Panorama Ch. 2
CHAPTER 2: The One with the Hidden Face
--
“Two tickets to Berlin, thanks,” Edward told the lady behind the glass in the busy train station in Munich. Alfons stood beside him and scanned their surroundings for a minute. The station was fully packed with people since it was the weekend, and travelling by train was pretty much the most effective way of getting anywhere. When he turned back, Edward had already paid for two tickets and headed out of the queue. Alfons hurried after him and tugged at his sleeve.
“I can pay for my own ticket.”
“Nah,” Edward said. “I’m more or less dragging you six hours across the country. Save it for food.”
Alfons concluded that he was right. They didn’t have much money, and he had of course not accounted for a trip to Berlin into their budget this month. He decided to pay for Edward’s next meal to compensate, even if he knew Edward would probably refuse.
It was a long trip. Alfons sat by the window and Edward sat down next to him, reading a different book than yesterday. He always finished his books within a couple of days, and he had even brought two so they could read one each and then switch on the way back.
Alfons usually didn’t travel much, he never had the time. His profession required too much sitting, studying, calculating and fiddling-work to give the prospect any time to consider. It was different with Edward. He always did exactly what suited him the most and he had obviously been used to travelling around in his own world, especially by train.
The train had been moving for about half an hour before Edward fell asleep, who always seemed to have this uncanny ability to fall asleep in all kinds of places. Either the train was a better resolve than his own bed, or it was the result of Edward’s continuous attempts to solve all the world’s mysteries at night.
Alfons smiled and stared idly out the window. They were leaving the dark clouded sky behind as they travelled out of Munich, and the sun stood high on the blue skies in contradiction to last night. It was relieving to finally see a blue sky for a change.
After four hours Alfons put down the book he had been reading, feeling his eyes starting to droop and he kept missing what he had just read and had to reread each paragraph at least three times before continuing. He was glad Edward had brought the book though, or else the trip would have been a very dreary one. Still, there were two hours left, and he didn’t feel like reading anymore.
Then Edward’s head suddenly slipped down on his shoulder, and Alfons could only stare amusedly at him for being such a heavy sleeper.
Edward was snoring lightly and his book rested on his knee supported by his metal hand. The other lay lax in between them. The weight of his head rested comfortably against Alfons’ shoulder, his cheek so close that Alfons had to restrain himself from not leaving a soft kiss there. No matter how adorable, he wondered if it would look odd to people if someone saw them like this. Maybe it would be better to wake Edward up to avoid any possible awkward situations.
Very gently he poked Edward’s side, knowing it was the only way of waking him. The shorter blond stirred from the tickling sensation and scowled as his eyes partially opened. Then he straightened up fast with a slight flush spreading from his nose, and had to fumble a little after his book as it nearly escaped off of his knee.
Alfons scoffed and stared out the window again to feign that nothing abnormal was going on between them from the view of the other passengers.
When Edward’s heart rate had calmed, Alfons turned back to him and smiled. “You’ve been asleep for almost four hours.”
“Oh,” Edward said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. I’ve been reading the whole time,” Alfons reassured. “Besides, you looked like you needed it.”
Edward pretended not to notice the slight teasing tone in his voice. “Hey Alfons...” He sounded suddenly serious, and Alfons gazed at him with a questioning look.
“Are you really okay with all this? I don’t want you to be freaked out by me or anything.” Edward stared intently at him.
“What do you mean?” Alfons said. “Why would I freak out?”
“We might be onto something dangerous.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Propaganda,” Edward said, and Alfons frowned. “Propaganda uses movies as a weapon, and Ufa has produced it before.”
“That was only during the end of the Great War,” Alfons replied, letting the volume of his voice sink a couple of notches. “People know better now.”
“I’m not so sure. You saw it as well as me, didn’t you? People were leaving the cinema while watching Homunculus, and even turned crazy. Maybe it wasn’t because the movie was scary, but because of the political aspects? People are in denial.”
Alfons looked away, not liking the way this conversation was going. Was he in denial? Would a new war occur? And would movies in that case make a war seem like the right thing? He shook his head. “It has happened before,” he said. “Let’s just trust it won’t happen again.” He forced a smile. He didn’t want to discuss this anymore. He preferred it when Edward talked about his own world instead. Everything seemed much better when bad things like war and tyrannical dictators were occurring in his world, and not in Alfons’. He tried to sidetrack the subject in a lighter direction without seeming too obvious. “Do you think you’ll find more duplicate people of your world at Ufa?” he asked.
Edward nodded. “I’m certain of it.”
The remaining time of the train trip didn’t take too long, and finally the two stepped out on the peer in Berlin. It seemed to have been a sunny day in Berlin as well, but sadly the sun was already starting to set.
“I hope they aren’t closed,” Edward said.
“It’s 7 pm soon - on a Saturday night,” Alfons said slowly.
“Whatever, let’s find a bus. Someone has to be there.” Edward strode towards the bus connections and Alfons trotted after with a sigh.
Finding the place didn’t turn out to be very hard, since it was so big. They found a place where people usually bought tickets to get a tour around the company. A lady was sitting there, looking a little bored. They were informed that their man was in, working with a scene. So at least they had succeeded so far. It was Edward’s attitude which seemed to pose a problem. Alfons noted the way he glared around and didn’t look the least bit inviting towards others, so it ended up being him who did most of the talking, trying to explain why they desired a meeting with Otto Rippert.
“We’re doing a school project on his new movie,” Alfons lied timidly. They decided they would have to work their way around complete honesty until they met with Otto Rippert. Unless they would risk their chance of meeting with him in the first place.
“I’ll see what I can do,” the lady said. “But this is probably not a good time. You might have to come back on Monday afternoon.”
“It’s urgent,” Edward persisted. “Tell him we have to see him today. It’s very important.”
“Usually he doesn’t like getting visitors,” the lady informed dryly. “I wouldn’t have very high hopes if I were you.”
“It will only take a minute,” Alfons reassured. “Just try, please.” If Edward wasn’t going to be polite, he at least would be.
“Wait there then,” she said and turned to a phone. She dialled a number and was silent for a few seconds while waiting for someone to pick up. “Hello,” she said eventually. “A couple of young men wish to see you. A school project. I understand.” She sounded unsurprised. She turned to them, still with the phone in hand. “He is busy today. He doesn’t have time to see you.”
“Wait, don’t hang up!” Edward butt in and leaned over the desk. “Tell him Edward Elric wants to see him. It’s very important!”
The lady behind the desk scowled suspiciously at him. “Yes, he says Edward Elric wants to see you and that it’s important. I’m sorry to bother you, sir.”
Edward’s shoulders sank and he sighed. Alfons felt pretty disappointed as well. Had they come all the way here for nothing?
But then the tone changed in her voice. “Oh? Alright, I’ll tell them.” She put the receiver down. “He can see you in fifteen minutes. For a ten minute visit. Is that alright?”
Edward’s eyes brightened up. “Yeah, thank you ma’am!” If I need more time with him, I’ll get it... he thought cunningly.
“We appreciate your help,” Alfons added and smiled.
She gave Edward a card and pointed towards one of the large buildings nearby. “Just walk into the hall there and wait until you’re called. The card will grant you access. But be sure to give it back when you leave.”
Edward nodded. “Sure.”
While they walked towards the building, Alfons scoffed as he realized what Edward’s intention had been when he had told them his name. “Do you think Otto Rippert might know your father?”
Edward nodded. “I’m not sure, but it was worth a try. I figured, if he got some inspiration from my father in the making of this movie, he might be interested in seeing me.”
Amazing... Alfons mused. And Otto Rippert had changed his mind the moment he had heard Edward’s name. That might actually mean that he knew something.
As instructed, they waited inside the hall of the building for a while, before a young woman met them. She was very pretty and had short, black hair. Alfons noted how Edward tensed the moment he saw her. He recognized someone the moment they arrived? It really had to be some sort of sign this time.
“My name is Lyra,” she said. “I’ll show you the way to the set. Please don’t touch anything.”
She turned around without waiting for a reply and stepped into a new hall, and Alfons elbowed Edward since he seemed to be lost in thought. Edward blinked at him and then seemed to snap out of whatever self induced trance he had been in, and then they followed after silently.
“Who was she?” Alfons whispered so only Edward could hear.
“That’s complicated,” Edward replied in a low voice. “But she was in contact with the homunculi as well.”
“I see...”
Or was it that everyone he knew from the other world people who had been familiar with homunculi?
“Hurry up, please,” the woman named Lyra urged as she reached the end of the hall. “Mr. Rippert hates it whenever he gets delayed.”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Alfons said.
They stepped into a new room. It was huge, like a park. Everywhere stood plants and trees along with fake (at least he thought they were fake) animals. Some of the animals even represented dinosaurs. Alfons was impressed.
“This is a simulated zoo,” Lyra explained. “We use it for the movies.”
Edward stuffed his hands in his pockets as they walked through the synthetic park.
“Hello Lyra,” a cheerful voice suddenly called out from behind them. “I see you’ve brought some guests.”
The three of them turned around in synch, and again, Edward gasped out. This reaction was more like the one he had performed at the time they met the writer, Robert Reinert. Alfons gave him a quick, curious side-glance before turning towards the newly arrived man. To his surprise, Alfons even felt a sense of familiarity in the man, but that couldn’t have anything to do with the other world of course. Maybe he had been in the papers.
The smiling man stepped out of one of the bushes and waved. “It seems I fell asleep under there. It has been a long day!”
“Ah, Mr. Lang. I’m simply escorting these two to meet with Mr. Rippert,” Lyra explained. She looked slightly bothered. “Please use the bedroom next time you’re tired, sir.”
“No problem at all,” the man laughed. “Hello there boys, my name is Fritz Lang. Pleased to meet you.”
Fritz Lang? No wonder he had seemed familiar. Alfons felt slightly excited. His movies were exceptional. “I’m Alfons Heiderich,” he said, since it seemed Edward didn’t know how to reply coherently yet. “And this is my friend, Edward Elric.”
Edward looked slightly disturbed, but then decided he had no reason to act suspiciously. “Pleased to meet you too,” he muttered.
