Hello! I'm back!
None of you noticed, but I was in such a rush I neglected to rainbow away last chapter! So I just sat here and watched you read, psychically willing you to review. ):D
I tried to do more research on Claudio, but my searches remain fruitless. And so he will remain a jerk and be whatever character type I write because I don't know what he's really like.
Only one person got the reference last time; it was Naruto, when Kakashi is explaining the hidden meanings to Naruto whilst he is hanging upside down from a tree. Winner; FullmetalAlchemist64! GOLD STAR!
Reference:
"That wasn't very nice...I do believe you killed my hat."
Of Tigers and Teddy Bears
Knock-knock-knock!
"Ffmmph!" Roy jolted upright, glancing around.
Weak sunlight filtered through the window into the room, capturing motes of dust in golden hues. It perfectly matched the original shade of hair that the boy who slumbered on across the room from the Colonel possessed.
Edward, now with black hair, was still asleep.
Knock-knock-knock!
Puzzled, Roy glanced at the door and rose clumsily to his feet, rubbing smooth his messy bed head and heading towards it.
"Whoever this is better have a damn good reason for waking me up," he grumbled under his breath, grabbing the doorknob and twisting open the door. "I am not a morning person…"
"Hello, how can I…" he pulled open the door and stopped dead, blinking like a rabbit caught in the headlights. "…assist you…?"
Before him stood a group of about five or six young women, wearing the same white uniform with red trim. They carried several small wooden boxes between them and all looked tidy and petit.
Each one of them stared at him for several seconds before bright red blushes spread across their faces and they were deathly silent.
It took Roy a few seconds to realise his shirt still wasn't done up.
"Um, w-we're Kin Palace's Medical Services, and we ah, we were sent here so we can assist you," the girl in front said in a faint voice, her cheeks burning red. "O-one of the escorts said you might need it…"
Roy looked back into the room, saw Edward sleeping on and took his opportunity.
Moving his attention back to the girls, he smiled charmingly and said, "That's all well and good, but my son Edward is still asleep on the sofa, and I wouldn't want to wake him up after all the excitement last night."
Closing his eyes and tilting his head ever-so-slightly, Roy put on a soft, caring expression and murmured gently, "He needs his sleep. I take it upon myself to look after that boy as best I can, and he does need a lot of rest."
One of the girls let out a quiet squeak and several more made crooning noises. They were wrapped around his little finger now.
Roy smirked on the inside, keeping up his façade and watching the girls' reactions. Now, time to bring out the heavy artillery…
He flinched suddenly, twitching a hand to his chest and rubbing it softly. Wincing, he waved away the aid of one of the girls and leant a little on the doorframe. "I'm okay. Nothing I can't handle. Just a little sore."
The nurses watched him, ensnared in his act, as he let out a little noise of discomfort and looked back to Edward.
"And besides," he added. "I have to watch over him. I don't want him to worry about me."
Roy heard several soft 'aww's and murmurs from the group and thought to himself, No girl can resist a man who tries to be strong and still puts others before himself, even when he clearly is the one who needs help. And I would imagine this strategy should work even better on nurses…
The head girl - Chika, as the badge on her chest read - nodded a couple of times and said, "I understand that you don't want to disturb your son, but if I am correct, there is a double bedroom in these quarters. If you like, we can check your health in there."
Roy smiled again, with as much of his charismatic allure as possible. "I'd appreciate that very much. Please, go ahead." Target accomplished.
The women tiptoed through the living room, past Edward's sleeping form and down the corridor. They nearly hustled Roy into the room before settling him on the bed and beginning to check him over.
Looking around, Roy counted six girls in total, a group which consisted of Chika; a young woman with long, brown hair, Rina; a nurse with black hair done in buns, Haruka; a bubbly blonde, Mizu; the apparent youngest of them with blue-black bangs, Natsuko; a strong-willed red-head and Miiko; a quiet nurse with long, long silver hair.
