The Forgiven

A/N: i just wanted a fic where roy died for once, despite how sad that may be, so i wrote this. it's not very good, and i may rewrite it someday, but for now it's going up. comments and critiques are very much welcome.

enjoy!! (and let's see if you can see where this is going)


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The Forgiven
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“Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist of the State, you are hereby charged with first degree murder of Führer King Bradley and treason against the State, both punishable by death. How do you plead?”

“Guilty.”

~*~

“Edward! Wake up! Your boyfriend is on the phone.”

Edward Elric lazily rolled to his back and glared up at his tormentor. He had just gotten to bed an hour ago, for crying out loud! His glare was met with a grin so very similar to one he’d grown up with. The face of his younger brother stared at him, but it wasn’t Alphonse. Edward wasn’t home. He’d never get home. But little pieces of home, or what looked like home, found their way to him.

Alfons Heidrich was one of them. Another was the man at the other end of the phone line, not a bastard at all, but still passable. Edward reached out for the receiver and brought it to his ear.

“Roy…” he breathed into the mouthpiece.

“I take it last night was another all-nighter?”

Ed snorted quietly. “When aren’t they? Al’s got some good research going, and I’m so close to putting it all together.”

Roy laughed. “I won’t pretend to know what this project is, but I’m glad you’re making headway. But you also need a break. How about dinner tonight, just the two of us?”

Ed smiled. “You’re on.”

“Good, I’ll pick you up at seven. Good day, Edward.”

The line disconnected before Ed could reply, and a small frown tugged at his lips. He handed the receiver back to Alfons, who hadn’t left his bedside during the brief conversation.

“I take it you’ll be going out tonight?”

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind, Al.”

“Not at all! I think you need some time away from the research, brother.”

Ed’s breath caught. “What did you say?”

“I said, ‘I think you need some time away from the research, Edward.’ What? Are you feeling okay?”

Ed glanced up at Alfons in confusion. He could have sworn he’d heard the boy call him ‘brother.’ Nodding his head in answer, Ed made his way out of bed and to the bathroom. The unbalanced sounds of his feet hitting the hardwood floor reminded Ed bitterly yet again that he no longer had his automail. While his metal leg had created an unbalanced sound as well, at least it had been dependable and near indestructible.

But to say that he hadn’t adapted to this world would be a lie. Edward had very much fallen into a rhythm, and he wasn’t that bad in the field of rocket science. It had been a surprise indeed to find how similar it was to alchemy. Well, the chemistry of it was, anyway. He and Alfons got along well together, and Roy was everything to him that the Colonel had been, only less of a bastard and his. But this world’s Roy was lacking that fire and drive that his world’s Roy had had, and it was often that he found himself crying over the loss of that man.

As another pain bloomed in his heart, Ed slipped into the shower. He knew it was useless to still think of home, and he almost hated himself when he did. But he couldn’t help but wish that none of this were real, that he’d never attempted using the philosopher’s stone. And just like every day before, Ed let the water beat upon him as he wished he could go home, knowing he never would.

~*~

“We can’t let the Colonel do this!”

“There is nothing we can do. They are holding all the cards.”

“And two very big aces.”

“The Colonel left it up to us to rescue those aces. We will focus on that first and foremost. Once that mission is complete, we will see to the Colonel.”

“But he pleaded guilty! His execution won’t be too far behind!”

“Then we’ll have to hurry. Let’s get this over with.”

“Right.”

~*~

Ed stood staring curiously at Alfons. The young man was currently playing with a kitten that somehow wandered into the lab. He was squatting over the cat, dangling a piece of string before its face. Never in all the time Ed had been in this world had he ever seen Alfons play with small animals; he was always too into his work, just like Ed used to be.

Looking at him like this, Ed was struck by how much the young man resembled Alphonse. Of course, he’d been struck with that idea the very moment he’d met the man, but it was even more blatantly obvious than ever right now. Ed shook his head.

“Alfons, what are you doing?” The way the young man froze before trying to stuff the cat beneath his shirt had him sighing in exasperation. “Al, I know about the cat, but you can’t keep him.”

“But Edward! She has no one in the whole world, and of all the places she could have come, she came here!”

