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whiskeycoffee2007-04-30 06:17 pm
mjules.livejournal.com) wrote in whiskeycoffee2007-04-30 06:17 pm
Entry tags:
"Some Other Beginning" (Fullmetal Alchemist, Roy/Al, WIP, 21/45?)
Title: Some Other Beginning
Author: m.jules
Rating: Hard R for the whole thing
Summary: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Alphonse Elric helps Roy Mustang face life after more tragedy than one man should endure and finds something for himself in the process.
Pairing: mainly Roy/Al, with hints of and references to others. (Including, but not limited to, Ed/Winry, Al/Paninya, Gracia/Maes/Roy/Riza, and Al/Elicia.)
Disclaimer: Arakawa would KILL me. I bow low in supplication.
Author's Notes: This was meant to be "The Story That Proves In-Character Roy/Al Is Possible." Don't know if it worked. For my![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
7stages claim, prompt "New every morning."
Sorry for the delay this week; between work and real life and getting things ready to go back to college in the fall, my ass has been thoroughly kicked.
I am posting one chapter every Sunday night/Monday. Previous chapters and related one-shots can be found here.
"Are you okay?"
Roy looked up from his book and arched his eyebrows at Al. "I'm fine, thank you." Al nodded and looked out the train window at the passing scenery. After a few moments, Roy added, "How many times do you plan to ask me that question before we get to Resembool?"
"As many times as you wince when the train jostles your leg," Al shot back immediately with a sharp glance.
Roy chuckled. He wondered if Al was really so concerned about his leg, or about what effect the wedding would have. It's true I wanted to marry Riza some day. But the ceremony wouldn't have made a difference in how we felt about each other. I never could have married Maes and nothing would have changed there, either.
"What if I promise to tell you if I'm not all right?" He gave Al an evaluating look.
Al narrowed his eyes and settled back in his seat across from Roy. "You promise?"
"I've been good lately, haven't I?" Roy slid a marker into his book to hold his place and closed it, hand rubbing over the cover. He had been good; anytime he'd begun feeling overwhelmed by their physical relationship, he would tell Al to wait a moment until he could settle himself again. It made him feel awkward and inexperienced, like an apprehensive virgin, but it was better than the look on Alphonse's face if Roy went past his limits and flinched back from the boy's caresses. Surely he could do the same if the wedding did bother him more than he expected it to.
"Promise."
The note of command in Al's voice made Roy twitch one amused eyebrow. "I promise, Alphonse."
That seemed to satisfy Al and the inquiries actually stopped. They spent the remainder of the train ride in silence, though one particularly rough sway of the train car made Roy give a sharp hiss when it knocked his leg into an awkward angle and he felt how stiff the limb had become on the journey. Al's head snapped up but Roy shook his, smiling through a grimace. "I'm all right. I think my leg is starting to go to sleep, though."
Al frowned. "It won't be much longer before we get there," he said. "Can you move it around a little until then?"
"I'll be all right." Roy wiggled his toes inside his boot, wincing when pins and needles shot up his leg. "I've had worse."
Something dark and almost frightened flickered in Al's eyes then and Roy felt a ping of regret. Al had been present for a lot of Roy's injuries, some long healed and others still suffering. Al had seen everything Roy had been through from the fight with Lust - ages ago now - that had left Havoc crippled and Roy considerably weakened, to the Northern War and everything from a dislocated shoulder to shrapnel to burns from his own fire and from the ice, to the bullet that had shattered his leg when Riza's death had crushed him. None of the physical injuries were as bad as the situations they were attached to. Roy knew Al was probably remembering Hughes' death, the stress of the weeks leading up to the Northern War when they suffered one loss after another, the War itself in which Ed had lost his newly-regained arm and every death had filled them with new dread that it might be the one human life that finally tipped the war in the homunculi's favor, and losing Hawkeye. Roy had not suffered any of these losses alone though he'd born the brunt of them, he felt. Still, Alphonse had lost a lot as well.
That realization coupled with the knowledge of how much Al was sacrificing to support him now prompted Mustang to add, "You've seen me through worse."
Al blinked once, twice, and finally grinned. "Don't say things like that if you don't want me attacking you in public," he laughed. Though the words were teasing, Roy knew that Al meant them on a certain level and smiled. Mustang was slowly getting used to the lightness of being with Al, the way the younger man reminded him how to feel good. Of course, he couldn't remember a single relationship he'd had where he wasn't plagued with guilt of some kind. Hughes was his roommate and fellow officer, Riza was his teacher's daughter given into his care, Gracia was Maes' wife. Together, the four of them were outside what was socially acceptable. He'd learned to love them all past ideas of should and shouldn't; at that moment, he decided he owed Al at least that much. No one who mattered would point their fingers at him for loving again, for finding a way to enjoy life. He owed it to Al - and to Maes and Riza and Gracia, who always wanted that for him - to try. The very decision made him feel lighter.
