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A/N I was listening to the really dramatic Black Cat soundtrack when I was writing this, so this is a dramatic chapter...
Dedicated to my "mother" and BSFF: Payton! Love you! 3,000 words, as promised, Payton!
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA!
++NOTE:++ This is an AU fic. This is set in our time, and there is no alchemy. Ed still has automail though.
Chapter Ten:
Or So He Hoped
Edward walked out of the aisle, determined to deny what the other employees thought, or wanted to know. He wouldn't admit it. He wouldn't let them know. Never.
He would take this secret with him to the grave.
...Which he might just have to do...
If he did tell someone, and his father found out he did, which he would, then he would probably kill Edward.
No. Not probably, he would kill Edward. There was no doubt. And he couldn't leave Alphonse alone with the bastard. No, he wouldn't do that to his younger brother, he couldn't do that to his brother. He would never have to do that to his baby brother.
Or so he hoped.
"Edward, why won't you talk to us?" Roy's voice echoed down the aisle.
"Because there's nothing to say." Edward's soft reply came.
"Why won't you tell us the truth?" Roy asked.
"I am."
"We're trying to help you, because we care." Roy said in a soft tone.
"No you don't. No one cares. So leave me alone."
Roy yelled out the first thing that came to his mind. Not a smart move on his point. "Yeah, actually, I did care! But I'm starting to think that maybe I shouldn't care about such a worthless, half metal brat like you!" Roy spat.
Much to the others chagrin, Roy didn't stop there "You need to stop lying to us! No wonder why no one likes you! You're a liar! A useless liar!"
Edward replied in a way no one expected. "You're right. I'm useless, I'm worthless. No one likes me. No one should care. You're right. So since you've made that clear of how you, and everyone else feels, I'll quit. You don't need someone as worthless as me hanging around."
The teen walked forward, past Roy, and didn't give him a second glance. He went over to where Riza, Jean and Maes were standing, wide-eyed at what Roy had said, and what Edward had agreed to. and looked them directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry I was such a burden to you. Forget you ever knew me... it'll be better that way..."
Or so he hoped.
He walked away from them and placed the name tag that had 'Edward E.' printed onto it, and placed it on the counter. The four just started after him, not knowing what to do to make him stay here.
There was a silence, the only noise was the clank of Edward's shoes hitting the marble floor, his uneven footsteps ringing through the store.
"You don't have to go..." Maes said quietly.
"Yes I do." Was Edward's instant reply.
He never turned around again to face them. All he said was "Just forget about me." as he walked out the door.
They knew they couldn't forget. So they looked at each other, and silently agreed that they were going to follow him home. See for themselves what his home life was really like.
They didn't bother to change into civilian clothes, they didn't have time for that. If they did that, then Edward's trail would already be gone.
The group of four friends walked forward, and out of the store's glass doors, Roy locking it after them. They caught a flash of gold and followed after it. Roy wouldn't let him get away like that. Never.
'I'm so sorry, Edward. I didn't mean those things... just please, forgive me...'
Edward walked down the brick sidewalk, on his way home. Tears threatened to spill out of his golden eyes. He would admit, the words his ex-manager had said had hurt him. Deeply.
He had already admitted to himself, that even though Roy didn't need him, or want him for the matter, that he could still like the older man.
No, it wasn't love. It was a just an infatuation...
Or so he hoped.
As the blonde continued on his route home, he couldn't help but have the feeling he was being followed. But, when he turned around, there was nothing there. For a fraction of a second, he had hoped Roy was there to apologize...
But he knew it was better this way. Roy couldn't find out this way. Roy would forget about him. Strangely, the thought of the raven haired man forgetting about him, left a ache in his chest.
Yes, it hurt to leave Roy like that... but it was for the best...
Or so he hoped.
The group had decided once Edward had turned around more than once, to allow some distance to fall between the two. They would allow him to stay just within eyesight, so they would know where to go. And once they got to his house, they would wait a bit before knocking, to make it seem like they had not been following him home.
Their plan was set. Now all they had to do was follow through.
Edward arrived at the hell he used to call home, and pushed open the door, knowing it would be open.
"Al, I'm hom-"
A slap echoed throughout the house. "Dammit, you brat! You better have come up with an excuse!"
"Yes, sir, I did. I quit."
Hohenheim nodded in approval. "Good. But I still have to teach you a lesson for earlier."
He pulled out a lighter. Edward's beautiful golden eyes widened in fear. He hated this. This was one of the worst punishments. The scent of burnt flesh would stay in the house for days, no matter how long you left the windows open, or how much air freshener.
The flame flickered to life. Hohenheim smile was full of malice as he pressed the lighter to Edward's flesh arm. The teen clenched his teeth together to stop the scream from coming out. He would not let the bastard get the pleasure of knowing he had caused him pain.
Edward tried to break from his fathers grip, but to no avail. The man would not release the hold on his arm. He struggled and desperately tried to free himself, but stopped when he noticed Hohenheim would only put the lighter closer to his flesh every time.
