🪐✨sxturn✨🪐

You and Bruno have been friends for a while.

It started with you asking him for his notes. God knows why you weren't paying attention to the lecture, but in the end all you managed to scribble down into your notebook was a half-assed attempt at writing about the topic the professor was talking about, adorned by unnecessarily detailed doodles of whatever you were daydreaming about that day.

He was happy to help, he always was.

And of course you became friends. He was just so easy to get along with, how could you not want to befriend him?

The day you found out about his part-time job was the day you started actually caring about the campus' café. Everything seemed to taste much better knowing it was Bruno on the job.

But even he couldn't help the sheer amount of pressure and stress you were under.

You knew you had to do your best with your studies, but lately it began to feel like it was too much. That suffocating feeling just wouldn't go away, no matter what.

So that's how you found yourself sprawled out on a bench, absentmindedly sipping on what was probably your fourth cup of coffee that day. Your mind seemed to tune out even the blinding light of the sun as you got lost in your thoughts again.

"[Y/N]?"

That roused you from your state. You'd recognize that voice anywhere.

You didn't even begin to question where he came from, or how he sat down next to you on the bench without you noticing. Because, in fairness, you were probably just too spaced out to notice.

"Oh, uh, hi Bruno."

You tried to put on a smile but even you could feel how unconvincing it was. And of course he didn't let it go.

"Are you alright? You've been staring at that bush for the last twenty minutes."

Well, shit. Had it really been that long?

You forced a nod. "Wonderful. Just, you know. Tired."

It wasn't a complete lie. You did just pull your third all-nighter that week.

Bruno frowned though, not entirely convinced. "I get that. But, if anything's bothering you.." he paused, fiddling with his sleeve for a brief moment. "You can come to me- to, uh, talk. If you want."

You finally raised your head to look at him, and smiled - genuinely, this time.

"Thanks, Bruno. I-"

"[Y/N]!! BUCCIARATI!!"

Just your luck that a nice moment like this would get interrupted.

You turned your head to the figure rushing toward you and your companion. You couldn't say you were surprised to see Mista.

"You guys! You gotta come to Giorno's party tomorrow!!"

You raised an eyebrow. "Giorno's having a party?"

The golden boy always seemed to focus on his studies before anything else - you thought it odd that he'd throw a party right now.

But then again, it probably wasn't his own idea, anyway, knowing his friends.

"Yeah!" Mista replied, still enthusiastic. "And you can bet it'll be the best one in your sad, miserable lives!"

You didn't even try to dispute the 'miserable life' claim.

Bruno cleared his throat, speaking up for the first time since Mista's interruption. "As much as we.. appreciate the invitation, Mista, I don't think-"

"Hold that thought." You stopped him from finishing. "When is it, exactly?"

Mista's eyes lit up and his grin widened upon seeing your interest. "Tomorrow, party starts at 6."

Well.. a party seemed like a good way to let out all that stress and just have fun for a night.

You pondered for a moment, which gave your friend the opportunity to speak again. He leaned closer to you, whispering in your ear so only you could hear.

"[Y/N], are you sure this is a good idea?"

You shot him a glance and just nodded. Poor Bruno, always trying to be responsible.. he needs to learn to live a little, right?

"I'm going."

Mista beamed at your acceptance, then looked expectantly at Bruno. The dark-haired man sighed. "I suppose I'll come too," he agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"Great! See you two!"

And with that, he ran off.

Bruno rubbed his temple, shaking his head. "This isn't going to end well."

You rolled your eyes and nudged him in the side. "Come on, don't be such a buzzkill. It'll be fun, trust me!"

But your friend clearly wasn't convinced, judging by his unamused expression. "Sure." He leaned back. "I'm only coming because you need someone responsible there."

You laughed. "You sound like a mom."

No response. He just gave you a glare.

Flashing lights, the smell of sweat and alcohol, and obnoxiously loud 2000s disco music - courtesy of Mista, if he had to guess. That's what greeted you when you entered.

The place was crowded to a horrible degree, and he had to wonder just how many people they'd managed to invite.

"Jesus," Bruno muttered, letting out a grunt. "Are you sure you want to-"

"Bruno." You stopped him before he could finish, already knowing what he wanted to ask. "Yes. I told you. I wanted to come, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

He held your gaze for a few moments, waiting. Then, a quiet sigh. "If you insist."

You pushed through the crowd, looking for the snack table, all while he followed behind you. He made sure to stick by your side at all times, no matter what.

Well, that's what he tried to do.

He asked you to be careful, but was always met with the same response.

"I can handle a little alcohol, Bruno, it's fine."

You, in fact, could not handle a little alcohol.

It surprised even him, that all you needed was two glasses before you were completely out of it, probably not thinking clear.

He couldn't decide if you were that much of a lightweight or if the drinks served had that much alcohol.

In any case, keeping watch of a drunk you was even more difficult. It's like you were purposefully trying to make his job harder. Always wandering off, like you were trying to shake him off. And whenever he blinked just a little too slow, you'd somehow get your hands on yet another glass.

He'd lost sight of you for the third time, frantically searching for you - then he saw it.

"I just can't resist you, baby.. come on, I'll show you a good time if we just go somewhere more.. private."

The guy was much too close to you for comfort, one hand wrapped around your waist and the other stroking your cheek like he owned you.

Next thing he knew, you were pinned to a wall in one of the emptier corners with some rando shoving his tongue down your throat. He swore he saw his hands slowly start to move lower, but he couldn't finish what he'd started before Bruno shoved him off you.

And the way he scowled at him as if he'd just done something bad - it pissed him off.

"Bruno?" You looked at him, your expression somewhere between confusion, surprise and frustration. "What the hell?"

