AN: I shouldn't… but I did *^*' GOMEN NE! I had this one in my head.. I don't know how it will turn out, no idea how long it'll be… chapter 1 starts now! The song that this story goes with is "I need a Doctor." By Eminem! :D
"There is no way!" Ed hollered at the top of his lungs. "You're not keeping me here Mustang, not for a fucking minute longer!"
Those few sentences, hollered at the top of the blonde's lungs, pretty much summed up Roy's day… In conclusion, shit.
"Listen to me Fullmetal…" He sighed, following the furious young man out of his office and into the larger, common area that was bustling with his staff. Hawkeye was at her desk, calmly polishing and staring down the open barrel of her gun. She had taken her break for lunch and decided that her spare time could be used to gently threaten the male occupants who shared her space.
She put it down as they stormed out, lifting an eyebrow at Ed, who immediately shut his mouth, spinning around and glaring daggers at Roy.
The raven turned slightly to Riza. "How do you do that?" He hissed. She just shrugged her shoulders. "Practice sir."
Roy glared at Fullmetal. The hell it took practice, if that was the case, he'd have the blonde under perfect control. As was, for the years that he had to work with the; first kid, then teen and finally, a young man. Ed changed very little, as did his attitude. Either that or the blonde had a special reserve of bitch just for him.
Ed stomped right back up to him. "You have no idea what you're doing Mustang, I have no choice but to go this time! I am onto something, and if I fuck this up I might not ever get a chance like that again!"
Rewind to about a week previous:
Ed ran into the rather calm office. It was lunch time, and most of Roy's staff had decided that the day was pleasant enough to go out for lunch. The winter had been especially harsh, and any warm waft of spring, even a day; was very welcome in central.
He had been bullied into staying and finishing his paperwork by Riza, who promised him that she'd bring back something good and that she'd let him out early.
"You're Hawkeye's dog you know that? Even Black Hayate gets more of a loose leash."
Fullmetal was suddenly standing in the door, a bit flushed from running; his eyes were bright with mischief.
"And you're my dog, so what do you want Fullmetal?" Roy hated when people pointed out the obvious, he was totally under Riza Hawkeye's command.
"I suggest reviewing how your staff treats you." Ed huffed, flopping down into a chair facing Roy. He threw an opened letter unto the desk between them. Roy glanced at it briefly and looked back up at Elric, splicing his fingers and resting his chin on them in the process.
"You're my subordinate too Major, or did you forget?"
"Is she at least bringing you food?"
"That's not an answer to my question."
The blonde looked up lazily, crossing his long legs. "That's good, at least she's feeding you."
'Fullmetal…"
"Allright, allright bastard, calm yourself." Ed untwined his legs and leaned in. "Check this out" he prodded the envelope again.
Roy took the thin envelope and pulled out the surprisingly flimsy bit of paper. "Help yourself to something." He mumbled, pointing in the general direction of the cabinets that held drinks.
Ed got up and closed the short distance in two strides. He was obviously still elated by whatever he had received. Roy scanned the message quickly. Why was this so special?
"Perdita clavigerum civitatem." He mumbled the words to himself, scratching his head.
"Sounds like an ad to a tourist destination." He mused, seeing Ed's expression gloom. He had picked a glass bottle of sparkling water, and had taken out two glasses which he placed on the desk. He peeked at the letter again, pouring the drinks out evenly and handing Roy one. "I think this might hold the answer." He said quietly. "Something is pointing us forward in a direction."
"You are obviously still a kid at heart Fullmetal." Roy sighed at the news he was expecting but hoping wouldn't come to fruition. "There is no way you can seriously be thinking of running off in a dead end search because you got one incomplete, might I add, sentence." He flopped the paper down. "There is nothing to prove this is a lead Major. You can't get excited because it's written in a different language. It could be a trap."
"I can handle myself sir." Gone was the happy spark in Fullmetal's eyes, replaced by a flicker of anger.
