Mafia!RomanoxReader: Winged God with a Pistol

Hi! This is a retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche. I made this the modern version with twist of action. Enjoy!
-Liane
------------------------------------------
“(Name)… Can you see that constellation forming a crooked ‘V’?”
The gentle voice of your mother soothed your trembling figure as she distracts you from the sudden blow of the cold night breeze. Her slender finger points at a certain star and began forming lines; it is shaped just like a crooked letter ‘V’, but with a parallelogram at the right end. You watched her as she stared at the night sky filled with stars; you nodded and crawled closer to sit on her lap as she wraps her arms around your small figure. You let out a hum of relief before nodding-keeping your attention to what your mother will tell you next.

“Do you know that it is believed that it is the goddess Venus and her son, Cupid, in disguise?”

“Cupid? The one who makes you fall in love?” Your (e/c) eyes shimmered in interest as you tilted your head up to look at your mom. You heard about Cupid from your big sisters last valentine’s day. You heard your mother’s soft laugh.

“Yes, dear.” She replied-lifting a hand to caress your soft cheek.

“Hmm… Can cupid fall in love as well? It’s sad if he always make everyone happy while he can’t have anyone for his self!” You whined-turning around to face her, this innocent little girl just pouted while tugging at her mother’s cotton blue sleeves.

“Cupid is a very stubborn boy, you know!” your mother said, “but there is a girl who made him all soft and mushy.”

“Really? Tell me who!” You said with your voice pure of excitement.

“Then why don’t I just tell you their story?” You nodded in agreement. Your mother pulled you closer as you rested your head on her chest.

“I won’t fall asleep this time!” You said; your mother just let out a small ‘alright’.

“There is this beautiful maiden who captured the attention of most men. She’s the youngest of the three siblings of a high family. Because of the attention that she got, the goddess of love, Aphrodite, envied her. Out of her jealousy, she commanded her son, Eros, to make her fall in love with a beast. But when he saw the beauty of the young maiden he got distracted and his arrow hit him instead of the beast-making him fall in love with her. “Your mother took a little pause.

“That maiden, whose name is Psyche…”

(Name) sat silently at the front porch, her hand clutching tightly at her walking stick, she don’t want to lose her only guide once again. Although darkness filled her world, she didn’t complain a bit. She still did her best to have her own achievements-for her, being blind doesn’t stop her world from spinning. This day is the exact day when that tragedy happened. It really doesn’t bother her; being blind-no- what’s bothering her is her mother’s death which happened that same day.

“Mother…” the girl wearing a baby blue sundress murmured.

”Mom! Sing with us!”

You said as you clung at the passenger’s seat in front of you. Your mother finally sang with you and your father. Laughter filled the car, your sisters are also singing beside you-but then you are interrupted by a screeching noise and a sudden stop. You felt your hands slide off the leathered chair as you saw the headlights of a truck zooming in. Your sisters crouched, yet you sat there frozen with your widened (e/c) orbs.  You heard screams before you can see the shattered glasses which flew to your direction. The next thing your body can comprehend is a splatter of red and white, the sharp, piercing pain in your eyes, and the numb and heavy feeling brought by the airbag.


And that time… She left.

“It has been eighteen years…”  you said, tilting your head up and feeling the spring breeze. Your (h/c) locks flowing to the same direction. You sniffed, smelling a familiar scent of Bergamot Oil. You smiled as you heard light footsteps getting closer; those light tapping sounds can only be brought by a pair of doll shoes.

“Alice, what are you doing here?” You said as you tilt your head to the side. You know your older sibling pretty well.

“It’s Sunday, dear.” The girl chuckled; her British accent is evident in every word. She’s been sent to London eighteen years ago, to recover from the traumatic experience since she’s been creeping your father out by telling everyone in the household that there are fairies and flying bunnies in your house-what’s worse is she’s baking scones with lots of salt so she can give it to the unicorns and send it to your mom. You almost believed her because of her descriptive narration, well until now, but she only speaks about those things with you. “And I’ve got some news for you.” You felt her sat beside you at the wooden bench.

