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.), language, 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..
Additional Notes:
See, Ed can be a ridiculously out-there genius but his stubborn I-really-don't-want-to acknowledge-this attitude…well, maybe a very small part of his brain may have been screaming at him that Roy and the sensei are one and the same, and he would absolutely insist that he was right, they were separate entities, and there would be no way that a tweaker like him could be his sensei…
Oh and as another side note, do you really think that Al would accept the whole, oh it was the music, excuse from Ed if he said it? If someone had told me that, I probably wouldn't have believed them either…and since Al had that slightly "blind" streak in him as well, Ed didn't want to push it with him. –smiles weakly- geez, and you wonder why they sometimes don't see eye-to-eye…
We are finally in the double digit chapters…
Strings of the Heart
Movement 10: Breakage, Suspicions and a Good Pinch
Roy Mustang couldn't pick up his violin the following day. Or anything else, really for that matter…Ed, unable to keep himself from feeling a small pang of curiosity, studied him. It was so odd…
Every time someone dared to touch his shoulder, or pat him dangerously close to his right shoulder blade, he twitched badly. That twitch was followed by a very reproachful look and a small uttered threat of detention or something equally damning. That was what puzzled the young violinist the most. Mustang never before threatened the use of detentions or referrals before…
So why now? Maybe you're becoming one of those sadistic teachers that love capital punishment for the smallest things-even a look the wrong way….now that would be just plain weird…. Ed briefly plucked his violin strings on his instrument as it sat neatly in his lap. He dug for his bow and smiled briefly as his fingers happened to brush against a lone black feather. The memories of last night flooded back to him with a stark clarity he had with no other memories. He gasped quietly, quickly trying to suppress the heated flush that came to his cheeks. Thinking about flowing black wings and even darker, jet black eyes would do him no good…
Ed finally withdrew his hand, which had now found what he sought and he bit his lip, a thought suddenly striking him.
Last night…that was the first time I even saw anything on sensei's face…but why his eyes? His eyes are beautiful, granted, but…Ed continued to idly pluck at the strings, not really paying attention to the now giggly gossip of a rather chatter-happy Winry Rockbell behind him. Had he paid more attention he would have been able to bring Al some very, very good news on who her latest crush was, but as luck would have it, Ed was wrapped up in his own thoughts about a special someone. But his eyes…the reason why I pushed him off in that brief moment and destroyed that perfect moment without wanting or meaning to…
The blond let his gaze travel up to the man now currently shifting through the conductor's score of a more recent piece. His onyx eyes were half shielded from view by long black eyelashes as he frowned in deep thought. Your eyes look…no, they remind me of Mustang. The same shade, the same intensity…maybe I'm just loosing my mind…Ed shook his head restlessly. You, sensei, and Mustang couldn't be the same person…I'd probably cut off my other good arm and feed it to the dogs if that were true…okay, erm, scratch that, maybe not…
But joking aside, hypothetically speaking, what if they were the same person? After asking himself the new shocking question, his own mind and heart fell silent and he forced himself to continue the thought. What am I suggesting now? That Roy could actually be some ridiculously perfect violinist who exceeds me in every way, has a voice that could make even the straightest men go, well, gay, and has wings? Okay, well that first part could somewhat apply, but Mustang just isn't up to the same caliber as sensei playing-wise….no one could ever match his perfection on the violin anyways…his voice may sound close too, but I'm defiantly not falling for him and well, I'm pretty sure I don't see any jet black wings erupting from his back so…
Conclusion reached? I'm being utterly ridiculous and Roy Mustang can not be the same person as sensei.
"Edward you just did it again." A barley restrained voice of anger reached Ed's ears. The boy's head jerked up and instantly winced under a truly withering glare. If I were a plant, I would have surely shriveled up and died in seconds…no, scratch being a plant, if looks could kill anything living, I would be long dead. "I'm assuming you find some odd delight, perhaps something fetish-worthy in avoiding my cues…?"
"Huh?" Oh brilliant, Ed. You're acting more and more of an idiot every day. What a classic, smooth response. Go Ed…not.
