#cor week

“If you keep frowning like that, your face will stay that way.”

Cor grunted and turned his head to the side, ignoring Clarus remark. He turned to face him, taking a deep sip of his black coffee. “It would be better than the look frozen on your face.”

“You mean the face that gets the ladies?” Clarius smirked and leaned against the counter with his own cup of coffee.

“The face that screams, ‘I’m going to kill you in your sleep’ look,” Cor responded. “I haven’t seen your ‘get the ladies face’.”

“It’s not like I would waste it on you.” Clarus said matter of factly and smirked as he sipped his coffee.

Regis frowned as he looked over at this Shield and guard. Why did they have to argue in the morning about stupid things? Yesterday the argument was about how Cor hadn’t cleaned the car right and the day before it was about how Clarus left his sword oils open in the weapons room.

They bickered like an old married couple every morning and it was starting to get annoying.

“If you two don’t stop, I’ll stop allowing you to drink coffee in my kitchen before the start of the day. This is supposed to be a time to reflect and figure out what has to be done for the day, not insult each other.” Regis was at his breaking point with these two. He trusted them with his life but they were going to take his sanity.

They both looked at him over their cups of coffee … and kept frowning at him.

“I think this is the perfect time to insult him,” Clarus said. “I wouldn’t want to do it in front of the king.”

“He only has so many words he can use in a day, so this is a great place for him to use them,” Cor counted and took a deep drink of his coffee.

Clarus squared his shoulders and flexed his tattooed arms as he crossed them across his chest. Regis knew it as a sign of posturing, he had seen him do it to others and it usually worked.

It never worked on Cor.

“I, at least, use words in public. Yesterday the only thing you did was grunt.”

Cor slammed his cup down on the counter and Regis was glad that the cup didn’t break. It was one of his grandmothers mugs and he wanted to keep it.

“I had nothing to say,” Cor said simply. “Better to look smart than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

Clarus frown deepened as he leaned toward Cor. “You ready to go.”

Cor nodded. “So ready.”

Before Regis could even ask what they were ready for they both turned on the heels and out the door … without him.

“Where …” Regis sighed and tried to followed after the two men that were supposed to be guarding him. They went to the training yard, grabbed each a sword and squared up against each other. Both were frowning deeply at each other.

Regis rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily as they stared at each other.

“Well!” Regis finally yelled. “Are you two going to fight it out already?”

They lunged at each other in earnest. Both of their faces were set in deep and intense frowns as they tried to kill each other.

Regis sat on a bench where a man with ash brown hair sat and was watching the fight. The man was looking on rather intensely as he pushed the glasses up his nose and was shaking his head with a smirk on his lips. The prince was not familiar with the man but the man seemed to be familiar with the two that were currently trying to disembowel each other over facial expressions.

The man scoffed and elbowed him as he nodded his head toward the fighters. “When do you think those two will just fuck it out already?” Regis eyebrows rose as the man didn’t recognize him and that made the scene all the more amusing. “I give them to the end of this fight.”

Regis couldn’t control his laughter at the comments. When his eyes turned back to the battle he witnessed Cor knocking Clarus off his feet with a triumphant yell, only to have his feet kicked out from under him in the next second. Now, both men were laying next to each other and panting loudly on the training mat.

“Get a room!” The man beside him yelled and stood. “Like really,” he mumbled as he left the room with a shake of his head.

Clarus and Cor sat up abruptly and stared at the man leaving the room and then at him. They were both frowning deeply as they watched the man’s back and then to him again.

“Do you two need the morning to get the rest of this ... tension out of your system?” Regis asked as he tried to control his mirth. He as not succeeding very well. They both were looking at him with deeply pink cheeks, large eyes, and deep frowns.

He walked over to them and offered a hand to each of them.

“I need a shower,” Clarus said casually as he was hauled up.

Cor grunted.

Regis couldn’t resist. “You can save time if you both shower together.” They sneered and frowned deeper, which Regis didn’t think was possible. “And maybe you two can work on that getting rid of that frown together.”

They were both speechless but at least they weren’t frowning anymore.

Monica gives him a look. "How long have you had her?"

Cor shrugs. "Clearly not long enough."

"Give me your phone." Monica sighs. "I'll give you the number to my vet. Take her."

That's one order Cor doesn't need to be given twice. He's not equipped for kittens. He'd barely been equipped for a full-grown self-sufficient cat.

 The vet is nice, though she clearly thinks it's hilarious that Cor hadn't even known the cat was female. Even after Cor explains that becoming a pet owner just sort of...happened.

She does dig up some pamphlets about pregnant cats so he knows what to expect, though, so he forgives her. And after leafing through the pamphlet, he also goes out and picks up some actual books about cats. He's not ready for this. He'll never be ready for this.

