Ed and Roy, A Tale of Love
To Err is Human
A/N: Story gets a little deeper here but I'll try to make it a bit more fluffy and include some comic relief..Oh, and I've decided to become a BetaReader..not too sure how to do it but its basically proof-reading so that should be fairly easy.
Warnings: Vulgar language, extreme AU.
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Roy Mustang had fucked up and he had done it big time. He'd beaten up a minor. Curse his luck that he had turned eighteen a little over a year ago and Archer's birthday wasn't until May, next month. He gritted his teeth as he was led to the Dean's office, wrists being held by the adrogynous security guard Envy, whose grip felt like a noose around the neck of a man who'd just been hung. Angry tears at the situation tried to force themselves through but Mustang held them back. His step-father had told him tears were for wimps, pussies that snivel and whine at the littlest things. The bastard probably didn't even say that to his own sons. Roy knew there was a family that the man had left behind; an ex-wife and two sons whom he cared almost nothing for. What would the elder son say if he found that out..?
"Mr. Mustang, will you stop ignoring the matter at hand?" The dean's voice snapped, cutting through his musing. The dean obviousily thought he was being silent because he simply didn't care about what had happened. She'd been called ahead of time, a brief description of what had happened had been relayed to her via the head security guard, Alex Armstrong. Armstrong was the one who had literally carried the injured student out of the lunchroom.
"The dickface deserved it," he spat, digging deeper into the hole that was already an abyss. Mrs. Izumi Curtis glared at his answer before the look vanished with a sigh.
"Just what am I going to do with you, Mr. Mustang?" She asked exasperated. It was useless to call his parents. They were almost never in the country. That, and the fact that he didn't have a biological father, or so his mother claimed. That woman was a bit off..
"How the hell should I know?" Was the retort along with a shrug of the shoulders. He vaguely registered that his hands were throbbing. Well, his knuckles were.
"Enough, Roy," Envy warned, still holding onto him as if he was going to explode again.
"Let him go, Envy. Go see how the other student is doing." She commanded wearily, sinking into her chair behind her desk. Once the weird looking guard with nearly green hair was gone, she motioned for the student to sit, which he did with a scowl on his face.
"Care to explain how he 'deserved' it?" She asked. Always one for hearing people out, she wanted to hear the reason behind this assault.
"He was trying to put thoughts into my boyfriend's head and turn him against me," he answered sourly. Was Edward truly his boyfriend though? "And I know Ed was going to end up--" He stopped short and clapped a bloody hand over his mouth but it was too late.
"Ed, huh?" Izumi asked, quick to catch on. "Mind if we talk to him before Francis Archer is questioned?" Before Roy could reply, the shrill ringing of an the phone interrupted and Mrs. Curtis answered it.
"Curtis here. Yeah, he's here in my office...calmed down a bit, yeah, what about the other?..What? That bad?" With an expression of shock, she glanced at Roy who scowled back at her with defiance. The next words wiped the look off the student's face.
"Is he going to press charges?...I see. Yes, I'll talk with him." The phone was hung up with a sharp click. Mustang was pale in the face now and he felt the impeding consequences.
"Mrs. Curtis, can you please tell me about that call...?" He asked as polite as he could, hoping against the odds that it wouldn't be so bad yet every fiber of his being told him it would be dire. Izumi arched an eyebrow at the drastic change in attitude but said nothing of it.
"Francis Archer had to be taken to the hospital. His nose is broken and so is his jaw. His parents have every right to press charges against you and against the school for being unable to prevent it. Not only that, but the medical bills will most likely be costly." She stated gravely, shaking her head with a grim expression. Mustang suddenly found his throat and mouth very dry and he tried speak.
"He..His parents are dead. H-he's an emancipated minor. He's bragged ab-about it before." Not that that changes anything, he was still within his rights to hold Roy and the school responsible for the injuries. The dean sighed heavily and bowed her head over her desk, her left hand rubbing her temple as if a headache plagued her.
"Until further notice, you're suspended. A hearing will be arranged to see if you can stay at this school after what's happened." A look of worry crossed both of their faces. "You're lucky the principal isn't in. He'd have you expelled on the spot."
Roy had to surpress a shudder, thinking of the principal with the scarred face. Contrary to what Mrs. Curtis had said, he didn't feel very lucky at all.
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All the students had had to leave the cafeteria so the janitorial staff could clean the blood off the floor. It couldn't have been on more than a few tiles but by the time the staff was done, everyone was swearing up and down that it was all over the tables and the walls too. Edward was in shock after seeing first Roy dragged away and then the other guy carried out by a huge man with crazy muscles. The craziest thing of all though was what Edward and the whole cafeteria had heard Roy shout at the top of his voice.
