Finale
Things had been going smoothly. You had the perfect job, it paid well, you got to surround yourself with the most bizarre and interesting people you'd met. It really was the most happiest time of your life so far. 'Had' being the key phase here.
You should have known it wasn't going to be a good day when you woke up and saw that there was a raging thunderstorm outside. The downpour was unlike anything you'd seen, the thunder crashing loudly above the base with streaks of lightening dotting the sky, illuminating it it shades of blue and grey. That should have been the first sign.
The second sign should have been when you went to make everyone breakfast and they hurriedly made excuses about why they couldn't join you.
"I have work to do."
"I said I'd go shopping."
"I'm going out on a job."
"I'm going for a run."
The last one got to you and you stood angrily scrubbing at dirty dishes having made yourself breakfast and eaten alone.
"Going for a run in this weather? Don't make me laugh." You grumbled to yourself, drying your hands in annoyance before throwing the towel down. The sound of a voice clearing brought your attention.
You turned to see Chrollo standing in the doorway, dressed in a crisp black suit and holding a bouquet of the reddest roses you'd seen. Your eyes softened.
"Hey, you." He smiled warmly at you, his shoes clicking on the wooden floor as he made his way over to you.
"Hey, Bunny. Why so glum?" He hummed, moving to kiss your temple gently before presenting the roses to you. You took them, fondly stroking the petals before moving to arrange them in a vase to preserve them.
"I feel like everyone is avoiding me." You sighed heavily.
"Not to sound egotistical but one minute people are confessing their love to me and the next its like they couldn't be further away from me." You stopped arranging the flowers, biting your bottom lip in thought.
"You always have me, Bunny. I'll never ignore you. You know that right?" He snaked his arms around your waist, pulling you against his chest as he moved to kiss your cheek.
"How about we go out for lunch, hm? Take your mind off of it." He suggested and you nodded feebly, finishing rearranging the flowers before moving over to the door.
"Pick something out for me?" You asked him, and it was his turn to bite his bottom lip.
"Inviting me into your room to choose an outfit? That could be dangerous." He teased. You chuckled softly as he made his way over to you.
"I trust you," You said, placing a hand on his chest, tracing the stitch pattern of the buttons. "You are a gentleman after all." You smirked, biting your lip as he captured your wrist, moving to press a kiss into your palm.
"You test my gentlemanly mannerisms, Little Mouse." He hummed, moving to take your chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting your head up as his lips ghosted over your own.
"And I bet I can test it further." You whispered against his lips before pulling back quickly and skipping down the hall to your bedroom. Chrollo smirked, something almost predatory as he rolled his sleeves and followed after you.
"You really know how to wrap me around your little finger." He mused with a smirk, leaning against the doorway of your room as you rifled through your wardrobe. You chuckled at his response before he moved to stand behind you, sliding his arms up your body as he, not so subtly, ground his hips against you ass.
"Chrollo!" You scolded, chuckling at his attempts to seduce you.
"We're going to lunch! Maybe you'll get lucky if you behave yourself." You turned to wink at him, eliciting a growl from his lips. Before he moved to grab a dress from your wardrobe.
"Fine, but only if you wear this." He commented and you flushed as you looked at it, seeing it was the same blue cocktail dress you'd worn the night you two had fucked at a party for Chrollo's work.
"Its a bit much for lunch, don't you think?" You laughed nervously.
"Nothing is ever too much when you're involved, Little Mouse. Besides, we're going somewhere a little up market so don't worry about over dressing." He chuckled and you hummed softly before nodding, moving to change into the dress, allowing Chrollo to zip the back before sliding on some shoes.
"Beautiful as always." He commented and you blushed once more before he stole a kiss from you.
"Now, shall we go?" He offered you his arm, which you gladly took as he led you to the door, moving to hold an umbrella over the two of you as you practically ran to the car to escape the rain.
Once safely inside, he blasted the heat to warm you, carefully setting off. He purposely drove slow, hand on your thigh protectively as he drive in silence, concentrating on driving through the bad weather. It took a little longer than normal, but eventually you began to recognise your surroundings as you drove through York New, eventually pulling into an underground parking lot of a tall, high-rise building that featured a restaurant on top.