After the skin had started to emit a burning odor, Hohenheim deemed that enough burning for one spot and would move onto the next spot, higher on the arm. Edward allowed a quiet groan of pain to come from his lips.
Tears coursed down his cheeks, but that only added to Hohenheim's pleasure.
Burning. He was burning. In the fires of hell.
Or so he hoped.
Hell would mean he was dead, and he welcomed death at this point in his young life.
Once Edward's groans started to turn to screams, Hohenheim moved onto the next form of punishment. He shoved Edward to the floor, then pulled him to a kneeling stance by his golden hair.
He pulled a small pocket knife from his pocket, flipped it open and sliced down Edward's cheek, cutting through the delicate flesh. Blood poured out of the wound. Hohenheim was getting a disturbing amount of satisfaction from watching his eldest son suffer. He trailed the blade down Edward's soft, bruised neck. As the red liquid dripped from the cut in his sons neck, the father grew bored of this.
Dropping the knife on the floor, not bothering to fold it back. He grasped Edward's hair tighter, and proceeded to kick the already mostly broken rib cage. Just as he was about to deliver a hard kick, that would most likely shatter the remaining unbroken ribs, someone interrupted.
"Brother!" Alphonse called as he ran down the stairs to his older brother. "Father! Stop it! He's had enough already!" Kneeling down to Edward and checked the burns.
"Shut up, brat!" Hohenheim released Edward's hair, and grabbed the nearest object, which was a small glass lamp and threw it at Alphonse.
A crash and a cry of "Brother!" rang through the house.
Edward was lying on the floor, glass in his side.
The teen wanted this to all be over, he wanted this to be the last beating. This would be his last punishment.
Or so he hoped.
He had shielded Alphonse. He had gotten hit with the lamp.
"BROTHER!"
Roy was in a petrified shock. There he was... standing in front of the same house he had passed this morning. The one with the strange 'movie' playing. Now he realized. That had been no movie. That had been Edward's father and younger brother... He hated himself for passing this cursed house without saving Edward. He could have saved Edward this morning. But instead, he was ignorant, and had walked away.
The four friends were walking up to Edward's door. Right before Roy knocked, he heard a loud yell of 'brother!' There was a crash and a thump, like a body hitting the floor. The group was afraid that's what it really was.
That voice sounded again. A similar voice they had all heard in Edward's school. And that Roy had heard coming from this house earlier today. The panicked voice belonged to Edward's younger brother, Alphonse, if they remembered correctly.
That voice yelled again in panic. "BROTHER! BROTHER! WAKE UP!"
Another voice yelled, a voice they had heard just a while ago, at the store. "SHUT UP YOU BRAT! HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED!"
Roy pounded furiously on the door. The man, Van Hohenheim, if he remembered correctly, answered.
"Hello? Who the hell are you?" Hohenheim asked with an angry scowl on his face.
"We are the employers of you son, Edward." Roy answered with hidden anger.
"Oh, so you are. Tell me something did he really quit, or did you fire him? He told me he quit, but that useless bitch is such a liar." The scowl deepened.
In the background, the worried voice called "Brother! Brother!"
"Sorry, I must be going..." Hohenheim said as he attempted to close the door, but Roy would not allow that.
Roy had a mission. A mission to save Edward. "I need to come in." Roy said in a commanding tone.
"Sorry, you can't" Hohenheim replied with a glare.
"And why not?" Roy asked, his emotionless mask slipping away, changing into a face of anger.
Hohenheim's answer was said in a menacing... almost... threatening tone. "Because I said so."
The two men glared at each other, while in the background there was the young, scared voice calling "Wake up! Brother, you're losing too much blood!" The men in the group did not appear to hear that, but Riza did.
She stood on her tiptoes to reach Roy's ear, and lowered his voice so only he could hear. "I have information to tell you."
Roy faced her and nodded, then turned to the angry and now, partly confused man in the doorway. "We must be leaving now."
The other men of the group looked confused, but followed Roy off the doorstep. They walked across the street, where Riza told them what she had heard Alphonse yell.
As they walked back to the door, they heard a voice full of rage yell "SHUT UP! THEY COULD'VE HEARD YOU! I SHOULD PUNISH YOU!"
The youngest Elric screamed. There was a crack and another cry of 'brother!'
"BROTHER! WHY? YOU CAN'T TAKE THAT MANY HITS! DON'T TAKE MINE TOO! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"
The group strained to hear Edwards reply. "I-it doesn't matter what happens to me, as long as you make it out okay..."
The sound of crying was obvious in Al's voice. "Don't be stupid brother! This has been going on for eight years now! Since Mom died! You've been taking the hits for me as well, this whole time!"
To say Roy was shocked, was an understatement. He had suspected a couple of months, a year at most... But eight years? Edward would have only been eight when it started...
"Alphonse, get out of here." Edward demanded as soon as Hohenheim had turned away.
