Chapter Text
The cool night air surrounded the two of you as you walked hand in hand away from the restaurant, it was only your second date with Corbeau but you couldn't deny the obvious connection the two of you had shared for months now. You'd found him attractive from the second you stepped into his office beside Lida, the poor girl trembling like a leaf while she agreed to all of his terms without hesitation. You, on the other hand, had backchatted him at every opportunity, even going so far as to say you'd prefere a showdown at the hotel rather than work for him, loving watching the frustration on his face as he tried not to snap at 'civilians'. After that hadn't taken long for the two of you to grow close, popping by the syndicate building every so often to bother man quickly became routine, as you payed Phillipe off with coffee and his favourite pastries each time. A fortnight after everything happened with Ange he'd asked you out. You'd been hesitant at first, explaining that your ex had left you with some pretty bad trust issues. But of course, Corbeau was persistent. You couldn't deny how good it felt to feel wanted again, and it didn't take long for you to agree to a date, especially after you'd received a bouquet of purple and black roses for the third day in a row, delivered directly to your room by a syndicate grunt.
You chatted quietly as he led you down a side street towards his home, having invited you for a drink away from the public eye. Your heart raced with the implication of what might happen once your reached his penthouse, making your cheeks turn pink from more than just the cold. Suddenly your pulled from the conversation by a familiar voice calling your name behind you.
"Y/n? Is that really you?"
Your blood ran cold as you recognised the voice immediately, spinning on your heel to face the man standing behind you. He was tall and slender, wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans. Blond hair, much longer than you remembered and now streaked with white, hung braided over his shoulder. His silver eyes gleaming in the moonlight as he smiled softly at you, the same boyish smile that had melted your heart what felt like a lifetime ago.
Fight or flight kicked in at the sight of him and you lunged forwards, letting go of Corbeau's hand to curl your own into a fist, feeling it connect hard with the other mans jaw. He stumbled slightly as you grabbed his shirt and slammed him against the wall, your eyes filled with fury.
"You backstabbing peice of shit! How the fuck are you even alive?"
You growled, feeling your heart almost pound out of your chest as you pinned Volo to the wall. The last time you'd seen him was at Spear Pillar, when he revealed his master plan to destroy the universe and almost killed you in the process. That was just over a ago from your perspective, but you could tell it had been much longer for him, despite how young he still looked. Volo's smile faltered slightly as he reached out to cup your face gently.
"I keep asking myself the same thing, perhaps Arceus has other plans for me?"
"Tauros-shit! What did you do eh? Make some bargin with Giratina to extend your life or something?"
You growl, not trusting a word he said after he'd betrayed you, breaking your heart in the process. Suddenly you feel strong hands on your wrists, pulling your hands from Volos shirt and forcing you to step back.
"Y/n what the fuck?"
You'd almost forgotten Corbeau was there, too caught up in your own anger to register anything else around you.
"Let me go so I can beat this peice of shits ass!"
You yelled, fighting Corbeau's surprisingly strong grip on your wrists, your eyes never leaving Volo's face as you glared at him. Corbeau, on the other hand, was completely taken aback by your outburst, having never seen you so angry and violent.
"No. You're behaving erratically and im not going to allow you to injur this man until I understand what's going on here"
He stated flatly. Obviously he wasn't opposed to violence, given his line of work, but he had to make sure your anger was justified before letting you loose on this stranger. He couldn't have you going round beating up random citizans for fun afterall.
"What's going on is that hes a backstabbing megalomaniac who wants to destroy the universe!"
You practically scream as you fight Corbeau's grip harder, shaking with anger as tears begin to stream down you cheeks. Volo watches closely, his shoulders slumping as he sees how hurt you are, and how desperately you want to hurt him. To make him pay for everything he did.
"Wanted too.."
He corrects softly, his eyes never leaving yours as he speaks.
"Two centuries is more than enough time for me to realise the error of my ways, and begin to repent for everything I've done. Though it seems to have been much less time for you..."
You feel Corbeau tense behind you, trying to process everything that was being said as Volo's eyes scan over your face and body, seeing how you'd barely changed in the 200 years since he'd last seen you.
"Barely a year"
You spit.
"And even two millenia wouldn't be enough for me to forgive you for everything you did. Not just to me, but to everyone in Hisui!"
Volo opens his mouth to speak but is cut off by Corbeau, his hands moving to your shoulders to spin you to face him, holding you close as his deep amber eyes bore into you.
"What in the name of Arceus are you two talking about? Do you realise how insane you both sound right now?"
He pauses for a moment before continuing.
"If this is some sort of prank I have to say im not impressed in the slightest-"
"I wish it was a fucking prank, this monster LITERALLY tried to destroy the universe! I had to stop him from using Giratina to kill Arceus so he could become a God!"
You were breathing heavily, your whole body trembling, your emotions overwhelming you as you stared into Corbeau's eyes. He stared dumbly back at you, trying to process the information as he realised just how serious you were.
"She's telling the truth"
Volo adds quietly from behind you, stepping closer.
"I... was not a good man in my youth, but y/n helped me see the error of my actions-"
"You're so full of shit"
You spit, turning your head to glare at him again.
"You said it yourself, even if it takes centuries, you'd achieve your goal. I wont fall for your manipulation again, and as long as im alive I'll make sure this universe survies too"
Your voice comes out almost as a growl as you grip Corbeau's jacket, trying to ground yourself. Volo sighs, running his fingers through the loose strands of hair draped over his forhead, his expression softening.
"I understand you dont trust me, and you have every right to hate me for what i did in Hisui, but I promise I've changed. I'm not the same man you knew back then"
He steps forwards, reaching his hand out towards your shoulder, but Corbeau reacts quickly, turning his body and pushing you behind him
"Dont touch her"
He says firmly, his voice low and dangerous, his eyes gleaming with possesivness. Volo lets his hand drop to his side, realisation crossing his face
"You're her lover..."
His words come out more as a statement than a question a flicker of pain in his eyes as he stares at the two of you, watching you wrap your arms around Corbeau's waist
"I should have guessed you'd have moved on by now..."
"Not that you made it easy"
You snap, your body tensing against Corbeau's.
"You have no fucking clue how hard its been to trust anyone, let alone even consider going on a date, because of you"
Volo closes his eyes as you speak, his shoulders sagging further as he realises just how much damage his betrayal had caused you
"I'm sorry.."
His voice barely above a whisper
"I meant it though, when I said I loved you... It was one of the few things I was ever honest with you about"
You glare at him and shake your head, not believing a word of it. Corbeau's arm wraps around you possessively, his jaw tensing as the vein on his temple pulses with barely contained fury upon hearing another man confess his love for you.
"The only person you ever loved was yourself. I was just a tool to you, nothing more"
Your words hit him like a truck as he realises just how much you must truly hate him for the way he used and manipulated you. He steps forwards again, his voice pleading
"I'm so sorry-"
"You should leave"
Corbeau growls lowly, pushing you further behind him and staring Volo down as his fingers dig into your hip, his presence intimidating despite his much smaller stature
"You've caused enough problems tonight"
Volo watches as you nod in agreement, wanting him out of your sight as soon as possible. He just sighs and turns away, his head hanging low as he walks down the side street and turning a corner, disappearing into the night. You let out a breath you didn't realise you were holding as he goes and Corbeau turns to face you, his eyes narrowing in frustration
"You have a lot of explaining to do. C'mon"
He takes your hand and pulls you through the streets towards his apartment building.