"Ah, shit- You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend! You bitch-!"

He frowned. The man dared to take advantage of a drunk girl then call her a bitch when things don't go his way?

"Because she doesn't," Bruno replied, crossing his arms. "But if you call her a bitch again, I will punch a hole through you."

The guy scoffed. "Okay, Mr. Tough Guy, I get it. Unreciprocated love is hard, but you don't have to be jealous just 'cuz she chose someone el-"

He was silenced by the roughness in which Bruno grabbed his shirt and the intensity of his glare. He didn't intend to harm him, but god, was it hard to hold back from punching him.

"That's what I thought."

He released the man and turned to you, grabbing you by the hand. "Come on, [Y/N], we're leaving."

"What?! No way, I-"

"That wasn't a suggestion, it was an order."

For just a moment, you were quiet. Then, you pulled away with a loud 'ugh!'

"For fuck's sake, Bruno, can't you give me some fucking privacy for once?! You don't have to follow me around all the time like some shitty guard dog, you know!" You snapped at him. "Can't I have fun at this goddamn party?! I came here to relieve stress and you ruined it!"

He was stunned at your harsh words, but not enough to stop him from taking your hand again. Your safety was his top priority right now, no matter what you thought.

"Sorry. The answer's no. Now come on. We're leaving, and that's final."

He hated being rough with you, but in your current state, it was the only language you understood, it seemed. And so, he dragged you out of the party with no regard for your constant curses thrown at him, and took you back to your dorm.

He let out a long sigh when you were finally away from everyone else. He managed to coerce you into bed with relative ease, with only a few complaints.

"Ugh.." you groaned as soon as your head hit the pillow. "Why'd you have to drag me out of there?"

He shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You clearly weren't in the best shape. Besides, I wasn't gonna let that guy take advantage of you."

You muttered something under your breath, which he couldn't catch.

Silence.

Then, as if some sort of switch in you had flipped, your attitude did a complete 180.

"Ough.. I'm sorry for what I said back there," you slurred. "I didn't- it just sorta- slipped out, y'know?"

Getting over his surprise at your sudden shift, he sighed. "I know."

You sat up and took a good look at him. Then you crawled over to him, still sitting at the edge of the bed, desperation in your gaze.

"Let me make it up to you. Please."

At that point you'd crawled into his lap and were tugging at his top, your hands almost having slipped under it.

But he knew better than to give in.

"No." He pushed you off. "You're drunk."

You let out a groan, but relented.

Another beat of silence.

"Have I ever told you how incredibly hot you are?"

He almost choked on air. "What?"

"Yeah," you said with a grin. "Especially when you give me that stern look whenever I do something stupid. Just- ugh."

He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol speaking anymore.

But what he was sure of is that you were staring at his lips now, and it was painfully obvious.

"I want to kiss you. So badly."

He sighed. "What did I tell you? You're drunk."

"..Please?"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

He wasn't relenting. And thankfully you were nowhere near as stubborn as him, because you flopped back onto the bed and gave up.

That's what he thought, until you spoke again.

"...So you don't love me."

He draped the blanket over you and tucked you in with another sigh. "We'll talk about this when you're not drunk out of your mind, alright?"

You hesitated for a moment, but nodded.

"Good. Now get to sleep," he said. "You need it."

You closed your eyes, and he thought he'd finally won. But you didn't intend to let it go without one last try, it seemed.

"So... no goodnight kiss?"

"[Y/N]."

You kneeled over the toilet, vomiting up the remains of last night's party. The ache in your head wanted to kill you, and the worst part was the fact that you couldn't remember anything.

Bruno stood above you, holding your hair back for you. Fortunately, he was patient, and waited for you to let it all out.

"Fuck.." you muttered. "What the hell did I drink last night?"

He shrugged and handed you a wet cloth to wipe your mouth.

You stood up and tried to get back to bed, albeit shakily. But thankfully, Bruno was right there, catching you every time you stumbled even a little.

"Oh, before I forget," you began, "I didn't do anything.. weird last night, right?"

He huffed. "You have no idea."

Shit. You should've known this would happen. You should've known it would be a bad idea to go out partying when you were so stressed out, of course you'd get too drunk and end up embarrassing yourself - in front of Bruno, no less.

"Fuck, I'm so so sorry, whatever I said or did, please forget it ever happened, I-"

He let out a laugh, which cut off your rambling. "You don't have to apologize. I get it."

A relieved breath escaped you.

"Though... there is something I'd like to talk about."

Oh no.

This is it, you probably ruined your entire relationship with him because you did something while you weren't thinking straight, and-

"Last night, you, um.." Bruno started explaining, but hesitated before he could finish. You were about to go into panic mode again when you noticed the subtle redness of his cheeks.

"You said you wanted to kiss me."

Your eyes widened, your mouth agape. So that's what happened. Atleast now you know you're a little too honest when you're drunk.

"I, uh-" you stuttered, your gaze darting everywhere except him. "I'm sorry, I don't want to- I mean- I do. But I- I didn't mean to overstep any boundaries, and if you're not comfortable with it, that's perfectly fine, and-"

"[Y/N]."

You were so caught up in yourself that you didn't even notice when he took your hand.

"It's okay. Don't apologize. But.." he looked away from you. "..I was hoping you'd still be up for it."

Your breath hitched in surprise, and you didn't dare speak for a few seconds.

Then you finally found the courage.

"Yes! Yes! I mean..- Yeah. I am."

He smiled. With one gentle motion, he cupped your cheek and leaned in.

The kiss was short and sweet. But you'd absolutely be lying if you said his lips weren't the best thing you'd ever tasted.

When he pulled away, he was bright red, and had the biggest smile on his face.

"..I love you."

And you smiled back.