Okay, so... This story is dedicated to my lovely Amber (bellaXishXdaXbomb) in honor of our one month anniversary- thought it's closer to two months now... ^^' I didn't tell her about it, so I hope she's surprised! =D I love you, sweetheart!
Yes, another lovely story from meeeeee! =D I did tell you that I'm now on summer break, and you'll probably be getting a lot of stories and such from me now, right? Well, if I didn't... I just did. xD Anyways, on to the story and such.
Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned Fullmetal Alchemist. And I never will, unless something crazy happens. Do you honestly think I'd be poor and have no money to buy FMA stuff with if I did own it? T_T
Warnings: Foul language, sad Ed. I think that's it...
Enjoy! Especially you, Amber!
The moment Roy walked into his office, a dull 'good morning' balancing on the tip of his tongue, he could feel the tension in the air, so thick that it was actually palpable. Havoc was the only one who didn't bother to return the greeting. The cigarette hanging out of his mouth was actually lit. That was when he knew something had gone wrong. But, for fear of making things worse, he sat down at his desk and glanced back at the window. There were dark clouds gathering in the sky, which did nothing to help with the mood in the office.
"Sir." The dark-haired man glanced up at Riza, one eyebrow raised expectantly. "Edward's here. I thought you'd want to be prepared for his... rather loud entrance." she warned him, just as she always did. This, along with the fact that he'd gotten used to his door suddenly banging open, meant he was never startled by it.
But the door didn't slam against the wall as it usually did. It creaked open slowly, just enough for the blond to shuffle in, silent as the day Roy had first met him, and then quietly close the door again. Everyone stared as he dragged his feet all the way to Roy's desk- except Jean, who looked like he was about to break his pen in half. Papers were shoved under Roy's nose, and he reached up and took them after a short pause. Ed didn't look at anything but the floor the whole time.
"Do you need anything else?" the younger's voice betrayed no emotion. It was a bit weird. "Or can I go already?"
"You just got here."
"So?"
"I think we should have a talk, Edward." Roy saw the blond flinch and shift his weight from his right to his left foot. "It's not a suggestion."
"Fine." Edward mumbled, sighing softly. "I'll just... uh... Over there..." He sat down on the leather couch- not the usual loud flopping he did- and sat as straight as a board, looking terribly uncomfortable. Everyone but Havoc cast occasional glances at him. "Would you stop doing that?" Ed finally hissed, glaring at each of them- not the blond smoker- in turn.
"I-uh- Edward... What's wrong? You don't seem as... Well, you don't seem like yourself." Fuery ventured, frowning as he adjusted his glasses. The blond's head snapped up, golden eyes bloodshot. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, left hand curling into a fist. Then he jolted up, feet under him and head down again.
"I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be back." he bit out, feet pounding on the hard floor as he fled out of the office. It left everyone staring after him, shocked silent. Havoc glared down at his paperwork, grip tightening on the pen until it really did snap in half. Then everyone's attention went to him. Especially Roy's. And then the dark-haired man stood up, much to everyone's surprise.
"You did something to him. Didn't you?" he growled, eyes narrowed. Havoc didn't look up, nor did he answer. Pissed beyond words, Roy stomped out after his subordinate. There was barely a sign of the blond, except for the swish of a braid and a red coat turning the corner. Sighing, he hurried off in that direction. He was curious about the whole thing, but he was more worried about the blond than anything. Ever since Al's soul had been returned to his body, Edward had seemed so happy, and his shoulders had always looked so broad. Now they were slumped, and he just looked tired and sad. Like he wasn't getting enough to eat and his body needed more sleep.
"Fullmetal! Hold on a second! Stop!" The younger alchemist faltered for just a moment, but it was enough for him to grab hold of the boy's wrist. He could feel the chill of the steel automail even through the other's bright red coat.
"What do you want?" Edward snapped, tired golden eyes lifting up to him.
"Well- You seem out of sorts today, Fullmetal. And so does Havoc." Roy paused when the other flinched at the mention of Havoc's name. "What's going on with you two? You... Well, you both seemed really happy not long ago."
"Do we have to talk about this?" Ed mumbled, looking away again. The dark-haired man frowned, caught off-guard by the blond's unwillingness to talk and that he wouldn't look at anyone. The general leaned down until he was looking into the other's golden eyes- he was still pretty short- and made him hold the gaze.
