Sicktember Day 14: Aches and Pains
Word Count: 515
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: G/K
Characters: Jean Havoc
Warning:
Summary: Jean Havoc still has aches and pains.
Notes:
Aches and Pains
Havoc stood on the rooftop, the smoke from his cigarette drifting up into the cool night sky. Most people were asleep at the moment, but he wasn't. Oh, he had tried, but his legs and back just wouldn't let him sleep. But that was alright with him. He was used to these late nights, and, although it would leave him tired come morning, it was worth it to him.
At least he was feeling something.
He shifted, the pain in his legs not letting him hold still for too long. They always hurt worse after a long day of manual labor. Rebuilding Ishval was a lot of days of manual labor. Working hard, putting up buildings, building roads, setting up infrastructure—it was all hard manual labor. But, again, it was something that he counted as worth it.
It had been his choice, after all.
When Mustang had offered him the chance to be healed with the philosopher's stone, his heart had immediately lept at the thought. But despite what people sometimes thought about him, Havoc wasn't stupid. He knew what Mustang meant to this country, and he knew that Mustang would be the better one to heal.
Still, Mustang had insisted, so Havoc had brokered a deal. He would let Dr. Marcoh heal the nerve connection, and anything that he couldn't work to get back himself. His lost muscle mass, the muscle memory of walking, all of that, Havoc could go through physical therapy for. Mustang's eyes were, in his own thoughts, more important than his ability to walk. Mustang hadn't liked it, but he had reluctantly agreed.
Havoc's nerves had been healed. Mustang's eyes had been fully restored. The stone had been used up. Mustang had moved forward with his plans. Havoc had headed to physical therapy.
But with his physical therapy had come other side effects. Havoc discovered that he often had aches and pains in his legs and in his back. At first, he thought it was from the hard work he was doing. But as time went on and he gained back what he had lost, the pain stayed. He had nights where he couldn't sleep because of the aches, and days where even just walking felt like it hurt. He had asked Marcoh about it, and the doctor had apologized, saying that it was mostly likely from something that didn't get healed all of the way. Havoc had shaken his head and told the doctor not to apologize. It had been his choice.
Havoc took another drag from his cigarette, looking out over the partially rebuilt Ishval from this rooftop. His legs ached. His back ached. He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. But it was his choice, and it was one that he didn't regret. He would have sacrificed his ability to walk again, if it meant that this country was being led in the direction that Mustang was taking it in, without any regrets.
And when he had aches and pains, he would stand on a rooftop, smoke a cigarette, and watch the world around him.