Alphonse Elric is (not_fullmetal) wrote in elsewhere_rpg, @ 2017-11-17 01:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | fullmetal alchemist: alphonse elric, fullmetal alchemist: roy mustang |
Who: Brig. General Roy Mustang & Colonel Alphonse Elric with Georgia Mason (York Cameo)
What: Al returns, York snags him thanks to Georgia’s alert system, Roy talks to Al
When: Nov. 17th, Just after midnight
Where: Elsewhere Hospital
Rating: PG-13
Status: Log - Complete
When had York become an errand boy? Oh yeah. Since Roy became bed-ridden. Make the fire, make the breakfast, wash the dishes, do the mopping! .. Wait, that was Cinderella. Eh, well, sometimes York felt that way. Not usually with Mustang, though. But tonight, he’d heard that alert system through Delta and had contacted North to let him know he was on it, and to go back to sleep (and make sure Ed was okay-- Ed, who was very likely sleeping next to North, as York was still at the hospital). Out into the woods, he’d found something he hadn’t expected. After contacting the General, he’d collected his prize and gone to find Ms. Mason and both had been brought back to the hospital. Knocking on Roy’s door, York stepped inside first and Georgia followed him in. Behind them came a young man, draped in the royal blue of the Amestris State Military, the silver chain of his pocket watch showing enough to declare him a State Alchemist, and the three golden stars on his shoulders announcing to the world that the young man (for he was indeed a young man) was a Colonel. Far younger than Roy had been when he’d received those stars. Alphonse looked seventeen, maybe eighteen-- instead of fourteen (which he’d looked when he was sixteen). His face had lost a bit of that roundness, though his eyes were still wide and bright. His smile was subdued, he was taller now, certainly as tall as Ed was, if not just an inch taller, but the most astounding thing? His hair. It’d been cut off and though his bangs still swept to the side, there was no ponytail. He looked like a young man. Puberty had hit Alphonse Elric like a freight train. He was a stunningly handsome young man, prettier than Ed, who had a stronger jawline and broader shoulders. Al had certainly turned out the pretty boy, where Ed had ended up more handsome. But he looked like the proud, capable soldier that he was. “Sir.” He said as he entered the room, heels clicking in a way that would make Riza proud, his hand lifting to give a crisp salute. *** Sorry, York, North wasn’t actually home tonight. He did live his own life, after all. But he’d promised to head that way soon enough, just as soon as he’d gotten Theta into a good place. Roy Mustang was awake because he didn’t like sleeping. His dreams were in those dark places. It was why he’d seen the message in record timing and made the snap decision not to let Alphonse Elric go home first. Cruel? Sure. Roy didn’t care. Why? Because Alphonse Elric’s return was a community matter, that had been the entire reason for letting him run off in the first place. The community wellbeing took precedence over Al and Ed’s emotional reunion and it always would. Roy would sacrifice them to that end again and again. No one said he wasn’t an asshole. Not to mention Roy’s own damned relief that the boy had survived. He hadn’t let himself think about it since Al had gone, but his loss had grown a dark little spot in Roy’s heart where worry burned. But Al was alive. And he’d come back. He’d come back whole. Roy was sitting up, he’d dragged himself into position before the medic and his prize could return, made worse for the fact he was hurting and without relief (he’d told York to save it for someone else, after all). But he was ready and waiting for their arrival when they stepped inside. What came through those doors was a surprise. Colonel Alphonse Elric. Look at that, from child to man practically overnight. Roy’s dark eyes, littered with pain as they were, changed as a glimmer of mischievous pride entered them, making them glitter. Roy returned the salute out of respect. Respect. For Alphonse Elric. And yes, no small amount of pride. “Colonel Elric, at ease,” he said. Of course he recognized the stars. “Welcome back, soldier.” He looked good. Roy didn’t say it. He didn’t need to, his expression already did. His eyes slid to Georgia just briefly, inclining his head toward her. Roy Mustang wasn’t an idiot. He’d taken note of her comment she was used to being in charge at home, he’d noted North’s deference to her in absence of a clear leader (Roy had spoken with North about Levi, after all) and the fact the community could rely on her for direction. If Roy were to disappear or to die, she’d be the one Roy would leave in place of him. He’d do it by including her wherever possible and holding her up for the others to see. “You know why you’re here right, Colonel?” he asked, “I need you to tell us what happened when you went through the portal.” *** His salute lowered once the General’s did and he gave a curt nod, though a little smile lingered on his face. He didn't grin wide like the boy he was two years ago had done, this was far more subtle. Controlled. “Yes, sir. There isn’t much to tell. I felt cold when I passed through, then dizzy-- and I was dropped back into my own world. Only three days had passed back home, sir.” Three days, though, was plenty enough to get him into hot water. Thankfully, his General had saved his ass (he always did). Though, recently, he’d begun to be able to start saving his own ass. Alphonse was draped in a cloak of confidence. Something had certainly happened while he’d been gone. He wasn’t the boy who’d left, rather he’d returned as a man. A proper soldier. Edward would hate it. “May I ask how long I’ve been gone from here, sir?” *** Roy listened, his dark eyes scanning the young man in silent assessment as he did. He did look different, he carried himself like a proper military man, he had the confidence that went with it. The pride. He was a State Alchemist, it showed. Oh, god. Roy was so damned pleased. It occurred to him that he’d put his money on the wrong Elric brother. But what did it matter when this one was standing before him. “What did you see as you went through it? How long did it take, or appear to take,” since there was a strange time loop occurring. Three days? “Three days, beginning when you first arrived