Sometimes people leave you, halfway through the wood.

[garbagechild]

Who: Alphonse Elric, Envy, Greed, and Wrath.
Where: An ill-fated bakery. All around Goldenrod. The freakin' basement.
When: August 11th onwards! This is a catch-all.
Summary: The world has been pretty good to the various monsters and serial killers hailing from Amestris, but one particular villainous wild child has yet to be rehabilitated.
Rating: PG-13 for talk of abuse, manipulation, brainwashing, all that good stuff.
Log:

Continued from here.

Comments

[garbagechild]

<sub>[Wrath peers out at him from under the stairs, a little warily.]

[But he's curious too.]</sub>

... A bad dream?

[armoredsoul]

Uh huh.

[Al walks a little closer, settling on the floor a little ways away so as not to crowd Wrath too much. His Sylveon both immediately curl up in his lap, purring up a storm to try and comfort him. The Umbreon, meanwhile, lies down halfway between the boys and watches Wrath curiously.]

I was remembering a lot of painful things.

[garbagechild]

_{[For a second, Wrath just watches Al and his Pokemon. Everyone's been very generous when it comes to sending their own creatures down to spend time with the youngest Homunculus... but it's just not the same. He misses Mama so much.]}

... What painful things?

I thought you didn't feel pain when you were armor.

_{[HE'S JUST ASSUMING AL IS REMEMBERING STUFF FROM WHEN HE'S ARMOR because Wrath's only memories of him as a human are from HERE.]}

[armoredsoul]

Hurt doesn't have to be just physical. Sometimes the things that hurt the worst are nothing more than words. They stay with you, and don't heal the way a cut or broken bone will.

[There were plenty of words that still rattled around in Alphonse's head, but more than that were simply...the things that happened. To him, around him, things he never felt like he could really control.]

[But worst were the things he had done himself.]

[garbagechild]

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

_{[He says this dully, practically MONOTONOUSLY. It's probably something that he overheard at the Rocket base and it's doubtful he even really knows what it means.]}

I guess you can be down here.

[armoredsoul]

[Alphonse blinks, then chuckles softly.]

That works if they don't have any truth to them, yeah.

[Al nods with a relieved grin, and shoos the Sylveon pair out of his lap before moving a little closer to arrange himself on the floor.]

Thanks. I'll try not to disturb you too much.

[garbagechild]

_{[If Wrath had been more well-socialized, he'd have offered Al some of his pillows and blankets. Instead he just kind of watches as Al settles down. At least the floor is carpeted.]}

... What did you dream about?

_{[This question comes nearly ten minutes later-- poor Al might well have been starting to drift off by that point but TOO BAD APPARENTLY IT IS TALKING TIME.]}

[armoredsoul]

Hmn?

[Al blinks his eyes open, having just been on the edge of drifting off, and it takes a moment for the question to register.]

[...oh. He frowns and burrows a little further under his blanket.]

...my mom.

[garbagechild]

<sub>[That makes Wrath go silent.]

[Because he knows exactly who Al is talking about-- of course he does. How could he not?]</sub>

... Do you miss her?

[armoredsoul]

...yeah.

[Al shuts his eyes again, his voice going a little hoarse.]

I wish Brother and I had done better by her.

[garbagechild]

<sub>[Wrath huffs quietly.]

[He can no longer ENTIRELY muster the same venom he used to be able to, even if there had been a brief resurgence of it when he'd initially been captured.]

[But Sloth may always be a sour point.]</sub>

She doesn't want you to do better by her. She got a NEW family, just like me.

[armoredsoul]

[A few tears prick at Al's eyes, and though Wrath has no way of knowing those words cut deep, only adding more salt to the wound that dream had opened.]

["Make sure you tidy up when you're finished."]

I know.

[He didn't deserve to ever even see her again.]

[garbagechild]

<sub>[Whether he can hear the tears in those words or not, the terse response (in lieu of arguing back) make Wrath go quiet for awhile.]

[But then, after a time, he speaks up again.]</sub>

... Maybe if she comes here, she would agree with the others.

<sub>[After all, she'd wanted her own life, and that was exactly what Envy and Lust were doing here. It's the closest Wrath has come since being captured to verbally suggesting that maybe, JUST MAYBE, his precious Mommy would be disloyal to Dante.]

[Is he saying it because he actually thinks it, or is he just trying to make Al feel better? Who the hell knows.]</sub>

[armoredsoul]

[For a long few moments, Al doesn't respond. He doesn't even move, and one of the Sylveon nuzzle him with a soft croon.]

...maybe. She could be happy, here.

[It seems like he might leave it at that, but then Al shifts to look at Wrath directly.]

You'll take care of her if she comes, right?

[garbagechild]

_{[Wrath stares RIGHT BACK. He doesn't hesitate at all before answering.]}

Yes.

She and I look out for each other.

I would never let anything bad happen to her.

_{[please no one tell him what happened to sloth]}

[armoredsoul]

[...]

[he can never know]

...thank you. I'm counting on you, okay?

[garbagechild]

Mm.

Okay.

_{[THE PACT IS SEALED.]}