I felt the bath water, it was nice and warm. Looking around the bathroom I saw condensation on the window and I drew a smiley face on it. Trying to forget about my farther and my past I undressed. Letting my shirt slide of my arms and unbuckling my belt I looked down at myself. I really was skinny wasn't I? I had been that orphanage for a year now. Maybe longer, I lose track of time so easily. Before that I was just shifted from home to care and back again. No one really wanting me too long. Always dumping me whenever they could.
I was always "too troublesome" for them. Their way of saying they couldn't put up with me and my behavior. The last school I went to... They outright hated me. I never wanted to go to another school again, not after that one. It was just too horrible, I could never tell anyone about it. Let alone Roy.
Pulling the towels through the house I paused at the living room door. I looked in again at the paper figurine. It was truly amazing, for his age I was surprised he could even do alchemy at all. But then again what exactly was his age? He wore 11-13 so he must be in that age range right? I wonder when his birthday is...
Walking up the stairs I tried to work out how he had done the transmutation without a circle? Did he have some hidden under his gloves? But that didn't make much sense, why would he do that? I walked into the bathroom and froze. Edward was standing with his back to the door clearly lost in his own thoughts. There was a smiley face drawn on the window and clothes around the room. But that isn't what caught my attention. It was his body. He was skinny, really really skinny. I could see his spine and ribs very clearly though his skin. I didn't realise how thin he was until now. He had scars as well. Small ones over one leg and one arm and a few big ones along his back. I couldn't see the front so I had no idea how many he had. Over twenty from what I could see at least.
But none of this truly shocked me. He had been through the works, but... His arm and leg where not even of flesh and bone. He had automail. He turned around and saw me. I tried to put a poker face on but I just couldn't. How did he lose his limbs?
"Ah!" He grabbed a towel from me and pulled it around him. Trying to cover up his metal limbs. He hid his face under his hair and curled up into a small shaking ball on the floor. When I began to walk over to him, he flinched like I was going to attack him.
"It's okay Edward." I bent down to his level, as he tried to hide his face behind the towel. I tried to think of what to say to him. To be honest I was horrified. I knew he had a bad past with the fire and all but I had no idea about this. Then I felt something touch my hand. Looking away from him and down I saw his automail hand clinging to mine. It was cold against mine, and small. I wrapped both my hands around it and out of the corner of my eye saw him peep up at me. "I didn't know you had automail Edward." He flinched at my words, breathing faster. "But this doesn't change anything. I want you as my son." I looked into his crying eyes. He was shaking and trying to shift away from me.
I reached out but he pulled even further back from me. He eyes full of tears and pain. His eyes where not quite focused on me however, they where on something else that wasn't here. He was remembering something. Still spaced out he slowly shook his head. "It's okay Edward. I am here."
Snapping out of it he yelled. "You don't most of it!" He covered his face with his small mismatched hands. "If you do you won't want me any more!" I pulled him into a hug and he gasped trying to pull away. "You don't understand!" He was yelling now trying to punch me weakly.
"Shhh." I rubbed his back slowly until he was calm one more. "Now are you listing?" He nodded, head leaning on my chest. "No matter what you have been through I want to be able to look after you. I just need to know something first."
"... What?" His voice trembling and his hands fisting on my shirt. "Do you really want me?" Pushing away I looked into his eyes. I needed to know, did he really want another farther. I really didn't want to force myself upon him. "I don't want to replace your lost family or take over anyone you love dearly. If you want I can just be Roy. Not you farther, or uncle or whatever. Just someone who cares for you. Would you like that?"
He smiled nodding. "I.. You could never take over from mom and Winry and Alphonse." I assumed those there the names of his siblings, those I tried so well to save four years ago. "I really do want you to be there though. So.. So please don't leave me like everyone else!" Sobbing into shirt he wrapped his arms around me. I rubbed his back again, in slow circles. "I should tell you. I know I should. But I don't want to." He whimpered into my chest. I clung to his small form, he really did need all that food after all.
"You don't have to tell me anything, unless you really want to. Okay?" Nodding he pulled away and shakily stood up. I kept my arms out worried that he would fall. He really was skin and bone. "I think... I think I should go in the bath now." Nodding I walked out the room leaving him on his own.
"If you need me just yell." He nodded and I walked downstairs. My god, what had he been through? All those scars, the ones on the outside and inside. I recalled what he said to me. "So.. So please don't leave me like everyone else!" Clearly he had been rejected a lot in his life. Lost and alone for all this time. Just like me...
Shivering I sat down on the sofa and remembered what it was like in care. I never really knew my mother, she left me next to the garbage to die after giving birth to me. I realised now that she was not to blame. She clearly would not of been able to take care at me, I knew nothing about her but her actions clearly showed the kind of person she was. As a child I grew up knowing she never wanted me and tried to throw me away with the trash.
I had hell in care over that, the kids making huge fun at me. It was okay after Madame Christmas adopted me, but it still hurt. She was lovely but was never going to be my mother. Edward must be in so much pain knowing his farther left the rest of his family alone. Did his father even know most of them where dead now? If he ever went back he would get one hell of a shock. The photo's I had seen of the place after the fire showed how bad it was. Everything burned down. All that was left was rubble and a burnt tree upon the hill.
His farther had to be found, if he was still alive that was. Sighing I walked over to the phone and called up the fire station.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Maes. I was wondering if it would be okay to take a few days off, maybe more?" I could hear him humming, thinking it over.
