Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of its characters. I do, however own this plot and such so, meh…
Warnings: Confusing parts in the very beginning (it might not make much sense), yaoi (boyxboy, don't like then hit the back button or read another fic.), and maybe some OCness…though I'm not quite sure if it's that bad…
There is a good reason for Ed's and Al's seemingly switched personalities…-laughs- it'll become clearer later on..
Strings of the Heart
Movement 7: Talks and Closer Contact
Ed slammed the door to the band room open, re, ready to give Mustang hell for making him ditch his brother. And I was planning to apologize to him right then to-
But any attempts at rage died on his tongue as soon as he heard the low clear tone of a violin.
Ed leaned against the doorway, dumbstruck as for a few brief blissful moments the music, hauntingly familiar, wrapped around his shivering form. He deftly, unconsciously rubbed at his automail arm before realizing that he couldn't experience goosebumps on that arm anymore…
It's like that first time…I saw him…all over again…
Mustang was sitting on a black swivel chair, much like one that could be seen used by top executives. Deep black eyes fluttered shut; he held his instrument firmly but delicately, fingers dancing in impossible arpeggios. Ed was now naturally drawn to him in an almost critical way-no, not an appraising way, he firmly told himself. But was that true? Ed gazed at the man, breathing deeply in time to the notes sprawling from skilled fingers. Draw up…slid…dive down…and hazel eyes traveled slowly to Mustang's face. Pale, brow only with the faintest crease of concentration, he seemed otherwise almost absentminded…dark, long eyelashes fluttered slightly on his cheeks then stilled and Ed quickly looked away.
His eyelashes are rather long…Ed forced himself to look back at him and was met with a sudden silence and two slightly blank-looking onyx eyes.
"So you came Edward." Ed felt a deep pang of-disappointment? resentment?-as the male lowered the violin resting below his chin. "I was hoping you would-"
"Just get to the point already." Ed's old, irritated mood returned with a vengeance. He shifted on his feet, realizing with a sinking heart that he would have had to come here anyways to pick up his instrument, even in Mustang didn't call him down. Crap. "I need to go home, Al's probably ticked because of what I said to him earlier and I don't have time for your shitting me."
Roy blinked, setting his instrument down in its open case next to his feet. Yet another new little cuss word you flying my way...
"Your brother, I presume then? What happened?" The man seemed to have the nerve to actually sound like he cared. And the expression to match it…Ed realized too late that he had let his traitorous mouth slip loose again. That only set off the already smoldering anger within Ed. He was mad at himself for everything else already and Roy had only just lit the last straw in setting his dormant rage ablaze.
"It's none of your DAMN business!" Ed shouted, fists clenching. "You think you're so high and mighty, criticizing me every sadistic chance you get! What am I, your damn scapegoat for all your own little flaws??" Ed sighed, running his fingers through his rather frazzled bangs. "Look, I just don't have the time for any crap and if you have nothing important to tell me except to nit pick me, then you and your ego can stick it because I have nothing to say to you!"
"But I do." Roy whispered dangerously, closing the lid of his case shut with his foot. Ed winced visibly as the lid slammed shut with a bang. That was no way to treat an instrument case that rare in that way-! "This thing's gone though more abuse than your flimsy one could handle, which is more than I can say for its owner." Ed opened his mouth to give him another nasty retort but his teacher beat him to it. "But not that I have nor ever would-I treasure it too much. Now as for everything else you threw so ungraciously in my face-I do not think myself high and mighty. No in fact, I think myself rather pathetic." At this Ed snorted in disbelief.
"Right, and the way you play is pathetic." Ed glanced down to the closed case with bitter envy. "You…play… perfectly." Roy drew back slightly, then straightened up in the chair. After a pause. he rose from it and stood up, shaking his head.