This doesn't change a month later, when Kotetsu starts getting clingy and he recognizes the signs of a cat about to give birth. She's made a little nest in his closet, too, right on top of a jacket she pulled off the hanger. He's going to have fun explaining what happened to it when he needs to ask for a new one to be made.

And then the event finally happens. At some godawful time at night, with Cor alone in his apartment. Why couldn't she have waited until morning to drag him into the closet with her?

The fact that he went willingly because he's worried is a secret that will die with him.

He calls Monica once he gets as comfortable as he can be. She answers the phone with an unusually snappy, "What?"

Cor stares down at Kotetsu. "What do I do?"

"What?" She sounds more confused than angry this time.

"It's happening."

He can feel the moment Monica realizes what he's talking about. "Cor, it's two in the morning. I'm sure you can handle it."

"But—"

"Two in the morning, Cor." Monica takes a deep breath. "She should be able to take care of everything herself. I'll come by in the morning."

She hangs up without waiting for a response. Cor lowers his phone and glares at it. Betrayed. By his own soldier. He'll get her back for this.

The birth takes what feels like forever. There's four kittens when it's all over, and after seeing Kotetsu eat the placentas, he's vowed to never have to go through this again. Give him something to kill any day. This was just harrowing.

He considers getting up and taking a shower, but he's exhausted after hours of watching to make sure nothing goes wrong. He lets his head fall back against the wall behind him and carefully stretches out his legs. The kittens are huddled in close to their mother, so he shouldn't have to worry about crushing them. He hopes.

The next thing he's aware of is someone walking into his bedroom. He checks on Kotetsu automatically, to find her and the kittens curled up next to his leg and apparently fast asleep. Only then does he look up to see Monica hovering over him with a smile and her phone out.

"Don't—" Cor's cut off by the sound of the camera shutter noise. He hits his head against the wall and sighs.

"But you looked so cute." Monica kneels down and looks at the kittens without picking them up. "And Helen will pay me for that picture."

"I'll pay you to delete it," Cor says, but he knows it's hopeless even before Monica smirks at him.

"Not enough." Monica gets back to her feet and holds a hand out to him. "The kittens look fine. You need to get ready for work."

Cor grasps her hand and lets her haul him to his feet, but he can't help looking back down toward Kotetsu. "But they were just born."

Monica pats his arm. "They'll be fine. Go take a shower."

Cor reluctantly does as she says, tossing his clothes into a corner of the bathroom. He'll worry about them later. In the shower, he leans his forehead against the wall and thinks mournfully about how comfortable his bed is. He'd been looking forward to a full night's sleep, and Kotetsu had ruined it.

At least it had ended in four healthy kittens. He hadn't really gotten a good look at them yet, and he doesn't think he's going to until after work. He sighs and pushes off the wall, reaching for the shampoo.

By the time he gets out of the shower, Monica has made him coffee and breakfast, a sure sign that he looks as tired as he feels. He sits down with a grunt of thanks and stares blankly at the plate for a second. He'll be late if he doesn't hurry up.

He can feel Monica's amused eyes on him as he eats and gulps down two cups of steaming hot coffee, but he chooses not to acknowledge her. At least this way he can pretend he still has any dignity left.

Monica walks to the Citadel with him, smiling at her phone the whole time. She leaves him outside his office door, rushing off like she has something important to attend to. Cor narrows his eyes at her back. He knows she doesn't have anything waiting for her.

Her hurry is explained when he opens his door to find Helen lounging in his chair. Of course. Why would she give him time to prepare for her?

"Good morning." Cor closes the door behind him and crosses his arms. "Get out of my chair."

Helen grins and doesn't move. "Tell me how your adorable kittens are first."

Cor sighs. "They're alive and healthy. Not sure what else you expect me to say about things that are only a few hours old."

"Oh, come on." Helen leans forward and props her chin up with a hand. "How many are there? What do they look like? What awful names do you plan on giving them?"

"Four; squirming, dark blobs; and I haven't decided yet."

"All right, I can take a hint." Helen holds up a thin file folder for a second and drops it back on his desk before she gets up. "Just came to deliver this anyway."

"Thank you."

Helen walks over and pats him on the chest before she leaves. "Welcome to the crazy cat lady club."

Cor walks over to his desk and flops inelegantly into his seat. Would anybody notice if he took a nap before he has to go train the new recruits? With the way his luck is going, someone would walk in on him drooling on his paperwork and snap a picture. Better not risk it.

