Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.
Author's Note: I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3
Chapter: Bad Mornings & Silver Charms
Summary: Not all mornings have bad endings...
Monday. Again.
Alphonse groaned loudly as he rolled hesitantly out of bed, letting his feet hit the floor with a soft thud. Now he understood why everyone complained about Mondays when he once never understood why.
He was now back in his Central apartment after returning home from Resembool the day before; a weekend that seemed to pass by far too quickly for his liking. Regardless, he had enjoyed seeing his brother and family again, and made a point to go back more often than he had been. He would have to be back in less than a month anyway, as his 22nd birthday was just around the corner.
His apartment was quite pristine and rather spacious considering the handsome pay check being a State Alchemist of his rank brought in. The largest part of the apartment was the living room, with two long burgundy sofas facing towards one another and a coffee table with a small vase of daffodils between them situated in the middle of the room. It also had two large windows with a view of the Central Gardens. To the left of the windows was a decently sized kitchenette with a small rectangular dining table. To the right side of the apartment were two doors, leading to two rooms of the same size that had a connecting bathroom between them.
Alphonse had turned the room without windows into a study, while the room he currently stood in had a sizable double bed, two nightstands either side of it, a chest of drawers and lastly, a large window with a built in sofa with a few pale blue cushions strewn about on it. Rather luxurious really, at least in Alphonse's opinion. He had always taken a little time to make sure things appeared somewhat presentable. Besides being a neat and tidy person in general, he had other reasons to be. He would occasionally have female company every now and again. Though not quite the same way a certain flame alchemist would entertain ladies.
It has only happened a few times since returning to Amestris after being heart-broken by May, albeit unintentionally. Neither of them was prepared for the fact that May was already, unknowingly, betrothed to another man of a rival clan in order to strengthen bonds between two families. May had to do what was right for the sake of her clan's people, so they had to end their relationship on mutual terms and remain as good friends.
Once he began dating woman closer to home though, Alphonse found that they had a tendency to 'leave' shortly after receiving sexual favors. Mustang had simply assured him that that was just what Central woman were like, but it still didn't make him feel any better about it and more often that not, it left him feeling used and empty deep inside his heart. After all, Alphonse was a sweet, gentle and kind man who loved the idea of romance, rather than that of the flesh kind. But it had been a few months since he had been with anyone that way, and had been far too busy with his recent study to care much for finding it.
He would take each and every day as it came. Like he always has.
Alphonse hurried about showering and getting dressed when he realized that he was running a little late on this particular morning.
'Of all the days I had to sleep in, it had to be on the day I had the meeting with the Fuhrer!' He scolded himself inwardly.
He had almost ripped his white shirt when he roughly tugged it on, nearly tore the zipper off his blue uniform pants, narrowly missed zipping his 'delicates', and fell over trying to put his boots on. He figured it was just not going to be his day today. Grabbing his military jacket, he raced out of his apartment, locked the door behind him and hastily made his way out of the complex at a brisk walk while tugging the jacket onto his body, barely taking a moment to notice the newest extra star on each shoulder.
It was quite a humid, mild and overcast late Spring day, and it looked as if it might rain later on, for which Alphonse cursed at himself for forgetting his trench coat. Nonetheless he quickly made his way to Central Headquarters; arriving a mere five minutes late. But to Alphonse, it wouldn't have made a difference if he was five or forty-five minutes late; late was late in his opinion.
He walked through large double doors to General Roy Mustang's office to meet with him before the meeting with Fuhrer Grumman. After all, it was Roy who had requested Alphonse to accompany him to this particular meeting. But when he entered the room, he found all of Mustang's subordinates including Riza Hawkeye there, but no Mustang.
Riza greeted him with a warm smile. "Well I didn't think I'd need to address anyone as Colonel again for a long time. Congratulations on the promotion Alphonse."
Alphonse grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, thanks Major Hawkeye, sorry I'm late. Where's General Mustang?
