As Jared let Cor Leonis into the Amicitia household on the morning of the annual winter holiday, he was greeted by a shriek loud enough to wake the dead.
“Uncle Marshal!” Gladio, his little face alight with excitement, came pelting down the corridor to plaster himself to the man’s legs.
Gladio understood that his Uncle wasn’t really Daddy’s brother, but Daddy said he was his little brother in every way that mattered and so he always spent holidays at the Amicitia house. He was also, in Gladio’s opinion, the best person in the whole world aside from his Mommy and Daddy.
“Hey, little guy!” Cor picked him up easily and settled him on his hip, giving him an affectionate squeeze. “How’s my favourite little warrior?”
That set the four year old off on a stream of excited chatter as Cor carried him down the hall, telling the Marshal that he’d gotten a new toy sword and he was going to learn to fight with it just like his Daddy.
His enthusiasm was infectious and Cor found himself smiling by the time they got to Clarus’s study door. Gladio is an invariably good-humoured child and holding the little guy made a fierce protective urge roar in Cor’s chest.
“Daddy!” Gladio hollered excitedly, before Cor could knock. “Uncle Marshal is here!”
“Uncle Cor, Gladio,” Clarus corrected, with the air of someone who had done it a hundred times before, opening the door of his study and waving them inside. “Remember what I told you; being Marshal is how Uncle Cor serves the king, like Daddy is his shield.”
It was an ongoing struggle. No matter how many times Clarus, Vanora and Cor himself explained to the little boy that Cor’s name was, funnily enough, Cor, he continued to address him as ‘Marshal’, having once attended a formal event and heard Cor being addressed that way all day. He was evidently under the impression that ‘Cor’ was a nickname of sorts. It was funny, but Cor was determined he’d get him using the right name before long.
After a truly stupendous meal, Cor joined the family before the large open fire, pleasantly full. Vanora seemed to be under the impression that Cor didn’t eat at any other time; every time he visited, she tried to cajole him into second helpings, fussing over his leanness as though he was sixteen, not twenty six. He couldn’t bring himself to really mind though; he’d certainly never anticipated finding a family when he joined the Crownsguard.
“Uncle Marshal?” Gladio climbed eagerly into his lap, holding a storybook. “Can you tell me my story tonight?”
Cor hurriedly grabbed him and resettled him before his elbow could connect with a very delicate area. “I can,” he says in a bargaining tone, tickling Gladio’s belly gently. “If you can remember my name?”
“Uncle Marshal!” says Gladio determinedly, jabbing his finger into Cor’s chest for emphasis.
“No, that’s not it,” says Cor patiently. “My name is Cor, remember?”
“Marshal!”
Cor glowers at Clarus, who’s grinning in the opposite chair, but he’s not about to argue with a four year old. Opening the book, and seeing the inscription on the front page, he smiles. There are easier ways to do this…
“This book belongs to Kid Amicitia,” he read lightly, holding back a grin when Gladio’s head shot up indignantly.
“That’s not what it says!” the child pouted. “My name is Gladiolus!”
“Are you sure?” Cor said, pretending to study the book again. “Because you sure look like a kid of house Amicitia to me! Yup, that’s what it says here: Kid Amicitia.”
“That’s not my name!” And yeah, the boy definitely had got that scowl from Clarus! “You’re being silly!”
They kept up the exchange for the duration of story time, Gladio getting more and more frustrated every time he was addressed as ‘Kid’, staring at Cor with the narrow-eyed glare of a child who thought a grown up was particularly slow. Eventually Cor took pity on him.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said with a quiet, conspiratorial air, as the time came for Gladio to say goodnight and be taken to bed. “I’ll call you Gladio if you call me Cor – how does that sound.”
Gladio acquiesced – though he made Cor shake on it first, much to the man’s amusement.
“Goodnight Uncle Cor,” he said, evidently keen to display that he was going to stick to his side of the bargain, little arms sliding around the Marshal’s neck for a goodnight hug.
“Night Gladio,” Cor grinned, dropping an affectionate kiss onto the crown of his head. It was not exactly the toughest victory he’d ever won, but it was certainly the one to make him smile the most. “Sleep tight, buddy.”
OOO
After Insomnia had fallen. Cor thought his heart might burst with relief when his call to Noctis was answered and he learned that the prince and his friends, his honorary nephew amongst them, are still alive.
He was heartsick, raw and desolate at the loss of Clarus and Regis. His brothers had gone to the one place he couldn’t follow; leaving him behind. They’d ensured his safety by assigning him external patrol…and that hurts all the more. He should have died alongside the only family he’d ever had; not surviving to mourn their terrible loss alone.
The sight of Gladio, when he met up with his prince’s company, almost overpowered him. Fuck, he looked so like a young Clarus that staring at him almost hurt. Cor managed to hold it together long enough to impart the information Noctis would need; explaining what was required of him now, but he could feel his heart thundering in his ears.
The moment they got a minute of privacy, Gladio nearly knocked him off his feet with the force of his hug. Cor hugged back, squeezing the young man tightly as fierce, fierce love roared in his chest. He still had one family member left, and by the Six he would make sure nothing happened to this boy.
“It’s really fucking good to see you, Uncle Marshal!” Gladio’s watery voice shakes around the old joke; though understanding Cor’s real name after that evening, he’d continued to call him ‘Uncle Marshal’ whenever he wanted to be mischievous.
