"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange..."
Elric Alphonse.
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Chapter two,
You complete my faith
1925, Outside London
Dr. Roy Mustang POV
Working regular hours, enjoy the free time with his family or handling a discussion without raising his voice – this was all the things Mustang lacked. And to be gifted with a bright wife wasn't always a good thing. Riza knew something was going on so when she had started questioning his work, he just started avoiding home. But now, forced to return and get some rest, he actually enjoyed her company. Of course there were questions, but by just letting the conversations float another way he managed to steer clear of the largest part of it.
Riza had forced him to stay in bed all day, just call out when he needed something. This was the best part his wife, her concern and totally affection against him. Sometimes he felt like a jerk, taking advantage of her this way. But if he was on his own, if only for a day, he wouldn't eat. His work would never be finished without someone around. Without Riza around. He shifted his weight, or all that was left of it anyways. The last weeks of hard work had been extremely bothersome.
"Darling, can you get me some tea?" he barked to no one in particular. Both Riza and Kayla we're attractive woman, both deserved to be called his darling. Kayla in particular. What Riza had in brains, Kayla had in beauty. That youthful face, smiling a bright and sunny could make every living man sneak behind his wife's back. A dangerous game indeed. Mustang listened after the usual sounds witnessing that one of his girls was on their way to aid him. There was only silence. Mustang started to suspect something weird was going on. Living in constant fear for thieves stealing his secret had made him paranoid. He kicked the bedcover away, pulled a bathrobe over his nightgown and stepped out from his bedroom, leaving everything in a mess. The living room was empty. He decided to try the kitchen. Quietly stepping into the door, he startled Kayla who was currently listening to the radio.
"Oh, sorry dr. Mustang I didn't hear you" she smiled. Oh, he had always been weak for woman smiling.
"Uh no it's okay. Is there anything to eat?" he growled and sat down at the table. Kayla was quick to get butter, bread and some cheese, allowing him to make his own sandwich. Mustang thanked her and started helping himself. His hand we're shaking while holding the knife for the butter, clearly a sign about not eating enough. He quickly showed the whole sandwich into his mouth.
"Where's Riza?" he asked in between the chews, staring at Kayla's lovely figure, her breasts clearly visible beneath the thin material of her peach-colored dress.
"She said she was going to town for an errand" Kayla smiled again. Damn that smile. Mustang felt his boxers getting a little tight, something bothersome bulging in there; uncomfortable he shifted weight and avoided looking at the maid.
'Why did we have to get her for' he thought only to be struck by the fact that he was the one specifically asking for her. He continued to eat, embarrassed over the fact that he had been weak. He avoided her for the rest of the dinner.
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1925, London
Edward Elric POV.
"Nii-san, we're here!" Al cautiously punched his brother awake. Ed rubbed his eyes and sat up, wondering how on earth this trip had been over so fast. Like in coma, he found his bag and held on hard to it. These were his only few possessions, no way that he was going to let it disappear.
"Yeah, it looks like this is it" Ed's eyes searched the surroundings outside the train-window. He was used to travel by train, but he had never seen anything like this huge station. People everywhere. Many of them were selling newspapers to the businessmen running between the many trains. He spotted a sign reading King's cross. Yes, this was the right station.
Stepping out from the train, he felt the cool December-air caressing his face. He pulled his thin cotton jacket around him, suddenly envious of Al who had bought a thick jacket before they left. Ed wondered where his money had disappeared, then suddenly remembering the reparation of his arm that he broke during a drunken brawl fight. He had been called short, so he had to punch the got damn tree laughing and starring at him.
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"Al how're we supposed to find him?" Ed gave up the hope of asking people on the street. London was too big for that kind of primeval behavior that had always worked in Amestris.
"Nii-san I thought you had a plan…" Al begun.
"Yeah, so I don't. Don't blame me!"
