed quite harshly on the ground, your heartbeat panicked as you tried to get up, pain filling your body from the sudden impact. What the fuck just happened? You thought as you got up.
You would never be prepared for what you saw in a million years- and it was a sight that would never escape your memory for as long as you lived.
A pool of blood was spread across the ground, the sand already beginning to absorb some of it as it was also splattered across the walls of the cove. In front of you was a giant monster truck, now completely wrecked as you noticed in the corner of the room what remained of Diavolo was lying on the ground.
Dread and panic filled your entire being as you tried to process what had happened, and before you knew it, you burst into tears. The car door of the monster truck opened next to you, and a bald, muscular, heavily tattooed man stepped out of the car as a few beers fell out from the truck.
“WHOO! WHAT A RIDE!” the man exclaimed, clearly intoxicated. You hadn’t noticed it, but it almost seemed as if a beer manifested into his hand as he took a hearty swig. “Now that’s the adrenaline I was looking for!”
The man looked over and saw you, shaking and crying in the fetal position on the ground, and then his gaze turned over to the gory mess in front of him. He took another swig of his beer.
“Oh, wow! Uh, sorry about that, my dude! I wasn't looking where I was driving! HAHAHA!”
The man looked around one more time before hopping back into his car. You were too busy crying and having a mental breakdown to notice, but the loud sounds of “Down With The Sickness” by Disturbed blasted from the truck’s radio as he revved the engine. The wheels moved at breakneck speeds, sending sand and bloodied sand alike flying up in a cloud in the cove before the man drove away into the sunset, the sound of his drunken laughter all you heard before he was gone, leaving you to have your mental breakdown alone
Little did you know, Diavolo awoke back in your shared apartment at home. He was breathless as he woke up in his room, covered in dried puddles of blood from past deaths that he hadn’t bothered to clean up. The room was a mess, covered in rubble. Diavolo caught his breath as he cursed, shaking his fist. I can never have nice things, he thought. He was about to have his dream romance before that damn trucker found him! It had been a miracle he only died 40 times within the timespan of knowing you.
He wiped the sweat from his brow before looking up at the ceiling. No matter how many times he died, he would never get over the experience of death. He let out a sigh, confirming he was alive and safe.
Suddenly, a loud crackling sound came out of nowhere from above. Diavolo looked up, seeing large cracks in the ceiling.
Diavolo gasped. “Not again…”
Before he could do anything, the ceiling collapsed on top of him, killing him instantly. And so the death loop continued.