"Yes." Because he knew that if he didn't make Edward talk, then he wouldn't talk. "I just want to know what's eating at you, Ed, and I want to help you." He saw the blond bite his bottom lip- it was beautifully fuller than the top, he noticed- and attempt to look away.
"Fine." The younger uncomfortably shoved his hands deeper in his pockets. "I'll tell you. But I hope you know that I hate you for it." It was as far from the truth as he could possibly get. There was no way he could hate Roy. Not even a little bit. It was quite the opposite, actually. Even when he and Havoc had been together, he'd started falling for the handsome, dark-haired general. But he'd still loved Havoc. So, so much. But now... Well, now the blond smoker had broken his heart, and he wasn't sure about anything anymore.
"Okay, just come back to the offi-"
"No!" Roy gave him a questioning look, though it was quickly replaced by a shocked expression as the blond used the hold on his steel wrist to his advantage and dragged the older man outside to the courtyard behind the large building. "I can't sit in the same room with him. I just... I just can't." Edward flopped down under a tree, legs stretched out and head tilted back against the trunk. The fresh air was nice. He'd been locked up in his room- refusing to leave for any reason- since the morning before. Had somebody not called him- and told him in the nicest way possible that if he didn't bring in the report for his last mission within the hour, he'd be getting a very angry house call from a very angry sniper- earlier, he would still be moping around in his bed, covers thrown over his head and wearing nothing but a well-worn pair of pants. As it were, he'd rather not be shot. It would make things even worse, because Riza wouldn't aim for anything vital, meaning he'd be in pain. Inside and out.
The dark-haired general paused for just a moment before he, too, sat down in the grass, to the other's right. For a few minutes, he didn't say anything, giving the blond time to think and steady himself. "So... What happened? With you and Jean?" Ed flinched again, something that didn't escape Roy's notice, and shifted uncomfortably.
"He broke up with me yesterday. Over the phone, no less. The bastard. I got so pissed, I didn't even hear why he was breaking up with me. I... I think it was about 'someone else.'" The younger man took a deep breath, closing his eyes. His hand clenched into a fist on his thigh, hiding the trembling. "I said some things I'm not proud of, then hung up on him. That's when it really sunk in. I broke down; haven't left the bed since Riza told me to get my ass down here or she'd bring me here herself. I thought I'd be okay... around him. You have no idea how wrong I was." The back of his throat was burning something awful, and there was a thick lump that he just couldn't seem to get rid of. His eyes, though closed, stung with threatening tears. After a second, he lifted his head and opened them slowly. The rays of sunlight glinted off of them, as if they were glistening pools of liquid gold.
And damn it all if they couldn't combat the sun itself. Roy thought, staring back into those eyes, caught in their spell.
"What did I do wrong, Roy?" The blond let out a shuddering breath, unclenched hand going up to the base of his throat. Right at the hollow. "I-I didn't meant t-to. H-he... I-I loved h-him. I r-really d-did." Without warning, the tears started flowing down his cheeks in thin, salty rivulets, curving inwards to drip off of his chin. And fuck it all if Roy was just going to sit there and watch Edward suffer alone; he'd done that enough already. Just as unexpectedly as the other man's crying had been, he had embraced Ed, dragging him close and tightening his hold. "What did I do? Oh, god, Roy. I didn't mean it! Wh-why can't he s-see that?" He buried his face in the front of the older alchemist's military jacket, fingers of his flesh hand fisting in the thick material.
"Oh, Ed, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Then why? Why did he do this to me?" His automail hand went up to his chest, clutching the leather over his aching heart. Roy didn't say anything. He didn't know why Havoc had broken the young man's heart. They'd been happy, he knew. In love- at least, one of them had been. Had it all been a game to the older soldier? Toy with Edward's emotions to see how much in love he could make him, then rip his heart out of his chest? "He said he never loved me. Wh-why? H-he told m-me he d-did! So wh-why did he t-take it all back?"
"I don't know. But if he let you go... then he's a fucking idiot, too blind to see that he's got someone great."
"No." Ed mumbled, tears streaming down his face as he continued to repeat the word under his breath. "Th-that's not t-true." He shuddered against Roy's chest, choking back a sob. "I-I must've... must've not b-been good e-enough. Dammit, I-I kn-knew I w-wasn't. Wh-who would w-want me? I'm f-fucking h-hideous. Th-this st-stupid automail. All th-these scars. N-no w-wonder he b-broke up w-with me."