"Then you really are a bit too foolish for your own good. I am not perfect, Edward, no one is…did I not teach you that this morning? The alignment of the heart is in knowing that there will be imperfections. So, in leading to that next little comment, I don't scapegoat anyone for my own mistakes…or, well, no scratch that." Roy rested his index finger on his right temple in a parody of deep thinking. "In fact…the only person I have never scapegoat my own 'flaws' as you put it, is you." Now it was Ed who looked taken aback, not by his words so much as the sincerity in his voice. I don't think…I've ever heard him say anything so truthfully transparent… "I have done so all my life, blaming others constantly for my misfortunes. But never you…."
Ed folded his arms defensively and tried to ignore the slow increase in his heart rate.
"And for all my nit picking, it's done you a lot of good actually-"
"Yeah right! Done me good!" Ed snorted in scorn, tugging on the end of his braid. "As if! Did me enough good to cause me a huge headache whenever I left your class-"
"But you're playing better, getting better because of it…" Mustang interjected calmly, crouching down to pick up his case. Ed noted once again, how careful he was in handling it and wondered vaguely if he had ever treated anyone else with that soft, gentle respect…
No. Wait….what…where did that…where did I get that from…? Stop thinking like that! He's a bastard! Bastard, bastard, bastard...
"No I'm not." Ed lied stubbornly, folding his arms even more defensively. After a rather incredulous look and a raised eyebrow, Ed huffed. "Well, maybe just a little bit…" And Mustang smirked, setting Ed off on yet another short burst of temper. "And what the hell's with that smirk of yours? You know that that look…" Ed searched for the right word and the only that came up was-"…pisses… me off when you do it…"
"That's why I do it." Roy chuckled lightly as he disappeared into his office for a few minutes before reappearing. "Because you just get so worked up over the smallest things…"
"You find some sick humor in that, don't you bastard…?" Ed mumbled under his breath. At this Mustang raised one eyebrow.
"Your vocabulary's gotten very colorful these past two weeks-"
"Oh has it really been that long since you've been around?" Ed grumbled loudly as he stalked off past the black haired man into the instrument room. The nerve of that man…! Commenting on everything he said now as if he were telling someone a rather dull story. He acts like he's very familiar with me… "Because I could really have sworn it was much longer than that."
"So then, it's all because I happened to show up? That's the reason for all the cuss words?" Roy was leaning on the doorway to the smaller room with his arms crossed as Ed pulled out his case from the shelf. Roy couldn't help that half smile, half smirk-was that even possible?- from erupting on his face. "That's rather enlightening, am I supposed to feel special now?"
"No, you selfish prick, argh!" Ed swore loudly as the case accidentally half crushed his flesh finger. "Owwww…" He quickly yanked the violin case up and off his finger and lugged it comfortably in his automail hand. Hand that dropped on his automail finger…he really didn't want to think about that one.
"Oh that's a new one too…let me guess, you picked it up from Al too?" Mustang commented airily as Ed stomped past him. Ed whirled on him, glaring.
"Okay, I really am getting fed up with your familiar attitude-don't joke around me like you've known me since I was like 5, because you obviously haven't! And Al has nothing-okay, yes he does but that's not the point here!" Ed closed his eyes in frustration for a minute, then reopened them. "You said you wanted to discuss something urgent with me. Now, get to the point-what is it?"
How ironic…
"A bit persistent, aren't we? Show a little of that during class some time and I probably would let you off half the time anyways…" Mustang really couldn't help that jab but apparently he didn't know the rather astonishing affect of those words-or rather one word in particular.
"What?? HEY, WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE HE COULDN"T KEEP UP THE STUBBORNESS OF A BASTARD HALF AS PERSISTANT AS YOU ARE??" Ed made a rather comical display of stomping on the ground and waving his arms around crazily. Somehow, Mustang noted with a weird sense of calm that his violin case seemed to not fly open even under Ed's violently erratic movements. After Ed seemed to finally calm down, Roy snickered.
"I didn't say anything like that, Edward. Now, if you quite losing that rather short temper of yours I could actually get around to-"
"I AM NOT SHORT!!" And suddenly it dawned on Roy.