Stepping out of the car, Chrollo joined you by your side as you made your way to the elevator.
"You never fail to surprise me." You commented and he looked at you with a raised brow, asking you to reiterate.
"Just... All of this. Giving me a job, a home, all of these nice things, taking me to dinner... Anyone would think I'm more than just your maid." You chuckled awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.
"Would you like to be more than my maid?" He asked casually and you felt your cheeks flare as you looked away shyly, puffing your cheeks out.
"I don't know. This is all..." You sighed. "I'm truly grateful for everything, I just don't know what I want... I've spend time with all of you and to just not be a maid anymore... its strange." You bit your lip nervously.
"We can't share you forever. What happens when you outgrown the position?" Chrollo frowned and you frowned in return.
"Why would I want to leave? I love my job, and I love being around all of you." The elevator dinged, signalling the end of its journey and seemingly the end of the conversation.
"Come on. Let's not talk about this for now, let's just enjoy lunch." Chrollo put on a smile, pulling you gently from the elevator as a waiter met the two of you, leading you to your table.
Lunch was tense despite Chrollo putting on the facade that everything was fine. Your mind kept wandering back to everything. Everyone ignoring you, Chrollo's words, the excuses. You tried to smile, engage in the conversation that Chrollo was trying to have with you but these thoughts kept playing in your mind, making you feel insecure.
Thankfully, you didn't stay at the restaurant too long and soon you found yourself back in the car. Expecting Chrollo to drive home, you were surprised to see him falter. You turned to look at him as he sighed, sliding his hands of the wheel.
"Y/N... we need to talk. Something has been playing on my mind for a while now, and I think its time I finally voice my thoughts." You stomach dropped at his words, your gut feeling having been right. Something was wrong, and you were most likely going to end up in tears. You looked down at you lap as he began to speak.
"For a while know, I've just had this feeling toward you, and I couldn't explain it at first I thought it might go away in time, but it never did, and seeing you with others... It manifested something deep inside of me. I love my Troupe like they were my own flesh and blood, and to have these thoughts is growing more concerning to me. I would never want to hurt my family but you bring out a side of me that makes me want to keep you to myself, to hurt anyone who tries to take you away." He sighed heavily.
"I realised that I fell in love with you, like every other Troupe member seemed to have. Before I get too deep... Before these feeling manifest into something dark, I want to give you the opportunity to leave." He paused.
"That was terrible, let me rephrase that. To put simply, you're fired. And I know that it's unfair, and it's my fault. You have done nothing wrong, you've been perfect, and so I will personally see to it that you always have money available to atone for my selfishness, but you can't work for me anymore. I can't see you with other people, it brings out something unhealthy inside of me." He ran his hands through his hair.
"I never thought someone as twisted as myself could love, and yet here I am, ready to die if you tell me to." You couldn't help the sob that escaped your throat. You knew it. You were fired.
Despite the confession, Chrollo's reasonings and words, you felt nothing. Just when you had found something, somewhere to call home with people you could call family, it had been torn away. You covered your mouth with you hand as you tried to blink the tears away rapidly. You heard the squeak of the leather chair as Chrollo moved, pulling you into a tight hug. He stroked your hair as you sobbed into his shirt.
"Come now, Bunny, don't waste those tears. You don't have to leave, you can stay but our relationship will have to be purely platonic henceforth, you understand right? I'm the leader of the Troupe, I can't harbour ill will for my family." He kissed your forehead as your body wracked with sobs.
"Is this why- why people have been ignoring me?" You whimpered out and Chrollo sighed guiltily.
"I'm afraid so, I wanted to be the one to tell you first. Don't blame them, I ordered them directly." He confessed and it made your gut wrench.
"So my only option is to choose then?" You sniffled pulling back and wiping your tears.
"If I choose someone then everything will be okay, right? Right?!" You snapped, mind reeling and thoughts racing. If you chose, there wouldn't be anymore fighting. If you chose, you could stay. If you chose, you wouldn't be alone again.
Chrollo was silent.
