"Be my darling!"

It became easier over time. As soon as you’d settled down and accepted that your relationship was worth every piece of suffering, he’d calmed down too. Now every few months you’d be let out of the iron fortress and were able to spend some blissful time with him, before being locked back up (for your own good of course) . 

Sometimes your hands still touched the heavy concrete, imagining how it would feel to slip between again, to feel the shroud of nen encompass you as you fell between worlds. 

Everything had been fluid when you had your ability, nothing was able to keep you in, not even the thickest wall of iron. You’d been so free, moving wherever you wanted. Past you would have cried at this prospect; a once free soul so stuck within these walls, clamoring for the attention of a man who would not come home. 

But past you didn’t know the beauty and love that was given to you in return. Past you didn’t realize how constricting love had to be and how freedom was just another compromise in a relationship. You were safe here, and loved! Wasn’t that all one could ever hope for?

You’d spent another day gazing at your phone screen, waiting to see if he’d call, or send a text message. Once a day was the custom, though he’d also gone through periods of no contact for weeks. You didn’t know what he was doing right now, though you doubted he was doing the same as you.

The lights were off and the blue light of your phone burned your eyes, but you didn’t dare avert them. You hadn’t eaten yet, though you would have to soon, or he might find out and scold you through text message. You didn’t want the few pieces of contact with him to be negative.

“Looking at screens with the lights off is bad for your eyes, don’t you know?” Your eyes shot up, looking for this new voice. Someone here? That shouldn’t be possible. Nobody besides Chrollo had been in here in years.

After a while, you noticed a shadowy figure standing in a corner. You put away your phone and looked up hesitantly. “How did you get in here? And who are you?”

Your voice cracked halfway, unaccustomed to speaking. It had been months since Chrollo’s last visit, and besides some humming when you were making dinner, there was no real use for your voice. 

He didn’t respond, but moved closer, out of the shadows. He was a tall man with red hair dressed in a highly unorthodox fashion, with heels and odd fitting clothes. Make-up covered his face, displaying two symbols of playing card suits. Despite his odd attire, his sharp eyes and defined body made sure he still held a strange form of attractiveness.

“The boss is such a monster~” He mused as he stepped toward you, cupping your face in an appreciative fashion. “He discovers such a free bird, and what does he do? He clips its wings and locks it away for no one to see.”

You wanted to move away, away from his grasp, but in captivity, you’d become weak. And whoever this was, he wasn’t weak like you, holding your face with an iron grip. “You know him...?”

He crouched in front of you, his free hand slowly lifting a playing card with the ten of hearts displayed. His yellow eyes, nearly shining from this proximity, narrowed bemusedly. “I wish to know him better. Sadly he keeps slipping from my fingers.”

You began to see where this was headed, and sighed peacefully, not at all dreading it. You were tired anyway. “I used to do that to him.”

“And so the circle goes.” 

The playing card etched its way into your throat, and despite the long time it had been, you had seen the way it moved, a single fluid stab to your neck. Despite the pain and the blood gurgling up your throat, you smiled softly and fell back.

Hisoka plucked the card out of your neck, languidly following the sight of your chest rising until it stopped. Standing up, he stretched his arms and looked around the room, which was awfully bare.

“One annoying ability less.”

Picking up the phone he’d seen you use, Hisoka’s lips curled as he unlocked the device without any passwords. Finding and getting into this place had already been such a hassle, so now it was all about maximizing its worth. Chrollo’s loss of your ability was already worthwhile, but Hisoka was nothing if not a perfectionist. 

Maybe he could rile the boss up a little bit more~

Flashes of light filled the dark room, the tell-tale noise of a camera going off, creating several beautiful pictures of your smiling corpse to be sent to the boss.

The trip had started fine, though you could barely keep your eyes dry as you smelled the fresh scent of spring for the first time in what seemed like forever. Chrollo merely smiled at your emotion, but you knew you shouldn’t push it, so instead of continuing to fuss over the nature surrounding you, you shared your gratitude with him and smiled widely.

