A/N: Written as part of a celebration of 300 followers on Tumblr and requested by my friend, hyperstorms, to write a Papa Cor fic. While not exactly Papa Cor, this is what ended up coming out of my head. Hope you enjoy!
"Let it go, Cor."
"It's not your problem anymore, Cor."
"The mission is over. No need to get attached to it, Cor."
But Cor couldn't help it. Curiosity got the best of him. What started off as an intelligence gathering mission evolved into something more. He was enlisted for his stealth and fighting prowess. Upon his return though, he added kidnapper to his resume. None had anticipated that Cor would return with a child in his arms. A child whom scientists were more than happy to confiscate once they learned how it was grown in a lab, in the same facility where experimentation with magitek technology occurred. Seeing the hunger in the scientists' eyes, Cor was weary about relinquishing the baby to those who only saw him as nothing more than a laboratory specimen, but he had no say in the matter. Clarus reassured Cor that no harm would befall the infant, however they had to learn what they could about their enemy especially if it would help them get a step ahead of Niflheim.
As the days passed, Cor could not help but to dwell on what happened in the scientists' care. Was the baby healthy? Was he being tortured? Hell, the scientists wouldn't even acknowledge the baby as a human, but rather kept referring to the boy as "it." In his eyes, that made them no better than those damned Niffs.
Soon days became weeks. Then weeks turned into months. Before long it had been years since that day he had snuck into the magitek facility yet he still wondered about the boy. He should be eight-years-old now. Whatever had become of him?
Sitting in Clarus's office with a file folder in front of him, Cor never anticipated on having his lingering questions finally answered. Staring at the cover marked confidential, he did not move to open as if waiting for permission.
"His name is Prompto," Clarus informed him.
As Clarus continued to talk, Cor began flipping through the pages that documented data that the scientists had gathered, which apparently they learned very little about Niflheim technology. All analysis concluded that the child was nothing more than a healthy, human boy.
"He was adopted by the Argentum family when he was about a year old."
According to the files, the scientists were not exactly sure of the child's age. Rather they estimated his age based on his physical development compared to the average child and subsequently calculated his birthdate, however there was no way to actually determine the time of conception or how long he had been in his holding tank. If only Cor had more time to retrieve actual Niflheim research data then they could have better understood the nature of the child's creation rather than guessing every little aspect about him.
Flipping over the adoption records, Cor found Prompto's school registration form, which also included a picture of the boy. The once bald baby now had a full head of blond hair. His blue eyes twinkled behind chubby cheeks that bulged like a chipmunk's as his bright smile pushed up the fat. An innocent looking boy who was created to be a weapon and none were the wiser outside a selected few.
Just as Cor began committing information to memory, Clarus gently shut the file folder and pulled it away. "Surely this was enough to answer your questions."
Cor stood and stared Clarus in the eye. No emotions were conveyed; Cor had a knack for stoic stares and caging his intentions – characteristics of a good spy. "Of course," he answered simply before excusing himself from the office.
And like a good spy, Cor silently slipped out of the Citadel one day without informing anyone of his whereabouts. It has a habit most had grown accustomed to; a habit developed in his youth when he defied cautious advice of not pursuing the trials of Gilgamesh at the tender age of only fifteen. After that day, everyone knew there would be no stopping the man they dubbed "The Immortal." However, today he was not in seeking a challenge from a supernatural swordsman. Today he stood in a coffee shop, fishing for change in his pocket to pay for a cappuccino. After adding a pack of sugar, Cor sealed the to-go cup and walked out the coffee shop with an umbrella under his arm. Tilting his head to the sky, Cor noted how the gathering clouds had grown darker since he first left the Citadel. At least the elementary school was not too far from his current location.
With most people at work, the sidewalks were mostly empty save for a few joggers passing by, flashing quick greetings with a silent hand raise. An occasional car rolled past but otherwise a quiet morning. As he rounded the corner, he heard excited screams and laughter floating from the school's playground. Walking along the metal fence, he began scanning the children running across the field or climbing up various equipment. A few kids were in competition to see who could swing the highest. Each flash of blonde locks caught his attention but none were the boy pictured in the files. Cor was about to give up when a small, stout child caught his attention. The child squatted by a tree, staring at the ground. Cor walked down to the corner of the fence closest to the child and watched him. No other child was near him. In fact no one seemed to notice the child was all by himself. The boy outstretched his hand and held it in place. Then a squirrel popped up through the grass, snatched whatever food was in the hand, and scampered away. The boy watched the squirrel run up the tree and disappear into the canopy. Even after the squirrel was out of sight, the boy continued to stare into the leaves, hugging his knees close to his chest. Then the bell rang, causing the boy to jump to his feet and slowly shuffle back to the school as if he was forced against his will…though it was indeed true that children had no input in their daily educational schedule. In a matter of minutes, the playground as like a ghost town where wind blew through the grass and creaks rang from the swings' chains.
Throwing away his empty cup into the trash, Cor spent the next couple of hours walking through the surrounding neighborhood that Prompto lived in. In fact, through the aid of his phone's GPS, Cor located the Argentums' household. A modest two-floor house – enough space for a family of three to live comfortably. The neighborhood itself was clean. No signs of gang activity that usually plagued large cities and rumored to be prevalent in Insomnia's slums. The boy lived safely. Gauging by the lack of activity at the house along with no cars in the driveway, Cor assumed both parents worked and thus Prompto must walk alone to and from school.
