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Sue shuffled her feet against the snow-sprinkled walkways of Yorknew. It was uncommon for Yorknew to snow, especially since it was a desert. However, the few times it did, she did not like it. She hated the cold, and the wet snowdrops landing on her made her feel more miserable. Furthermore, she wore her suede boots, which were not built for the snow. So, she carefully stepped around the snow while trying not to bump into any people. She would not have dealt with the weather, however, Chrollo invited her to his home for the evening. Every week or so, Sue would go to his place to watch old movies since he had an entire collection at his house. She enjoyed watching movies with him, as he was not obnoxious like some of the other Troupe members were. He would sit and observe them, sometimes muttering dialogue from the movie to himself. Sue didn’t mind since she was also guilty of the same thing. But it was nice to have company watching films even though Chrollo was her boss. Nevertheless, Sue always considered him more as a friend than someone from whom she took orders.
After a couple of blocks of carefully navigating her boots through the snow, she finally made it to the doorstep of his apartment complex. It was one of many luxury complexes in the city. While she walked towards the entrance, outdoor heaters greeted her, giving her the first sense of warmth she had felt since her walk there. When she approached the door, the doorkeepers standing outside opened the doors without hesitation. She never knew why they let her in immediately, as her makeup, dyed hair, and attire made her look like a punk. But today, she was wearing a knit hat that covered her hair and an expensive peacoat, which quickly made her appear as one of the residents in the complex. As she walked into the lobby, she turned to the elevator, entered it, and typed in the code that Chrollo gave her to go up to his penthouse. Before the elevator doors closed, a wealthy, elderly couple walked in and pressed the button a couple of floors down from Chrollo’s.
While the elevator descended, Sue noticed the older woman was disgustingly staring at her. She turned to look at the woman, who was now muttering to her husband about her. Uninterested, Sue turned her gaze back to the front of the elevator and began fixing the collar of her coat. While doing so, her fingers brushed against her neck, and she felt a rough patch she had not noticed before. She traces her fingers against the rough spot and pauses. It was a hickey she forgot to cover up from her hookup last night.
“Shit,” she muttered to herself as she began to adjust her collar frantically. She heard the older woman gasp at the sound of her profanity. She whipped her head around and glared at the elderly couple, who were staring at her hickey.
“Why don’t you take a picture of it? It will last longer,” she rudely retorted to the couple.
The elevator door finally dinged open. The elderly couple scurried out of the elevator as they both shot dirty looks at Sue. Sue rolled her eyes in response as the door closed. She quickly began to fiddle with her turtleneck under her sweater as she tried to pull the collar up. Most of the time, when she had a hickey, she did not care. However, with Chrollo, he would get extraordinarily concerned and make a big deal about it. It was weird since he always scolded Sue for being reckless and getting hurt, not the other members of the Troupe. Usually, Sue shrugged it off as they were just very good friends. It was similar to how Shalnark reacted to her injuries, but he was slightly teasing. This was different. Either way, she felt terrible that Chrollo felt awful for something that was her fault.
Not long afterward, the elevator door opened to the front of the penthouse. Sue was always impressed that the elevator brought guests straight into the penthouse rather than walking down a hallway and trying to find the apartment number. She walked out of the elevator and stood in the open living space. It was extremely spacious, decorated sparsely, but was still very elegant. Indoor plants, expensive furniture, and the newest television model were perfectly placed in a particular order. Even though Sue felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of riches in the apartment, it still felt cozy and comfortable. She walked around the living room, wondering where Chrollo was. Most of the time, he was in the living room, reading a book. But today, he wasn’t in there. Even though the man was brilliant and organized, he was still a bit of a scatterbrain. He was probably too distracted in the other room to notice her sudden arrival.
“Oh dear.”
Before Sue could sit on the couch, she heard a familiar voice echo through the room right next door, followed by the pitter-patter of feet in her direction. As the door swung open, a familiar figure came out from it. Chrollo did not notice Sue as he walked past her with his nose in a book.
