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a masterpiece still in the making

Summary:

Rebecca Harper has yet to find her place in the world. After an alchemical accident took her father's life, she finds herself in East City, intending to just settle his debts, but somehow ending up employed as a State Alchemist and partnered with one Edward Elric. Surprising herself, she can't find it in herself to be upset about it.

Notes:

hello, my dears, and welcome! this has been a long time coming, and honestly, quarantine was just what i needed to get my butt in gear to finally get all these ideas i've had concerning the basis of this story out on paper (or on the computer, i guess).

honestly, the entire premise of this story came from me listening to the song 'wanderer's lullaby' by adriana figeuroa (which i obviously do not own). it reminded me a lot of ed and al, and i came up with this girl who heard that song from her loved one and keeps it in her heart all through her journey, and this story is what eventually came out of my late night musings. i won't promise it will remain unedited, but here's the initial attempt.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: monachopsis

Notes:

hello, my dears, and welcome! this has been a long time coming, and honestly, quarantine was just what i needed to get my butt in gear to finally get all these ideas i've had concerning the basis of this story out on paper (or on the computer, i guess).

honestly, the entire premise of this story came from me listening to the song 'wanderer's lullaby' by adriana figeuroa (which i obviously do not own). it reminded me a lot of ed and al, and i came up with this girl who heard that song from her loved one and keeps it in her heart all through her journey, and this story is what eventually came out of my late night musings. i won't promise it will remain unedited, but here's the initial attempt.

monachopsis (noun)- the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sitting in front of Colonel Roy Mustang’s desk, Rebecca Harper had never felt smaller. She resisted the urge to lean away from his intense stare until he raised a brow and informed her, “I knew your father from the academy. He was one of my teachers.” He paused, seemingly waiting for a response, then continued when she just nodded. “You won’t be getting any special treatment from me for it.”

Becca bit her lip. “I know, sir.” She stared down into her lap, feeling the calm before the storm as Mustang stood and walked around the desk, stopping behind her.

“Are you planning on telling me why you did it?” he said coolly.

Becca flinched, inhaling sharply. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Mustang slammed his hand onto the desk, making Becca jump. “That is not what I asked, Harper!” he snapped.

Feeling herself begin to shake while her lip quivered, Becca choked back a sob. Her father never let her cry, and she was sure her new superior officer would be the same. “He told me to,” she confessed weakly. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory that kept fighting to the surface.

The colonel froze. Becca looked up, taking in his shocked face. She’d surprised him.

“He’d heard about Fullmetal- what everyone thought he did,” she continued. “He wanted that, but he- he must have misunderstood-” She reached up, wiping her eyes to try and hide her tears. "He wanted it to be me, who- who-"

She recoiled when she felt a hand come down on her shoulder. “That’s enough,” Mustang said, then repeated quieter, “That’s enough.” The colonel moved to sit back down in his chair, then rested his chin on outstretched fingers. Becca continued to shudder, slowing her breathing until she could bear to look up and look her superior in the eye.

“I’m sorry,” she said again before Mustang held a hand up. He rummaged in his papers until he found a manilla folder, which he passed over the distance between them. Becca pulled the papers out, then shook out the silver pocket watch.

“It’s noon. Go get something to eat and calm down,” he instructed sternly, leaning back in his desk chair. “Be back here in an hour to receive orders.”

Becca stood, the dismissal clear as day. “Thank you, sir.” She bit her lip and stood to leave before Mustang’s voice stopped her.

“Youngest female State Alchemist ever. Your father would be proud.”

Becca took a shaky breath and shot him a bitter smile. “No, he wouldn’t be, sir. He’d be mad someone else got there first.”

As she opened the door, she heard Mustang say, “I never liked your father, Illusion.”

She looked over her shoulder, then nodded and mumbled, “That’s understandable, sir.”

---

Even though Mustang had told her to eat something, Becca’s stomach turned just at the thought of food. She’d barely been eating since the transmutation, normally having two small meals at the beginning and the end of the day, but any time she tried to eat any more, she’d found herself over a trashcan within the hour. So, after washing her face in the bathroom, Becca plodded outside to sink onto a bench outside Eastern command. Her fingers curled against the watch she’d slipped into her pocket. Her codename flew through her head. The Illusion Alchemist. She clipped it onto her belt and checked the time, huffing when she realized how little time had passed.

