welcome home
The sun was beginning to hide, forcing the orange sky to fade into a lovely shade of purple, when they finally arrived at Insomnia. After passing countless stops, and checkpoints where lazy guards were supposed to be doing their work instead of sleeping-Prompto spent a five minutes straight laughing at one of the guys' face when he saw it was Cor and no other fellow guard or common citizen driving the car-Prompto was going to finally witness the greatness of his newfound dream: the maze of industrial life that made up his future home.
Not paying attention to Cor's concerned voice rambling on about safety and other unimportant things at the moment, Prompto rolled down his window and stuck out half his body outside the car. Wide eyed, he took in the sight ahead. Millions of giant structures rose up from the ground, towering over the ant sized cars in comparison-it was a party of both old and new styles that showed on the buildings formed entirely of transparent glass and the ones that resembled, in their gothic design and appearance, some of the ruins Prompto had seen outside the walls.
It was everything he'd expected and more, and what amazed him the most was the incredible amount of human life thriving on the streets, the loud cacophony that was the city's spirit poured out of conversations and exchanges that mixed and combined into relaxing background noise. Music the boy would never get tired of listening for the rest of his life. Nothing akin to the frightening quiet of the wilderness and the soft murmur of voices as he slept in a trailer.
Everything inside Insomnia was a stark difference from the harsh almost rural zones of Lucis he had seen accompanied by his blonde savior. He called to mind Lestallum as the only vaguely similar location to Insomnia but even so, it paled considerably next to this wonderful metropolis. He had traveled great lengths to get to this place and now that his mission was complete, he had to admit the wait had been well worth it.
A feverish furor took over him then, and he felt like yelling his excitement to the entire world. He would have probably done it, if suddenly a hand had not grabbed him from the back of his ruined shirt and pulled him back to the car seat.
"Hey!" Prompto whined, turning his head to give Cor the stink eye.
"Don't 'hey' me, boy. Do you have a death wish?" grumbled the man. His stink eye put Prompto's own to shame but he wouldn't let that deter him.
"No, sir"
"Then why did you do that? You are extremely lucky you didn't lose your head out there. Almost gave me a heart attack"
Prompto's bad humor brightened a little "Were you worried about me?" he questioned curiously.
"Of course I was" Cor said as if it was glaringly obvious "Who do you take me for? No, wait. Don't answer that"
The boy latched quickly onto the words he spoke, ignoring the last part. The man was worried about him. He cared about Prompto's wellbeing.
He grinned from ear to ear "I see"
"Eh?" Cor muttered, his expression one of confusion, maybe wondering if Prompto was brain damaged.
"Thank you very much" Prompto sang, a healthy blush rushing to his cheeks and ears. Warmth he had only felt during those days in the fields with the lady hit him at full speed.
The royal guard's look of utter bafflement he directed at the boy because of the comment was totally uncalled for.
"You…" the worry lines made their awaited reappearance while Cor battled to find a way in which to tell the boy the message he wanted him to understand.
"You're a very strange kid" he settled for that.
Promto's eyebrows elevated to his hair line. He fidgeted in his seat, rested his chin on his palm, looking at the man's concerned eyes.
"How am I strange?"
In his defense, he did want to know. He needed as much information as possible on functioning in normal society, since he was painfully aware of how very much inept he was at it. A flan most likely possessed more experience when it came to dealing with people than he did.
Cor moved his head from side to side "Normally, no one would thank someone for caring about them. That is a given"
"Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'? Has no one… Look, it's natural for people to care about each other. That is the way of human nature. Thanking them for something as basic as that is not necessary. You don't need to do it"
Prompto hummed, not convinced one bit by his words. To him, it did feel important. How many people out there really cared about the safety of others? They were few for sure. He had to cherish every real moment he was shown and what better way to show his appreciation than by thanking them for their sincerity?
"Still, thank you" he said from the bottom of his heart, smiling innocently.
Cor scoffed at him, saying under his breath something similar to 'stubborn brat'. Cor was a man who tended to scoff a lot, Prompto had come to understand, but he didn't mind. Much.