He hadn’t mentioned it, so you figured you were safe. You weren’t exactly sure what the plan was, but strolled casually beside him, contentedly taking in the sunlight. After a while of walking, he interlinked your arm in his, chuckling at your slight confusion at the sudden PDA.

“We are meeting someone today, but I want you to stay quiet.” The dark-haired man suddenly said, and immediately you took the words as a challenge. A way for you to get more privileges. “So not even one word unless I give explicit permission. Okay?”

You nodded, kind of curious and nervous as to who you would meet. You hadn’t met a lot of people lately, so you would be naturally inclined to stay quiet to begin with. The path through the park ended and suburbia reformed the surroundings, many other people walking alongside the two of you on the pavement. There was a couple walking your way, some children playing on a driveway, a man skateboarding down the street and two girls chattering amongst themselves on a bench.

At the end of the street, there was another small park, though it felt unfit to call it such, as it was more a small collection of trees with a single bench.

Beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by the sudden influx of social surroundings and chatter, you clung a bit more tightly to Chrollo, who to your surprise let you go entirely and only motioned you to follow him.  After the sudden release, Chrollo walked toward the single bench at the end of the street and sat down, only side-eying the spot for you to sit in.

It took a few more minutes, but suddenly a pink-haired woman approached the bench, sitting down on the other side, next to him. You didn’t dare look but saw from the mere shift in his stance that this was the person you were supposed to meet.

“You brought her?” The woman scoffed, and though you knew it directly concerned you, you kept shut as he’d told you and looked ahead. “Didn’t think you let her out of the house, Boss.”

Chrollo, or the Boss as he was called by her, leaned back, and you couldn’t suppress the urge to look sideways at the scene. He was smiling in a way you hadn’t seen often, a smile that had no malice, no promises of pain, no source of manipulation. It was just a smile. “I don’t make a habit of it, no.”

Your eyes shot back in front of you, carefully and as casually as you could following some birds that were flying around.

The two then entered into a conversation of which you knew nothing, he had never talked to you about the subjects they discussed, nor had he ever mentioned the names he was currently talking about like old friends. A single glance at the woman also revealed an image you didn’t want to have seen. She looked at him with an adoration you weren’t able to muster, a fondness that would last no matter what he would do.

Mid-conversation, he turned slightly toward her, and you could feel the blood draining your hands as he literally showed you his back.

Chrollo respected this woman, more than he’d ever respected you, and he talked to her in a way that seemed more unguarded. With you, even at your most vulnerable moments, it still felt like it was an empty vessel looking at you, understanding yet unempathetic to even your strongest emotions.

He loved you. He had said so. He wouldn’t trade you in for just anyone.

But this wasn’t just anyone.

Had he taken you here for one last glance at freedom before replacing you? Were you going to be left by the person who had taken everything and left you with nothing but him? He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Would he?

He had even let go of your hand a while before reaching the bench. Was he afraid she would see him holding you and lose interest? It had been the scourge on your life, yet his love was something you had deemed unchanging until today, and for it to be slipping out of your fingers like this was hell. He was awful but you loved him and he was all you had and what would he do if-

It seemed like forever until the conversation ended. The pink-haired woman stood up first, sent him a customary nod and turned around and left, not even giving you the slightest sign of acknowledgement. Despite her departure, the two of you didn’t leave yet, and you couldn’t believe that despite being locked up for near months, you kind of wanted to go home and curl up in bed.

“How are you feeling?”

Your fingers had dug into the sleeves of your coat halfway through their conversation and hadn’t relented in the slightest, though they now fumbled a bit as your mind tried to find an answer to give him. A man walked in front of the bench and you completely tensed up, the proximity of someone who wasn’t Chrollo near panic-inducing.