Quite happily, Roy removed his shirt fully so they could measure his heart rate and talked to them as they ran tests on him.
"So, are you married, Mr Mustang?" Haruka asked, sitting on the bed, and moving the stethoscope around on his back.
"I was, yes," Roy told her sadly. "Unfortunately, I lost Elizabeth several years ago to a serious illness. Ever since then, it's just been Edward and I, and I've raised him alone."
Roy closed his eyes and said softly, "It's so hard to find a nice woman nowadays. I've just been so lonely since Elizabeth passed away…"
Natsuko took Roy's hand and examined it expertly, her russet-coloured eyes searching for any sign of injury. "I'm sure you'll find another woman to share your love with someday. And she'd be awful lucky!"
"I don't know," Roy murmured thoughtfully. "There could be another woman for me out there somewhere - or even in this palace…" Cue short squeak from women. "But I don't know if Edward would approve."
"You always put him before yourself," Rina said softly. "That's very sweet of you."
"He's my son," Roy told her. "I need to care for him even more thoroughly than I do myself."
More crooning.
The next ten minutes continued in this fashion, until eventually Roy was sitting at the head of the bed, the young women arranged in a circle with him; Chika and Natsuko sitting directly to his left and right, then Rina and Haruka, then Miiko and Mizu on the opposite side.
"I don't know," Roy said. "It's never happened to me before; I've never been prone to panic attacks. I just…don't know what happened. I was sitting there, and Prince Claudio kept bringing up the Ishbalan Rebellion. I think that might have been what set me off. I asked him to stop, but he kept going."
"Aw, he was so mean to you," Mizu said, looking concerned.
Roy feigned a shuddering sigh, as if talking about the matter was hurting him. "And then I just felt so scared about what would happen to me. I knew the war was over, but my body didn't. It was nerve-wracking. I didn't want Ed to see me that way again, so I left as fast as I could…"
Chika and Natsuko cuddled closer to him, 'aww'ing and clutching his arms.
"You need a hug," Rina stated solemnly, and before Roy knew it, all the girls had pressed close to him and were embracing him.
Quite pleased, he murmured, "Thank you for being so kind to me. I was worried you might think badly of me, being a single father who brings his child on business trips and has suffered from a panic attack, but you've all been so supportive…"
The nurses cuddled around him again, murmuring and crooning to him.
By this stage, Roy was half-sitting, half-lying the bed, Chika and Natsuko at his sides stroking his chin and chest, Haruka leaning her head against his side and Rina at his waist with Miiko and Mizu sitting and facing him from the end of the bed.
Roy beamed like a stupid fool on the inside, ecstatically happy. So happy, in fact, that it probably wasn't healthy.
I guess the cover for this mission isn't as bad as I thought, Roy reflected elatedly as Chika stroked his hair and Rina laid her head back against his chest.
Several more minutes passed, and Roy was beginning to think that this twenty minutes had made the whole trip worthwhile when Edward and Tyrell pushed open the doors, both pointing down the corridor.
"Out," Edward said sternly, his face thunderous.
Tyrell nodded in agreement. "As the Colonel's primary health professional, I assure you that we can handle the situation without your assistance."
Roy scowled as several of the girls flooded forward and swamped the two, grabbing at their arms and pulling them over to the bed as well.
"Wait, what are you—?!" Edward protested, stumbling as Miiko tugged him onto the bed. Unfortunately for the teen, he hadn't managed to pull a shirt over himself - or a pair of trousers.
Tyrell let out a noise of surprise as he was tugged onto the bed next to them in a similar fashion, his mid-length white hair swaying with the movement and violet eyes wide.
"Oh, you two are just so cute!" Natsuko purred, placing her head on Edward's shoulder as Miiko let out a noise that sounded something like 'myan' and clutched onto his left arm.
Edward shot a panicked glance at Roy, his cheeks burning (from embarrassment or fury, Roy couldn't tell) and let out a squeak.
