"I SWEAR I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT! AT ALL, I PROMISE!"

"Tell the truth, bastardo! Did you intereferred yesterday's drug trade and killed one of the mafioso or not?!"

You often found yourself in a rock and a hard place in your life, it wasn't new really. It was a matter of a rush of motivation activated by high expectations after numerous rock bottom failures, followed by an overwhelming pile of school activities and requirements to finish with a short due date and there comes procrastination as the cherry on top.

Oh and who could forget the oh so powerful emotional turmoil boiling as hot as an overheating oven brewing up a gallon of unresolved family feud, then another gallon of pressure, a cup of anxiety and then boom! It's turned into a cake filled with unresolved emotional issues that doesn't taste great.

And here you thought for once you'd have comfort for once in your life in a form of a kind stranger carrying your heavy pile of books and folders for you as you got inside the train to your apartment in a country you just moved in for university. He introduced himself as Bruno Bucellati, and judging by his appearance he is your age. 

It almost felt like one of those moments where a kind stranger spilled coffee on you and helped you... Except it was just a bunch of rejected documents that was too many for you to carry. But come on, it shares the same vibe to it! Either way, it felt straight out of a cheesy romcom, I mean... HE LOOKS THE PART ALREADY! The broad chest, his luscious locks, his warm and welcoming smile, his ocean blue gaze that bore within your haggard looking eyes... He was simply dreamy...

Bruno started to fill the silence with idle, mundane chats. About the weather, the tourists, how beautiful Naples always looked no matter how many times you've seen it... He can honestly talk about anything and you'd listen, he just has this Atlantic Ocean-deep and velvety smooth and soothing voice.

"Ah, would you like to know a fact about me, Y/N? I can taste lies based on the slight glisten of sweat on their skin."

"Oh yeah?"

"Of course."

There was no doubt you felt at home, like talking to an old friend as he spoke. You couldn't help but to be magnetised by his charisma and charming demeanor, drowning in his ocean blue gaze as he talked about the recent happenings in Naples's outskirts where local mafiosos negotiated a trade toward foreign drug traders, while you nodded absentmindedly as you had your attention fixed on his breathe taking visage that you didn't notice his sudden shift of mood. The time when you snapped from your trance is when Bruno suddenly mentions how you looked familiar and as if he's seen you before, specifically around the time when that local drug trade ended in gunshots and hijacking a truck filled with addictive's.

That's when realization dawned on you and now we're here. Arms pinned  behind you courtesy of Bruno Bucellati, as he had your face pressed against the train's walls. Needless to say, you have indeed predicted you'd be roughly handled... Except not in this way.

"O-ow! It hurts—"

"Shut your mouth! I didn't cut your tongue out just yet for a reason! I suggest talking!" The ravenet's grip tightened around your wrists, almost restraining your blood flow at the violent gesture as you let out a whine. "Well? Are you going to talk or not?!"

His voice booms from your ear, as you desperately searched for someone to help through the reflection and saw not a single soul boarding the train. You were all alone with a man involved with the Mafia whom you thought was just down to hang out or something. You intended to stay silent, you felt a sharp pain tearing through your cheek, a pain so bad you chucked the idea of staying silent out of the window and wailed out,*

"I just moved here last week, there's no way in hell I can involve myself into the tight corners of this country to kill off mafias and hijack their vehicle! I'm just a college student, damnit let me go already! I'm begging you please!" Seeing no other options, you resorted to begging out of sheer desperation. "P-please! I'll do anything! Y-you can have my wallet! P-please I beg of you don't kill me—!" You sobbed, tears streaming from your face as you pleaded for your life.

It was then you suddenly felt his tongue run along your cheek, as you let out a shriek of shock and struggled against his grip. Upon this sudden gesture of his, he seems to be satisfied and sets you free. Shocked at this outcome, you took the chance to slip away from his grip and elbowed him by the stomach, catching him off guard, before bending down to grab his leg from behind you and pulled it forward causing him to tumble backwards.

"That was... Not the taste of a liar... I swore I saw you—" his hushed voice slipped from his lips as he watches you vigorously rummage through your bag for presumably something to defend yourself with. The man stands back in his feet, dusting himself from the fall before he reaches his hand out to make amends...

"TOUCH ME AND YOU'RE DEAD!"

... When you began waving a pen at his face out of rush when he approached. Realising his mistake, he nods and keeps his distance as you wished.

"AFTER MY STOP, I'M NOT CALLING THE POLICE BUT IF YOU EVER SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME EVER AGAIN I WILL SHANK YOU—"

"I apologize. Please forgive me, I have made a grave mistake."

Your tensed shoulders lowered in shock. You assumed that he would at least put up a fight like you expected he would, I mean he is a part of a mafia! Would he be brandishing a weapon of some kind to ward off a maniac madly waving a harmless pen to his face? Or at least, use his bare fists to fight you and take you down? I mean, you are just a normal human being with no knowledge of self defense. The only defense you had were your movements powered by adrenaline and you will to live.

And besides that, he looked so sincere. The pain soaring through your face subsides and goes back to normal, as Bruno sighs once more.

"I know what I did was unacceptable and I can never bring myself to be forgiven. But please allow me to make it up to you—" Bruno once again tries to approach you when you held your pen up to defend yourself, halting him in his tracks.