Rolling his eyes the boy rested his elbow on the open window and watched the scenery fly by them. The wind brushed the hair back from his face and cooled the fine layer of sweat on his skin. He took in the sight of lights illuminating each and every corner of the city; it was beginning to get dark after all. Naturally, that train of thought led him to conjure up the horrors that lied waiting behind the walls, making untimely appearances on the roads at night when unfortunate drivers found themselves caught with nowhere to take refuge.
A question he had procrastinated since his conversation with Cor half an hour ago begged to be spoken.
"Sir, what is going to the happen to the people waiting outside Insomnia? Will they…" he shivered, thinking about how close he had come to that scenario himself. He hoped with all his heart for that to not be the case for those poor souls who hadn't had the chance to at least pass the gates. "Will they be eaten by daemons?"
Just as he asked that, they arrived at their destination. They were not the only ones there; many cars like the one Cor was driving were parked across the expanse of the street bordered by empty houses. The royal guard turned the car off and sighed-another attitude he repeated a lot-, rubbed his temples using his index finger and thumb.
"You know a lot, don't you?" Prompto didn't know what to say to that so he just nodded "Have you seen one yourself?"
He had. Sometimes when he and the lady had stayed out late they'd encountered them. She was the one who fought while he hid behind bushes, trees or ruins depending on which area they were in at the time. He had watched scared out of his mind as she defended him fiercely.
Of course, this was an anecdote he could not tell Cor.
"No, I haven't" he lied through his teeth, knowing it was impossible for a child to survive on his own when the world was covered in darkness "I only traveled when the sun was up in the sky but I did hear many travelers talking about them"
"Thank the Astrals for that. You wouldn't want to see those ugly sons' of-Sorry, ugly creatures"
Prompto agreed weakly.
"Anyhow, nothing will happen to the people outside. The daemons don't dare approach the wall, not even when the sun goes down and even if they did, a squad patrols the perimeter every now and then. They'll be fine"
"Oh." The boy felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. However, Prompto's curiosity was nowhere near satisfied "And why do the daemons stay away from the wall?"
"What do you know of Lucian history, Prompto? Probably not much, am I right?" Cor asked this with genuine interest in his tone. He looked animated in ways he hadn't been before. Maybe he liked the turn the conversation had taken.
He was right. Prompto didn't know a lot about this new, big territory he found himself in. He recalled a few conversations with his temporary guardian that ended going down that route, something about a Crystal, and kings but he hadn't been paying attention then, disregarding the information as unimportant. He shouldn't have.
"Yes. No, I mean, I don't know. Lucian history, that is"
He hated when his mouth got ahead of himself.
"Fine, no problem. First things first, do you know what or who The Astrals are?" This he did know so he answered positively. "Very well, then you know The Astrals, along with some mystical beings that remain unknown to us, created everything that we know of. Everything we see is because of them. Do you follow?"
"Yes, I do"
Cor continued promptly "According to the legends, The Astrals one day bestowed humanity with a gift. That gift was the Crystal, the greatest source of magical power in existence. It is said it was given to one chosen king of Lucian lineage along with the Ring of the Lucii, which enables its wearer to use the Crystal's power as they see fit in exchange of their life force. For generations, the Kings have made use of the Ring to protect Insomnia from daemons and Niflheim's forces. On account of this power is that this city has survived the long years of war"
Prompto's engrossment with the story had increased exponentially the more Cor Leonis talked. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know it all. It was like a piece inside him he had never understood abruptly gained meaning. Something deep inside him yearned for the unidentified at the mention of a Lucian king; he felt a spark of recognition somehow.
"Where is the Crystal right now?" he inquired, tone full of wonder.
Cor pointed one finger to the distance, up above, and Prompto's gaze automatically followed it. The Royal Palace was what his awed eyes met.
"Somewhere inside the Citadel lays the mystic Crystal" Cor said ominously "Where exactly, well, that is for me to know and for you… to never know"
Having said this, the member of the Crownsguard wearing a satisfied smirk climbed out of the car and left the boy frozen in his seat, dumbfounded and jaw hanging wide open. Prompto stared numbly at the palace in the horizon until he finally snapped out of his surprised trance and scrambled to get out of the car and confront the man.