The man simply shrugged nonchalantly, watching as Mizu and Haruka played with Tyrell, commenting on his hair and eyes. The prince shot him a numb smile of disbelief, looking dazed.
Roy pouted sulkily as Chika and Rina moved forward to inspect the new arrivals as well, leaving him by himself at the top of the bed.
"I've never seen black hair so fluffy and fine before," Rina commented, running her fingers through Edward's bangs and smiling.
Edward swallowed and sent another pitiful glance Roy's direction, his eyes pleading.
The Colonel pretended not to notice, instead closing his eyes moodily and looking in the other direction. If you're gonna steal my girls then you might as well keep them, Edward.
Quite content to let the girls fuss over him, Tyrell happily struck up a conversation. "Yeah, I'm from Orato. It's pretty obscure; you've probably never heard of it."
Roy's spirits lifted a little when Chika, Haruka and Natsuko moved back towards him, smirking.
"That's quite a boy you've got there, Roy," Natsuko purred, interlocking her fingers on top of the man's shoulder. "He definitely gets his looks from you."
"I don't know," Roy murmured thoughtfully. "He's definitely got his mother's eyes, though."
"No, no," Haruka protested. "When I look in his eyes, the glimmer I see there is identical to yours."
"Is that so?" Roy said interestedly, mildly entertained by Edward's almost terrified demeanour and the way he leaned backwards away from Rina's curious gaze.
"Yeah," Chika said with a nod. "You've got the same type of focus. Rina likes a man like that."
"Well," Roy said with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure Ed's already got his heart set on another girl."
Edward, scrambling backwards on the bed now, glanced left and right before turning his head back to face Roy and calling out, "Alright, you! Get them out, or…or…"
"Or what?" Roy said, sounding bored.
"Or I'm telling Lieutenant Hawkeye!"
Roy paused, his face blank. He opened his mouth a little way, but didn't say anything. Scowling ever-so-slightly, he turned to Chika and said, "Alright, Miss Chika, I'm very grateful for your assistance - all of you - but unfortunately, it may be time for me to dismiss you." He held up a hand for silence as the girls protested. "Not that I haven't greatly enjoyed your company, or have any desire for you to leave. But I'm sure both of us have jobs we need to be doing and duties we need to tend to."
"If we must," Chika responded disappointedly. "Come on, everyone."
The nurses filed out of the room, leaving an awestruck Tyrell, a frazzled Edward and a very huffy Roy behind.
"Way to spoil my fun, Edward," Roy grumbled sulkily.
Edward took a deep breath, his eyebrow doing a dangerously twitchy dance on his face. "You, my friend, are one twisted man. You took a group of perfectly civil girls and turned them into tigers."
"I can't help it that I'm so good-looking," Roy muttered. "And that was a really dirty trick, bringing the Lieutenant into this."
"If it got you to—" Edward was interrupted by Tyrell.
"Who exactly is this Hawkeye person? Are they—" The boy stopped mid-sentence, looking at Roy. "Ah. I see."
"What? Did you read me?"
"No. The look on your face just says you're terrified of upsetting her, for several reasons." He closed his eyes. "If I read you, I can tell it's because you want her approval, you feel the need to impress her and also because she handles a large supply of weapons with great skill."
Edward sat back, closing his eyes thoughtfully. "Her approval? Hmm…"
"Not the kind of approval you are almost definitely thinking of, Edward!" Roy snapped touchily. Defensively, he added, "My main reason is the fact that the Lieutenant is adept in the use of several large guns and various pointy instruments, and is also in charge of my schedule. A combination of these two factors make her a deadly enemy, to my body and my mental stability."
Edward shrugged. "If you say so, Mustang."
"Stop taking this matter so lightly!"
"You're in love with her."
Deep, steadying breath. "I am not in love with the Lieutenant."
A turn of the head. "He loves her."
A sigh. "If you're aiming to come at me like a six-year-old, Edward, you're on the right track."