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timeasmymeasure
Second Fill: Gen, fluff, kid!Gladio/Cor + "You do realize that's not my real name?"
Date: 2017-08-06 12:02 pm (UTC)“Uncle Marshal!” Gladio, his little face alight with excitement, came pelting down the corridor to plaster himself to the man’s legs.
Gladio understood that his Uncle wasn’t really Daddy’s brother, but Daddy said he was his little brother in every way that mattered and so he always spent holidays at the Amicitia house. He was also, in Gladio’s opinion, the best person in the whole world aside from his Mommy and Daddy.
“Hey, little guy!” Cor picked him up easily and settled him on his hip, giving him an affectionate squeeze. “How’s my favourite little warrior?”
That set the four year old off on a stream of excited chatter as Cor carried him down the hall, telling the Marshal that he’d gotten a new toy sword and he was going to learn to fight with it just like his Daddy.
His enthusiasm was infectious and Cor found himself smiling by the time they got to Clarus’s study door. Gladio is an invariably good-humoured child and holding the little guy made a fierce protective urge roar in Cor’s chest.
“Daddy!” Gladio hollered excitedly, before Cor could knock. “Uncle Marshal is here!”
“Uncle Cor, Gladio,” Clarus corrected, with the air of someone who had done it a hundred times before, opening the door of his study and waving them inside. “Remember what I told you; being Marshal is how Uncle Cor serves the king, like Daddy is his shield.”
It was an ongoing struggle. No matter how many times Clarus, Vanora and Cor himself explained to the little boy that Cor’s name was, funnily enough, Cor, he continued to address him as ‘Marshal’, having once attended a formal event and heard Cor being addressed that way all day. He was evidently under the impression that ‘Cor’ was a nickname of sorts. It was funny, but Cor was determined he’d get him using the right name before long.
After a truly stupendous meal, Cor joined the family before the large open fire, pleasantly full. Vanora seemed to be under the impression that Cor didn’t eat at any other time; every time he visited, she tried to cajole him into second helpings, fussing over his leanness as though he was sixteen, not twenty six. He couldn’t bring himself to really mind though; he’d certainly never anticipated finding a family when he joined the Crownsguard.
“Uncle Marshal?” Gladio climbed eagerly into his lap, holding a storybook. “Can you tell me my story tonight?”
Cor hurriedly grabbed him and resettled him before his elbow could connect with a very delicate area. “I can,” he says in a bargaining tone, tickling Gladio’s belly gently. “If you can remember my name?”
“Uncle Marshal!” says Gladio determinedly, jabbing his finger into Cor’s chest for emphasis.
“No, that’s not it,” says Cor patiently. “My name is Cor, remember?”
“Marshal!”
Cor glowers at Clarus, who’s grinning in the opposite chair, but he’s not about to argue with a four year old. Opening the book, and seeing the inscription on the front page, he smiles. There are easier ways to do this…
“This book belongs to Kid Amicitia,” he read lightly, holding back a grin when Gladio’s head shot up indignantly.
“That’s not what it says!” the child pouted. “My name is Gladiolus!”
“Are you sure?” Cor said, pretending to study the book again. “Because you sure look like a kid of house Amicitia to me! Yup, that’s what it says here: Kid Amicitia.”
“That’s not my name!” And yeah, the boy definitely had got that scowl from Clarus! “You’re being silly!”
They kept up the exchange for the duration of story time, Gladio getting more and more frustrated every time he was addressed as ‘Kid’, staring at Cor with the narrow-eyed glare of a child who thought a grown up was particularly slow. Eventually Cor took pity on him.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said with a quiet, conspiratorial air, as the time came for Gladio to say goodnight and be taken to bed. “I’ll call you Gladio if you call me Cor – how does that sound.”
Gladio acquiesced – though he made Cor shake on it first, much to the man’s amusement.
“Goodnight Uncle Cor,” he said, evidently keen to display that he was going to stick to his side of the bargain, little arms sliding around the Marshal’s neck for a goodnight hug.
“Night Gladio,” Cor grinned, dropping an affectionate kiss onto the crown of his head. It was not exactly the toughest victory he’d ever won, but it was certainly the one to make him smile the most. “Sleep tight, buddy.”
OOO
After Insomnia had fallen. Cor thought his heart might
burst with relief when his call to Noctis was answered and he learned that the prince and his friends, his honorary nephew amongst them, are still alive.
He was heartsick, raw and desolate at the loss of Clarus and Regis. His brothers had gone to the one place he couldn’t follow; leaving him behind. They’d ensured his safety by assigning him external patrol…and that hurts all the more. He should have died alongside the only family he’d ever had; not surviving to mourn their terrible loss alone.
The sight of Gladio, when he met up with his prince’s company, almost overpowered him. Fuck, he looked so like a young Clarus that staring at him almost hurt. Cor managed to hold it together long enough to impart the information Noctis would need; explaining what was required of him now, but he could feel his heart thundering in his ears.
The moment they got a minute of privacy, Gladio nearly knocked him off his feet with the force of his hug. Cor hugged back, squeezing the young man tightly as fierce, fierce love roared in his chest. He still had one family member left, and by the Six he would make sure nothing happened to this boy.
“It’s really fucking good to see you, Uncle Marshal!” Gladio’s watery voice shakes around the old joke; though understanding Cor’s real name after that evening, he’d continued to call him ‘Uncle Marshal’ whenever he wanted to be mischievous.
“Likewise Kid,” Cor manages to say. “Likewise.”