False Timing- chapter three
November 6th, 2005 03:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skerenTitle: False Timing
Rating: G
Pairings: It will be Shou Tucker/Roy Mustang
Notes/Warnings: just what I'm sure has come to be expected of this piece really.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Shou took a deep breath, smiling at his little girl as he crouched down next to her outside the door. “Now remember Nina. You must be very careful. You wouldn’t want to mess up the surprise now would we?”
She nodded quickly, small hands clasped eagerly together. She knew it had to be a pet of some kind, but she didn’t tell her daddy that. After he’d made Alexander stay upstairs she’d known that it had to be something really, really special. “I will daddy, promise!”
“That’s my girl.” He made it practice to never let her into his lab, and that he was letting her in now meant that he was trusting her to be a big girl about things. It was time she started learning proper alchemy anyway.
Nina’s eyes adjusted more quickly than her father’s, and a little gasp was heard as she inched into the room. “Daddy? Daddy what is it…?” She couldn’t pry her eyes away from the crouched figure in the cage, cautious steps taking her closer.
He was worried about that. Sometimes her mind could be almost too quick for someone so young. Other times she worried him by asking such plainly obvious questions. Quick steps brought him up behind her and he rested his hands on her shoulders. “You remember how I make chimera?”
Roy’s gold tinted eyes narrowed, though his exact expression was hard to tell, dark, near black fur feathered almost delicately over his face. Only the white that started at his chin and went down his throat broke up the dark coloring, even his whiskers, which were currently laid flat in a subconscious show of agitation, were a dark ebony and thus didn’t show well in the dark of the room. He didn’t say a word, instead refusing to look at Nina as his gaze dared Tucker to come up with a convincing lie.
“But daddy, he doesn’t look like the other ones you showed me before…”
When she finished speaking, he continued his explanation. “I know. I used that fox you liked so much to make this one last night. I was trying something new. I wanted to see how close o human looking I could get it.” His lips twisted a little as he heard the tiniest of growls from within the cage. “Maybe if we’re lucky, he can talk too. Now, don’t be afraid, just be careful and go say hello, okay sweetie?”
Nina frowned a bit, shooting her father a decidedly uncertain look. After a moment, she glanced back, taking a deep breath as she resumed her slow steps toward the cage. She knew her daddy was leaving something out. Since she was at the cage, she decided not to say anything yet. The almost gold eyes had transferred their attention to her. He wasn’t even glaring anymore or anything, and that had to be a good sign. “Hi there. Remember me?” Another step, and she was close enough to reach a hand through the bars of the cage, which she did, tentatively running her fingers across his forehead.
Every last twitch stilled at the touch. Oddly, the fox side didn’t put up a fight at the contact, since the scent was familiar to the girl that had been feeding it and making sure that it didn’t hurt very much. That, and the cautious petting felt rather nice. Dark lined eyes half closed, and he found himself leaning into the touch before he could stop himself, an affirmative hum coming from his throat in answer to her question.
Seeing that the young man wasn’t going to do anything to harm his daughter, Tucker moved back, having no urge to get within range of the wicked claws that he knew the man had. “Nina, remember what you promised me before we came down here.” The attention of the chimera slid to the pale alchemist, eyes refocusing on him without dislodging the touch of the girl. “If you can keep that promise, then it would be alright for you to come visit him whenever you like.”
“But Daddy-”
“No Nina, you can’t tell. Promise me.” He carefully ignored the growl from the cage. The creature would just have to get used to him, because he wouldn’t be leaving the premises anytime soon.
A small sigh crossed her lips, and she scuffed her feet. “Alright, I promise. He doesn’t have to stay down here does he?”
“No sweetie. As soon as I know that he won’t run away, I’ll let him out of the cage, okay?” He ruffled the girl’s hair, eyes taking a last sweep of the room, before he headed back to the stairs. “Come up when you’re done, and tell me so I can lock the door.”
“Yes daddy.” She waited until she heard the door close before looking back to the chimera, the smile dropping away as she turned sad eyes on the caged being. “It’s very cold down here. I’m going to get you a blanket, okay? And some fruit too, I guess you must be hungry, since daddy was so busy he’s been in the library all day.”
She waited until she got a slow nod, the chimera plainly uneasy with the idea of communicating. He wouldn’t meet her eyes either, unlike either of the parts that he resembled would have. That only made her sadder, and she scratched behind a black tipped ear before drawing her hand back, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t worry Uncle Roy, I still love you. I’ll be right back!”
The Flame Alchemist could do nothing but watch with stunned eyes as the child turned and hurried out of the room, obviously intent on her self appointed errands.