“Isn’t it rude not to greet your houseguests?” she scoffed at him.
Chrollo nearly dropped his book, unaware someone else was in his house.
“Oh, goodness.” He exclaimed as he walked towards Sue. “You scared me.” “I didn’t expect you to come over so early.”
“Well, you said the evening. And from what I can tell, it’s just getting started,” she replied, taking off her knitted hat.
Chrollo looked at his watch.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Also, what are you doing with that?” Sue pointed at the book that Chrollo was holding.
“Oh yes.” Chrollo glanced down at the page he was turned to in his book. “I’ve always wanted to learn to cook, so here I am. However, it’s not going as well as I hoped.” He glanced down at his cookbook again, crinkling his nose in frustration as he peered at the recipe again.
“I mean, you haven’t burnt down the fucking kitchen, so that’s a start,” Sue retorted.
Chrollo chuckled in response. “Not yet.”
Sue gave him a lighthearted smile.
“Wait, I think I figured it out. I think I forgot to add the parsley on top of the dish,” he chuckled, closing the book in response. “I apologize for being such a rude host.” he apologized, adjusting his glasses slightly.
“All good, man,” Sue responded as she slouched on the couch, taking off her peacoat and folding it on her lap.
“How have you been, Sue?” Chrollo asked, sitting right next to her on the couch.
“Better? I guess,” she stated. “You?”
“Today has been uneventful, but having company over is always nice.” He replied to her.
“Would you like a drink or anything?” He asked her.
“I think I’m okay for now.”
“All right.” Chrollo stood up from the couch. “I’ll be back in a few; I just finished dinner.” In the meantime, I can take your coat if you want.” He offered as he looked at Sue’s crumpled-up peacoat on her lap.
“That would be great.” She thanked him as she threw her peacoat towards him. He caught it and hung it on the coat rack beside the elevator door.
Before Chrollo left, he turned back to look at Sue, who was already pulling a cigarette out of her pocket and lighting it.
“Oh, Sue. The movie’s your pick tonight.” He smiled at her and went back into the kitchen.
Sue took a puff from her cigarette and sighed contently.
“Now, what the hell do I want to watch?” She sighed to herself as she blew smoke out of her mouth.
After Sue finished her cigarette and disposed of it in the butt bucket on the coffee table, she went over to the cabinet near the TV. She opened the cabinet and looked at the collection of VHS tapes in there. Sue was always amazed by the amount of tapes Chrollo had. There were various films in the cabinet, from classic noirs to new releases and even underground films she has never heard of. However, there was some film for everyone in that cabinet that made Sue’s decision for tonight more difficult.
Sue stood by the cabinet, muttering to herself. She noticed The Godfather in the middle of the cabinet and grabbed it. She loved The Godfather, and even though she saw it repeatedly, she could never get tired of it. Additionally, it was the first film she talked to Chrollo about, as he was just about as obsessed about it as her. However, they never watched it together. Sue thought about it for a while and imagined them sitting together on the couch, quoting the movie together, acting all surprised at the stuff they already knew, and laughing at their inside jokes about their films. Her heart fluttered at the idea of it as she kept her gaze locked on the title of the VHS. She soon looked down on the ground and snapped out of her daydream.
“Good God, what am I thinking?” she muttered, putting the VHS back on the shelf. “It’s not like we are in a situation or anything.”
“Made up your mind?”
Sue turned around and noticed Chrollo was right behind her.
“Uh. Not yet,” she responded, looking around awkwardly at the VHS tapes. “It’s just hard.”
“Mmmm,” Chrollo hummed in agreement as he stepped next to Sue. “It’s a difficult decision to make.”
“Easy for you to say, you’ve probably seen all of these damn movies in here.” Sue retorted.
“Not all of them.”
“What? Then why did you buy them?” Sue asked him, puzzled that he would buy something he would never use.
“I don’t know,” Chrollo responded. “Some I forgot to watch, others just ended it here.”
“I think I made up my mind.” Sue turned to Chrollo.
“That quick?”