"That was mean!" he yelled once he stood on the sidewalk next to Cor.
"I know, that is why I did it" noticing Prompto's pouting face, he added in his low baritone "I'm sorry kiddo, it's not that I don't want to tell you. I just can't reveal the location of the Crystal to anyone. Maybe, in the future, you'll become part of the Crownsguard and have the opportunity to find out for yourself"
He put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and Prompto had the slight suspicion he was still being made fun of so his pout turned even more exaggerated. The man ignored this, signaled with his thumb at a point behind him and told Prompto "Now, stop that cheap manipulation and let's go. We have still a couple of things to do"
He turned his back and began walking down the street. Prompto groaned.
Oh no, he wasn't done yet? He walked on Cor's right side, staring at his shoes and threw the occasional glance in the other's direction. What else was needed? All he wanted at that point was a warm place where he could sleep and if possible, another one of those heavenly garulea burgers. He didn't think he was asking for much.
From the corner of his eye, he spied guards walking up and down the street, some alone, others were accompanied by small groups of a maximum of three people and entered vacant houses at random, with no discernible pattern.
"Where are we anyway?" he asked too loud for his liking and colored a bright red. Quickly, his face turned to the very interesting pavement.
"This is a special neighborhood, Prompto. It was inaugurated recently on King Regis' orders, made specifically for the people who came to Insomnia in need of shelter. This is where you will live too, once we settle everything on record and get you checked up"
That actually sounded quite nice. He only had to hold on for a while and he would finally be truly, really free. His spirit soared and he hurried to match Cor's long strides, arranging his posture to seem taller, puffed out his chest in naïve determination.
At the end of the street a medical post was set. Two women, three men and five children formed a line in front of it. The adult's faces were grim while the kids were half afraid, half happy. Perhaps their journey hadn't been as fun as Prompto's had been.
A woman with a long braid of dark hair in a white coat examined a kid in the post, who seemed a few years younger than him.
Rompto's blue eye rested too long on the woman, the medic. The doctor.
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
His throat felt clogged with something and he had the sudden urge to throw up. He stood, shaking and a lump in his throat prevented from speaking and why on earth was he panicking. White, his mind supplied, the white coat. Knees shook and that nervous sweating was back again.
His body, in Insomnia. His mind, in Gralea.
What was real, Cor's worried visage, or the faceless doctor injecting him with a serum that caused him terrible minutes of temporary blindness while hands grabbed him under the arms to keep him from moving around too much?
He closed his eyes. Deep breaths, Prompto, deep breaths. Said softly the blond haired woman, her smooth palms cupping his cheeks, telling him it was alright, she was here, he was here. He was real.
Her presence, imaginary or real, always kept him grounded in the now.
When he opened his eyes she was no longer there at his side. Cor was, long fingers on Prompto's bony shoulder and his other hand pressed against his forehead, gauging for a fever maybe. Prompto, after regaining consciousness and remembering where he was, gently moved Cor's hand away from his face. Tried to bring a smile to his lips.
"I'm alright" he said as firmly as he could, given the circumstances.
I'm alright, he repeated mentally looking again towards the medical post where everyone had turned their heads in their direction. He was strong; he was here not somewhere else. His little hand curved in a fist. Before he was able to change his mind, before could Cor interrupt him again asking about his state, Prompto moved towards the post decidedly. He had made it this far, he had lived things no other kid his age should, he knew that much; he had thrived where others would have failed, he wasn't going to keel over this small obstacle.
Of course, a firm grip on his wrist deterred the boy from his mission. Cor looked down at him with a dead serious expression-he probably didn't appreciate Prompto ignoring him in such a situation, after the number he'd pulled.
"Don't be ridiculous. You're clearly not alright. What on earth was that?" The man didn't even let Prompto answer, immediately turning his head in the direction of the medical post and shouted "Risa!"