He discovered then that he no longer had the ability to cry.
Rating: G
Pairings: It will be Shou Tucker/Roy Mustang
Notes/Warnings: just what I'm sure has come to be expected of this piece really.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Shou took a deep breath, smiling at his little girl as he crouched down next to her outside the door. “Now remember Nina. You must be very careful. You wouldn’t want to mess up the surprise now would we?”
She nodded quickly, small hands clasped eagerly together. She knew it had to be a pet of some kind, but she didn’t tell her daddy that. After he’d made Alexander stay upstairs she’d known that it had to be something really, really special. “I will daddy, promise!”
“That’s my girl.” He made it practice to never let her into his lab, and that he was letting her in now meant that he was trusting her to be a big girl about things. It was time she started learning proper alchemy anyway.
Nina’s eyes adjusted more quickly than her father’s, and a little gasp was heard as she inched into the room. “Daddy? Daddy what is it…?” She couldn’t pry her eyes away from the crouched figure in the cage, cautious steps taking her closer.
He was worried about that. Sometimes her mind could be almost too quick for someone so young. Other times she worried him by asking such plainly obvious questions. Quick steps brought him up behind her and he rested his hands on her shoulders. “You remember how I make chimera?”
Roy’s gold tinted eyes narrowed, though his exact expression was hard to tell, dark, near black fur feathered almost delicately over his face. Only the white that started at his chin and went down his throat broke up the dark coloring, even his whiskers, which were currently laid flat in a subconscious show of agitation, were a dark ebony and thus didn’t show well in the dark of the room. He didn’t say a word, instead refusing to look at Nina as his gaze dared Tucker to come up with a convincing lie.
“But daddy, he doesn’t look like the other ones you showed me before…”
When she finished speaking, he continued his explanation. “I know. I used that fox you liked so much to make this one last night. I was trying something new. I wanted to see how close o human looking I could get it.” His lips twisted a little as he heard the tiniest of growls from within the cage. “Maybe if we’re lucky, he can talk too. Now, don’t be afraid, just be careful and go say hello, okay sweetie?”
Nina frowned a bit, shooting her father a decidedly uncertain look. After a moment, she glanced back, taking a deep breath as she resumed her slow steps toward the cage. She knew her daddy was leaving something out. Since she was at the cage, she decided not to say anything yet. The almost gold eyes had transferred their attention to her. He wasn’t even glaring anymore or anything, and that had to be a good sign. “Hi there. Remember me?” Another step, and she was close enough to reach a hand through the bars of the cage, which she did, tentatively running her fingers across his forehead.
Every last twitch stilled at the touch. Oddly, the fox side didn’t put up a fight at the contact, since the scent was familiar to the girl that had been feeding it and making sure that it didn’t hurt very much. That, and the cautious petting felt rather nice. Dark lined eyes half closed, and he found himself leaning into the touch before he could stop himself, an affirmative hum coming from his throat in answer to her question.
Seeing that the young man wasn’t going to do anything to harm his daughter, Tucker moved back, having no urge to get within range of the wicked claws that he knew the man had. “Nina, remember what you promised me before we came down here.” The attention of the chimera slid to the pale alchemist, eyes refocusing on him without dislodging the touch of the girl. “If you can keep that promise, then it would be alright for you to come visit him whenever you like.”
“But Daddy-”
“No Nina, you can’t tell. Promise me.” He carefully ignored the growl from the cage. The creature would just have to get used to him, because he wouldn’t be leaving the premises anytime soon.
A small sigh crossed her lips, and she scuffed her feet. “Alright, I promise. He doesn’t have to stay down here does he?”
“No sweetie. As soon as I know that he won’t run away, I’ll let him out of the cage, okay?” He ruffled the girl’s hair, eyes taking a last sweep of the room, before he headed back to the stairs. “Come up when you’re done, and tell me so I can lock the door.”
“Yes daddy.” She waited until she heard the door close before looking back to the chimera, the smile dropping away as she turned sad eyes on the caged being. “It’s very cold down here. I’m going to get you a blanket, okay? And some fruit too, I guess you must be hungry, since daddy was so busy he’s been in the library all day.”
She waited until she got a slow nod, the chimera plainly uneasy with the idea of communicating. He wouldn’t meet her eyes either, unlike either of the parts that he resembled would have. That only made her sadder, and she scratched behind a black tipped ear before drawing her hand back, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t worry Uncle Roy, I still love you. I’ll be right back!”
The Flame Alchemist could do nothing but watch with stunned eyes as the child turned and hurried out of the room, obviously intent on her self appointed errands.
He discovered then that he no longer had the ability to cry.