"So defensive. He must like her." A nod of a black ponytail.
"Because you certainly don't appear to have grown any since then." A smirk.
"WHO ARE YOU SAYING IS A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK BOY?!"
Tyrell sat in silence, admiring the clouds out the window and stewing on the purpose of life.
Today was another break, Inuya had informed the two Amestrians. As well as this, the young guide had told them that he was the one who had sent the nurses.
Roy thanked him excessively.
It turned out that for the length of the meeting, every third day would be required for technical (boring) business, and the other two were leisure time for the attendees. Not nearly as troublesome as Roy had previously assumed.
Gratefully, Roy sprawled on the couch, his hands behind his head and lying in some form of half-wakeful doze.
Briefly, he wondered who was dealing with his usual workload back in East City. With a blissful smirk, he hoped it was Hughes.
Edward was cross-referencing his research notes with the library books he'd once again scattered all over the place, but Roy couldn't be bothered even caring.
He noticed that every so often, Edward's hand would subconsciously move towards his most recent research notebook, as if to check it was still there.
Roy kept one eye on the boy as he worked, meticulously picking through the stacks of books. He didn't speak, didn't look up, didn't once distract himself from the task at hand.
Roy had to admire his obstinate determination, however the stubborn disregard for rest and general health care the boy possessed concerned him. And the near obsessive way he plowed on through his research with no other objective in mind was slightly worrying, albeit astounding to a man like Roy.
He supposed that if you had a worthy cause, you could go for quite a while without rest.
Edward's gaze broke contact with the pages of the book to wander the room for a few seconds. It landed on his research notes, then returned to reading.
Roy recalled something Edward had explained to him earlier on:
"This one's the most important," the boy said, pointing to a small, leather-bound notebook. "It's like, an almighty glossary, if you know what I mean. All over my notes, I write down the names of my theories, but it's hard to remember them all, so…I write explanations of each one in here. It's also where I write down the meanings of all the symbols and phrases. And the most important leads and pieces of information we've got."
Turning to Roy, he said, "I don't know if you have anything like this, but if you do, you'll know how important it is. If you don't…"
Roy almost flinched back at the sudden aura of possessiveness Edward exuded, the boy's eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Then I'm warning you now, touch it and you die."
"Understood," Roy said, a little dubiously. "I actually do have something of mine pretty similar, but I don't feel so passionately about it…"
"Well, you sure look like you feel the same way about your gloves."
"Those are for self-defense!" Roy defended himself. "Without them, I'd be pretty…"
"Useless?" Edward prompted. "Helpless? Weak?"
"No!" Roy snapped. "My name's the 'Flame Alchemist'! It'd be pretty stupid if I didn't have any flames to work with! At least I don't have OCD about my research!"
"It's not OCD," Edward muttered and picked up his notebook, fingering the spine thoughtfully. "I just can't help it. My research - no, our research - it's the closest I got so far in getting Al's body back. I have to keep it safe. That's why it's triple coded, and so few people know about it. You're one of the lucky ones. If we lose this, we might lose Al's body permanently."
Roy smiled. And there's his motivation.
Edward grabbed a loose sheet of paper and slipped it into the book he was reading to save his page and stood up, stretching and making his way to the bathroom.
Roy shot a glance after him, then back into the middle of nowhere. Somehow or other, the light from the window shone both at the notes in an angelic heaven-like effect, and then towards his eyes to shade them in such a way that a couple of rays refracted into a pair of devious yellow sparkles.
Curious as to what would happen if the boy was to come back and discover his notes weren't where he'd left them, Roy swung his legs off the couch and tiptoed over to Edward's mess, picking up the book and setting it underneath a pile of leaflets.
He quickly moved back to his original position as Edward came walking down the corridor, his black hair looking a little less like Roy's as the bangs started to show through again.
Roy made a mental note to fix that.