“I’m fine.” You hadn’t expected to be able to actually answer, your throat feeling as clamped up as a shell. Chrollo didn’t seem impressed and turned slightly towards you. Seeing him come closer made you tense up even more, though you would have sworn you’d been able to remove that instinct months ago. “It’s a bit… much.”

“Much? In what sense?” Oh god, he wanted you to say it. Your eyes shot back and forth between countless objects in the distance, and you didn’t even notice that your hands had started shaking a bit.

“I don’t know.”

“You do. And if I’m right, it has something to do with my meeting just now.” He studied your expression for a while before smiling victoriously. “I am right. What is it? Did Machi intimidate you? Were you upset by what she said?”

“No. It’s nothing.” For the first time in literally months, you raised your voice. He seemed just as surprised as you, though there wasn’t any anger in his expression. Maybe he was just keeping it for later, or maybe he was filing this as another reason you weren’t good enough anymore, unworthy of even being loved and worshipped as he had done so far. “Can you please just leave it.”

“Hmm.”

He stood up and extended his hand, which you immediately took. The walk back to the house was silent, though there also hadn’t been many words exchanged the first time. Back at the house, you couldn’t believe you actually felt relief as he opened the door, the many locks and alarms removed and deactivated.

He seemed to be of the same impression, an almost indistinguishable frown on his face as he watched you rush inside, quickly excusing yourself for a bath. It was one of the few times where you were occasionally alone, but even then it wasn’t assured.

As you rushed up the stairs towards the bathroom, you even went as far as to ignore his call of your name, instead closing the bathroom door behind you and finally let out the tears you’d been holding in. As a reflex, you let the water run in the bathtub, not even adjusting the temperature, but purely for the noise. You sunk next to the bathtub, leaning against the marble as you cried. Maybe he wouldn’t hear you cry over the sound.

It seemed unlikely though, the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer. You knew he could sneak up on you no problem, and the only times you heard his footsteps was when he wanted to be heard. He wanted you to know he was approaching you, a small mercy, allowing you to slightly regain yourself, if barely.

“Y/n. Open the door.”

Your hands flew to your face, wiping away the tears that stained your cheeks, leaving behind trails of wet stains on your reddened skin. You felt like a mess.

“If you don’t open this-“

Before you could even attempt to stand up, the door was already open, the locks having been forced. Chrollo looked at his own hand holding the handle for a second, before immediately switching to you. You curled deeper within yourself, the sight of him having made you cry all over again.

He rushed to your side, though it still looked as casual and nonchalant as he always presented himself as. The only reason you knew why he was a bit frantic was the slightly widened look in his eyes, which you had become quite accustomed to.

“I just figured it out.” He said, crouching beside you and using one hand to push away your hands, leaving your face uncovered. “It was so ridiculous I didn’t even think to consider it.”

Your hands, not allowed to go back to your face, wrapped around your knees, pushing them as close as you could.

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?"

“I’m not.”

Your bad lie made him chuckle aloud, and you realized you might as well have said the truth. He knew you like the back of his hand and was overall a much better liar than you; You would have to practice quite a bit in order to even try to fool him. The sight of the pink-haired woman struck in your mind, and once again a flash of panic overcame you.

Chrollo was acting like it was the most ridiculous thing, but you could just feel the slight tinge of insincerity in his words, his stance, his everything. Maybe he was just keeping you complacent, awaiting the day he would finally find someone new to keep, someone better than you. 

Would he forget you?

“You won’t replace me, right?” You said through muffled tears, pressing your face into your knees. “I can be better, I can be-”

Without words he pulled you up by your hair, displaying your fearful and tear-stained expression. You felt the slap before you heard it, a warm stinging on your cheek removing all emotions but adrenaline from your system.

It wasn’t a hard slap necessarily, compared to what you knew he was capable of, but it still hurt, and you looked at him with wide-eyes as he met your gaze.