Riza's uncharacteristic bright smiling face quickly returned to the usual serious stoic expression at the mention of Mustang, though she seemed to be feigning annoyance. "He's late. Again."
'How the hell did this guy make General again? He has no organization at all. Jeez, I really feel for Major Hawkeye at times like this. Her job is more or less babysitting a 37-year-old man!' Alphonse pondered to himself as he made his way to his desk, stationed separately from Mustang's subordinates, but situated alongside Hawkeye's and one other empty desk. He let out a quiet exasperated sigh as he looked to Hawkeye.
"So anything new come in over the weekend? Or reports?" he said, settling into his work.
Riza reached for a clipboard on her desk and passed it to Alphonse before clearing her throat.
"There was another train robbery in the West, and a bank robbery in North City which was quickly halted and the criminals apprehended." Riza said in her usual monotone. "Lastly, there was a double murder in the downtown regions of South City, police are working on the case and nothing has come up as far as we are aware. The only notable thing was all of the victim's jewelry and valuables had been removed from their bodies and their home. We suspect it could be the same gang that has been committing most of the major crimes in the South the past year."
Alphonse briefly looked over the report notes on the clipboard that had been handed to him before putting it down in front of him. He turned his face down to look at his desk in silence while crossing his arms over his chest. He was far to used to hearing reports like this. A few months after Grumman took over as Fuhrer, the country had slowly been in creeping into turmoil from numerous criminal activities on large scales. It seemed every week someone would meet their untimely end somewhere across the country, and it gave Alphonse mixed emotions of grief and anger.
The double doors to the office suddenly burst open and revealed a very disheveled and panting Roy Mustang. He stood there a moment catching his breath before he looked over to Alphonse and wiggled his middle and index fingers to gesture for him to follow.
"Come on… We're late."
"You mean, you're late, General." Hawkeye said with an unimpressed tone as Alphonse briskly stood and walked towards the open doors to accompany Mustang, leaving his souring thoughts for another time.
"Uh huh, sure. Spank me for it later Hawkeye." Mustang saw her intimidating brown eyes dangerously darken, and before giving her a chance to respond to his suggestive, but sarcastic remark, the pair quickly marched of out the office and down the vast hallway.
"I'd choose your words more carefully General. You know she's more than capable of ending you quicker than you can even think of drawing a spark." Alphonse cautioned in friendly manner as he walked beside the ravened haired man, who was briefly doing what he could to straighten out his appearance.
Roy cocked an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Oh? I should tell you I manage to make her blush on Saturday then."
Alphonse snorted with amusement. "Let me guess. You told her in detail how you polish your gun?"
Roy blinked and looked at his youngest subordinate and friend with surprise before letting out a loud chuckle. "No but, that's not a bad idea Alphonse."
Alphonse merely shook his head and chuckled. "I had nothing to do with it then. I enjoy living, thank you."
When Alphonse had joined the military and passed his State Alchemy exam, he was quickly recruited by Roy Mustang, something Alphonse was grateful for. The two men, despite their age and personality differences, had become very close friends. They always had each other's backs, both professionally and personally, and confided in one another for numerous reasons.
The two briefly talked about the weekend and Alphonse's trip back home as they made their way to Fuhrer Grumman's office. The conversation on Fullmetal's height didn't go unmentioned of course.
The three men sat together in a large room that was the Fuhrer's office. Roy and Alphonse sat on one sofa while Fuhrer Grumman sat on the sofa across from them. They had been chatting quietly and humorously for a short while before Grumman brought to attention the reason of the meeting.
"As you both are aware, the State Alchemist exams began today, and continue on for the next two days. As we speak, the written tests are already being conducted. I have already assigned a few State Alchemists to evaluate today's results, but I would like the both of you to look over the applicant's information sheets, the ones who are successful today of course. You know the drill Mustang, to pick out the peculiar and stand-outs, since you know that lately, I may not have time to attend every applicant's examination. I'll have the sheets sent to your office before the day is through. After that, I'd like for the both of you to be on the judge panels for the next two days of the exam." Grumman finishes and takes a sip from his tea.