"That's what you wanted, isn't it? Fire me and get me to choose someone so everyone is happy. Right?" You wiped your tears.
"Fights have already broken out between us. How do you think we'd all react if you were hurt, if you were put in danger? Hell, what if you got pregnant?! None of the men in the Troupe are fit to be fathers, let alone the fights that will break out over who's child it is." He moved to calm himself before he lost it. He took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, that was entirely uncalled for. What I'm trying to say, is that you are not the sole issue here, my Troupe just don't know how to handle things well." He sighed and you looked at him.
"And you do?" You questioned.
He remained silent.
"Take me back. I want to go to my room." You said quietly, and after a few minutes of silence, he obliged with that request. The ride home was quick, and you didn't wait for Chrollo to come around with the umbrella as you tracked through the rain to the door.
Drenched, you kicked off your shoes at the door, hiking your dress up, the fabric having become heavy due to the rain. You makeup had run from both the weather and from crying as you made you way to your room, sniffling.
"Are you okay?" Uvo was coming up to you immediately.
"Darling, you look positively drenched, what happened?" Hisoka was also there along with a few others. You dropped the fabric, holding your hand up to stop them from coming closer.
"Don't. I want to be alone." You hated the way your voice made it obvious that you had been crying before you moved to shut yourself into your room. Stripping the garment off you moved to your bed, burying your face in the sheets to sob.
After a few hours your tears calmed and you laid in the darkness in silence. Now you'd calmed down, you were able to think clearly.
To choose Chrollo would mean you could stay, you could be around everyone as a family and you'd have someone strong at your side to support you.
To choose Hisoka would mean you may lose your bond with others, no doubt you would eventually have to leave due to Hisoka being outcast. But he'd always treated you like a princess, always there to care for you and pick you up when you were down.
If you were to choose Uvo, you knew you'd be in safe hands. He'd protect you and provide for you, you could even see yourself starting a family with him. He was reliable and so sweet.
Choosing Machi would mean you'd get to stay, she was close with the group but you knew she wouldn't take anyone's backtalk, she'd defend you to the ends of the earth.
Of course Pakunoda was a sweetheart. Always taking your feelings into account and knowing exactly what you needed. She was reliable and good to talk to. She always listens.
You'd never grow tired of Shalnark's antics. He was hilarious, cute and incredibly intelligent. You could relax with him but you knew he had a serious side that allowed him to have the perfect balance.
Illumi was new. He was something unexplored and exciting. He was dangerous and wild, yet seemed to know what you wanted before you even knew yourself sometimes. He offered you the world on a platter though only knowing you for a short time and you knew he was the type to stick to his word. You knew there would be no lies with him.
Nobunaga was sweet, cautious but calculated. You knew you'd be well taken care of. He was enjoyable company, down to earth and humble and you could use more of that energy around you.
Shizuku was shy and quiet, but you knew once she opened up she was fun and interesting. She was still letting down her walls, but each layer you peeled back revealed someone who was kind and caring, engaging to talk to.
Phinks was an enigma. He confused you on many levels, his thoughts wild and his talents were impeccable. He too was intelligent and made you laugh, bringing out a wild side of you that you never knew you had. You felt safe when he was around.
Feitan was still a mystery to you. Calm and calculated, you never quite knew what he was thinking. He kept you on your toes and you wondered if he would reveal more of himself to you. From what you'd seen, he was charming and no doubt strong, despite his seemingly scary front, he was a kind soul beneath it.
And then of course you could choose no one, you could leave. Start fresh. It would be hard, sure, but you could do it. Though you doubt it would not be so easy to leave. From what you'd gathered, these people that you had surrounded yourself with weren't the highest functioning members of society and if you had to gander a guess, you doubted they'd let you leave alive with all the information you knew.
Then again, you could refuse to choose anyone. You would lose Chrollo but everyone else would stay the same. Unless they too felt like Chrollo, in which case you'd just be putting them through more pain, which is the last thing you wanted to do.
You pondered for hours, thinking through everything carefully, weighing up your options before confirming everything.
You'd made up your mind. There was no going back after this.