"All right," Roy grinned, crossing his arms. "I'll wait until Ed can see you do it."
Al's half-hearted glare only made Roy laugh.
As Al was helping Roy down from the horse cart that had brought them from the train station, he heard a clamor that he vaguely recognized as his name being called by three different voices. As Roy steadied himself on Al's shoulder, the younger man looked over his shoulder and grinned to see Winry, and Paninya coming toward them, Ed trailing them by a short distance.
"Isn't it bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding?" Al teased and Winry snorted.
"As if he could hide from me."
Paninya arched a wry eyebrow. "I don't think that's the traditional interpretation of that." She looked at Roy and smiled, something that looked like knowing sparkling in her eyes. "You must be the Roy Mustang that I've heard so much about."
I really should have explicitly asked her not to say anything about this, ever, Al thought in a panic. Please, Ed, just stay dense for a little while longer.
"And you would be Paninya," Roy responded with his old lady-killer's smile as he took her hand. He bowed lightly over it and for a brief moment, Al thought Mustang was going to press a kiss to that warm brown skin. It was a more uncomfortable thought than he would have suspected. "Alphonse has told me much about you."
"Oh really." Paninya sounded amused. The corner of Roy's mouth twitched and Al thought desperately, Great, just what I need. My ex and my ... that is, Roy ... getting cozy.
"Thank you for coming, Mister Mustang," Winry said warmly and Al thought with some amusement that she was probably trying to get that out of the way before Ed could open his mouth and say something rude. "It's good to see you looking so well."
"Thank you, Miss Rockbell," Roy responded, smooth as cream. "I owe much of it to your soon-to-be brother-in-law. Thank you for lending him to me." Al blushed and looked away, finding himself staring straight into Paninya's wickedly sparkling eyes. ...This is really going to be interesting, isn't it?
"Hey, Al," Ed grinned as he joined them. Winry elbowed him and he tacked on, "Mustang."
"Hi, Brother," Al returned, shooting Roy a warning glance before the older man could say anything.
"Hello, Edward," Roy said coolly, ignoring Al's look. "It's good to see you looking so well."
Ed hesitated, scowling, as if he was looking for the hidden insult in the words. Al shook his head. "I hope the weather's this nice tomorrow," Al put in, hoping to derail the inevitable war of insults. "It's perfect for a wedding. It even smells good -- like summer."
"It smells better than that dirty old city, anyway," Ed retorted, a wicked gleam in his eye as he glanced toward Mustang. He sucked in an exaggerated breath and let it out in a gusty sigh. "Ah, the smell of the countryside."
"Smells like horse manure and hay to me," Roy said dryly, brushing off a piece of straw that had clung to him from his ride in the horse cart.
"No, that's just you," Ed shot back. He opened his mouth to say something else but Winry cut him off with a resounding smack to the back of his head.
"Excuse him, please," she sighed. "Al got all the polite genes in the family."
Ed sputtered but Roy just smiled politely. "Don't worry, Miss Rockbell," he answered. "I had only to be acquainted with Edward for a short amount of time before I understood that."
"DON'T SAY SHORT!" Ed shouted, earning another smack from Winry and a disapproving look from his brother.
"Really, Ed," Al sighed and Ed scowled but quieted with a grumble.
Gallantly ignoring Ed's outburst, Roy turned to face Winry fully. "Miss Rockbell, I have something to give you." He reached into the pocket of his greatcoat and pulled out a small white box tied with a pale blue ribbon. "I understand that the wedding gifts are to be given tomorrow, but if you'll allow me to be so presumptuous, I thought perhaps you might like to have this before the ceremony."
Confused, Winry took the box from him and slid the ribbon off. Even Ed was quiet as everyone waited to see what was inside. Al was as curious as the rest of them -- he hadn't known anything about this. Winry pulled the lid off and gasped. Inside, cradled in white velvet, were two simple round silver earrings. Al's pulse skipped a beat.
"Are -- are these --" Her knuckles turned white where they clutched the box.
"Yes," Roy answered simply, his voice low and very rough. "She would have liked for you to have them, I think. She was very fond of you, Miss Rockbell. I dare say she saw a lot of herself in you."