Ed was becoming uneasy with how similar this was to all the times in his world. “Fine, keep the damn cat, I don’t care! I just came to tell you that I’m leaving to get ready for tonight.”

“Okay!”

Ed was under the impression that Alfons was unusually chipper but shrugged it off. So the man was finally interested in something other than science. It would be good for him to have something around that he’d have to take care of.

Ed wandered out of the lab and toward home. He needed to shower and – finally! – shave for his date with Roy. Just the thought of the older man had Ed smiling as he walked home. He really did love him, just as much as he had loved the Colonel, just as much as he still loved the Colonel.

But he couldn’t have the Colonel, then or now, and Roy had filled a void that had been there since he was a young boy. So Ed really was as happy as being severed from his world and thrown into another one would allow. It had been a long and bitter lesson, but Ed had finally learned to live in the present, and he would, no matter how much he wished he could turn back time.

~*~

“The vital signs are still very strong, but the brain wave readouts are showing some very disturbing patterns.”

“What does it mean?”

“We can’t be sure, but it may be that the subject is becoming immune to our injections. As long as outside contact is still prevented and the chemical levels increase, I’m sure the brain waves will even out again.”

“Well, make sure of that. Until the subject is completely under our control, the other one won’t cooperate.”

“Understood, sir.”

~*~

“This place is beautiful, Roy.”

“Anything for you, Edward.”

Ed looked around at his surroundings, taking in as much as he could through the candlelight and silk curtains. Roy had called it an Indian restaurant, and it was only because he’d demanded a map when he’d first woken up in this world that he knew India was a large country in this reality.

He turned his attention back to his boyfriend and marveled at how the man looked. For some reason in this world, the age difference was less than his home, but that didn’t detract from the man’s maturity and handsome features. Those same dark eyes, exotic in their slanted nature, that arrogant smirk that didn’t appear nearly as often as the Colonel’s but was still present, and the paleness of his skin all spoke of his Roy, regardless of age.

He was dressed in tan slacks and a blue button-up shirt, and Ed couldn’t help but think it was a refreshing and yet uncomfortable change from a blue military uniform that had been his whole life since he was twelve. And that was just the tip of the iceberg of differences. This Roy didn’t make fun of his height, and Ed was dumbfounded to find that he missed even that.

“Are you okay, Edward? You’ve been distracted a lot lately. Something on your mind?”

“You.” And that was close enough to the truth for Ed. Roy blushed, and he wanted to laugh. To see the Great Colonel Roy Mustang blush was certainly a sight, but this wasn’t the Colonel.

“Well, let’s get through dinner first, and then maybe I’ll let you do whatever you were thinking about.” The rare smirk that Ed missed every now and then made its appearance, and Ed found that he was the one blushing. They’d yet to do anything in their relationship, and the thought that he’d get to sleep with a Roy Mustang was quite thrilling.

~*~

“Thank you for rescuing me, guys.”

“No problem, Al. Now lead us to the boss.”

“But isn’t the Colonel…?”

“Not now, Alphonse. Please take us to Edward.”

“I don’t know where he is, but we’ll find him.”

~*~

“Ah, Roy! Yes, please…”

Ed lay sweating and panting beneath his boyfriend, wonderfully filled in every way possible by the man. His every thrust surged deeper and deeper within him, and despite the pleasure he felt, Ed couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to be filled by the Colonel. He’d long since resigned himself to never forgetting his first love, so he didn’t feel guilty as he was thoroughly fucked by another man as he laid thinking about someone else. He still loved this Roy. That had to count for something.

“Edward, I love you…”

“Ah, Roy! I… I…” Ed found the words lodged in his throat, and then Roy struck his prostate roughly, forcing a strangled cry from Ed as his muscles contracted around the thick cock in his ass and his orgasm ripped through him.

“Full-Fullmetal!”

Ed’s eyes shot open, and he stared at his boyfriend in growing fear. How did Roy know that name?

“Oops, looks like I made a mistake, eh, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist?” Ed brought his right foot up and kicked with all his might to dismount the man on top of him. Roy tumbled off the bed, and Ed flew off it to the door. But when he opened it, Alfons was standing there, smiling serenely at him.