Ohhhhh……!! Little…short…he hates those words…
"I didn't say that, for the last time Edward, now sit down before you have a hernia or something equally bloody…" Sighing and looking slightly burnt out, Ed plopped down in one of the chairs the class normally used for practice. "Now…" Roy paused, wondering vaguely what words to choose to grant the least explosive response.
Because either way, when he understands the full implications…
"First off, this is really something quite…random, I suppose but…" Roy gazed at him intently, with all seriousness. "Have you had any private tutors or have had private tutoring?"
Instantly, Ed's mind went to two people-the man who said he wasn't patient enough, who told him right before his 6th birthday that he could never really make it…
And the man who became everything that Ed wanted to be-and more.
"Yes.." And a small rare, distant smile plastered itself on his face. Roy seemed to frown for a fleeting moment but he shrugged.
"That's to be expected, of course…at this level, there had to be something else that came into play, not just your genius…" Was it just him, or was their a hidden implication in Roy's words? Or was it, like Al, just a well-thought out suspicion? "Well, then are you currently under a tutor right now?"
Ed glanced up at him for a few minutes-what was that? He opened his mouth and froze.
What…am I supposed to say? I do yet I don't…The question seems innocent enough, but…I'm getting a weird feeling about this…In fact I'm getting a weird feeling by all of this…Ed forced himself to look away from the man yet a second time to focus his gaze on his case. I mean…well, this is the first slightly civilized conversation we've had and as much as I don't like to admit it…when the tweak's not criticizing me he's not half bad…Maybe.
Despite that he nodded slightly and this time, there was an odd blank look on Mustang's face.
"Oh…funny, but I found a black feather lying by your chair this morning after you left…" Ed reeled slightly in the chair, looked up and instinctively shrank back against it.
What…?? Why does Mustang suddenly look…betrayed?
The older male indeed looked a bit betrayed and suddenly-scandalized? "Nothing big, but I saw it fall out of your case…and…well…You haven't…been…hurting anything…living have you?" And Ed almost burst out laughing in relief. But knowing Roy, it would have come off as being very, very unusual if he started laughing now. He thought I was…killing birds or something?? Oh wow….that's just…well…
"What? You sicko, no, no…"Ed still couldn't contain a rather nervous laugh. "I don't do that kind of thing, but honestly where did that come from?" For the life of me, I…where did that topic come from…?
"Well," Mustang dug into his pocket before extracting an inky black feather. Instantly, Ed's eyes traveled to it. "It looked a bit too long, wide and unusual for just any bird, but…it seemed like it meant a lot to you, if you carried it around in your violin case of all things…" Ed frowned. That's a very dangerous assumption…Mustang.
"And you would assume this…how?" But inwardly Ed was shuddering. Mustang…you're treading on shaky, dangerous grounds now…so be careful…
"Ah, that's the question of the day isn't it?" The man smiled finally taking a seat next to the wary blond. "It seems to be a habit of all violinists really, and it's not surprising that you, with the talent you posses, do what professionals do…" He glanced down briefly, winding his long fingers delicately over the feather. "They store keepsakes…of beloveds, people they hold incredibly dear to themin the cases to remember them, to feel strengthened…and the habit, if I'm not mistaken, hasn't escaped you as well…"
The words registered and in a small part of Ed's brain he was panicking greatly over it. Was his deep love that apparent, that anyone, who knew the signs, could read into it? But another part of him-a very large part- was more interested in what Mustang's own violin case told-if it had anything to tell about anyone he held as "beloved".
"Oh…well, I guess it hasn't then…" Ed mumbled, fingering the edge of it, inadvertently telling the man that, yes, it was a keepsake, a reminder of someone akin to a lover. But…has it escaped yours, Mustang? Or…is there someone you hold beloved too…?
"Well, then I suppose this is yours, I might as well give it back, it's really not rightfully mine anyways…"
Ed sighing inwardly in relief took the feather and the awkward moment between them-Ed suddenly realizing that there had been one-had finally passed.