He rubs his eyes and flips open the folder. Scowls at the contents and rubs his eyes again, in case he's just seeing things. But the image of a kitten doesn't disappear, and as he flips through the pages he realizes that's all it is. How the hell did Helen manage to get this together so quickly?

...At least they're cute. And it is better than doing actual work.

 He doesn't actually get anything done before he has to get up again, but he can't bring himself to care. He's tired enough that he stops in one of the guard rooms to grab a cup of their terrible coffee. He chugs it right there at the counter, then looks into the empty cup with despair.

"That was the worst coffee I've ever had," he mutters to nobody in particular. "It tastes like apathy given life. How do you drink this?"

"Who cares what it tastes like?" Someone comes up and pours themselves a cup. "It works."

Cor nods agreeably. "Okay. But why does it smell like burnt hair?"

"That would be the sheer essence of apathy. You need another cup, Marshal?"

"I don't hate myself that much."

He can still taste the coffee when he gets to the training room. It would make him regret the decision to drink it if he didn't also finally feel awake enough to actually do something.

The new recruits salute him when he enters the room and he salutes half-heartedly back. He's given the welcoming speech so many times he's pretty sure he could recite it in his sleep, which is good because he has no recollection of a word he says. He'll just have to hope he didn't screw up, and deny it if he did.

"I know all of you can fight," Cor says, falling into his resting stance. "But today is when you find out how well."

He reaches for the king's magic and pulls his katana out of the Armiger in a flash of light. The ensuing tinkle of tiny bells and muffled laughter of a few of the men isn't the normal response he gets to that. He looks down to see—something hanging off the hilt of his sword. A closer inspection shows it to be several little cat phone charms. He taps at a little calico that has one paw raised beside its head, and it jingles as it swings. 

"Regis," he sighs as the men burst out laughing again. He falls back into stance and glares up at them. "Don't let yourselves be distracted by ridiculous diversions. An enemy won't hesitate to attack while you're laughing."

He was just trying to read a book. That’s all. Coming back to the cape after a long hunt, Cor just wanted to read for a while before dinner and relax. He never expected himself to fall asleep in the chair sitting up.

Cor thought he woke up in a dark place. There was a light on him that was going in and out. He was stuck on his knees just looking around. His weapon was nowhere to be found which instantly set him on edge. He didn’t like being unarmed even if he was good at hand to hand. Something wasn’t right. He tired to stand but something was holding him down. There was no way he could move anything but his hands. Then he started hearing a fight. A familiar sound hit him and he jerked to attention, quickly looking. Every king he had ever served had a different sound when they summoned their weapons. He could hear Regis.

“Regis!” All manners forgotten in a moment of bliss. Did he get in contact with his old friend again? Clarus was supposed to be with him so maybe he could see him too. Cor knew in his head that this hope was foolish. Regis and Clarus were dead. They had been killed by that traitor Drautos. He could still hear the fight and he kept trying to fight just to get to them. Maybe he was being given a chance to reset the event, to save his friends and king. Slowly the light on Cor faded and headed forward. He followed it until it was like he was looking through a two way mirror. He could see Regis and Clarus standing back to back, weapons drawn, ready to fight.

“No….. no!!!” He jerked trying to get to them as it got worse. He saw clarus die in every way he had ever imagined. He could see the devastation on Regis’s face and him passing the ring to Luna. Then it was just him.

“No!!!! Gods no!!!!” Cor was screaming. He couldn’t stop fighting. He should have been there! That was their purpose! The crownsguard protected the crown! More than half of the glavies were traitors and helped the nifs take over the city. He would never be able to forget that. THat bastard Drautos…. He was the worst of them all. Now he could see it. Regis was dying feet away from Cor and he couldn’t do a thing to save him. He kept trying even as the invisible weight turned into hands. He looked back ready to beg whoever it was to let him go only to freeze. It was everyone he knew from the city. The pretty waitress from his Favorite coffee shop, the flower shop woman, The baker man. They were holding on him. Then they started screaming.

“Obey your orders! Protect the people! Help us! Save us Immortal!” He was trapped. Bound by his king’s last orders to protect the people. He looked back and felt his heart shatter. He couldn’t save Regis. He had failed another king.

A loud ringing near his head woke cor. He jumped almost falling out of the chair hand on his sword ready to attack. Tears covered his face and his throat felt sore. He listened and sighed. He was still alone. The others must have gone shopping in lestallum for dinner. He started calming down as he grabbed his phone and answered.

“Hello?”

“Cor. It’s noct.” He felt his heart stop then. The now king of lucis. He was stuck on the run from the Nifs trying to find a way to get to his lover across the ocean.

“Hello. What can I do for you?” He kept his voice steady. He didn’t want anyone knowing he was upset.

