It didn't take long for the pain to fade for him. He was already well adjusted to pain and this was nothing new to him. What did take a while to adjust too was seeing pain in others. More specifically, pain in Edward. The days were long and full of screams of pain, both emotional and physical. They tore into Ed like rain tears into the earth as it falls. There was nothing either of them could do to stop it. They never injured him enough to kill him or even leave any permanent damage, but that seemed more torturous than anything else.

Roy didn't know what these people wanted from them. If it was anything other than their continued suffering that was. At night they were given barely and food and drink and locked in a cold damp cell together with some scratchy pieces of cloth that barely passed as blankets. Most nights Roy would give Ed his food, if the boy was out enough to accept it. On the days the kid was still together enough to be aware of Roy's actions he would protest and make Roy eat too. At night it got so cold that they would huddle together in a corner, both blankets wrapped around them, trying to share warmth.

In the first month they had hope that the military would find them. They had been out on a mission; they would be noticed if they were absent for too long. The mission had been to explore a small town with reports of terroristic alchemists though. Such a small town had no real way of communicating to central without a day's trip to the next village. It could have been a month or two until they were noticed absent for a long period of time, at the most. But Roy had kept track of time as best he could and knew at least four months had passed. Four months of senseless violence. Would they ever get out at this rate? Would anyone even come to help them?

The worst part was watching Fullmetal break. The first month hadn't been too bad in hindsight. Bruises and bloody noses galore, but nothing that bad. The second month was worse but still nothing. Bruises and bloody noses on Fullmetal while Roy had to watch. Starvation and the beginning of the colder season. They never questioned them for information or anything, just did the beatings and left. It was worse than torture for information, because this torture didn't promise an end for them until they were both dead.

By the third month things became bad, fast. Fullmetal had been holding up well, taunting the guards and trying to motivate the rapidly despairing Roy Mustang. Even trying to find a way out, even though he had only one arm. Their kidnappers had taken Fullmetal's automail arm to prevent him from transmuting. Fullmetal had been the real strength in their unlikely duo.

Not anymore. How he wished the kidnappers had thrown the automail away.

They had figured out how to reattach automail and disconnect it again. Nerves attaching and tearing apart again. They did this to Edward, over and over again. When he passed out they'd wait until he woke up and then do it over again. It was impossible for Mustang to watch, he felt sick when they did it even today. Edward couldn't handle it either, he began breaking right down the middle. The shell of the confident alchemist broken to reveal the form of a child. A child who lost everything and was slowly losing themselves too.

It was the mental trauma that was the worst. It started in nightmares. Edward would wake up hysterical, crying his eyes out. The first time it happened Roy had backed up instinctively, unsure of what to do. Ed had taken the blanket and pulled it to his chest as he curled into a small ball, sobbing. Recognizing what Ed needed right then Roy had slowly approached again and laid a hand on Ed's shoulder. The reaction was instantaneous. The boy latched onto Roy and buried his head in Roy's chest, seeking comfort. Roy somehow, he still didn't know, managed to provide that comfort and lull Ed back to sleep.

After that the nightmares became a part of their routine in their confinement. Sleeping, crying, screaming, comforting, sleeping, waking. It wasn't much, nor was it enough; but it was all they had. It slowed Ed's descent, but Roy still watched it occur.

The next thing he noticed was Ed's automail. The leg they left attached while Ed stayed in the cell, having only confiscated his arm. Ed began scratching at the seam between metal and human. At first it was like he had a persistent itch in his leg, Roy didn't mind it. Later though he noticed Ed seemed to always be scratching at it. When he asked Ed proclaimed that he didn't even notice he was doing it. Not ten minutes later though he'd be back at it again.

It wasn't until night about a week after this behavior started that Roy understood. Opening his eyes Roy saw Ed sitting up, back against the wall. Ed was scratching at his leg again. "Take it off," he muttered under his breath. "Take it off, take it off, take it off. It hurts, take it off. I don't want it anymore, take it off."

Roy sat up, startling Ed into ceasing his scratching. "Does it hurt?" Roy asked gently. He always spoke gently to Ed now. Recently he had become like a gazelle, startling at every little thing. Given the harshness the boy faced day in and day out, Roy could understand the fear of anything harsher than a spoken word.

"It doesn't feel right," Ed said. "My arm hurts, but my leg feels wrong. I think they took my leg and replaced it with a broken one."

Roy pulled the blankets aside fully and began examining Ed's leg to be sure. He remembered early on in their captivity Ed had received a scar on the automail from the knife of one brutish man. Sure enough the scar was still there, this was Ed's leg. Looking at Ed's eyes Roy stopped himself from confirming about Ed's leg. The wide eyed look in Ed's face was practically begging him to say no. To say it was the wrong leg. Roy knew that if Ed was thinking clearly he'd know this was his leg the very same way Roy could tell. But Ed wasn't thinking clearly, didn't want to think clearly.

"I don't think it's yours either, kiddo." The look of joy on Ed's face at those words nearly brought tears to Roy's eyes. It was around that moment, not when he's being tortured, that Roy realized how much of a child Ed was. This child was forced to join the military, give up everything he had, lose his childhood. All this and Roy had been leaning on him.

Never again, Roy promised silently. As he coaxed Ed to lay down again, Roy made himself a promise to Ed. He'd be there for the kid, through this and then back at Central. He'd keep this child safe, and even make this child happy if he can. Because no one deserves this, no one.

Now he just had to make it out of here.