"Leave him out of this!" Was what he had shouted, more than loud enough to drift out to the hallway where Edward was, leaning against the bathroom door as he tried to think of all the things Archer had told him just a few moments ago. In a daze, Edward went to his next class and absentmindedly tried to listen to the teacher's droning voice. A loud knock on the door disrupted the constant drone of the most boring teacher on Earth, Mr. Tucker, the History teacher.
"Enter." He called in his monotone. Winry came in with a slightly flustered look to her and she glanced over the faces in the class, blushing when she saw Edward.
"Mrs. Curtis needs to see Edward Elric," she said with a wry expression. She had been in the cafeteria too and had been interviewed by the dean. Winry had hardly any answers to give to Mrs. Izumi but the information she had had was enough for the dean to put two and two together. Winry had known only one Ed which was also known by Roy and Izumi had found out.
"Very well," Mr. Tucker looked at Edward and nodded, acknowledging that he may leave. Ed gathered up his things with deliberate slowness and followed Winry with aprehension. Once in the hallway, all Edward could focus on was his sneakers, his heart hammering so loud he thought that everyone could hear it.
"She's going to ask about what happened at lunch, about that Mustang guy and the kid who was hurt," Winry said after a moment of silence that didn't seem like it was going to be broken. Edward nodded mutely, unsure of what to say in return. He hadn't even been in the lunchroom at the time but that look on Roy's face before he saw Edward...
He had to refrain from shuddering at the look of pure rage on his love's face. He felt like his heart was shattering into pieces and he wanted nothing more than Roy to tell him that everything was a mistake, it wasn't him that beat that Frankie guy up. Friday night had been so perfect yet Roy looked almost ready to fall apart at the seams.
Winry whispered a soft good-bye when they stood outside the office door and sauntered off. He sighed and pushed the door open. There was Roy, his arms across his chest and his knuckles had what could only be dried blood on them. He swallowed uneasily and took a seat next to the black-haired male, seeking his eyes out but Mustang was determined not to look at him.
"Mr. Elric, do you know why you're here?" The dean asked in an almost motherly voice.
"..Vaguely." He answered. "I wasn't in the cafeteria.."
She smiled slightly at him and nodded. "Yes, I know. But may I ask what you're relationship with Mr. Roy Mustang is?" Her chin rested lightly on her hand as she surveyed the boys. She noticed the fleeting glance and the tension between the two students but said nothing of it.
"He's.." he paused, hesitating. What was their relationship, really? "..He's my boyfriend," was the reply and Mustang didn't even try to hide the sigh of relief but Ed's pale face was tinged with pink.
"I see.." A uneasy silence fell and Roy, without looking, grabbed Edward's hand. The blond was pleasantly surprised by the gesture but his little spark of happiness faded when he felt that hand shaking. Mustang's face gave away nothing but that nervous shaking was unnerving.
'What's the matter, Roy? Why won't you tell me anything? Let me help you..' he thought, his golden eyes worried.
"Well, Mr. Elric, what was it exactly that Francis Archer told you?" Izumi asked, breaking the silence. She thought it endearing to see that someone was there for the older teen but the truth needed to come out. Ed's face flamed red and he cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully.
"Well..he said that Roy was..was being untruthful..that he took some..picture..without me knowing." He looked at his feet, Mustang's bloody hand squeezing his and still shaking. "And..an ex of my boyfriend's wanted to meet me, see if I was..suitable..for him." Ed tried to wet his suddenly dry mouth but couldn't. He could almost feel the waves of anger coming off of Roy, much like one feels the heat from a raging fire.
Mrs. Curtis seemed to be thinking and when Edward looked at her, she knew he didn't want to say anything more.
"Did Mr. Archer say this ex-boyfriend's name..?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow in question. Ed nodded and Izumi felt like she was finally getting somewhere. Roy was silently begging for Edward to lie, to say no, but it was too late. If Brad found out..Roy didn't want to think about it.
"What was the name? Do you remember, Edward?" She asked kindly, although to Roy it was like she was Medusa, cunning Perseus into her lair with glorious words only to turn him into stone. But Perseus had slain the Gorgon and Edward seemed to be like all the other victims that had been petrified. He opened his mouth and whispered the one name that Roy despised above all others at the moment.
"Bradley." He murmured, Roy's hand squeezing his tightly in a warning that Edward mistook for encouragement. "His name is Bradley."
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A/N: Ehh, this chapter isn't quite as long as I would've liked but I feel like it's coming together nicely. Not much fluff or comedy like I had hoped but I promise I'll make up for it! :D
..I hope so anyway. As always, R&R. And I don't mean Rest and Relax!