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

23.

Author's note: I would like to confirm, Pakunoda is a wife-able person: but she would kill me on site irl. Anyways, enjoy :)

You released a long exhale through your nose, rolling your shoulders in a silent attempt to relieve the tension and discomfort that Pakunoda's intrusion on you built. The blond woman hadn't graced you with much attention since returning to her spot in the red chair, aside from a few unimpressed glances between sips of her tea. After a moment of silence, Chrollo set down his teacup gently. Finally, he turned his head to face you. 

"I'm happy to hear you have settled so well," Chrollo said; his tone was as charismatic as always, drawing you in with every word.

His lips were stretched into a gentle, approving smile, and although it might have seemed real in passing, upon a closer look, you could tell that it didn't reach his eyes. No, Chrollo's eyes were empty save for a twinkle of self-satisfaction: he believed he had you, that you had given up and accepted your lot in life. Chrollo believed he was in full control. Although Chrollo was the most reasonable and even-tempered among the phantom troupe members, he was also the most dangerous. He was an insidious evil. Had you been a little less on guard throughout this experience, you had no doubt he would have made easy work of enacting his control over you. You could see it even more clearly in hindsight: his subtle manipulation. The way he welcomed you and leveled the playing field by allowing you to ask him questions, the way he was now inviting you to partake in tea, the way that none of the spiders dared to harm you around him: he gave you little bits of control just to take them away along with his presence. What you first interpreted as acts of kindness or pity were just covert ways of getting close enough to you to control you better. The underlying message in his actions was becoming clearer by the day: if you played along and did what he said, you would be acknowledged by Chrollo, and with Chrollo's acknowledgment came perks: wine, nicer treatment, more privacy, and now tea. On the other side was a threat; if you stepped out of line, Chrollo would remove his attention from you entirely, and you would be left at the whim of the likes of Feitan, Phinks, or Shalnark, who would be unlimited in what they could do you. The threat was even more affecting than the perks.

Chrollo's dark eyes watched your every movement like a hawk. You were even more shaken up than you had been the last time he was with you, and that was impressive, considering your last one-on-one meeting was just after you were taken by the troupe. It's true that there was a distant past in which he had daydreamed about meeting his soulmate, but he could no longer bring himself to want that same love story that once had captured his desires. Although there were moments when he felt the persistent pull of his soulbond toward you, he knew better than to let it overrule his iron grip on himself.  Every time those feelings spiraled up in him, he simply let those feelings settle and reminded himself of the only thing he knew to be true about this world. The world he lived in was evil, and he couldn't afford to care about its inhabitants, and his soulmate was not exempt from that sentiment. This didn't mean you would be forever resigned to being a prisoner; with time, he would mold you into a docile person whose abilities could serve his mission greatly. Perhaps he would reconsider your place in his world when you became what he wanted you to be. Chrollo was happy with your progress. He has been observing you since Shalnark brought you into the room and was pleased with your passive behavior. You obeyed every one of his commands without question, and Pakunoda's assessment of you only confirmed your lack of fight even more. Chrollo was pleased with his work. He typically avoided manipulating the other spiders; to him, they had proven themselves to deserve better from this world, but in this case, it was a necessary wrongdoing. After all, gaining your complete obedience was a priority before the heist and would benefit the spider as a whole. He knew very well what he was doing when he sent you to train with Feitan and Phinks, both explosive characters who didn't do well with being challenged, but his stunt worked better than expected. By pure luck, your ability managed to piss off Phinks to the point where he left you alone with a very curious Feitan: and of course, a curious Feitan would turn violent to get information out of you. As soon as he heard about your altercation with the raven-haired man who managed to find out your nen ability, he sent a jealousy-prone Shalnark to be with you. If you weren't completely scared into compliance before, you now knew what behavior like keeping secrets from him was bound to get you. He had killed off the remaining fight inside you in just one afternoon, or so he believed. 

On the other hand, you kept your face calm and tried to quiet the self-deprecating thoughts in your brain. You hated how obedient you were acting and, even more, how approving Chrollo was of your obedience: he only wanted to control you. You sipped your tea as Chrollo continued to talk.

"I invited you here to discuss what will happen the day after tomorrow." He set down his cup, brushing his long dark hair back casually with his hand. 

Your head moved, the sound of his charming voice acting like a beacon, drawing you closer to him. His dark fur-lined coat lay draped neatly over the arm of the couch, and he was left in a black shirt with gold accents. He watched for your reaction with his grey eyes; you pursed your lips ever so slightly, eyebrows knitting together, focused on what he was about to say. 

"Of course, I wanted to ensure we were on the same page first; thank you, Pakunoda." He said, looking toward the woman, who nodded at him loyally.

"After tomorrow, we will be infiltrating the Zasaka family manor. We will execute the mission in teams; you will stick with me, Machi, and Feitan. Their security is surprisingly lax, so you shouldn't be concerned. Just follow my directions, and nothing will happen to you." He told you. 

His voice was reassuring, and somehow, despite your mind screaming at you not to trust him, he managed to make you feel safe.

"Of course, under no circumstance are you to talk to anyone outside the other spiders, although I'm sure you gathered that by now." 

You listened to his soothing voice as you watched the tea in your cup: tea leaves swirling at the bottom provided a relaxing visual as you focused on every word that left the man's lips. 

"Do you have any questions?" He finally asked.

You looked up, meeting his expectant grey eyes.

"So, what am I supposed to do there?" You finally asked, your voice unsure.

"There's nothing for you to do. Just follow my orders and stay in my sight." Chrollo replied.

Your attention was drawn away from the man with the creak of the old oak doors; a familiar tan, grey-haired man popped his head into the room. 

"I've got an update for you, boss!"