“I am truly happy that you are so distraught over losing me, but I am also insulted.” In a full turn-around, he suddenly wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close against him as he sank down to sit beside you on the floor. “Have I been unclear with my feelings, y/n? Were my declarations of love not enough for you, y/n? What do I need to do to make my intentions crystal clear?”

The sound of the water pouring into the bathtub, the feeling of his hands burrowing themselves in your hair, and the soft smell of cologne mixed with the cleaning supplies that had been recently used in the bathroom all mixed into a scene that imprinted itself in your memory.

Nonetheless, that didn't mattered. You were here in a mission.

"Now, back to our normal program, here it is our fine specimen." You announced your presence loudly, leaving no doubt for him that you were in one of your teasing moods now, not caring if that would land you into punishment territory, as you spoke to an invisible camera. "What he is doing, you might be asking yourself? He's there cooking children for dinner."

You pointed to the way his hand held the knife, using it to slice into meat and watching the blood seeping from it as he kept going, choosing to not pay you any mind at the moment. In rare situations like these, where he was cooking, Chrollo used to concentrate real hard.

You've come to find out (after probing him for details about his childhood - which he didn't shared a lot) that he learned how to cook from watching other people through their home's windows, when he didn't had any food and was planning to steal. It was a bit bittersweet to picture a hungry child and that always used to make your heart ache, but then you look at him and remember exactly how he had kidnapped you and forced you to play the part of his lover, and your pity turn into something else.

"The blood coats his hands, yet he remains serene. Should we get closer?" You thought for half a second before taking some careful steps towards his direction. Chrollo didn't turned around, but he was very aware of you behind him, his curled lips denouncing his amusement from your little act.

"This specimen is unique, as in: he's the only one of his kind. Notice how his hair is slicked back, revealing his forehead marked with the symbol that make his species recognizable."

Turning towards the invisible camera again, you gesture towards Chrollo's forehead, gripping his chin softly and turning his face in the same direction towards your invisible camera. Finally, his eyes were on you.

That felt so silly, but you were determined to annoy him as much as he was annoying you these last few months, always changing hideouts and apartments. Sometimes you would change hideouts two or three times a day and you were getting tired and overwhelmed, not having any time to really rest before moving again.

You just wanted to stay somewhere for a week or two, without worrying his enemies will try to get you (which had happened before) or if he has another mission that requires his immediate attention.

Packing and unpacking bags was routine. Before being here annoying him, you were packing up your bags again, for tomorrow morning, when you would inevitably be on another road trip.

"Having fun, I hope?" He asked, tone soft and sweet, that made you stop for a second, unsure why he was being so cutesy and considerate, though as you went to take some steps back, his hands gripped your shoulders tightly. "Oh no, the big, bad monster got you."

You squirmed around, disgusted how the blood that coated his hands were smearing all over your arms. Now, he was being annoying and obnoxious again. Like always.

He pulled you closer, knife still in his hands as he playfully let it slide through your skin - not cutting, but an undeniable clear warning for you to behave, to keep pretending everything was fine, to be his happy little darling.

Chrollo hummed softly, completely aware of how hard your heart was beating inside your chest.

"Rather, the monster don't like eating children, he likes you. Want to know how he would do that?" He asked and his eyes found yours in a blink, intense, dark and profane. Chrollo smiled softly like he wasn't about to sprout the most batshit thing ever said to anyone.

"No-" he cut you off with his fingers, letting out a breathy giggle as if he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"I would slide my knife through your neck, a clean cut, shallow enough to make you anxious, not enough to kill you immediately." Taking your face into his head, Chrollo pecked your forehead softly. His gestures made no sense when you heard him talking. "And as you gasp for air, afraid and crying, I would cut open your chest and take your heart in my hands."

His nose rested on your neck, peaceful, as his grip on your body got tighter. Breathing was a privilege as you tried to remain as still as possible, as you didn't accounted that Chrollo would be in a sour mood right now.