Roy looked at him. Really looked at him, gone was the child that he had once coerced into joining the military to protect. Like his flames, Ed was hard to control, and once out of control range, he was impossible to stop.
He sat now, and every bunched muscle told Roy that he was going to jump at any opportunity presented to fire off into an unknown destination, most likely dragging Al with him.
"Think of Al" he tried. His armor is getting more dangerous to replace. Any injury now could be extraordinarily dangerous."
"I am thinking of Al, Mustang, do you really think it's myself I'm worried about?"
Roy had to admit, it was never himself that Fullmetal thought about, which was part of the problem. He treated his body like a tool to find a way to bring Al's body back.
"You're not indestructible either." He mused, fixing Elric with a hard stare "You should take better care of yourself." He added noticing not for the first time, the tiny scratches and bruises littering the exposed flesh arm. Doubtless, Ed was out practicing somewhere again. "You're not completely metal."
"I would have thought that was good." Ed snapped back.
"It is and isn't. The way you're going, it would probably be best for you if you were."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're hurting yourself…" Here was the truth at last. Roy had been skidding around it for years, telling himself that what Ed did outside his duty to the military was his own business. Especially since he'd gotten older, filled up his height and flourished from an infuriating little kid to an even more infuriating young man.
"Am not. It's called practice Mustang, you should try it sometime." Elric deadpanned. Looking smug and pointing in the general direction of his superior's abdomen. "Need to take some of the flab off don't you think?"
"Something you noticed Fullmetal, I wonder since there's not much showing through my uniform." Roy smirked at the dust of a blush that graced Elric's cheeks. He had him right where he wanted him.
"All Im saying, Mustang…" The nervous shake in his voice was obvious, "is that what I do with my body is my business."
And Roy couldn't bring himself to make any comment on that subject. Fact was, the Elric brothers were hit hard by foolishness they committed as children, and Ed's lifelong obsession ever since was restoring the armor Al, his little brother had become, into a body that he was sure existed somewhere still. Getting back his lost arm and leg however, seemed to be placed second.
"So how did you get this?" Roy decided switching subject altogether might be for the best.
"I woke up yesterday for a glass of water. It was like, maybe 2 am?" Fullmetal mused. "There it was, just sticking through the mail slot in the front door."
"Just like that?" Roy arched a brow. "No knock, no sounds, ringing on the door? Nothing?"
"Nope."
"Well then, like hell are you going if you have no further clues."
"I didn't ask your permission Mustang, I'm informing you I have a lead and that I'm going to investigate it. If you send me there as a mission, great. If not, that's all right too, either way, I'm going."
"Cheeky brat, I will have every train stopped in the stations if you so much as set out a foot outside without me knowing." Roy said pleasantly.
Fullmetal just stared at him, measuring Roy up. The raven felt strangely bare as the molten gold eyes pierced him. Despite his age, Fullmetal always had such piercing eyes. Eyes that spoke that he knew much more than he should for his age. And of course, technically speaking, that was right. The young man sitting before him was a known prodigy. A superb genius when it came to anything alchemy related- Edward Elric had experts beat by a mile. Theoretically, and in experience. Al, although caught in a hunk of empty metal, wasn't far behind, but there was an edge missing in the younger Elric's personality that gave Edward the upper hand. He was stubborn, brilliant and insolent. A decidedly bad mixture of traits if one pursued a career in the elite Amestrian military.
That was where he came in, shielding the explosive man with his rank and status. At best, he allowed the Elric brothers to pursue their search for finding a way of getting back at least Al's body. He hated to, it left him restless and on edge, worrying perhaps too much about their whereabouts and safety. He couldn't help himself where the two were concerned, there was something about the suffering the children went through that left with almost powerless to ignore them. Al was such a sweet child, and Ed made up for his tremendous lack thereof by being the protective mother hen to anyone young and helpless, especially his brother, although Al was far from helpless. Roy thought.