"That's enough, Ed. Don't talk about yourself like that."
"But it's t-true!"
The general gritted his teeth together, fighting with himself. There were some things about Fullmetal he'd never said aloud; hell, he'd never even really allowed himself to think about it too much. But now... Now Edward was hurting, putting himself down in the worst ways in his mourning of a lost relationship. What if he did something drastic?
"See? You've got nothing to say back to it. It is true."
"No. It's not." Roy caught Edward's tear-slickened chin with a finger, tilting his head back to look down into glistening golden eyes. "Damn, your eyes... They're even more breathtaking than the sun. So bright and energetic; amber and copper swirled together to make one beautiful, indescribable color. Just like your hair. It's so damn... amazing- gold with darker highlights that just shine in the light. You are the smartest person I have ever met. You are so brilliant and clever. The look on your face when you're concentrating... Damn, Ed, it's so stunning. On top of all that knowledge, your scars show just how brave you are; how many obstacles you've been presented with and overcome. And the automail? It symbolizes your determination; you were knocked off your feet- bound to a wheelchair and unable to do much for yourself.
But you didn't give up. No. You found a way to continue on, no matter how much agony you had to go through. You picked yourself back up and dragged yourself along, even after you'd lost half of your limbs, your mother, and your brother's body. You were so determined to return your brother to the flesh... and you did it." He took a deep, trembling breath. Edward could slap him for this; he'd just had his heart broken, after all, and could think the general was just trying to snake his way in when he was vulnerable. "You, Edward Elric, are the most breathtakingly gorgeous, stunningly brilliant, stubbornly determined, stupidly brave person I have ever had the pleasure of laying undeserving eyes on. And, yes, I do mean that. Every. Single. Word."
For a moment, Edward just stared up at him, eyes wet, and Roy was sure he would be slapped. So the blond raised shaking, flesh fingers to barely brush his jawbone, arching up so he was only inches away, the general was frozen with shock. "How long h-have you th-thought all that?"
He swallowed hard. As much as he didn't want to tell Ed, he didn't see that he had much of a choice anymore. "Since you stepped into this building and demanded to take the exam to become a State Alchemist." he answered, hand slipping around from the other's chin to cup the back of his neck. "Hell, even since I first met you for most of it."
The tip of the younger man's finger brushed his bottom lip, breath following soon after to ghost over his skin. "Roy, I-"
"Hey, Boss!" Ed flinched, shifting back as he looked away. Roy lifted his head, but he already knew what he would see. Havoc was standing just outside the door, staring at them. The expression on his face was unreadable, but he knew being caught like this couldn't be a good thing. Not since the man that had been in his arms and the one addressing him now had just broken up. "Riza says you need to come back in and finish signing these papers. Now." Jean's voice was tight, controlled; he wasn't surprised.
"I- Okay. Tell her I'll be back in just a moment."
Havoc opened his mouth to say something, paused, then closed it again and nodded. "Yes, sir." Then, thankfully, he left. The general let out a sigh before leaning forward and hugging Edward one more time.
"If you need me, you know where to find me. In fact, I'd like it if you'd come out to meet me at the bar after work?" When the blond pulled back and gave him a suspicious look, he added, "Just to talk," to ensure that he had no ill intentions.
"Well, okay, I guess..." the young alchemist agreed reluctantly, voice thick from having cried so much. He wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his coat once more before shakily getting to his feet, offering a hand to help Roy up. "I'll see you this evening, then." he mumbled before heading off- rather slowly, especially when compared to his usual pace- to his dorm room.
"Yeah. See you this evening." the dark-haired man breathed after him, smiling slightly before he headed back into his office. It'd be a shame if Hawkeye shot him before he and Edward could talk later.
So... What did you think? Leave a review and let me know, puh-leeeeeaaaase!
As you can probably tell, this is not the end of this story. It will be either a two-shot or a three-shot. I haven't really decided... (I'm sure you've noticed by now, but I'm not good with planning ahead. =D) But, that's the end of /this/ part. So... lemme know what you think in a review- yes I said it again- so I can know if I need to continue it. Yay! xD
Review! Ciao!
hugs&kisses~ Madarao