Lucilfer (ChrolloxReader)

Chapter 23

I awoke Monday morning feeling cold and bare. My arms reached out heavily as I sighed and turned, trying to find Chrollo and pull myself closer to his body heat. As I felt around, though, I realized he wasn't anywhere on the bed, and my eyes opened groggily, my brows furrowed as I adjusted to the bright daylight seeping in from the glass balcony doors. Slowly, I pushed myself up onto my elbows, rubbing my face roughly and flickering my gaze around the room to search for him.

What time is it?

It seemed far too bright to be early morning, and usually Chrollo was still in bed with me when I woke up. I reached blindly for my phone on the table, blinking furiously against its harsh light when I flipped it on.

11:51 a.m. Damn, I slept for quite a while.

I hardly remembered the night before, when he and I had finally pulled up to the house. He'd helped me inside and given me sleeping clothes to change into, but all of it was tainted by a restful haze. I looked down at Chrollo's white v-neck, the shirt I wore to sleep, and realized that I wasn't wearing pants, only a pair of lacy underwear—that was probably why I'd been cold. Inhaling sharply, I sat up and untangled my legs from the heavy, expensive red blankets, climbing off the bed with shaky legs and stretching the sleep from my tired limbs. My body shivered softly as my feet hit the floor, and I padded lightly from the room, taking my phone with me.

The halls were quiet, only squeaking occasionally when I hit a dead board as I walked carefully over the darkwood. My eyes strayed lazily over the confused, dark paintings which hung here and there on the Victorian-style walls, analyzing them while still searching for Chrollo in the open doorways. He wasn't anywhere upstairs—he didn't usually spend much time upstairs unless he was in his room or collecting paint supplies from the study. I sighed and pranced quickly down the stairs, running my hand along the elaborately-carved wood railing as I did so.

I checked the kitchen first, and my eyes widened at the sight of a pile of unpacked plastic grocery bags sitting on the marble counter top of the island. Pursing my lips, I stepped forward and looked through them inattentively, my fingers grazing the crinkly material distractedly. Perhaps he'd gone out for food while I was still sleeping, but I still didn't see him anywhere.

I made my way over to the back doors in the living room, pulling back the curtain and seeing that the french doors were unlocked. When I looked curiously out through the glass, I finally found him crouched on the ground, facing away from me. My face constricted in interest, and I opened the door, shuddering at the still, freezing air as it clung to my bare legs. I crossed my arms over my chest tightly and curled my toes as I padded across the icy concrete porch towards Chrollo.

As I did so, I heard what sounded like a high-pitched chortle, like the sound of a small animal. My gaze flickered down to where Chrollo's arms were extended, seeing his fingers softly stroking the backside of a tiny black cat. A smile turned up the edges of my lips when the kitten nudged his hand, motioning for him to scratch its ears.

"Hey," I whispered.

Goosebumps formed on my skin when a gentle breeze picked up, ruffling my hair and his dark, loose locks, ones which were no longer slicked back and hung loosely around his ears and forehead. Chrollo looked up to me, his wide gray eyes warm.

"Good morning, my love." His voice was quiet and velvety. "How did you sleep?"

I shrugged and adjusted his oversized tee.

"Good." I smiled wider. "Did you sleep?"

"I did," he murmured, standing slowly as the black kitten found interest in a dead leaf blowing wistfully around on the cement and scampered away. "I slept for a few hours. I woke up early, though, and left to catch up on a list of things we needed."