Corbeau pretended he didn't see the clockface. Dark circles heavy under his eyes. Frantic typing on his keyboard- the sensation helped him stay awake. So did the stinging sensation around his neck.
Sage was right- Mega Energy hurts when one is a pure conduit. This wasn't even half of what they went through.
It's been 6 days... Corbeau couldn't close his eyes without flashing back to that scene on the roof. Ange had been subdued with a final pulse of Mega Energy. Sage's keystone broken into multiple shards- not even fully complete when pieced together. Zygarde, in a mockery of Sage's image, dissolving into cells and scattering. And Sage themself nowhere to be found.
Frantic? Desperate? Obsessed? Scared? What was the right word for his state? He'd ordered the Rust Syndicate to scour every rubble pile in the damn city. Not even a thread from their jeans was found. Corbeau led the charge, spending 3 days and nights obsessively searching every rooftop... following every RME lead... ordering a detail on Team MZ because Sage would never forgive him if their team went missing, too.
Rattling pulled him from his thoughts. Corbeau turned to see Angostura place a paw on his chair. Scolipede stood right behind her with a worried look in his eyes. The boss looked down and saw blood... hadn't realized he was gripping the pendant so tightly.
"Sorry, girl." Corbeau opened a drawer and grabbed a bandage roll. Habit made the action effortless. "See? All better."
Small trills from his right. Corbeau turned to find Chip hovering above the desk. Cider cooed at his feet below.
"I can't rest... not until they're found." He rolled his shoulders and returned to his laptop.
White streaks lit up the room as three of the four Pokemon returned to their Pokeballs- still strapped to Corbeau's belt. Before the man could question anything, Angostura hopped into his lap. A paw covered his face. All protests muffled through a mixture of fabric and fur.
Phantom Phase enveloped them both.
-----
Shadows swirled and shifted until two figures emerged. The sight of this environment made Corbeau gasp and clutch his chest.
Sage's room in Hotel Z. Untouched. Their sweater was still haphazardly tossed onto their unmade bed. White briefly lit up the room as Angostura returned to her Pokeball.
He was on the bed before he knew what he was doing. Corbeau buried his face in their discarded sweater and laid back. Wet stained his cheeks as he felt himself sob. Gods, it still smelled like them. Like they were just here. Sage was just asleep and is simply up somewhere and-
Something hard poked his head. Corbeau reached under the pillow and pulled out a leatherbound journal. Complete with a cord to tie it closed. Classic archivist nature.
Evidence I Existed part 42 - Sage Umbra stamped onto the front in pressed silver ink. Ah... they'd mentioned they'd kept journals of their life. A thought crossed his mind of where the other 41 were kept.
"Forgive me..." Corbeau whispered to no one and untied the cord.
The first entry was their first date together. Sage didn't spare any detail, evidenced by the blush on Corbeau's cheeks. Notes in the margins showed Sage's thoughts and first impressions of him. Of the entire Syndicate.
Pages turned and hours passed. Each page filled with moments Sage didn't always talk about. The RME pains. Team MZ's scouting and plans. Annoyances about the sporadic Wild Zones and Mable's research tasks. Zygarde and encounters with L. A small annecdote about Jacinthe's Tournament throwing off the RME investigations (but worth it bc Corbeau's suit that day looked rather nice). The man blushed and covered his face with their sweater- both embarrassed and glad they had enjoyed their battle together as much as he did.
Eyelids slowly drifted shut. Sage wasn't here anymore but their love still remained. Corbeau would indulge in this peace for tonight, then wake up renewed to continue the search.