That was dangerous, having him in that sort of mood. The worst punishment occurred when he was in that sort of mood. His fingers traced your hips in an agonizing pace, slowly, as if appraising your entire being. The organs and bones he could use.

Your little game was forgotten as you stared ahead. You would logically survive this moment - Chrollo was far too infatuated with you to do that or so you hoped, but right now your brain was trying to comprehend the sudden heavy atmosphere.

The sullied hands marking your with meat's blood. His breathe fawning over you figure as if he was trying to memorize your smell; the cold goosebumps arising in your spine.

"Stop." You asked of him. "You ruined the mood."

"But I thought we were having fun?" He countered your question, tilting his head slightly to see which expression adorned your face. "Was I mistaken? My bad, then, sweetheart."

He let the knife fall to the counter.

"Run along now. I had indulged you enough for now."

Like a prey, you scatter the moment you're free from your predators sight. You hide yourself in your room while the thought of being gutted like he described lingers in your head. Was that the destiny he already decided for you of he ever gets bored?

You don't want to think about it.

unlike a great many yanderes that you might come across during your lifetime, lilia is one who is fully aware of the fact that his attachment to you goes far beyond the bounds of normalcy — that the lengths he’s willing to go to keep you by his side are so far beyond socially acceptable that they almost appear absurd at a glance — so to say that your open-armed acceptance of his obsession with you caught him completely off guard is, quite possibly, the understatement of the century. or millenium, even

not that he’s complaining about it, of course. because he’d have to be quite the fool to not see your eagerness as the wonderful gift that it truly is. and for as much as he enjoys playing the part of the jester, he is far from a foolish man and he fully intends to take full advantage of the opening you’ve given to him in just about every single way he possibly can — lots boundary testing included, naturally, because he simply cannot help himself but take every available chance to tease his loved ones, a group in which you are now very firmly cemented as a part of (lucky you!)

in many ways your acceptance and encouragement makes his obsession much much worse as without the worry of coming across too strong and risking ruining his progress with you — he may be unhealthily obsessed with you but he would still much rather have you actually like his company… it would be such a shame to have to break your spirit, after all — lilia is much more unrestrained and blatant with his possessive isolating behaviour. outright telling you to cut contact with the people he dislikes, instructing to spend time with your new family instead of being on your own or hanging out with your old friends or your old family, and ordering you to wear things that overtly mark you as his at a glance (and clinging to you and following you around whenever you’re in between classes without a hint of shame, but that’s something he’d do with or without a yandere streak, to be honest)

he also becomes much more lax about showing off his strength and the violent streak he swore he’d entirely outgrown before becoming obsessed with you, not bothering to shoo you away or hide behind euphemisms when ruthlessly threatening and attacking anyone who he deems as a potential threat to your wellbeing or to your relationship. granted he’s not all that violent in general and does much prefer more subtle methods of warding off potential rivals — as it’s just not very cute of him to let his partner see him all covered in blood, now is it? — but as he no longer has to worry about you being put off he’s naturally found himself falling back on old habits that he hasn’t even thought of since becoming a father

there’s also no time wasted on the whole ‘slowly socially isolating you until you’re left with no-one but him and his boys so you move into his dorm (and eventually cottage) with him to stave off the crushing weight of loneliness’, as the second lilia realises you’ve given him the metaphorical green light to do what he wants with you he will be packing up all of your things and moving them to his room within the hour. he does let you come and go as you please, though, as he knows you’ll come all but skipping back to him of your own free will before long anyway

that being said, your eagerness to go along with whatever he wants also makes lilia a lot more lax and trusting with you than he would be otherwise — to the point where there are moments where your relationship almost feels… normal. where you’re almost able to forget that lilia’s love for you isn’t so much love, as he proclaims, but a deep rooted obsession that would send just about anyone else running for the hills or to the nearest cliff edge (depending on the person)

