[Roy Mustang; PG] Epimetheus
Character/Series: Roy Mustang; Fullmetal Alchemist (2003; Pandora's Universe)
Rating: PG
Notes: Found this, had written it forever ago. Look, another story to make art for!
Title: Epimetheus
Author: yuuo
Word Count: 669
Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy who loved his mother, as most little boys do.




Once upon a time there was a boy who loved his mother, as most little boys do. He loved her so much, that when she died, he and his brother couldn't let go of her and tried to bring her back.

Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost his brother when he tried to play god. He laid his life on the line for his brother, and lost his right arm and his voice.

Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost everything he had in the world.

And once upon a time, there was a man who thought he'd found atonement in that boy.

What a fool that man was. All he found with that boy was the death of innocence.

I'm still not sure what went wrong. I go over it, time and again in my mind, safe in my home, and still I can't find how things went so horribly wrong. I wasn't quick enough. Grand moved too fast. That boy was forced to grow up too young.

There's another little boy sound asleep on my couch, buried amidst notes and papers and books, following in his brother's footsteps, and God, should you exist, I pray to you that he doesn't follow his brother's path to that destination.

Edward wanted me to tell his brother and mother that he was dead. I didn't bother. Neither would've believed it. Alphonse is his brother's brother, just as stubborn and determined as Edward ever was. I'm afraid to hope we can get Edward back without his brother going through the same things.

But things are different this time, I tell myself. I'm keeping Alphonse close to me, I'm keeping him out of the military. The only homunculus that will come near him is the one he and Edward created to replace their mother. Things are different. And Alphonse, he's different. Edward... maybe I never noticed, or maybe I ignored the signs, even as far back as his qualification exam. He was always darker. And what happened with Tucker, what happened during those lost seven months-

I'm still not sure how someone could take such a lost little boy and turn him into such a broken monster.

I'm going over it all now, in my mind, as I lie awake in my bed, as I give up on sleep for the moment and wander about the house, continually checking on Alphonse, almost fearfully so, finding him sleeping peacefully every time. I'm seeing that proud smile when I congratulated him for becoming a dog of the military. I'm seeing that cold look in his eyes when he showed back up at my office, the walls he built up between himself and the rest of the world. I'm seeing the terrified look in his eyes as he handed me his brother.

And I'm hearing that cracked whisper of his voice again, asking me to hurry, to come help him.

I'm seeing it again, when I look at Alphonse, seeing that scared and lost little boy when Edward handed his remaining family to my care.

That was the last time I saw him.

Somewhere in those six years, everything went horribly wrong for that boy. Completely, utterly, and horribly wrong.

"Roy?" Riza's voice is quiet beside me; she's careful not to wake Edward's dreams made flesh. "The tea is ready, I put it on the table for you."

"Thank you, Riza," I answer, not taking my eyes off of Alphonse.

She puts her hand on my shoulder. "He'll come home." I finally look at her. Her lips don't do it, but her eyes smile. "We'll find him."

Once upon a time there was a boy who'd lost everything.

Once upon a time there was a brother that had been left alone.

And once upon a time, a fool of a man was given a second shot at atonement.

I'm still holding out for a happily ever after.