"You're the one who wanted to go and find Mustang, don't blame me-" Al cautiously pointed out, but not cautiously enough since Ed started to glare at him. Ed grasped the watch he had in his pocket, the watch given to him when he became a state-alchemist. He opened inside his pocket, tracing the date 3rd October10-scratch mark in it. Always when upset, he would touch this precious item. It calmed him down. He traced his fingers over the newly added mark, the one he had discovered when he came back here from Amestris. The one single word etched in, 'hagaren'. As in shock he quickly drew away his hand, suddenly troubled. Al ogled him amused, probably knew Ed was fiddling with the watch again.
"Oh, so now you're suggesting I have feelings for him? Let me tell you, that's not it" Ed started screaming, "It's not like that," he muttered under his breath, looking down on his feet. Lots of people stopped to look at the brother's, Al just waved it off as his brother being crazy, smiling awkwardly.
"Nii-san I didn't say that" Al stated high enough for the spectators to hear, excused himself and dragged Ed far away from the scene. Ed let his fingers slide into the pocket again, holding on to his only memory from home.
"Nii-san you have to stop doing that" Al said. He had dragged Ed into the nearest café, ordering him some coffee and glaring at him for the past half and hour, demanding to know why Ed had been acting so weird. Ed had been starring out of the window for the past half and hour, refusing to talk about stupid things as feelings.
"What?" Ed asked innocent for the tenth time Al had popped the question, his cold fingers crossed behind his cup of coffee. He made a mental note of buying new gloves.
"Why are you acting so odd? Has this something to do with me or-" Al sounded terrified. Ed felt his insides twist, guilt over not being able to relax in his brothers company. There were so many things he wanted to tell him, so many things he hadn't told anyone. But he couldn't, because some things were always meant to be buried.
"Relax, Al. This has nothing to do with you. I'm just… a little homesick or something. Yeah, that's it" Ed cracked up in a wide grin, jamming all his sadness. Al seemed to be fooled by his superior façade, everybody was and nobody ever saw it through. Ed was a master of deception; to show too much emotion were weakness. That one thing he had learnt when he was alone on this side of the gate. Ed squeezed the watch in his pocket, his fingers almost white by the enormous pressure. Except that one time of course, when he had spilled his guts to someone. 'Hagaren', yes. He would always remember that night.
Neither of the Elric brother's, deep in thought, seemed to notice the man dressed in black walking outside the café. While he stopped to look at Ed's face with an expression of greed, they didn't do anything but staring into their cups of coffee, nor did they react when the door to the café swung open. When the man finally was standing behind Ed's chair Al looked up, his mouth wide open. Ed slowly turned his head around, looking up into a pair of onyx eyes.
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1925, London
Dr. Roy Mustang POV
Mustang was currently feeling a little guilty over the whole kitchen event. Although he had stayed away from engaging in physical contact, the experience had been very definite. He did love Riza, really, but sometimes it was just too normal. He was tired of his life; only the development with uranium would keep his mind of his own problems. He wanted excitement, action, something happening.
He was currently out of the house. Riza had tried to make them intervene in some kind of romantic, intimate situation that just went straight to hell. The underfedness that Mustang suffered from had made him non-capable of engaging in sex. His noble parts didn't want to cooperate. To save his manly pride, he decided that he had important business in London. Extremely important business, so he had to leave right away. In about five minutes he was sitting in a cab on his way to London, leaving a confused Riza still naked in bed.
December in London was the best month of the whole year. Even though there wasn't any snow yet, the atmosphere reminded him of some of his happier Christmas's, when he was still a teenager and this responsibility with being an adult didn't exist. Whenever a problem occurred, he just pushed it over to his mother. As that time he had slept with their neighbor's daughter. Mustang giggled to himself, suddenly remembering the night in the barn. A wonder she didn't got pregnant.
"You're the one who wanted to go and find Mustang, don't blame me-"
"Oh, so now you're suggesting I have feelings for him? Let me tell you, that's not it"He turned around at the mention of his name, spotting an angry young man being dragged away by someone taller. Mustang tilted his head. A boy perhaps… would that be exciting enough? He shrugged to himself and continued walking.