Tears welled up in Winry's eyes and spilled over, running down her cheeks. "This - this is - Thank you." She launched herself at Mustang, throwing her arms around his neck. It nearly knocked him off balance but Al put his arm out, catching Roy across his lower back. The older man didn't make an issue of it, simply returned Winry's embrace politely. Al watched, his throat tightening with tears and something else, and had to look away before his emotions got the better of him. Love didn't seem too big a word just then.
"You're welcome, Miss --"
"Call me Winry," she interrupted and Roy nodded graciously.
Ed scowled and shifted his weight. Al thought his brother looked like he was about to take umbrage at Winry being made to cry, or maybe even hugging Roy, but even Ed wasn't so insensitive as to say anything at the moment. He'd been fond of Riza as well and despite the fact that the two alchemists had never gotten along, Ed knew what this gift meant to Roy. Even if he didn't, he could plainly see what it meant to Winry. When Winry finally pulled away, sniffling and swiping at her eyes, Ed caught Mustang's eye and nodded, once.
"Thanks," Edward said gruffly and Mustang returned the nod.
"Of course."
An awkward silence stretched for a few moments as Winry stared at her gift, lip trembling, still on the verge of bursting into serious tears in a moment. Finally, Paninya cleared her throat delicately. "Do you want to go put them with your wedding things, Winry?" the girl asked gently, and Winry nodded.
As the two girls retreated into the house, Ed looked utterly at a loss as to how to proceed. He couldn't, in good conscience, say anything rude to Mustang under the circumstances, and Al didn't think his brother knew how to speak to the man any other way. Al looked around and spotted their luggage then hefted both suitcases, one in each hand. Neither he nor Roy had packed much, knowing they would only be there for the weekend.
"Brother," Al started. "I wanted to ask you if there is there an extra bed, a cot or something, that we can put in my room."
Ed blinked, surprised, and Roy cleared his throat. Al thought Mustang might be embarrassed by the situation so clearly showing his dependence on Alphonse. "Yeah," Ed responded. "If there's not, we'll alchemize one."
Al gave him a meaningful look and Ed finally seemed to snap out of his awkward moment. "We'll go look for it now. You want to take your stuff up to your room? I'll start looking for a bed."
"Thank you, Brother," Al said, his tone implying that the gratitude was for more than a simple cot. Edward really was growing up after all.
Author: m.jules
Rating: Hard R for the whole thing
Summary: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Alphonse Elric helps Roy Mustang face life after more tragedy than one man should endure and finds something for himself in the process.
Pairing: mainly Roy/Al, with hints of and references to others. (Including, but not limited to, Ed/Winry, Al/Paninya, Gracia/Maes/Roy/Riza, and Al/Elicia.)
Disclaimer: Arakawa would KILL me. I bow low in supplication.
Author's Notes: This was meant to be "The Story That Proves In-Character Roy/Al Is Possible." Don't know if it worked. For my
7stages claim, prompt "New every morning." Sorry for the delay this week; between work and real life and getting things ready to go back to college in the fall, my ass has been thoroughly kicked.
I am posting one chapter every Sunday night/Monday. Previous chapters and related one-shots can be found here.
"Are you okay?"
Roy looked up from his book and arched his eyebrows at Al. "I'm fine, thank you." Al nodded and looked out the train window at the passing scenery. After a few moments, Roy added, "How many times do you plan to ask me that question before we get to Resembool?"
"As many times as you wince when the train jostles your leg," Al shot back immediately with a sharp glance.
Roy chuckled. He wondered if Al was really so concerned about his leg, or about what effect the wedding would have. It's true I wanted to marry Riza some day. But the ceremony wouldn't have made a difference in how we felt about each other. I never could have married Maes and nothing would have changed there, either.
"What if I promise to tell you if I'm not all right?" He gave Al an evaluating look.
Al narrowed his eyes and settled back in his seat across from Roy. "You promise?"
"I've been good lately, haven't I?" Roy slid a marker into his book to hold his place and closed it, hand rubbing over the cover. He had been good; anytime he'd begun feeling overwhelmed by their physical relationship, he would tell Al to wait a moment until he could settle himself again. It made him feel awkward and inexperienced, like an apprehensive virgin, but it was better than the look on Alphonse's face if Roy went past his limits and flinched back from the boy's caresses. Surely he could do the same if the wedding did bother him more than he expected it to.
"Promise."
The note of command in Al's voice made Roy twitch one amused eyebrow. "I promise, Alphonse."
That seemed to satisfy Al and the inquiries actually stopped. They spent the remainder of the train ride in silence, though one particularly rough sway of the train car made Roy give a sharp hiss when it knocked his leg into an awkward angle and he felt how stiff the limb had become on the journey. Al's head snapped up but Roy shook his, smiling through a grimace. "I'm all right. I think my leg is starting to go to sleep, though."