“What’s wrong, Edward? Did something happen?”

Roy laughed from across the room. “I might have said something that I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Tsk, tsk, Roy. That was a no-no. Now we have to do this the hard way.”

“Alfons…?”

Ed was scared. Something wasn’t right here. What the hell was going on? He tried to back away from the eerily cheerful smile on Alfons’ face, but he found his retreat blocked by a very naked Roy.

“Now, now, Edward. Let’s not run before the good part.”

Ed couldn’t even find it in himself to scream as his prosthetic gave way beneath him.

~*~

“Kill him!”

“Brother!”

“Hawkeye, shoot ‘em down!”

“Havoc, guard the door! Al, help me get him down!”

“Armstrong says that they’re escorting the Colonel right now.”

“Dammit! Edward, wake up! You are still a subordinate of this military, so wake up! We need you! The Colonel needs you!”

“Brother, wake up, please!”

~*~

Ed’s back hit the wall with excruciating force. The breath was knocked from his lungs, and he sunk to the floor. He opened his eyes as footsteps drew near where he was, but the images were bleary, either from disorientation or tears. A hand painfully gripped his hair, and he began to rise with the insistent pull, even though his leg was damaged.

Then there was a loud sound, several sounds that were like gunshots. The grip on his hair released and Roy stepped back to stand beside Alfons as the door to the bedroom was busted in.

Through his bleary sight, Ed could make out two figures. One was dressed in something blue, something that resembled the military uniform from his world, and the other was tall and silver, and it clanked with every step. The blue blob was pointing something at his two tormentors, and whatever it was had them stone still beside the bed, away from him.

“Dammit! Edward, wake up! You are still a subordinate of this military, so wake up! We need you! The Colonel needs you!”

“Brother, wake up, please!”

“Al? Hawkeye? What the hell…?”

Roy made a move to tackle the armor that was coming closer to Ed, but a shot from the object in the blue blob’s hand, confirming it was a gun, had the dark-eyed man falling to the floor in pain.

What the hell? Was this all… in his mind? His brother and Hawkeye were shouting something again, something about the Colonel needed him. There was a sharp pain in his head, and suddenly things he hadn’t been able to recall were rushing back to him like they hadn’t before.

He remembered the fight against Greed at Dante’s house and meeting Mustang in the forest. But instead of him going to the underground city and Mustang going to the Führer’s, instead of him sacrificing himself to bring back Al’s body, there were sketchy images of General Hakuro and his men, along with a new Frank Archer capturing them.

Then… all of this – Germany, the war, Alfons, Roy – it was all an illusion. Nothing was real. And if none of it was real, then… where was Mustang?

~*~

“Havoc! Edward’s conscious! We’ve got to get out of here and to the Colonel!”

“Roger! I’ll send word to Armstrong!”

Riza Hawkeye turned back to the beaten and bloodied Fullmetal Alchemist. “Edward, are you able to walk?”

“Yeah. What the hell is going on?”

“I’ll explain as we run.” She turned on her heel and ran for the exit. She could hear the clank of armor and automail behind her, and then Ed was next to her, sending a questioning look with just a sideways glance. “You were taken captive after we split up in the forest. The Colonel succeeded in killing the Führer, but was soon apprehended. When they found that Al was a soul connected to the armor, they questioned the Colonel about that as well.”

She saw a panicked look in golden eyes. “They made it clear that you were still alive, and the Colonel admitted that he knew after gaining a promise that you both would stay that way. And then, in exchange for everyone’s lives, the Colonel pleaded guilty to the charges of murder and treason.”

Ed stumbled, and Riza saw the pain that crossed such young features. She knew he was well aware of the punishments for those crimes and wasn’t surprised when she could no longer keep up with him.

~*~

Ed’s chest was burning from the strain of breathing as he ran. He didn’t even have time to build up a righteous fury at what the damn military had done to him and his brother while Mustang was about to be executed. And it didn’t help that this was all his fault.