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"Do you want it wrapped?" An old woman asked him, holding the expensive-looking notebook, a Christmas-gift for Riza. He could just ignore it, like all the previous years and let someone at the office buy it, but since he had nothing better to do shopping Christmas gifts was just fine.
"Yes, thank you. Do you might have any other suggestions for what to give my wife for Christmas?" Mustang took the wrapped-up gift in his hands.
"Oh, you have a wife? Hm, well we have this-" the clerk happily started to talk about special offers, Mustang nodded a little absent to keep the conversation going while his eyes floated around the store. A small, dusty place in a back alley. He supposed no a lot of customers were visiting particularly often. Right now there were no other customers besides him. But he liked these kinds of places, nobody bothering him in his thoughts. When the clerk had stopped talking, Mustang abandoned her and searched one of the many shelves against the back wall. A thick, golden bound book looking very old catched his eye. Interested he pulled it out, revealing the title 'Introduction to alchemy'. His fingers traced an alchemy array on the cover. A strange thing to find among these other common looking books. Opening a random page revealed another array and the text 'Bastion Press\'s "Alchemy and Herbalists"' underneath. Mustang had no clue what it meant, therefore shutting the book hard. The old book's dust suddenly whirling around made him choke. While catching his breath, he brought the book to the clerk. She looked at him suspiciously:
"Do you really intend to give your wife this old book?"
"No, that one is for me" he glanced at her. Her voice spoke of great wisdom and age but her face was deceiving, he could not see a single wrinkle. She merely shrugged at him and handing him the book. He carefully put the book together with the notebook in the bag, waving goodbye and exiting the shop.
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The chilly weather was tearing in his clothes and the nasty wind blowing up into his shirt. After hours of looking for Christmas gifts he felt like a gigantic ice-cube. Spotting a café down the road, he decided to treat himself to a cup of coffee. In the window he saw the blonde boy again, talking to the other one. He took a step forward and noticed how similar they looked, probably brothers. Blonde, long hair, golden eyes, the clothes and even the same taste in coffee (mental note: milk and sugar). Yes it had to be. Not paying further attention, he pushed the door open and glanced over the tables inside.
The brothers were sitting very close to the exit; he had to pass them on his way in. Thinking only about a warm cup of coffee, Mustang tried to squeeze past them but accidentally almost slipping. The younger brother, he figured, looked at him almost as if he was a ghost. Then slowly the older one turned around, gazing up into his eyes. The tension was immensely thick and the silence unbearable. Mustang made a small cough, just enough for the boy to be brought back to earth.
"COLONEL-BASTARD!" the older one shrieked and jumped up from his chair, glaring at Mustang. He had all kinds of expression on his face, but the dominating ones clearly were surprise and anger. Mustang shrugged, laughed a little about the impression he had made. But was he really that handsome?
"Um, excuse me but what are you talking about? I'm a doctor" he tried to answer as politely as he could, careful to hide his curiosity. The boy stiffened, collected himself and fell back on his chair. He and his brother changed a look, then the younger offered Mustang a seat:
"Have a seat Dr. Mustang, we have a lot to discuss".
1925, London
Alphonse Elric POV
Ed was awfully quiet. Al glanced over at him discovering that his brother was just staring outside the window, hands in his pockets, trying to ignore the man sitting in front of them. Al frowned of irritation ('wasn't it you who wanted to see him in the first place?') and turned his attention back to the doctor sitting in front of him.
"So basically, you and you're brother are from another dimension called Amestris where you can perform alchemy. You have come here in search for a Uranium-bomb, that I am supposed to have. And the fact that your brother called me Colonel Mustang is because his old boss looks like me?" Mustang smirked. The same trademark-smirk Colonel Mustang always used to have when being sarcastic.