Sue nodded her head.
“Let’s watch one of these you haven’t watched yet.”
“Sue, I think that’s technically me picking again. I want you to be able to choose as much as I do.”
“You said it was my pick? Sue questioned him with a smirk on her face. She patted him on the shoulder as she approached the couch.
“Touché,” Chrollo responded as he looked at the cabinet. Soon after, he pulled out a VHS, which was still wrapped in plastic. He blew some of the dust off the plastic before he opened it.
“Shit, that was fast,” Sue said, who was now slouched back on the couch.
“It was wrapped in plastic,” Chrollo told her. “It’s a film called Sands of the Desert.”
Chrollo didn’t seem too impressed as he looked at the tape. He walked over and handed the tape to her.
“Oooohhh,” Sue exclaimed, all giddy, as she clapped her hands. “This looks fucking terrible.” she retorted sarcastically.
“Sure does.” Chrollo sighed, shaking his head. He never liked watching bad films; he thought they wasted time. However, it was Sue’s guilty pleasure, and he couldn’t help but go along. Besides, watching movies with Sue was always fun, even if the movie was a shitshow.
“Anyway, Sue, can you get the VHS started?” he asked. “I’m going to go fetch our dinner from inside the kitchen, “he explained as he approached the kitchen door.
“Okay, boss.” Sue teased him as she got up from the couch.
Chrollo shook his head as he went inside the kitchen.
Sue stood up from the couch and turned the VHS player on. She loaded the tape into the player and closed it shut. As soon as she returned to the sofa, Chrollo returned from the kitchen holding two plates of food. He placed them on the coffee table next to the couch, where Sue was.
“Oh shit, you made meatloaf?” She exclaimed with excitement as she grabbed the plate eagerly.
“I sure did,” Chrollo responded while sitting beside her on the couch. “You kept talking about meatloaf the other day so I thought it would be nice to make it for you.”
“Damn, you are like my wife or something.” Sue teased, giving him a sly grin.
Chrollo’s cheeks turned a little pink. He then soon shook his head playfully at her response.
“Maybe.” He replied.
Sue giggled as she cut into her meatloaf and took a bite. Her face instantly lit up.
“CHWOLO, WAT THE HELL THIS IS SO GUD” Sue exclaimed with the meatloaf still in her mouth.
“Really?”
Chrollo took a bite of meatloaf. He hummed in contentment as he chewed and swallowed the piece.
“It’s pretty good. It could be seasoned a bit more, but it’s at least edible, “ he said.
Sue smiled as she put another piece of meatloaf in her mouth.
“Anyways, shall we start?” Chrollo asked Sue while grabbing the remote off the coffee table.
“Fuck yeah.”
Chrollo pressed the play button on the remote and set it back down on the couch. He got up while the movie company intros were rolling and dimmed the lights. Meanwhile, Sue had her eyes glued to the television screen while shoving pieces of meatloaf into her mouth. Chrollo returned shortly, handed Sue a glass of wine, and placed the bottle on the coffee table.
“OOOHHH, you read my mind,” she reacted while eagerly grabbing the glass of wine.
He then sat beside her as they watched the movie. The movie was quite dull, about a clerk trying to open a holiday camp in Saudi Arabia. It was nonsensical, featuring lame jokes, terrible acting, and a predictable storyline. However, this did not affect Sue’s enjoyment, as she commented about how funny it was while pouring more wine into her glass the more the movie went on.
“Chrollo, this movie is so fucking good,” Sue stated halfway through the film.
“Sure is.” Chrollo sighed. “What irks me is that the film’s concept is good, but the execution is terrible.”
“That’s what makes it so damn good.” Sue grinned while trying to hold in her laughter. She poured herself another glass of wine.
Chrollo shook his head.
“I just don’t understand.”
“Look,” Sue exclaimed while pointing to the TV.
Chrollo turned to look back at the TV. It just depicted a man and a woman talking and saying nothing humorous. However, Sue was losing her mind and giggling at the screen.
