A/N: I feel the need to say before this chapter begins that no matter what direction this seems to be going, there ARE NO PAIRINGS besides the noncon RoyAl. No EdWin, sorry.
Chapter Three: Told
IIIII
Abuse is the weapon of the vulgar - Samuel Griswald Goodrich
IIIII
Edward still gained no knowledge of the conversation that went on between Roy and Al over the next few days following the incident. Al would either nonsubtley change the subject or ignore it all together. Ed even tried bribing his younger brother with promises of all the toys he could buy but that didn't persuade him either.
Most of all, Edward hated the cresfallen look on Al's face when he mentioned anything closely related to that time. It really broke Ed's heart to see him so dejected because of something that happened to him, something that wasn't even his damn fault.
It was Edward's fault, mostly. If only he had kept a better eye on him. If only he had made sure to have told Havoc not to let Al near Mustang, then none of that would have ever had to have happened.
Why do I keep failing? wondered Edward, in bed one night, Al sound asleep next to him.
There was also another matter he was worrying about and putting off until the last second.
Winry.
She had every right to know what was going on. They were practically family, and to deny her knowledge of what was going on would be cruel. Winry had made Edward promise soon after Al had gotten his body back that there would be no more secrets, since he and Al were so apt at keeping them. He had made that promise knowing it would be very difficult to keep. Although Ed liked to keep things to himself and take care of his problems on his own, if he ultimately lost sight of what he was doing and needed a break he could always go to the Rockbell estate. It was a place he could count on to always be there for him and Al. Winry was a very reliable friend.
So he really should tell her. But he was at a crossroads; doing it over the phone definitely had it's setbacks. He knew Winry would be extremely upset at this news, as everyone was, but it seemed insensitive to want to give the news over the phone. She would just want to come to Central anyway. Why not bring her to Central first and then tell her the news? But then again this is Winry. She would demand to know what was going on even before she got to Central. To tell over the phone or not?
I'm better off telling her it's an emergency and having her come here, thought Ed four days after the happening. He knew she would be pissed for not having called her immediately but he didn't really care. He had had a lot of things on his mind at that time and having one more person in on the mix hadn't appealed to him a whole lot.
So after telling Alphonse it was a private call and to go play in another room, Edward called the number from his home.
"Rockbell Automail. This is Winry Rockbell how may I help you?"
"Winry? Um, hi." This was seriously uncomfortable. He hated being the bearer of bad news, even if he wasn't going to give it away right now. Just knowing he was going to have to tell her sooner or later bothered him.
"Ed! So what have you been up to? How's Al?"
"Nothing much. And Al . . . Al's okay, I guess. Um, there's something really important I need to discuss with you so I need you to come to Central, okay?"
"The best I can do is coming in at about . . . let me look at my schedule . . . two weeks."
Gathering up all of his courage he said, "Look, Winry, you know as well as I do that I don't ask for a lot of favors. And that I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't absolutely necessary but, well, I need you to drop everything you have and come straight to Central."
"Ed, I'm a very busy person. I can't leave grams with all of the work."
"I know you're a busy person Winry but this is an emergency. You know that I don't ask for help unless I need it and . . . " Edward's voice was getting an angry tinge to it so he stopped himself before he went on a tirade. Besides, asking for help has never been one of Ed's strong points.
"Point taken. Just tell me what this is about and then I'll come right over."
He knew she'd say that. "I can't. It's something that I should tell you about when you get here."
"Then how do I know it's important enough to leave my work for? I have a lot of customers that would be very angry if I were to just drop them."
"Winry, you're the one who didn't want secrets kept from you," he snapped.
She sighed on the other side of the line. "I know I said that but I need to know these things so I can atleast tell grams why I'm leaving."
"Tell her it's important. Al needs you right now--"
"Al? What's wrong with Al? Just a second ago you said he was okay," said Winry, sounding very concerned.
"Well something is wrong but I don't want to tell you until you get here."
"And why's that?"
"I'm sorry Winry but you'll have to wait until you get here to find out. I don't want to tell you over the phone. I think it's something I have to do in person. Besides, it's not good news, and I need you to come here to help me with Al."