"NO! I won't leave you!"
"LEAVE!" Edward said angrily. Then his tone softened. "Look, Al, face it... I'm losing too much blood, I'm not making it out of this alive."
"Brother! Don't say nonsense like that! Of course you'll live! You-you can't leave me alone..."
"I know Al, and I'm sorry. That's why I want you to go now. While he's distracted."
"But-"
"No buts, Al."
His younger brother was leaving.
Or so he hoped.
Alphonse could be stubborn. Very stubborn. So, he decided that if he was leaving, it was only to get medical attention. He wouldn't let his brother die. Standing up, he shakily walked toward the door, carefully making sure his father didn't notice.
He pulled open the door and ran forward, not looking where he was going, and crashed straight into Roy's hard, muscular chest. Falling backwards, and landing right on his ass, he stood up to see what he had run into.
Roy had expected this Elric brother to snap at him for being so stupid and standing in his way like that, but the voice that came out was meek and afraid.
"Did you hear?"
"Yeah..." Came Roy's answer. Before the raven haired man could explain how much he wanted to help, Alphonse cut off his thoughts.
"PLEASE! You've got to help brother!"
Once more, Roy was cut off before he could answer. But it was not by Al. It was by a loud voice. An angry voice. Hohenheim's voice.
"HOW DARE YOU LET HIM GET AWAY! I SHOULD JUST FUCKING KILL YOU!"
No one had a doubt that, that was not a exaggeration.
Roy ran up to the door, and grabbed the doorknob. As he twisted it, he discovered it was locked. He cursed the fact he could not just burn down the door. So, he did the next best thing.
He kicked it open. And God, did he ever look sexy while doing it. (1)
The first thing he saw was Edward. His eyes widened.
The teen was lying there, in a pool of his own blood, his breathing shallow. Sunlight was glistening off the glass in his side. Burn marks littered his flesh arm. Roy would never be able to forget the scent of Edward's burnt flesh.
After seeing that horrible sight, Roy did the first thing that came to mind. He ran up to the abusive bastard, and punched him in the face. Hard. Hard enough to knock him into the wall.
Riza was calling an ambulance, and the police, while Maes and Jean was trying to give some comfort to the traumatized Alphonse Elric.
Roy grabbed Edward and cradled him in his arms, carrying him bridal style. The ambulance was already waiting. Damn, that got there fast.
The medics pulled Edward away from Roy, and Roy wanted to stop them. He didn't want them taking his Edward away from him... Wait, his Edward? Where had he gotten that from?
That would never happen. Edward would never think of him in that way...
Well maybe one day, Edward would. Then they could be together...
Or so he hoped.
As the ambulance pulled away, sirens flashing, Roy had to answer some questions for the police. Roy walked inside, to show the policemen just who had been doing these terrible deeds... but what he saw, he did not like.
Nothing.
Thats what he saw. Nothing.
Hohenheim was gone.
That meant Hohenheim was still out there.
The police would catch him though...
Or so he hoped.
Roy was pacing in the hospital waiting room, one of the many hells known to all man kind. How could doctors just expect you to sit there, in horrible, uncomfortable plastic chairs, while a loved one may be dying?
"Roy-boy, come on. Sit, have some coffee." Maes said, holding the coffee cup out to his best friend. "You need to calm down. Edward's a strong kid, he won't die."
Or so he hoped.
"You're probably right... Something like this wouldn't take the shorty down, he's too stubborn."
"Brother is stubborn." Al's voice said from behind him, causing him to almost choke on his coffee.
"When did you get here, Al?" Maes asked curiously.
"Just now. The police said they had enough information for the time being, but they might call upon me for more questions later."
There was a comfortable silence in the waiting room, until Alphonse broke it with a question.
"Have the doctors said anything about brother's condition?" He asked with hint lacing his voice.
"No..." Roy answered. He had been close to praying to God that Edward would be okay... And he would be...
Or so he hoped.
"Oh..." Came Al's disappointed reply.
"Hey, Alphonse... How did your mother die?"
"Mr. Mustang, with all do respect, I don't think its my place to answer that, it's brothers..."
That confused Roy. So he asked. "Why is it his? Why can't you say?"
Alphonse had the type of expression that said 'are you stupid?' "Sorry, I thought it was obvious. Since brother is your boyfriend, he should be the one to tell you."
Roy almost fell out of his uncomfortable chair. "W-what? E-Edward's not my b-boyfriend..."
"Oh, I'm sorry sir! It's just... Well I know brother is gay... And you seem to care so much about him, and you knew where we lived... I just assumed... I'm sorry, sir."
The raven haired man dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. "It's okay. I do care about him. Don't worry about it."
The truth was, he liked being called Edward's boyfriend.
Roy looked once more at the door that the doctor would come out of when he finally updated the blondes condition.
Edward would be safe, and alive. Happy and healthy.
Or so he hoped.
TO BE CONTINUED!
(1) So sorry, I couldn't help it...
Longest chapter so far!
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