Becca relaxed for a moment, then felt her heart drop when she realized her certificate was the only paper she felt in her pocket. She patted around to her other pockets and sighed in relief as she gripped the only two other papers she’d taken from home: the letter she’d received from the military demanding her presence and a picture of a younger version of herself sitting alongside her stepmother and half brother. She pulled out the picture, gazing over the happy trio that once had been. William had come here years ago, she knew, but he’d never come home, nor had he ever written. She’d been upset, of course, but after Louisa had died, she just wanted him back, moreso now than ever.

“...And of course, the bastard’s probably just calling me in to yell at me over my report,” Becca heard someone complain. She looked up and her eyes widened upon seeing the small figure draped in a red cloak crossing the courtyard with someone in a suit of armor.

The echoey voice from the armor said something in response, but Becca was too busy staring to listen.

That’s him, she thought blankly. That’s the Fullmetal Alchemist.

She knew people in East City tended to think that the armored man was the Fullmetal Alchemist, but Becca’s father had drilled it into her head that he was hardly older than her and being any less than he was rumored to be was unacceptable. She stood up, about to go and meet him before she came to her senses and quickly sat back down. He has nothing to do with you anymore, she told herself firmly. Leave him alone. You’re here to work off the debts and go home. Shaking her head, she bent forward and rested her head in her hands, contemplating where she’d find a bed for the night until she was due to return to the colonel.

---

Becca paused outside of the outer office. She could hear the usual hustle and bustle of an office through the door, but she picked up on shouting as well. She raised her hand and knocked twice before being welcomed in by the youngest member of Mustang’s team, the bespectacled man who’d been tinkering with a radio when she was ushered in by Mustang the first time. She gave him a polite smile, then looked over when there was a loud thud from the inner office. Becca raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to ask a question, but was cut off by someone yelling.

"-definitely not someone like that !”

Becca paled, realizing both who was talking and who he was probably talking about. Mustang murmured something on the other side of the door, as well as the echoey voice Becca recalled from outside, but Becca was practically rooted in place. The others in the office seemed to have noticed as well and shot her pitying looks, but Becca’s nerves were already beginning to turn to anger boiling in her stomach. Who was Edward Elric to judge her? They’d committed the same sin! Lieutenant Hawkeye glanced at her and gestured for her to approach the door to Mustang’s private office. She knocked once, making the voices inside go quiet. 

Hawkeye opened the door quickly. “Rebecca is here for her orders,” she said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Mustang, clearly at the end of his rope with the blonde in front of him, sighed. “Illusion, take a seat.” He looked up and requested, “You as well, Fullmetal.”

Becca nodded, making her way to one of the couches without a word and practically biting her tongue when Edward Elric shot her a glare. The armored man had turned towards her as well, but Becca couldn’t tell what he was thinking due to his covered face. Elric stomped over to the other couch and kicked his feet up onto the table between them.

“Now I’m sure you two don’t want to be here any more than I want you here,” Mustang said. “So let’s get this out of the way.” He flipped through a file nonchalantly before looking up at them. Becca felt her stomach lurch with anxiety a millisecond before he declared, “As Fullmetal has already been informed, I’ve assigned you two to be partners.”

Becca choked. “Excuse me?”

Mustang looked infuriatingly unsurprised. “You’re about the same age and I think you two will work well together once you get to know each other.” He gave them both a look. “I will not be hearing any arguments right now. If you go on a few missions and it’s not working, we can discuss it then.” He turned his level gaze over to a fuming Elric. “For now, I’m still working on digging up a lead for you and Alphonse, so feel free to explore the city a bit,” he said condescendingly. Becca made a face at his tone. Even though she didn’t like Elric, she knew how frustrating it could be to be spoken to like that.

The boy gnashed his teeth in response, looking like he was about to scream at Mustang again. Becca looked over towards Hawkeye, but her eyes caught on the armored man, assumedly Alphonse, who had moved to stand sentry next to the Lieutenant. Despite his covered face, Becca got the strangest feeling he would be smiling at her. She smiled in what she hoped was a response before Elric appeared to get his temper under control and settled for snapping, “We don’t have time to explore. Al and I will be in the library,”, storming out.

Alphonse moved to follow, then called out after Elric, startling Becca once she was finally able to hear his voice clearly.

“Sorry, sir,” a distinctively child-like voice said quickly, giving the colonel a bow and followed the boy.

Becca stared after them, then shifted her stare toward Mustang. “Wha-?”