“I DON’T GET WHY IT’S SO FUNNY Sue wheezed. She laughed so hard that she lost her balance and fell off the couch.
“Oh dear,” Chrollo reacted to her sudden fall. He grabbed the remote to pause the movie and went to the floor to help her. She was on her back, laughing so hard that water ran down her eyes.
“Sue, are you okay?” Chrollo exclaimed.
“Yeah, no, better than ever,” Sue responded, smiling. Her breath stank from the wine he put on the coffee table. However, she was pretty much sober, instead, just a little tipsy.
“Goodness, Sue, let’s get you up.” Chrollo offered her his hand, and she took it as he pulled her up. While pulling her up, he accidentally brushed his hand across her stomach, which was showing due to the sweater being bunched up. He noticed that she had a lot of gashes, and bruises on her, which looked like they were caused by her fall.
“Oh god, you hit yourself pretty bad,” Chrollo mentioned, motioning to her injuries. Before he could say anything else, Sue swatted his hand away and tugged the sweater down.
“I’M FINE, CHROLLO,” she exclaimed at him. “Don’t be like a fucking mother.”
She got up and sat back on the couch, grabbing a cigarette from her pocket, and lighting it.
Chrollo, confused by Sue’s random mood change, observed her for a second. She appeared to be very distraught as she was smoking a cigarette. At this moment, Sue shuts off from the outside world and does anything she can to distract herself from this moment.
“Are you okay?” he sternly asked her. He was very concerned about what was going on.
Sue glared at him briefly, holding her cigarette as she puffed it.
“Long fucking story that I don’t want to get into right now.” She took another puff and blew out the smoke from her mouth.
Chrollo, now somewhat understanding what happened, returned to the couch where she sat.
“Is it okay if I sit here?” He asked her
“Sure, go ahead. It’s your place anyway,” Sue replied, waving her hand.
As Chrollo sat down, Sue offered him a cigarette from her pack. Chrollo took one of the cigarettes and lit it for himself.
“Honestly, I’m sorry I snapped at ya.” She apologized to him. “I’m processing a lot of shit right now and I don’t need no one’s help right now. Sue looked down at the bottom of her sweater and tucked it into her jeans. “I appreciate the concern though.”
Chrollo nodded in understanding.
“I get it,” Chrollo stated to her while taking a puff of his cigarette.
The two of them sat in solitude for a while. Sue continued to puff on her cigarette, while Chrollo thought quietly to himself, taking a puff of his own every so often.
“Do you need anything?” Chrollo asked her.
Sue put her cigarette into the butt bucket next to the couch.
“Maybe some water but I’ll get it.”
“I can get it for you, I insist.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I got it.” Sue got up and headed to the kitchen while Chrollo followed her, throwing his half-used cigarette into the butt bucket. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and went to the kitchen sink to fill it.
“I just want to forget everything you know,” Sue stated, turning the faucet on. “Because it fucking sucks thinking about it every moment.” She turned off the faucet and sipped at her water.
“I understand.” Chrollo sympathized with her. “I’m sorry this is happening to you,"
“Don’t apologize,” Sue groaned at him while sipping her water. “It’s not your fucking fault.”
She gulped down the rest of her water and looked back at Chrollo.
“People fucking suck.”
Sue tapped her fingers on the counter and looked at Chrollo.
“Anyways, that movie was so fucking bad.” Sue switched the topic. “Like it wasn’t even that bad that it was funny. Just ass.”
“I agree.” Chrollo agreed, shaking his head.
“You bought the damn VHS though,” she retorted back at him.”
“It doesn’t mean I liked watching it.”
“Mmhmm sure. I think I caught you making goo-goo eyes at one of the pretty ladies in the movie.”
“I DID NOT.”
Chrollo’s face flushed pink in embarrassment while Sue cackled at him.
“Sure, sure,” she shook her head, clicking her tongue in disbelief. “I mean they are gorgeous. Anyways, what do you want to do?” she asked him.
“Anything you want to do?” He responded to her.
