#manipulation trigger

Diavolo noticed you, your beauty and your smartness way before anyone else: he was observant, he was always aware of people around him and his sweet Doppio. You stood out among civils and even his subordinates: you always knew how to get by in every situation, he saw it while Doppio was distracted by something else, such as a frog or a bug. He studied you from afar, your habits, your times, how you interacted with your friends; he observed the way you walked and the way you talked, finding them beautiful.

He knew he had to have you. You’d have been his most precious trophy, even more than his long past crush, Donatella, or his Squadra Speciale: he wanted you to stay safe by his side, to show you off to everyone, as proof of his power. Not everyone could have had such a special person at their side and he surely wasn’t a common person. He wanted just the best, he wanted to be surrounded by beauty and glory: you surely would have brought to him both beauty and glory, you would have been the envy of everyone. And he’d have basked in his self-glory with a smug smile, watching with satisfaction as everyone else would have watched at you from afar, without coming near or having you. Because you would have been just his.

However, he couldn’t approach you with his real appearance: he would have scared you away. He needed someone reassuring, someone that you would have found adorable, someone that would have gained your trust… he needed Doppio.

His sweet Doppio was cute and his goofiness was adorable, always hearing others’ opinions. Yes, he wasn’t a charmer, but he was reassuring and he didn’t instill fear and danger like himself did: he seemed innocent and harmless, most of the time. Sure, he should have been careful not to call him when he was near them or his little phone scene might have scared them away, but he would have found a way. He always did.

So, he finally took his final decision. Doppio, who was quietly reading on a bench, froze for a second, before emitting a high-pitched “turuturuturuturu!” and putting the book on his ear. His left eye rolled like a billiard ball for a second and, when it stopped, it was a vibrant green and not the usual sweet hazelnut.

“Pronto? Boss?” he murmured, watching around, careful. His green eye flinched again, before Diavolo’s voice responded to his other half.

“Doppio, my Doppio… I have a mission for you.” Doppio’s back straightened up and he frowned, focused, as always, when Boss had a mission for him. “Now, turn around slowly. Do you see that person on the bench?” Doppio nodded slightly, observing from afar you sitting on a bench and checking your phone.

“I want you to become their friend. They have to notice you and you have to be at your best for them. Act normal, with them: they have to trust you. Is it all clear, Doppio?” Doppio nodded, watching you, gulping. Becoming friend… well, those were Boss’ orders. He would have completed the mission, in a way or another. If Boss wanted him to do so, so be it.

“I understood, Boss. I’ll do my best.” he murmured, while the left corner of his lips lifted in a sly smile.

“I’m sure you’ll do. Now, let’s get started, Doppio.” the left eye rolled again and set on a sweet hazelnut color. Doppio took a deep breath and frowned, watching the book, confused. What was he doing? And his head hurt so much… but he had to do something, he remembered. The Boss told him to do something… but what?

He stood up, still fidgeting with the book and watching around. What did he have to do, what…? And his migraine was getting worse, why did his head hurt so much?!

“Ehi, are you feeling good?” Doppio’s head snapped up, hearing an unknown voice. His big eyes met yours and your curious expression.

“It seemed like you weren’t feeling good. It’s the head? I have some meds for migraine, if you need.” you said, while Doppio watched you in amazement. Why were you so kind…? He was used to people mocking him for his weirdness and softness!

“O-oh, yes, some meds would be useful, thank you…?” he left the sentence open and you smiled, while handing him the meds.

“Y/N. I’ve seen you often around, in the last period! This is a really nice place to come to read, don’t you think?” you asked, while Doppio took the pill with a sigh, hoping that the migrain would pass soon. He nodded, handing back the meds with a murmured thanks, before smiling a little.

“It really is! Do you come here often?” he asked, curious, cocking his head to a side. You smiled again, softened by the young man’s behaviour. It was so cute… and you had seen him around: he was a gentle soul, but he never talked to you or noticed you.