Al frowned. "It won't be much longer before we get there," he said. "Can you move it around a little until then?"
"I'll be all right." Roy wiggled his toes inside his boot, wincing when pins and needles shot up his leg. "I've had worse."
Something dark and almost frightened flickered in Al's eyes then and Roy felt a ping of regret. Al had been present for a lot of Roy's injuries, some long healed and others still suffering. Al had seen everything Roy had been through from the fight with Lust - ages ago now - that had left Havoc crippled and Roy considerably weakened, to the Northern War and everything from a dislocated shoulder to shrapnel to burns from his own fire and from the ice, to the bullet that had shattered his leg when Riza's death had crushed him. None of the physical injuries were as bad as the situations they were attached to. Roy knew Al was probably remembering Hughes' death, the stress of the weeks leading up to the Northern War when they suffered one loss after another, the War itself in which Ed had lost his newly-regained arm and every death had filled them with new dread that it might be the one human life that finally tipped the war in the homunculi's favor, and losing Hawkeye. Roy had not suffered any of these losses alone though he'd born the brunt of them, he felt. Still, Alphonse had lost a lot as well.
That realization coupled with the knowledge of how much Al was sacrificing to support him now prompted Mustang to add, "You've seen me through worse."
Al blinked once, twice, and finally grinned. "Don't say things like that if you don't want me attacking you in public," he laughed. Though the words were teasing, Roy knew that Al meant them on a certain level and smiled. Mustang was slowly getting used to the lightness of being with Al, the way the younger man reminded him how to feel good. Of course, he couldn't remember a single relationship he'd had where he wasn't plagued with guilt of some kind. Hughes was his roommate and fellow officer, Riza was his teacher's daughter given into his care, Gracia was Maes' wife. Together, the four of them were outside what was socially acceptable. He'd learned to love them all past ideas of should and shouldn't; at that moment, he decided he owed Al at least that much. No one who mattered would point their fingers at him for loving again, for finding a way to enjoy life. He owed it to Al - and to Maes and Riza and Gracia, who always wanted that for him - to try. The very decision made him feel lighter.
"All right," Roy grinned, crossing his arms. "I'll wait until Ed can see you do it."
Al's half-hearted glare only made Roy laugh.
As Al was helping Roy down from the horse cart that had brought them from the train station, he heard a clamor that he vaguely recognized as his name being called by three different voices. As Roy steadied himself on Al's shoulder, the younger man looked over his shoulder and grinned to see Winry, and Paninya coming toward them, Ed trailing them by a short distance.
"Isn't it bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding?" Al teased and Winry snorted.
"As if he could hide from me."
Paninya arched a wry eyebrow. "I don't think that's the traditional interpretation of that." She looked at Roy and smiled, something that looked like knowing sparkling in her eyes. "You must be the Roy Mustang that I've heard so much about."
I really should have explicitly asked her not to say anything about this, ever, Al thought in a panic. Please, Ed, just stay dense for a little while longer.
"And you would be Paninya," Roy responded with his old lady-killer's smile as he took her hand. He bowed lightly over it and for a brief moment, Al thought Mustang was going to press a kiss to that warm brown skin. It was a more uncomfortable thought than he would have suspected. "Alphonse has told me much about you."
"Oh really." Paninya sounded amused. The corner of Roy's mouth twitched and Al thought desperately, Great, just what I need. My ex and my ... that is, Roy ... getting cozy.
"Thank you for coming, Mister Mustang," Winry said warmly and Al thought with some amusement that she was probably trying to get that out of the way before Ed could open his mouth and say something rude. "It's good to see you looking so well."
"Thank you, Miss Rockbell," Roy responded, smooth as cream. "I owe much of it to your soon-to-be brother-in-law. Thank you for lending him to me." Al blushed and looked away, finding himself staring straight into Paninya's wickedly sparkling eyes. ...This is really going to be interesting, isn't it?
"Hey, Al," Ed grinned as he joined them. Winry elbowed him and he tacked on, "Mustang."
"Hi, Brother," Al returned, shooting Roy a warning glance before the older man could say anything.
"Hello, Edward," Roy said coolly, ignoring Al's look. "It's good to see you looking so well."
Ed hesitated, scowling, as if he was looking for the hidden insult in the words. Al shook his head. "I hope the weather's this nice tomorrow," Al put in, hoping to derail the inevitable war of insults. "It's perfect for a wedding. It even smells good -- like summer."
"It smells better than that dirty old city, anyway," Ed retorted, a wicked gleam in his eye as he glanced toward Mustang. He sucked in an exaggerated breath and let it out in a gusty sigh. "Ah, the smell of the countryside."