“I want to watch something else besides that god-awful movie,” Sue stated, walking back into the living room.
“Sounds like a plan.
…
An hour passed, and Sue and Chrollo were on the couch watching Casablanca. They have seen that movie too many times, but it was entertaining enough. Halfway through the film, Sue let out a huge yawn and stretched her arms.
“You good?” Chrollo asked her.
“Yeah, I’m just really sleepy.” Sue groaned. “It’s the damn cigs always making me sleepy.
“Now that you say I’m sleepy too.” Chrollo yawned as well.
“You mind if I spend the night?” she asked him.
“I don’t see why not.” He responded back
“Thanks man,” Sue muttered sleepily.
The two sat in comfortable silence while watching the movie together. A few short moments later, Chrollo felt something on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Sue, sleepily laying her head on his shoulder.
“Um,” Chrollo muttered awkwardly.
“Oh shit,” She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him. “I’m just a little chilly, I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s okay,” Chrollo reassured her. I don’t mind it.”
“You sure.”
“Positive.” Chrollo smiled at her while looking a little flustered. “I am a little cold as well,” he chuckled.
Sue then inched closer to him, put her head on his shoulder, and leaned on him slightly, leaving enough room not to make it awkward. She was used to cuddling all her friends; however, this was a little different this time. She couldn’t tell if it was from the wine or the cigs, but Chrollo’s presence felt somewhat different. It was so warm and inviting that she wanted to sink deeper into it. She didn’t know what this feeling was. Even though Sue always viewed Chrollo as a close friend, she felt connected to him in a way she did not think with the rest of the Troupe. It was strange.
She felt something hug her right shoulder. She looked up and noticed Chrollo put his arm around her. Her tummy fluttered by the physical affection he gave back. She couldn’t help but smile at him. She felt so relaxed when she was beside him, which was a feeling that she hadn’t felt in a long time. She let her eyes flicker closed as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
…
Sue opened her eyes to the bright light peeking through the curtains. It was the morning. She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the light. However, her shoulders hit something. She looked down and noticed that she was sleeping on top of Chrollo. His arms were hugging her back. She saw that he was waking up as well. Before she knew it, they were both looking at each other, knowing what happened last night.
“OH SHIT,” Sue exclaimed in embarrassment as she fell off him. She immediately sat up and noticed Chrollo getting off the couch and approaching her.
“I AM SO SORRY,” Chrollo exclaimed. His face was completely red with embarrassment. “I DIDN’T MEAN TO GO THAT FAR WITH THAT.”
“ME TOO. Fuck.” Sue responded, having the same red face as Chrollo. She scurried over to gather her belongings.
“Do you know the time?” she asked him, almost out of breath from embarrassment.
“11:36.”
“FUCK I’M SUPPOSED TO GO SHOPPING WITH SHAL AT 12,” she exclaimed as she gathered her coat and boots.
“I’m so sorry I'm running out of your door so quickly after that!” she apologized, sliding back on her boots.
After she stood up, she slid her coat back on. Chrollo noticed her hat on the coffee table and threw it in her direction.
“Thank you,” she responded to him as she caught the hat.
She then went toward the elevator door and pressed the button. While waiting for the door to open, she looked back and noticed a flustered Chrollo watching her leave. She couldn’t help but smile at him.
“I’ll see you on Sunday for meeting,” she told him. “Thanks for everything I guess.”
“Oh, of course.” he smiled at her. They both stared at each other until she heard the elevator’s ding.
“Oh, I gotta go,” Sue muttered awkwardly, heading towards the elevator.
“Bye, Sue.” He responded to her, giving her a soft smile. Sue couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“Bye, Chrollo,” she said back to him as the door closed.
On the ride down, Sue could not stop thinking about Chrollo. While initially embarrassed that it happened, she reminisced about how comforting it was. It was like she had awakened a long-lost desire of hers again. It was odd, but it’s normal for friends to cuddle together and feel comforted by one another during the process, right? Maybe it was something else? After all, they were both a little chilly.