"Okay, okay—" your voice wavered. "Let me get this straight, you helped me to carry my things here in the train, started to chat me up, then accused me of being a... A gangster that killed and drove off with the drugs, interrogated me in any means necessary by pinning me up against a wall even if I said I know nothing of those things, then you licked me to taste lies! Are you seriously trying to play a prank on me or something?"

"It is not, I assure you it's not a ploy to trick you!" Bruno insists. "I truly am regretful of the mistake I have done, I have mistaken you as the hoodlum..." He can only cringe internally at his failure, before shaking his head. That was not his priority right now. "Please, allow me to make it up to you. I-I know what I did was very unacceptable and I really want to make amends!"

You let out a shaky breathe, lowering your makeshift weapon with your forehead creased in wary. Nonetheless, you let him continue despite the bizarre occurrence. His tensed shoulders slacked at the slightest from relief.

"Alright... By our next stop there's a restaurant that I know. Perhaps after your lectures tomorrow, I will escort you there." He said. "You don't have to pay if you chose to attend. I'll handle everything..."

"How can I trust you after what you did?" You squinted at him, taking your seat from the previous scuffle with your guard still on.

"You can trust me. A mafia's honour and trust is something we value. I cannot call myself one of I were not to keep my promise." Bruno swears, putting a hand over his chest.

Your intense, scrutinizing gaze fixed on the Mafioso for a moment before you sighed in defeat. "Fine. Tomorrow after my lectures. At least meet me at the stop. I don't know which restaurant you're referring to, I'm new around here..."

It was a perfect timing as the train came to a halt at your station, you rushed out of the vehicle but not before you gave him a forced smile to bid goodbye and left.

"Goodbye, Y/N..." It was apparent that Bruno was sincerely guilty as he followed your figure fade by the distance as the train started to move again. The young, eighteen year old mafioso sighed at his impulsive stunt before seating himself across from where you previously sat, when he spots the familiar makeshift knife you used against him.

He was more than capable of using Sticky Fingers to more than disarm you, perhaps kill you but he chose not to involve an innocent bystander he mistakenly took as the perpetrator for a crime they did not commit. After all, it was him who let you in on a secret. He stood from his seat, before swiping the pen from your seat.

'At least this gives me more reason to see them... Hopefully it goes smoothly tomorrow...' He pursues his lips, before pocketing your pen and waited for his stop.

~•~

Bruno tugs on his collar for the umpteenth time, as he briefly brushes his shoulder for anything that might be clung to him. Standing by the entrance of the train stop venue, he nervously shifts his weight from side to side. He was somewhat confident last night and it seems that the confidence he gathered deteriorated the moment he sets his foot neat the establishment.

He did quite the background digging last night, leading him to chose a venue suitable for your liking. It felt slimy for him to be reading a document containing your personal datum, but he was sure he didn't pry long enough to read into your past, but skimmed through the text to read your interests. Specifically, tea/coffee. He needed every intel necessary to not mess up this time.

He lets out a wavering sigh, when he felt an unfamiliar dent on his pocket. Confused, he reaches into his pants and lifts the pen you left at the train yesterday. The corner of his lip quivered at the slightest as the memories from yesterday flashed in his head. Specifically, how scared you were at how he manhandled you. He pockets the pen back in his pants, saving it for later.

It was simply improper for him to do that. He was just so enrage at the failure that happened that hijacking and gunning occured, where innocent people were caught in the crossfire that injured several people and killed one. It was reckless of him to target you when you resembled the person responsible for the occurrence. He did  not manage to prevent what happened, deeply regretting the circumstances and took this opportunity to hunt them down... Only to track down the wrong person and ruined their day.

He wished to make amends not to ease his raging conscience, no. He simply can't rest properly if you were traumatized by his actions yesterday and he is willing to make things proper as they should be, starting this day—

"Hi."

The young mafioso yelps, but immediately covers it up with a clear of his throat. He somehow never noticed your fatigued figure that stood beside him. It must've been a deep trance for him not to notice you approaching him, let alone stand beside him.

"Ahh, hello Y/N. How are you?" The dark haired young man of your age asks to lighten the tensed atmosphere, looping his arms through yours and began to walk forward the establishment he planned to take you in.

"I'm... Good." You hesitated to respond after briefly recalling your braincells basically fizzing out in the middle of the lecture when the lesson was to quick to your liking and learnt nothing. Other than that, your attention would be directed elsewhere. Specifically, the event planned by Bruno after what happened yesterday. You have found yourself doing miscellaneous tasks to avoid this some sort of date but of course your conscience never left you alone and here you were, looped arms around the young mafioso.

Bruno took notice of your reluctance in your response, but decided not to comment on it. He didn't want to pry any further. Upon arriving at the place he promised to take you in, he pushed the door open for you and walked alongside you.

"How are you? Did you caught the real hijacker?"

The dark haired male internally cringes in guilt at your obvious poke to his mistake yesterday, but he knew full too well that it was well deserved.
Instead, he decided to play it casually, as you do.

"Well the investigation is still on going and now we're sure that they're not you." He said, pulling you a chair and gesturing it. For a moment he read into your subtle movements, sensing your reluctance but you sat nonetheless. "Thank you again, for letting me make amends with my mistakes, Y/N. I assure you, I won't make the same mistake twice."

"You promise?"

"With my life."