“Well, what brings you here?” Lang asked curiously. “There are a lot of funny things to see, of course. But usually my old friend Mr. Rippert wouldn’t accept any visitors at this hour.”
“I just want to talk to him about his latest movie,” Edward said briefly.
“Oh, I see. That is indeed a very interesting movie. Oh well, I won’t occupy you any further. Please stop by again sometime, in case I need some extra.” He turned from them and waved his hand. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
They watched him leave for a second, and then Alfons could no longer bear with his own curiosity. “And him...?”
Edward scowled. “He is the parallel of the homunculus who was the Fuhrer in my country.”
Alfons’ eyes magnified. “Wow...”
Edward turned to him. “I guess it doesn’t matter. He didn’t seem like him at all.”
Alfons was happy to hear that. Of course, even if the parallels were looking the same, they were not the same people. If someone was bad in the other world, they could still be good in this one.
“If you want to meet with Mr. Rippert, you should move on,” Lyra said sharply. “Follow me.”
They came to another hall, and one of the doors in it led to a new room of exotic character. There was a stage with synthetic trees standing around, but also coffee tables were people could take a break and a cup of tea.
“Mr. Rippert will meet you here shortly,” Lyra said. “Meanwhile, you can sit down and wait.”
“Alright, thank you for the escort,” Alfons said politely.
When Lyra had left, Alfons let himself sit down by one of the tables. He had felt awfully tired lately.
Edward remained standing and looked around the new big room. “Isn’t it typical how we were urged onward and still we end up being the ones who have to wait?” he muttered gruffly.
“Be happy we managed to get a meeting with him at all,” Alfons reasoned. “Maybe it wasn’t very polite to show up like this. We should’ve called first.”
“No way, then he would definitely have said no,” Edward replied.
“Yes, yes, you’re probably right about that,” a new voice said, and Edward started with wide eyes. That voice... Where had he heard that voice before?
He turned around slowly towards a man with glasses, small eyes and brown hair. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and stared curiously back at Edward.
Alfons noted Edward recognization immediately. He was starting to get used to it... But still Edward looked more startled than ever. Who was it this time? Apparently, this man was someone bad in Edward’s books.
Edward actually backed up a step, his eyes as wide as saucers and his body starting to tremble, frozen up like a block of ice.
Alfons rose quickly from his chair, immediately alarmed. Edward had never reacted akin to this before. Even Otto Rippert looked troubled by his behaviour.
“It is me you wanted to see, wasn’t it?” he asked.
Edward’s teeth clamped together in spite. “Tucker...”
Alfons stared at him, starting to feel worried that Edward would scare the director away by acting like this. Who was Tucker? He had never heard Edward mention a man by that name before.
A magnetic field of anger suddenly ravaged inside all of Edward’s being, just by the sight of this man. Even if this wasn’t the same person, he would never get used to it enough to contain that rage and disgust he felt towards the Tucker from his own world. He wanted to storm forward and punch him, realizing too late that his fist had already risen on its own. But then Alfons was suddenly standing beside him and had gripped his arm tightly, like he had known exactly what he was thinking.
What am I doing? Edward quickly relaxed, and lowered his arm. He would never get to talk to this man about the movie unless he kept himself contained. This man has nothing to do with Nina...
“Are you alright?” Otto Rippert asked slowly.
Edward made a reluctant sound. “You looked like someone I know,” he said, averting his eyes for a second before forcing himself to look at him again. “Are you Mr. Rippert?”
“Yes, I am,” Rippert replied. “Usually I would never agree to something like this, but I know your father, Edward Elric. So your arrival triggered my curiosity. Have a seat.”
Edward started again and almost forgot about how his parallel person, Shou Tucker, had used his own daughter as an experiment to make a chimera. So his theory had been right. “So, you know him, huh? I figured,” Edward crowed. The question was now, how?
“Yes.” Otto Rippert sat down on a chair and gesticulated towards a couple of other chairs across of him by one of the coffee tables. “First of all, what do you want with me?”
Edward and Alfons sat down slowly, exchanged a quick look, then Edward blatantly took the word again. “We came to ask you about your movie. The one called Homunculus.”
“Ah? I have to say, I’m afraid everything was mainly Robert Reinert’s manuscript. The textual work has nothing to do with me. I’ve simply taken care of the visual aspects.”
Edward frowned. It sounded like he was apologizing for even making it. “What do you think of the manuscript?”
“That’s what I should be asking you, isn’t it?” Mr. Rippert countered. “The people are the judge. And most of them didn’t like it. I figured that was the reason why you almost attacked me when you saw me.” He smirked at his own observation, and Edward made a short indifferent snort.
“That had nothing to do with you,” Alfons shot in to save Edward. “He just mistook you for someone else. I’m sorry if you felt threatened.”
“No harm done,” Rippert said. “To tell you the truth, I don’t care. They’ve already removed the movie from the cinemas in Berlin, and by tomorrow it will probably be either locked up or disposed of entirely.”
“You mean they’ll burn it?” Alfons asked slowly.
“Probably yes. When people don’t like it, there’s no need for trash like that in the movie industry.”
“You’re calling your own movie trash?” Edward said drolly.
“Not everyone disliked it,” Alfons said carefully, attempting to get on a better foot with the man. “It was very interesting.”
“Why do you think so?” Rippert asked puzzled.
Edward chose to be careful with the political aspects, since it was probably not tolerated at this place. Ufa was a nationalistic company. They had been the ones who stood for the propaganda, so naturally they would be against anything that put their beliefs in a bad light. “The homunculus theory,” he said instead. “Do you think this could happen?”
Otto Rippert stared at him for a long moment. Then he burst out laughing. “You probably shouldn’t walk around and believe everything you see in a movie, kid. That’s why they are removing it. People believe too much when they see it on a screen.”
Edward flared up. I’m not a kid! He decided to take a small chance. “I’ve actually heard this particular story before,” he said, and Rippert stopped grinning.
“You’re familiar with it?”
“Yes. The story wasn’t new to me at all,” Edward said. “I was wondering if you knew anything.”
“I can’t say that I do,” Rippert said slowly. “I had never heard of the story before Mr. Reinert pitched it for me.”
Edward wasn’t convinced. Was he lying? It was hard to tell. But if he had known Van Hohenheim, wouldn’t that explain the reference of the movie to his own world? On the other hand, Otto Rippert had said he had had nothing to do with the written work.
Mr. Rippert seemed like he had had enough of the meeting with them already, and looked like he was about to suggest that they leave.
“How do you know my father, exactly?” Edward prodded.
“Through an organization called Thule Society,” Otto Rippert said. “A study group who are interested in occult magic.”
“Occult... magic?” Edward repeated slowly.
“It all is based on complete nonsense, of course. I know Robert Reinert has been involved with them as well.”
“Where is this Thule Society?” Edward asked quickly.
“I don’t know,” Rippert shrugged. “I’m not interested in that sort of thing, and I don’t speak with Reinert anymore. We had our disagreements which led our parting after finishing the movie.”
“Disagreements?” Edward inquired.
“I don’t feel obligated to tell you about that. Frankly, I don’t have any more time to waste away with you. Now, if you both will excuse me, I will ask Lyra to show you the way out.” Otto Rippert rose from his chair. “Your father is a nitwit, and I’ve been confirmed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I really hate prodding kids like you.” Then he simply left without another word.
Edward’s eyes widened as his memory got screwed back at the time he found Tucker in his laboratory, with the chimera of a girl and a dog sitting by his feet.
“I hate kids with instincts like you.”
Alfons stared perplexed after the director as he left, and before he managed to speak, Edward had already risen from his chair, seemingly in a hurry to leave as well. He stalked away towards the way they had come.
--
After they delivered the access card and got out, Edward was striding so fast, away from Ufa, that Alfons had some trouble keeping up with him.
“Edward?” he called after his back. Had he been affected this much? “He was just a rude old man. I doubt he knows your father very well. Wait...!”
Edward stopped and let Alfons catch up to him. His eyes were hidden behind the shadow casting from his long bangs and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides. Alfons was shocked. Edward looked like he was on the edge of crying.
Without a word, Alfons wrapped his arms around his shoulders and hugged him closely. It was dark outside, and not too many people were around to watch. It would probably not look too strange.
“There’s probably someone else we can talk to,” Alfons said in a low voice, attempting anything he could to understand what exactly was bothering Edward. To be fair, he had no idea. Edward was usually not someone to visibly care about an insult directed at him.
“No,” Edward said. “This was ridiculous in the first place.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to get further involved in this crap,” Edward barked. “I don’t care anymore! All it does is bring back memories I don’t want to remember! That man... I wanted to rip him apart! And he’s got nothing to do with it. He’s right even. The movie made people mad. It’s probably for the best that it gets burned up. I don’t care. Homunculi don’t exist in this world.”
Alfons gave him a long, confounded stare. If it had been yesterday, he knew he would probably have agreed with Edward on the prospect that Homunculi didn’t exist. But now he was starting to have second thoughts. And he was supposed to be a scientist... Still, he thought about what Robert Reinert had told them this morning. It was naïve to think there wasn’t any more to it, and Edward thought someone might have threatened Reinert into talking too loudly about the power of movies being used for the wrong purposes.
Wasn’t Edward coming to fast conclusions now? Would he ignore these prospects just because bad memories were provoked by seeing Mr. Rippert’s appearance?
“Who did Otto Rippert look like?” Alfons asked quickly.
Edward’s face turned dark once again, and he seemed to hesitate. “It’s not important. He was someone who didn’t know the difference between morality and egotism.”
“What about Thule Society?” Alfons tried. “What if Rippert is associated with them too, like your father? They sound like they might have something to do with this.” He couldn’t believe that Edward was giving up and trying to be rational now. They had more clues they could follow, so why didn’t he want to continue anymore?
“Forget them,” Edward muttered. “Let them do their so-called magic. It has nothing to do with me.” He continued walking. “Let’s find a train.”
Alfons hurried after him. “Wait a second!” Was Edward heading home to Munich already? They had just arrived here, and he didn’t feel up to another six hour train ride already.
It would be almost morning when they’d finally reach Munich again. Couldn’t Edward just take a break sometime?
