DISCOVERY ➴ Chrollo x Reader

LIV. And so it was {ending 2}

And so it was...

It was a fine April afternoon, it had finally stopped raining, and my shift was almost done. There were far more clients as the weather became milder. Chrollo hadn't arrived yet, so I ran to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water. The sweat was making me feel... awful... 

Once I freshened up, I went out and looked around the pub, Mrs. Drouff was already behind the counter chatting with old man Sern and his wife, Leantea.  

Many other people drank happily, some by the corner sung an old fishermen song off-key. I didn't leave my sight on anyone for more than some seconds, none of them were who I wanted to see. My heart fell, but I shook my head and grabbed my things to leave, it wasn't unusual, but it happened once or twice during the last months.

The first two times, I had rushed home and paced like a crazed person, but he had simply been delayed while working. He never really did take any long-term job offer, so he just ran around doing odd jobs when he felt like it. I took a deep breath and started walking back home. I didn't have to panic every time he was late, it happened, it was human...

Yeah.

It wasn't our usual routine, which was almost autopilot now... That was why I was feeling uncomfortable, out of my element... anxious... It had to be...

After all, every day for the last four months I found myself waking up beside him, giving him a little forehead kiss, forcing myself to leave bed, rolling my eyes at his dramatic sleep induced rambles as he watched me get dressed, having breakfast, leaving for work, being picked up around the time my shift ended, walking home together talking about nothing and everything, showering (together sometimes), preparing dinner together, doing something fun afterwards... And, of course, cuddling him to sleep.

That was how it always went... and while I kept reminding myself that it wouldn't last, that even though the clown hadn't appeared again asking for his fight, I shouldn't think he would simply forget it. I kept reminding myself that Chrollo himself refused many stable job offers by now, relying solely on odd jobs whenever he felt like it. I kept reminding myself that no matter how much I argued about the benefit of stable income, he never did change his mind, because he didn't want to be tied down to this town.

I was the one breaking my dreamy state occasionally... but even then, I shrugged it off and simply enjoyed what I could get. A man who kept me warm at night, who fucked me better the more we did it and who always came to pick me up once my shift at the pub was over. A man who refused to commit, who was impossible to handle when he wanted to have his way, and who had agreed to fight with that creepy clown dude.

Was it wrong to ignore the bad things? Yes... I knew it was... but I deserved some happiness. I really did, even if it came with a deadline. I promised myself that the day Chrollo said he was leaving to fight the clown, I'd wish him good luck, and I'd take all the good things I had learnt from him.

Life was good. Much better than what it used to be. It felt like I had finally reached a high. A shaky but pleasurable high. It felt so odd... to be so relaxed and happy, even with the occasional doubts regarding Chrollo.

I struggled with the key to unlock the door for the longest time, dreading entering the house, I knew he wasn't home yet. There were no lights on, no slow humming of his, no creaks as the wood whined under his weight as he moved about.

A deep breath later, I shoved all my dark thoughts away and opened the door, relaxing with the familiar scratch of the door over the wooden floor. I didn't have to panic... No... I was supposed to let him go... And it was not like he had said anything about leaving yet. He'd come back.