Edward stopped dead when he reached the couch, glancing around. Frowning, he examined the spot the book had been sitting in as if he were a cat surveying an odd disturbance in it's territory.
"Coulda sworn I put it…" He trailed off, his gaze raking across the room in the Colonel's direction.
Roy employed one of the useful life skills he'd gained in his martial training days at the academy and pretended he was asleep.
Edward turned back to his papers and Roy cracked open one eye cautiously.
The boy paused for a few seconds before pouncing on the piles and tearing through them all in pursuit of his precious research journal.
Once he'd successfully located it, he let out a heavy sigh and settled down again. He looked around once as if checking for onlookers (not noticing Roy, of course) before going back to his work.
Most interesting, Roy thought, mildly intrigued by the boy's odd behaviour. Obsessive compulsive, no.
Roy snuffed and rolled over to face the back of the couch, smiling to himself. Nope, just very persistent…and the best damn big brother I've come across.
Roy Mustang had made the greatest discovery of his journey/career/life thus far.
Greater than the discovery of coffee.
Greater than the discovery that Maes Hughes was scared of mice.
Greater than the discovery of the Hawkeye family.
Greater than… Well, it was very great. Very great, exciting, significant, whatever. Roy was grinning in an eerily accurate impression of a Cheshire cat, that's how great it was.
Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, was in possession of…a teddy.
The words in his mind made Roy feel giddily evil all over again. Such a crazy, unrealistic concept, and yet here he was seeing it with his own trusted eyes.
A teddy, he thought disbelievingly. Teddy. Teddy, teddy, teddy. Wow. That is probably the weirdest thing I've seen all year.
After researching, reading, writing and cross-referencing the entire day away, Edward had pushed aside his various research materials so that they laid about the floor and table, his travelling cloak pulled over himself like a blanket and one of the room's many lavish cushions propping his head up.
Roy had happily spent the majority of the day snoozing and replenishing his dwindling supply of energy, not planning on doing anything or dealing with anyone. Excepting of course the occasional pretty maid bearing the day's meals.
The tiny stuffed toy in question was nestled softly in the crook of Edward's neck, half covered by the cloak, and his black bangs obscured half of the thing's face.
It was only the size of Roy's fist, scruffy and threadbare, the stitching slightly frayed and a few threads hanging loose, and the black-button eyes were dull and scratched. Amusedly, Roy noted that if Edward had brought the toy here with him, then the chances were he took it everywhere.
Gee, Roy thought as he made note of yet another of Edward's weird idiosyncrasies. I knew you were young, Ed, but not that young… A fifteen-year-old employee of the State with a stuffed bear. That's priceless.
Still grinning, Roy set his glass of water down on one of the precious empty spaces left on the coffee table and tried to deduce the history of Edward's teddy.
Well, it's pretty worn out, so I'd guess he's had it since he was quite young. Judging from the tear on the ear, he and his brother fought over it at some stage. Maybe several. The buttons/eyes don't match exactly, so one or both of them have been replaced before, hinting that it's had a rough time.
Roy looked closer, trying to draw as much information out of the scrappy toy as he could. Looking at the pattern of the stitching, I think it's safe to say that it's been hand-made…and from a mix of several fabrics, mainly wool. That suggests it was made in Resembool, and - going by the boy's apparent feelings towards it - highly likely for it to have been of his mother's creation.
Pleased, Roy sat down on the sofa opposite and observed the boy quietly. He was grateful to the miracle that was sleep for the opportunities it provided.
Amongst many other uses, sleep allowed Roy to examine Edward closely. It wasn't as if he'd seen more than necessary (or healthy) of the boy already over the past few years, but sleep gave Roy the window for an entirely new perspective.
During his waking hours, Edward would glare or snap at Roy if he ever looked in his direction for more than five seconds without reason.
Now that he was unconscious, Roy could pinpoint small details on the teenage prodigy's person that he would normally miss if the boy were awake and barking, "Whatchou lookin' at?!" every time his superior tried.