The woman in the white coat, whose name now Prompto knew was Risa, told something to the man she was examining, then grabbed a few things from the van behind her and ran towards them. Prompto had no idea how she did it while wearing high heels, the braid swinging from side to side. She stopped one meter away from them. Impressively, she looked composed as ever, not even the slightest sign showed she was out of breath.
"Sir, what is the matter?" she asked not really looking at Cor, instead her stare focused on Prompto who tried to disguise the tremors that ran up and down his small body.
"I'm not sure. One second he was fine, and the next he almost fainted. He didn't even notice me calling out his name. What do you think?"
The black haired woman leaned down to Prompto's eye level. A tentative smile formed in her heart shaped face. "May I?" she gestured to his forehead, Prompto meakly said yes, swallowing his fears like a bitter pill. The back of her hand felt cool against his skin and he sighed in relief quietly. The touch that followed was on his neck and just as fast as it began, the hand was gone.
"Hmm, he doesn't seem to have a fever. It could be anything. I will need to do a proper checkup"
"Do what you must" She nodded severely, pulled out a walkie talkie out of her back pocket and requested for someone to cover her at the post. She said some other things but Prompto tuned her out, fidgeting where he stood. Cor was unnervingly silent too.
Once done talking, she put the device back where it belonged and looked at them again.
"If you'd follow me, please" she offered her hand for Prompto to take. He tried to not think too much about it as he did as he was supposed to and took it.
He was in Insomnia. No one was going to hurt him. Not anymore.
She walked to the closest quarters, Prompto falling into step right behind her. Cor moved to follow them but the woman, Risa, shook her head no "I think it would be best if we talked in private, with all due respect, Sir."
What? Dizziness overcame his senses and thought that for a cruel moment, it was all a nightmare. No, this could not be happening. His desperate eyes found Cor's icy glare expecting him to do something about it. He had to say no. There was no other way, right?
Cor stared between him and the woman. Silence stretched on for what felt like a lifetime, all the same the man said nothing. He was speechless-his orbs met Prompto's two, three, four, five times and what he saw there was too complicated to understand. He looked conflicted but in the end, clicked his tongue, jaw abnormally tense and growled "If you think it's absolutely necessary"
No!
Prompto's eyes begin to water yet he could do nothing as the woman pulled him in the direction of the closest house. Why was this happening? He made a pathetic excuse of a sound when he tried to object, say anything to stop this craziness from happening. The woman's hand felt like a vice. His eyes did not stray from Cor, left standing in the middle of the street looking lost, not even when the door closed right in front of him.
As it did, Risa let go of his hand, looked at him with poorly concealed pity.
"So, what is your name, little one? I'm Risa Walker, maybe you heard my name from The Marshal, haha. Nice to meet you"
Prompto did nothing. Just peeked at her from under his yellow bangs.
She bit her lip and interlocked her fingers together "I won't hurt you, you know that? I'm a doctor, you know what a doctor is?"
He frowned, of course he knew what a doctor was, he was not stupid.
"Ah, if you know what a doctor is then you must know we're in charge of taking care of other people's health and I just want to make sure you are one hundred percent healthy, okay?"
Well, besides from acting annoying, she didn't seem like a bad person.
"My name is Prompto" he whispered to the silent space.
"There we go. Not hard at all, wasn't it? Let's take a seat, shall we?"
Why did she have to turn everything she said into a question, he wondered as they walked to the living room where they sat on the couch. He put as much space possible between them, him on one end, Risa on the other.
Absentmindedly, he took a look around the house. It wasn't anything fancy but it gave off a calm feeling he could get used to and maybe with a little bit of love, of life and human hearth then it could turn into a real home. He tried to focus on that and not the fact he was alone with this unknown woman.
While he pondered this, Risa took a notebook and pen out of her handbag and looked at him expectantly.
"So, your name is Prompto…?" she asked in her high tone.
"Argentum"
"Okay" she wrote that down "How old are you?"
"Eight years old, I'll be nine on October 24th, I think"
The pen stopped moving "You think?" she asked, tone taking a sharp edge.