“Shouldn’t we stay here overnight?” Alfons suggested fast, holding Edward back by the arm. He received a very sceptical look from the shorter blond.
“Why?” Edward asked. “There’s nothing more to do here.”
“That’s not true,” Alfons said. “This is Berlin. I’ve only been here once before in my life, and it’s already quite late.”
“You can sleep on the train,” Edward protested.
“I can’t sleep on trains,” Alfons replied meekly. He had only wanted Edward to come with him on a date in the first place. If they were not goose chasing wild stories from another world anymore, couldn’t they at least spend some time enjoying themselves together?
Edward was about to protest, but Alfons’ lungs provided a troublesome coughing fit which made him change his mind. “Alright. Maybe we can find a cheap hotel around here... You shouldn’t be walking around without your scarf.”
“I’m alright,” Alfons said mildly. “Just calm down a little for a change. It’s Saturday evening. We’re supposed to be out having fun.”
Edward snorted a smile. “Alright then. But this time I decide.”
“Okay.” Alfons grinned and was only glad he had convinced Edward to stay here overnight. They didn’t have to walk for very long before they found a small hotel Edward liked (more likely because of the pub on the ground floor than anything else.) It didn’t look to be very expensive. They could bear with low standards for only one night. Alfons figured, the important thing was that they’d have somewhere to sleep.
The bar sounded of laughing men and music. They bypassed it as they headed towards the reception to order their room first. A young woman welcomed them behind the reception desk. She had long, dark hair and clear green eyes. “Good evening, boys. Need a pair of rooms?”
“No, only one,” Edward said.
She stared at them puzzled for a while. “We don’t have twin rooms, only for couples or single.”
Edward flushed slightly. “That’s fine. I like sleeping on the floor.”
“We’re not going to sleep much anyway,” Alfons hurriedly added with a bright smile. “Looks like it’s quite lively at the pub tonight.”
The girl smiled at him and winked. “Alright then, I’ll give you a double. Let me know if you feel lonely. My shift ends at midnight.”
Alfons involuntary swallowed, but smiled. “I might see you then.”
The girl handed him the key with a charming smirk.
Edward was quick to drag Alfons with him as soon as they had finished ordering and gotten their key.
“Stupid moron,” he muttered.
“Hey, at least she didn’t get suspicious because of your inability to word things properly in front of people,” Alfons protested. “Even if you did like sleeping on the floor, they would probably not have let you order only one room for us unless I had said something.”
Edward snorted theatrically. “Well, don’t blame me if she drools all over you later.”
They reached the top of the stairs to their room on the second floor, and Alfons couldn’t help grinning. “You aren’t jealous, are you?”
“Fuck no!” Edward was unsuccessful in hiding the new slight flush spreading over his cheeks. “She wasn’t even that attractive.”
“You are jealous!”
“Absolutely not!”
Alfons laughed out as Edward irately put the key into the right door and muttered something like Alfons better shut up unless he had a suitable death wish.
The room was small and basically only contained a double sized bed and a nightstand. To the right was a small bathroom with a toilet and a sink and no shower. Alfons thought it smelled weird in the room as well. He had to remind himself that it was for only one night and that the facility hadn’t ruined their budget. At least not yet.
Edward wrung off his jacket and tossed it on the bed. “Let’s get a drink before this pot smell gets to my brain.”
Alfons wrinkled his nose in disgust over finding out what the smell was. “Fine. Just one sec.” He turned to the window and opened it to get the worst of it out before they came back to sleep. He took off his jacket as well and put it down next to Edward’s. Then they descended down the stairs again.
The pub was crowded and indeed lively. Almost every table in the place was occupied by loud drinking or already drunk Germans.
They found a pair of free high stools by the bar desk and Edward ordered them a pair of beers. Alfons hadn’t really taken a drinking night into account this weekend, but he figured it was alright. He felt much better and hadn’t had a fever for long. He could stand a couple of drinks. As long as Edward could watch his own intake before the point where he stopped having fun, it was fine with Alfons.
The cold golden liquid actually felt quite good after a relatively long day, going from place to place and sitting on trains and buses for so many hours.
“Are you really sure you’re through with that homunculus stuff?” Alfons asked, after they had almost finished their first pint. He still thought Edward’s decision on neglecting their purposes was a bit hasted.
“Definitely,” Edward replied, without a moment’s hesitation. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this thing. I should’ve known it. Robert Reinert has probably talked to my father in Thule Society and got the idea for the story through him. There’s nothing more to it than that. He might not even have known that Hohenheim was my father at the time, since our names don’t resemble. Stupid old man, gossiping about the other world to random people like that.”
“I guess so,” Alfons said. It wasn’t a stupid reasoning at all. It was all very likely. Still, it seemed to Alfons that there was something about all this they had missed. But he didn’t know what. Although, maybe he was simply looking for the answers of the wrong questions again. If Edward said there wasn’t more to it, he was probably right. The matter was out of Alfons’ hands, though not far from his mind.
They ordered a new round of beers and started talking about other things containing Einstein’s theories, rocketry and books, and Alfons enjoyed that much more than talking about homunculi. He didn’t even realize that the time flew away and it was getting late. Edward had drunk more than double of what he had, and he was starting to wonder if it was okay with Edward to keep drinking more. He was about to suggest that it was enough as Edward ordered another, but then his eyes got covered by two delicate hands and someone whispered in his ear.
“Hi, can you guess who I am?”
Alfons stiffened a little “No, I’m sorry,” he replied. Although he recognized her voice. “I failed to ask you your name earlier.”
She withdrew her hands and Alfons turned around. The girl from the reception desk smiled brightly at him. She had to be at least a couple of years older than him, but he guessed he looked a couple of years older than he was.
“I’m Pauline.”
“Alfons,” Alfons said.
She sat down beside him and stared at him so intently, Alfons started to feel awkward. He figured she expected him to buy her a drink. He could afford to buy her one, but would that make her think he was actually interested in her? His dilemma was undeniable, and he wished he could turn to Edward for help, but Edward seemed to be in a discussion with the bartender about whether or not it would be healthy for him to have another beer.
Alfons was a little influenced as well, and used it to beat down his own fear and met her eyes and a returning smile. “Would you like a drink? I’m not actually a wealthy guy, but I can offer you one at least.” Plain honesty would never be considered wrong. Just too bad he couldn’t tell her he was already taken by the drunken blond guy sitting next to him.
Pauline laughed. “I’ll take that offer, thank you.”
Alfons took the opportunity to turn to Edward and the bartender and interrupt their discussion. “My friend has had enough, but you can give that drink to the lady instead,” he buttered in.
The bartender nodded, and Edward stared at him like he had betrayed him.
When he turned back, Pauline sat even closer to him, and he started to sweat. What the hell could he say to bring her hopes down from the sky?
“Tell me, what do you do?” Pauline asked curiously.
He wasn’t good with situations like these. It had been different with him and Edward; that had just sort of happened. Edward was blunt and never made him take a guess at what he wanted. Thinking of Edward, he hadn’t heard a word of what Pauline had just said, and realized she stared at him like she expected an answer.
“Uh…” he said intelligently.
“Do you have some sort of profession?” she prodded further, to help him.
“Well uh... I’m a rocket scientist,” Alfons wheedled.
“How about that, that’s very interesting,” Pauline said. “I’ve never met a rocket scientist before.”
Alfons grinned sheepishly. “I guess, there’s not that many of us. How about you?” he quickly threw the question back.
“I work here, as you already know,” she said. “Sometimes I sing to entertain this lot. It’s mostly the same people coming back every night. But I haven’t seen you around here before.”
“We’re just on a short trip,” Alfons said. “We’re originally from Munich.”
“Oh, that’s pretty far away,” Pauline mused. “You’d better make the best of it while you’re here then.” She winked again, and Alfons forced out another sheepish laugh.
“Yeah, I guess.”
She was so close now, Alfons was starting to become afraid that he was in close proximity to be in kissing range and neither could he turn away or scoot backwards without seeming impolite. As discreetly as he could he quickly turned back to Edward as soon as she took a sip of her beer.
Edward met his look where he sat, resting his cheek in his palm on the bar desk and looked bored.
“Help...” Alfons mimed desperately.
Edward scoffed. “I told you,” he mimed back.
Alfons gave him another pleading look, before Pauline poked his attention back towards her. “How long are you staying here?”
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Alfons said helplessly.
“Oh, I see. That’s very short.”
Alfons wondered how much more she was going to imply things before asking him directly if he wanted to go up to his room with her, when Edward finally decided to aid him.
The shorter blond moved off his seat and went past them towards the available seat next to Pauline. Alfons was under the impression of that he performed a slightly overdone reeling around on his feet until he literally flopped onto the stool. Pauline noticed him and didn’t really seem to know if she was supposed to pay attention to him or not.
Edward leaned over the flat of the bar desk and pointed at Alfons with an unsteady index finger. “You are a lousy roommate, just so you know it,” he slurred. He turned to Pauline. “Did you know? He always brings some girl home with him and hardly knows the function of a shower. I bet he’s gotten laid with half of the chicks in Munich already, and he’s only seventeen.” He addressed Alfons again, before neither of them could reply. “And seriously, I thought you only liked blonds? That’s what you’ve said.”
“Edward!” Alfons barked. It wasn’t this kind of help he had asked for...
Pauline looked a tad uncomfortable. “Uhm, excuse me, boys. I need the lady’s room for a bit.” She slipped off her stool and headed for the rest rooms.
“Have fun!” Edward called after her with a grin.
“Thanks,” Alfons said dryly.
“No problem!” Edward simpered back. “Let’s go before she changes her mind.”
Alfons doubted it, but still figured it was time to leave. He paid for the rest of their drinks and supported Edward out of the pub. He still reeled a little, but not as bad as he had supposedly been while Pauline was there. Still, there was no doubt, he was influenced enough for today because he chortled and giggled a lot more than he normally would.
“You made me look like a fool,” Alfons muttered grumpily. “I’ve never even had sex with a girl before.”
“That makes two of us,” Edward said cheerfully. “I’ve had sex with you though!”
Alfons was glad no one was in immediate hearing range. “I know that, Edward.”