“Well… We’ve got a lot of hunts in that area coming up and as much as we love camping… sometimes it’s nice to have a bed to sleep in. You think it would be ok if we spent a few nights there?” Cor laughed a bit then.

“You’re the king. You call the shots noctis. Get on over here.”

“Oh sweet. Alright. Well we’re going to be driving straight through lestallum. You guys need anything?”

“I think Monica and them are there right now getting stuff so No. Thanks for asking.”

“It’s cool… Hey…” Noct lowered his voice then.

“You doing ok? Don’t sound the same as usual.” Cor silently berated himself. Noctis noticed.

“I’m fine. Just… woke up. I apparently took a nap.”

“Oh. Hard hunts?”

“Eh. Just a lot of hiking. I’m alright though.”

“If you say so.” Cor smiled then.

“Well how about this? If you don’t believe me, Meet me by the lighthouse when you boys get here. Ok?”

“Deal. Oh got to go. The tunnel kills all signal.” Noct hung up then and Cor took a deep breathe. He didn’t want to worry Noct ever or any of the boys. He shouldn’t be like this. Cor just got his sword back on his side then and headed down. Monica had left him a note telling him exactly what he had figured out on the table. He read it over quickly before pocketing it and going outside. Sun was still above the horizon but not for much longer. It was easier to breathe out here though. He headed up to the lighthouse then to wait. He needed some time to calm down.

About forty minutes later, he could hear everyone coming to the house. Sounded like the boys had stopped and offered to help them shop. Cor smiled just thinking about it. The four boys he had watched grow up were now amazing hunters and brothers to the death. He could never fully tell them how proud he was of them. He heard someone coming up the path then but Cor didn’t move. He just smiled watching the sun dip below the Horizon.

“What’s going on Cor?” He glanced over. Noct was there worried. He had the same look as his father. That hit Cor hard taking away any words he had. Noctis came close then.

“It’s not like you to sound so informal on the phone… Your home accent was coming out too much.” He nodded then finally getting his mouth to work.

“It happens when I get upset or scared.” He saw Noctis stiffen then and Cor sighed.

“I had a dream…. Of what happened to your father…. The second king who died before me… and a Brother I failed.” He could hear it himself now. Cor really couldn’t hide his liede accent when he was this upset.

“I watched him and Clarus die right in front of me and I couldn’t do anything…. I was bound by his order to protect the people… To save who we could and get out if it went bad…. I never wanted the glaives anywhere near them. I wanted to be there! We argued for days and…” He sighed then holding back the tears.

“I watched him die… I can’t do that again. I won’t lose you Noctis. I can’t fail another king. Not like this.”

“Cor….” He was trying to keep steady. It was so hard. He couldn’t hunt enough to hold all of this back and burying it only makes the pain of losing them hurt more. Then he felt slender arms around him. Cor looked and the prince was hugging him.

“You’re not going to. I’ve got three people you helped train backing me up and if things get too bad… Well you can save my ass like before…. But I miss him too. A lot.  There’s so much I wanted to ask that old man that… Neither of us will ever be able to.” Cor nodded then slowly hugging the Prince back. Noct was shaking.

“Just please…. Be Careful…. I’m not truly Immortal Noctis… I won’t always be around…” The young man nodded then and Cor hugged him tightly. It had been so long.

“He was always so damn proud of you…. Even when you were just a baby he’d call me over and gush for hours about how cute you were or how you’d said your first word…” Noctis laughed then making Cor smile a bit.

“God you’re getting old Marshall.”

“Excuse me!?” He headlocked the prince then making him laugh smiling.

“I’m old!? I’m forty five!”

“That’s… old!” Cor growled then and dug his knuckles into the princes head giving him a noogie making him yelp. Only then Cor had to let him go groaning.

“Really noct? Gel?”

“Ha!” Cor gave him a look then.

“Keep that attitude up and you’re getting nothing but Vegetables while you’re here.” Noct made a face then but he saw a smile in his eyes. One that stayed throughout the night.

It was a lively night with everyone there. The boys told stories to Talcott and Iris while playing darts in the upstairs bedroom Before Dustin made the younger ones go to bed. Then they stayed up talking about which hunts to take. Slowly one by one though, they all fell asleep. Gladio was the last one finally finishing his book. He turned out the light but it didn’t Faze Cor. He just turned on his book light and kept reading. Monica crept in around midnight and smiled.

“Sir, shouldn’t you get some sleep?”

“No I’m alright Monica….” She smiled then coming closer.

“Worried about them?” Cor nodded then with a small smile.

“Just a gut feeling is all. You go on to bed ok?” She nodded and got his shoulder lightly.

“You did well training them Cor… They’ll be around far longer than us.”