x3 Enjoy.
"So, this is where you can sleep tonight."
Dorochet leaned again the door frame while he spoke to Pride, who was sitting precariously on the edge of a small bed.
"I know it doesn't seem like it, but Greed's kind of a neat freak when it comes to himself." He said, planting his left hand on the doorknob and hanging there. He looked anxious to get back to the main room, which was just down the hall from Greed's room. He tapped his foot impatiently when Pride didn't reply. "So... yeah, the night isn't really a good time to come here, but tomorrow, I know Greed will have more to say to you, because of your.. You know." He said, waving a finger at Pride's shoulder. Pride looked down at his ouroboros and eyed Dorochet dangerously. Couldn't he just say it?
He gave another quick wave and slammed the door enthusiastically. Pride sat there wide eyed for a moment, almost startled by the quick and lame introduction. With a glance at the bed he was sitting on, he debated whether or not he was tired enough to trust this place during his unconsciousness. He was tired. When was the last time he slept? Two or three days? Taking a second glance at the bed, it looked cleaner than it had a few seconds before. He decided it was better than the floor at least, and he did need the sleep, if not just to pass the time. With careful movements, he slipped on top of the blanket and curled up, keeping his knees close to his chest and his chin down. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but he could sleep. He closed his eyes and recounted the events of the past few days. As far back as Central.
First, there was the Colonel, whom he was supposed to kill, but couldn't. Something stopped him, maybe because it was blatantly obvious the man knew him? Pride didn't feel right killing someone who knew him personally, something like that could leave room for regret, which is not something a homunculus needs on top of everything else.
Then there was Envy, who was pissed beyond any form of consolidation, except perhaps for the death of Pride, which wasn't really... a good idea.
So he ran (which probably pissed Envy off even more), and where did he run to? An underground tavern in the "bad" part of town. And he was at the mercy of its residents, who weren't too bad, considering they made themselves out to be of decent personality. After all, they did give him a place to sleep until tomorrow. How long would he stay here? He would have to go back to Dante's home eventually and face Envy's wrath... again.
Pride curled up tighter as he experienced the same twisting anxiety he felt the night he failed his first mission. Now, all of a sudden, slipping out of consciousness didn't seem so bad.
Hughes picked up the shot glass and eyed it curiously before setting it back down and turning to his friend, "What do you mean?"
Roy swallowed his glass quickly, enjoying the feeling of warmth filling his face and chest as the drink slipped its way down his throat. "Regret... how else am I supposed to explain it?"
"That's why I chose a job farther away from the front line. You, on the other hand, were one of many who had a death wish." He said as he pushed away the shot glass as the bartender slid a tall glass of darker liquid his way.
Roy sighed. How was he supposed to confide in someone who didn't see what he had? There were too many horrors of the battlefield that Hughes didn't experience, not because he was too gutless to fight, but he had a girl waiting for him back home, and he wanted to make sure he got back in one piece. A desk job was the smartest thing during that time. He drank another shot. "I guess I just can't stop thinking about that kid."
"You mean the one Armstrong carried back? Yeah... that one was unfortunate. In the army at such a young age. They should ban that sort of thing."
Giovanni. Only 14 and he was with the men, running head first into the activity of battle. Poor kid took a bullet to the stomach. It wasn't a killing blow, so he suffered for 13 hours, never made a sound, but those around him knew he was fully awake the entire time. You can't rest with that kind of injury. Since that moment, Roy questioned why he was there, though he wasn't sure of the entire back story.
"Well!" Hughes exclaimed, standing up, full of newfound enthusiasm. "You just need to remember one thing when you feel like this..."
Roy looked over at his friend, who was not one to skip out on proverbs when the situation called for one or a few.
"...own life."
Huh?
"MUSTANG."
He woke up with an awkward grunt and almost slipped off his chair. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as they focused on the figure standing in front of his desk. A lazy "Huh?" passed his lips before he realized it was none other than the pretentious Lieutenant Colonel. Looking down, he saw the files he received from Fuery. He slipped them under the desk, stood up, and leaned into Archer's face with a glare that could kill. "What do you want?"
Archer returned the glare, but backed down back into his chair, as did Mustang. "Now is that any way to address a fellow Colonel?"
Mustang cocked an eyebrow. "Since when?"
"Recently. I was promoted. But, that's not important. All I want to know now is what you saw of the Elric boy."
"You stay away from him." Mustang snarled.
"What's with the sudden defensiveness? Do you have a bit of a soft spot for the boy?" Archer mused.
Mustang sat back in his chair, its squeaking relaxed the tense moment. "I wouldn't call it a spot." He spat, smirking. "But whatever you want him for is a little less than soft, am I wrong?"
"You could say that. Even so, I'm under strict orders to find and arrest him. He attacked you. Wouldn't you agree he can now be considered a criminal?"
"He's not himself, obviously. And you chasing after him won't do anything but provoke him."
Archer narrowed his eyes and stood abruptly, making his way to the door without another word. He grabbed the doorknob and paused, his head shaking as if he debated whether or not to keep the discussion going. "Provoke him, or not. I will find him. I will go through you, and anyone else to get to him. And it's only a matter of time before he does some real damage, and then not even you can protect him." Without a second glance, he swung open the door and stalked out, but not before he threw back a, "Rest well, Colonel."
Mustang tapped his finger angrily on the top of his desk, before sideswiping a cup of pens to his right, sending them toppling over the edge.
He opened the door to his room, with Dorochet at his side. Greed stepped in and saw the uncomfortable looking heap that was Pride, sleeping on his bed. With a comically surprised expression, Greed mumbled, "He's taller than he was before... I think."
Greed waved Dorochet out of the room, strolled over to the side of the bed, and clamped his left hand onto Pride's shoulder like a vise. Pride twitched, but eased out of his sleep and turned his head to his right shoulder. He opened his eyes to an ouroboros, like his own, but with a pale scar running down the middle of it. His eyes moved from the hand to the man it was attached to. "Uh..." Pride mumbled. It took him a few seconds to register his surroundings before he remembered the man was Greed, or "boss", or something.
Greed let go of Pride as he sat up and took a few steps back towards the door, "Wake yourself up and come to the main room." He said, turning to leave.
"Wait, wait. I'm up." Pride said, stumbling off of the bed.
"Oh, so it does speak. Follow me."
The greeting was a little colder than last night, but Pride rubbed his eyes and followed Greed down the hall. "Have anything else to say?" Greed asked.
Pride thought for a moment. He didn't like to speak. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say, he just never thought he should say anything, because most of the time it got him in trouble. By now he learned to just do what they ask and not to question it. But, now that he was in the presence of a slightly safer homunculus, he felt he needed to clear some things up. "You're one of them, aren't you?"
Greed stopped and stared at the back of his left hand. "Them? I hope you know you're one of them too."
Pride said nothing, slightly embarrassed at the fact he forgot to mention himself in that statement. He just nodded.
Greed let out a long sigh, "Yeah, kid. I'm one of them."
Pride looked up, a little more relieved at his friendlier tone.
They had continued walking again, down the hall, towards the main room, when Greed spoke again. "No need to be so silent around here. Ask me anything! I'm sure there are plenty of things Envy would kill me for telling you." Pride looked stunned, so Greed continued. "But, don't let that hold you back."
Much shorter and a lot less info than I wanted it to have, but I needed to get something added, and this is what I came up with!
I'll try and update with a good chapter as soon as I can. XD
