DISCOVERY ➴ Chrollo x Reader

XXXII. Paradise

His eyes narrowed, eyebrows drawing closer together as his voice rose defensively. "I'm not-" Chrollo's eyes snapped to the smirk on my lips, and he took a step back, sighing. "Really you..." He turned away from me, walking over sticks and stones without flinching. "Humans are probably the only creatures who dream of paradise." 

It was only when his faint voice reached me that I left my state of stupor, taking two quick steps and hissing at the small rocks that dug into the skin of my soles. My careful walk to the camping site was for nothing now that I stepped on several sticks, leaves, and dirt. 

I opened my mouth, ready to ask him to elaborate, when his voice sounded once more, deep and calm. "Only humans know the darkness, cruelty, and depravity that could comprise hell... since they have it all within themselves." 

It was if he was organizing his thoughts before he voiced them, as if this was something he had considered for long, and that hadn't been voiced—or rather explained—in a very long time, because soon after a small pause, he continued. "Only humans know the guilt of having acted based on such things, or the horror that consumes them if they experience them from others."

We reached the edge of the forest, where the pebbles turned rounder, smoothed by decades of running water, and his feet entered the creek. Afraid of breaking his line of thought, specially before he exposed his opinion on the matter, I followed him in silence, into the fresh water. 

He remained quiet, trudging deeper into the creek until I felt the itch of my curiosity breaking the silence. "Do you feel guilty or have you experienced darkness, cruelty, and depravity...?"

As if noticing my presence for the first time since he started his walk, he turned around, facing me with slightly wide eyes, before composing himself. Indifference washed over his face, and his mask was back on... yet seconds later it fell, as if it was a bother to keep his façade up only for me... Well... It was really just me... a mere taxi driver... It didn't matter that he showed weakness or dropped appearances... I wasn't that important.

"Both." His eyes lowered to the long body of water, and his hand shot out to grab another fish.

"Did one lead to the other? Did you experience it and decide to turn it to the world instead?" I wondered if I was asking too many questions... Curiosity burnt the fear out of my veins. His silence was expected, so I took a step closer, still holding the plastic bag with one hand, and I cleared my throat. 

He looked up from the fish in his hand to the bag, "Didn't someone teach you that it is mean to rub your fingers on other people's wounds?" The fish dropped into the bag and I gripped it with two hands... The irrational fear of having my food slip out of my wet hands was all it took for my attention to leave him.

I mumbled a quick "Just making conversation around your deep thoughts on paradise" and rolled my eyes.

"What are your thoughts on paradise, then?" How was his voice so... inviting? Warm?

I glanced at him. Chrollo was standing in all his glory, some water drops were sticking to his skin, and glimmering under the sunlight as he breathed. "I haven't thought about it... People have a lot of ideas about paradise..." 

The breeze picked up, and I shivered, Chrollo started walking out of the creak and I followed, trying to remember certain beliefs of the religions I knew about... "Honestly, if we forgot a bunch of important details... We could be in Eden, me and you, standing in nature alone and naked."

Chrollo snorted, or maybe scoffed. It was difficult to believe Chrollo could snort. "Are we in paradise, Y/N?"

"Well... Yes and no?" I carefully dropped the bag near the tree that held our clothes and hesitated to grab them. I was now wet. I should wait to get dressed only after I was dry... but I was naked... outside the water... with Chrollo, head of the Spiders, and thief extraordinaire right next to me! 

Oh, how could I have forgotten it!? My eyes widened, and I moved my hands to cover my body. 

"Bit late for that." He chuckled, grabbing his shirt and patting his body with it. Every little crevice. How did I know that? Well, I obviously couldn't force my eyes to move away from the scene... Madness did really reach people in three days. Fuck it. He ogled me, I could ogle at him back.

My wide eyes watched him cover his junk with his briefs and slide into his black trousers calmly. There wasn't a care in the world for him. He didn't care that he was being watched. I could never prove it, but there was no way he couldn't get his ass and bulge into his the trousers without shimmying into them. His sideways turn didn't do anything but show it better to me before he tucked them into the darned garments and pulled the zip upwards, closing the button one handedly. No one actually got into their clothes that sensually. No one. 

"Do you plan to have lunch while naked? That'd be too bold for you." He teased, shirt still at hand and torso bare. His fingers threaded through his dark hair, combing it backwards to no avail, since it seemed to want to flop back onto his forehead as soon as his fingers left. 

I gasped. "You- I- I" I... that was true... I would never hang out naked for longer than I should... I felt blood rushing to my cheeks and I dove for his white shirt, pulling it from his grip and pushing it over my head. Better some clothes than none. Yes... That was smart. I wasn't... OH, god... why DID I do that? This was too embarrassing... 

I didn't even glance at Chrollo as I grabbed my clothes with one hand, the fish bag with the other, and tiptoed in a dance of winces and flinches to the camping side. 

Fuck me. How bad could I make it for me? Why had I done that? 

"That was unexpected." And, of course, I couldn't run away from the source of embarrassment, the one I was embarrassed in front of... The reason I was here doing dumb shit in the first place... I couldn't run away from his smooth voice. 

I turned to look at him, better sooner than later, I could just get it all out of the system, all of my embarrassment and cringe... 

Chrollo was smiling.

And it didn't seem fake.

Author's Note: Helloo~~~ Thoughts on this chapter?