"Maybe I really should have given that solo to someone else," Roy growled, a look of slight, barely concealed pain crossing his features. Ed dimly remembered that at some point in his musings, Mustang had banged his baton harshly against the stand with his right arm-he never held it in his left. "Because it seemed to me like you just aren't into this…"
Ed flinched. This was a lot angrier than Ed had ever seen Roy before…
It was by default that the school hosted a high ranking concert-after all, they had a very high reputation within the country and foreigners from around the world gave up vacations with friends and family to hear them. The current band teacher-whoever it happened to be- would pick five pieces, each meant to stress a certain area of playing capability. One was to focus on fast paced, light staccato tonguing that was ideal for those lighter-hearted pieces; another, to focus on something of the same pace, but much more complicated that ascended and descended sixtieth note patterns; yet another was more of a slower, shorter piece meant to display how well unity existed within the group and also to force everyone to create a tone quality that was nearly identical and so on. It was never easy on the violin section simply because a) they always got the most difficult parts and b) they spent most of their energy trying to match and sound like Ed.
It was a tradition Ed had come to expect and to enjoy immensely-it was dully amusing to him to see how much everyone else in his section tried to keep up, working their tails off…just to try and even sound remotely like him. He didn't mean to stick out, didn't mean to have all the best parts, didn't mean to have his violin sound so powerfully above all the rest…
But when Roy had come in, he had switched out the music that had originally been picked months ago by new and unfamiliar scores that no one had ever seen in their life. Everything about them was screaming organized chaos-and none of it was familiar to Ed. That was the true shock in it all-he had studied and played nearly as many compositions as their were people on the earth and yet he hadn't seen this work before? Yes, it had-and still did, for that matter-bothered him but what was bothering him now greatly at the moment was the hard look the conductor gave him.
"But obviously, I can't because now it's only two weeks away and you're the only one who has had enough practice for it!" He finished, folding his arms and wincing again in pain. "Edward, either you get your rear in gear or I will cut that solo out of the performance and you can forget about even coming to the concert!"
There was a haunting, deadly silence. Ed stared back at the bristling man in shock. What…did he just…say to me…? Did he just threaten me…??
"You…wouldn't…dare…" Ed whispered through clenched teeth forgetting to keep his grip on the neck of his instrument in his regular hand not his automail one. The room hardly dared to breath. No one, no one had actually threatened Ed before, not in that way. To cut him out of a concert like that was like cutting him from air-he couldn't live with him self. Roy Mustang gave him a long hard look and said the very words that pushed Ed over the edge.
"Try me."
A sudden sharp, sickening crack echoed though the silence. The class gaped and some just kept opening and shutting their mouths in disbelief. Edward Elric, the genius couldn't have... didn't just… but he had.
Shocked, Ed glanced down at the now broken neck of his beloved violin.
Without meaning to, his rage getting the better of him, he had squeezed so hard with his automail hand that he had quite literally shattered his instrument. Or, well, a part of it. The whole class just stared at Ed like he had lost his mind-and Ed wouldn't have been surprised if he had.
Any vestige of an explanation-if one could even have been dredged up- was obliterated by the sound of the bell.
"Stay in your seat." Ed didn't even have to ask twice-he himself wasn't sure if he could even stand after what he had just done..
You…Mustang, this is all your fault…He felt like he was on the verge of tears again and he sat in his seat. It was his fault too, though, in a way-Roy hadn't laid a hand on his instrument. The class was highly reluctant to leave Ed there, mostly out of twisted curiosity as to what made him snap, but with frustrated sighs they slowly filed out. After the last person had left, Roy walked to the door, shut it and locked it securely.
"So what happened to your shoulder? You've been twitching in pain…" Ed commented with a unnaturally calm voice, as if he just hadn't broken the neck of his instrument in front of a gaping room of musicians. Roy whirled on him, eyes blazing. Ed recoiled instinctively and even more so as the man took quick, agitated strides towards his seat. Hazel eyes eyed him warily as Mustang sat down next to him, gave him a withering glare and, with a voice that seemed to challenge his own calm one politely held out a hand.
"Give me your right hand Edward…"
"Eh? Q-quit changing the subject!" Ed was deathly afraid now and he kept cursing himself inwardly for both the stutter and for even breaking his violin in the first place. The last time he ever did break his violin was when he was 5…but this time, there was no sensei to fix things and with a break like that, he would have no choice but to either sit out the concert for real or rent another one-an idea he did not relish. I can't play another violin because it just wouldn't feel the same…plus, it would take me exactly two weeks just to get used to it! Great, you damn bastard, you got what you wanted…selfish little… "I asked about-!"
"It's nothing I can't handle-now give me your hand and take off that glove…!"
Ed went paper white.
"W-what…? No! Why should I-?"
