Lucilfer (ChrolloxReader)

Chapter 41

There was a challenge in his tone—I pursed my lips and felt my stomach flutter lightly.

"I can now. But this morning, I could barely get out of the bed."

With a short sigh, he hummed, and I could hear the smirk through the phone. I rolled my eyes, only partly glad that he couldn't hear or feel my fast-quickening heart.

"I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't able to witness that," he murmured darkly. "Perhaps I'll hold off on getting another pair of chains before I return. But I did have my reasons for taking back control last night, my love."

"Such as?" I prompted, grinning.

Chrollo was silent for a few seconds. I waited apprehensively—I was sure I already knew his reasons, but I wanted to hear him say it.

"To be sure that you remember you're mine, pretty little (Y/n)," he whispered huskily. "I've waited to fuck you like that for quite a while. It wouldn't have had the same effect had I not done it the night before I left."

I bit down on my thumb, my smile widening.

"So, it was a power move?" I tilted my head.

"Mmm." He laughed softly, pondering. "Yes, I suppose it was. The same effect also wouldn't have been achieved if I hadn't broken the chains, so I allowed you to start things off that way, as well."

I knew it.

"Bad Chrollo," I scolded teasingly. "Actually, about that... did you, um, do anything to the chains? I noticed that the Nen was weaker, but I only started putting things together this morning."

I could hear him laughing more fully now. The sound made me ache for his hold, his secure grasp.

"Not necessarily." His satiny voice was sly. "But I did see a text from Machi on your phone about regular usage and auric maintenance. I might have deleted it... and then distracted you this past month from using them again."

My mouth dropped open in disbelief, but I suppose I wasn't upset. Looking back, I realized I'd never even really given thought to regular usage to keep up its energy levels or power density, but it made sense.

He had it planned out a month in advance?

"Sneaky, deceitful Chrollo," I muttered petulantly.

"In my defense, I wasn't even sure it would work," he offered gently, almost apologetically. "And I almost thought twice about it. As angelic as you look beneath me, you are even more so when you're holding me down."

I shrugged and giggled quietly, burrowing deeper underneath the blankets.

"It's okay..." A yawn cut me off—my body was still exhausted. "I miss you, Chrollo."

"I miss you, too, sweet (Y/n)," he whispered, soft and melancholy now. "I love you."

"I love you," I answered faintly. "How was your flight?"

"It was slow, and very agonizing." Chrollo sighed, a deep, heavy exhale. "I wish there had been some way to message you—I was overcome with an intense anxious feeling for the most part. I worried about you. Are you sure you were alright today?"

I hesitated before responding. Should I tell him the truth? I understood that the anxiety he felt was not necessarily even a product of being separated from me more so than it was a product of how I would deal with the separation. Largely, Chrollo never had issues with me being gone for a whole day—I assumed this was indirectly due to his trust for me, and the unarguable acceptance he'd taken our dynamic in with. There was no doubt in his mind who he'd given himself to, and the same for me. But he already knew how dark my still freshly wounded mind could become; he had probably been expecting a bad reaction, and I knew how much my own emotional pain hurt him, for my sake.