Fullmetal Alchemist (Tobira no Mukou e) - Core

[scriveyner]

Title: Core
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Tobira no Mukou e
Characters/Pairing: Nick, Roy
Rating: T
Length: 339
Summary: "I need automail."

He seemed very small, sitting up in the hospital bed with a diminished profile. Roy Mustang sighed heavily as he closed the door behind him. He was not quite sure what he was expecting to find here, anger, exhaustion - or even just a blank, traumatized look. Instead, Nicholas Elric turned and looked at him in the doorway and said, point-blank: “I need automail."

"Well, I’m glad to see that you’re alive, at least,” Roy said, letting the years of practice keep the emotion out of his voice. He had failed the Elric family enough in his life, he didn’t need to add another tally mark in that particular column. He looked around the room - Nick’s shadow, Takeo, was nowhere to be seen. “Where is your friend?"

"Resting,” Nick’s voice was clear, even if it was full of pain. “I need a good technician. I’m sure you know one."

"I find it curious,” Roy continued, ignoring Nick’s question. “That after the train wrecked off its tracks, witnesses said they saw a massive transmutation. Yet, there was no sign of it by the time our medics got on site. Do you know anything about that?"

Nick did not shy from Roy’s gaze, meeting it boldly. "I’m not an alchemist,” he said sharply. “I don’t know what they saw, but it has nothing to do with either me, or Takeo."

"I wonder,” Roy murmured. He studied the teenager, whose defiant glare called to mind memories best left buried. “Well, since you know nothing of it, I shall have to mark it down in the official report as unverified. If you recall anything else of that night, you will inform me, I hope."

"Sure,” Nick said. He rested his left hand on his bandaged shoulder. “Now are you going to help me?”