"Smells like horse manure and hay to me," Roy said dryly, brushing off a piece of straw that had clung to him from his ride in the horse cart.
"No, that's just you," Ed shot back. He opened his mouth to say something else but Winry cut him off with a resounding smack to the back of his head.
"Excuse him, please," she sighed. "Al got all the polite genes in the family."
Ed sputtered but Roy just smiled politely. "Don't worry, Miss Rockbell," he answered. "I had only to be acquainted with Edward for a short amount of time before I understood that."
"DON'T SAY SHORT!" Ed shouted, earning another smack from Winry and a disapproving look from his brother.
"Really, Ed," Al sighed and Ed scowled but quieted with a grumble.
Gallantly ignoring Ed's outburst, Roy turned to face Winry fully. "Miss Rockbell, I have something to give you." He reached into the pocket of his greatcoat and pulled out a small white box tied with a pale blue ribbon. "I understand that the wedding gifts are to be given tomorrow, but if you'll allow me to be so presumptuous, I thought perhaps you might like to have this before the ceremony."
Confused, Winry took the box from him and slid the ribbon off. Even Ed was quiet as everyone waited to see what was inside. Al was as curious as the rest of them -- he hadn't known anything about this. Winry pulled the lid off and gasped. Inside, cradled in white velvet, were two simple round silver earrings. Al's pulse skipped a beat.
"Are -- are these --" Her knuckles turned white where they clutched the box.
"Yes," Roy answered simply, his voice low and very rough. "She would have liked for you to have them, I think. She was very fond of you, Miss Rockbell. I dare say she saw a lot of herself in you."
Tears welled up in Winry's eyes and spilled over, running down her cheeks. "This - this is - Thank you." She launched herself at Mustang, throwing her arms around his neck. It nearly knocked him off balance but Al put his arm out, catching Roy across his lower back. The older man didn't make an issue of it, simply returned Winry's embrace politely. Al watched, his throat tightening with tears and something else, and had to look away before his emotions got the better of him. Love didn't seem too big a word just then.
"You're welcome, Miss --"
"Call me Winry," she interrupted and Roy nodded graciously.
Ed scowled and shifted his weight. Al thought his brother looked like he was about to take umbrage at Winry being made to cry, or maybe even hugging Roy, but even Ed wasn't so insensitive as to say anything at the moment. He'd been fond of Riza as well and despite the fact that the two alchemists had never gotten along, Ed knew what this gift meant to Roy. Even if he didn't, he could plainly see what it meant to Winry. When Winry finally pulled away, sniffling and swiping at her eyes, Ed caught Mustang's eye and nodded, once.
"Thanks," Edward said gruffly and Mustang returned the nod.
"Of course."
An awkward silence stretched for a few moments as Winry stared at her gift, lip trembling, still on the verge of bursting into serious tears in a moment. Finally, Paninya cleared her throat delicately. "Do you want to go put them with your wedding things, Winry?" the girl asked gently, and Winry nodded.
As the two girls retreated into the house, Ed looked utterly at a loss as to how to proceed. He couldn't, in good conscience, say anything rude to Mustang under the circumstances, and Al didn't think his brother knew how to speak to the man any other way. Al looked around and spotted their luggage then hefted both suitcases, one in each hand. Neither he nor Roy had packed much, knowing they would only be there for the weekend.
"Brother," Al started. "I wanted to ask you if there is there an extra bed, a cot or something, that we can put in my room."
Ed blinked, surprised, and Roy cleared his throat. Al thought Mustang might be embarrassed by the situation so clearly showing his dependence on Alphonse. "Yeah," Ed responded. "If there's not, we'll alchemize one."
Al gave him a meaningful look and Ed finally seemed to snap out of his awkward moment. "We'll go look for it now. You want to take your stuff up to your room? I'll start looking for a bed."
"Thank you, Brother," Al said, his tone implying that the gratitude was for more than a simple cot. Edward really was growing up after all.
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(Sorry for the slow reply time. I suck lately.)
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Yay as usual! Al and Roy are so squee-worthy. And another food description for Roy's voice. Mmmm
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And er... I'm just waiting for somehting to happen. Something potentially explosive.
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and aww.
(yes, I'm only just now getting to read this.)
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Roy's gift of Riza's earrings was very sweet. What a great idea. It ties back to the manga, and is a sign of how Roy is letting go of his past as well. His reflections on the train about trying to put the suffering and guilt of the past behind him, for Al's sake, were also a good sign.
The next chapter should be fun, too, with the guys sharing a room right under Ed's nose.