"Yes… I don't remember…" He proceeded to tell her the same made up story he had fed to Cor, praying she'd believe him as well. He spoke slower having learned his lesson after that time, knowing he had to sound convincing. He imagined his blond guardian giving him a 'thumbs up' and that animated him further.
He finished his retelling, palms bathed in sweat. Risa, surprisingly, looked entirely nonplussed, her expression a blank slate. It was very off putting, especially taking in account how easily she switched personalities from pure business, to annoyingly childlike then… nothing. She just stared at him. And stared. And opened her mouth, her eyebrow twitching slightly "What you're telling me is severe, young boy. You don't know where you came from; you don't know if you have a family…" She went on, listing everything the boy had told her, and at some point it was more like she was having a conversation with herself than with him, almost as if she had forgotten about his presence in the room.
Succeeding this strange turn of events, dark eyes peered at him from equally dark lashes "Maybe…" her voice drifted, "Prompto, you started feeling faint when you saw the medical post, is that right?"
He blinked "Faint?"
"Like you were going to pass out" she corrected, grave and direct. He answered 'yes'. She nodded and was that a hint of worry in her pupils? "Could it possibly be that this reaction of yours has something to do with the reason why you can't remember lots of things?" He frowned in confusion. She was clearly trying to imply something but the nature of that implication, Prompto did not know. "Okay" she started anew ", this might sound a bit weird but I want you answer this as truthfully as you can. No excuses or anything of the sort. Prompto, did you ever have, let's say, a bad experience with doctors?"
His heart jumped to his throat. His eyes couldn't help but widen minimally, and his heart rate increased. His fingers on the thighs of his pants shook alarmingly. What to say…
"I..I don't think so?" he stated, sounding like a question rather than a firm affirmation "It was the white, I saw the white and I…. felt bad." Conveying the nasty thoughts again, he gave her the best puppy eyed look he could muster, tears springing immediately to his eyes. His lower lip trembled "Please, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don't know what is happening. Please" he begged in his whining voice and he saw how it took immediate effect on the woman, who suddenly lowered her eyes guiltily.
He sniffed for a better result. In his ears, someone's voice resounded ("Remember, if someone asks you something and you're not sure of the answer or don't know what to say, then start crying"
"Why do I have to cry?"
"Because most of us are weak in the face of a child's tears. That is the best weapon you have, my boy. Understand?"
Bright blue eyes. Long sunny hair. Pale green dress.
"Okay but I don't like it. Isn't it like lying?" he asked, naïve, so innocent. Always naïve.
"Yes, it is like lying. You don't have to like it, it's just that sometimes we must do things we don't like in order to stay one day longer in this world gone mad"
"It's too much effort for just one day"
"It might be, but I assure you, in the end, it will be worth it. You'll understand when you're older")
"I did not mean upset you. I just needed to make sure…" Risa muttered unsure, apparently shaken now that she had to deal with a panicked and frightened eight year old boy.
"I don't remember. Is it important? I feel fine now. I want to find my family" he found himself throwing all these unconnected thoughts one after another. He was truly agitated.
Rubbing her palms, she tried to pacify him "You're right. You're safe now, as long as that holds true, whatever happened in the past does not matter" Was she lying to keep him calm or were her words for real? He didn't care. He just wanted this new interrogation to be over.
"Eh, how about we move on to other questions. What do you think?" the woman picked up on his discomfort and chose to play it safe for the moment. Prompto shrugged and melted into the back of the couch, feeling strangely both restless and exhausted.
What followed was a very long and boring sequence of questions and answers he didn't bother dwelling on. What did he like, what was his favorite food, what was his favorite color, had he eaten anything? What his experience outside the walls had been like, and so on and on and on.
Afterwards, thanks to the Astrals, they moved on to the physical examination part. By then, Prompto had calmed down, he didn't feel any residual dizziness or anything of the sort, and the mind numbing fear he had felt faced with Risa an hour ago was all but gone. The woman had proved herself as a non-threatening person, despite his initial wariness she was just a normal doctor, trying to do her job in the best way she could. Whether she managed it or not was another matter entirely and it was plain obvious she needed more experience.