in Knowhere?” Three days to cover several months. Then what seemed to be several years for him to return here. “It’s been five days, Colonel.” A very shitty five days. Had it really only been that long? *** So many questions, all of them questions Al was equipped to answer. “Nothing, sir. There was nothing to see, it was almost instant, no more than two or three seconds. And yes, beginning from my arrival in Knowhere, it was only three days back home. They had taken notice that I was missing, as well.” So it wasn’t as though he’d left behind some sort of clone, or a body (and this was just his mind, or something equally a strange). It wasn’t a dream they were all having. Though, those bronze eyes were sweeping over the General briefly, before coming back up to dark blue. “Five days, sir? I’m gone for five days and you manage to get yourself beat up and put in a hospital? Did you tell Riza she looked fat?” Was that really a thing? Apparently. *** At least one timeline was aware they’d been plucked from it, then. That was agonizing, but there was nothing anyone assembled here could do about it. Comforting though because maybe their timelines weren’t being filled in with clones. “Did you come back through the same portal you walked through?” he asked. Continuity was important to establish. If they had connections to home… Roy’s lips quirked up into a wry smirk just briefly at Al’s comment, he waved it off with a hand. “It isn’t a concern, I’m fine,” he assured him. He wasn’t. But his issues weren’t the focus and they never would be. “How did you find your way back here?” he asked. “Tell me exactly what happened, leading up to your return.” *** The same portal? “No, sir. York noted that I’d come through one to the West instead of the Northeast.” Even as he said it, York gave a nod of agreement. “I was on my way back from Xing and there was a bad rainstorm. I was separated from my men,” he had men! “And our train derailed. That’s the last thing I remember before coming out of that portal.” It wasn’t very helpful, but.. Well. It was all he had. And once again, those bronze eyes would slide along the General’s prone form (even if he was sitting up), but it was clear he was holding his words back. With York and Georgia in the room, he wasn’t going to call the man on his bullshit.. But his eyes said he knew it was shit. Dear God. Could the General really pick out what Alphonse was thinking, just with a look? Really? Yes, he could-- but how? It’d dawn on him shortly, surely. Sure, the two hadn’t known one another long enough to read looks the way Roy and Riza could.. But that look? That was Hawkeye’s look. That was how Roy could read it. That was bullshit, sir. *** His men. He was a ranking officer in the State Military, of course he had men. He had to fight hard to get men to respect him because he was young, but once he’d earned it…Roy could see that train going already. Whoever the hell this Mustang was on the other side of Alphonse Elric’s world was a damned genius. Thanks, Hawkeye, for giving the man this boy--this young man--right here. She must have seen it, too. Roy met those brazen confident eyes with his own, quirking a brow at that look. If those eyes were brown he’d swear the blonde looking back at him was a masculine version of Hawkeye glaring at him. And what? Roy was still the commanding officer, Al’s silence was appropriate. Roy had determined his wellbeing was a non-issue and by god, state law determined he was right. Roy switched his attention to York. “I need to speak with Texas,” he said. “Then Ed.” Errand boy, York. His gaze moved to Georgia this time, directly addressing her, “They’re the only other people who’ve experienced a portal shift with a time loop. We’ll compare how long they were all gone from here, how that translated back home, and how long it took for them to get from home to here again.” Direction given, his attention slid back to Alphonse. “Colonel, if Ms. Mason has questions, you’ll provide her answers to the best of your ability.” Roy was sure he was missing something, his focus was shot with the discomfort from his injuries. But he trusted the woman to pick up the slack, not because she took orders from him (she didn’t, at all) but because her interest in the community wellbeing aligned with his own. Their joint concern was the only path on which they agreed. *** And there it was again. York let his gaze slip from Mustang back to Alphonse, as if unsure about the call the General was making. Al, though, tipped his head a bit. “You heard the General.” He told the Spartan matter-of-fact. He sounded so confident, like an officer directing his troops-- even if he knew York was older and higher ranking, and from an entirely different world. It had York nodding and he turned to leave the room. Tex would be easy to find. So would Ed. He’d send Texas over to see the General this evening. Ed? Well, Ed could go in the morning. York was sure he was sleeping and the poor guy didn’t sleep enough. Besides, he was also sure that Al would be coming home tonight, and Ed had a right to see his little brother. Little brother. Al didn’t look so little anymore. “Yes, sir.” He’d tell Georgia whatever he could. “May I contact my brother, first?” It was a question. It wasn’t a request. He’d do it whether he was granted permission or not. His gaze said as much. *** York was too soft. Roy didn’t watch him go, he just turned his attention back to the two still present. Alphonse and his non-request, his too confident stance. That was exactly the kind of thing Roy was glad to see. A young man who believed in something and stuck to his convictions. He’d obey Roy’s orders if Roy forced the issue, but Roy played his cards wisely and didn’t casually abuse his pawns. He waited for the perfect time. So he nodded his affirmative. “You’re dismissed, Colonel. Get some rest, then we’ll speak more in depth.” To get the full story before the details could fade. “Ms. Mason, if you can stay a while..” Roy would speak with her as equals. *** Another crisp salute. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” The salute dropped away and he turned to the door, stepping out calmly. Once he got into the hall, it’d be easy to hear him take up a jog to meet York (presumably) so they could walk together. Maybe not as much of an adult as he appeared to be. But, it was all about appearances. |