Request from anon: Hey can you write something about being Lu’s best friend and falling in love with Valerio! Thank youuuu
“Lu that looks just like the dress you bought last week,” You laugh, watching as she twirls in the fitting rooms of the next designer shop.
“No it’s not!” She defends proudly, “This is a different brand.”
“What’s all of this retail therapy anyway?” You frown, “More stuff going on with Guzmán?”
She glares at you, “Shopping does not always have to mean something bad has happened.”
“Yes it does,” You smirk, “It’s either you didn’t do as well as Nadia in the test, Guzmán has pissed you off...”
“Okay, I get the picture,” She rolls her eyes, turning around in the dress once again, “Valerio is coming back today.”
“Valerio? As in your brother Valerio?”
“So I’ll finally get to meet the infamous man,” You ponder, “What’s so bad about that?”
“You don’t know Valerio,” She sighs, “Screw it, I’m getting the dress.”
“I’m just saying, you shouldn’t need to prove anything to Guzmán!” You exclaim, stumbling once again with the bags of clothes that Lu had bought home with her.
It always went this way, she’d buy loads and end up returning at least half.
As you stumble through the door, an unfamiliar presence is already occupying the lounge. They have a distinctive mop of dark curls flailing across to top their tall, slim figure. And you know only one name that could match such appearance:
He spins around to reveal a chiseled, sharp face and a wide grin, “Lu! It’s been too long!”
Within a second, he’s over to sweep her from her feet, grin never faltering.
“Put me down!” Lu elbows his ribs and he drops her to the floor once again.
His smile only drops a little when he glances in your direction. You watch as he looks you up and down like he’s analysing every piece. He seemed intriguing already even though you hated yourself for admitting it. He was handsome but in a rugged way, not as clean cut as a parent-approved boy should be.
“Who’s your friend?” Valerio asks, side-glancing toward you.
“This is (Y/n), don’t get any ideas,” Lu scoffs, “And don’t mess up the house too much.”
With that, she’s walking off upstairs and you know that she expects you to follow. Instead, you find yourself returning to the uncertain smirk that Valerio was shooting your way.
“Shouldn’t you follow her?” He cocks a brow, tilting his head a little like he’d investigating you even more.
You smirk and go towards the stairs to go up to Lu’s bedroom.
“(Y/n),” Valerio repeats, though you know he’s not saying it to call for you, “I don’t think a name could ever be good enough for an appearance like that.”
And just like that, he makes that appearance severely blush.
“Look, sir, I know I’m late but only by a few hours,” You defend, setting down your work onto the table in front of the professor.
You’d had an assignment due and had been, what seemed like, the only one in the class who didn’t get it in before the deadline.
“It was due two days ago, (Y/n),” Your teacher points out, lifting up the paper and flicking through.
“Technicalities,” You roll your eyes, “I still did the damn work, and it doesn’t count for anything anywa-“
“It counts towards the reference I give you, and maybe this attitude will count too,” Your teacher states coldly, “You’re the worst in the class (Y/n) and if that doesn’t improve, there will be consequences.”
You sigh and pick up your things to walk out, stopping abruptly when you see Valerio leaning back against the wall just beside the open door to the classroom.
“What are you doing?” You question, probably slightly too harsh but only because you already felt stressed enough. Given what Lu had told you, the last thing that anybody needed when they were stressed was Valerio.
In his hand, he overturns an encased paper, titled adequately with the assignment that you’d just handed in. He smirks a little before beginning to reply to you, “Just making sure you’re not the worst in the class.”
With that, the paper is tossed into the bin beside him and he pushes off from the wall, winking in your direction before continuing on his path down the empty corridor. You look between the bin and his disappearing figure, wanting nothing more than to follow after him.
You start seeing Valerio more and more, being Lu’s best friend meant that you spent a lot of time at her house - especially when she was in the midst of trouble with Guzmán. Every time, you’d see Valerio and make slight eye contact with him from across the room. One very memorable time, he came passing through the kitchen after finishing a shower. His hair was holding tight onto the dripping water and his body managed to glimmer just slightly as he strolled past. You kept your head down and prayed that Lu didn’t notice your reaction.
Tonight, everyone was heading to the club and you found yourself nervous at the prospect of seeing Valerio outside of your normal settings. Was this really happening? Were you really starting to have a crush on your best friends (half) brother?
“(Y/n)!” It’s Guzmán that calls you as he makes his way over to the bar, “Have you seen Lu?”
You shake your head ‘no’, “She’ll be here soon. But I thought you two were over, anyway.”
He scoffs, “You only ever hear her side of things.”
“Normally because you’re not around for long enough to tell me your side.”
He smirks a little, “Touché.”
The two of you, despite how stressful his relsrionship with Lu was, could actually be good friends. You’d known him for years and, deep down, you knew they weren’t meant for each other. That didn’t make him a bad person.
“I’ve heard Valerio’s been asking about you,” Guzmán comments, leaning against the bar beside you, “Are you really going there?”
You roll your eyes, “Can you stay out of my business for just like a minute, please? Nothings happening with me and Valerio.”
Guzmán chuckles a little, “(Y/n)... just be careful. Not even because of him. But because of-“
He nudges your arm, “Glad to know we’re on the same page - trying to keep out of Lu’s bad books.”
“Oh, honey, you were in them a long time ago,” With that, you hop up out of your chair and make your way across the club to greet her as she walks in.
Valerio follows behind her, dressed in a low hanging white vest and a bold print open shirt. You found yourself trailing the lines of the chains around his neck, all the way up to where they met behind his jaw.