“That, unfortunately, is not my place,” he said. Becca was about to protest, push for more information, but she saw the tired look in his eyes and opted to back off.

She gave a polite nod and said, “Thank you for your time, Colonel Mustang,” then made a quick exit, hoping she’d be able to catch Elric before he got too far.

---

Luckily, Becca was able to track down both Elric and his companion exactly where he said they’d be: the East City Library. Becca had passed it on her way to the command center, but she hadn’t had time to check it out yet. She was thanking whoever was upstairs that she didn’t pack a suitcase, given that there hadn’t even been time to drop anything off at a hotel, but that did mean her long coat was growing heavier the longer she wasn’t able to take it off.

She didn’t catch up to Elric until he had already reached the library, given that she had to ask for directions from several passersby, then had to ask an attendant where him and his companion had gone. She approached the area they’d taken over and leaned against a table nearby. Elric didn’t bother to acknowledge her, but Alphonse looked up and inclined his head towards her.

“You don’t have to stand there,” he said invitingly, moving a few papers out of the way to clear a spot at the table for her.

Becca gave him a tight smile, swinging her coat off and sitting down before sticking her hand out. “Rebecca Harper,” she said, choosing not to comment on the owner of the voice yet.

The armor creaked as he shook her hand. “Alphonse Elric.”

Upon hearing his last name, Becca raised an eyebrow and asked, “Elric?”

Elric’s face swiveled towards her and he snapped, “He’s my younger brother.”

Becca nodded slowly as he went back to his work. She looked over at Alphonse, wondering how exactly such a young person wore such a large suit of armor, then decided not to ask and let her eyes fall to her lap. She hadn’t brought any books or notes, so she stood up, intending to escape the awkward silence for a few minutes by searching around for something to read.

“Excuse me,” she said, Louisa’s voice in her head reminding her to keep her manners. No one responded, both boys too involved in whatever they were reading, and Becca sighed and hurried away. She finally slowed down, strolling down one of the aisles toward a large window overlooking the streets of East City. It wasn’t busy, given that almost everyone was either working or at school, but a few slow moving stragglers from the lunch hour remained. She was about to turn back to the books when someone caught her eye. Becca’s eyes narrowed as she tried to get a better look at the blonde man leaning against a building across the street. He seemed to be scanning the library windows as she watched until he looked in Becca’s direction. Becca couldn’t see his eyes from this distance, but she got the odd feeling that he was watching her as well. Something nagged at her in her mind, but before she could look closer, the man stood up straight and started walking away, leaving Becca staring after him. She slowly went back to the books, unable to shake the nagging in her head until she had a book in her hand and was settling down to read in silence with the Elric brothers.

---

Hours later, the trio was basically kicked out at closing time, with Becca and Edward still having barely spoken a word between them. Becca and Alphonse had conversed civilly during breaks Becca took, but the elder Elric had hardly looked up. Becca had asked Alphonse if he was ignoring her, but he’d assured her that, even if he was upset, he was normally like that when reading. However, it quickly became significantly more uncomfortable to walk in silence than it had been to sit in the same manner until Alphonse broke it by asking, “Where are you planning on staying, Rebecca? You’re welcome to come to the barracks with us if you want, but I don’t think the Colonel will mind if we split up if you’ve already got a room.”

Becca shoved her hands into her pockets and silently thanked Alphonse. “No, I went straight from the train station to command for my test. I was probably going to try the barracks out if you guys don’t mind me tagging along”

Elric looked over at her, then shrugged, allowing for Alphonse to swoop in and assure Becca that that was no problem.

The group went quiet again and Becca avoided looking over by looking pretty much everywhere else. She felt the hair rising on the back of her neck, the familiar sensation of someone watching her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and jumped when she recognized the same blonde man from earlier. He stood in an alley slightly ahead of them and, this close, Becca was able to see more of his features. After a moment of confusion, her jaw dropped. She froze, letting the Elrics pass her before they realized and turned around.

“Rebecca?”

“Harper?”

“Holy shit…” Becca whispered. She knew if she was holding anything, it would have fallen from her grip, but as it was, the man turned and Becca took off after him, calling out, “Will? Will!”