"Just tell me Al isn't hurt. I need to hear that."
"Al isn't hurt," he sighed. "But something did happen which is why I need you to get on the train to Central tomorrow."
"Are you kidding? I'm coming today," she announced. "If it's so important that you have to ask for help, which you never do, then it really must be urgent. It's ten in the morning and I know there should be one going out at one. So I'll be there tonight, okay?"
"Thanks Winry. I owe you one."
With this said he hung up the phone. That went better than expected, he thought smiling slightly.
Edward's was trying to think positive. Maybe having Winry talk to Al was the best thing. If there was anyone Al would talk to about the abuse it would be her. Ever since they were children, Al had always had a soft spot for Winry, maybe even a little crush. They did used to fight all the time over who would marry her. Edward laughed lightly at the memory.
"Who were you talking to, brother?" asked Alphonse.
"Just Winry. Guess what? She's coming to Central, today even!"
Al's face automatically lit up. "Yay! Winry's coming!" he said with childish delight. "Why is she coming over so quick, brother?"
"She couldn't resist not seeing her prince charming for another day," sighed Edward dramatically, making Alphonse go as red as a tomato. This made Edward go into a long fit of laughter.
"Shutup brother!" snapped the young boy. He took a pillow off the couch and smacked Ed over the head with it.
"Oh you're in for it now, Al!" playfully warned Edward, jumping up from where he was sitting and chasing his giggling brother down the hallway, pillow in hand. "Come back here so I can get my revenge!"
They ended up having a huge pillow fight, resulting in one permanently damaged pillow, and sporting some red marks from where they hit eachother multiple times with just the pillow covers. It was something Edward fully enjoyed. Seeing his little brother laugh, especially knowing what he does now, makes these times all the more special to him. Edward would do anything to see his little brother smile, even act like a complete goof.
At first Ed thought raising a ten year old was going to be nothing but a thorn in his side. Not to say that Al was a thorn in his side, but he wasn't equipped to raise a ten year old. Hell, he had been only seventeen! It was a daunting task for any seventeen year old. At first he considered moving back to Resembool so Winry and Aunt Pinako could help (they were all too willing) but with Al so sickly he didn't want to risk moving him for quite a while. So he was left with no options but to take care of him himself.
But, of course, there was Mustang. Damn him. He made it seem like he swooped in at their time of need and helped Edward start his new life. He helped him get a nice house for cheap, even helped with bills, all the while molesting Al under Ed's nose. How could he have not seen the signs? Mustang never showed that side of himself to Ed. If he had tried to molest Ed when he had become his subordinate he would have gotten an automail fist rammed down his throat.
As the time of Winry's arrival drew close, Edward became increasingly nervous. How was he going to give this news? How was she going to react? Surely she'd want to go off and murder the bastard just as Ed does, but he'd unfortunately have to stop her.
Then there was the afterwards to worry about. She'd want to get the truth out of Al, but how would they be able to do that? He was obviously too scared to tell them anything. They would have to convince him, somehow, that Mustang wasn't going to do any more damage to him. Now Edward knew, and would do what he should have done in the beginning, which is protect him at all costs.
"B-Brother, hahaha! Sta-haha-hap it!" Alphonse begged as Edward tickled his sides.
"Say Uncle!"
"Ne-hehehe-ver!"
"Then I'm not stopping!" Edward said. He knew his brother was extremely ticklish, and it was so funny just to see him writhe underneath him in a desperate attempt to get away.
"I-I'll hahahaa gehehet you bahahahack eeeee!" he squealed when Ed reached his underarms and his efforts to get free increased doubled. He finally managed to wiggle out from underneath Ed and ran down the hallway back into the living room. This is where he saw the time and said, "Um, brother? I think we're late for getting Winry."
"What? No way! Crap. She'll be pissed!"
IIIII
"I was here for half an hour, Edward! Did you forget about me? Am I that forgettable?" snapped Winry, even making people passing by flinch.
"Al and I were messing around lost track of time. I'm sorry, okay?"
