Back with another chapter! And this time, it's much sooner~
Yay for stability.
Gracia's trust in her husband was extraordinary at times. This was one of those times.
Admittedly, when her husband had barged through the door carrying an injured teenager, she was reasonably frightened and bewildered at her husband. He had already been late, which triggered a flush of worry to travel through her- a reaction that still remained, despite the many years she had together with Maes. She could never stop that familiar onrush of fear and anxiety at knowing that there was a possibility that one day she might never see her husband again. It was constantly present during the war and had been reduced to a dull throb after he had returned. But it was always there.
One of the perks of marrying a soldier, she had thought sarcastically after one particularly grueling night, when her husband had not come home at all. Turns out, he had gotten drunk with Roy, back when he was stationed in Central, and had spent the night with him. The morning after, she had woken up to a bouquet of marigolds and her favorite snack, watermelon in slices seasoned with just a touch of chili powder, on her bedside, along with a long stream of apologies from Maes.
After settling the unknown boy in the guest room and getting a minimal explanation from her husband as to what exactly he was doing, she allowed herself a small glass of wine before bed. If only to ease the stress that had buzzed throughout her body.
While she trusted her husband, that didn't mean she was required to trust anyone else.
Gracia looked on carefully as Kaldur gently guided her daughter's hand over his neck, where his apparent 'gills' rested. (Maes had retreated to their bedroom, with a quick promise of returning, as soon as he wrapped up his investigation report) The boy was polite and mannerly thus far and under normal circumstances Gracia would have been more inclined to trust him.
But these weren't normal circumstances.
He was living with them and would be in close proximity, nearly all of the time, to the people she held most dear. Not that her husband couldn't defend himself and them, but she would much rather there never be a chance for them to be in danger of being harmed.
Gracia couldn't help the lump of anxiety that settled in the bottom of her stomach at the current situation. She understood her husband's motives, her own maternal instincts flared up when she looked at the young man, but the feeling of unease stayed put.
She sighed quietly, as another bout of Elicia's joyful giggles pierced the air, her smile becoming a bit more genuine at the sound of her daughter. Her sigh, however, had garnered it's own attention.
"Is something the matter?" Kaldur's eyes had snapped to her, brows furrowing ever so slightly in what appeared to be concern.
Startled at the sudden attention, Gracia quickly plastered on, what she hoped would be, a soothing smile and replied softly, "No, of course not. I'm just a bit tired after dinner."
Kaldur's eyes lingered on her for a bit before they snapped back to her daughter, who had once again broken the silence, only this time with a yawn instead of a giggle.
Gracia smiled fondly at her daughter as Elicia blinked sleepily up at her, also noting, with a twinge of surprise, how Kaldur's eyes seemed to soften as well.
"Well, dear, it looks like it's time for bed. Say goodnight to Kaldur."
Much to her amusement, Elicia started to shake her head vigorously from side to side. "Not yet Mama! Daddy's not bac' yet and I wan'a stay wit' Kal!"
Gracia stood from her seat on the couch and gently took her daughter's hand in her own.
"Elicia, darling, I'm sure Kaldur's tired too. And Daddy will make sure to come say goodnight once you're ready for bed. I promise."
Elicia looked up at her, fidgeting with her dress, before saying in a quiet voice, "I wan' Kal to come too."
Gracia looked at her daughter in shock, as her anxiety grew just a touch more. She spared a glance to the boy in question noticing his own shock at the request, his eyes widening ever so slightly.
Before either of them could say another word though, her husband strolled into the living room, his face breaking out into a goofy grin as soon as he laid eyes on their daughter.
"Princess! Daddy missed you so much!" Striding over to his daughter, Maes quickly scooped her up in his arms and rubbed his cheek against hers, eliciting giggles from the small girl.
"It looks like Daddy's got perfect timing, Elicia. I was just about to put her down for bed." Gracia smiled at her husband, walking over to put an arm around him and her daughter.
"The day sure went by fast, huh? Well, Princess, off to bed with you! Let's go!" Maes had already started to walk towards the hallway, when Elicia abruptly pushed against his shoulder, her head shaking again.
"I wan' Big Brother Kal to come wit', Daddy! P'wetty please?"
If Gracia wasn't shocked at the request before, she certainly was now. And from the looks of it, so was Maes, who had come to striking halt and had first shot Elicia a surprised look and then transferred said look to the newly christened "Big Brother."