"Which now brings me to what I meant to tell you." Ed now sat up a bit, more attentive, slipping the feather into his pocket. "Your parents called me this morning after class, telling me…about hiring a new tutor for you. Apparently, they thought it was time you started getting someone who could be steady with you and apparently, hearing about my wonderful-but not to me-credentials, they asked my opinion."
"And what…did you tell them?" Ed asked slowly. He already wasn't liking the sound of this…
"That I wasn't sure…that maybe hiring a tutor without your consent, now that you're actually old enough to decide, wasn't the smartest things in the world…" And with your kind of temperament, it really isn't…he added to himself as an afterthought.
"Well, that's rather noble of you to stick up for my 'best interests' and I'm so indebted to you." Ed grumbled dryly. "I've dealt with my parents before on this, so don't get all worked up over nothing…"
"Hm. I see then." There was a long silence after this. Ed, slightly nervous now, turned to look at the clock and Mustang seemed to understand the gesture immediately.
"Is that all, Mustang?" Ed inquired politely, this time with no trace of sarcasm. Roy nodded. Nodding in return, Ed made a movement to get up but was suddenly stopped by the man's sudden grip on his wrist.
Eh…?
"I just hope…" He whispered quietly. "That you won't get too…stressed out…when you get home today. By anyone…or anything you hear..."
Trying to ignore the slight heat creeping into his face, Ed casually yanked his hand away-which had thankfully been his left one- and turned away. It wasn't uncomfortable being touched by Mustang-and that alone was what disturbed him. It was in his familiarity in dealing with him, and that too…like it was all natural for him to just reach out and grab a hold of his wrist…he couldn't stand being around him half the time as it was and yet…
It doesn't bother me…
Which is why it disturbs me the most.
"Smart one, with a teacher like you, there's not much more I can get stressed out about…"
And Ed, actually using his brain for once, made a record breaking exit.
-#-
When Ed got home he was greeted by a sudden flurry of maids twittering past him and the rather large entertainment room. Ed rolled his eyes and catching Al in the very far corner of the room looking back at him, his younger brother made a gagging motion. Ed busted up laughing, which had seemingly gone unnoticed by the maids-all of whom were female. Well at least Al doesn't seem mad at me any more…but I'll still talk to him later… A maid greeted him cheerfully-way too cheerfully from normal standards. Ed meekly answered back and walked into the room. It was then he could keenly hear the latest "gossip."
"Oh…really, now did you see…?"
"Such a handsome, simply beautiful-"
"He has no right to be male and yet that pretty…!"
"Ohhhh, so then you must be jealous!"
"Well, who wouldn't be?" A maid looked intently at Ed and wincing he edged away from the group. "I mean, Master Edward Elric is under him, has all his attentions…"
"Oh please, the man can't be gay, with his looks." Another twittered. "I mean, goodness, his smile-!"
"Urgh save me now…" Ed moaned quietly, walking out of the room. Girls gossiping about guys…and like that? He'd always had enough sense to stay away from most of the maids anyways-especially the way his younger brother always caused hell for them. Apparently, by the sound of that, that meant there was a visitor. It must have been a very, very good looking one, since they hadn't been in this much of an uproar since…well, since never.
I can't believe them…girls…Ed shook his head again and walked out of the room. It's just a visitor, nothing more…geez, but that was unexpected…wait, didn't they say something about him being here for me or something? Oh no…He rubbed his forehead. That better not be for that whole tutoring thing…awwww, man….
"I am really going to have a talk with them…" The blond growled. They're not supposed to just go off like this and-
But his line of thought was interrupted when, out of nowhere, a warm gentle hand laid itself on Ed's shoulder and a voice whispered,
"A talk with whom….Edward…?"
Hazel eyes shot open and with a jolt he realized…
It's him…!
-#-#-#-
Waaaa!! Evil cliff ahngers!!! –winces- not cool I know…but meh, who's "him"? gaaaaa….
Ehehehe…I know you all might want to hurt me but please reviews-hurting le author will not solve anything…-laughs nervouslynd hugs dragon plushie-