When they had struggled their way up the rest of the stairs to the right floor, they were already kissing fervently. Alfons made sure that there still wasn’t anyone around to witness them, while Edward seemed to be too engaged with his lips to pay anything else much heed. Somehow they managed to find the key, unlock the door to their room and lock themselves inside unnoticed. He got pushed down on the bed by an eager and sturdy blond, and Alfons tugged him closer to get some warmth. First he didn’t understand why the room was so cold, but then he remembered that he had opened the window before they left. At least it didn’t smell like hash smoke anymore. Regrettably he was too occupied with the other on top of him to walk across the room and close it. Before he even knew it Edward had tugged off half of his attire and vigorously buried a couple of his fingers neatly inside him. Alfons moaned and squirmed and dizzily searched for something in range short enough to kiss.
Hopefully no one would be able to hear them, although it wasn’t likely. There were sounds coming from everywhere. Both on the street outside, the pub downstairs and probably some of the other occupied bedrooms at the old hotel as well.
His hand stroked gently over Edward’s chest and stomach, lowering to the waistband of his trousers and unbuttoned it slowly, getting back at Edward for being so impatient all the time. Golden eyes flashed then, picking up the moonlight as they traveled his body. His mouth attacked the smooth area of his neck and plunged into his hand as Alfons finally reached his hardening length and stroked it fondly.
Despite still having the alcohol flushing through his system and making him eager, Edward was more loving and adorable than aggressive. He never neglected what mattered to him during sex, which was to make Alfons feel good. The way he left soft kisses on Alfons’ collarbone, the gentleness of his touch and the burning affection in his golden eyes told of nothing less.
Soon they were rocking into a rhythmic motion, hurling each other into bliss, before Edward went lax on top of him and Alfons shuddered as his skin turned cold again. But he didn’t want to get up to close the window. Too drowsy. His eyes were already closed and his mind slurred.
Edward moved carefully off of him and tugged the blanket free from underneath them both. Then he buried them both underneath it and fell into a deep doze.
--
Only a couple of hours later Alfons shuddered awake again, his nose feeling like it had frozen to his face. He sat up slowly with a groan, and touched his aching temple. How stupid were they, sleeping with the window open like that? He stepped out of bed, dragging on all his clothes as he did so. It was too cold to sleep undressed. He hurried across the room with socked feet and closed the window tightly. The pub still sounded cheery and alive. How they had even managed to fall asleep in all this noise was beyond him. It was dark and empty on the street outside. He turned away from the window as Edward woke as well, noticing that he wasn’t lying beside him anymore.
“Alfons?”
“I was just closing the window.”
“Oh damn, I knew I had forgotten something.” He flopped down on the sheet again. “Come back and get warm again.”
Alfons smiled. “Yeah.” He hadn’t even replied before he felt a shadow pass quickly behind him, and he whipped back around towards the window. His heart started beating rapidly fast. Had someone just been outside their window? It was possible, since there was a long balustrade of a fire escape outside. But who? A thief?
“What is it?” Edward said with a frown.
“I think I saw someone outside,” Alfons answered slowly. “Wait there.” He stepped back towards the window to check. It could be just some drunken hotel guests.
“No, you wait!” Edward said and hurriedly stepped into his trousers.
Alfons peeked out the window. He couldn’t see anyone. That was odd. He had been sure someone had been there. He was about to turn back and go back to bed when the large shadow suddenly popped back up out of nowhere, and a large fists shot right towards his face from outside. Alfons was astute enough to jerk to the side of the window, just as the arm slammed through it, and as in slow motion spreading a million fragments of glass everywhere into the room.
“Alfons!” Edward shouted out.
In that same moment, Alfons wondered who would have enough strength to punch through a window like that? But then his mind forgot about that and rather focused on the very fact that someone was attacking them, and that they were in danger, and it would probably be best to run.
The man was large and covered in black. He stepped inside the window with slow movements, compared to how fast his fist had smashed the window.
Alfons backed off as he stared at the new arrival with huge eyes. He was wearing a long hooded cloak, hiding his face away with the black hood. Who was this guy?
“Alfons, run!” Edward shouted at him. He had just managed to tug his shirt on and sprung forward to defend them both from the intruder.
Alfons let his eyes glance sharply over the floor in the dark. The floor was full of glass. If he moved, he might get his feet pierced.
“Edward, be careful of where you step,” he warned, and Edward stopped with a small distance in front of the huge cloaked man.
“Who the hell are you?” Edward demanded. “What do you want?”
The man didn’t give any vocal reply. Instead he shot forward and punched Edward directly in the stomach. Edward’s eyes magnified from the abrupt encounter, his breath mercilessly knocked out of his chest with huge force.
He sank to his knees with a groan, and Alfons called after him, his voiced laced with worry. “Edward!” No one ever overpowered Edward. Was this guy even human...?
The cloaked man turned back to Alfons without paying Edward much more mind, and neither did he care about the fragments of sharp glass spread all over. His arm shot forward and hugged around Alfons’ throat, faster than he could even move.
Alfons struggled against the hold, but it was futile. It was like trying to move a human sized brick. All the air got squeezed out of him, and before he knew it he was launched effortlessly off the ground with huge strength, like he weighed no more than a feather. Then the man turned back to the window and settled off with him, into the chilly night air.
Edward had barely gotten his breath back and lifted his gaze before both the cloaked man and Alfons were gone.
“Fuck!” he hissed and quickly turned for his shoes. He tugged them on in record time and jumped out of the window after the kidnapper.
Alfons squirmed and kicked where he was draped over the shoulder of the man. “Let me down!” How the hell had they even gotten down to the street from three storeys that fast? And what did this man want with him? He watched behind them, seeing Edward already on his way down from the window as well, climbing down the gutter.
“Edward!” he yelled.
Edward jumped down the last couple of metres and started running of full speed, feeling every trail of alcohol from that night draining out of him. “I’m coming for you, hold tight,” he muttered. He was not going to let that bastard run away with Alfons and get away with it alive.
Alfons tried to scoot off the shoulder, but was held firmly in place with a large log of an arm. The man hadn’t even spoken a word. “Uhm, excuse me sir,” he tried. “Please put me down. This is starting to freak me out.”
The man replied with merely a grunt, which was the closest to a vocal respond he had gotten so far.
“In that case,” Alfons muttered. With all the strength he could gather in his leg, he shot his knee into the guy’s chest, hoping to make him lose some of his breath enough that Alfons could get free. But it didn’t seem like his effort had even been noticed by the one carrying him. The man kept trotting down the street with a firm grip around him.
“Where are we going?” Alfons wanted to know.
Suddenly the man stopped in the middle of the street, staring slowly from left to right, like he wasn’t exactly sure himself which direction he was supposed to be heading.
Alfons scowled, and then got a new idea. He stretched his arm out and tugged at the hood covering the man’s face. Maybe he would get a clue on who this man really was if he could see him properly.
The man reacted with abrupt anger and slapped Alfons’ hand away, followed by quickly throwing his prey to the cold, hard ground. Alfons crashed into the asphalt and rolled onto his stomach, gasping and coughing after his breath.
The hood had slipped a little, but he never got the chance to see the man before he adjusted his hood back into place.
The ground was cold against his chest through his thin shirt. Alfons’ vision was fogged as he gazed dazedly up at the man approaching him again. He must have hit his head in the fall... His shoulder hurt too. He just wanted to sleep.
“Hold it right there, you bastard!” a voice suddenly called angrily from behind them. “Leave him the fuck alone, or I swear I’ll beat you into a marble!” Edward stopped some meters away from the cloaked man, panting after his ragged breath, but never letting his sharp golden eyes off of him. “If you want to fight, I’ll be more than happy to take you on.”
The cloaked man grunted, discontented, and backed away slowly, like he understood and wanted to avoid another fight. Then he hurriedly continued running into an alley behind Alfons, disappearing into the darkness of the shadows.
Edward considered following him, but disposed of the thought immediately, deciding to guarantee Alfons’ safety first. He hurried to him and kneeled by his side. “Alfons! Are you hurt?”
Alfons stared hazily at him, still lying on his stomach. “I'm okay.” Edward helped him up to sit on his knees, and Alfons flinched and touched his aching head. When he looked at his hand again, it was coated with blood.
“Damn it, you got yourself an ugly blow to the head,” Edward drawled. “That bastard!”
Alfons stared befuddled at his hand. “It must have happened when he dropped me.” He trembled a little, both from the cold and the shock. Then he realized he didn’t even have shoes on.
Edward noticed too and took off his own shoes and motioned for him to put them on instead. “Here. We should find a doctor in case you’ve got a concussion or something.”
Alfons accepted slowly. “But now your feet will get cold too.”
“Don’t worry about that. I only have one flesh foot; the other one doesn’t feel the cold.” Edward supported him back up on a pair of unsteady feet, and he brought Alfons’ arm over his shoulders. “Let’s go find a doctor now.”
Alfons protested timidly. “I’m fine... I just need some sleep.”
“Nope, we’re seeing a doctor first,” Edward countered stubbornly. “You stay awake for now.”
Alfons sighed and leaned against him a bit. “What the hell happened anyway? Who was that guy?”
“Hell if I know,” Edward muttered. “Did you see his face at all?”
“No. I tried, but then he threw me to the ground.”
“Hmm,” Edward said thoughtfully. “Still, he didn’t seem very intelligent. Only strong.”
“He reminded me a little bit of...” Alfons started slowly, but didn’t want to say it.
“Of what?” Edward asked.
“He kind of... reminded me of the homunculus in the movie we saw. Inhuman strength and inability to feel...”
Edward frowned. “That can’t be... Homunculus doesn’t exist in this world. I’ve seen the parallel of one today, and he was a real human. Besides, the homunculi I used to know were different. At least they talked coherently.”
“Then what was he?” Alfons asked, an underlying hint of anxiety laced in his tone.
“Probably just a madman,” Edward reasoned. “I’ll make sure he won’t touch you ever again.”
Alfons smiled timidly, thinking it was kind of cute that Edward was so protective of him. “Thanks for saving me... Two times in one night.”
Edward quickly brushed it off. “Don’t mention it. Now, tell me if you see a doctor somewhere we can get you to.”