Becca chased the blonde through the alleys of the city, unsure of what Edward and Alphonse had done after her sudden exit, but too caught up in confusion to turn back. “William!” she shouted. The figure didn’t respond, so Becca steeled herself and kept running. The figure sprinted into what looked like an abandoned house and Becca skidded to a stop. She hesitated outside, looking back over her shoulder to where she thought she could hear someone calling her name, then set her jaw and ducked into the house, making sure her eyes were scanning the darkness as they adjusted. “Will?” she called again, quieter this time.

“Look who finally found her way to the city,” a low voice said from the shadows.

Becca’s eyes filled with tears as she recognized the voice. Even after so many years, the cadence was still the same. She stepped forward, looking around wildly to find where her brother had disappeared to. “Will, I-”

“Couldn’t get Mommy and Daddy to come along?” he asked, his voice taking on a mocking tone.

Becca’s face fell. “What?”

A tall figure stepped out of the shadow of a large mattress that had been leaned against the wall. Becca stepped backwards. She knew the man was definitely her brother. William’s sandy blonde hair was longer than she remembered, and he was definitely standing more confidently than he had when he left their home, but what sealed the deal were his eyes. His blue eyes were exact copies of those of his mother, the thing that constantly reminded Becca that she wasn’t a part of their family, not really. “Did you miss me?” Will asked, crossing his arms with a smirk. “Or was Dad just happy to see me go so he could focus all his attention on his genius child?” He walked closer to Becca, circling her like a vulture. “And of course, my mom must have been glad she’d already let you into her family. A replacement just ready to go, ready to make the family proud once I failed.”

Becca bit her lip. “Will…”

Will cut her off, crossing in front of her again. “You’ll write to them to let them know, right? Assuming they get mail from East City.”

“What do you mean?” Becca asked, her heart skipping a beat. Her father was horrible, but surely he hadn’t received letters from Will and kept them to himself. Louisa had been devastated, Becca remembered. Even if he hadn’t loved her, he wouldn’t have put her through that.

“‘What do you mean?’” Will mimicked, tilting his head innocently at her, then snapping, “I never got a response, so why the hell should you?”

The blood drained from Becca’s face. “Wait, Will-”

“Shut up!” Will bellowed. Before Becca could react, she felt his hand connect with her face. Her hand flew up to cup the now stinging area of her face. She knew she looked silly, her eyes probably betraying the shock rolling through her mind, but she couldn’t find it in herself to hide at the moment. “I’ll bet you’ve had everyone listening to you, so shut your mouth!”

“Will, you don’t understand-”

“I said, shut up!” he yelled. This time, Becca was ready and dodged his swing. Instead of backing off, Becca saw a glimpse of Will’s old, competitive grin, now darker than she’d ever seen it, then took a step back. “Oh, you got some guts too,” he observed before charging forward. Becca flinched backwards, but touched her hands together and reached for the wall nearby. She was disappointed to find that there wasn’t anything sturdier than wood within reach, but formed a plain staff and spun it in time to block the first hit.

There was a brief moment when William looked surprised, but then he just bared his teeth and touched two of the rings Becca noticed decorating his fingers, alchemic energy crackling around his hands. He formed all the rings into claws, brandishing them at her.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Becca said, trying to back away. “Please, just let me explain-”

This time, Will didn’t even respond, just lunging forward and swiping at her. Becca squeaked and danced out of the way. She swung at him this time, successfully making contact and knocking him away, but he was quick in response, rolling to his feet. Becca set her jaw firmly, sinking into a fighting stance. William did the same, but charged with a combative shout. Becca met him halfway, aiming to go for his legs and take him down quickly, but she’d forgotten that she’d trained with Will since they were kids. Of course, he’d know all of her moves after they’d developed their styles almost in sync, so he saw her coming and ducked down, tossing her easily over his back. She flew through the air, then slammed into the ground. She rolled into a crouch just in time to intercept a strike from Will’s metal claws and fling his hands away from her face, then jumped up and caught his arm again, twisting it behind his back, careful to avoid his hands.

“Now would you please just listen? Dad-”

“I’m done with that bastard!” William snapped, thrashing to try and reach Becca. She exhaled quickly and kicked him away, taking the moment he was disoriented to catch her breath. As he clambered to his feet, both siblings paused when they heard uneven footsteps running closer. William looked up at her and spat, “One of your little buddies come to check up on you?”

Before Becca could answer, the door slammed open, revealing Edward Elric, breathing heavily and looking furious. “What the hell, Harper?” he demanded, looking straight at her. He didn’t seem to notice William, and Becca’s distraction obviously gave her brother the moment he needed. He charged at Becca, then, as she turned to intercept him, stepped on the tail of her coat, effectively jerking her off balance. Becca tripped, getting tangled in her coat as Elric jumped back and asked, “And who the fuck are you?”

