It's Not Like You To Say Sorry [Closed, Complete]

[machitobaye]

Characters: Machi Tobaye, Alphonse Elric
Setting: Pool!
Time: Day 10, Early Afternoon
Summary: Machi and Al meet again while Machi is looking for Anna. Epic awkward.
Warnings: Tiny OP of suck.

Comments

[flowing_alchemy]

Alphonse wasn't sure what exactly might have brought him to this place, but it was mostly just a fair bit of wandering around at this point. Checking out in case there was anything he should notice or anything. People that he should check or things that were off; whatever might be necessary. It wasn't that he expected to find anyone or anything in this particular area of the house, but there was no way he was going to just leave it as is...

Machi, however, had not been among what he had expected to find or anything; though it took him a moment to be able to recognise the boy - it had been months since he had seen Machi, now, so it took a moment... but it wasn't unpleasant, per se.

"...Machi." he said, voice steady but warm, nodding in Machi's directions.

[machitobaye]

Machi, however, stopped cold. He remembered the last time he had seen Alphonse, and clearly. It was confused, mind, a hazy blur of rot and blood and memory, but he wasn't nearly prepared to confront that now. He almost turned around, intending to walk away, but there was nowhere to go, and he'd just been there--the most he could do is walk back into the locker room, which was a complete dead end, and the way out was blocked by Al himself. He was briefly paralysed, and hesitated, hovering between two impossibilities and struggling to reconcile the desire to leave and the reality that he couldn't. This lasted for several long, awkward seconds before finally he relented and exhaled what was left in his lungs, letting his breath out in full before facing Al with resignation, eyeing the younger boy warily and defencively he forced out a single word, his voice flat and uncommunicative.

"....hello."

[flowing_alchemy]

There was no way Alphonse couldn't have expected the awkward pause that followed his - equally awkward - half greeting. But he tried to remain friendly enough all the same, even if Machi didn't seem to want it. He and the boy clashed, yes, but Alphonse would still be polite and friendly, and would likely soon just get out of his way so that they could both just move on in what they were doing.

"Hello," he started in response, managing a small smile and a nod of his head. "It's...good to see you again."

[machitobaye]

Of all the things Machi had expected Al to possibly say or do--and there were several--telling him that it was "good to see him again" was not one of them.

At all.

To be honest, Machi had expected something... something else: anger, fear, discomfort, something--he had been prepared for all sorts of negative reactions and he would not have been entirely unsurprised if Al had started to yell at him or even... he didn't know, tried to hit him, but this... civil greeting was not...

For a second, he began to suspect it was some sort of ruse or trap--he wouldn't put it past someone--except that he knew Al was far too simple, too naive for... something that underhanded. He floundered accordingly.

"...ah..."

[flowing_alchemy]

Alphonse hadn't expected a positive reaction, per se, but...this wasn't at all what he had expected, either. It was...essentially nothing. Alphonse blinked at that, looking to the other boy. Had he said something wrong, maybe? He didn't think so, but... he worried about crossing Machi again; he'd rather not cause trouble or conflict between them again, after all.

He wasn't sure what he could say, to that, actually.

"Um...is everything okay, Machi?"

He hadn't wanted to hold him for long, but it began to seem like that might be happening.