--
Go to Chapter 3
--
“Two tickets to Berlin, thanks,” Edward told the lady behind the glass in the busy train station in Munich. Alfons stood beside him and scanned their surroundings for a minute. The station was fully packed with people since it was the weekend, and travelling by train was pretty much the most effective way of getting anywhere. When he turned back, Edward had already paid for two tickets and headed out of the queue. Alfons hurried after him and tugged at his sleeve.
“I can pay for my own ticket.”
“Nah,” Edward said. “I’m more or less dragging you six hours across the country. Save it for food.”
Alfons concluded that he was right. They didn’t have much money, and he had of course not accounted for a trip to Berlin into their budget this month. He decided to pay for Edward’s next meal to compensate, even if he knew Edward would probably refuse.
It was a long trip. Alfons sat by the window and Edward sat down next to him, reading a different book than yesterday. He always finished his books within a couple of days, and he had even brought two so they could read one each and then switch on the way back.
Alfons usually didn’t travel much, he never had the time. His profession required too much sitting, studying, calculating and fiddling-work to give the prospect any time to consider. It was different with Edward. He always did exactly what suited him the most and he had obviously been used to travelling around in his own world, especially by train.
The train had been moving for about half an hour before Edward fell asleep, who always seemed to have this uncanny ability to fall asleep in all kinds of places. Either the train was a better resolve than his own bed, or it was the result of Edward’s continuous attempts to solve all the world’s mysteries at night.
Alfons smiled and stared idly out the window. They were leaving the dark clouded sky behind as they travelled out of Munich, and the sun stood high on the blue skies in contradiction to last night. It was relieving to finally see a blue sky for a change.
After four hours Alfons put down the book he had been reading, feeling his eyes starting to droop and he kept missing what he had just read and had to reread each paragraph at least three times before continuing. He was glad Edward had brought the book though, or else the trip would have been a very dreary one. Still, there were two hours left, and he didn’t feel like reading anymore.
Then Edward’s head suddenly slipped down on his shoulder, and Alfons could only stare amusedly at him for being such a heavy sleeper.
Edward was snoring lightly and his book rested on his knee supported by his metal hand. The other lay lax in between them. The weight of his head rested comfortably against Alfons’ shoulder, his cheek so close that Alfons had to restrain himself from not leaving a soft kiss there. No matter how adorable, he wondered if it would look odd to people if someone saw them like this. Maybe it would be better to wake Edward up to avoid any possible awkward situations.
Very gently he poked Edward’s side, knowing it was the only way of waking him. The shorter blond stirred from the tickling sensation and scowled as his eyes partially opened. Then he straightened up fast with a slight flush spreading from his nose, and had to fumble a little after his book as it nearly escaped off of his knee.
Alfons scoffed and stared out the window again to feign that nothing abnormal was going on between them from the view of the other passengers.
When Edward’s heart rate had calmed, Alfons turned back to him and smiled. “You’ve been asleep for almost four hours.”
“Oh,” Edward said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. I’ve been reading the whole time,” Alfons reassured. “Besides, you looked like you needed it.”
Edward pretended not to notice the slight teasing tone in his voice. “Hey Alfons...” He sounded suddenly serious, and Alfons gazed at him with a questioning look.
“Are you really okay with all this? I don’t want you to be freaked out by me or anything.” Edward stared intently at him.
“What do you mean?” Alfons said. “Why would I freak out?”
“We might be onto something dangerous.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Propaganda,” Edward said, and Alfons frowned. “Propaganda uses movies as a weapon, and Ufa has produced it before.”
“That was only during the end of the Great War,” Alfons replied, letting the volume of his voice sink a couple of notches. “People know better now.”
“I’m not so sure. You saw it as well as me, didn’t you? People were leaving the cinema while watching Homunculus, and even turned crazy. Maybe it wasn’t because the movie was scary, but because of the political aspects? People are in denial.”
Alfons looked away, not liking the way this conversation was going. Was he in denial? Would a new war occur? And would movies in that case make a war seem like the right thing? He shook his head. “It has happened before,” he said. “Let’s just trust it won’t happen again.” He forced a smile. He didn’t want to discuss this anymore. He preferred it when Edward talked about his own world instead. Everything seemed much better when bad things like war and tyrannical dictators were occurring in his world, and not in Alfons’. He tried to sidetrack the subject in a lighter direction without seeming too obvious. “Do you think you’ll find more duplicate people of your world at Ufa?” he asked.
Edward nodded. “I’m certain of it.”
The remaining time of the train trip didn’t take too long, and finally the two stepped out on the peer in Berlin. It seemed to have been a sunny day in Berlin as well, but sadly the sun was already starting to set.
“I hope they aren’t closed,” Edward said.
“It’s 7 pm soon - on a Saturday night,” Alfons said slowly.
“Whatever, let’s find a bus. Someone has to be there.” Edward strode towards the bus connections and Alfons trotted after with a sigh.
Finding the place didn’t turn out to be very hard, since it was so big. They found a place where people usually bought tickets to get a tour around the company. A lady was sitting there, looking a little bored. They were informed that their man was in, working with a scene. So at least they had succeeded so far. It was Edward’s attitude which seemed to pose a problem. Alfons noted the way he glared around and didn’t look the least bit inviting towards others, so it ended up being him who did most of the talking, trying to explain why they desired a meeting with Otto Rippert.
“We’re doing a school project on his new movie,” Alfons lied timidly. They decided they would have to work their way around complete honesty until they met with Otto Rippert. Unless they would risk their chance of meeting with him in the first place.
“I’ll see what I can do,” the lady said. “But this is probably not a good time. You might have to come back on Monday afternoon.”
“It’s urgent,” Edward persisted. “Tell him we have to see him today. It’s very important.”
“Usually he doesn’t like getting visitors,” the lady informed dryly. “I wouldn’t have very high hopes if I were you.”
“It will only take a minute,” Alfons reassured. “Just try, please.” If Edward wasn’t going to be polite, he at least would be.
“Wait there then,” she said and turned to a phone. She dialled a number and was silent for a few seconds while waiting for someone to pick up. “Hello,” she said eventually. “A couple of young men wish to see you. A school project. I understand.” She sounded unsurprised. She turned to them, still with the phone in hand. “He is busy today. He doesn’t have time to see you.”
“Wait, don’t hang up!” Edward butt in and leaned over the desk. “Tell him Edward Elric wants to see him. It’s very important!”
The lady behind the desk scowled suspiciously at him. “Yes, he says Edward Elric wants to see you and that it’s important. I’m sorry to bother you, sir.”
Edward’s shoulders sank and he sighed. Alfons felt pretty disappointed as well. Had they come all the way here for nothing?
But then the tone changed in her voice. “Oh? Alright, I’ll tell them.” She put the receiver down. “He can see you in fifteen minutes. For a ten minute visit. Is that alright?”
Edward’s eyes brightened up. “Yeah, thank you ma’am!” If I need more time with him, I’ll get it... he thought cunningly.
“We appreciate your help,” Alfons added and smiled.
She gave Edward a card and pointed towards one of the large buildings nearby. “Just walk into the hall there and wait until you’re called. The card will grant you access. But be sure to give it back when you leave.”
Edward nodded. “Sure.”
While they walked towards the building, Alfons scoffed as he realized what Edward’s intention had been when he had told them his name. “Do you think Otto Rippert might know your father?”
Edward nodded. “I’m not sure, but it was worth a try. I figured, if he got some inspiration from my father in the making of this movie, he might be interested in seeing me.”
Amazing... Alfons mused. And Otto Rippert had changed his mind the moment he had heard Edward’s name. That might actually mean that he knew something.
As instructed, they waited inside the hall of the building for a while, before a young woman met them. She was very pretty and had short, black hair. Alfons noted how Edward tensed the moment he saw her. He recognized someone the moment they arrived? It really had to be some sort of sign this time.
“My name is Lyra,” she said. “I’ll show you the way to the set. Please don’t touch anything.”
She turned around without waiting for a reply and stepped into a new hall, and Alfons elbowed Edward since he seemed to be lost in thought. Edward blinked at him and then seemed to snap out of whatever self induced trance he had been in, and then they followed after silently.
“Who was she?” Alfons whispered so only Edward could hear.
“That’s complicated,” Edward replied in a low voice. “But she was in contact with the homunculi as well.”
“I see...”
Or was it that everyone he knew from the other world people who had been familiar with homunculi?
“Hurry up, please,” the woman named Lyra urged as she reached the end of the hall. “Mr. Rippert hates it whenever he gets delayed.”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Alfons said.
They stepped into a new room. It was huge, like a park. Everywhere stood plants and trees along with fake (at least he thought they were fake) animals. Some of the animals even represented dinosaurs. Alfons was impressed.
“This is a simulated zoo,” Lyra explained. “We use it for the movies.”
Edward stuffed his hands in his pockets as they walked through the synthetic park.
“Hello Lyra,” a cheerful voice suddenly called out from behind them. “I see you’ve brought some guests.”
The three of them turned around in synch, and again, Edward gasped out. This reaction was more like the one he had performed at the time they met the writer, Robert Reinert. Alfons gave him a quick, curious side-glance before turning towards the newly arrived man. To his surprise, Alfons even felt a sense of familiarity in the man, but that couldn’t have anything to do with the other world of course. Maybe he had been in the papers.
The smiling man stepped out of one of the bushes and waved. “It seems I fell asleep under there. It has been a long day!”
“Ah, Mr. Lang. I’m simply escorting these two to meet with Mr. Rippert,” Lyra explained. She looked slightly bothered. “Please use the bedroom next time you’re tired, sir.”
“No problem at all,” the man laughed. “Hello there boys, my name is Fritz Lang. Pleased to meet you.”
Fritz Lang? No wonder he had seemed familiar. Alfons felt slightly excited. His movies were exceptional. “I’m Alfons Heiderich,” he said, since it seemed Edward didn’t know how to reply coherently yet. “And this is my friend, Edward Elric.”
Edward looked slightly disturbed, but then decided he had no reason to act suspiciously. “Pleased to meet you too,” he muttered.