"Yes Sir." Roy simply nodded as he sat back comfortably in the sofa with his arms folded contently, a foot resting atop his opposite knee. This would be his 6th year doing this task, and he knew it all too well. He had insisted to Grumman that Alphonse would very much be great for the job also, not that it took much persuading in the first place.
Alphonse took on a more upright position as he spoke. "Sir, though I'm flattered you'd assign me to this task, shouldn't someone with more military experience be better for the job?"
Grumman chuckled softly, obviously sensing the young man's doubts. "I think you sell yourself short sometimes Alphonse. You realize you're the youngest person to ever reach the rank of Colonel in the Military right? Setting aside your alchemy and your past for a moment, you've done some impressive work since joining. Not to mention aside from Mustang, you are the only Alchemist in the Military who can perform alchemy without an array. Your alchemic prowess and knowledge alone is enough for me to know that you'll make an excellent judge during next two days, and will be a great help in deciding this year's successful applicant."
"Thank you Sir. I'll do my best." Alphonse was still a little hesitant despite the reassurance. But he now had something exciting to look forward to. Not only would he be able to see other people's alchemy and their theories, he would also be playing a very important role in aiding Grumman in choosing the right person for the job. The whole process of choosing the right applicant had become a lot more intense and strict, so as not to recruit a person that had the wrong intentions. As well as the stricter conditions, it wasn't every year an alchemist was enlisted. If no one quite reached the cut, then there'd be no new State Alchemist.
It was early evening, just as the sun was about to set in the sky when Alphonse left his apartment for the second time that day. He had simply been home to shower, eat and change before he was on his way to meet with Roy at a nearby bar to casually go over the information sheets they had received before finishing work. Not surprisingly, only 18 of the 46 applicants had been successful by the end of the first day of exams, so there wasn't much to be done at all.
Despite the bad morning, he had a reasonably good day, but still found his train of thought to be wondering off into nothingness. He walked along the streets of Central, illuminated by the lights flickering a soft glow when it began to darken in the sky. His citrine eyes were fixed to the pavement before him as he strode along, deeply lost in his own thoughts.
As he rounded the corner to the bar, he heard a woman gasp loudly then felt her body slam against his broad chest, knocking him off his feet and landing with a thud. The woman was also knocked back onto her rear and winced from the hard tumble onto the cobblestone pavement.
Alphonse groaned softly as he reached to rub the back of his head, having bumped it on the ground as he landed. He heard the woman curse at herself under her breathe as she frantically recollected herself and stood.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I'm in a hurry and can't stop. Please forgive me. Uh... Here, you can have this." The woman rushed out in a flurry of words, her voice sweet, but smooth like whiskey running warm down one's throat. The most peculiar thing about it was how foreign it sounded.
'Her voice... Her accent... Wow.'
He was momentarily stunned by what he heard as he slowly began to sit up. Seemingly out of nowhere he felt a small glass bottle being forced into his hands. He quickly looked up to see the woman that had passed him the tiny item but she was out of his sights already, having quickly sprinted off to avoid further tardiness on where it was she was meant to be.
Alphonse slowly brought himself back to his feet and dusted himself off slightly when something of sparkling silver caught his eye on the ground before him. He bent down and picked up what had gotten his attention; a silver charm and chain, which had snapped halfway along its links.
The charm itself caught his full-fledged attention so abruptly, it would give anyone whiplash if it was a something of a physical force. His golden eyes were wide with shocked curiosity as he ran his middle and index finger over its smooth and somewhat velvety surface.
'This is… The Flamel symbol… Does that mean that girl knows Teacher?... Or perhaps even alchemy?'
He looked at the small sample of liquor that had been shoved into his hands, which was contained within a dark brown glass bottle without a label. He shoved both the bottle and then the necklace into his pocket and proceeded into the bar to meet Roy, who was already waiting inside sitting at the bar.
'Perhaps I could ring Teacher and ask her about it tomorrow…'