“Hello darling,” Lu beams, “Sorry we’re a bit late.”
She glares at Valerio and rolls her eyes, met by him shooting her a bright smile.
“It’s not my fault,” He shrugs, “My clock must’ve been wrong.”
“I need a drink!” Lu exclaims, grabbing your hand as she pulls you toward the bar.
You find yourself stumbling to catch up, eyes locked on her brother who was yet to take his eyes away from you.
It’s later into the night when you dismiss yourself to head to the bathroom to freshen up. Lu and Guzmán were currently bickering about something so you’d taken the opportunity to leave them distracted for a little while. It’s not long before you’re interrupted.
“You know...” The voice is recognisable as you glance up to see Valerio now stood in the doorway, “You really shouldn’t have worn that tonight.”
“And why is that, Valerio?” You smirk a little, eying him through the reflection of the mirror.
He has one arm rested high on the wall beside him as he goes to respond, “Because you know Lu would kill me for going anywhere near you.”
You set your purse down onto the countertop and turn around to him, crossing your arms over your chest.
“And who says the option is there?”
He laughs gently, stepping forward and closing the door behind him, “You’re not the best at hiding things, darling.”
You roll your eyes as he steps closer to you, carrying with him all of the confidence that he’d made you weak enough to lose.
“Who says Lu needs to know, hmm?” He’s close to you now, hands trailing up your sides from the hem of your dress to the waist, “Would it be so bad?”
You swallow the lump in your throat, “Probably worse.”
He smiles lightly as his nose bumps against yours, “All the more reason to do it.”
And just like that, everyone else is forgotten. Instead, Valerio’s lips are on yours and his hands are everywhere and you find yourself melting into every single part of him.
After that night, you’d assumed the worst from Valerio. You’d guessed that he’d get his high and then move on to the next. But it didn’t seem that way. Definitely not. He’d text you from class and drag you down the corridor until the two of you were away from prying eyes. He’d invite you round late when Lu was out with Guzmán so that he’d have just a few hours with you before she came home. It was secretive, mysterious, exciting. And you found yourself feeling more than just the temporary high of it all. You’d be laying in bed with his arm wrapped around you and it genuinely felt like you could feel something more than just attraction. Beyond all of his wild, carefree exterior? Valerio had a heart, and a heart that was easy to fall in love with. And that’s where you found yourself slipping onto the verge of doing.
You were at Lu’s trying to help her revise for an upcoming test that she needed the highest marks in when you first saw him. He had that glimmer in his eye of mischief as he started texting you from across the room. You and Lu were sat in the dining room and he was just in your line of sight - sprawled across one of the couches in the lounge.
Your phone started buzzing every thirty seconds until you finally apologised to Lu and told her that it was your Mum on the phone, quickly getting up and hurrying out of the room whilst she was neck deep in revision.
Valerio grins as he sees you, pulling himself up from the couch and following quickly behind your retreating figure.
“Who knew you could be so sly?” He smirks, lips hot against your ear as he leans down behind you.
It all feels far too open, she was literally in the room right across from you.
You turn quickly and grab the front of his shirt, pulling him in with you as you lock the door behind - you’d managed to find your way to the guest room.
“It’s impossible,” Valerio mutters between kissing you, “You’re sat right there and I have to pretend like I don’t know you... like I don’t know every inch of you.”
You scoff at him and stop his hands at your waist, “Not too low, mister, I need to be back out there in a few minutes.”
“Then I’ll take a few minutes,” He smirks, lips moving to kiss just below your ear and down to your jawline.
“Valerio, seriously,” You have to fight with yourself when you decide to push him away, “She’ll kill me if she finds out we’ve been doing this.”
He sighs and gives up on his attempt, “Maybe it’s time that she does know.”
“Do you know her at all?”
“Yeah, but I know you too,” His hands fall low on your hips once again, “And I know that this is getting to be more than it was at that night at the club.”
You knew you’d been feeling the same but hearing him say it just put a whole new meaning to that feeling.
“She has to be understanding of that, right?” Valerio shrugs, “And if not, it’s been good knowing you darling.”
“Don’t say that,” You roll your eyes, “But she’s my best friend, I can’t lie to her anymore.”
“Okay, then, we’ll tell her,” Valerio nods, dipping his head to bury in your neck once again.
“You’re impossible,” You laugh, pushing against him until his head lifts up to meet his lips with yours once again.
When you step outside, your heart sinks at the sight you’d been dreading. Lu is stood on the opposite side of the lounge, arms folded and a deadly stare across her eyes.
“Next time you want to fuck my best friend,” She begins, focused only on Valerio, “Make sure you don’t leave evidence behind.”
She lifts up her hand that is grasping his phone, waving it in his direction.
“Lu, I can explain...” You begin, hopeful that she’d at least be understanding.
“Is that all this is? Just you two fucking?”
It’s Valerio that interjects, “No, it’s not like that.” He settles an arm around your waist and you silently wish for him to not make anything worse, “It’s definitely not that, not anymore.”
She looks between the two of you, once, twice, three times before speaking again.
“Don’t break her heart, Valerio.”
With that, she throws the phone in his direction and shoots you a gentle smile before walking back through to the dining room.
“Now didn’t I tell you it would be easy?” Valerio grins, sauntering in front of you with open arms.
“You heard her,” You shrug proudly, “Dont break my heart, love.”
With that, you press a kiss to his cheek and follow in the direction that she’d just gone - hoping you wouldn’t be met with a worse reaction now that he wasn’t there.
“I would never,” Valerio mutters under his breath, saying the words only to himself as he flops back down onto the couch - unmoving grin plastered across his lips.