“Well, what brings you here?” Lang asked curiously. “There are a lot of funny things to see, of course. But usually my old friend Mr. Rippert wouldn’t accept any visitors at this hour.”
“I just want to talk to him about his latest movie,” Edward said briefly.
“Oh, I see. That is indeed a very interesting movie. Oh well, I won’t occupy you any further. Please stop by again sometime, in case I need some extra.” He turned from them and waved his hand. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
They watched him leave for a second, and then Alfons could no longer bear with his own curiosity. “And him...?”
Edward scowled. “He is the parallel of the homunculus who was the Fuhrer in my country.”
Alfons’ eyes magnified. “Wow...”
Edward turned to him. “I guess it doesn’t matter. He didn’t seem like him at all.”
Alfons was happy to hear that. Of course, even if the parallels were looking the same, they were not the same people. If someone was bad in the other world, they could still be good in this one.
“If you want to meet with Mr. Rippert, you should move on,” Lyra said sharply. “Follow me.”
They came to another hall, and one of the doors in it led to a new room of exotic character. There was a stage with synthetic trees standing around, but also coffee tables were people could take a break and a cup of tea.
“Mr. Rippert will meet you here shortly,” Lyra said. “Meanwhile, you can sit down and wait.”
“Alright, thank you for the escort,” Alfons said politely.
When Lyra had left, Alfons let himself sit down by one of the tables. He had felt awfully tired lately.
Edward remained standing and looked around the new big room. “Isn’t it typical how we were urged onward and still we end up being the ones who have to wait?” he muttered gruffly.
“Be happy we managed to get a meeting with him at all,” Alfons reasoned. “Maybe it wasn’t very polite to show up like this. We should’ve called first.”
“No way, then he would definitely have said no,” Edward replied.
“Yes, yes, you’re probably right about that,” a new voice said, and Edward started with wide eyes. That voice... Where had he heard that voice before?
He turned around slowly towards a man with glasses, small eyes and brown hair. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and stared curiously back at Edward.
Alfons noted Edward recognization immediately. He was starting to get used to it... But still Edward looked more startled than ever. Who was it this time? Apparently, this man was someone bad in Edward’s books.
Edward actually backed up a step, his eyes as wide as saucers and his body starting to tremble, frozen up like a block of ice.
Alfons rose quickly from his chair, immediately alarmed. Edward had never reacted akin to this before. Even Otto Rippert looked troubled by his behaviour.
“It is me you wanted to see, wasn’t it?” he asked.
Edward’s teeth clamped together in spite. “Tucker...”
Alfons stared at him, starting to feel worried that Edward would scare the director away by acting like this. Who was Tucker? He had never heard Edward mention a man by that name before.
A magnetic field of anger suddenly ravaged inside all of Edward’s being, just by the sight of this man. Even if this wasn’t the same person, he would never get used to it enough to contain that rage and disgust he felt towards the Tucker from his own world. He wanted to storm forward and punch him, realizing too late that his fist had already risen on its own. But then Alfons was suddenly standing beside him and had gripped his arm tightly, like he had known exactly what he was thinking.
What am I doing? Edward quickly relaxed, and lowered his arm. He would never get to talk to this man about the movie unless he kept himself contained. This man has nothing to do with Nina...
“Are you alright?” Otto Rippert asked slowly.
Edward made a reluctant sound. “You looked like someone I know,” he said, averting his eyes for a second before forcing himself to look at him again. “Are you Mr. Rippert?”
“Yes, I am,” Rippert replied. “Usually I would never agree to something like this, but I know your father, Edward Elric. So your arrival triggered my curiosity. Have a seat.”
Edward started again and almost forgot about how his parallel person, Shou Tucker, had used his own daughter as an experiment to make a chimera. So his theory had been right. “So, you know him, huh? I figured,” Edward crowed. The question was now, how?
“Yes.” Otto Rippert sat down on a chair and gesticulated towards a couple of other chairs across of him by one of the coffee tables. “First of all, what do you want with me?”
Edward and Alfons sat down slowly, exchanged a quick look, then Edward blatantly took the word again. “We came to ask you about your movie. The one called Homunculus.”
“Ah? I have to say, I’m afraid everything was mainly Robert Reinert’s manuscript. The textual work has nothing to do with me. I’ve simply taken care of the visual aspects.”
Edward frowned. It sounded like he was apologizing for even making it. “What do you think of the manuscript?”
“That’s what I should be asking you, isn’t it?” Mr. Rippert countered. “The people are the judge. And most of them didn’t like it. I figured that was the reason why you almost attacked me when you saw me.” He smirked at his own observation, and Edward made a short indifferent snort.
“That had nothing to do with you,” Alfons shot in to save Edward. “He just mistook you for someone else. I’m sorry if you felt threatened.”
“No harm done,” Rippert said. “To tell you the truth, I don’t care. They’ve already removed the movie from the cinemas in Berlin, and by tomorrow it will probably be either locked up or disposed of entirely.”
“You mean they’ll burn it?” Alfons asked slowly.
“Probably yes. When people don’t like it, there’s no need for trash like that in the movie industry.”
“You’re calling your own movie trash?” Edward said drolly.
“Not everyone disliked it,” Alfons said carefully, attempting to get on a better foot with the man. “It was very interesting.”
“Why do you think so?” Rippert asked puzzled.
Edward chose to be careful with the political aspects, since it was probably not tolerated at this place. Ufa was a nationalistic company. They had been the ones who stood for the propaganda, so naturally they would be against anything that put their beliefs in a bad light. “The homunculus theory,” he said instead. “Do you think this could happen?”
Otto Rippert stared at him for a long moment. Then he burst out laughing. “You probably shouldn’t walk around and believe everything you see in a movie, kid. That’s why they are removing it. People believe too much when they see it on a screen.”
Edward flared up. I’m not a kid! He decided to take a small chance. “I’ve actually heard this particular story before,” he said, and Rippert stopped grinning.
“You’re familiar with it?”
“Yes. The story wasn’t new to me at all,” Edward said. “I was wondering if you knew anything.”
“I can’t say that I do,” Rippert said slowly. “I had never heard of the story before Mr. Reinert pitched it for me.”
Edward wasn’t convinced. Was he lying? It was hard to tell. But if he had known Van Hohenheim, wouldn’t that explain the reference of the movie to his own world? On the other hand, Otto Rippert had said he had had nothing to do with the written work.
Mr. Rippert seemed like he had had enough of the meeting with them already, and looked like he was about to suggest that they leave.
“How do you know my father, exactly?” Edward prodded.
“Through an organization called Thule Society,” Otto Rippert said. “A study group who are interested in occult magic.”
“Occult... magic?” Edward repeated slowly.
“It all is based on complete nonsense, of course. I know Robert Reinert has been involved with them as well.”
“Where is this Thule Society?” Edward asked quickly.
“I don’t know,” Rippert shrugged. “I’m not interested in that sort of thing, and I don’t speak with Reinert anymore. We had our disagreements which led our parting after finishing the movie.”
“Disagreements?” Edward inquired.
“I don’t feel obligated to tell you about that. Frankly, I don’t have any more time to waste away with you. Now, if you both will excuse me, I will ask Lyra to show you the way out.” Otto Rippert rose from his chair. “Your father is a nitwit, and I’ve been confirmed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I really hate prodding kids like you.” Then he simply left without another word.
Edward’s eyes widened as his memory got screwed back at the time he found Tucker in his laboratory, with the chimera of a girl and a dog sitting by his feet.
“I hate kids with instincts like you.”
Alfons stared perplexed after the director as he left, and before he managed to speak, Edward had already risen from his chair, seemingly in a hurry to leave as well. He stalked away towards the way they had come.
--
After they delivered the access card and got out, Edward was striding so fast, away from Ufa, that Alfons had some trouble keeping up with him.
“Edward?” he called after his back. Had he been affected this much? “He was just a rude old man. I doubt he knows your father very well. Wait...!”
Edward stopped and let Alfons catch up to him. His eyes were hidden behind the shadow casting from his long bangs and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides. Alfons was shocked. Edward looked like he was on the edge of crying.
Without a word, Alfons wrapped his arms around his shoulders and hugged him closely. It was dark outside, and not too many people were around to watch. It would probably not look too strange.
“There’s probably someone else we can talk to,” Alfons said in a low voice, attempting anything he could to understand what exactly was bothering Edward. To be fair, he had no idea. Edward was usually not someone to visibly care about an insult directed at him.
“No,” Edward said. “This was ridiculous in the first place.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to get further involved in this crap,” Edward barked. “I don’t care anymore! All it does is bring back memories I don’t want to remember! That man... I wanted to rip him apart! And he’s got nothing to do with it. He’s right even. The movie made people mad. It’s probably for the best that it gets burned up. I don’t care. Homunculi don’t exist in this world.”
Alfons gave him a long, confounded stare. If it had been yesterday, he knew he would probably have agreed with Edward on the prospect that Homunculi didn’t exist. But now he was starting to have second thoughts. And he was supposed to be a scientist... Still, he thought about what Robert Reinert had told them this morning. It was naïve to think there wasn’t any more to it, and Edward thought someone might have threatened Reinert into talking too loudly about the power of movies being used for the wrong purposes.
Wasn’t Edward coming to fast conclusions now? Would he ignore these prospects just because bad memories were provoked by seeing Mr. Rippert’s appearance?
“Who did Otto Rippert look like?” Alfons asked quickly.
Edward’s face turned dark once again, and he seemed to hesitate. “It’s not important. He was someone who didn’t know the difference between morality and egotism.”
“What about Thule Society?” Alfons tried. “What if Rippert is associated with them too, like your father? They sound like they might have something to do with this.” He couldn’t believe that Edward was giving up and trying to be rational now. They had more clues they could follow, so why didn’t he want to continue anymore?
“Forget them,” Edward muttered. “Let them do their so-called magic. It has nothing to do with me.” He continued walking. “Let’s find a train.”
Alfons hurried after him. “Wait a second!” Was Edward heading home to Munich already? They had just arrived here, and he didn’t feel up to another six hour train ride already.
It would be almost morning when they’d finally reach Munich again. Couldn’t Edward just take a break sometime?
