Notes: Wah! So sorry this is so late, those of you that have been waiting for it. Classes just started up again and things have been kinda hectic. I don't expect to be able to keep up with the schedule I'd been doing when this first started out, but I'll make sure to update at least once a week. Also, at this point, I'm going to try and split the perspectives now that Ed and Al are living together, just because there's some stuff I want to include that I wouldn't be able to if I'd stuck to just looking at things from Al's perspective. I think that's it.
Chapter 6: Moving
Russell had been notified the same day, apparently, about the move, and hadn't been very much happier about it. He wasn't deeply upset about it either, but he didn't appreciate getting thrown around without have a reason as to why.
Hughes wouldn't say a word -- couldn't, he said, because he didn't have any idea himself. What did that mean, the boys had asked, and he simply responded saying that Head Mistress Dante obviously had a reason for this and, eventually, their questions would be answered by her. Until then, they were expected to prepare for the move, as if it would take them very long to pack their things which were already stored in a traveling trunk at the feet of their beds anyway.
That evening at dinner, the only ones trying to keep a cool head about it were Russell and Fetcher. Winry and Panina were frustrated enough for everyone and even Rick and Leo were voicing similar concerns (namely in that the boys were being moved without any apparent explanation behind it), though not nearly as loudly. Alphonse, in the meantime, seemed to have been struck dumb by the entire affair.
"I still don't think it's fair to make you guys move without even giving a reason as to why."
Russell sighed wearily as he tried to explain to the girl again, "They don't need a reason, Winry; they're the ones in charge. They make up the rules and reserve the right to change them without warning. Besides, they never said they couldn't move you out of your dorm without telling you why."
"He's right, Winry," Fletcher added meekly, "It won't help anything just getting upset by it."
"Oh, be quiet, Fletcher."
The younger blonde immediately complied, dropping his eyes to his tray and missing the scowl his older brother sent Winry's way.
"Look, I don't understand why you're even upset about it in the first place. It's not like they're making you or Panina move."
"Well, you're not upset about it all, so we have to be upset for you," the blonde girl all but pouted.
"But if I'm not upset about it," Russell explained patiently, "Then don't you think that maybe, there's nothing to be upset about?" Winry just huffed and turned away, though she seemed to be slowly losing her resolve. Russell turned to Alphonse and held out a hand to him imploringly, "C'mon, Al, help me out here."
The other didn't seem to have been paying very much attention as he just blinked confusedly at his friend until he realized what Russell had asked. The shorter boy frowned slightly, giving a faint one-shouldered shrug before looking away, not making Russell feel better at all.
"Alphonse?"
"I can't room with Edward," the boy mumbled decisively.
Russell raised an eyebrow at him. "Why not?"
He tried to find the words to explain to his friends exactly why not but, just as with Mister Hughes, he was at a loss. "I just can't, okay?"
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Panina looking more than a little concerned. Alphonse wondered if it was because he appeared to be being irrational or she thought Edward had done something to him. The second thought made him unreasonably angry; to think that Edward might have done something to him!
The blonde shook his head, "I'll never it through the summer session, let alone 'til whenever they decide to move one of us."
"Aw, c'mon, Al," Panina soothed, forcing her former indignation for the boy's sake, "Ed's not that bad. And besides, he's barely ever in his room anyway; just ask Russell."
The blonde, while not seeming very pleased with the statement, nodded his agreement. But, while that did make him somewhat better, Alphonse was still reluctant. He could barely concentrate with the shorter boy in one of his classes; how was he expected to when they were living together, no matter how little he was the room?
It wasn't only a problem of intense fascination anymore; Envy had certainly made sure of that back in the library. He'd implanted the idea into Alphonse's mind that, even if he wasn't attracted to Edward, he could be. Now, he was hopelessly gone. Every memory he had of the other boy was now infected by Envy's insinuation. The blonde had already dreaded the day that Edward's punishment was over, but now, knowing that the would bring about the dreaded move...
Without another word, or listening to those of his friends, the blonde picked up his tray and left. If he gave a convincing excuse, he could get Master Hawkeye excuse him from the meal and escort him back to his dormitory. Even she seemed concerned for him, but merely nodded and informed Wrath and Envy as she led Alphonse out of the cafeteria.
He tried not to care, instead following the woman silently to his room. He had every intention of taking a good long hot shower and going to sleep. Russell had the right idea: The Head Mistress had decided to move them, and there was nothing else to it. She probably had a good reason but, even though Alphonse couldn't imagine what that was, it was useless to question or fight it. That much, he'd figured out; he'd come to terms with it, even. But he still had to figure out how he was going to manage living with Edward.
Head Mistress Dante didn't make an appearance the day of the move, which wasn't a surprise to anyone. Instead, she sent Envy as her personal spokesperson and overseer of the move itself. This, needless to say, upset Alphonse quite a bit, but he merely suffered in silence; while Edward, who had finally been released and hadn't yet been told of the move, was busy making a scene in the middle of the hallway.