Kaldur'ahm, from his place on the carpet where he had sat with Elicia, only managed to blink owlishly up at them.
A few beats of silence passed before either of them spoke. Gracia looked at her husband as his face took on a pensive expression, his eyes trained on the teenaged boy before them.
A faint trace of a smile graced his face, as Maes looked down at Kaldur. "Well, you coming Kal?"
Kaldur'ahm's eyes widened ever so slightly as he looked between Gracia and Maes, before saying in a quiet voice, "Are you positive you would like me to accompany you all? I would not want to intrude on a private moment."
Maes snorted, his eyes taking on a humorous sheen. "It's just bedtime and, besides, what the Princess wants, the Princess gets. Isn't that right, honey?"
Gracia met her husband's gaze, noticing the silent question.
Are you okay with this?
She sighed, her lips twitching into a soft and genuine smile. "You spoil her too much, Maes. But, yes, you are most welcome to join us Kaldur, if you want."
Yes, her trust in her husband was truly extraordinary.
———
Kaldur let out a hushed breath as he quietly closed the bedroom door.
Reviewing the night's events brought about an immense wave of relief at his current situation. In the sense that, if he had been found by anyone else other than this family of three... well, he didn't really know what would have happened to him. But, he doubted he would have received the same spectacular hospitality offered to him by the Hughes'.
Stepping away from the door, he walked over to the bed, fiddling with his fresh bandages as he did so. Maybe it was the whole "different world" nonsense, but his healing abilities had been remarkably slow since he'd arrived in Central.
Usually by now, he would have, at the very least, a mere cut where the gash was currently at. At the most, there would have been nothing at all, the injury having healed completely.
Concern bloomed in his chest, but he quickly quelled it. It was most likely nothing and it wouldn't do him any good to worry needlessly about it. Plus, there were bigger areas of interest that needed his attention.
Reaching over to the nightstand, he grabbed the two documents that had been laid there since his last talk with Maes before dinner. Unfolding the map in his hands, Kaldur surveyed the geography of his current location. The country was sectioned off into simple and quite unoriginally named sections. There was the Central area, where he was at, then the East, South, West, and North areas, along with surrounding cities. The city names themselves were quite... peculiar.
If you asked him, Kaldur would say that most looked like a random amalgamation of letters on paper. Although, there were a few that actually seemed like city names- 'Rush Valley' and 'Risembool,' for instance.
His eyes lingered on the map a second more before he put it to the side, in favor of grabbing the newspaper that he had yet to examine.
Scanning the very top of the front page revealed the date and to say Kaldur was shocked would be an understatement.
Apparently, he had not only jumped worlds, but also, time periods. The date read May 14th, 1914.
He really needed to take a vacation week off of this superhero stuff.
Shaking his head lightly, as if to rid himself of the shock still humming through his nerves, Kaldur's eyes narrowed as he read the headline.
WANTED: ISAAC MCDOUGAL, THE FREEZING ALCHEMIST, AT LARGE
Former State Alchemist Isaac McDougal, known as the Freezing Alchemist, is believed to be in Central City and is considered highly dangerous. Anyone who comes into contact with McDougal is heavily encouraged to maintain their distance and phone Central Command. A monetary compensation may be rewarded.
McDougal served in the Ishvalan Civil War and gained notoriety for his public dismissal of the Amestrian military, in an event that left several injured and few dead at the scene. He is considered a high risk individual and should not be engaged.
Kaldur frowned as he took in what he had just read. While a part of him wanted to help bring this man into custody, as that was what he was trained to do, he also recognized that it wasn't his place to do so. Not that he wouldn't come to the defense of someone should he run into an altercation, however, he wasn't in the best situation right now to actively be looking for 'the bad guys.'
Besides that, the little 'blurb' arose more questions as he reread the term and phrase that had caught his attention.
Alchemist. The Ishvalan Civil War.
Exhaustion creeping up on him, Kaldur decided that he would simply ask Maes in the morning. Looking at the paper didn't seem to be working anyhow.
Settling down on top of the covers- he felt too stuffy under them- he eyed the bed next to him. He hadn't noticed it before, due to earlier events, but now he regarded it with muted amusement.
Sighing softly into his pillows, Kaldur let his eyes slip close and fell into the sweet embrace of sleep.
———
The next time he awoke, it was considerably earlier than before.
Blinking away the sleep from his eyes, Kaldur sat up on the bed, gingerly stretching as he did so.
Apparently, he had woken up just in time, as three consecutive knocks rapped on the bedroom door.