"No, it's not okay!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "I rushed over here by your request and you forget. Nice going, Ed."
"You're acting as though you were here for two hours. Quit your griping and get in the car."
"Don't worry, Al, I'm not mad at you," said Winry kindly. She ruffled his hair with a smile that could light up a room. Alphonse blushed lightly at the touch. "Now give me a hug."
The two hugged and Alphonse could see Edward grinning over Winry's shoulder. He gave his little brother a thumbs up and mouthed 'Good job'. Al stuck his tongue out at his brother in return. When they let go of eachother Winry looked over Al, as though seeing if any harm had been brought to him. Ed figured it was because he had insinuated Al wasn't completely okay.
"Are you feeling okay?" asked Winry concernedly.
"Um . . . yeah," said the twelve year old slowly, not knowing why this question was being asked.
"Good. Now let's get going."
The three got into the car, Edward driving and Al and Winry in the back. Edward mostly made promises of taking the two shopping, since Winry kept hinting that she needed that new and updated screwdriver she saw advertised, and as for taking Al shopping, well, he simply wanted to see his younger brother happy. If this meant spoiling him, so be it.
When they arrived at Edward's home, they entered the house, all smiles. Edward began to feel guilty that he was setting the mood high because Winry was going to get the shock of her life. He wasn't going to do it right away, probably after Al went to sleep so they wouldn't be disturbed. It was the getting Al to sleep part that worried him--he could be quite manic when there were guests, especially Winry.
Ed lugged his friend's things to her room. She had followed him and seemed to have something to say playing upon her lips, but she was holding it back. It was so unlike Winry that Ed felt the need to ask, "What's going on? You're usually vocal about what you want to say. So say it."
"What's wrong with Al?" she asked nervously. "He seems fine. I mean, when I looked at him, he seemed okay, but . . . "
"There seems to be something a bit off, right?" said Ed. "I'll tell you after Al's gone to sleep. If he walked in on it he would be very upset."
Winry nodded, determination set in her jaw. "All right then. But you promise? Promise you'll tell me the whole truth."
"I promise, Winry. I have no more secrets."
"Brother! Winry! Where are you--oh, here you are," said Al, a smile on his face. Then it became mock-serious as he added, "No whispering. Mom always said whispering doesn't make friends."
"What do you guys want for dinner?" asked Edward of Al and Winry, changing the subject not-so-subtly.
"How about I cook? I'm surprised Al has survived up to this point on your cooking," joked Winry.
"Hey! Don't make jokes at my expense!"
Ignoring him completely she said, "Now let's see what you have in stock." She opened the cupboards she found mostly cereal, peanut butter, bread, and jelly. "What? Do you guys live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? That's hardly healthy."
Edward laughed nervously. "We mostly eat out."
"Yeah but brother said we have to stop eating out so much now that he quit the military." Al seemed to catch the glare his elder brother threw his way because he slapped a hand over his mouth immediately afterwards.
Winry's anxiety sky-rocketed at this news. "What does he mean you quit the military?"
Edward had his back to his younger brother, facing Winry, when he mouthed 'Not right now. I'll explain later'.
"Sorry, brother," said Al, backing up slowly, his head down. "I-I shouldn't have brought th-that up."
"Al, Al, calm down. It's okay. I'm not upset, see?" Ed said, making sure to keep his tone light. He was a little perturbed that Al had said it so freely but he wasn't upset with him.
He's not upset because he's worried that you're upset with him, stupid, chided an inner voice of Ed's. He's upset because of what's associated with you quitting the military. Mustang. The molestation. All that.
Edward put his hands on Al's shoulders and tried to look him in the face. On purpose Al was avoiding making eye contact. His shame at the chain of events made him unable to look his brother in the eye. It saddened Ed immensely that Al was carrying this burden of guilt around with him when it absolutely and unequivocally was not his fault. Al's shoulders began to shake slightly and Ed seriously worried he was going to have a panic attack. Unsure what to do, he looked at Winry for help.
"Al, stay with me," said Winry, prying a hand away from his face and holding it in hers. "I don't know why you're upset, I wish I did, so why don't you tell me?"