"With that amount of wood you've shattered oh so easily, there is no way you couldn't have gotten some of it embedded into your hand…so you must be hrut. Somehow." So saying, Roy reached out-and Ed's flesh hand was ready to smack him for his imprudence but he had merely relived the boy's lap of the shattered pieces. Stubbornly, Ed retracted the hand Roy was asking for and hid it under his arm.
Ed said nothing-it would have been entirely true-had it not been for the simple fact that his hand wasn't quite flesh anymore-or that entire arm for that matter.
"Give me your hand, Edward…" He repeated in a dangerously soft voice. Sighing regretfully, with a look that plainly said, well, you are really asking for it now, he slowly left Mustang take his right hand. With a quick movement, he seized it-Ed didn't even wince and turned it palm up.
"You're not bleeding." But he seemed too calm about it. No trace of surprise, confusion-nothing. Frowning Ed studied the man's slightly neutral, almost curious look as he yanked off the glove. But that action was too much for him-wincing Ed jerked his head to the side, hair which had been donned in a ponytail today swishing. It was there-he could feel it. His music teacher's own warm hand now loosely holding the cold, unrelenting automail one, his steady onyx gaze certainly fixed onto the glint of cold metal…And Ed didn't know what to expect from the man. Hate? Disgust? Curiosity? Hell, it had better not have been the last or he would really put that right hand to good use in the art of jaw breaking…
"Well, that only confirms what I had originally thought…but prosthetics this advance isn't exactly your every day run-of-the-mill…" Still stunned over this new disturbing fact that Roy wasn't even tweaking out the least bit, he dared a glance at the older man. There is something very, very wrong with this picture…as if he's handled this kind of thing before, and the touch seems hauntingly familiar…but no one but myself and Winry-only once, thatnk god- has ever probed or even held any part of my artificial limb… "Of course…if I were to assume it being advanced, it must have advanced features..can you feel pain?" A small shake. "Temperature?" A nod at this. "Touch?"
"Barely. Depends…" Ed's voice trailed off as he now turned to look the man he had harbored a strong dislike for with a weird emotion. He wasn't sure what to describe it as, and he spared himself the agony of self-study for later. "I…Mustang, what the hell is wrong with you?? And what's with the questions...??"
"Hmm?" He murmured as he now let himself prod at the cool metal with a probing air. Onyx eyes never once left Ed's. "You shouldn't have broken your instrument, Edward…how many people know about this?"
"Just…Al, Winry, but I swear to god that one was by pure accident…okay well," Ed coughed shifting on the chair. "I, uh, did bang a sizable dent in her garage door with this hand so, er…I guess it wasn't so much of an accident? But other than that no one else. And I ask again-what. The. Hell?" But even as he answered the questions on auto pilot, his mind was on a drastically different track. What's the point in all of this…? Isn't he mad about me breaking my violin?? And what's with his right shoulder? He was in pain a few seconds ago and now…
"Not even your parents?" Mustang purposely ignored the smaller boy's last proclamation. Ed growled but shook his head. He was really starting to get annoyed by this minute interrogation. "Odd…but I won't ask, not my place to do so…"
"Damn straight it's not…" he grumbled and for the first time that day, Roy cracked a smile. But to the blond's slight annoyance, the black haired man still hadn't let go of his metal limb.
"You'd be surprised, Edward, what is my place especially in your…personal life…"
The blond could have sworn that he had cracked a few neck muscles form snapping his head up so hard.
"W-what???"
But Mustang seemed to calmly glaze over even saying that as well. He sighed, finally letting go of Ed's automail hand and stood up.
"You really need to learn how to not break your instruments, you know…that'll be twice now you broke it." He ignored Ed's gaping mouth as he gathered up the pieces of wood and string delicately. "…Stop by the band room after school and I'll have it back to you in complete working condition. Oh and by the way…" He added as he walked into his office. "You could have told me you had broken your wrist-I would have fixed it up within a matter of minutes."
And that last comment left Ed to start wondering if he really was having one of his weird, whacked waking dreams and if someone could pinch him to make sure he was awake. He did not just say all that, I did not just break my instrument and this whole thing did not just happen… This mantra, however, was not helping the least bit. Having no one in the vicinity, he reached over with the very hand Mustang had touched and pinched himself. Ed hissed out-yup.
He was sadly-and now painfully- wide awake.
-#-
"So were you bluffing me or did you actually fix it?"