"I can't exactly say no as you are owed weeks of time off that you have never taken. But as I friend I would rather you didn't. Are you okay?" It was then I realised he thought I had been in my bed depressed all day.
"Oh! I am fine, I have a lot to tell you but I really have to sort all this stuff out first."
"Really now?" I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. "Roy, whats going on?"
"I... I can't exactly tell you right now. If you can come over tomorrow, maybe on your lunch break I can show you."
"Show me!" He was alarmed now, yelling down the phone. "What have you done this time?" Then there was silence. "You haven't got a girlfriend have you!"
"Wha-? No!"
"Oh. Well you should, and get married and have a cute little kid! They would make you so happy and-"
"I have to go. Come over if you can, okay?" I hung up without waiting for a reply. Maes Hudges was my best friend, but could talk about his wife and daughter all day if you gave him the chance. As my best friend I was sure he would get along with Edward, but I was really unsure of how Edward would react. He seemed so... Inclosed. I knew that feeling and it wasn't good at all.
The bath was really nice, I couldn't remember the last time I had a one. Cleaning myself was easy, trying to get the gritty dirt out of my automail was not.
"This is impossible!" I grumbled giving up, laying back in the warm water. He used to have a whole booklet of how to care for automail a few years ago, but some little shits got hold of it and destroyed it. He tried to remember what it said about cleaning. But honestly he barely read the book, it was so uninteresting. The kind of things he was into was alchemy not mechanics. That was the kind of thing his sister would of loved...
Shaking his head he tried to forget, and washed his face. The cool metal ran over his face, he felt it over. It would be with me forever, a permanent reminder of my mistakes. Everything I had done wrong. Getting out he dried and walked across the landing with the towel tightly wrapped around him.
I didn't want Roy to see me again, and pity me. I got what I deserved when I had these stuck on. I didn't need anyone's pity... But it felt nice that he cared for me. Looking around I quickly realised he was still downstairs. Running unto my room and shutting the door I looked at all the bags. This must of cost so much. He really did care for me.
Going though them I found my new clothes, and pyjama's. Slipping them on I saw the gloves. Fingering them, I realised Roy already knew. I didn't need to wear them in the house. It had been so long since I had gone without gloves and it kinda felt weird.
Coming down the stairs I found Roy in the living room flicking though a book. I coughed and he looked up at me.
"Hi.." I mumbled feeling awkward. Here I was not long after crying on him, with no gloves on and he felt so at ease.
"Hi, want anything to eat?" I perched on the edge of a chair across from him.
"Yeah, I want my cookies back that you stole out of my bag." He frowned and for a moment I thought he might yell at me. But instead he burst out laughing and went into the kitchen.
When he came back he had the cookies and two glasses of... Milk. He set them down in the table and sat down with his glass. He then began to drink the stuff. Urg! Oh god I am gonna gag! I spun my head away from him and grabbed a handful of cookies. Shoving them all in my mouth I closed my eyes and tried not to think of that vomit inducing liquid.
I felt something cold touch my flesh hand. Opening my eyes I saw Roy trying to give me the milk.
"Come on, you can't just eat junk food. Have some milk, it's good for you!" Shaking my head quickly I jumped away from it.
"No way! I am not drinking that cows piss!" Roy frowned.
"You shouldn't use that kind of language Edward. And anyway it isn't cows piss." I shook my head.
"You shouldn't try to make me drink milk!" His eyebrows went up and he walked over to me with the glass.
"Stop it!" I yelled while running into the kitchen. He was grinning at me! "Wipe that grin off you face!" Shaking his head he drank the white stuff in one go. "Oh. My. God." I gasped as he went to the sink and washed the glass.
"So you don't like milk then?" Didn't like? Was he kidding! How could anyone like that vile stuff!
"I despise it! Don't ever try to give it me again!" I sat on the edge of the table and watched him watch me.
"You should drink some it would help you grow." Grow? Grow. GROW!
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT EVERYONE STEPS ON HIM AND THINKS HE IS A BEAN!"
"Woah, hold up I never said that" I scowled at him, I knew that's what he was implying. "I get it though, I won't make you drink the milk." Yes! Victory is sweet, but cookies where sweeter! I ran past him to eat the rest of them before he could stop him.
"Oi, I didn't say you can eat all those!" He ran in already too late. He took the plate away and frowned at me. "What am I gonna do you with you? Go upstairs and clean your teeth!"
"Yes sir!" I said with a mouthful.
So he didn't like milk, and had issues about his height? Now that I thought of it he is rather short. Did he get picked on in the orphanage for it? I washed up the plates from dinner and the cookies. I could hear the floorboards upstairs creak under his weight and it was weird. I was always alone in this home, with the exception of a few one nighter girls. But most of the time they stayed put in my bed. I guess I can't do that anymore with a kid and all... But then again some girls liked men with kids. Maybe this could work for me? Heheh.
After tidying everything downstairs I went up to see Edwards door open. Knocking on it I peeped in. He was half asleep in his bed with the light still on. Turning it off he sighed and turned over.
"Good night Edward."
"G'night Roy..." That night for the first time in years, I went to bed with a real smile.
Thanks SO much for the reviews and faves! I never thought I would get any. XD
To femalfullmetal6 This fic isn't based around me, but around someone who was brave enough to share their story.