“What is it, then?”

“Well, aside from you’re being requested as a model for an Italian painter, and also as a guest for Mr. Edelstein’s Orchestral Performance…” She took a deep breath before continuing her sentence. ”I’m getting married.”

“Already?!” You gasped. “C-congratulations! Well, I guess everybody’s getting married.” You said, it’s true, last year your eldest sister, Francine, got married.

“I guess so, but what do you mean by ‘Already’? I’m twenty-five, (Name), old enough to get married and have my own family.” She said dreamily, your face flashed a soft smile.

“I’m happy for you.” You sighed. “I wonder when will be the ‘right’ time for me?”

“(Name)” you felt a soft hand placed over yours. “If only you can see how beautiful you are. You’re twenty-three, educated, talented, and stuff! All you need is the right man to say that it’s the ‘right time’.”

“Thank you, Alice.”

“I wonder if Mr Edelstein is going to ask you out? I mean he’s always inviting you to every event he have.”

“I think no, he already has Ms Hedervary.”

“Oh, the Hungarian author?”

“Yes, in fact, they’re also getting married. The couple is just fond of me, they told me because I look like a doll, yet with talent.”

“I-I’m not aware of that. Pardon me, dear.” She apologized, yet you just squeezed her hand.

“It’s fine; I can wait.”

”Mom, why doesn’t anyone want Psyche as their bride?” The young (Name) asked.
“It’s because they’re afraid, they admire the maiden so deeply-and admiration is different from love.”
-------------------------------
“I can’t believe that Feliciano chose that girl as a model! Argh!”

“Probably because she’s a girl.” A man with dark brown locks exclaimed, looking at his cousin through his clear glass eyeshield; he put on his earplug for the upcoming noise that will be brought by his Wesson 686.357. He positioned his self to his offensive stance as he aimed the gun at the red mark.

“But I’m beautiful!” The blonde replied.

“You’re a man Feliks Łukasiewicz, and act like one since you’re a part of this family.” Lovino Vargas is about to shoot when he saw his cousin pull a pistol from his coat and aimed at the field. The Italian’s green orbs widened at the sight of his cousin’s firearm.

”What the fuck? Where the hell did you get a fucking pink pistol?!”

“Internet.” Feliks said before pulling the trigger of his firearm, hitting straight at the wooden carving with a red spot. He may be a bit obsessed with fancy things but even Lovino can’t deny that he is good when it comes with fighting. “What can you say if we have a bet? If I aimed better and faster than you, then you’ll do what I say.”

“And if I win?”

“Three boxes of tomatoes.”

“Deal.”

“No rules.” Both of them took a grip of their firearms. Lovino signalled a man at the corner to fix the carvings in three seconds.


Three



Two



One

Lovino pulled the trigger and began aiming at every spot, he is indeed fast, faster than Feliks, but his temper and impatience made his shots less accurate. He growled as smoke filled the area. He turned his head to his opponent, wondering why he isn’t shooting. He saw a devious smirk at the blonde’s face; a snap was heard, just in time Feliks aimed straight at the red spot hitting it at the center. Another carving popped out at Lovino’s side, the Italian pulled the trigger yet it hit the shoulder part. He cursed under his breath just when he felt a foot swiped his leg, causing him to fall at the ground.

“Crap?!”

“No rules” He looked at Feliks and stood up, only to see his cousin pull the trigger and making a perfect shot at the head. Loud noise filled the area, smokes made the men wearing black suits cough-but not the two men. Pure blood of the longest living mafia family is flowing in their veins. After the ten minutes of bullets and mess, they both dropped the gun and collapsed on the floor, catching their breaths. Lovino’s assistant went to the field to count the bullets which are attached to the red markings. Felik’s bullets have its own symbol at the bottom, so it's easy to figure out.
“Young Master.” The man with jet black hair and honey-colored eyes bowed down. Lovino and Feliks sat up. “Would you like to hear the results?”
-------------------------------
“That cross-dressing bastard...” The Italian cursed continuously as he parked his Lamborghini Aventador J in front of his brother’s studio. He put his keys on the pocket of his leather jacket as he went inside the building. He’s still wondering how he would do his cousin’s plan.