like all of the dates he takes you out on, happily showing you off to all the world while maintaining his usual bubbly and carefree persona as you go about like as any other ‘normal’ couple would. hell, he even teases you for being so eye catching when strangers turn to look at you, his tone entirely amused and only slightly hinting at his more possessive nature in a way that would be all too easy to miss if you weren’t already eagerly listening out for that distinct undertone in his words, eager and revelling in his unwavering desire to own and claim you and show off the fact that you’re his to all that he can

or the frequent ‘family activities’ that he insists you partake in as a means of fostering some more natural bonds with his sons (and student) — which are always so lively and fun and filled with laughter and pouting and mischief that it’s almost like your dear old bat’s yandere nature was little more than a figment of your imagination… only for that illusion to be swiftly, blissfully, shattered the second some poor diasomnia student interrupts the scene and you get to see his expression morph into something cold and threatening, entirely befitting of the general he once was, until the student, rightly, makes a very swift and apologetic exit

and that’s not to forget the fact that he happily lets you wander about as much as you want for as long as you want, only ever showing up himself or having one of his sons go and retrieve you if he has the feeling that you’re actually in danger or if you’re out for a while longer than he knows you intended to be. because, after all, as much as he trusts you he is just so keenly aware of how fragile humans can be — he raised one, after all, and slaughtered dozens back in the day — and even just the thought of losing you is enough to make him feel ill… to make him feel like bringing his old mage arm out of retirement… so do try and be careful, yeah?

Nonetheless, that didn't mattered. You were here in a mission.

"Now, back to our normal program, here it is our fine specimen." You announced your presence loudly, leaving no doubt for him that you were in one of your teasing moods now, not caring if that would land you into punishment territory, as you spoke to an invisible camera. "What he is doing, you might be asking yourself? He's there cooking children for dinner."

You pointed to the way his hand held the knife, using it to slice into meat and watching the blood seeping from it as he kept going, choosing to not pay you any mind at the moment. In rare situations like these, where he was cooking, Chrollo used to concentrate real hard.

You've come to find out (after probing him for details about his childhood - which he didn't shared a lot) that he learned how to cook from watching other people through their home's windows, when he didn't had any food and was planning to steal. It was a bit bittersweet to picture a hungry child and that always used to make your heart ache, but then you look at him and remember exactly how he had kidnapped you and forced you to play the part of his lover, and your pity turn into something else.

"The blood coats his hands, yet he remains serene. Should we get closer?" You thought for half a second before taking some careful steps towards his direction. Chrollo didn't turned around, but he was very aware of you behind him, his curled lips denouncing his amusement from your little act.

"This specimen is unique, as in: he's the only one of his kind. Notice how his hair is slicked back, revealing his forehead marked with the symbol that make his species recognizable."

Turning towards the invisible camera again, you gesture towards Chrollo's forehead, gripping his chin softly and turning his face in the same direction towards your invisible camera. Finally, his eyes were on you.

That felt so silly, but you were determined to annoy him as much as he was annoying you these last few months, always changing hideouts and apartments. Sometimes you would change hideouts two or three times a day and you were getting tired and overwhelmed, not having any time to really rest before moving again.

You just wanted to stay somewhere for a week or two, without worrying his enemies will try to get you (which had happened before) or if he has another mission that requires his immediate attention.

Packing and unpacking bags was routine. Before being here annoying him, you were packing up your bags again, for tomorrow morning, when you would inevitably be on another road trip.

"Having fun, I hope?" He asked, tone soft and sweet, that made you stop for a second, unsure why he was being so cutesy and considerate, though as you went to take some steps back, his hands gripped your shoulders tightly. "Oh no, the big, bad monster got you."

You squirmed around, disgusted how the blood that coated his hands were smearing all over your arms. Now, he was being annoying and obnoxious again. Like always.

He pulled you closer, knife still in his hands as he playfully let it slide through your skin - not cutting, but an undeniable clear warning for you to behave, to keep pretending everything was fine, to be his happy little darling.

