Ill-Fated (Phantom Troupe x Reader) [Soulmate AU]

9.

"Can you at least turn around?" You asked Machi.

Soon after Chrollo made a call, the pink-haired woman from yesterday, who you've discovered was called Machi, popped her head into the door. She barely acknowledged you before turning to Chrollo and looking at him expectantly. Chrollo, who had been quietly reading since your encounter, told her to bring you to bathe and give you the fresh set of clothing you had in your bag. You shuddered at the thought of somebody, probably Shalnark, digging through your belongings, but that was probably the case. Machi nodded curtly in response and began walking, with you quickly getting up to catch up to her.

You needed out of that tense room with Chrollo, and the prospect of taking a bath, especially after sleeping on that dirty cot, sounded like heaven on earth. In full honesty, you were looking forward to a brief movement of relaxation and privacy. Wordlessly, Machi led you through the winding corridors of the abandoned building and down some stairs. Finally, you arrived at what was probably, at some point, locker room showers or something of the sort: it wasn't ideal, but it was something. However, after Machi handed you your clothes and the toiletries from your bag, she continued staring at you with those incredibly cold blue eyes.

This was awkward: even though there were worse people to be naked in front of, case and point Uvogin or Phinks, you were not prepared to be stared at the whole time you showered. You waited for Machi to reply for a long while before she did.

"How do I know you won't step out of line?" Her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously toward you.

Exasperated, you looked around the dilapidated room and then back at Machi.

"What could I possibly do in here?" You asked. 

Machi seemed to consider your response before slowly turning to face the direction of the door.

"Fine, but you better be quick." 

Machi always thought it would have been best for the troupe not to look for their soulmate: their life was messy and dangerous, and 'love' had no place in it. Not only that but statistically speaking, chances were that their soulmate was some regular person: one with no knowledge of Nen or an ability to hold their own in a fight. In that case, being thrust into this world would put them at more risk than they could handle. Even after Shalnark came to them with his proposal, Machi thought it was a bad idea. She believed that whatever effect Soulbond had on Nen was probably blown out of proportion. Unlike Uvogin or Phinks, who were fired up at the idea, Machi remained ambivalent. She thought the proposal was foolish, but when Chrollo agreed, she couldn't refuse.

Twisting the rusty handle, you were surprised the building even had running water at this point: granted, the water pressure was abysmal, and it was incredibly cold. You didn't care though, just excited to get the grime you've accumulated over the past hours off your body. As you washed off, one of the water pipes produced a loud noise, startling you and causing you to jump slightly.

The commotion caught Machi's attention, who quickly glanced behind her to see what the source of the commotion was. In the semidarkness of the windowless basement, she saw a dark spider on the back of your left shoulder. A black spider with a three on its abdomen. It was an image she was familiar with. After all, she saw it every time she looked in the mirror. A mark like hers sat on the (h/c)-haired girl's skin. Machi quickly turned away, trying to calm down. Her gut begged her to hug and hold the girl, to embrace the call of the soul bond. However, Machi knew it wasn't the time for that yet. 

The pink-haired girl looked down at her feet: 'What is it with this girl? Why is my intuition all over the place? I have no idea what to do,' she thought.

Machi's thoughts were interrupted by an unsure voice from behind her.

"I think you forgot to give me my bandages." 

"Are you injured?" Machi asked, still staring at her feet.

"No." You replied.

"Then why do you need them?" 

You shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, raking your brain for an answer. What were you supposed to say to that? Could you really tell her, 'I use them to cover up all my soul marks because I hate them, and I hate you?' No, that would probably end really poorly for you: even though Machi had been calm up to know, she was still one of the most dangerous people you've ever met, so you weren't looking to test her limits. 

"Answer," she demanded.

Machi's command was curt but entirely authoritative. You swallowed thickly, your brain was becoming empty at the worst time.

"Fashion choice?" You blurted out, without even realizing the stupidity of your reasoning.

Machi cocked an eyebrow; she could always tell when people were lying to her. This time, though, it wasn't even a challenge. Not that it mattered. She had a very good guess as to what you were using the bandages for. 

"This isn't a fashion show. Now get dressed," Machi said. 

You knew it was a lost cause to try and convince her if anything, this girl seemed as stubborn as a mule. So you just got dressed in dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved grey V-neck. The outfit covered the vast majority of your spider marks, but it still wasn't an idea because if somebody really looked at you, barely could they see the legs of Spider 0 stretch out toward your clavicle. 

Having heard you finish, Machi turned around. Just as she thought, the lack of bandages exposed some of your soulmarks, making them hard to see but still somewhat visible. Her eyes met yours as you looked at her quizzically, pointing to the pile of dirty clothing in your hands. In response, Machi outstretched your open knack sap toward you, telling you to put your dirty laundry in there. You did as you were told, attempting to get a look inside your backpack, but Machi quickly snatched it away from your gaze, holding it securely in one hand and gesturing for you to follow her with the other.

"Where are we going?" You asked, trying to keep pace with Machi's brisk pace.

"Where everyone is," Machi replied.