”Okay, Lovivi~ The plan’s going to be like this.” The Italian rolled his eyes at his new nickname. “You’ll make her sleep using this chloroform before the painting session would start. Feliciano will surely call me if she couldn’t come.”

“What’ll I have to do with her sleeping form?”

“Well, let’s play a little prank. Make sure that when she opens her eyes the first thing that she’ll see is an ugly man sleeping beside her! She’ll think that something happened and she won’t show her face to any studios because of shame!” Lovino just gave him his pissed look while his cousin’s hysterical laugh filled the room.

“Seriously going as far as that just for a painting session. Ow! Watch wh-“ The Italian stopped to see the person who bumped him. ’a blind girl?’ Her silky (h/c) hair covered much of her face, her smooth (s/c) skin showed that she’s from a wealthy family. Lovino helped her to get up, her hands grabbed her walking stick as she stood with a poise.

“I’m sorry; thank you, sir.” Her voice sounded like melody to him. He surely had met a lot of girls but this one’s different. Elegant and graceful in every way, the type of woman that he’ll surely protect.

“W-would you like me to walk you to your destination?” He said, good thing the girl can’t see his blush. The girl lit up her face and smiled. That beautiful face looks a lot like a doll, it made his heart race like no one did before.

“Thank you.” She giggled. “You’re an Italian, aren’t you?”

“Yes, How did yo-“

“Your accent, I heard your voice earlier from the hall. I like it.” She smiled once again as Lovino held her hand, her slender fingers resting between his index and thumb. The girl just told him the directions. But then he realized the familiar door with the golden plate wherein his brother’s name is written:

“W-what?!”

“Is there something wrong?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.” C-could it be that this girl?
The door swung open, revealing a man with a light brown hair and a curl at the left side; he has those honey-colored eyes which always seem so happy. He’s wearing a white shirt, his face has a smear of yellow paint, and so as his shirt.

“Vee~ (Name) (Last Name)?”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you Mr Vargas.”

“Waah~! You’re much beautiful in person!” Lovino groaned, feeling something weird building up in his stomach.

“Oh! Fratello, you’ve come to visit me? I’m so happy!” He tried to yank Feli away when he tried to hug him.

“Idiota.” He murmured. His left hand is still holding the girl’s hand. Feli seemed to notice it.

“Oh, I see.” Feli let out a chuckle ”You’ve got some moves” He said in Italian before winking at his brother. “Why don’t you come in?”
Lovino lead her inside. He never left the studio until she’s finished. He just watched her as she sat on the chair, smiling to particularly no one. This time, he made up his mind.


”Psyche’s parents began to worry that their daughter might end up with no one, so they consulted the oracle of Apollo. But according to the oracle, Psyche must be dressed and left in the summit of a mountain-she shall be a bride of a winged serpent. Everyone in town wept for her.”

“Hmm... Why can’t it be Eros instead?” The young girl pouted.

“We’ll see.” Her mother smiled. “When she got there, the wind god Zephyrus lifted her and left her in a palace-her new home, where she’s treated by a princess by her husband. Every night he would whisper sweet words to her, so she knew that he is no monster-yet it’s only the voice, he’s still a mystery to her since she haven’t got to see his face...”
-------------------------------------------------------
“Bankrupt?!” the usual snobbish eldest daughter said, her eyes widened in horror. “Father, do you know how big is the money? It’s enough to sustain my family even to the next generation!” Francine pinched the bridge of her nose as she collapsed at the red couch on their mezzanine. She sighed loudly as her back hit the cushion.

“But we can still sell the land?” Her father exclaimed.

