DISCOVERY ➴ Chrollo x Reader

XLIII. Temper

After eating a grand total of five cereal bars as I followed Chrollo through the wilderness of an unusually dense forest, I grew agitated. The deeper we ventured, the harder it became to keep up. We were practically walking over tree roots, the soil was but a speck seen between the twists and turns of tree bark. My hands were horribly cold, and suspiciously sticky after I had grabbed onto a tree trunk for support a while back. 

There was no way he knew where he was headed, everything looked the same, the trees, the twisted roots... the scary cracks and pops that only caused shivers to go down my spine... The only difference was the stupid humid moss that coated the roots, making them incredibly slippy. 

Every step I took, I could imagine myself, losing balance as one foot slid out of place and falling back. What a nice place to get rid of a body, natural causes explained the death. Just a silly little me walking through the forest with no clue and finding my demise with a single misstep. 

The murderous slippy roots were enough to tug my nerves, but what really bugged me was the fact that my companion never once looked back. No matter the sighs, the soft curses, and that one time I slipped and had to hug a tree for my life... he didn't look back. 

This was horrible. I looked back... nothing but gnarled roots and trees. It didn't even look brighter, there was no path to follow back to that shabby shop where he had sold the jeep. There was no way back... There never was. 

Why was I here? Why was he ignoring my existence? Why wasn't I dead if we were no longer driving?

I sniffed and felt an icy cold tear run down my cheek. It was too much. My hand wiped it away softly, and I lost balance once again, falling forward, my knees hit the rough roots and my hands broke the rest of my fall. 

Sobs and sniffs filled the air around me as I hyperventilated, too shaky to get up just yet. Pathetic. Where was my confidence? Where was my life changing event? All apathy did was worsen my situation. If I had a spine, I wouldn't have accepted that last day of work for Falco, I would've just quit there and then. If I had a spine, I wouldn't have been a taxi driver for years. If I had a spine, Chrollo wouldn't be walking over me like he owned the world. He was a fucking criminal. I did nothing wrong. I did nothing. 

My hands trembled as I pulled them from the wet moss, I looked at my dirty palms, small cuts and scratches bled. I sobbed harder, my vision grew blurred, and I dried my tears with my sleeve. Chrollo was still walking forward, getting smaller in the distance.

I blinked. Tears continued falling, but I felt warm, warmer than I had been all day. I could hear my heart beating fast... and my ragged inhale. I jolted, surprised at the strength of my voice when I started screaming. "AAAAAAAAAAGH. WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM, CHROLLO? I DON'T SEE YOU KILLING ME! STOP BEING A FUCKING COWARD!"

He froze, and I saw him turn around in slow motion. His eyes took in my kneeling, shaking form, and his head tilted. 

"OH, LOOK AT HIM! ACKNOWLEDGING MY EXISTENCE." I patted my hands over my thighs, that was about as clean as they'd get. Not that I cared. No. I just felt all this anger, this rage, fuelling me as I rose to my feet unsteadily. I barely blinked when I noticed him a few steps away from me. My rage skipping over his inhuman speed. "I LOVE THE SILENT TREATMENT, REALLY, IT'S AMAZING. BUT I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D BE THIS COWARDLY." I pointed a finger at him, and watched his eyebrows scrunch together as his eyes narrowed. 

His voice was unfeeling, eerily cold when he muttered,"fuck them once, and they'll stick with you forever..."

It hurt. It stung... but I found myself crackling up, only managing to get a few words between my wheezes. "Hah-Regretted it... in the morning... YOU WERE-... THE ONE TELLING ME NOT TO... REGRET IT! YOU- YOU-" I took a deep breath, and something clicked. "You don't mean that, you're deflecting! Why are you being so cruel?" I ended my question with a mere whisper.

He took a few seconds to come up with, "I'm not. You've gone mad!"

"I thought you to be better than someone who just gaslights people.", I scoffed.

"I-"

"You're not?" I cut him with what could only be a slightly deranged smile, my eyes were wide open, and I was forcing my lips to curl up. "Real mature."

"Just-"

"Just tell me what changed! What is your problem?"

"YOU COULD'VE STAYED BEHIND WITH YOUR MOTHER!" I flinched when his loud voice echoed through the forest. Oh? Back to screaming, are we?

"AND I DIDN'T SO STOP BEING A CUNT." I narrowed my eyes at him, and took a step forward, into his space. "But that isn't it and YOU KNOW IT! You were acting weird before we got there."

His lips parted, shoulders tense and his hands balled into fists. "IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS."

"IT IS WHEN I'M BEING PUNISHED FOR IT." My voice started cracking. Screaming wasn't something I often did, but I didn't back off. No. Fuck it. I was done. I took a step closer.

"JUST FUCK OFF."

"FUCK YOU."

"WOW- HOW ELOQUENT-"

"YOU'RE SUCH A DICKHEAD."

"AND YOU'RE ACTUALLY DERANGED."

"HOW COULD I NOT BE, AFTER ALL THIS?"

"GO BACK."

"LIKE I KNOW THE WAY BACK. JUST KILL ME IF THIS IS IT!"

"NO." 

He was seething, red coloured his face and neck, his tendons were popping out, and I must've looked the same because when our eyes met surprise flashed in his. We simply stood there for a while, both of us, ragged of breath, staring at each other. Like we had run a thousand marathons and needed a moment of rest. 

I gulped and cringed at my dry throat, before croaking, "Why not?"

"Just- let it go." He waved his hand to dismiss it.

I sighed, "Are you going to ignore me and leave me to die here?"

"No."

A shiver ran up my spine, the cold was back. "... I'll leave it for now."

He coughed, "Not for now. You're simply leaving it."

"No." I crossed my arms, hoping to stand my ground even as I trembled with the soft breeze. My hands stung. My eyes itched. My throat was incredibly dry. I felt like I could break, right there. 

He took a deep breath and muttered a simple, "You're insufferable." 

"I'm sure the law isn't holding you hostage to stand my existence." I rolled my eyes and took a step to the left, feeling his body's warmth for a second as I moved forward. Falling backwards was scary... so I just trudged onwards, hoping that if I slipped, Chrollo would be so kind as to grab me. 

His defeated voice was awfully close to me when he spoke again, "I'm tired."

"So am I." I could only hear my own steps, but I felt his front rub against my back every time I hesitated with a step. "So am I..."

Author's Note: I never really wrote a rage/fight like scene. I'm afraid I failed you guys with this one xP. I'll try to improve it...