contains: casual to professional, secret relationship, established relationship, nonchalant! chrollo, subtle possessiveness, idk how to tag this tbh
A/N: heol... hope you like it>-< sorry for taking so long...
requested by 🍀 anon !!
the hideout was drafty, the air smelling of dust and old concrete, but the phantom troupe was used to it. chrollo was standing a few feet away, deep in a hushed, serious conversation with shizuku about their next move in yorknew. his back was turned to the rest of you, his long coat sweeping the floor as he gestured toward a map.
meanwhile, the rest of the spiders were bored.
"this is taking too long" uvo grunted, cracked his knuckles. "i need to hit something."
"let's play a game" pakunoda suggested, leaning against a pillar with a rare, amused glint in her eyes. "put a finger down. it’ll pass the time."
you were sitting on a crate, half-listening to chrollo’s low, melodic voice and half-watching feitan and phinks argue over who had to keep watch. you raised your hand along with the others, your mind drifting.
it started out harmlessly.
"put a finger down if you’ve ever killed someone for a piece of jewelry" machi said flatly. everyone's finger went down.
"put down if you been to meteor city" feitan muttered. another finger down.
you were barely paying attention, eyes fixed on the back of chrollo’s head, admiring the way his hair fell over his collar, when hisoka’s voice cut through the air like a deck of cards.
"put a finger down..." hisoka started, his voice dripping with that signature, mocking theatricality "...if you've ever fucked your boss before."
the circle went silent. shalnark let out a choked-out laugh, and even uvo looked surprised. you stiffened, your heart jumping into your throat as your gaze snapped to hisoka. he was looking right at you, his golden eyes narrowed into a smug, knowing smirk. he knew. of course he knew.
you froze, your finger still stubbornly held up in the air. you couldn't put it down—that would be an admission in front of the entire troupe. but keeping it up felt like a lie that hisoka was ready to tear apart.
just as you were about to stammer out a deflection, you felt a presence behind you.
chrollo didn't stop talking to shizuku. he didn't even pause his sentence.
"...and once the auction begins, shizuku, you'll handle the southern exit while franklin covers the—"
as he walked past you, his hand reached out with casual, terrifying precision. his thumb and forefinger caught yours, firmly but gently folding your finger down into your palm. he didn't look at you. he didn't look at hisoka. he just kept walking, his voice never wavering as he continued his instructions.
"—while franklin covers the main hall. make sure the vacuum is ready."
he moved out of the circle as if nothing had happened, leaving you sitting there with your hand closed into a fist and your face burning a bright, frantic red.
hisoka let out a low, delighted chuckle, leaning back against the wall. the rest of the troupe was silent, looking between the back of their leader and your blushing face.
chrollo had just claimed you in front of everyone without even breaking his stride.
"well, It seems we have a loser." Hisoka added, the mischievous smile on his face wide.