“Those land which mother inherited? No, even if you sell that it’s probably not enough. And Alice is getting married; you only have (Name) to help you, and even if Mr. Vargas would paint her everyday it’s not enough!”

You stayed at the front porch; their screams are loud enough to be heard outside. You just stood there in horror, you wouldn’t want him to take away the only memory of your mom that you can keep and take care of. You almost forgot the presence of the man who walked you home, the same man who guided you at the studio and never left; the man with the scent of the well known ‘Acqua di Parma Colonia’. You placed your trust on him since according to Mr Feliciano, he’s a good friend of him; but even if he won’t say it, you can still sense that he’s a good guy. You took a deep breath and faked a smile.

“Sir, thank you very much for walking me home.” No one answered you “May I know your name?” You asked, yet still, no answer. You swear that you can still smell his cologne. You brought your hands to your face. “This must be it.” You said before getting inside the house.
-----------------------------------------
Lovino just stood there in silence; he doesn’t want you to know his name, or anything about his family. His brother has his painting skills to conceal his background, while he, as the heir, he should be more focused in holding pistols than anything else. He stared at his empty palm.

’even her hand...’

He overheard everything as well, and this just gave him an idea. He walked over to his silver convertible; just when he started the car, he received a phone call. He stared at the screen, saying ‘Cross-dressing bastard’ is calling. He pressed the loudspeak button as he continued driving.

“Lovivi~! Why haven’t I received any calls from Feli?!” His whining voice made Lovino’s eyebrow twitch.

“I’ll pay Feli so he’ll paint you again, just leave the girl alone, bastard.” Lovino said.

“Oh~ has Lovivi fallen in love with the maiden?” The Italian’s face heated up.

“Hell.” He hissed.”I mean she’s blind. It’s not like I like her or what. I just feel bad for her.”

“You say so~. You going home now?”

“Nope” Lovino said before hanging up.

“I’m going to arrange some fucking papers.”
-----------------------------------------
A loud knock was heard from the wooden door. Alice immediately stood up and opened it, revealing a man with tan skin, green eyes and brown locks; he’s wearing a black pair of slacks and white striped long sleeves. He’s wearing a soft smile as he looked at the young girl.

“Hola, chica, may I know if Mr (Last Name) is around?” He said in a foreign accent.

“He’s here, may I know your name, sir?”

“Antonio Carriedo, I’m here for some-“He tilted his head to the side and saw (Name) sitting at the couch with her earphones on. He smiled when he saw the girl that his ‘master’ is talking about. He coughed before finishing his sentence. “business.”
Just in time, the man he’s looking for walked in the scene. The moment their eyes met, he let him in. They say at the dining area as Antonio placed the envelope holding documents and the briefcase at the table.

“My master had decided to give you an offer.” Antonio started. “We know about the ‘bankrupt’ thing, and he decided to help you.”

“How can I assure that this is not a prank?” Silence filled the room. Intense stares were shared between the two businessmen. The Spaniard opened the briefcase and gave him a check with a note stapled at the side. Mr (Last Name)’s eyes widened. It’s even more than the asked price. The note says “You can choose or claim it both.” with a matching legible signature of letter ‘L’ at the bottom.

“All of these are from my master.” Just when he is about to touch the briefcase, Antonio snapped it close. “Are you ready for the condition?”

“Let me hear it.”

(Name) went to the dining room. She took a hold of Alice’s arm. “Why are you trembling, Alice?” (Name) asked. Alice just let out a small ‘shh’.

“Your youngest daughter’s hand for marriage.” Alice’s and Mr. (Last Name)’s eyes widened.

“What? It’s like selling my little sister-“Alice was cut off by (Name).

“It’s a deal, then.” (Name) said herself.

“You’re a strong one, chica!” Antonio said happily.

“You can change your mind; you don’t even know who he is!” Alice said.

“No, it’s fine than growing old alone. Who wants a blind woman after all?” She smiled. “And it’s much better because dad won’t have to sell mom’s land.”

