Always (Kuroro Lucilfer) Chapter 5

 “I hate the way you’re always right, I hate it when you lie.”

"Well, I should get going," you announced, standing up from the couch with a sad smile. "It was amazing seeing you all again. It made me really happy."

"Then why don't you stay?" Killua accused, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Clearly, you're not happy with him ."

"Killua!" Gon scolded lightly, grabbing onto the white-haired boy's arm.

You chuckled, ruffling his snowy locks. "It's hard to explain. You wouldn't be able to understand, kiddo."

He scowled at that but said nothing. He simply looked away with a small tinge of pink dusting his pale cheeks.

"I'll walk down with you." Kurapica smiled, standing up from his chair. After hugging the three and bidding farewell, the two of you left the room and stepped onto the elevator. It was silent between you until you reached the lobby doors. "Here," Kurapica pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, holding it out to you. "All of our numbers. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything. Even if it's just to talk."

"I will. Thank you, for everything." you sent him a reassuring smile and left the hotel. It was late in the afternoon, you noticed, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The sky was alight with purples and oranges and it was still fairly cold outside, so much so that you could see your breath.

The walk back to the hotel was silent.

You didn't hear the sound of the car horns or the yells of the angry drivers.

You didn't hear the excited chatter of the people who passed you, happy about the quickly arriving holidays.

You didn't even hear your own footsteps.

You were thinking about Kuroro.

He was right, he was always right. He was always telling you how you would never be able to leave him. It hadn't even been a week and you felt so empty, like half of your soul was missing. Sure, you were really happy that you had made up with Kurapica and the others, but you felt like there was a hole in your chest, a hole that only Kuroro could fill.

" You're nothing without me, " His voice echoed in your mind. " You can't live without me, Y/N. "

And, as much as you hated to admit it, he was right. Even if you did have your friends back, they couldn't fill the hole that he had created. Only Kuroro Lucifer could do that. He created the hole so that only he could fill it.

You stood outside the hotel room door, breathing deeply before pushing it open. You prayed to every deity you could think of that Kuroro wouldn't be there, but the gods were never really on your side.

Kuroro sat in the white chair, one leg crossed over the other and a thick book resting on his lap. One hand grasped the top corner of the book, while the other was formed into a loose fist held against his cheek.

You felt a small pang hit your heart when you realized he wasn't worried at all. You should have expected as much. Kuroro didn't actually care about you, after all. You were the pet and he was the child. He'd play with you for a while but, eventually, he'd tire of you and move to a different one.

You knew that, but it still hurt. Was it pathetic for you to wish he loved you as much as you loved him? Was it silly to wish that he loved you at all?

"Did you have fun, Y/N?" His tone was condescending and cold, his attitude proving that he really couldn't care less. He didn't even glance at you, his eyes staying glued to the pages within his book.

Your gaze shifted to the side and you shuffled further into the room, sitting on the side of the bed in front of the bathroom; his side of the bed. You fiddled with the bandages on your hand, eyes trained on the floor and shoulders slumped.

Kuroro's dark orbs shifted from the pages to your slouched form. You really did look pathetic, like a child who had just been scolded by their mother for eating cookies before dinner. His eyes strayed to your bandaged hand and then to the red spot on the carpet by the opposite side of the bed. Finally, his eyes landed on your arm where a small, almost invisible bruise lay. If it was still visible after all this time, how bad had it been when it first happened?

Kuroro closed his book, setting it on the table before getting out of the chair. His feet entered your line of vision, but you didn't move. You didn't want to see his disappointed look.

"Y/N,"

No movement.

" Y/N ,"

A gulp.

" Look at me, Y/N ."

Fidgeting.

Kuroro closed his eyes in exasperation. Why did you have to be so damned difficult? His dark orbs opened and he leaned forward, reaching his hand out to grasp your chin, thus forcing you to meet his gaze. He saw the guilt, the regret, the pain, and the sorrow. He saw it all, but he wasn't sure what exactly they were aimed at.

He didn't have to ask where you had been. He could clearly sense the chain-user and his friends on you. Not to mention the fact that you were wearing the tall one's clothes. Obviously, you had made up and become friends again. So why did you come back to him? Why didn't you stay there and be happy? He no longer had the power to stop the chain-user. You knew that, didn't you?

You stared at each other for several minutes. Your eyes were a book for Kuroro, but some of the words were in a different language and it was his job to decipher them. Kuroro's eyes, however, were devoid of any emotion, like the blank page in the very front of a book, the words written in invisible ink. You knew they were there, but you couldn't read them at all, no matter how hard you tried.