The small scar on his lower lip that had been made from repeatedly biting it to the point of bleeding, for example.
Roy thought it highly probable that he'd bitten down on it in an effort to bear the pain of losing his leg and his arm, and then the whole way through his auto-mail surgery and rehabilitation.
All over the boy's face, Roy began to pick up the subtle markings and traces of someone living as painful life as the two Elric brothers did.
He spotted more small scars, like another few on his temples which indicated several cases of heavy force applied - most likely to render the boy unconscious.
There were creases where certain expressions had been pulled several times, like frowns of concentration or worry, cringes of pain or faked smiles. But also, real smiles. This eased the concern in Roy's chest a little.
Edward had endured a huge mound of grief, been put through immense pain, had taken part in numerous vicious and merciless fights, dealt with an insane amount of pressure and contained a dangerous amount of rage and frustration.
All this Roy could tell from his face, the man reflected sadly. Imagine what I could figure out from the rest of his body. And his eyes.
His eyes. His golden amber eyes were staring straight at Roy.
Puzzled at first, then furious. "Whatchu lookin' at?!"
Roy looked towards the window, raising his eyebrows. "Nothing."
Scowling, Edward shifted his weight and pressed his chin into his chest self-consciously. "It was Winry's okay? Mom made it for her birthday and Al and me got jealous. We all fought over it, but Winry made us take it when we left."
Moments later, after some consideration, the boy mumbled, "It still smells like mom and Al."
Roy looked over his shoulder at the wall behind him. "I understand."
"Don't tell anyone," murmured the boy, glaring shamefully at the window. "Please don't tell anyone."
Roy smiled softly, turning his head to the side ever-so-slightly. "I won't. Promise."
"Promises are dangerous," Edward muttered. "You can make them so easily, but they're so hard to fulfil. I can't go on that."
"I keep my promises," Roy told him firmly. Holding out both hands with his fingers stretched wide, he added, "Unless I've got my fingers crossed. Which I obviously don't."
Edward smirked, then grinned, and started to snicker. Seconds later, he'd burst into a fit of coarse laughter, trying to muffle it with his hand. After catching his breath, he said, "Don't only little kids do that?"
"I see no point in disregarding a perfectly legitimate excuse as to why I didn't do my paperwork as promised simply because 'little kids do it'," Roy responded. "And people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Ed."
Edward stared blankly for a few seconds before embers of indignation sparked a roaring blaze in the boy's hot eyes. "Are you calling me short?!"
"Maybe. You'll never know."
Edward huffed, pulling his cloak up to his nose. "This is why I don't trust you."
Roy settled himself down, pulling his own coat off the back of the couch and onto his shoulders. "Goodnight."
"'Night."
I'M SORRY. ED SO CUTE. COULDN'T HELP IT.
Also, AHHH! ROY'S SHERLOCK!
So, sort of like a kinda-filler-chapter-thingamy-donk. Don't worry - both excitement and humour take place next chapter!
Me trying to break down Roy's personality:
"Well, he's mostly serious, but he hates work so he slacks off a lot, which is confusing since he gets mad when people don't do their own work properly. He likes to hang out with girls, but he gets annoyed by people like Ed and Hughes who are always acting like little kids…but when he doesn't care, he acts like a kid himself. So in other words, the kind of people he hates are people like himself…? LET'S JUST SAY HE HAS MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND LEAVE IT THERE!"
To Bluefire21; Not the kind of tigers you were thinking of...? I don't blame you.
ZAKURO AWAY! X2 BECAUSE I DIDN'T LAST TIME! *flies away on a rainbow that's super-duper fat*
A message from Chibineko, Zakuro's younger sister:
WATCH OUT EVERYONE! LOCK YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS! HIDE YOUR CHILDREN! AND YOUR STEW! SET A BOTTLE OF MILK ON YOUR DOORSTEP TO WARD IT OFF!
THE WIND SPIRIT IS COMING FOR YOU...!