"This is stupid," the short boy objected loudly as Russell passed him with another pile of books. "Why didn't anyone at least tell me!"
"You were in solitary confinement, Edward; how could anyone tell you?" Envy was getting far too much pleasure out of the situation than anyone should be allowed to; but he was doing an almost good job at hiding it.
Edward fumed at that, looking very much like he wanted to say something to that, but the Sin's eyes sparkled in a way that made it clear to everyone there that, whatever the blonde wanted to say, he couldn't; not in front of others, anyway.
Shifting his grip on his trunk as he slowly dragged it down the hall, Alphonse avoided looking at either Envy or Edward, though he couldn't help but listen in to their conversation. Russell helped him drag the trunk the rest of the way, looking calm and collected as always, and asked for help moving his own trunk. When they left the room, Envy and Edward were still arguing.
"Well just why the hell does he have to move anyway!" the boy demanded.
The two blonde's carrying Russell's trunk down the hall merely rolled their eyes at the question that, not only had they asked when they'd first heard, but that Winry and Panina and Rick and Leo and Fletcher had all been asking since. No one had gotten an answer, and neither expected Edward to get any either.
"You really want to know?"
They both stopped in their tracks, turning to the Guardian. The look on the man's face... It almost looked like he was going to tell him... It almost looked like he wanted to tell him.
Envy's eyes danced as his smirk turned dangerous, crossing his arms over his chest and taking his sweet time explaining the apparent situation. "It's come to the Head Mistress' attention that certain...circumstances make it unwise to have you and your former roommate living in the same quarters."
"What circumstances?" Edward ground out.
If at all possible, the Guardian's grin just widened. "The Head Mistress is concerned about the...privacy allowed by the dormitories, considering where your interests lie."
It was somewhat amusing, Alphonse thought to himself, to watch the blonde turn several shades of red as every emotion imaginable flickered across his face. Though he couldn't ignore the implications of those words, his mind suddenly running wild with all kinds of ideas he'd never admit to. However...
"WHAT!"
The hallways was suddenly filled with the sound of shouting and Alphonse and Russell had immediately dropped the taller boy's trunk to restrain Edward before he leapt at the Guardian, who looked exceptionally pleased with himself.
"What the hell are you talking about! You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"Ed, calm down, you're just going to end up in solitary confinement again!"
It seemed not even that threat was enough to quiet the boy as he continued flailing against the blonde's trying to hold him back. The taunting expression on Envy's face just proved to infuriate Edward even more until his elbow collided with Russell's stomach. The taller boy didn't make so much as a sound, just curling over his stomach, arms wrapped tightly around his torso to prevent any further damage as he stumbled backwards a few steps and collapsed onto his trunk.
Both Fletcher and Alphonse were at the blonde's side in an instant, trying to get him to remember how to breathe again, while Edward turned and watched them in something akin to disbelief. Not even as Envy sauntered up behind the boy did he move.
"You see what you did?" the Guardian purred in the boy's ear. "That wasn't very nice, pipsqueak; I thought he was one of your friends. Well, maybe not quite friends..." The Sin emphasized the true meaning of his words by resting a hand on Edward's thigh, just below his hip, the other dancing down the length of his right arm. "It only brings destruction, doesn't it?" Envy murmured, pressing himself to the boy's back, "You just keep hurting everyone; you can't stop, can you?"
Edward seemed to finally snap out of the trance, pulling away from the Guardian without a word and, only sparing a glance at the three blondes huddled by Russell's trunk, stormed towards his room. Alphonse saw (and heard) him go by and followed after him quickly, reassured by Russell that he was alright and that Fletcher would help him move his trunk.
"Edward?" Alphonse called after the older boy, "Edward, wait!"
The door slammed in his face the second he arrived at it, making him flinch. He glared at the closed door however, hearing Envy's muffled laughter and Russell's panting in the background, and the boy had just had enough. Throwing the door open, the blonde scowled at his new roommate sitting on his bed all wrapped up in his arms, and then slammed the door behind him again, just daring the other boy to try and kick him out.
"What the hell do you want?"
As if Alphonse had any idea what he really wanted anymore, but that wasn't really what the shorter boy was asking. "I want to know what your problem is."
"What do you think my problem is?" Edward retorted.
The younger boy rolled his eyes at the sheer immaturity of his response. "I don't know," Alphonse retorted, crossing to his trunk to dig out his books, "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked. Look, none of us are very happy about this move, but the rest of us have realized that there's nothing we can really do about it. You'd do us all a big favor if you'd just get over it."
There was no answer, but it was just as well; Alphonse didn't really expect that much conversation considering they hadn't exchanged more than a couple of sentences over the course of their association. Pulling his books out from the depths of his trunk, the blonde carried them to the desk beside his new bed and began placing them on the shelf. He could feel Edward's eyes on his back and, as much as it sent a little thrill through him, Alphonse couldn't help but feel immensely annoyed.
