DISCOVERY ➴ Chrollo x Reader

XXIX. When

Once the water started covering his v-line up to where his happy-trail started thinning into a line that eventually reached his belly button, I felt my shoulders slackening as my whole body relaxed. This had to be a joke. The seductive look, the way his eyes focused on the rippling water that did little to hide my body away.

He had to be teasing me. There was not a single universe in which Chrollo would be interested in me like that... I refused to believe it. Not when he was... himself, self-assured and well-endowed, and I was the self-deprecating insecure me. He had to. There was no way in hell he would mean any of it... I could however envision him deciding to entertain himself by making me believe he wanted to seduce me just to see if he could... Could he? Would I believe it?

Chrollo stopped walking about an arm away from me, my eyes left his safe forehead tattoo to meet his. His head tilted right, and he extended his arm to touch my chin, tucking it between his thumb and forefinger. "Are you just going to stand there? Why not go for a swim?"

He took a single step closer, and I felt the ghost of his body against me. Goosebumps crawled all over my skin, I flinched backwards, my mouth hung open uselessly as no words decided to leave it. I pressed my lips together, took a deep breath and tried again, this time allowing my eyes to drift to his dark eyebrows. "I will. Yeah. A swim." 

Without a second thought, I threw myself into the water, eyes closed as I extended my arms and stroked the water quickly. Physical distance would do it. It had to. How was I feeling... things... for the Spider?

Soon my breathing grew heavier and my limbs grew tired, I turned around and swam back to a place with stable footing. It was peaceful, just me and the cool water drifting over my body, the gratifying breaths I took before dipping my head underwater and somersaulting weightlessly.  My feet met smooth round gravel underneath them and my head emerged from the water, I swatted my hair into a less bothersome position and looked up at the sky. 

Quick breaths left me as my eyes scurried to the large green trees surrounding the creek, from one side to the other, and then I turned around to notice an empty scene there as well. 

What- Where- I spun around until I saw his strong pale arms rising above the water further in the distance. How he had got that far with such a leisurely place would forever remain a mystery... Something slimy touched my foot, and I allowed myself a small whine as I kicked what seemed to be something green and leafy off. 

I went back to watching him. It was truly admirable how he could simply... do whatever he wished. It was as if the world bent and contorted to his convenience... It certainly felt like it...

After all, how else could I be here... in place, appreciating his front crawl and squinting to notice his muscles working in tandem to allow for such gracious form...

When I could be dashing for the car. 

He wasn't even looking, I could grab his clothes on the way out. He couldn't possibly be that fast to run after me. He probably wasn't. 

This was a good shot. A good time to escape. 

I didn't move a muscle in that direction. No. What was waiting for me once I managed to escape him anyway? Not much of a life... I wanted his ease of being, his confidence, his leisure. I wanted to know what was behind it. How could he be like that?

Could I even dare try to... enjoy myself without that much of an effort? 

Running was an effort. It seemed like it'd be such a pain in the ass to accomplish. Was I simply trying to avoid possible failure by staying in place?

He stopped, turned and stared at me. He was so far away. The jeep was sixty steps to my right, if I ran... He wouldn't reach me in time... 

It would've been bold. It would've been the biggest snap back... I looked to the jeep and back to Chrollo. He hadn't moved an inch.

He knew what was running through my head, and he had made no move to get back. Why? What was this curiosity growing inside me? Was I going to abandon my chance at escape to observe a criminal in the hopes of figuring him out?

His head shook, and I couldn't figure out his expression from where I stood, so I took a step towards him before even thinking of what I was doing.

Sweet heavens... I really was letting my escape slip between my fingers. This was madness. I stopped myself and looked down, I could see my blurry naked body undulating with the soft ripples I had created. 

I scooped the water with my right hand, and watched it drip back and muddle the image of my body. Yep. That was me. I thought of my decisions so far, every significant moment of my life... I didn't feel any different from back then, when I had decided to be a taxi driver, when I made a friend and moved in with her, when I parked haphazardly and ran to find her on that fated day...

Why was I thinking this was madness? By normal standards... it was. A random person on the streets would think it to be mad. A small part of me agreed. This wasn't the behaviour of a sane person...

Wasn't my awareness of the situation what saved me? I knew it was wrong. I knew it was, and part of my mind pushed the idea of escaping because it was the right thing to do...  

I didn't want to do the right thing at the eyes of a random stranger in the streets, though... I wanted to feel free, to enjoy myself just so, and Chrollo was doing it effortlessly. 

It wasn't mad to think that... I wanted to discover my confidence by observing the one who so gratuitously displayed his own.

Yeah. Why not?

A large hand curled around my S/C wrist and I looked up into the cloudy skies of his eyes. "You're a good swimmer, Chrollo."

"Really now? That's what you have to say for yourself?"

Author's Note: Hi dearests! Any thoughts on what might happen next? ~ (are you enjoying this fanfiction?)