You nodded, sitting near him and then you started to talk about the books you’ve read, about animals -and you found out that Vinegar Doppio, this was his name, was really fond of cute little animals such as frogs- and then hours passed. He bid you goodbye with a goofy smile and you waved back, content. He was really a nice guy, Vinegar Doppio…

You couldn’t notice how his left eye flinched into a bright green for a fraction of a second, sign that Diavolo was studying everything, every second. Doppio hummed to himself, while the left corner of his lips lift in another smile.

It was all going as it should.

And so, Doppio felt obliged to go to that park every day, at the same hour, feeling like the Boss would have appreciated it. And he wasn’t wrong: every day your liking for Doppio grew more and more. He was so cute! He was a bit forgetful and his frequent migraines worried you a bit, but he said it was normal and he had suffered of it since childhood, so he was used to it by now.

You appreciated his love for every form of life, from bugs to frogs to other animals; he was naturally kind and this kindness was often mistaken for idiocy. People who didn’t know him often thought that he was a coward and a ratherly stupid young man, but you knew better: you saw the softness in his eyes, his sincere desire not to be involved in conflicts, to live a peaceful life. You really loved to pass your free time with him, even if he had some weird habits. Sometimes he just froze for few seconds, his eyes widen. His lips trembled, as he was speaking to someone; after few seconds, however, he blinked and went back to talk to you like nothing was happened. Sometimes he grabbed random objects or animals -you would never forget when he grabbed a frog- and put them to his ear, as to listen to something inside of them. He always apologized, after those facts, but never explained the reason behind them.

You learned that Doppio didn’t love too much to talk about certain things, such as his habits, and you didn’t pry: it was harmless, all in all, and it didn’t stop you from liking him. And, well, the adorable smile he gave you and how his freckled cheeks flushed when he was happy and was laughing compensated for every strange habit he could have had.

You finally understood you were falling for him when you found yourself staring at his lips so much that you missed the sudden and quick change in his eyes, how his left one passed from brown to green, how, sometimes, they rolled back, like they were not completely controlled by Doppio.

Diavolo noticed how you behaved with Doppio: your eyes filled with adoration, those affectionate gestures, how you followed everything he said, everything he did.

He saw how you, now, utterly entrusted Doppio with your life, how you thought that he could never harm you or lead you on a dark path.

How innocent you were…

When Diavolo was finally satisfied with the amount of trust you felt for Doppio, he called him again. Doppio was at home, cooking dinner and humming happily, after a whole afternoon spent with you, when he froze on spot.

“Turuturuturuturu!” he cried, his eyes completely blown out, before watching around. A phone was ringing! It was the Boss!

“Turuturuturu!!” he repeated, finally grabbing a tomato and bringing it to his ear. His left eye was already green.

“Pronto, Boss?”

“Doppio, sweet Doppio… you did a really good job with our little friend. I think they’re ready to meet me, now.” Diavolo said, while Doppio was literally beaming with joy at the Boss’ praise.

“T-thank you, Boss! When are you going to meet them?” he asked, almost bouncing on place. The left corner of his lips rose in a grin, as the green eye flinched like crazy.

“Tomorrow. You’ll take them to me, my sweet Doppio. I’ll wait for them here, in your house. Meet up with them as usual and then take them to me. They’re ready to enter my court.” Doppio smiled, hearing Diavolo’s words, and frantically nodded.

“Ok, Boss, I’ll do it! I’ll take them here, tomorrow!” he promised, as always so eager to please his Boss. Diavolo grinned and it showed in Doppio’s mouth, for half bent in a feral grin.

“Good, Doppio. I’ll patiently wait.” he said, before Doppio’s eyes rolled again, going back to their normal state. The young man watched the tomato, confused, before shrugging his shoulders and going back to the dinner.

Diavolo quietly observed his other half going on with his life, mulling about you and how you have followed Doppio even to hell and back. He was sure you would have followed him even when he, Diavolo, would have revealed himself from Doppio.

Doppio’s eye flinched to green for an instant, and, without Doppio even noticed, a wide grin graced his lips. Oh, you were so near to become his, his trophy, his beautiful doll.