"What!" he shouted, spinning around to face the other boy.
Edward flushed (which was a reaction the other hadn't been expecting) and looked away. The room was one of the few on each floor to have a window, and the older boy's gaze traveled across the horizon, not for the first time. He didn't answer his new roommate, which just annoyed the other blonde even more; Edward wasn't sure if he enjoyed that fact, resented it, or didn't care either way.
Alphonse bit his tongue, not really wanting to start an argument, and went back to his unpacking. After another minute or so, he could feel the other boy watching him again, but he didn't say anything. He didn't say anything when Edward openly scrutinized the younger blonde's books; he didn't say anything when Edward tried to read over his shoulder from his bed when Alphonse began reading one of them; he didn't say anything when the older boy finally snatched up a towel and announced in a voice that clearly felt put-out, that he was going to take a shower.
It wasn't until after he'd disappeared down the hall that Alphonse finally pulled himself out of bed and darted down the hallway, rapping at the door of his former dormitory.
"Something wrong?" Russell greeted him with a appraising look.
"I can't do this," the shorter boy answered almost pleadingly.
Russell stepped aside to allow him through and Fletcher greeted his friend with a worried smile. Alphonse dropped onto the bed that he'd slept in until just a half an hour ago and rested his head in his hands.
"I can't do this," he groaned again, "I won't be able to survive in the same room with him until they decide to switch one of us again."
"Alphonse, what happened?"
The blonde just shook his head mournfully, trying to collect his thoughts in a way that wouldn't sound completely insane to the brothers. "He doesn't like me. At all."
"How do you know?" Russell asked sounding completely unconvinced.
"I can tell," Alphonse snapped, but looked apologetic a second later. He really shouldn't be taking out his frustration on his two friends. "Just... It's nothing really specific, but little things, y'know? He's had an attitude since I moved in, and he keeps staring at me as if I have no right to be there, and, just now, he stormed out to the showers as if he's been so inconvenienced having me in there! And what about that scene in the hallway?" he added. "I bet he wouldn't have made such a scene if it had been Fletcher instead of me."
The boy in question slowly sat down on the bed next to his former roommate, hesitating before reaching out and tugging Alphonse's hands from his face. "Well, Edward has known both of us longer than you..." he offered gently.
He was answered with a disbelieving snort. The level of animosity the short blonde had displayed towards his new roommate thus far was from more than just not knowing each other very well. In fact, both boys had gone out of their way to make sure the other didn't know certain things about them.
"I don't think that's quite the problem, Fletcher," Russell agreed with the snort. "But it's part of it, I think. Just think of it this way, Al: Ed doesn't really...think in the same way most people do. He's not crazy or anything," he pointed out quickly, "He just... Well, to tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a real genius. I mean, all of us here are fairly intelligent, but Ed, when he actually tries, pretty much blows everyone here out of the water. Maybe even Head Mistress Dante."
Alphonse stared at the other boy, not sure if he would believe this if it wasn't coming from Russell's mouth. It wasn't just within the school that Head Mistress Dante's reputation was known; throughout the country she was spoken of with near-reverence among most of the Alchemical community. Everyone else, at the very least, acknowledged her intelligence.
"So, what are you saying," Alphonse asked, dropping his hands into his lap, "That he hates me because I'm stupider than him?"
"Hardly," Russell scoffed. "You're no idiot, Al; and whether you believe it or not, Ed's noticed."
"So he thinks I'm competition or something...?"
The taller boy grinned in a way that told Alphonse that he wasn't about to get a straight answer any time soon. "Something like that."
The shorter blonde looked to Fletcher for some sort of clarification, but he seemed just as confused as Alphonse. Maybe Panina or Winry might have some idea of what Russell was blabbering on about, but that would require waiting until he could get them alone; and in the meantime he was stuck with Edward.
"Well, how do you suggest I deal with him?" Alphonse challenged, his expression practically a pout.
Russell appeared to think the question over before he bent to wrap an arm around his friend's shoulders, urging him up from the bed and leading him towards the door. "There's really not much you can do about Ed's attitude," he said, entirely uncomforting, "He thinks what he wants and no one but himself can convince him to think otherwise. The best you can do is to just ride it through. Don't worry, Al, he'll come around eventually."
Not until the door closed in his face did Alphonse even realize that he wasn't in the room anymore.
Ride it through? He'll come around eventually? How was that any sort of good advice! Russell was keeping something from him, he knew he was; but the other boy was just one in a long line of people that were keeping things from Alphonse. As much as he knew he couldn't really do a thing about it, though, that didn't mean he had to like it and, with a groan, he leaned forward, knocking his forehead against the door a few times.
The only thing the boy had to comfort himself with was that, with all of the frustration he was feeling, Alphonse didn't think that he'd have very much of a problem trying to keep his mind off of any attraction he might ever feel towards his new roommate.
To be continued...