She measured his height, from feet to head, and from the tips of his right hand to the tips of his left one. She'd brought a scale with her (how had he not seen this?) and measured his weight too. It was a normal check up through and through, nothing unusual about it. He was asked if he had any injuries. He said "Bruises and scrapes". Nevertheless, she still looked him over in search of anything more serious, and gratefully found nothing that warranted worry. Prompto felt shivers every time her fingers brushed against the bandage on his wrist serving as a cheap version of a bracelet, yet she never brought it to attention, never mentioned it. Still, he repeated a mantra in his head, praying she would not notice it.
Everything was running smoothly. Until the instant her mouth opened to say she was going to take a blood sample.
Prompto's eyes snapped up to her and gaped without meaning to. "No" he yelped, backing away from her. And really, how was he supposed to react when the image of a needle still made him shake?
The needle piercing his skin, the void in his chest and the bilis rising, ready to be released.
"No" he repeated, glaring at the woman "I hate needles"
"Prompto" she said, exasperated and with a notion of warning. "This is the last test and we're done. I won't bother you any longer, so please-"
He shook his head. The thought of letting it anywhere near his arm disturbed him a lot. He didn't know how to control this irrational fear, how to fight the slightest thing that reminded him of his days in Gralea.
She buried her face in her hands like he had done hours ago inside a tent not quite close to Insomnia. So she was human too…
Sighing terribly, Risa put her hands down and said "If I tell The Marshal to come inside and accompany you, make sure I don't do anything bad to you, would you let me take the sample?"
Prompto's stance relaxed somewhat at the mention of Cor (he still didn't know why she referred to him as The Marshal though). He trusted him enough; the man had made a promise to him after all, to not let any harm come to him be it by his hand or any other's. He considered this, thought about his freedom laying just one breath away- if he took this last step, he would finally have it.
Making the final choice, he accepted the offer. Palms grossly wet with sweat, knees and calves trembling uncontrollably as if the ground had decided to do the same, but still accepted.
The whole ordeal only lasted a few minutes and ultimately done, Prompto had to admit he had overreacted somewhat. It hadn't been the traumatizing experience he'd feared since Risa had unwrapped the injection. Actually quite harmless, it hadn't hurt at all; a mosquito bite would have been more painful, he thought and with Cor encouraging him, telling him everything was going to be alright... He was acting too similar to the lady, making it impossible for him to not feel at ease.
At any rate, at the present moment he stared at the slim container that now held his dark blood. It disappeared from his sight, however, when Risa introduced it inside her handbag with careful precision. Cor, who was standing next to the couch where Prompto sat, inquired "Got everything you needed, doctor in training Walker?"
She paused while zipping the bag, throwing a glance in Prompto's way. "Actually, there is something I need to discuss with you, Sir" her wary tone gave her intentions away.
"By all means" Cor gestured towards the kitchen where they would have their talk apparently. Before going, he warned Prompto to stay put and not wander off to which the boy agreed with a satisfied grin.
They left and he stretched his sore limbs on the comfortable couch. He sharpened his ears to test if he could grasp a clue at least of the discussion they were having in the kitchen but he wasn't able to hear a thing. Not very concerned about it, he yawned. Gods, was he tired. This day had been pretty eventful so far, and he said that after living through the strangest and weirdest circumstances. From being left to fend for his own by the person he cherished the most on this world, to long hours of waiting amongst a giant crowd of people (seeing their misery and their sadness and their desperation) until he was finally let in only to be yelled at by a very intimidating royal guard… Yes, another crazy day in the life of Prompto Argentum.
Sometime during his inner monologue, he fell asleep on the couch, unable to keep his eyes open for longer than two seconds. This time, he dreamt of nothing. His sleep was peaceful and very much needed, he deserved it after all the things he was forced to go through.
Sooner than memories begin to fray
Everything from a past just swept away
Remembering when all who have gone are now lost
A female voice, singing heartfelt lyrics, in a never-ending loop.
