the fire i began (is burning me alive)

Hello? Hello? Is this fandom still alive?

I've been working on this one for a while, and I really like how it turned out. I apologize for the awful fight scenes, definitely not my strong suit. Hope you like it!

Content warnings for blood, injuries, panic attacks, torture

~~~

When Hugo agreed to take this job, he was expecting a quick and easy mission. Sure, he wasn't exactly looking forward to being stuck with a group of snotty, stuck up palace brats, but at least it would only be for a few weeks.

Hugo was not expecting to be spending what could possibly end up being the next three years of his life deliberately putting himself in danger, sleeping in tents on the ground, and forming a family of sorts with the kindest, most selfless group of scientists in the world.

What he really wasn't expecting, though, was that he would find himself face to face with a wanted poster, the likeness of one of said scientists drawn in careful detail on the front.

A certain alchemist who had a blue streak in his hair, and bright eyes in his face.

A certain alchemist who was such a sensitive and caring person, he would probably cry for a week if he stepped on a bug.

A certain alchemist who apparently committed high treason, kidnapped someone, attempted regicide, and whatever the hell else he did because the rest of the paper had been ripped away. Why was patricide on that list?

Nuru broke through the silence. Her voice shook. "Varian?"

The man in question stood, petrified, staring at the faded parchment. Their face was drained of color.

He stepped back. "I-"

"Varian." Nuru repeated, though now her voice was clear and strong. She ripped the poster off the tree it was pinned on. "What is this?"

Varian's eyes widened further at the paper being shoved in their face. His breathing picked up, and he was pulling frantically on his clothes, on his hair.

Hugo stood staring for a few more seconds before quickly unfreezing and shoving himself between them. "Sparkles, what the heck? Can't you see he's upset?"

Nuru pushed him back. "He's been hiding this from us for over a year! We're his friends, family even. We deserve to know!"

"I'm sure he has a good reason he hasn't told us!"

"Yeah, the reason was so that we wouldn't turn him into the authorities on the spot! Hugo, he's a criminal! He attempted regicide! What's to say he isn't that same person now? Who's to say he won't hurt any of us?"

Yong, who had been standing off to the side, finally butted in. There were tears in his eyes, and he looked terrified. "You said so yourself! We're family. He wouldn't hurt any of us and you know it."

He sounded unsure. He kept glancing back at Varian, who was on the ground, Ruddiger wrapped around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, did you miss the part where he killed his own father?"

They all went silent. Nuru, breathing hard, was practically glowing with rage, glaring behind Hugo at Varian. Yong's eyes followed hers, staring at the man who they thought up until now was an innocent sunshine child. Tears streamed down Yong's eyes, and he looked at Varian with an expression of terror. Hugo slowly turned around to gaze at Varian. Emerald eyes swam with hurt and betrayal, sapphire with guilt and terror. The tiniest bit of acceptance shone through. Varian had been expecting this to happen.