Remember Me (Illumi x reader) (Modern)

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 22

(This has yet to be rewritten.)

"It's true, Y/n. It is getting dark out, it feels unwise to let you go all by yourself~" Hisoka pointed out and I shifted uncomfortably. I would much rather go home by myself than with someone who has been nothing but a pain in my ass the moment he stepped into my line of sight for the first time.

Illumi, who was now standing beside me after a few long strides in my direction, leaned to the side to speak closer to my face. A few strands of his hair tickled my cheek.
"Come now, you're ready aren't you?" the way he said it was degrading, as if to coax a child after a long tantrum. There was an edge to it, added to purposefully irritate me I assumed, and It worked; I felt the pressure of vexation build up into my chest.
Looking up to meet his eyes, there was no sign of amusement shown like there had been in his tone just then. His knuckles had brushed up against my forearm, gently nudging it towards the door as if to tell me, once again, to follow him out.

Reluctantly, I looked back towards Hisoka who had now also begun packing his things.
"Goodnight." I brought my hand up to give a partial wave, earning me a smile on his part.
"Goodnight to you as well. Get home safe~"

✴

Stepping into Illumi's car, I quickly took note of the smooth black, leather interior that matched the sleek outward appearance. I wasn't surprised that he drove something so luxurious. Of course I wasn't, Illumi Zoldyck wouldn't have been caught dead with anything lesser than this. He made that much very clear.
He needed everything to be flawless, not a hair, not a string, not a detail out of place. If there was a flaw, he'd let you know about it and how much it inconvenienced him. Well, he'd certainly let me know about it.
Something that I appreciated however, was that regardless of how luxurious the things he owned were, they were never too flashy. Attention grabbing, yes, but in a way that was kept classy and professional.

Pulling the seatbelt across my body, I even noticed that the metal hook had also been polished. So clean. . . I could see the reflection of my face as I pushed it into the open slot beside me. Sitting up straight and leaning back into my seat, I noticed Illumi push his hair over to one shoulder in my peripheral.
Turning to look at him better, it suddenly clicked how much he changed from the person I had known and even loved. His soft and slightly rounded cheeks had now lost all their fat, sinking in to fit a thin, sculpted jaw. His lips had become fuller, not as thin and pale as I remembered they were. His eyes, although still piercing when he was younger, now somehow held even more weight and age seemingly beyond his years. The way he used to look at me, had now disappeared altogether.
He'd become broader, his body now visibly harder due to the muscle he had gained over the years. The hands I looked at guide the steering wheel, had gone from smooth and kind to, rough and cruel; Large veins now traveling up from his wrist and through the valleys between his knuckles, calluses evident at the tips of his fingers. His voice, a voice I had no problem listening to every day, had kept it's consistent smoothness but had also become deeper and more assertive.
Everything about him was overall, just, different. I don't know why that fact in itself affected me so much. Perhaps, it's because I wasn't planning on ever seeing him again and maybe if I had known I would have met with him again years later, I wouldn't have expected him to become a whole other person; He didn't feel, he didn't look, he didn't act like the Illumi back then, and he didn't. . . remember me. Someone who I held so close to my heart, who was a constant thought at the back of my mind all these years, who I had known my entire childhood, hadn't even remembered my name.
The image of the boy who I had fallen in love with was now being tarnished by a man, a stranger.

The weight in my heart that I had so desperately tried to keep down, had now suddenly flooded into my eyes. Similar to a dam bursting due to the rapid and sudden release of impounded water, hot tears ran down my cheeks. I faced towards my window and brought a hand up to wipe away the proof of my longing, when Illumi's voice suddenly interrupted the consistent muffled noise of cars passing us by on the road.

"My I ask what about me has suddenly brought you to tears?"
As I continued to swipe away the droplets that kept trickling down, I shook my head.
"It's nothing." I mumbled, biting down on my lip to keep myself from releasing a weep.
Illumi didn't impose any further, to my surprise. Instead, I heard him open a compartment at his side and looked to see him holding out a tissue for me.

"Well, if you're so sure, at least have the decency of using a tissue rather than your sleeve."
With glossy eyes and a flushed face, I grabbed it from him and properly wiped away the mess I had suddenly become.
_

Neither of us spoke the rest of the ride to my place. I held the used tissue in a tight fist, my knuckles turning white as I molded it into a ball.
When we came to a stop, I recognized Chrollo's car in my driveway.

Stepping out and walking towards my boyfriend, who was sitting on my steps, I noticed dark shadows around his features;
A large side of his face was discoloured, a mix of black and purple, fading out down his neck. The bridge of his nose was badly bruised, some dried blood crusted around one of his nostrils. He looked up at me and smiled, opening up a gash that had started to heal atop his upper lip.
Bringing my hands up to cup the sides of his face, I watched him hiss in discomfort with wide eyes.

"What happened to you.." my voice came out choked. Looking down from his face, I noticed his shirt that I had assumed was grey upon walking to him, was actually white and had been ruined with dried blood and dirt. The pungent red seeping into his shirt collar.