A dark haired, pale face poked out from within an office door. It was a voice he really hadn't expected to hear after school. Well, I had asked him to drop by…but again he surprises me. He was currently mediating over his latest composition and whether he should just leave Ed's violin it it's case and hand it off or just present it back to him with a smug smirk. He rather liked that later option. It would bruise the poor boy's ego even more, but really, it was getting a bit out of control…hadn't he already established that a long time ago? Well, that proves his love for music can pretty much steamroll any prejudice about the person teaching it… Ed was standing at his rather imposing height of-
Roy snickered. He just couldn't help himself. With Ed standing there, hands on hips and looking oh so like a girl with that pout on his face… There was nothing imposing at all about a boy who was barely over 5 feet tall and Ed's expression darkened-he could practically hear the train of thoughts running though Roy's mind.
"Don't you even dare, you tweak…"
"Back to name calling, I see. Pity, and we were actually starting to get along." He shrugged it off while Ed began to seethe inwardly We were NOT getting along, nor will we ever get along!! Reaching for both case and a perfectly in-tact violin, he held them out with a casual air. "I believe these are yours?"
Ed quickly snatched them both up, an indescribable joy one his face. That look alone was enough for Roy-he leaned back in his chair, ignoring the jolting pain in his right shoulder blade.
Maybe you should break your violin and let me fix it more often, Edward…
"Wait.." Ed frowned slightly, a flicker of doubt creeping into his face and voice. Mustang blinked, swinging his chair around to face the boy again.
"Hhm?"
"This…is mine right…?"
The man raised an eyebrow.
"If you don't believe it yourself why don't you play it…?" It was a quiet challenge and one that Ed had skewed, taking it the wrong way.
"Well, I was distinctly under the impression that someone had ideas of kicking me out of the concert…" Ed hissed, glaring openly now at his teacher. Growling under his breath, Roy leaned forward.
"Oh, so are you telling me you did it on purpose?"
"No! I didn't!" Ed accidentally dropped his case as he now clung gingerly but protectively at his newly repaired instrument. The clatter of the case on the carpeted floor made both males flinch.
"Then why use that as an excuse? Or are you somehow afraid that it is yours?"
Hazel eyes stared defiantly back, but they didn't betray the feelings Roy had landed the mark on.
Of course I'm afraid…but perhaps not for the same reasons you believe me to be…I'm afraid to know that if this is really my instrument…
Then what the hell are you…?
Something rapped his dangling automail arm under the long sleeved uniform. Shaking himself from his thoughts he looked down. A long wooden bow was prodding into his arm. With shaky fingers he twisted it out of Mustang's grasp, raised both violin and bow to playing position and, taking a deep breath, pulled the bow across the strings.
Instantly, the feel, the very core of his instrument sang to him and there was no mistake-this was his, beyond a shadow of a doubt…
And Roy smiled as the boy lowered it from his chin and shoulder with wide, suddenly horrified eyes.
"Well?"
But where Roy expected praise, a slightly trembling whisper filled the room-
"What….what are you? That break…would have taken…months in the shop…in fact something like that…that kind of damage might have required a whole new set of parts or a new violin altogether. NO one has spare necks lying around that fit this exact model, this exact style and make it so seamless…" Ed's voice was increasing in volume now. "This model is almost never found anymore and the parts for it? No longer manufactured!" He almost lost his grip on his instrument but kept his trembling hands in check. "Something's…no, there's something…not right going on here, and to top it all off…no one, NO ONE could have been able to repair this violin like this, to utter perfection except sensei-!!"
Ed clamped a free hand to his mouth, realizing what he had just said. I did not just…oh god… Roy was studying his student with a strange, contemplating look, his eyes glittering oddly.
"Sensei…?" The man mumbled with feigned curiosity and Ed knew he had said too much. Scrambling for his case, he gave Mustang one last traumatized look before running as far as his legs would carry him…
Someone pinch me now…Ed screamed in his head as he rounded the corner and stumbled out into the open air. Because I must be dreaming…or…seeing things…!!
Right before he had turned and left, giving his music teacher that last glance, he thought he saw the faint outline of two arching jet black wings-the right one slightly bent at a painful angle…
-#-#-#-
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waaaa…sorry for not updating sooner (hahah, weird for me to say that, but actually I had gotten into the swing of updating every day…ha!) but erm…yeah…
-suddenly has nothing to say-
…uhm…erm, please R & R?