Antonio was deeply touched by those words, yet he is happy because he didn’t expect Lovino to choose someone as fragile as her.

“There is one thing though...” Antonio continued “You are not allowed to have any communications with her.”

(Name) just nodded. Antonio let her sign the papers, the marriage certificate, and everything. His father can’t even utter a word, he loves his daughter yet he’s still in a great need. He can’t oppose to (Name)’s reason, especially when he is also thinking if there is anyone who would want her blind daughter.

Alice helped (Name) to pack up, since Antonio will also be the one to will take her to her new home and (Name) wouldn’t want it if he’ll have to go again the other day. It all happened in a flash. Now she’s getting married to a man she hasn’t even meet yet. She waved goodbye to her sister and father; Antonio assisted her to a car. She just fell asleep along the way.
---------------------------
“Eh?” (Name) woke up and got the feeling that she is not at the passenger seat. She sat up; feeling the soft mattress under her, her fingers ran along the silky sheets. She sniffed and smelled the fresh scent of spring flowers. It feels like she’s in a hotel. She felt someone sat beside her; she turned her head to the side. “W-Who’s there?”

“It’s just me, I’m sorry, did I scare you?” A calm yet familiar voice said.

“Have I met you before?” (Name) asked.

“Maybe?” The man chuckled.

“Are you my...” (Name) swallowed a bit, still uncomfortable of saying the word. “husband?”

“Yes, bella.” He said. (Name) felt a hand held hers; the texture of his calloused hand seems familiar. Yet the scent of gunpowder somehow startled her. She felt a soft pair of lips landed on the top of her head, this somehow calmed her a bit. “Don’t worry, I’ll be sleeping on the couch.” He said before getting out of the bed.

“Wait. May I know your name?”

“Lo- Uhmm... Romano.” He said. “Now just call me if you need anything, okay?”
You just lay back on the bed, covering your body with the thick comforter and drifting off to sleep.
------------------------------
You were woken up when you heard the door creaked open. Chirping birds and vacuum cleaner can be heard.

“Romano?” You called him for the first time.

“I’m sorry, milady, have I interrupted your sleep?” A young maiden’s voice can be heard.

“No, not at all.” You smiled.

“Young master already left hours ago. He has some...” A slight pause was entered. “-business to do.” She continued. “By the way, my name is Jane; would you like to take a bath, milady?” You nodded as she took your hand and accompanied you to the bathroom.

“Uhmm.. Jane?”

“Yes, milady?”

“I can do this on my own.”

“It’s alright, milady, I’m sure young master wouldn’t like it if you get hurt.” You heard the faucet turned down. “Besides, he told me to accompany you since you’re new.” You blushed at the fact that the man does care for you. You stripped and took a dip at the lukewarm water on the bathtub. Jane helped you in shampooing your hair. You decided to ask some questions to break the silence.

“Who else lives in this house?” You asked.

“Young master bought this house a day before you came” She said. “Right now it’s only you and him, together with me and a few other maids.”

“Oh... I see.”

“Young master care for you, a lot.” You smiled, knowing that he really isn’t a bad person. “By the way, he had bought new clothes for you; I think it’ll make him happy if you would wear those for tonight’s dinner.”

You stood up and wrapped the towel around you as Jane handed you the new clothes. Those clothes which smelled like a familiar cologne.
------------------------------
“Damnit. That cross-dressing bastard is on it again- pissing me off every single fucking day.”

Lovino placed his pistol inside his coat as he goes inside his newly bought house. It’s just a simple house for him, yet with a huge garden. Two story house with five spacious rooms. He opened the French doors to the dining; he paused for a minute to see (Name) sitting at the edge of the table, not a single silverware is moved. Lovino walked closer, he saw her tilting her head up, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

“Romano? Is that you?” She asked. Lovino sat next to her, even though the table is for six people. He blushed when he noticed that she’s wearing the dress he bought for her. The size is just right, white dress with three-fourths sleeves and a brown ribbon around the waist. All his stress brought by Feliks began to fade.