If he hadn’t told the Colonel about Bradley or gone off to face Dante, none of this would have happened. Ed shook his head. No, if he’d never tried to transmute his mother, everything would have been fine. He’d committed a great sin because he couldn’t handle the death of someone he cared for, and now, many years later, so many people that he held dear had fallen because of his quest.

And now, the only person he loved even more than Alphonse was facing his death for him, because of him, in place of him.

‘I should be the one to die. This is my fault, my responsibility. This is wrong. It’s all wrong!’

Ed had no idea where he was going, but then he saw Armstrong ahead of him, a walkie-talkie held to his mouth. The large man saw him and waved him to follow as he took off running. Ed rallied his failing strength, sure Armstrong would lead him to Roy.

They were in the Central compound, he knew that, but he had never taken the time to learn the layout. But as he rounded the corner behind Armstrong, he came upon a large gathering of people, and he knew they’d come to the public execution site.

“Former war hero and ex-colonel, Roy Mustang, has pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He will now be executed before the people, to give assurance that the military is still strong!”

Ed’s heart stopped as the Colonel was led before the people and a firing squad, honorably garbed in his formal uniform, even though he was being executed for treason. As the squad loaded their rifles, Ed’s desperation kicked in, and he fought his way through the throng, not minded who he hit with his automail in his path to the Colonel.

The people around him were strangely silent, so his voice carried clear as he reached the waist-high partition. “Roy!”

Those dark eyes focused on him, as he was standing less than twenty feet before him. The firing squad was split to either side at angles so the crowd could get a good view, and so the world calmed around them until no one was left but him and Roy.

“Fullmetal, I knew you’d get out alive.” That smirk that Ed both hated and loved pulled at those pale and chapped lips.

“We’ll get you out, Colonel-bastard!”

Ed saw Hakuro motioning for his men to apprehend him, but Ed couldn’t care less when the man he loved was before both him and Death.

“Fullmetal… Edward, everything will be fine.”

“Roy…”

“Ready!”

The people around Ed began to shift as the military tried to reach him.

“Things are now up to you, Edward.”

“Please, don’t…”

“Aim!”

The crowd began to fight off the approaching soldiers.

“I’m guess I’m running short on time, so… I love you, Edward Elric.”

“ROY!”

“Fire!”

Ed watched helplessly as Roy fell to the ground, his blood pooling around his body. His cry of anguish was drowned out by the cacophony of outrage produced by the people around him, and Roy’s lifeless body disappeared from sight as someone tugged the young alchemist away by his collar.

~*~

It was a week before things settled down enough for Riza and the others to sneak into Central to visit the execution grounds. Roy Mustang hadn’t been buried yet, as the people had rebelled with the death of their hero, and so the only place they could pay their respects was where the man had died. The military was too busy with the rebellion to notice them, and so they all had come.

Everyone had taken a turn to say their goodbyes, except Edward. The boy hadn’t said more than necessary since the Colonel’s death, and Riza couldn’t blame him. To see the one he loved killed before his very eyes must have been too much.

She shared a look with the others, and then she walked up to the silent boy who stood staring at the bloodstain on the ground.

“Edward…”

“It was my fault. He died because of me.”

“No, Edward…”

“And the bastard said he loved me! He… he waited until he was about to die to tell me. Why did he have to die? It should have been me!”

“Edward, I know how you feel, if only marginally. But you must be strong. The Colonel left it to us to right the injustices the military under Bradley committed. We must fight.”

“Even if we fight, I’ll never be forgiven for what I’ve done.”

“Edward, look at me.” She turned the young man to face her. “The Colonel, Roy, he loved you. You did nothing wrong, and he never blamed you. None of us ever blamed you. This was just a very sad and unfortunate event in the course of war. He’s at peace, and he’ll be waiting for you when your time comes. Right now, we must carry on his fight.”

Tears began to fall from golden eyes, and Riza wiped them away with her thumbs. “And when this is all over, whether we win or lose this battle, we will all be forgiven.”


owari


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well... let's hope i'll have time to write some st. patty's day fluff to replace this monstrosity of a fic. *sigh* still, roy died. i'm satisfied. (don't get me wrong, i love roy to pieces, but don't you just find the sad feeling of losing a fav character good sometimes?)

thanks for reading!!