Becca hit the ground at the same time that William laughed derisively and asked, “The Fullmetal Alchemist? Of course, you made my parents like you, you have to be able to make friends with everyone!”

“Get out of here, Elric-” Becca grunted, struggling to escape the tangled mess of fabric. She’d known that the too-big coat would cause a problem, but she hadn’t anticipated that it would be on her first day.

“Yeah, Elric , this is a family matter,” Will growled.

Elric looked surprised, then his face sank into utterly unimpressed. “I’m not leaving!” He clapped his hands to form a lance out of a wayward pipe. “Out of the way, Harper.”

Becca made a face, finally getting out of her coat. She jumped up to continue the fight and demanded, “Elric, come on. I can do this, go get the MPs or someone!” She didn’t move, knowing that Elric couldn’t attack her brother without risking hurting her. 

“No way in hell!” he snapped. “I’ve been doing this, just let me- watch it, Harper!”

Too late, Becca realized that, during their bickering, Will had slowly bent down. She looked to his right hand just in time to see a transmutation circle he’d scratched into the layer of dirt on the floor before it activated, creating two separate chunks of rising stone. One shot towards Elric, successfully isolating each of his hands, preventing transmutations, while the other effortlessly tossed Becca high enough into the air that coming down knocked the wind out of her. Becca rolled over onto her belly, trying to push herself up while gasping for air, until Will knocked her down again with a kick. He grabbed one of her arms and kneeled on her wrist, restraining her easily while his other knee rested on her back. She could hear Elric struggling as she tried to throw her brother off, but couldn’t twist her head far enough around to see him.

“Will, come on, we can talk about this-”

“No more talking!” Will ordered. “God, all you ever did was talk! Talk your way into my house, my family-”

“That is not how it happened and you know it,” Becca argued.

“Quiet!” he shouted, digging his knee further into her back. He stopped for a moment, then Becca felt his weight shift. “I am not listening to you anymore, and neither will anyone else,” he promised. Before Becca could even try to defend herself, she heard the sounds of a transmutation and started to panic. This, however, did not stop William from wrapping his hands around her neck and starting to squeeze. Her breath immediately caught, and she flailed wildly in an attempt to escape.

“Harper!” Elric shouted. “Dammit, come on!”

Becca was unable to respond as she felt Will squeezing harder. His rings dug into her flesh, which she was sure would leave lesions, but apparently, he didn’t care at the moment. Her attempts to throw him off slowed as dark spots started to appear in her vision. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been on top of her, but she knew that, right now, it was less about fighting back and more about fighting to stay conscious. She kept fading in and out, her head bobbing, but if she passed out in earnest, she was as good as dead. Her eyes fluttered shut and she could hear her gasps for air becoming weaker until, suddenly, his weight was knocked off and Becca found herself on the ground, gasping like a fish out of water, trying to take in as much air as she could.

“Rebecca,” she heard through her coughs. “Rebecca, can you hear me?”

I know that voice, she told herself, oxygen-deprived brain trying to put a face to the voice. It was a woman, but it wasn’t Louisa… not her mother either, Mom was still in Adethal… a blue uniform floated into her vision, which snapped Becca out of her haze for long enough to identify the speaker. She tried to greet Lieutenant Hawkeye, but couldn’t get through the word. Hawkeye appeared to understand, though, and helped her to sit up. She was careful to pull Becca to face her, but she couldn’t stop Will from shouting behind her.

“Maybe if I get rid of you, Dad’ll answer a letter about that!”

Becca glared at him, coughed, and managed to croak, “He’s dead-” before descending into a coughing fit again, feeling like something had lodged itself in her throat, but she knew that wasn’t the case. She choked out, “Louisa too-”, then curled up, bowing her head, hiding from the verbal onslaught she knew was coming.

Shocked silent for just a moment, Will stopped. However, once he regained himself, he appeared more enraged than before. “You LIAR!”

Becca curled up tighter. She felt the Lieutenant’s hand come to rest on her shoulder, a weak link to ground her to reality, but an appreciated one nonetheless. William continued to berate her as the MPs who had stormed the building attempted to get him under control. “You traitorous bitch ! You just want me out of the way so you can have my mother all to yourself!” The poor soldiers tried dragging him away, but he dug his feet into the floor in resistance.