"Kaldur?" Maes' voice filtered in through the door.
Clearing his throat, Kaldur swiftly responded, "I am awake."
The door opened not too long after and Maes stood in the doorway, dressed in a gray button up shirt and dark pants.
"Rise and shine, kid! We got stuff to do! Oh and also, what's your shirt size? Pant size?"
"..huh..?," was the intelligent response that Kaldur gave him.
Maes raised an eyebrow and smiled in amusement. "My lovely Gracia's going out shopping with our Princess and we might as well get you some clothes while you stay with us. Unless you wanna stay in the same set of clothing, but I wouldn't recommend it for our noses' sakes."
Kaldur's face flushed slightly and quickly gave the man the answers he was looking for.
"Righty-o! I'm going to go ahead and let my wife know, so just meet me in the living room so we can start working on what we have to do."
With that, Maes gave him a mock salute and stepped out of the room, partially closing the door as he did so.
Kaldur rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes and stood up from the bed. Remembering to take the newspaper with him- he hadn't forgotten his questions- Kaldur crossed the remainder of the room and opened the door.
Walking into the living room, Kaldur caught the last few goodbyes between Maes and Gracia before he heard the door clicking shut.
Taking his seat on the couch, Kaldur looked up as Maes walked into the room.
"Whatcha' got there?" Maes eyed the newspaper clutched in Kaldur's hands, prompting the boy to answer.
"It is the newspaper you left on my nightstand. I read it before I fell asleep and I was wondering if you would be willing to answer some questions for me?"
Maes' eyebrow was raised again as he took his own seat on the couch. "Sure, shoot."
"Firstly, what is an 'alchemist?'"
Maes raised a finger under his chin in thought. "Well, to be honest with you, I'm probably not the best person to ask. My best friend would be a much better option. But, basically they're practitioners of Alchemy, a science largely studied here in Amestris. Deals with changing matter into different forms and whatnot. I'm not an alchemist myself, so I can't really say much on what the intricacies of Alchemy are, but that's a rough definition of it. People can use it for day-to-day stuff, like repairing radios or furniture. But, some end up becoming State Alchemists, or, in other terms, employed by the military."
"And is your best friend a State Alchemist?"
"He is, a pretty popular one at that. Goes by the 'Flame Alchemist' and he's actually supposed to be in Central in a day from now. He'd probably be able to answer more of your questions on Alchemy."
Kaldur blinked. "I'm going to be meeting him?"
"Yup. He'd be a good help in trying to figure out your 'situation.' Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to publicize you or the circumstances surrounding you, but I can't help you alone. Roy is a good man and although he'll probably be way more skeptical about your story than I was, I'm sure I can wrestle him into understanding."
Maes shot him a reassuring smile and Kaldur forced his nerves down. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us."
Taking a calming breath, Kaldur returned a genuine, but hesitant, smile to Maes before remembering his second question.
"I do have another question I'd like to ask."
"I'm listening."
"What is the Ishvalan Civil War?"
Maes' smile disappeared so quick it was like it was never there to begin with. His eyes widened and his posture straightened as he looked at Kaldur in bewilderment. "Where did you get that from?"
Kaldur handed him the newspaper gently, noting Maes' change of attitude with confusion. "It was mentioned here, but the paper did not go into more detail. Is... something the matter?"
Maes scanned the newspaper headline before putting it to the side. He looked at Kaldur, as a strange solemn air filled the room.
"The Ishvalan Civil War was a recent war between Amestris and the small country of Ishval. It sparked a lot of controversy and many soldiers either turned away from the military because of it or... found a different way to retire."
Recalling Maes' status as a soldier, Kaldur tentatively asked, "Did you serve in the war?"
Maes' eyes darkened with an imperceptible gloom, as he regarded Kaldur. "Yes, I did. So did many of my fellow soldiers, including Roy."
Kaldur hesitated, looking at the man before him. He wanted to uncover more information surrounding the war, if only to satiate his curiosity over the history of Amestris and what kind of country it was, but ultimately decided against it. Maes' mood had darkened from the mere mention of the war and the topic itself seemed too sore to discuss in light terms. The fact that it was recent didn't help matters.
Kaldur offered, what he hoped was, a gentle smile to the man. "I give my thanks to you for your cooperation in answering my questions. What did you have in mind for us today?"