“Yes, how's your day?” Lovino asked as he prepared some food in (Name)’s plate.

“It’s fine.” She said as she played with her fingers. “T-Thank you for everything.”

“It’s nothing, now eat up.” He watched her as her hands touched the silverwares. Lovino grabbed her wrists immediately when she’s about to touch the edge of the knife. “That’s dangerous, you know?” He sighed as the cut the spiced meat into pieces. He brought one to her mouth. “Open up.”

“What?! I mean, no I can d-“ She was interrupted when the meat hit her lips. She just parted it and savoured the sweet and spicy flavour. It just continued like this-even the next days. Lovino would always sleep at the couch; he would always buy her presents. She is treated like a princess.

-----------------------------------
”One time she asked her husband if she can let her sisters visit her. Since his wife has a point because she’s all alone, she gave her his permission. It’s just that they aren’t allowed to use him as their topic, including her lifestyle at the house. But when her sisters visited her, they envied her because she became far richer than them. So they told her that her husband might be a serpent, all of those out of jealousy. Later that night, Psyche decided to take a look at her husband; she brought a knife with her and lit up a candle. To her surprise, it’s neither monster nor a sea serpent. It’s the god Eros, himself. She accidentally dripped a candlewax on his shoulder, causing him to wake up from his slumber. After that he just flew away.”

“They didn’t get together again?”

“Psyche did her best to search for Eros, yet ended up facing trials.”

“Mom! Dad’s already on the car!” Young Alice yelled from the hilltop. The woman carried the (h/c) haired child up to their car.

“Mom? Did they end up together?” The young girl asked- her eyes full of curiosity.
Just when her mother is about to answer a loud screeching sound was heard, the young girl turned around to see a speeding truck. But then she was frozen by the headlights and darkness engulfed her vision.

“(Name)...” She heard a familiar voice.
-------------------------
“(Name)!” (Name) woke up, catching her breath. She felt a hand wiped her tears. “Are you alright?” The voice asked. Memories of her mother hit her again, causing her to break down in sobs. That time, she found herself caged by a strong pair of arms; a hand on the back of her head, causing her to lean at his chest, while the other one rubbed circles on her back. “Shh... I’m here, everything will be fine.” She just closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist. It has been a month, yet they’d never been this close before. Romano just comes home at night, talks and rants during the dinner, and proceeds on sleeping on the couch at night time. Although it’s always like that, (Name) had already placed her complete trust on him.

“Romano...” (Name)’s voice muffled at Romano’s chest. “Can you sleep with me tonight?”

Romano felt his cheeks redden, if that tomato bastard is here, he would probably tease his ‘little tomato’.

“O-of course, why not?”

“I want to see you.” (Name) said. Before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Romano just lay down with her, his arms still wrapped around her, before covering both their figures with the maroon comforter.
--------------------------------
It’s another Sunday, yet another normal day, (Name) would just sit at the living room and read books with Braille translation. She heard an unusual screeching sound outside the house, followed by the door slammed open. She smelled tomatoes, it could be Romano, yet she doesn’t smell his familiar cologne.

“Hola, chica!” A cheerful voice greeted. That voice of the man who brought her here, and also the man who usually visits here to deliver some ‘paperwork’ to Romano.

“Mr. Carriedo?”

“Please, quit the formalities. Call me Toni, instead.”

“Err.. Okay, Toni.” (Name) said “Romano isn’t around yet”

“I know! I’m here to pick you up, he asked me to bring you to someone.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

Toni dragged you to his car. After an hour of driving, he led you outside. You felt cold air hit your skin as you walked in the tiled institution, smelling something... antiseptic.

You heard the door creaked open as a new scent of ethyl alcohol hit you together with the heavy, cold atmosphere brought by the airconditioner.

“Good day, Miss (Name). Are you ready for your eye test?” You heard the voice of an old woman from a distance.