Mustang approached Will with little patience ( Had he just gotten there? Becca thought vaguely, feeling a headache forming as she tried to remember), staring him down without fear. “William Harper, I presume?”

Will spat at his feet, so Mustang looked to Becca, still trying to catch her breath on the ground next to Hawkeye. Becca nodded, hoping he could understand her silently begging him to not treat her brother too harshly. Mustang rolled his eyes, but it seemed he got the message since he just ordered, “Take him outside. Keep an eye on him until you get him to headquarters.”

As he was pulled away, Will sent one last venomous glare towards Becca, who wilted. For the first time, she noticed Alphonse nearby, drawing a circle to release Edward from the stone holding him captive, as well as the rest of Mustang’s team lingering at the borders of the scene. Mustang himself jogged over, lowering himself to the ground and asking, “Are you alright, Illusion?”

“Yessir,” Becca answered quickly. She reached up to scratch at an itchy spot at the base of her neck, then winced when her hand came away with blood. “Nothing a few bandages can’t fix,” she rasped.

Mustang frowned. “I don’t trust where that man’s hands have been. Go get that cut checked out so it doesn’t get infected.” He stood, making sure that Edward had been freed before gesturing to the others. “Get a move on,” he called. “Once we get this paperwork filed, we can all go home. Fullmetal!”

Edward, newly unstuck, looked over angrily. Through the haze that still clouded her mind, Becca recognized the glint of automail through a wide gash in Elrics garish coat. She schooled her expression into a dignified straight face as her assumptions were all but confirmed, but she made eye contact with Elric, who set his jaw when he noticed her looking.

“Make sure Illusion gets a hospital to look at the cut on her neck before you head to the barracks, understood?”

“Whatever,” Edward said theatrically. “Go finish your oh-so-important paperwork!”

Hawkeye rose, helped Becca to her feet, then gave her one more pat on the shoulder before she followed the colonel. The others exchanged various goodnights and waves with her and the brothers before it was just the three of them left.

“You don’t have to escort me to the hospital or anything,” Becca said, sounding like she'd swallowed gravel. “Don’t delay your getting to sleep for me-”

“Rebecca, it’s no problem,” Alphonse assured her once again.

“Yeah, the bastard wants us to, so we might as well,” Edward said bluntly.

“Brother! We’re doing it because Rebecca is your partner, not because the colonel told us!”

“And either way,” Edward continued, looking firmly at Rebecca, eyes glinting. “I want to know what that was all about.” 

As he spoke, he grabbed Becca’s arm, tugging her out of the building. She opened her mouth to protest, but the words got caught in her throat when she saw Alphonse making his way over to them, carrying her coat. She suddenly realized that no one had done anything like that, thinking of her as someone worth helping, in well over a year, and shut her mouth.

“Rebecca?” Edward asked. “Do you need a second?”

Unwillingly, Becca felt her lips quirk into a smile. “No,” she rasped, then forced herself to swallow when Alphonse draped her coat over her shoulders. “Let’s just get out of here.”

---

The next morning found Becca sitting up in a hospital bed, flipping through a stack of papers detailing her condition. The wound on her throat had been bandaged when she arrived and she’d been instructed to speak as little as possible to let her voice recover, but other than that, the hospital staff had mostly left her alone. Becca had insisted the Elrics go back to the barracks to find some actual beds, promising she wouldn’t run off, but they’d only complied when the nurses shooed them out to allow her to rest. However, the nurses hadn’t even brought in Becca’s breakfast when the door opened. She turned, expecting Edward Elric to come crashing in, demanding answers, then jumped when she saw Roy Mustang standing in the doorway.

“Sir!” she rasped, saluting quickly and trying to stumble out of bed.

“At ease, Illusion,” Mustang said. He pulled a chair over to the side of the bed, making sure to sit a respectful distance away from her even as she swung her legs over the side to fully face him. “Not quite the first day you were expecting, I’m sure. Certainly not a family reunion.”

Becca gave him a deadpan look. “Sir, as I’m sure you noticed, I really don’t have the voice for small talk right now. If you have questions, just go ahead and ask.”

Unfazed except for the tiniest hint of a sly smile, the colonel just continued. “Your brother had some colorful descriptions of you when he was interrogated last night. Care to explain?”