"You have a lot of nerve, leaving like that." He spoke softly and his tone wasn't cold like you had expected it to be. Rather, it was full of curiosity. "You should have at least called me, Y/N. You know better. And being around Hisoka... that's unforgivable."

Your eyes widened, hand fisting around your pants. How did he know you were around Hisoka? He was only around for a few minutes, the smell should have been gone. Your eyes hardened and your voice cracked. "Did you... go looking for me?"

His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side. "Why would I waste my time?"

"Then how did you know I was with Hisoka?" your voice picked up a bit of confidence, but you still couldn't bring yourself to look at him.

Kuroro, of course, chose to ignore the question, returning to his chair and re-opening the book. You were about to protest when your pocket vibrated. Shifting so you could pull it from your pocket, you noticed the little text message icon. The number had been blocked. Blinking in confusion, you opened the message.

✉ Don't believe his lies, Y/N-chan~ Kuroro is lying.

Somehow, you just knew who had sent that message. You could hear that strange laugh through the text. You could feel Kuroro's eyes burning holes into your back. He wanted to know who you were texting and what was being said. You did your best to ignore it, though.

✉ What are you talkin' about, Hisoka? &amp; How'd you get my #?

Seconds later, it buzzed again.

✉ Oh~? You knew it was me. I feel so special~

You scoffed, scowling at the buttons as you pushed them.

✉ Idiot...

✉ Leave the room. Answer your phone.

You blinked, staring at the message. A few minutes later, your phone began to ring, the rain-themed ringtone echoing softly throughout the silent room. Kuroro's eyes narrowed as you stood up. It felt as if you could still feel his eyes burning into you, even after you had left the room.

Kuroro was thoroughly irked. Who would be calling you? And what was so important that you had to leave the room to talk about it? He didn't like secrets being kept from him.

When you reached the end of the hall where the large glass wall stood, you finally hit the answer button, placing it to your ear. "What do you want?"

Hisoka's creepy, familiar laugh came through seconds later. " You're away from Kuroro, ne? "

"Yes."

" Your dear Kuroro is lying, Y/N-chan~ " He chuckled lightly, voice full of amusement. " He searched nonstop for you. And he got pretty pissed off when he learned that you were with me. Even more when I told him that I had taken you back to your friends! " He laughed loudly this time. Normally, you would have held the phone away at the volume, but you were feeling too shocked.

Your eyes were wide, mind trying to wrap around his words. He couldn't possibly be telling the truth. Kuroro? Worried ? About you ? It was impossible.

" Oh~? You don't believe me? " The smirk was clear through his tone. " He didn't answer you when you asked, ne? Like he'd ever admit to worrying about you~ "

"And why should I believe you?"

" Because I can see through any lie~ It's one of my specialties, remember~? "

He did have a point.

" Pay closer attention, Y/N-chan~ "

"Eh?" you blinked in confusion. Just what was that supposed to mean?

" Pay close attention to his reactions when you ask him a question. Subtle eye shifts or finger twitches. Pay close attention to his mouth, too. Take care♥~! " He laughed loudly.

"Oi! Hisoka!" you tried to catch him, but the line had already gone dead.

How the hell were you supposed to notice subtle changes? You never were that great at paying attention and if you tried too hard, he'd know something was up. Kuroro was a master at hiding what he truly felt and thought. No matter what he was feeling, he always managed to keep the same stoic expression.

When you returned to the room, you were met with Kuroro's cold stare, sending chills down your spine. "It was Hisoka," you stated.

His eyes narrowed before returning to the book. You didn't miss how his body tensed at the name. "I didn't ask."

You shrugged, watching him closely. Normally, you would look away but you had to pay closer attention to him. "I thought you'd wanna know."

The fingers holding onto the corner of the page twitched almost invisibly. "You thought wrong,"

Your eyes widened. Hisoka... he was right! 'God, I'll never admit that out loud'. "Alright then," you murmured nonchalantly, moving to sit on your side of the bed and staring out the balcony doors that lay in front of you. You felt Kuroro's eyes on you but ignored it; you were beginning to get quite good at that.

Your phone vibrated in your hand and you opened the text message, a smile appearing on your lips as you scanned the words. This caused Kuroro's glare to intensify and his hold on the book to tighten.

✉ Did you notice it? He's angry~

Oh, how you could hear that damned laugh of his oh so clearly.