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Silent Reverie
Roy had been back at work for less than a week, and as eager as he had been to return to some semblance of a normal life, he was now equally eager to return to his quiet home. The paperwork he had been left with seemed unending (and it nearly was, he had been on leave for a long time and although others had tried to help out, there were always certain things that only he was authorized to take care of) and his mind and body both felt suddenly not up to the challenge.
He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead, trying to ease the pressure of what felt like the beginnings of a massive headache, and winced at the pain that shot through his right hip, shifting awkwardly in his chair.
"Sir?"
"Hm?" he answered, not lifting his head from his hand or raising his single eye to the familiar voice.
"Someone is here to see you," Riza said quietly. "Should I tell him to come back later?"
Roy groaned. "Who is it?"
"Well, sir, he claims to be Alphonse Elric."
This caused him to drop his hand down on the desk and lift his head at last. "He's been located? What about Fullmetal?"
She merely shook her head. "He wont say anything about him," she said briskly. "I know you aren't feeling well, would you like me to tell him to come back?"
"No!" he said, his voice sounding strangled. "No," he repeated in a more even tone. "Send him in. Please," he added.
He did not really know what to expect to see come walking through his door. He had never seen a picture of Alphonse in his human form, and he was still picturing that hulking armor when Riza said "Alphonse."
"Edward," he gasped when he saw him. Were miracles possible? Had the boys actually survived? Was there a shred of goodness still in the world?
The boy in the red coat backed up, startled. "No," his young voice spoke. "It's Alphonse." Grey eyes darted from side to side, betraying his nervousness.
Roy let out a breath he did not even know he was holding. "Then- you succeeded. You found the Stone."
"No," the boy protested. "No, we didn't succeed. Brother is- I- I have to find my brother," he said brokenly.
He rose slowly from the desk, taking up his cane and moving closer to the boy, crouching awkwardly in front of him, flinching at the pain in his hip. "He did it," Roy whispered. "He did the impossible. You're really human."
Al frowned. "But now he's gone!" he cried, his eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Please, you have to help me find him!"
"Alphonse," he said slowly, "did you find the Philosopher's Stone?"
The boy looked down at the floor. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I'm not sure. I can't remember anything." He raised his large eyes to meet Roy's single one. "I don't remember anything from being in the armor." After a moment, he continued, "I think we found it, and I think we didn't use it. But I'm not sure."
If he used the Philosopher's Stone, Roy told himself, then he should be here. If he didn't- here he looked away. If he didn't, then he's really gone. He stood. "Alphonse, I will do everything I can to help locate your brother," he said finally, and could not meet his eyes when they lit up like that.
"Thank you!" he cried. "Oh, thank you!" he said again, turning and running out of the room, the red coat flying behind him.
Roy watched him from his office window, the small figure dressed in red and black exiting the building, talking excitedly to a woman with long blonde hair, the boy's mechanic friend. She nodded, and they began to walk away, and she put her arm around his shoulders, pulling him to her side before they separated again.
Perhaps, he thought to himself, not all things impossible were really impossible.