“I wasn’t my father’s only pupil,” Becca replied with a shrug. “I was just the one who listened to him.” She hesitated. “He’s probably the smarter sibling in that regard.” She looked up at Mustang, raising her chin proudly as her father had taught her even as she essentially begged for her brother’s life. “Please, sir, go easy on him. I- I know where he’s coming from. He’s lashing out- he’s hurt, it’s not fair to-”

Mustang stood up, all business professionalism again. Becca went silent.

“About that,” he said evenly. “Your brother managed to escape from custody late last night. We’re already working on tracking him down. However, despite his temper and attitude, Fullmetal is a combat specialist, much like you’re a stealth specialist. If William comes after you again, you two will both have a better chance of not getting your asses handed to you if you work together, so you need to collaborate with each other, understood?” Becca nodded quickly and he continued, “I talked to your doctor and he’s cleared you to leave after someone changes your bandages. I have an assignment for Fullmetal, so unless your wound got infected, you’ll be going as well. I’m expecting you three in my office tomorrow, no later than lunch.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Get some rest.”

“I will, sir.”

“Watch your back.”

“Colonel, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were worrying about me.”

Mustang side eyed her, then smirked as he turned away “A game of chess can’t be played until all the pawns are positioned, Harper.” He waved over his shoulder as the door swung shut, giving a far too jovial sounding farewell as he went.

---

Becca had insisted that she didn’t need a hospital breakfast, so she’d checked herself out just as the sun was coming up. East City was quiet as she walked down main street towards the military barracks. She’d been surprised that neither Elric had busted their way into her room demanding answers, but, after considering it for a moment, she supposed it was early. She’d been an early bird all her life, so she made sure to take her time perusing the sleepy city, unable to help the feeling that she might be marching towards her death. It was still early when she reached the barracks and approached the front desk.

The man at the desk was clearly dozing until Becca coughed pointedly to get his attention. He jumped, then demanded, “Who’re you? What do you want?”

“Rebecca Harper, the Illusion Alchemist,” Becca said, thoroughly unimpressed by the guard’s annoyance. She flashed her watch and asked, “Which room is Edward Elric in?”

The man floundered for a moment, then pulled out a log. “Fullmetal is in room 41, uh- ma’am.”

“Thank you,” Becca said coolly, making her way to where a sign indicated the room would be. Her confident front faltered when she actually reached the door. She briefly considered changing her mind, going back to her predictable life in Adethal and never having to face the brothers again. Then she remembered that she was trapped in service for everything short of death for the foreseeable future and tilted her head back, suppressing a groan. She pasted on a solemn look and knocked firmly on the door, once, twice, three times.

She heard someone stumble towards the door and Edward Elric, gold eyes half lidded with his hair still ruffled in a bedhead. Becca noticed the automail arm she’d seen yesterday on full display, along with his opposite leg, but she didn’t stare or flinch, remembering his disgruntled expression at her noticing last night.

“Harper, why are you even up at…” He checked a clock in the room and turned back to her, “Six in the damn morning?”

Becca felt her cheeks go pink and she bit her lip. “Sorry, I forget not everyone is up this early. I can let you sleep a bit more if you’d like-”

Elric stepped aside, ushering her inside before he disappeared into an ensuite bathroom as he talked. “Nah, you’re already here and I’ve got a lot of questions.”

“Where’d Alphonse go?” Becca asked, perching on the stained couch near the door.

She could practically see Elric shrugging as he answered, “Probably went to get breakfast. He’ll be back soon.” He reappeared from the bathroom, having pulled a few pieces of clothes over his sleeping things.

“The colonel told you everything, I guess,” Becca assumed.

Surprisingly, Elric barked a harsh laugh. “No way. That bastard can be annoyingly secretive. He told me what you could do and I know there’s only so many ways that can be accomplished.” He sat down heavily at the table and transferred his gaze to her. “Look, I’m not stupid. I know we can’t get out of working with each other, at least for a while. Al told me he thinks we should just be honest with each other and go from there.”

Becca blinked. This was less like the interrogation she’d been expecting, more like an actual conversation. She definitely hadn’t been expecting to hear the Elrics story as well. She didn’t notice how much time had passed until Elric prompted her, “C’mon, Harper. Equivalent exchange.”

She chuckled at that. “I guess that’s a fair way of thinking about it.” She hesitated, then agreed, “Yeah. Honesty sounds good.”

Notes:

i hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe, and i'll see you all in the next update! -c