[fic] honooko: Variations: Hohenheim, Part II
Entry: Variations Arc
Title: Hohenheim, Part II
Author: honooko
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Swearing. Crazy canon-bending, abuse of Hohenheim's personality. In case it's not clear due to name jumping, it's Hohenheim and 'Roy'.
Summary: In this world, the boy had figured it all out.
Hohenheim had been impressed with how little time it took for his ‘other’ son to figure it out. It surprised him even more to realize that his own lack of presence in the boy’s life had caused such a cunning and sharp mind to grow. Edward was intelligent, even brilliant; but ‘Roy’ was a self-made genius. In a time of severe trouble, he’d grasped onto the only thing he could think of to keep him afloat, and that was clearly intellectual growth.
So while Edward may have been almost unsettlingly bright, Roy was honed, focused, and far too observant for his own good.
He’d only been in the house three days before approaching Hohenheim, shaking with barely controlled rage, and asked the one question he knew wouldn’t be answered.
“Why?”
Hohenheim smiled blithely. “Why what, Roy?” he replied smoothly, his pen continuing to scratch across the parchment. He didn’t meet the boy’s eyes because he didn’t have to. He knew exactly what emotions would be flitting across that hardened face.
He heard the ball bearings in a metal fist roll as it clenched.
“Why would you leave her? Leave us? Was one family just not enough for you? Was one world not enough?!” he spat, his voice remaining low, but laced with bitterness. Hohenheim covered his flinch of surprise well; he hadn’t expected Edward to figure that detail out. He hadn’t expected anyone to know that, ever.
“I haven’t any idea what you mean, Roy.”
“Liar,” Edward said flatly. “I know what you did, and so do you. Want me to spell it out for you?” When he got no immediate response, the boy plunged on. “At some point, you figured out how to get here. You found her. You went back and forth, didn’t you? Every single damn time you went off, it was here, to them. And some how you figured out that Mother was going to get sick, so you ditched us for them.”
Hohenheim wasn’t moving now.
“I don’t expect you to understand,” he said, softly.
“I don’t want to,” Edward replied, his tone icy. “All I want is to go home.”
Hohenheim turned to look at the boy for the first time. He was struck by the sudden realization that Edward wasn’t his son any more, in any world, and never had been. He never would be, either. He kept his face calm, expressionless, and hoped that the apology he wanted to give didn’t show through his eyes.
“I can’t help you, Edward.”
The boy didn’t blink.
“You can,” He said coolly. “You just won’t.”
The door swung shut behind the boy, and Hohenheim made no effort to stem the flow of tears leaking from his eyes, silently mourning the loss of the son that he never really had.
Title: Hohenheim, Part II
Author: honooko
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Swearing. Crazy canon-bending, abuse of Hohenheim's personality. In case it's not clear due to name jumping, it's Hohenheim and 'Roy'.
Summary: In this world, the boy had figured it all out.
Hohenheim had been impressed with how little time it took for his ‘other’ son to figure it out. It surprised him even more to realize that his own lack of presence in the boy’s life had caused such a cunning and sharp mind to grow. Edward was intelligent, even brilliant; but ‘Roy’ was a self-made genius. In a time of severe trouble, he’d grasped onto the only thing he could think of to keep him afloat, and that was clearly intellectual growth.
So while Edward may have been almost unsettlingly bright, Roy was honed, focused, and far too observant for his own good.
He’d only been in the house three days before approaching Hohenheim, shaking with barely controlled rage, and asked the one question he knew wouldn’t be answered.
“Why?”
Hohenheim smiled blithely. “Why what, Roy?” he replied smoothly, his pen continuing to scratch across the parchment. He didn’t meet the boy’s eyes because he didn’t have to. He knew exactly what emotions would be flitting across that hardened face.
He heard the ball bearings in a metal fist roll as it clenched.
“Why would you leave her? Leave us? Was one family just not enough for you? Was one world not enough?!” he spat, his voice remaining low, but laced with bitterness. Hohenheim covered his flinch of surprise well; he hadn’t expected Edward to figure that detail out. He hadn’t expected anyone to know that, ever.
“I haven’t any idea what you mean, Roy.”
“Liar,” Edward said flatly. “I know what you did, and so do you. Want me to spell it out for you?” When he got no immediate response, the boy plunged on. “At some point, you figured out how to get here. You found her. You went back and forth, didn’t you? Every single damn time you went off, it was here, to them. And some how you figured out that Mother was going to get sick, so you ditched us for them.”
Hohenheim wasn’t moving now.
“I don’t expect you to understand,” he said, softly.
“I don’t want to,” Edward replied, his tone icy. “All I want is to go home.”
Hohenheim turned to look at the boy for the first time. He was struck by the sudden realization that Edward wasn’t his son any more, in any world, and never had been. He never would be, either. He kept his face calm, expressionless, and hoped that the apology he wanted to give didn’t show through his eyes.
“I can’t help you, Edward.”
The boy didn’t blink.
“You can,” He said coolly. “You just won’t.”
The door swung shut behind the boy, and Hohenheim made no effort to stem the flow of tears leaking from his eyes, silently mourning the loss of the son that he never really had.