"I know it sounds absolutely unbelievable. But it's the truth I swear" Al pleaded, trying to sound convincing. He had thought it easy to search up Mustang and tell the truth. But he had not counted with him resembling the Colonel this much. But since Officer Hughes even in this world loved Glacier, Scar was still a gloomy gypsy and many of the others reminded so much of their originals Al should have known better. And the fact that Mustang always had looked out for the brothers in the real world seemed to have spread to this one too. His concern and smile seemed somewhat genuine, and he kept shooting glances in Ed's direction, just as the old Mustang always did.
"Well if it wasn't that I've heard this story before I would think you'd be nuts" Mustang warmed his hands on the cup.
"What do you mean?" Al asked at once.
"The man with the bomb you told me about, well, I met him. They sent him rehabilitation on my clinic; he was talking about some bomb he had hid away. I decided one day that I might check it out, so I went to a place he had described, found this bomb and stole it from him claiming it was my own invention" Mustang smirked. Al found it strange for him to so plainly declare what he had done and what he was planning to do. But then again, the colonel had always been honest about his deeds.
"Where is the man now?" Ed asked, staring at the doctor. Al could sense his body tense. Mustang slowly turned to face Ed.
"He's probably locked up somewhere Nii-san, don't bother" Al predicted. He saw Ed fall back on his chair again, staring out of the window stubbornly. After all these years together, Ed couldn't handle his brother shutting him up. Mustang looked curiously between them, maybe trying to figure out who was the stronger. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Al, shifted uncomfortable in his seat, not sure what to think of this new Mustang.
"Edward, I have something that might interest you" Mustang broke the silence and started digging in his bag. Ed gazed at him at the mention of his name. Al tried to pry under the table to see what he was doing, but Mustang was skillfully covering Al's view by crossing his legs. Mustang pulled up a hardbound, torn copy of 'Introduction to alchemy'. A rare edition, complete with a golden array on the cover. Both Ed and Al stared at it. It had been years since they had taken it from their father's library and studied in order to become apprentices to a skilled master. Al looked questioning at Mustang.
"As I told you, that man told me the story about your 'world' (the tone stated that Mustang didn't truly believe it despite the stories) and a lot about alchemy. I saw this in a bookshop earlier today and decided to read it, but it doesn't make any sense. I suppose you might know what it is then?" Al was just about to answer, but apparently Ed was too taken back to shut up. He stretched his finger over the table and reached for the cover of the book. Touching it gently, he tried to pull it from Mustangs grip.
"Can I look at it?" Ed asked Mustang. The later considered the option and shook his head, kindly declining.
"I'm actually in a rush, my wife is probably worrying. How about a meeting later this week? I can call your hotel, just tell me where you're staying"
"Um, the thing is that we didn't really have any plan coming here, so we don't know what hotel we will be staying in" Al stated honestly, scratching the back of his head. Mustang looked at the two and let out a sigh.
"Well Edward and Alphonse Elric, it would be awfully rude of me to not invite you to my mansion. We have plenty of rooms" Mustang signed for them to follow, "so, until you find a more suitable place to dwell in, come the taxi is waiting".
A/N:
1. Oh, Mustang turned out interesting. I had meant for him to be a good character, but well… a cheating husband can't be considered nice. Anyway, dunno if I've rushed things too much in this chapter. I hope not. It's important that they meet somehow and I thought this was the best way without making it strange.
2. The location of the Mustang house is not real; I wasn't in the mood of making the story perfect today.
3. This is kinda going to be RoyxEd, but there's a long way too go there and I'm not going to rush it. Have some patience if it's the pairing you're after. Otherwise, just relax and read this longer chapter (I think 6 A4-pages is a very long chapter, for me anyway).
4. This is the point where the real story starts. I'm considering deleting the first chapter; my friend whom I mentioned in the first chapter's notes is done reading them so they don't really serve any purpose anymore.
5. Hagaren is the Japanese word for Ed's nickname "Full metal". Guess who invented that, and guess who wrote it in the watch :O Oh, the plot is thickening.