Chrollo hummed softly, completely aware of how hard your heart was beating inside your chest.

"Rather, the monster don't like eating children, he likes you. Want to know how he would do that?" He asked and his eyes found yours in a blink, intense, dark and profane. Chrollo smiled softly like he wasn't about to sprout the most batshit thing ever said to anyone.

"No-" he cut you off with his fingers, letting out a breathy giggle as if he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"I would slide my knife through your neck, a clean cut, shallow enough to make you anxious, not enough to kill you immediately." Taking your face into his head, Chrollo pecked your forehead softly. His gestures made no sense when you heard him talking. "And as you gasp for air, afraid and crying, I would cut open your chest and take your heart in my hands."

His nose rested on your neck, peaceful, as his grip on your body got tighter. Breathing was a privilege as you tried to remain as still as possible, as you didn't accounted that Chrollo would be in a sour mood right now.

That was dangerous, having him in that sort of mood. The worst punishment occurred when he was in that sort of mood. His fingers traced your hips in an agonizing pace, slowly, as if appraising your entire being. The organs and bones he could use.

Your little game was forgotten as you stared ahead. You would logically survive this moment - Chrollo was far too infatuated with you to do that or so you hoped, but right now your brain was trying to comprehend the sudden heavy atmosphere.

The sullied hands marking your with meat's blood. His breathe fawning over you figure as if he was trying to memorize your smell; the cold goosebumps arising in your spine.

"Stop." You asked of him. "You ruined the mood."

"But I thought we were having fun?" He countered your question, tilting his head slightly to see which expression adorned your face. "Was I mistaken? My bad, then, sweetheart."

He let the knife fall to the counter.

"Run along now. I had indulged you enough for now."

Like a prey, you scatter the moment you're free from your predators sight. You hide yourself in your room while the thought of being gutted like he described lingers in your head. Was that the destiny he already decided for you of he ever gets bored?

You don't want to think about it.

"Ticket Maker used to cut our hair." Pierrot started to saying, though his tone got colder and lost as he reminisce the old days. "He's a bit of the father figure in the troupe."

You hummed positively, gathering a section of his hair between your fingers, examining it with the critical eye of a dwarf master assessing raw materials. The strands slipped through your touch like spun silk, and he let out a low, appreciative hum. Pierrot leaned into your hands and caresses happily.

"Oh, look at this mess," you teased him, playfully as you pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. "All tangled. All knotted. You poor, helpless creature. You can't even take care of your own hair, can you?"

A giant cat. Or a bunny, perhaps.

That was what he remembered you of.

He clicked his tongue softly, shaking his head. "We had no time these days, my dear one. Everyone has been so busy at the circus."

You dipped your fingers into the crystal vial full of a fragrant oil, and began to work it through the ends of his hair with slow, deliberate strokes. Your touch was gentle, a bit clumsy as you never tended to another person's hair, but you were having fun slowly untangling his hair, your fingers curling around each sttuborn strand.

"Still testing new presentation models and techniques?" You asked amused.

Pierrot snorted. He was just as excited for these presentations than the others, though he wasn't all that thrilled to share his stage with Harlequin of all creatures.

Humming, you set down the brush and reached for a small velvet pouch at your side, a delicate silver hairpin studded with tiny pearls. It was so pretty and also a gift from him, so it only made sense for you to use it on him, as your test subject.

Your brush trailed a smooth path through his hair, being mindful of his horns as you did so, working through the tangles with the patience of a person who had all the time in the world and knew exactly how to wield it.

"There. Ready now." You patted his head, tempted to mess his hair just to have an excuse to have him stay for a few more minutes. Though, he would stay either way. "Should I braid it? Put it on a bun? What do you want?"

Pierrot thought for a second, but whichever you choose would make him happy and satisfied. He lived for these soft, tender moments, as your human hands kneaded and caressed him.