Forever united, forever bound.
By the time he woke up, he felt exceedingly better; a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. All the same, he was bothered by the melody haunting at the edges of his memory; words he could not understand where they came from accompanied that song. He knew it was had heard it somewhere-Oh, right, the lady-
But, what on earth did Forever united, forever bound mean?
He wracked his head for answers, finding none in conclusion, Not even one fragment of ambiguous memory to make him understand what that was about. The lady had not said that for sure, so who had?
"Sorry, did I awake you?"
Prompto, now used to drastic interruptions, looked for the source of the apology.
Cor was leaning against the side of the couch, looking down at him. The dark circles under his eyes looked more pronounced in the moonlight and-wait, was it night already? Prompto blinked surprised. He had slept a long while, it seemed. The light of the moon filtered in through the windows, making vague shadows and silhouettes.
"No, you didn't" he answered to Cor's statement. "Where is Risa?" he craned his neck to see if she was anywhere near him.
Cor denied with a movement of the head "She left a long time ago" he also added, clearing his doubts "It's ten past midnight, if you were wondering"
"Oh"
The boy sat up leisurely, raised his arms above his hand and pulled. Thoughts about songs and lullabies and thoughts that were not his own, were all forgotten. For the moment, at least. His bones creaked in response to the action. He… was happy, actually, that she was gone. The doctor was a good person but they got along like water and oil, he couldn't have lasted for one than one hour longer breathing in the same room she was in.
A bulb turned on inside his brain "So," he gave Cor a questioning look "what did you talk about?"
"Nothing of importance" the man replied too quickly to actually be true, although his expression was closed off enough to cause Prompto a migraine so he decided to let it slide. It was not what he wanted to know with all his heart, anyhow.
What he wanted to know was "Did I make it?" the words rolled off too eager, too anxious. His heart was a hummingbird fluttering its wings in his ribcage.
Was it done? Did he have to do more or was he finally, finally part of this bright, brave city?
Did he finally belong?
Cor Leonis' tough features softened into a happy smile. He closed his lips tight, pronounced not a word up to the point Prompto started shifting awkwardly in expectation of what he was going to say: good news or bad news.
At last, when Prompto felt his lungs were going to fail him, the man spoke joyously.
"Of course you did it. Prompto Argentum, after excelling at every screening phase, is now officially a Crown City citizen. Congratulations, kiddo!"
Prompto's entire universe fell and turned on its axis. He swallowed, his mouth as if it had a life of its own, beamed widely, for the whole world to see the great amount of happiness the blond child experienced in that instant. Prompto Argentum was not a nobody anymore. He belonged somewhere. He had a home.
I did it.
I did it!
He teared up with tears of joy; almost twenty four hours ago he had been a lost kid in the center of a too big world, with nowhere to call home, no one to call a friend except for the one who had left him. Now, he was his own person. He was free.
Can you see me, lady? Wherever you are, can you feel me, this happinesss?
Are you proud of me?
Without thinking of the consequences, he threw his arms around Cor's torso and embraced him, trying to translate with the hug all the emotions he was feeling. He was so thankful to this man, despite their horrible first impression. "Thank you" he laughed. "Thank you so much"
Cor stiffened, not used to hugs from weird, mysterious and problematic eight year olds named Prompto. Or just simply not used to hugs in general. However, three seconds in the hug and he returned it fiercely, feeling quite happy himself. He ruffled the boy's greasy hair.
"Why are you thanking me? This was meant to be from the start. Welcome home"
At this comment, Prompto's eyes flooded and wet trails descended down his cheeks, down his chin and fell to the floor. He laughed hysterically, wiping his face with small, dirty fingers.
Just after, his eyes found their replica in the reflection granted by the window, and for an instant, he was distracted from the gleeful realization, from Cor's cheerful words, from the warmth of his arms. He didn't see the torn clothes, the dirty everything about him, his almost brown yellow hair from dirt and other things-he didn't see the man hugging him back…
Because for an instant, in only an instant… he thought he saw a flash of glowing yellow.