Maes' eyes lightened at the change of topic, but some of the darkness still lingered. "You're welcome, Kaldur. Now, that is a great question! Since we don't know how long you'll be staying here for, we need a believable excuse as to why you're here in the first place. Something tells me that the whole telling people you're visiting from another world thing wouldn't go over smoothly."
Maes cracked a smile to him that he promptly returned.
And, so, they got to work.
———
Roy Mustang didn't like to travel. And he didn't like trains.
But he was growing to really hate this one.
There hadn't been any more delays and they were due to arrive in a few minutes, but oh my gosh he just wanted to get off.
He let out a pitiable groan from where his face was plastered on the window.
"Colonel, stop acting like a child. We're nearly to Central. So, stop whining." His (beautiful) Lieutenant sat across from him, cleaning her pistol and shooting him an irritated glare.
He only groaned again in response.
Lieutenant Hawkeye raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Do you really want to get hounded by the Lieutenant Colonel and his never-ending photo album that badly, sir?"
He sighed. "No, not really. But, I also don't want to wilt away on this stupid train either. I feel like I've aged five years already."
"You're being dramatic, Colonel."
"Maybe, but I'm justified."
His Lieutenant rolled her eyes at him before huffing out a sigh. She looked like she was about to respond when the train lurched to a stop.
Roy quickly jumped up from his seat, as a burst of energy and giddiness traveled throughout his veins. Grabbing his bags, he turned to Riza, "Let's go, Central Command awaits!"
She just fixed him another one of her unimpressed glares as she assembled her gun with practiced ease. Standing up, she also gathered her bags and followed him out of the train and onto the platform outside.
"To Central, sir."
———
"Y'know Al, I think I should give Colonel Bastard a welcome present when I see 'im."
"...and what would that be, Brother?"
"A punch to the face for wasting our time!"
Edward Elric seethed with rage as he sat on the roof of a house in Central City. His younger brother, Alphonse, loomed behind him.
"You can't do that, Brother. You'll get court-martialed." Al's calm and slightly exasperated voice echoed throughout his armor.
"So what! How the hell are we supposed to get our bodies back if that lazy bastard doesn't stop sending us on useless missions!"
"I'd hardly call a murderous alchemist on the loose a 'useless mission.'"
Ed waved him off. "Useless to us. They have State Alchemists here in Central, don't they? Why not use them instead of getting the bastard, who's stationed in East Command, and by extension, us?"
"Maybe they just wanted backup?" Al shrugged behind him.
Ed snorted. "Typical. The garbage military is still garbage."
Al looked towards Central Command; the large building was impossible to miss. "Shouldn't we go check-in, Brother? It's getting pretty late and the Colonel's probably expecting us."
"What for? We got the basic gist of it. Bad alchemist who likes to play with water on the loose, yada, yada, yada, blah, blah. What else do we need to know?"
Al shook his head at his brother, a dull clanking sound coming from the action. "You're going to end up giving the Colonel gray hairs."
"We're going to end up giving the bastard gray hairs. You're not a perfect angel yourself either, Al. Besides, he deserves it, the cocky prick. Maybe then, he'll realize how old he's getting." Ed snickered to himself, while his little brother simply looked at him with tired amusement.
The sound of a whistle filled the air as multiple soldiers could be heard shouting nearby.
Edward stood up and straightened, Alphonse following suit. Turning to the direction of the commotion, he smirked and looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye.
"Well, Alphonse, it's time to get this show on the road."
HOLY CRUD THIS CHAPTER TOOK A LOT OUT OF ME.
No, really. This took a while to finish, oof. The bright side is that this is the segway into the events of the first episode and Kaldur's subsequent meeting with more of the FMA cast. Which will be in the next chapter, rest assured.
I also wanted to take the time to thank ALL of you guys for still tuning in and reading my story! It means the world to me and it's been a driving force for me to continue. All of your reviews, favorites and follows are greatly and dearly appreciated.
And as to answer one of my lovely reviewer's questions- to MagicalCatgirl68, their meeting with the Elrics is coming very soon and yes Kaldur will eventually interact with Scar. Needless to say, this ficcie won't be canon compliant, Kaldur's existence is already starting to cause divergencies within the original plot. Golden cookie to anyone who can spot them right now, seeing as how they've only been minuscule changes thus far.
I also found it interesting to write as Gracia, seeing as how she's a very minor character in the series and her personality isn't really as in-depth as the other characters. Still love her tho.
Side note: Have any of ya'll watched the Umbrella Academy? Because it has seriously become one of my recent obsessions.