Lucilfer (ChrolloxReader)

Chapter 41

A blaring ringing tone jarred me out of my slumber, jolting my body awake. Disoriented, I blinked open my inflamed eyes and opened my mouth in a gaping yawn, stretching before sitting up slowly, trying confusedly to locate the source of the obnoxious repeating sequences. My vision focused after a few moments as I stared at the heavy blankets around me, and my brows furrowed.

Is that my phone?

Wait...

How long had I been asleep? I felt as though I'd slept for a few hours, but sleeping after suffering from panic attacks always felt that way. Before I could gage the actual amount of time that had passed in my drained unconsciousness, my mind snapped back to reality, and I gasped frantically, excitedly, whipping around to grab at the mattress and beneath the pillows in search of my phone.

That's Chrollo.

My heartbeat increased exponentially when my hands made unsteady contact with the smooth device, and my fingers felt perspired as I looked at his name over my front screen, sliding to answer instantaneously and bringing it up to my ear.

"Chrollo?" I breathed.

My soul soared at the sound of his gentle laughter on the other end of the line, but it ached at the same time—I wanted to lay up against his chest and feel it tremble with his soft chuckles.

"Hello, my love." His tone was enchanting, marveling. "I just arrived on my floor at the Arena. I messaged you when I landed, but you never responded. Since it was just outside the skyscraper, though, I didn't bother to text again until I could hear your voice—how has your day been? Are you with Machi?"

With a shaky, crushingly relieved exhale, I leaned back on the bed, feeling a loose smile taunt the edges of my lips. I hadn't even thought about telling him that I wasn't leaving for Machi's until tomorrow, but I suppose he wouldn't have received the text anyway.

"It's okay; I was asleep," I murmured through my happy grin. "I've been, um—lonely..."

My words trailed, and I bit my lip, deciding whether or not I should tell him about what happened in the bathroom. Hearing him speak now was like drinking ice cold water after a four hour run in energy-sucking heat, but the leftover fear from the event still lingered in my weak-feeling stomach and lurked at the border of my thoughts. It threatened to leap and attack if I didn't stay preoccupied, distracted.

But I can't make him feel worse than he already does about this. I can't tell him.

Chrollo waited expectantly on the other end. My teeth carefully released my bottom lip, and I clutched nervously to the hem of his sweatshirt—he typically knew when I was hiding something, but I sent out a silent prayer to Fate or the cosmos or anything and anyone, hoping that he wouldn't ask.

"I'm not with Machi," I admitted quietly. "I'm going to head over there tomorrow morning. I needed to be here for one more night."

"Ah, I see." I could almost hear the reassuring expression he would be wearing as he spoke those words, his brows slanting over his glimmering gaze with a soft smile. "Of course, my (Y/n)—take all the time you need. I'm sure she'll understand. How are you feeling now?"

Shrugging, I brought my knees up to my chest and breathed in the cedarwood and lavender still clinging to my skin and his clothes and the blankets.

"I'm okay," I hedged. "I was sore when I woke up this morning, though."

A single, airy chuckle sounded against the phone.

"I thought you might be." Chrollo's voice was lower, absent and reminiscing, the velvety edge seeming rougher. "Can you walk?"