A Short Man's Ramblings
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa does.
Ed laid on the bed at the newest inn they were staying at. His golden eyes were closed and he was in deep thought, though annoyed by these thoughts.
Ugh … I don't even know why this is bothering me so much. It was a joke, just a joke; it shouldn't occupy any more of my time.
He sighed, shifting so that his arms were behind his head and his blonde braided hair was resting over his shoulder. Alphonse looked up from his book, "Brother what's the matter? I thought you were sleeping."
"Nothing Al," Ed growled out still annoyed, "and no I wasn't sleeping, I'm not tired."
"You're not tired? But we've been walking all day. And I know that it's not nothing, I heard you sigh and I can tell you're annoyed."
Edward opened his eyes and looked towards his younger brother, where his eyes landed was on a tall suit of armor. When people would first learn they were brothers, they often mistook Alphonse, being the taller one, to be the older sibling. He could never stop himself from throwing a fit; after all just because he was short for his age and Al was in that big suit of armor, they thought him as the younger, god people pissed him off.
Though most of those people were never informed nor figured out that inside that suit armor was empty. It was the blood rune drawn within the armor that kept Al's soul bound to this plane, having lost his body at the same time Ed had lost his left leg while trying to bring their mother back using alchemy. Ed had sacrificed his right arm to save Al, if you call not being able to eat or sleep being saved.
But though the after effects of Ed "saving" Al were frequent in his mind, it was not what he had been in deep thought about. No, thinking of that left Ed with feelings of sadness. He was thinking about that person, and an action he had taken against him. And whenever he thought of this person, he would get annoyed or angry.
"Really Al, it's nothing you need to concern yourself with," Ed hissed out.
"Are you sure brother?"
"Yes," he almost shouted, and then under his breath said, "Damn Colonel, this is all his fault."
Al pretended mot to hear what Ed had whispered to himself and replied, "Okay, if you're sure. I'm going to go on a walk then."
"Fine."
Al left the room, leaving Ed with himself and those annoying thoughts.
I called him it at first to get revenge, then as a joke, and finally as a cover. It was nothing more than that.
But still it plagued him. "That person" was Colonel Roy Mustang the Flame Alchemist, bastard and possible bane of Edward's existence. The action? Edward had called him "dad." He had done this as an act of revenge because the Colonel had wagged him off with his finger and no one, especially not the Colonel, was allowed to do that to Edward Elric. He had noticed that the Colonel had been flirting with some women and called out "dad" to him. This action had the effect Ed had hoped for, the women, now thinking the Colonel was married and had children, left.
The second time was after an ordeal—one he didn't feel like thinking about. He had called the Colonel that jokingly to try to lighten the mood, which it did.
And the third time, well now that it was in his mind he hadn't exactly said it was the Colonel. He had said that his father was a high-ranking individual in the military.
But still it plagued him.
Could it be that unconsciously I see the Colonel as a father figure?
That thought left him with unease, but still it was plausible. After all even though his father, Hohenheim, had abandoned them, the Colonel had been there when it was needed. The Colonel had been there when Ed was at his lowest low and exactly was the one to lift him up again. The Colonel lectured them when they did wrong, praised then when praise was called for, and worried about them. And in Ed's mind those were the three fundamental things a father should do for their child. Hohenheim never did any of these things, have left them and their mother when Ed was four-years-old, and never came back, not even for their mother's funeral. He hated that bastard of a father and if he ever saw him again he'd hit him as hard as he could with is automail arm.
Fine mind, if I accept the fact that I view the Colonel as a father figure, will you let me stop thinking and let me sleep? I know I told Al I wasn't but I really am tired.
Ed waited a moment, as if he expected his mind to answer him, before he silently and slowly fell asleep.
Moments later, Al walked into the room, having finished walking around the entire town. Though Al had been curious about what had annoyed Ed and how the Colonel was involved, he decided that Ed would be able to work it out better if he wasn't around. He could tell he was right, mostly due to the fact that Ed was now sound asleep. Al let out a quiet chuckle and went back to reading his book.
At East City, a certain team had to work late. A sneeze was heard in the room.
Breda looked up from his work, "You coming down with a cold Colonel?"
"Nah, someone's probably just talking bout him," Havoc's smart-ass answer.
"Umm, maybe it was the dust in the air that caused it," Fury answered uncertainly.
"Yes, after all when was the last time anyone dusted this room?" Hawkeye said monotonely.
Roy sighed, "As much fun as this subject is, why don't we get back to work so we can go home."