“Shouldn’t we stay here overnight?” Alfons suggested fast, holding Edward back by the arm. He received a very sceptical look from the shorter blond.
“Why?” Edward asked. “There’s nothing more to do here.”
“That’s not true,” Alfons said. “This is Berlin. I’ve only been here once before in my life, and it’s already quite late.”
“You can sleep on the train,” Edward protested.
“I can’t sleep on trains,” Alfons replied meekly. He had only wanted Edward to come with him on a date in the first place. If they were not goose chasing wild stories from another world anymore, couldn’t they at least spend some time enjoying themselves together?
Edward was about to protest, but Alfons’ lungs provided a troublesome coughing fit which made him change his mind. “Alright. Maybe we can find a cheap hotel around here... You shouldn’t be walking around without your scarf.”
“I’m alright,” Alfons said mildly. “Just calm down a little for a change. It’s Saturday evening. We’re supposed to be out having fun.”
Edward snorted a smile. “Alright then. But this time I decide.”
“Okay.” Alfons grinned and was only glad he had convinced Edward to stay here overnight. They didn’t have to walk for very long before they found a small hotel Edward liked (more likely because of the pub on the ground floor than anything else.) It didn’t look to be very expensive. They could bear with low standards for only one night. Alfons figured, the important thing was that they’d have somewhere to sleep.
The bar sounded of laughing men and music. They bypassed it as they headed towards the reception to order their room first. A young woman welcomed them behind the reception desk. She had long, dark hair and clear green eyes. “Good evening, boys. Need a pair of rooms?”
“No, only one,” Edward said.
She stared at them puzzled for a while. “We don’t have twin rooms, only for couples or single.”
Edward flushed slightly. “That’s fine. I like sleeping on the floor.”
“We’re not going to sleep much anyway,” Alfons hurriedly added with a bright smile. “Looks like it’s quite lively at the pub tonight.”
The girl smiled at him and winked. “Alright then, I’ll give you a double. Let me know if you feel lonely. My shift ends at midnight.”
Alfons involuntary swallowed, but smiled. “I might see you then.”
The girl handed him the key with a charming smirk.
Edward was quick to drag Alfons with him as soon as they had finished ordering and gotten their key.
“Stupid moron,” he muttered.
“Hey, at least she didn’t get suspicious because of your inability to word things properly in front of people,” Alfons protested. “Even if you did like sleeping on the floor, they would probably not have let you order only one room for us unless I had said something.”
Edward snorted theatrically. “Well, don’t blame me if she drools all over you later.”
They reached the top of the stairs to their room on the second floor, and Alfons couldn’t help grinning. “You aren’t jealous, are you?”
“Fuck no!” Edward was unsuccessful in hiding the new slight flush spreading over his cheeks. “She wasn’t even that attractive.”
“You are jealous!”
“Absolutely not!”
Alfons laughed out as Edward irately put the key into the right door and muttered something like Alfons better shut up unless he had a suitable death wish.
The room was small and basically only contained a double sized bed and a nightstand. To the right was a small bathroom with a toilet and a sink and no shower. Alfons thought it smelled weird in the room as well. He had to remind himself that it was for only one night and that the facility hadn’t ruined their budget. At least not yet.
Edward wrung off his jacket and tossed it on the bed. “Let’s get a drink before this pot smell gets to my brain.”
Alfons wrinkled his nose in disgust over finding out what the smell was. “Fine. Just one sec.” He turned to the window and opened it to get the worst of it out before they came back to sleep. He took off his jacket as well and put it down next to Edward’s. Then they descended down the stairs again.
The pub was crowded and indeed lively. Almost every table in the place was occupied by loud drinking or already drunk Germans.
They found a pair of free high stools by the bar desk and Edward ordered them a pair of beers. Alfons hadn’t really taken a drinking night into account this weekend, but he figured it was alright. He felt much better and hadn’t had a fever for long. He could stand a couple of drinks. As long as Edward could watch his own intake before the point where he stopped having fun, it was fine with Alfons.
The cold golden liquid actually felt quite good after a relatively long day, going from place to place and sitting on trains and buses for so many hours.
“Are you really sure you’re through with that homunculus stuff?” Alfons asked, after they had almost finished their first pint. He still thought Edward’s decision on neglecting their purposes was a bit hasted.
“Definitely,” Edward replied, without a moment’s hesitation. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this thing. I should’ve known it. Robert Reinert has probably talked to my father in Thule Society and got the idea for the story through him. There’s nothing more to it than that. He might not even have known that Hohenheim was my father at the time, since our names don’t resemble. Stupid old man, gossiping about the other world to random people like that.”
“I guess so,” Alfons said. It wasn’t a stupid reasoning at all. It was all very likely. Still, it seemed to Alfons that there was something about all this they had missed. But he didn’t know what. Although, maybe he was simply looking for the answers of the wrong questions again. If Edward said there wasn’t more to it, he was probably right. The matter was out of Alfons’ hands, though not far from his mind.
They ordered a new round of beers and started talking about other things containing Einstein’s theories, rocketry and books, and Alfons enjoyed that much more than talking about homunculi. He didn’t even realize that the time flew away and it was getting late. Edward had drunk more than double of what he had, and he was starting to wonder if it was okay with Edward to keep drinking more. He was about to suggest that it was enough as Edward ordered another, but then his eyes got covered by two delicate hands and someone whispered in his ear.
“Hi, can you guess who I am?”
Alfons stiffened a little “No, I’m sorry,” he replied. Although he recognized her voice. “I failed to ask you your name earlier.”
She withdrew her hands and Alfons turned around. The girl from the reception desk smiled brightly at him. She had to be at least a couple of years older than him, but he guessed he looked a couple of years older than he was.
“I’m Pauline.”
“Alfons,” Alfons said.
She sat down beside him and stared at him so intently, Alfons started to feel awkward. He figured she expected him to buy her a drink. He could afford to buy her one, but would that make her think he was actually interested in her? His dilemma was undeniable, and he wished he could turn to Edward for help, but Edward seemed to be in a discussion with the bartender about whether or not it would be healthy for him to have another beer.
Alfons was a little influenced as well, and used it to beat down his own fear and met her eyes and a returning smile. “Would you like a drink? I’m not actually a wealthy guy, but I can offer you one at least.” Plain honesty would never be considered wrong. Just too bad he couldn’t tell her he was already taken by the drunken blond guy sitting next to him.
Pauline laughed. “I’ll take that offer, thank you.”
Alfons took the opportunity to turn to Edward and the bartender and interrupt their discussion. “My friend has had enough, but you can give that drink to the lady instead,” he buttered in.
The bartender nodded, and Edward stared at him like he had betrayed him.
When he turned back, Pauline sat even closer to him, and he started to sweat. What the hell could he say to bring her hopes down from the sky?
“Tell me, what do you do?” Pauline asked curiously.
He wasn’t good with situations like these. It had been different with him and Edward; that had just sort of happened. Edward was blunt and never made him take a guess at what he wanted. Thinking of Edward, he hadn’t heard a word of what Pauline had just said, and realized she stared at him like she expected an answer.
“Uh…” he said intelligently.
“Do you have some sort of profession?” she prodded further, to help him.
“Well uh... I’m a rocket scientist,” Alfons wheedled.
“How about that, that’s very interesting,” Pauline said. “I’ve never met a rocket scientist before.”
Alfons grinned sheepishly. “I guess, there’s not that many of us. How about you?” he quickly threw the question back.
“I work here, as you already know,” she said. “Sometimes I sing to entertain this lot. It’s mostly the same people coming back every night. But I haven’t seen you around here before.”
“We’re just on a short trip,” Alfons said. “We’re originally from Munich.”
“Oh, that’s pretty far away,” Pauline mused. “You’d better make the best of it while you’re here then.” She winked again, and Alfons forced out another sheepish laugh.
“Yeah, I guess.”
She was so close now, Alfons was starting to become afraid that he was in close proximity to be in kissing range and neither could he turn away or scoot backwards without seeming impolite. As discreetly as he could he quickly turned back to Edward as soon as she took a sip of her beer.
Edward met his look where he sat, resting his cheek in his palm on the bar desk and looked bored.
“Help...” Alfons mimed desperately.
Edward scoffed. “I told you,” he mimed back.
Alfons gave him another pleading look, before Pauline poked his attention back towards her. “How long are you staying here?”
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Alfons said helplessly.
“Oh, I see. That’s very short.”
Alfons wondered how much more she was going to imply things before asking him directly if he wanted to go up to his room with her, when Edward finally decided to aid him.
The shorter blond moved off his seat and went past them towards the available seat next to Pauline. Alfons was under the impression of that he performed a slightly overdone reeling around on his feet until he literally flopped onto the stool. Pauline noticed him and didn’t really seem to know if she was supposed to pay attention to him or not.
Edward leaned over the flat of the bar desk and pointed at Alfons with an unsteady index finger. “You are a lousy roommate, just so you know it,” he slurred. He turned to Pauline. “Did you know? He always brings some girl home with him and hardly knows the function of a shower. I bet he’s gotten laid with half of the chicks in Munich already, and he’s only seventeen.” He addressed Alfons again, before neither of them could reply. “And seriously, I thought you only liked blonds? That’s what you’ve said.”
“Edward!” Alfons barked. It wasn’t this kind of help he had asked for...
Pauline looked a tad uncomfortable. “Uhm, excuse me, boys. I need the lady’s room for a bit.” She slipped off her stool and headed for the rest rooms.
“Have fun!” Edward called after her with a grin.
“Thanks,” Alfons said dryly.
“No problem!” Edward simpered back. “Let’s go before she changes her mind.”
Alfons doubted it, but still figured it was time to leave. He paid for the rest of their drinks and supported Edward out of the pub. He still reeled a little, but not as bad as he had supposedly been while Pauline was there. Still, there was no doubt, he was influenced enough for today because he chortled and giggled a lot more than he normally would.
“You made me look like a fool,” Alfons muttered grumpily. “I’ve never even had sex with a girl before.”
“That makes two of us,” Edward said cheerfully. “I’ve had sex with you though!”
Alfons was glad no one was in immediate hearing range. “I know that, Edward.”
