Chapter Text
You were sitting on a bench in wild zone 12, watching the pokemon pitter along in the snow. It was late, around midnight, maybe even close to 1am now. You had lost track of time and you had turned your phone off to get a few moments of peace. This was one of your favorite pastimes when the world was feeling just a bit too heavy. For whatever reason you always found comfort being out in the cold. Especially when the world was at its quietest. Well, mostly quiet. You could still hear the commotion of the battle zone in the distance.
It was quiet in a sense that the world only stirred with sleep. There were no demands or expectations in the middle of the night and after the last few months of your not-so relaxing vacation this was much needed. You felt extra comfort being enveloped in the cold of the snow covered park. For whatever reason you always seeked out the cold on your low days. Maybe it was the numbness it brought or just enough of an ache to distract you from your thoughts.
The silent night was interrupted by the crunching of footsteps coming from behind you. You turn around to look, surprised when you see the boss of the Rust Syndicate walking towards you. He must not like the cold because he’s bundled up. His usually open coat is shut tight, black leather gloves covering his hands and wrapped around his neck was a knit scarf that matched the poison drips on his coat. He was carrying two to-go cups as he walked towards you.
“Aren’t you cold blooded? I didn’t think you could be out in the cold.” you tease him.
“Ha ha. Are you always going to give me hell?” he says while fighting back a smile. He’ll never admit it but he loves the banter between you two.
“Till the day I die.” You smirk back. You also enjoyed the banter. Someone who could take it as equally as he could dish it out. A close friendship you never would have expected but was thankful for. It was an extra comfort within the large city you had become so familiar with.
“May I?” He gestures to the seat next to you. Always a gentleman.
“Of course.”
He hands you one of the cups before taking a seat. Steam rising from the opening of the lid, hot chocolate, you can smell it. Very thoughtful of him.
“Thank you.” You take a sip. It was the perfect combination of cream and chocolate. A warm comfort in contrast to the chilled air around you.
You sit for a few moments in comfortable silence. Watching the wild pokemon run and play amongst themselves. Visible breaths escaping into the cold air from both of you.
“Do you come here a lot?” He glances at you, curious.
“Occassionaly. I never really had the time with everything going on. Although this past week I’ve come almost every night.”
“Hm.” he nods, mulling over your words.
A few more moments of silence pass. You appreciate that he can be present without the need to speak the whole time. You can enjoy the silent night together.
“Well. I’ve enjoyed sitting here with you but I can’t feel my toes.” He chuckles. “I think I’m going to head home. You probably should, too, before you get frostbite.” He goes to stand, smoothing out his jacket as he does. He looks at you with something you can’t place. “Would you like me to call you a cab? Or walk you home?”
“No-no. I’ll be okay. I’m going to head out, too, but I’ll be fine.” You reply quickly, giving him a warm smile. You appreciate the thought but he looked twice as tired as you felt.
You both walked towards the gate that led out of the wild zone. As you’re about to go your separate ways, he takes one of your hands and places his lips against your knuckles.
“Good night, ma cherie. Let me know when you get home.” He glances up at you and you can see his smile hiding behind your fingers. This has been something he’s been doing lately, trying to fluster you. You remember the first time he did it, you were so taken off guard you could have punched him. Of course he did it in front of a room full of everyone you knew, too. The look on Urbain’s face was comical, to say the least.
“I will, goodnight.” You smile back, half from the memory of Urbain's shocked face and half from his gesture.
You turn to walk back to the hotel and you feel his eyes lingering on you. He’s probably just messing with you again, so you pay him no mind and keep on your walk home.
It was an uneventful walk back to the hotel. You took your time, not quite wanting your peaceful night to end yet. You get settled into your favorite pajamas, turn off the light and get under the covers. You pull out your phone and see a message from Corbeau from ten minutes ago.
‘made it home’ it said, you were glad he was safe. You send him the same text back.
‘made it home, too’ and with that done you set your phone on the night stand and tried to get some sleep.