This lead however, was too vague, too well… stupid in fact, to be even considered.
"For your genius Fullmetal, he broke the silence; it seems too crazy for even you to consider this worthwhile."
Elric was still staring at him, as if trying to read him. His eyes traveled around Roy's face, down his neck, and caressed his shoulder. Roy shivered under the impact, careful not to let himself show the sudden jump in his pulse. Elric looked good. So good, sitting before him all serious, there was a knowing glint in those eyes that told him things he knew the blonde would never utter.
"Tell me, Elric."
Fullmetal huffed, resting his head on his arm and moving the force his gaze from him to the window and beyond it. "Al is not going to pull through this if I dally any longer. The metal is worn out, and the more I fix it, the more brittle it becomes. There's absolutely nothing I can do for him and I'm…" he cleared his throat. "I'm scared." He whispered softly, barely audible.
Roy's legs carried him on their own accord. In a moment, he was sitting beside him, Hand ghosting over the shoulder where the port was screwed into bone and flesh. He winced at the very thought of the pain the youth must have gone through. Placing it finally, very gently, he rubbed in what he hoped would be a soothing gesture.
The blonde didn't turn to look at him, his head was slightly turned from him, still viewing the brilliantly sunny day outside. Roy watched instead as the few rays that filtered through mixed and tangled into Elric's hair. The different tones of gold contrasted starkly against his tanned flesh, riddled with scars as it was, Roy still had to admit that Ed was perfect just the way he was, his skin showed what he had gone through, and this was to be honoured, he would know, he understood.
His eyes widened in surprise as Fullmetal's flesh hand rested on his own, which was still holding onto his shoulder. It was the only acknowledgement of needing to be comforted the Elric had ever shown, and Roy was grateful that he at least was trusted to see the blonde this vulnerable. The gentle pressure in the long, tanned digits conveyed the tears and sobs that the young man beside him would not allow to happen.
"It's ok to be scared." He whispered against his ear, grateful that the youth still held him. "We are all scared sometimes."
"Will you let me go?"
"You didn't tell Al yet?" Roy was surprised, he had not expected that Fullmetal was capable of not sharing something with his brother.
"Not yet, I… wasn't sure."
"Are you now?"
"No…"
"Then why…?"
"Because it's the only hope I have left."
"Fullmetal…" he sighed
"Will you?"
"…no."
"I see" The body relaxed, and with a last squeeze of his hand, Major Edward Elric got swiftly up.
Roy was still sitting; he looked up at the blonde, who was towering over him sitting. The golden eyes were sad, but determined.
"Ill see you around then.' He mumbled, inclining his head as thanks for the refreshment. And leaving the office swiftly.
Roy got up slowly; head filled with questions and much too shaken up to his liking. Ed had always had that effect on him. Jittering him down to the very core and managing to break his patience where no one else could. He sat down at his desk and picked up his phone, dialing.
"Maes? Yes, I was wondering if you could do me a little favor?"
….
"Yes, of course I would"
….
"No dumbass, not today, I'm busy with paper… oh shut up. I am NOT"
…
"Oh did he?... He'll pay for that"
…
"So anyways"
….
"Could you hold the traffic coming out of central for the weekend?"
...
"I know it's a lot of people. Seriously?"
"Would I bother you if it wasn't?"
...
"Exactly"
…..
"Keep em busy"
…
"Yes, trains as well"
…
"When? I'd suppose tonight, actually, as soon as possible would be better"
…
"Just tell them we have a serious criminal who is believed to want to flee the city"
…
"Correct. I will indeed call you up later. Cheers mate."
He relaxed again and peeked outside. There was no one in the gardens that his office window overlooked. But the weather was gorgeous indeed. Somehow, the sunshine dancing on the branches reminded him of the Major, and he smiled.
AN: Ok, note please that this wont be updated as often as I would like due to the fact that it is summer, bit my love for FMA will see this one through! LOL cheers!
