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It was an unexpected visit. Well, not really. They were hoping another…Checkup was not to happen, but then Ryoshu’s family had made a showing up. After Gregor was kept in intensive care for a long enough time to where he didn’t have to be strapped to a bed at all times, the others were, regrettably, free to wander LCE’s new reformed base.
Faust had, regrettably, gotten alone time with Hohenheim.
Neither party wanted this. Unregrettably.
“At what point did you wish for this area to be similar to Lobotomy Corp?”
“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”
“Treating and spending time with the abnormalities.”
He made a face. “I didn’t wish for it. It happened to be the best way to handle them.”
“Of course.”
The silence between them felt like poison.
So of course, it did not last long.
“You are allowing the sinners to partake in it, I’m sure.”
“They can be revived. There’s less risk.”
“I wish to do the same. A Faust had worked there and craves to experience it again.”
“…Yeah. Sure. What one.” He rubs his head, knowing full well she would’ve gotten her way into one even if his approval was needed.
“Preferably one we had seen before.”
He thinks, for a time. “How about an aberration…Hurting Teddy Bear.”
“Hm…That will work.”
The walk to the room holding it is unsurprisingly swift. She goes inside, and the door is shut behind her.
Hohenheim does nothing. In truth, he leaves for a while. There’s no risk of death that’s permanent, and she can’t fuck up enough to make it breach. So really there is no risk for him to worry of.
He needs a cup of coffee.
There’s a lot of time spent where it just…Doesn’t really matter. Nothing of importance is done, and by the time he gets back to greet her and get this mock assignment over with…
She’s…Still not out.
That is not like Faust.
He goes to look. Expecting her to be crushed in a hug, or nailed down like a mockery of an angel. Instead she is sitting down, curled up, nail in her chest preventing a truly comfortable position, but her face is buried in fuzzy, cloth-like bear arms.
She tapped into the E.G.O somehow…She looks scared. Curled up like she was protecting something vital.
He knew what use of the E.G.O would do outside of battle, and sometimes even in it…He’s also seen what Happy Teddy Bear did.
He sat down, ignoring the cries of the abnormality. “…Faust.”
“…Wha…?”
He could leave her here. He could show her how it’s dangerous to do this near an abnormality, even a calmer one.
He picks her up before he’s even finished that thought, the feathers of his suit fluffing up with the act. He’s not strong, but she is disturbingly light even with the E.G.O on. He wonders how much she eats. “…Come with me.”
“…Mhm…”
He gets her out. He gets her to his office. When Alyssa regresses, she’s found here most often, in a little corner-spot she makes when she’s in the middle of it. It’s usually full of blankets and snacks he has laying around.
He’s constructed a nest within a few minutes, setting her down in it. He did check- she had a diaper. Apparently such a thing came with the E.G.O, but he won’t question it. It’s clean right now.
Hohenheim sighs, removing his glasses to rub his face. “I suppose it’s my fault for letting you near the regression bear, but…I won’t blame you for regressing. That’s not my place.”
The woman who always looks at him with a haughty gaze looks at him in a far different light now. She still looks scared.
He really didn’t know what to do, so he decides to get her food.
She needs it anyway.
“…What has you afraid?” He’s cutting up a rarity of a snack. An orange. Peeling it so its easier for her, getting it on a plate…
“…Iunno…”
He kind of expected that. He sits down, against the side of his desk, and hands her the orange. Thankfully she eats. “…How old are you?”
“…Uhm…Paus is…is…” She raises two fingers. It explains the talking problem if she’s that young.
“What’s my name?”
“…Meanie…”
He sighs, given how they act to each other…It’s expected. “Okay, well…I’m not going to be mean to you when you’re like this. I’m not mean to children.”
That took a long time to respond to, on her part. “…Even Paus…”
“Yes, even Faust.”
“…Okay…” She pushes the plate back to him when the slices are finished, “…Meanie…”
So that’s just his nickname now huh…Okay. Sure. “Are you comfortable? I have more blankets.”
“…More pl…ple…” She just nods.
He gets her more of them without another word, one fuzzy blanket to hug, and a few more to wrap around her. “Better now?”
She nods.
“Anything else..?”
She shakes her head. So he decides to get up and do desk work. Some things never change after all.
He looks over every so often, and she looks…Far softer like this. Far kinder. He wants to dote on her but he really, really shouldn’t. She’s barely responding to his help as is, only because she needed it…
He seemed miffed towards this more than anything. He figured the clock or one of her coworkers would get far different reactions, but he has this scratching at his throat that makes it so hard to focus.
He knows its his ego gear. Both of them. But he can’t ignore it because there is a scared child next to him that’s dragging all of his attention anywhere else but on the screen he’s actually supposed to be focusing on.
She’s still scared. He feels it. This is miserable- he’s sure it’s worse for her. So he gets up again, to a small little closet never meant to hold much, and he starts fishing through it.
He has plush toys. Small ones, and some bigger ones…So he’ll grab some of those- a bear feels a little too on the nose doesn’t it? He doesn’t seem to feel keen on it, so instead he grabs a fox. Sunshower, but the umbrellas were fluff filled plush things as well…And a favorite of Alyssa’s as well, a sweet little sheep.
He sits back down in front of her, nudging her blanket pile with the sheep first. “Hey. I got you some friends. Come on and let them in.”
She looked up, and made grabby hands for them both. “Giv…Give…Gimme…”
Upon being given the two toys, she brings them under the blanket. It was soft. They were soft. He could feel her growing calmer the more she rubbed her face on them, feeling the soft clean fuzz of the sheep and the smooth fluffy fur of the fox.
“…Loved…”
“…Yeah…Marton…He…Got them.” An expression flickers on his face for a moment. He says nothing on it, moving forward to not let himself fall into a grief-spiral. Not around a kid. “He got them for Alyssa when she was little for the first time around him. He thought it was cute, and made her the fox.”
“…Mhm…”
“…There’s other ones. but those are her favorites.”
He wonders. Hex Nail is supposed to represent abuse, or at least that’s his pet theory. Abused things that grow tired of abuse, so they cry out for simplicity. Love. A hug that always ends in death.
How does she fit into that? Why does Faust connect with an abused toy?
He feels something clawing at his throat again.
He gets closer, and he pulls Faust into a hug. It’s a little awkward because she’s so covered up, and he still has to be careful of her nail embedded in her. He doesn’t know her past, because no one does. He doesn’t know what goes on inside of her; no one does.
All he can do is make guesses based on theories. But Hohenheim is a smart man. He isn’t gloating, he simply is one.
He feels he’s correct when he feels her, finally, go limp in his arms. It’s not very comfortable for him, but he doesn’t mind.
The voice inside of him, screaming, begging and pleading to take care of the child eases too.
He falls asleep with her. Just like that.
When it’s time to have everyone leave, Faust does not mention the event to the others. Nor does Hohenheim. He figures it best to remain between them, and she couldn’t agree more.
Shockingly, they do not bicker, either. Besides one line immediately before Faust’s leave.
“I do hope you won’t feel like a mother missing her children.”
“You…” He shakes his fist, before taking a deep breath and pushing up his glasses, giving him that classic eye shine. “Now why would I do that.”
“Hm. No reason at all.”