Al shook his head slowly. "N-N-No. I-I can't."
"Why not?" She asked, an innocent tone in her voice.
"Be-Because . . . " Then he muttered something under his breath. "I-I'll be o-okay you guys."
"You don't seem okay though," said Winry. "Tell you what. Why don't you help me out at the grocery store and cook dinner, and then we'll all talk when you're more comfortable, 'k?"
"O-okay," said Al, still sounding unsure.
Thank goodness for Winry. She's a real lifesaver, thought Edward as his best friend guided Al to the table where she sat him down and allowed him the time to calm. Then she got a notepad and started a list of the food they needed, occasionally asking Al to chime in so he wouldn't be left alone with his emotions. Edward was simply amazed at her work. She'd accomplished much more than he had in the past few days. Whenever Al had a panic attack he had tried to talk him through it. He never thought of letting him cool off on his own.
I've been an idiot, thought Ed.
"Hellooo? Amestris to Edward?" said Winry, waving a hand in front of his face.
Ed blinked and took a startled step backwards. "I'm here, I'm here. Um, what was it . . . ?"
"We're going to the store. That is, if you want to drive us. We could walk if you want to take a nap or something. It's perfectly fine with me."
Edward couldn't stand the thought of Al wandering the streets without him, especially with Mustang walking around a free man. Even if Winry was there, there was little she could do against a large man like Roy.
"Let's get going then."
IIIII
"Whoo! I'm exhausted!"
"You barely carried anything! Al and I did all of the work!" complained Edward, setting down four large bags of food.
"Well it's exhausting work watching you two work your butts off. Aren't you tired, Al? It is getting late," observed Winry.
"I am a little sleepy," he admitted, setting down his own bags. "I'll take a bath before I go to bed, though."
"Good, good. I'll make dinner while you're doing that and then it's off to bed with you."
"But Winry--"
"No but's Al. Young men need their sleep and you're no different."
Alphonse trudged off towards his bath. Meanwhile, Winry took time assembling the dinner they would be eating. Edward sat at the table, watching her work. He silently thanked Winry for doing what she's done all day -- keep Al and him in check. Ed had been about to lose his head over all of this drama, and she had come in and saved the day. Every moment was looking brighter and brighter because of her prescence.
And now he had to ruin it all by telling her the truth.
"Winry, you deserve an explanation--"
"I can wait until he goes to bed," said Winry, stirring the slow-brewing stew.
"Well I can't," said Edward. "It's . . . it's too overwhelming, Winry."
"Ed?" Worry seeped into her tone.
"You have to promise not to freak out on me first, though I'll understand if you do because I couldn't contain myself either." Edward couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with her. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm down then added, "You, of course, remember Mustang."
Winry's heartbeat quickened at the mention of the man who had killed her parents. "What happened?"
"He . . . he did something unforgiveable . . . to Al. The bastard's been molesting him for I don't know how long--"
"What?" shrilled Winry. The ladle she was stirring with fell into the pot, forgotten about. Tears sprang to her eyes and she said, "That's impossible! He seemed fine! I-I-I-Oh, Ed, that's . . . " She covered her face in her hands. "Why didn't he say anything? Did he say something to you, is that how you found out?"
"Hawkeye found Mustang . . . I won't even say what he was making Al do, but--" Edward gripped his pants tightly in a failing attempt to keep his cool, "She found them doing something and then she called the police. I was about to head off to Megeor when Armstrong got me off of the train. We went to Mustang's house where I had entrusted Al to that monster."
"Mustang is in jail, isn't he?"
Edward stayed silent. It was better than voicing his thoughts of ripping the older man to shreds.
"Ed, say something to me. Tell me he's in jail." Winry looked out from underneath her fingers to see her friend shake his head. She sobbed then, "Why not? He should be locked away for life! That--That sick--! How could he? You trusted him!"
"Winry . . . " Edward absolutely hated seeing her in tears. They were the tears he couldn't summon. He reached out to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, then drew her in close, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'm sorry, Winry. You have no idea how sorry I am."
"W-why should you be sorry?"
