Do you need anybody? [Complete]

[flowing_alchemy]

Characters: Alphonse and Red XIII
Setting: Journey Bedroom
Time: Night 008, relatively early on?~ Probably just a bit after the thread with Mio
Summary: Alphonse seeks out old friends from worryworryangst, reuniting with Red happens, possibly followed by moar angst? IDEK, okay?
Warnings: none?

Comments

[ineedthumbs]

Red XIII had not slept so deeply in a very long time. To be fair, sleeping was much easier now--and much stranger--now that the world was always dark and infinitely quieter. The difference between sleeping and wakefulness was much smaller, barely differentiated, and he could no longer say when he'd fallen asleep or when he'd woken. He was therefore not entirely sure if he was awake or not when he smelled Alphonse's personal scent--and even more uncertain about it when it was just Alphonse and nothing else. But the fact that he was questioning it... didn't that mean he was awake? Then again... it was all very meta. When he heard his name, he slowly lifted his burned, half-furless head, moving it back and forth in a vain attempt to get a bead on the direction it came from, but could hardly distinguish the voice enough to identify whose it was.

Barely.

"...Alphonse?"

[flowing_alchemy]

Alphonse felt a fair bit of relief wash over him as he heard the momentary reply. It worried him, admittedly, that it sounded...almost questioning, as if his friend wasn't certain, but he was relieved all the same. So that meant that Nanaki was alive and well - he was safe, and he'd been worried about him, at least, for nothing. There was still the matter of others, but one victory here was far better than nothing. He didn't have to worry about Nanaki any longer; he could spend a while with him, and then see what happened from there. At least he knew this friend was safe, and could take care of himself... so he would see, but otherwise it would be fine.

"Yeah, it's me." he said, smile clear in his voice, though the question itself was vaguely hesitant, "...can I come in?"

[ineedthumbs]

Red XIII opened his mouth, starting to say yes before he realised that was a bad idea, that it was exactly what he didn't want: he didn't want Al to find him injured-didn't want anyone to find him injured, but especially not Al... gentle, optimistic Al who had already suffered enough, who would react badly, and be upset. He no longer smelled hellhound, which was confusing, but it was for the better-maybe the transformation had reversed, maybe something had happened, maybe he was... wrong, somehow-it was for the better that he didn't know, that it remained a mystery and Al stay beyond the door. Besides, Red didn't know what he'd do, like this, didn't know what he was capable of: he was on edge and snappy, paranoid, less rational and more instinctive.

“No,” he replied hastily, trying to sound normal and calm. Then, realising that might not be enough, he scrambled to come up with a good excuse, but he ended up with only one thing that he could make up on the spot. “I'm, ah... I'm bathing.”

[flowing_alchemy]

Alphonse, of course, was rather taken aback by that answer, it having been...probably the very last thing that he had expected to get in response. The 'no' itself had been unexpected (he hadn't thought there would be reason why he couldn't see - see - his friend, to be honest), but the reasoning too was...strange. He blinked a little bit, before he quickly recalled the animal characteristics of Nanaki - something that would be easy to forget, all things considered, especially since it hadn't really been that important - and realising it made sense. He nearly said it was okay, but his cheeks coloured, and he tried a different approach.

"I, um...I could wait a little while, if you'd like..."

[ineedthumbs]

... now he was trapped. There was no way to escape the room while Al waited and Red XIII seriously doubted hiding under the bed would help at all (it might even set the bed on fire, which would be decidedly worse. His mind raced--half tripping on the effort--to come up with an out,b ut there was none... none that he could think of, anyway, none that wouldn't frighten or distress Al, or simply make the situation even more precarious than it already done. The feeling of being caged rushed in on him, the walls, the space he couldn't see suddenly closing in on him, and he crouched, bristling, baring his teeth while he tried to take control of his own instincts--a challenge at the best of times, albeit one he was far more familiar with and prepared for than most. He forced himself to relax, making his fur lie down smoothly again before he opened his mouth.

"I'm... done."