"Put it in a bun, beloved." He asked of you.

Your fingers worked deftly, weaving the pin into his hair with practiced ease, as you put his hair in a bun. When you were done, you tilted his chin up with one finger as you admired him.

"There. You're looking so cute now." You pressed a kiss to the top of his head again, soft, almost reverent. "Thank you for letting me do your hair."

Pierrot giggled, hiding his face between his legs. Then, full of love and adoration, he turned around towards you and wrapped his arms around your waist as he rested his face into your belly.

His eyes closed as he almost purred.

"No, thank you." He giggled again. "You're perfect for me. My hair is perfect."

You snorted, wrapping your own arms around his shoulders. "You didn't even looked in the mirror yet. How can you know it's perfect?"

Pierrot stared at you very seriously, tightening hia grip on you as he delved his face back into your belly. "Well, my hair is perfect because you took care of it."

After that, he stayed like that. Enjoying your touch and love, basking on it as if it was the sun he didn't know he needed, but he was very glad to find.

"Ticket Maker used to cut our hair." Pierrot started to saying, though his tone got colder and lost as he reminisce the old days. "He's a bit of the father figure in the troupe."

You hummed positively, gathering a section of his hair between your fingers, examining it with the critical eye of a dwarf master assessing raw materials. The strands slipped through your touch like spun silk, and he let out a low, appreciative hum. Pierrot leaned into your hands and caresses happily.

"Oh, look at this mess," you teased him, playfully as you pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. "All tangled. All knotted. You poor, helpless creature. You can't even take care of your own hair, can you?"

A giant cat. Or a bunny, perhaps.

That was what he remembered you of.

He clicked his tongue softly, shaking his head. "We had no time these days, my dear one. Everyone has been so busy at the circus."

You dipped your fingers into the crystal vial full of a fragrant oil, and began to work it through the ends of his hair with slow, deliberate strokes. Your touch was gentle, a bit clumsy as you never tended to another person's hair, but you were having fun slowly untangling his hair, your fingers curling around each sttuborn strand.

"Still testing new presentation models and techniques?" You asked amused.

Pierrot snorted. He was just as excited for these presentations than the others, though he wasn't all that thrilled to share his stage with Harlequin of all creatures.

Humming, you set down the brush and reached for a small velvet pouch at your side, a delicate silver hairpin studded with tiny pearls. It was so pretty and also a gift from him, so it only made sense for you to use it on him, as your test subject.

Your brush trailed a smooth path through his hair, being mindful of his horns as you did so, working through the tangles with the patience of a person who had all the time in the world and knew exactly how to wield it.

"There. Ready now." You patted his head, tempted to mess his hair just to have an excuse to have him stay for a few more minutes. Though, he would stay either way. "Should I braid it? Put it on a bun? What do you want?"

Pierrot thought for a second, but whichever you choose would make him happy and satisfied. He lived for these soft, tender moments, as your human hands kneaded and caressed him.

"Put it in a bun, beloved." He asked of you.

Your fingers worked deftly, weaving the pin into his hair with practiced ease, as you put his hair in a bun. When you were done, you tilted his chin up with one finger as you admired him.

"There. You're looking so cute now." You pressed a kiss to the top of his head again, soft, almost reverent. "Thank you for letting me do your hair."

Pierrot giggled, hiding his face between his legs. Then, full of love and adoration, he turned around towards you and wrapped his arms around your waist as he rested his face into your belly.

His eyes closed as he almost purred.

"No, thank you." He giggled again. "You're perfect for me. My hair is perfect."

You snorted, wrapping your own arms around his shoulders. "You didn't even looked in the mirror yet. How can you know it's perfect?"

Pierrot stared at you very seriously, tightening hia grip on you as he delved his face back into your belly. "Well, my hair is perfect because you took care of it."

After that, he stayed like that. Enjoying your touch and love, basking on it as if it was the sun he didn't know he needed, but he was very glad to find.