When they had struggled their way up the rest of the stairs to the right floor, they were already kissing fervently. Alfons made sure that there still wasn’t anyone around to witness them, while Edward seemed to be too engaged with his lips to pay anything else much heed. Somehow they managed to find the key, unlock the door to their room and lock themselves inside unnoticed. He got pushed down on the bed by an eager and sturdy blond, and Alfons tugged him closer to get some warmth. First he didn’t understand why the room was so cold, but then he remembered that he had opened the window before they left. At least it didn’t smell like hash smoke anymore. Regrettably he was too occupied with the other on top of him to walk across the room and close it. Before he even knew it Edward had tugged off half of his attire and vigorously buried a couple of his fingers neatly inside him. Alfons moaned and squirmed and dizzily searched for something in range short enough to kiss.
Hopefully no one would be able to hear them, although it wasn’t likely. There were sounds coming from everywhere. Both on the street outside, the pub downstairs and probably some of the other occupied bedrooms at the old hotel as well.
His hand stroked gently over Edward’s chest and stomach, lowering to the waistband of his trousers and unbuttoned it slowly, getting back at Edward for being so impatient all the time. Golden eyes flashed then, picking up the moonlight as they traveled his body. His mouth attacked the smooth area of his neck and plunged into his hand as Alfons finally reached his hardening length and stroked it fondly.
Despite still having the alcohol flushing through his system and making him eager, Edward was more loving and adorable than aggressive. He never neglected what mattered to him during sex, which was to make Alfons feel good. The way he left soft kisses on Alfons’ collarbone, the gentleness of his touch and the burning affection in his golden eyes told of nothing less.
Soon they were rocking into a rhythmic motion, hurling each other into bliss, before Edward went lax on top of him and Alfons shuddered as his skin turned cold again. But he didn’t want to get up to close the window. Too drowsy. His eyes were already closed and his mind slurred.
Edward moved carefully off of him and tugged the blanket free from underneath them both. Then he buried them both underneath it and fell into a deep doze.
--
Only a couple of hours later Alfons shuddered awake again, his nose feeling like it had frozen to his face. He sat up slowly with a groan, and touched his aching temple. How stupid were they, sleeping with the window open like that? He stepped out of bed, dragging on all his clothes as he did so. It was too cold to sleep undressed. He hurried across the room with socked feet and closed the window tightly. The pub still sounded cheery and alive. How they had even managed to fall asleep in all this noise was beyond him. It was dark and empty on the street outside. He turned away from the window as Edward woke as well, noticing that he wasn’t lying beside him anymore.
“Alfons?”
“I was just closing the window.”
“Oh damn, I knew I had forgotten something.” He flopped down on the sheet again. “Come back and get warm again.”
Alfons smiled. “Yeah.” He hadn’t even replied before he felt a shadow pass quickly behind him, and he whipped back around towards the window. His heart started beating rapidly fast. Had someone just been outside their window? It was possible, since there was a long balustrade of a fire escape outside. But who? A thief?
“What is it?” Edward said with a frown.
“I think I saw someone outside,” Alfons answered slowly. “Wait there.” He stepped back towards the window to check. It could be just some drunken hotel guests.
“No, you wait!” Edward said and hurriedly stepped into his trousers.
Alfons peeked out the window. He couldn’t see anyone. That was odd. He had been sure someone had been there. He was about to turn back and go back to bed when the large shadow suddenly popped back up out of nowhere, and a large fists shot right towards his face from outside. Alfons was astute enough to jerk to the side of the window, just as the arm slammed through it, and as in slow motion spreading a million fragments of glass everywhere into the room.
“Alfons!” Edward shouted out.
In that same moment, Alfons wondered who would have enough strength to punch through a window like that? But then his mind forgot about that and rather focused on the very fact that someone was attacking them, and that they were in danger, and it would probably be best to run.
The man was large and covered in black. He stepped inside the window with slow movements, compared to how fast his fist had smashed the window.
Alfons backed off as he stared at the new arrival with huge eyes. He was wearing a long hooded cloak, hiding his face away with the black hood. Who was this guy?
“Alfons, run!” Edward shouted at him. He had just managed to tug his shirt on and sprung forward to defend them both from the intruder.
Alfons let his eyes glance sharply over the floor in the dark. The floor was full of glass. If he moved, he might get his feet pierced.
“Edward, be careful of where you step,” he warned, and Edward stopped with a small distance in front of the huge cloaked man.
“Who the hell are you?” Edward demanded. “What do you want?”
The man didn’t give any vocal reply. Instead he shot forward and punched Edward directly in the stomach. Edward’s eyes magnified from the abrupt encounter, his breath mercilessly knocked out of his chest with huge force.
He sank to his knees with a groan, and Alfons called after him, his voiced laced with worry. “Edward!” No one ever overpowered Edward. Was this guy even human...?
The cloaked man turned back to Alfons without paying Edward much more mind, and neither did he care about the fragments of sharp glass spread all over. His arm shot forward and hugged around Alfons’ throat, faster than he could even move.
Alfons struggled against the hold, but it was futile. It was like trying to move a human sized brick. All the air got squeezed out of him, and before he knew it he was launched effortlessly off the ground with huge strength, like he weighed no more than a feather. Then the man turned back to the window and settled off with him, into the chilly night air.
Edward had barely gotten his breath back and lifted his gaze before both the cloaked man and Alfons were gone.
“Fuck!” he hissed and quickly turned for his shoes. He tugged them on in record time and jumped out of the window after the kidnapper.
Alfons squirmed and kicked where he was draped over the shoulder of the man. “Let me down!” How the hell had they even gotten down to the street from three storeys that fast? And what did this man want with him? He watched behind them, seeing Edward already on his way down from the window as well, climbing down the gutter.
“Edward!” he yelled.
Edward jumped down the last couple of metres and started running of full speed, feeling every trail of alcohol from that night draining out of him. “I’m coming for you, hold tight,” he muttered. He was not going to let that bastard run away with Alfons and get away with it alive.
Alfons tried to scoot off the shoulder, but was held firmly in place with a large log of an arm. The man hadn’t even spoken a word. “Uhm, excuse me sir,” he tried. “Please put me down. This is starting to freak me out.”
The man replied with merely a grunt, which was the closest to a vocal respond he had gotten so far.
“In that case,” Alfons muttered. With all the strength he could gather in his leg, he shot his knee into the guy’s chest, hoping to make him lose some of his breath enough that Alfons could get free. But it didn’t seem like his effort had even been noticed by the one carrying him. The man kept trotting down the street with a firm grip around him.
“Where are we going?” Alfons wanted to know.
Suddenly the man stopped in the middle of the street, staring slowly from left to right, like he wasn’t exactly sure himself which direction he was supposed to be heading.
Alfons scowled, and then got a new idea. He stretched his arm out and tugged at the hood covering the man’s face. Maybe he would get a clue on who this man really was if he could see him properly.
The man reacted with abrupt anger and slapped Alfons’ hand away, followed by quickly throwing his prey to the cold, hard ground. Alfons crashed into the asphalt and rolled onto his stomach, gasping and coughing after his breath.
The hood had slipped a little, but he never got the chance to see the man before he adjusted his hood back into place.
The ground was cold against his chest through his thin shirt. Alfons’ vision was fogged as he gazed dazedly up at the man approaching him again. He must have hit his head in the fall... His shoulder hurt too. He just wanted to sleep.
“Hold it right there, you bastard!” a voice suddenly called angrily from behind them. “Leave him the fuck alone, or I swear I’ll beat you into a marble!” Edward stopped some meters away from the cloaked man, panting after his ragged breath, but never letting his sharp golden eyes off of him. “If you want to fight, I’ll be more than happy to take you on.”
The cloaked man grunted, discontented, and backed away slowly, like he understood and wanted to avoid another fight. Then he hurriedly continued running into an alley behind Alfons, disappearing into the darkness of the shadows.
Edward considered following him, but disposed of the thought immediately, deciding to guarantee Alfons’ safety first. He hurried to him and kneeled by his side. “Alfons! Are you hurt?”
Alfons stared hazily at him, still lying on his stomach. “I'm okay.” Edward helped him up to sit on his knees, and Alfons flinched and touched his aching head. When he looked at his hand again, it was coated with blood.
“Damn it, you got yourself an ugly blow to the head,” Edward drawled. “That bastard!”
Alfons stared befuddled at his hand. “It must have happened when he dropped me.” He trembled a little, both from the cold and the shock. Then he realized he didn’t even have shoes on.
Edward noticed too and took off his own shoes and motioned for him to put them on instead. “Here. We should find a doctor in case you’ve got a concussion or something.”
Alfons accepted slowly. “But now your feet will get cold too.”
“Don’t worry about that. I only have one flesh foot; the other one doesn’t feel the cold.” Edward supported him back up on a pair of unsteady feet, and he brought Alfons’ arm over his shoulders. “Let’s go find a doctor now.”
Alfons protested timidly. “I’m fine... I just need some sleep.”
“Nope, we’re seeing a doctor first,” Edward countered stubbornly. “You stay awake for now.”
Alfons sighed and leaned against him a bit. “What the hell happened anyway? Who was that guy?”
“Hell if I know,” Edward muttered. “Did you see his face at all?”
“No. I tried, but then he threw me to the ground.”
“Hmm,” Edward said thoughtfully. “Still, he didn’t seem very intelligent. Only strong.”
“He reminded me a little bit of...” Alfons started slowly, but didn’t want to say it.
“Of what?” Edward asked.
“He kind of... reminded me of the homunculus in the movie we saw. Inhuman strength and inability to feel...”
Edward frowned. “That can’t be... Homunculus doesn’t exist in this world. I’ve seen the parallel of one today, and he was a real human. Besides, the homunculi I used to know were different. At least they talked coherently.”
“Then what was he?” Alfons asked, an underlying hint of anxiety laced in his tone.
“Probably just a madman,” Edward reasoned. “I’ll make sure he won’t touch you ever again.”
Alfons smiled timidly, thinking it was kind of cute that Edward was so protective of him. “Thanks for saving me... Two times in one night.”
Edward quickly brushed it off. “Don’t mention it. Now, tell me if you see a doctor somewhere we can get you to.”
--
Go to Chapter 3