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He was like the sea. Strong and powerful, and yet so gentle to the life around it. Alolans often spoke of the sea as something alive, and he knew why. Something with such a strong presence must be alive because it affected so much of the life around it.
Corbeau spent many days alone in Lumiose City, surrounded by people he could only trust at an arm’s length away. If anyone grabbed him or tried to catch him, he had ways to get away and to get anyone off.
No one stayed with him. He had allies, mentors, rivals, and eventually they all moved on. He wasn’t a permanent part of anyone’s life. Friends were people who came and went. He could charm anyone to be useful for a day or two, but deep inside he knew it was all going to end eventually. He refused to catch the few partners he had for that very reason—they might find something better, and he didn’t want them stuck with him if an opportunity came up.
Then he met the man like the sea. It started out as a fun little rivalry. He could make that street thug look like an idiot a thousand different ways. When he saw that guy, he laughed every time. Wow, he’d miss this loser when he’d inevitably move on.
But he got too cocky and got caught by him one day.
Philippe grabbed him and shoved him against a wall while Corbeau held his breath. After a second of panting and looking at Corbeau, Philippe started chuckling.
“I’ve been trying to catch you for so long, I didn’t even have a plan what to do when I got you.”
“Kill me?”
“Maybe if this was a month ago, but you know the city so well, and you’ve got a sharp mind for organizing stuff… I saw you ruin a shipment with the perfect timing, they didn’t even know you replaced all the products. Feels like a waste not to admire how hard you were to catch. I think we stopped being rivals a while ago. You haven’t messed with my crew in a while.”
“Haven’t found your crew in a while.”
“Mmm, we got some extra funding recently if we promised to keep idiots from breaking into stores in the shopping district. Didn’t have time to entertain you.”
“Great. Could you put me down?” Corbeau glared at him. “Was it Lysandre?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
Corbeau almost ran the minute he released him, but something invisible kept him there. “You know what? Want some coffee?”
Philippe talked to him like they were old friends. His group grew a little. One of his guys got married and left the crew, and Philippe became a godfather to the kid.
Once they settled down and the small talk ended, Philippe had a proposal for him. He wanted Corbeau to join him. More than that, he wanted Corbeau to be equal partners with him. It sounded ridiculous. Corbeau worked alone most of the time, and anyone working with him knew their positions to be temporary. Philippe made it sound like this could be a long term thing.
“Why?”
“Because if you’re helping us instead of sabotaging us, we’d get a whole lot more done.”
Corbeau shook his head. “Puts me in a vulnerable position.”
“I’ll keep you safe.”
“Why me? Promote one of your guys.”
“Corbeau, we’ve been playing chess with each other for almost a year now. You’re always a bunch of steps ahead of me no matter the circumstances. I think you proved you’re more than qualified to lead a team.”
Corbeau agreed to try it. Stable work was never a bad thing. But when he tried to part ways, Philippe kept following him. He wanted to know where he was staying. The answer made him groan with distaste; Corbeau found a hidden spot around buildings that blocked the view from the street and offered protection from the rain. Philippe was livid and told him to pack his things.
“Just live with me for a few days. I have guys in and out of my place all the time.”
“I can’t sleep around other people.”
Philippe shook his head. “I’ll sleep in another room and let you lock the door if you want. You’re not sleeping out here.”
His apartment felt like being surrounded by the man himself. Like the sea. Big pieces of furniture, with little details of things sprinkled all around. Flowers too, an odd but interesting choice. And just baby’s breath?
“Is this real? Why these?”
“A reminder. My mother’s favorite flowers, and where she got my name from.”
“These small flowers? Didn’t really give you a fitting name, you’re not—” He looked at the little flowers and squinted at an inscription on the otherwise plain looking vase. It read: sincerity and devotion.
“It reminds me to never compromise what I believe in, and to devote myself to do what I know is right. I know working with you would help more than anything else, and I have to admit, at some point I was fascinated by some of your little schemes.”
Somehow seeing those flowers and hearing the origin of why he kept healthy little flowers present in his apartment convinced him. So, Corbeau let himself do the one thing he swore he would never do. He got comfortable there. He let himself live there. And he found something he didn’t know he lacked. This was home.
Like the liar that he was, Corbeau fell asleep so deeply that night, he woke up confused and in a pile of his own drool. After waking properly, he went to Philippe’s kitchenette and was surprised to see the guy breaking small eggs into a pan with such careful hands. Gentle and strong.
“You’re a weird guy.” Corbeau said the second before Philippe hit the next egg.
Philippe stopped before tapping the egg and turned to look over his shoulder. He beckoned him over and continued breaking eggs. “What’d you mean?”
“Big strong, ruthless guy doing things like tending to small flowers, breaking eggs, just all these small things with such a delicate touch. It’s weird.”
“I think I learned it from you, actually. Nothing worked when I used brute force with you, so I took a breath and thought about what you do and how to catch you. Eventually, it paid off, but I already developed an appreciation for that sneaky brain since I had to think about you to outsmart you.” He handed Corbeau a plate. “You eat eggs right?”
Corbeau felt so calm here. So at home. He could breathe the air in here without needing to hold it in to suffer through something. And he believed the guy, that he’d protect him. He closed his eyes to stay in that moment and slow down time. Should he be struggling against this? Letting himself be this comfortable just felt wrong. But he was so tired of being alone, he ate the eggs Philippe gave him and decided to stay until Philippe no longer needed him anymore. Would this much comfort spoil him? Maybe.
But it didn’t, it transformed him.