family dinner. we’re eating indian food. don’t ask me why but it’s somehow very personal to me that kalluto loves palak paneer. i’m sorry i don’t make the rules.
it’s as if chrollo woke up from a dream, into another. one moment he’s a mastermind murderer, the next he’s sitting in a restaurant listening to a normally-silent kalluto discuss details of the art exhibit he went to that day. that you took him to.
chrollo doesn’t know what to focus on, exactly. kalluto enthusing? essentially being welcomed to crash a date night? or, was it that you didn’t invite him along to the exhibit?
he doesn’t let it show on his face, remaining ‘actively engaged’ in kalluto’s dissection of the exhibit. (after meeting kalluto for the first time, you interrogated chrollo about him that night, highlighting ‘positive reinforcement’ as something the assassin [‘child!’] ‘desperately needed.’ chrollo disagrees, he turned out fine after all, yet knows when to pick his battles.)
kalluto sports a small braid in his hair, with a small ornate butterfly clip. it’s not something he left the house in.
“is that from the exhibit?” chrollo asks, pointing to his own head while reaching for his water glass. “it looks very nice.”
subconsciously, kalluto reaches up to touch the clip. “oh, thank you. i stole it from the gift shop.”
“you’re a horrible influence,” you tack on, raising your eyebrows at chrollo.
chrollo smiles, glancing at kalluto, who dons the smallest smile in return. “had you invited me, we could have the real thing.”
delight trickles between both of their eyes. “perhaps we can take a detour on the way home,” chrollo says, right as a waiter comes over. he directs his attention over, ordering for the table.
once the waiter walks away, chrollo fixes his gaze toward you. “i told him to just pair the courses.”
“cool,” you respond, “next time we go, we’ll maybe bring you along, how’s that sounds angel?”
chrollo’s eyes close for a moment as he chuckles. “ah, i see how it is.” his eyes open, taking their time working their way up your chest, following the necklace you wore, then quickly skimming earrings to eyes. “i can’t wait.”