"I did nothing. I didn't protect him like I should have."
"If you want to play the blame game, then it's my fault too. I came here and I interacted with Al and I didn't do an-anything," she said, breaking down into fresh tears. "If you start blaming yourself then you won't be able to help Al. You need to help him, Ed. We both do."
"That's the thing. He won't admit to anything. He says he and Mustang are friends and that his 'friend would never hurt him'."
"Why would he do that?"
"Maybe he's scared, I don't know. All I can think about is how I wasn't there for him. How alone he must have been, holding that secret . . . " Edward's hands began to shake from the fury he was holding back. "But you're right. We need to help him in any way we can and we're of no use to him in this condition. We need to be stronger."
"I don't know if I can." Winry paused, then added in a deadly whisper, "I just want to go out and kill him."
"So do I but that won't solve anything, unfortunately," said Edward. "We need to get Al to admit to being hurt, first off, so we can get Mustang in jail. Then we need to get him into, I don't know, some sort of counseling? I'd hate to leave him without anyone to talk to and I'm not sure I could handle the details."
"I'll get him to admit it," Winry said bravely. She wiped her tears away and put on a look of absolute resolve.
"But how? I've been trying these last few days and I got nothing out of him. He's turns a deaf ear to anything I say on the subject."
Winry turned the stove off, knowing the stew was now past saving. She sighed, "We're going to have to eat out. I'll pay for it, don't worry. And I'll find out a way. It's just a matter of his gaining his trust."
"I have his trust. I'm his brother," reminded Ed, his tone severe.
"I'm not saying he doesn't trust you. I'm saying that he needs to trust someone else." Winry tapped her chin in thought, trying to think of an example. "Think of it this way, if you were molested, would you want Al knowing?"
"No!" Was his immediate answer.
"That's why Al hasn't told you yet. There's your answer."
"But that doesn't make any sense! I'm the older brother, I bear the responsibility! He's supposed to come to me with these things," growled Ed, throwing his arms up in disbelief. "What kind of backwards nonsense is this?"
"It's not supposed to make sense. None of this makes sense. I can't imagine Mustang as a child molester, can you?"
"I always thought he was a pervert, for women I mean, but I had no idea . . . for little boys . . . bastard. "
"Ed, none of us saw this coming. It's not your fault. Please, don't blame yourself, because if you do I'll be forced to smack some sense into you." She smiled a sad smile, hoping he'd follow suit, but he could only manage a slight smirk.
"I should have known from the constant nightmares that there was something seriously wrong. But he said it was memories of mom dying and I bought it."
Winry remained silent. She knew that no matter how many times she said "it's not your fault" Ed would spin it around and somehow make it his sin to carry. He'd been doing that since he and Alphonse were ten and eleven, when their mother died. It's always been his fault, time and time again.
Edward even went into explanation of what happened the other day, watching as she went from intrigued to shocked as he told the story of how Al was in Mustang's care once again even under Havoc's watch. It wasn't really Havoc's fault, since he hadn't heard the horror story.
"I wish I knew what he had said to him. He told Al to 'remember what they talked about' but I haven't gotten a word out of him since."
"We'll know, in time," said Winry. "Just be patient. We aren't going to get this out of him in a day. Think of the pain he must be going through and how embarrassed he feels. It's not something that's easy to admit to."
"I know, I know," said Edward.
"Brother! Can you hear me? There's no clean towels in here and I'm dripping wet!"
"I'm busy! I'll send Winry!"
Edward snickered at the little shriek of a "No, brother, don't do that!" Al let out.
"You shouldn't mess with him like that," droned Winry. "Poor kid'll have a heart attack."
Edward got up and went to take care of the situation while Winry went to her room to gather herself for a night out to eat.
We'll make it through this, thought Winry boldly. We will, because I'm afraid of what will happen if we don't.
IIIII
Maybe you like it, maybe you don't. I'll never know unless you review. I kinda like it but then again I find it to be . . . I don't know. It's one in the morning and I'm tired. But I'm writing to the soothing singing of our dear Vic Mignogna so I'm content.
Now review, my friends!