Low rumbles crawled across the sky as the clouds released a slow pitter-patter of raindrops that quickly grew into a steady rainfall. Cor opened his umbrella and concluded it was time to return to his car. However it would be a long wet trek back to the parking garage where he left his car. Puddles quickly pooled, soaking the bottom of his pants. With each step, they clung awkwardly around his ankles. The inside of his boots sloshed uncomfortably as his feet grew wet and cold.
"Get away!"
A child's voice drew Cor's gaze from the ground, where he looked for streams to avoid, up to the distance at the corner of two intersecting roads. A large dumpster blocked most of the view, but he spotted a couple of boys. As he drew closer, his ears pricked up at the taunts and threats along with a plea to "leave 'em alone!" Lengthening his stride, he closed the gap enough for his voice to reach the children.
"What's all this commotion?!"
The boys quickly turned toward the booming voice to find Cor's hardened stare. His battle worn face had "do not mess with me" written all over it, but in reality that was just how his face always looked. Through the eyes of children however the air of authority sent them scrambling home with calls of "let's get out of here!" Even after he reached the corner, Cor continued to watch the bullies disappear into the distance before turning to find the chubby blonde boy from the schoolyard huddled in the corner, completely soaked from the rain. Cor tilted his umbrella so that the boy was somewhat shielded from the weather.
"Are you alright?" Cor asked kindly, trying to soften his naturally gruff voice.
The boy looked up. Beads of water on the boy's glasses obstructed Cor's views of the boy's eyes, but up close Cor could ascertain that thiswas indeed the same boy from the picture. The boy then looked down at the cardboard box in front of him. He turned so Cor could view the litter of kittens inside the box. The mother however was nowhere in sight.
"I'm fine," he finally stated though with a sadness in his voice as he looked at the kittens. "They were gonna tease the kittens. One even said to tie them up and dunk them into a pond."
The boy stood clasping the box close to his chest as he looked down the street toward his house, calculating his next move. Cor watched the squirmy kittens teeter the box off balance. The child struggled to not drop the entire litter into the puddle under him by using his knee to prop the box up every time it began to slip.
"What are planning to do the kittens?" Cor finally asked, genuinely curious of the boy's plans. However pouty lips ratted him out on lacking any sort of a plan.
"I-I don't know. I can't take them home," he confessed but reluctant to put the box down. Cor swore he could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out if he could somehow sneak them home.
Pulling out his phone, Cor did a quick search of local no-kill shelters. The closest required a drive but at least the parking garage was on the way.
"If we take the kittens back to my car, we can drive them to the shelter. They will be safe there."
Replacing the phone in his pocket, he faced the child who only furrowed his brows suspiciously at the man.
"I'm not supposed to go anywhere with strangers," he said flatly and then blushed as he suddenly realized he shouldn't even speak to a stranger.
Your parents are raising you right, boy.
Bending down, Cor picked the box out of the boy's arms. Before the child could protest, Cor stated, "How about I take them to the shelter then, and you run home."
The child bit his lip as if he was being robbed of a sentimental possession. "But…how do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't," he replied curtly, knowing full well that trust is earned and not given. "You'll have to put blind faith in me, but I assure you I mean no harm to them."
Before the boy could retort, Cor turned and began to walk away but then hesitated. Looking over his shoulder, Cor just had to satisfy one last nagging question. "What's your name, kid?"
"Prompto Ar…," he began as if conditioned to automatically answer the question, but then completed a one hundred eighty degree flip and said, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
Cor nodded his understanding but was content that he got what he needed out of the boy. "Go home. You're soaked to the bone," he ordered and then walked away without looking back to see if Prompto obeyed his order.
Cor fulfilled his promise of delivering the kittens to the shelter. Over the next several weeks, Cor visited the shelter, watching the kittens grow fuller from a proper diet and one-by-one being adopted into good homes. After the last kitten found his new home, which so happened to be a little black kitten that stole Prince Noctis's heart (whom only tagged along when he overheard Cor speaking with Regis and begged to tag along), Cor revisited the Argentum household and placed a letter with pictures of the kittens into the mailbox so that Prompto would not have to wonder if the kittens were being cared for.
That was the last interaction Cor had with Prompto, convincing himself it was best to keep his distance. He found comfort in knowing that Prompto was healthy and living a normal life, one that would not have been afforded him had he stayed in Niflheim. It calmed his heart knowing that he truly had made a wise decision to abduct the baby. Twelve years passed before they crossed paths again. While attending to preparations for Prince Noctis's trip to Altissia for his wedding, Cor bumped into a disoriented young blonde man who found himself lost in the vast corridors of the Citadel.
"Can I help you with something?" Cor asked as he approached the timid man who became more flustered at the sudden rumble of Cor's deep, husky voice.
"Uh," he began as he fished a note out of his pocket. An envelope marked with the official royal seal. "My name's Prompto, and I'm trying to find the training room. I'm going to be part of Prince Noctis's entourage."
Cor looked the now lean, muscular man over and offered a warm smile. "Follow me."