Beneath the Velvet- Chrollo X Reader
Summary: Your mind is consumed of the soon to be fight between Chrollo and Hisoka. All you can ask for now is a bit of reassurance that your boss will win unscathed.
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Silence lingers throughout Chrollo's penthouse, the loud traffic muffled due to the height of Heaven's Arena. Distress floods the room, similar to how bloodlust can fill up a space. With a frown tugging on your glossy lips, danchou shakes his head, his raven hair smacking his temples. Chrollo wasn’t surprised, he knew this emotion would be unavoidable.
Hisoka's goal to finally fight the Boss has been granted. After many months, even years of Hisoka lusting over this fight, it's eventually come to fruition. After all of his chasing, convincing, and the hunting.
Your legs were crossed and you were digging into your nails to clean non-existent dirt, obviously trying to distract yourself from the inevitable. Outwardly, all the preparation made by Chrollo and the rest of the troupe didn’t manage to calm your nerves. Not even in the slightest. Maybe a promise from Chrollo could ease your bones, that he would return safely, and unmarked.
"There's the man of the hour." The long uncomfortable stillness broken with only a few simple words.
In walks Chrollo, the same as ever, with the same serenity he's always had, with the same purple fur coat that you've spent long hours cooped up in. His ebony hair down, framing his chiseled face, just like the day you two first met.
"As happy as always, Y/N?" The words filled with sarcasm, yet his tone was soothe, accompanied by no lace of humor.
Heaven’s Arenas velvet wingbacks are felt up by sweaty palms, the fabric being tugged on as a way to escape the discomfort. Boss sits down in front of you, quietly exhaling as he makes contact, a round table seperating the two of you.
Out of his fur, he pulls out a thick book, peering down at it, making you reminisce all the days the troupe were together, Chrollo sitting front in center, reading. You missed it; especially realizing it may never happen again, not after today.
"You don’t need to worry,” Chrollo speaks up, his puppy eyes still turned down to his book. “I intend to win.”
You sigh harshly, eyes roaming all over his pacific face. The book still in his hands, the table still blocking the title.
"I know, I know... It’s just.. Like, what if you don’t?” The words were hard to say. Chrollo was a tough tool, but Hisoka was always considered Chrollo’s equal. A hard label to reach, it made you even more nervous.
“Don’t win?”
Chrollo finally peaked up from his book, his face still calm. Nothing screamed frustration, anger, or even disappointment.
“It’s certain I do, Y/N. All the time I spent running, was just preparation to defeat Hisoka.”
He’s right. He did much preparing, and by much, you mean much. He even got a few of the spiders involved.
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” You reply, nodding your head desperately.
“But what if Hisoka did just as much preparing?”
Chrollo shakes his head, finally shutting the book, the pages fluttering.
"He might’ve. But you know he can’t compare, and he knows that too.”
The conversation was finished with a neatly wrapped bow, the sly dig didnt miss your ears. Chrollo was a confident man, like always. Although your nerves weren’t cleared, Chrollo cleared your doubts about the outcome. Every conversation you have with him always makes you grateful that he is the head of the spider.
Chrollo stands, the book now placed deliberately on the table, its title still hidden from view. He rounds the table, his steps measured and quiet, until he's kneeling in front of you, his hands gently taking yours. The warmth of his skin is a stark contrast to the cool silk of your dress.
"Y/N," he murmurs, his voice a low, soothing rumble, "my victory is as much for you as it is for the Troupe. Have a little faith, hmm? I always return to you, don't I?"
He brings your hands to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles. The gesture is both comforting and unsettling, a reminder of the man beneath the leader, the lover beneath the strategist. You want to believe him, to trust in his strength, but the image of Hisoka's twisted grin flashes in your mind, and the fear returns, sharper than before.
"Promise me," you whisper, your voice barely audible. "Promise me you'll come back."
Chrollo's eyes search yours, and for a moment, you see a flicker of something akin to vulnerability. But it's quickly masked, replaced by the familiar confidence that defines him.
"I promise," he says, his voice firm, resolute. "I will come back to you, Y/N. That is a certainty."
"Now, if you'll excuse me," he says, "I have a battle to prepare for.”
With a final, lingering look, he turns and walks towards the door, leaving you alone with your thoughts and your fears. The silence returns, heavier than before, broken only by the distant roar of the crowd, a constant reminder of the impending storm. And as you sit there, waiting, you can't help but wonder if his promise will be enough to bring him back to you.
